A Kind Heart Cannot Rule a Nation

Xiao Yi Xian stared with utter loathing at the burly man before her. Even the weapon in her hand trembled. She had never truly killed anyone before, and now that she had raised her sword again, fear still gripped her heart.

He Meng burst into laughter. Looking at Xiao Yi Xian's delicate face, he nearly started drooling. He grinned and said, "Little sister, are you planning to pick your big brother's teeth with that? Come on, come on. Big brother won't mistreat you."

Just as He Meng was about to make his move, a thunderous explosion suddenly rang out from the valley.

Everyone turned toward the valley. The mercenaries who had rushed in earlier came flying back like cannonballs, landing directly at Mu She's feet. From the expressions frozen on their faces, it was clear that they had been killed in an instant.

Crisp footsteps sounded at an unhurried pace.

Mu She's pupils shrank, and his body involuntarily retreated two steps. His eyes were filled with malice.

Yet the aura this man gave off was so terrifying that even a simple glance from him made Mu She feel as though his body had been hollowed out.

Mu She swallowed. Realizing that the newcomer was no ordinary person, he straightened his clothes and respectfully cupped his hands.

"May I ask who you are, sir, and why you attacked the men of my Wolf Head Mercenary Group?"

"Hehehe. You must be Mu She, leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group." Lin Che's gaze was incomparably cold. "I am the master of this place. You barged in without permission, and now you ask who I am. Don't you find that utterly ridiculous?"

At those words, Mu She could not help but suck in a cold breath. So this man was the culprit who had killed his son.

Yet the feeling this man gave him was simply too terrifying. Mu She did not wish to offend Lin Che. It would be best if he could make him retreat in the face of difficulty.

With that thought, Mu She took the Reclining Moon Blade handed to him and said viciously, "If you leave now, I, the leader, will let this matter go. Otherwise, don't blame me for not warning you. My blade spares no lives."

Lin Che merely smiled. What a claim—his blade spared no lives. With Mu She's strength as a Two-Star Dou Master, Lin Che could probably reduce him to ashes with a single finger.

As his aura was released, Mu She's expression changed drastically once again. The Reclining Moon Blade fell from his hand with a clang. His legs went weak, and he dropped to his knees, lips trembling. "N-No... impossible... You...! You're... a Dou Emperor... a Dou Emperor not yet twenty years old?!"

Upon hearing their leader's words, the members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group collapsed to the ground in terror.

A Dou Huang expert?!

Wasn't that the strongest kind of existence in the Jia Ma Empire?

The mere aftershock of a Dou Huang could wipe out every member of their Wolf Head Mercenary Group. At such close range, they could be reduced to ashes at any moment.

Lin Che stood with one hand behind his back, a mocking smile on his lips. "Captain Mu She, I seem to recall hearing that your blade spares no lives. I am standing right here today. I'll give you a chance—strike at my body."

By now, Mu She had been frightened to the point of tears. How could he still dare to strut around before this senior?

All he wanted now was to leave this place as quickly as possible and flee as far away as he could.

Mu She cried miserably, "Senior, I truly didn't know you were a Dou Huang expert. If I had known, this junior would never have come. Please, Senior, spare me. I'll never dare do it again."

"Xiao Yi Xian, Grandma, hurry and plead with this senior for me. I don't want to die. I really don't want to die!"

Mu She kept slamming his head against the ground. He knew Xiao Yi Xian was kindhearted and should be willing to plead for him.

As the saying went, if not for the monk's sake, then for the Buddha's. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group had helped the Myriad Medicine Pavilion quite a bit in the past.

Xiao Yi Xian's willow brows rose as she looked at Mr. Yao of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion lying on the ground, already silent forever. She slowly closed her eyes. "You deserve to die."

Mu She's pupils abruptly contracted. Gritting his teeth, he knew that he would likely not leave this place alive today. He immediately drew the long blade at his side and shot toward Xiao Yi Xian.

If he was going to die, he would take someone down with him!

With a hiss!

A flash of sword light streaked through the air. Mu Li's blood sprayed outward, his head flew into the sky, and his body hit the ground with a thud.

Seeing their leader die just like that, the mercenaries of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group were so terrified that their legs went limp. They sobbed and wailed miserably.

"Senior, I have a newborn child above me and an eighty-year-old mother below me. They're still waiting for me."

Swish, swish, swish...

Swords rang as they left their sheaths.

The mercenaries who had been begging for mercy moments ago did not even have a chance to react before they all fell into pools of blood.

A thick scent of blood filled the air outside the valley. Countless magical beasts were drawn by the smell and stared greedily at Lin Che.

Lin Che said indifferently, "You may clear away the corpses here. But whoever dares step even half a foot into the valley will be killed without mercy!"

These high-ranking magical beasts had long developed intelligence and knew full well how dangerous this man was. They immediately rushed over and dragged away all of Mu She's and the others' corpses. The flesh of such powerful experts was the most delicious—crisp and tasty.

It could also increase their strength.

Xiao Yi Xian sighed. "It's just a pity about the people from the Myriad Medicine Pavilion. They were probably all killed by the Wolf Head Mercenary Group."

Lin Che reached out with his right hand and rubbed Xiao Yi Xian's head. "This world has always been full of deception, where the strong prey on the weak and only the fit survive. I told you this long ago."

"If you want to protect the people you care about most, then you must pick up your weapon and kill every enemy. Only then can you become an outstanding expert."

Xiao Yi Xian bit her lower lip and nodded heavily. It seemed she needed to cultivate the Flame Mantra as soon as possible so that she could become an outstanding alchemist.

Even a Poison Master could heal the sick and save lives.

Before long, the corpses of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had been devoured clean by the nearby magical beasts, as though the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had never existed in this world at all.

Back in the valley, Lin Che sat in the Bamboo Pavilion reading a book, while Xiao Yi Xian chose to begin cultivating the Flame Mantra at once in order to become stronger.

With Old Yao's assistance, Xiao Yi Xian cultivated the Flame Mantra very quickly. However, to raise the Flame Mantra's grade, she needed to devour Heavenly Flames.

Yet Heavenly Flames were born between heaven and earth. Obtaining one was nothing short of a fool's dream. Some people never even saw a Heavenly Flame in their entire lives, much less acquired one.

Lin Che only knew of a few Heavenly Flames, but the only one most suitable for Xiao Yi Xian was the Nether Poison Fire of the Ancient Nether Poison Marsh.

Unfortunately, Lin Che had never left the Northwest Continent in all these years, so he naturally did not know the Nether Poison Fire's exact location.

Aside from the Green Lotus Core Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, Three Thousand Burning Flame, and the like, he had heard of these Heavenly Flames before, but obtaining them would still require some effort.