God of Slaughter

Zhang Zhihe was holding a bowl of mutton noodles, eating with great satisfaction.

Having finally found an excuse to slack off under the pretense of his injuries, he, Zhang Zhihe, certainly wasn't going to shortchange himself.

Thump, thump, thump—thump, thump, thump—

A series of urgent knocks came from outside the door.

Hearing this, Zhang Zhihe set down his bowl and chopsticks and sighed, "Too fast!"

While ordering his servant to open the door, he hurriedly re-wrapped the bandages he had just removed and lay back down on the bed.

Before long, a group of patrolmen rushed to Zhang Zhihe's bedside, looking as if they had lost their way in a panic, every one of them wearing an expression of terror.

Before the patrolmen could speak, Zhang Zhihe rebuked them first: "What is the meaning of this panic? Has someone started a rebellion or what?"

Zhang Zhihe had long commanded great authority, and under this reprimand, the patrolmen calmed down slightly.

"Chief Inspector, Yang Yuchun was assassinated at the River-Viewing Tower!" one patrolman, who was usually on good terms with Zhang Zhihe, spoke up. "Li Changgeng, Li Changgeng was also killed at Daya Hall!"

Zhang Zhihe sat up abruptly from the bed; he was truly shocked.

He had known the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower was planning something big, but he hadn't expected it to be this sensational—a Concentrated Spirit Realm expert and a Mystic Realm expert, both killed.

He then interrogated them for details, and upon learning that both men had been killed by Chen Wu, he was even more shocked.

"Chief Inspector, what should we do?" one patrolman asked, his mind in such a state of chaos that he had lost all composure.

Zhang Zhihe paused, suddenly began to cough, and lay back down on the bed.

Someone immediately caught the hint: "Look at the Chief Inspector's injuries; how can he handle this matter? Why don't we do this: Chief Inspector, you appoint someone to take the brothers and investigate!"

Zhang Zhihe nodded and pointed a finger: "You go, and take my token!"

The person he pointed at, relying on having a brother-in-law who was a county magistrate, had always been insubordinate to Zhang Zhihe. Now that the opportunity had arrived, Zhang Zhihe immediately wanted to add some burden to his shoulders.

Knowing he had to deal with a killing god like Chen Wu, the man's face turned deathly pale, but he had no choice but to accept the token.

Chen Wu, the killing god in the eyes of others, had no such self-awareness at this moment.

Chen Wu was hiding in a mountain hollow, quietly waiting for the time limit of his Mystic Realm power to pass.

Before long, the spiritual energy that had been in communion with heaven and earth faded away, and the effortless, fluid martial arts realm he had experienced during the battle was peeling away from him, slow and steady.

In less than an hour, he would be demoted from his "budget version" of the Mystic Realm. It was a good thing he hadn't actually believed the nonsense in the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method about it lasting an hour; this author was truly unreliable.

This feeling of regression was extremely uncomfortable for Chen Wu, like a drowning man who had finally taken a breath of oxygen only to be pushed back into deep water.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, not even a shred of the power of heaven and earth remained in Chen Wu's body.

This loss of what he had just gained even made Chen Wu doubt whether the martial arts realm he had just experienced was merely an illusion, leading him to feel as if the human world itself were nothing but a grand dream.

Chen Wu shook his head, casting these thoughts aside, knowing that because he could not truly master the Mystic Realm, he had been affected by the communion with heaven and earth in return.

Until this sense of displacement completely vanished, Chen Wu focused his mind, and his true qi naturally surged along his precious sword.

He had returned to the Pulse-Opening Realm!

Without further hesitation, he utilized his movement technique and sprinted toward the pre-arranged meeting spot.

Before Old Jin's grave.

Wu Chengyi respectfully offered three sticks of incense to Old Jin. Beside him, Monk Zhongcheng pressed his palms together, chanting the Rebirth Mantra with a solemn expression.

"Namo amitabha, tathagata... jiduo jiali, suopohe."

After the Rebirth Mantra was chanted three times, Monk Zhongcheng fell silent, and Wu Chengyi spoke up.

"Old Master Jin, we've avenged you! Little Brother Chen and I have already sent Li Changgeng and Yang Yuchun down to you; I wonder if you've seen them yet."

"Many thanks to the Cloud-Grasping Iron Hand for your righteous assistance this time!" Old Ma bowed to Wu Chengyi.

"We're all from the Yongjiu School, why be so polite?" Wu Chengyi scratched his head, feeling quite ashamed. "I didn't really help much; it was all Little Brother Chen's own power. I didn't even contribute as much as Master Zhongcheng!"

"Amitabha!" Monk Zhongcheng said, "Zhang Iron Ruler already had thoughts of retreating; I merely pushed the boat along with the current."

"Hey, in any case, Little Brother Chen was the impressive one this time!" Wu Chengyi said.

"The killer is Chen Wu of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower—" Wu Chengyi started boasting again, "I heard it from far away; it was truly heroic, his voice shaking the four directions."

"What are you saying about me behind my back?"

Chen Wu had just arrived and heard Wu Chengyi bragging—and about him, no less—which gave him goosebumps, so he quickly spoke up to interrupt.

"Oh, Little Brother Chen is here!" Wu Chengyi was overjoyed, quickly stepping forward to grab Chen Wu's hand, looking him up and down. "It's a miracle! You killed a Concentrated Spirit expert and a Mystic Realm expert, yet you didn't suffer a single injury!"

"You are truly a genius even more formidable than Emperor Taizong!"

Who the hell said that? Don't tell me Old Ma spread that nonsense!

Yet, these people seemed to accept this statement as a given; not only did they have no objections, but Monk Zhongcheng even nodded in agreement.

Afraid that this group would make the rumors even more outrageous, Chen Wu hurriedly explained: "How could I be that formidable? It was all because of Old Jin."

As he spoke, he explained the details of the assassination of Yang Yuchun and Li Changgeng in full. He placed particular emphasis on the death of Li Changgeng, explaining that he had combined the Nine Evolutions Dragon-Expelling Art with the Sound Transmission Soul-Searching Technique to detonate the true qi Old Jin had left behind within Li Changgeng's body.

"Amitabha! Every sip and every peck is predestined," Monk Zhongcheng said, pressing his palms together.

"You've even mastered the Sound Transmission Soul-Searching Technique?" Old Ma's focus, however, was elsewhere. "I recall you only obtained that manual a few days ago."

Chen Wu was stunned. After obtaining the Sound Transmission Soul-Searching Technique, he had only read it once to understand the principles and tried it out briefly; he hadn't actually mastered it yet. He never imagined that, under the infusion of the power of heaven and earth, he would have been guided by some mysterious force to successfully execute one of its moves.

Thinking about it now, even Chen Wu felt that his comprehension of martial arts was terrifyingly strong.

Seeing the look of admiration on the faces of Wu Chengyi and Monk Zhongcheng nearby, Chen Wu knew he had firmly established his persona as a martial arts genius, so he simply stopped dwelling on the matter and began to discuss other things.

"Old Ma, now that we've committed such a grave act, is the Great Shun Dynasty going to go all out to cause us trouble?"

"It's the Crown Prince's Mansion and the School of Heavenly Principle!" Old Ma emphasized. "The imperial court isn't dominated solely by the School of Heavenly Principle; there are plenty of factions who would love to see the Crown Prince's Mansion suffer a setback!"

"That will still be incredibly difficult," Wu Chengyi said.

"When is doing anything ever easy?" Chen Wu replied. "It's nothing more than meeting soldiers with soldiers and water with earth—you just deal with whatever comes your way."

"Benefactor Chen, your words are bold; they are completely different from when this humble monk first met you," Monk Zhongcheng remarked. "At that time, Benefactor Chen seemed quite inclined to avoid conflict."

This monk had truly seen through him.

"Master, times change," Chen Wu laughed. "During this period, I have truly come to understand. Life in this world is like a hundred boats racing across a river; some strive to be first, some fall behind, and some may even capsize. But regardless, as long as one is striking the water in the middle of the current, one must forge ahead with courage. Only then can one live up to this life."

Before this, not long after Chen Wu had transmigrated and while under immense pressure, he had always maintained a mindset of drifting with the tide.

But the death of Old Jin that day had shaken Chen Wu to his core. Before Old Jin passed, he had shown not a shred of sorrow for life or death, instead singing of the injustices of the world. His tune was vast and unrestrained, recounting the magnificent waves of his life.

Having departed with such heroism, how could Chen Wu not be moved?

Deeply touched, there was perhaps a desire in his heart to emulate that spirit; if, when he eventually returned to the dust, he could possess even three parts of Old Jin's heroism, this life would not have been in vain.

It was for this reason that he decided to avenge Old Jin.

Only in the moment he made that decision did Chen Wu truly integrate his mindset into this world.

Living a second life, having transmigrated into such a magnificent, bizarre, and wondrous world, Chen Wu felt he had to strive and compete, to witness these towering mountains, treacherous waters, and the marvelous scenery of jagged rocks!