He Wanted to Kill Them All!

Lin Xuan's words hadn't been an invitation to seek him out whenever he ran into trouble. He had merely revealed his identity to threaten Zhou Chen.

"What if I say I'm unwilling?"

Zhou Chen spoke in a low, eerie voice.

"Unwilling? Do you have the qualifications to refuse? Senior Brother, why are you wasting your breath on him? Since he's so blind to the situation, kill him! Everything will be ours!"

A vicious glint flashed through Jiang Qin's eyes as she drew her sword and pointed it at Zhou Chen.

Seeing this, Lin Xuan no longer hesitated. He abruptly drew the long sword at his waist and stepped forward.

Zhou Chen sighed when he saw this. "Sure enough, in this world, one can't afford to be a good person! Still, if I meet someone in trouble again, I might still lend a hand. Because I can save people, and I can kill them too!"

"Just you? You're not qualified!"

Jiang Qin sneered.

Zhou Chen said nothing. With a thought, he ignited the Blood Incense in his mind!

[Crimson Baleful Transformation] activated!

Terrifying Blood Vitality rose with the curling smoke, flooding through his meridians and pouring into every limb and bone.

In that instant, the muscles across Zhou Chen's body swelled high one by one. The sound of cloth ripping rang out with startling clarity in the quiet forest. His shirt was torn to shreds by his bulging shoulders and back, and scraps of fabric rustled as they fell to the ground.

His bones began to crack densely, as if something were forcibly stretching his body apart. His black hair grew wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye, sweeping past his shoulder blades and falling to his waist. It drifted and billowed in the forest breeze like a mass of dark flames.

Under Lin Xuan and Jiang Qin's shocked and terrified gazes, Zhou Chen's shadow on the ground continued to grow larger and taller. What had been an ordinary human outline slowly expanded into the towering phantom of a giant with broad shoulders and a thick back!

Zhou Chen lifted his head and looked at the two of them. His pitch-black eyes had been replaced by crimson. Dense Blood Vitality churned and roared within him. Though they were several steps away, both of them could feel a scorching pressure bearing down on them, as if a ferocious beast that had lain dormant for ages were slowly opening its eyes and fixing its gaze upon them.

Zhou Chen opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of condensed white vapor. It gathered in the air without dispersing. He said, "Am I qualified now?"

As soon as his voice fell, he moved. Both feet slammed into the ground, blasting open two deep pits. Zhou Chen's scarlet eyes dragged two streaks of blood-red light through the air. His entire body charged at Jiang Qin like a fierce tiger wrapped in a scorching wave of heat!

This woman had forgotten all morality for profit. She deserved to die most of all!

"Ah!"

At that instant, Jiang Qin was almost unable to breathe under the pressure. Overwhelming terror exploded in her heart and instantly swallowed her whole!

Amid her panic, she abruptly raised her sword and slashed, hoping to force Zhou Chen back half a step and gain a moment to breathe!

But Zhou Chen did not even dodge. His fist, gleaming with golden light, crashed into her blade. Immense force poured out, and the silver sword shattered instantly!

"How is this possible? Blades can't harm him—Golden Skin!"

Jiang Qin finally realized what had happened. Shock and regret flashed through her eyes. She regretted it! What kind of monster had she provoked?!

Boom!

After shattering the sword, Zhou Chen's punch landed on her chest!

Wild Bull Fist, Blood Bull Charge!

The fist punched straight through her chest. Its knuckles burst from her back, dragging out a mass of warm, mangled organs and splattering flesh. Blood trickled down Zhou Chen's thick arm, drop by drop striking the ground and spreading into dark-red blossoms among the dead leaves. The rich scent of blood filled the air.

"Kh... kh..."

Jiang Qin's face instantly turned as pale as paper.

"My... my father is Jiang... Jiang Chuan..."

She lowered her head and stared at the thick arm piercing through her chest. Tears streamed down together with the blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to beg for mercy.

Zhou Chen gave her no chance. His right fist became a palm and gripped one side of the bloody cavity. His other large hand followed immediately. Then both hands suddenly tore in opposite directions!

Riiip.

The sound of splitting silk rang out with startling clarity through the silent forest.

Jiang Qin's body was ripped apart down the middle. Her organs and warm blood gushed out with a splash, covering the ground.

A little blood spattered onto Zhou Chen's lips.

Zhou Chen stuck out his tongue and licked it away. The fishy, salty taste of blood was exhilarating. It made his pores seem to open in delight.

He liked killing those who wanted to trample him beneath their feet.

He liked watching them struggle in despair! He liked this pure, crushing pleasure!!!

Jiang Qin's death caused the burning Blood Incense to rise another inch.

"I... I..."

With a thud, Lin Xuan collapsed on the other side, so frightened that tears and mucus streamed down his face. He had completely lost the will to fight. He had just witnessed his junior sister die in such a grisly manner with his own eyes.

He was afraid, and he regretted it too!

"I was wrong, big brother, grandpa! I was wrong! Please spare me, spare me!"

Lin Xuan kowtowed until his forehead bled. His lips trembled, and mucus mixed with tears dripped onto the ground. His legs felt terribly weak, while waves of soreness and spasms pulsed through his calves. His stomach convulsed as well. Something surged up against his throat, and he let out a retch before vomiting a heap of filth.

"What a spineless wretch! If you had struggled on the brink of death, I might have respected you a little more!"

The people Zhou Chen hated most were those who bullied the weak while fearing the strong.

He walked over and spread open his fan-like hand. In an instant, he grabbed Lin Xuan's head and lifted him up.

"Please, I'm begging you, please!"

Lin Xuan was so terrified he nearly fainted. His legs kicked helplessly as he continued to beg for mercy.

He didn't want to die. He wanted to live. He wanted to live!

But Zhou Chen's eyelids did not even twitch. He suddenly exerted force!

Bang!

Lin Xuan's head exploded instantly!

Red and white matter splattered across the ground like rain striking fallen leaves. His headless corpse dropped with a thud.

After dealing with the two of them, Zhou Chen extinguished the Blood Incense in his mind and skillfully searched their corpses. The two had not brought much money with them; he found only a little over ten taels of silver, and neither carried any secret manuals.

He then dragged the two corpses into the distance, found a patch of soft earth, and smashed their flesh to pieces with several punches before scattering it among the grass.

The beasts of the forest would naturally come to clean up the traces once they smelled the blood. No one would know that he had done it.

As for the Blood-Horned Bear, Zhou Chen cut up its flesh. He tied the several hundred jin of bear meat and bones to a wooden frame, binding it securely with vines.

By the time he reached the city gates, the sun had already begun to slope westward. He set the wooden frame down by the city wall and waited nearby for roughly an hour. Gradually, several more groups of Martial Warriors who had left the city returned.

From afar, those people spotted the mountain-like pile of Blood-Horned Bear meat beside him. Surprise rose in their eyes, and some could not help whispering among themselves.

"Who's that? He looks unfamiliar. He actually managed to kill such a huge Blood-Horned Bear?"

"No idea. But to take down something like that, he must have at least reached First-Rank Major Accomplishment. He looks young—perhaps he's a new tough character from some martial arts school."

"Forget which school he's from. Be polite if we see him in the future. Don't court disaster."

Everyone continued discussing him. Before long, the city gates opened. Zhou Chen had just carried the meat inside when he saw several merchants already standing on either side of the gate to buy materials. Smiles adorned their faces, while weighing rods, bamboo baskets, and similar items lay at their feet. Cargo carts stood nearby as well.

Someone had barely hauled a bundle of medicinal herbs through the gate when two merchants surrounded him. They inspected the goods and named a price on the spot, completing the transaction in just a few words.

"This is quite convenient. It saves me the trouble of traveling farther."

Zhou Chen's eyes lit up.

Not far from the city gate, a young girl in a pale-yellow dress stood beside a middle-aged man, bored out of her mind. The tip of her shoe kicked at a stone on the ground every now and then.

She had a palm-sized face, with delicate features that seemed to have been drawn stroke by stroke by a painter. A naturally lively, smiling spirit shone from her. Her black hair was divided into two bunches and tied into two round buns beside her ears. A butterfly-shaped silver hairpin rested in her hair, trembling lightly whenever she shook her head, as if it might take flight at any moment.

Nan Zhiyi's dark eyes rolled as she pouted her pink lips. "Dad, why did you have to make me come with you to buy materials? It's so boring."