Xie Yuan said something was approaching, but the figure that emerged was a middle-aged man. The newcomer appeared to be in his early forties with a ferocious countenance. His face was a map of knotted flesh, and his eyes were clouded, filled with a turbulent violence.
“It is him,” Shen Zhuo asserted the moment he looked over. “The evil energy on the butler and Master Jian earlier is identical to the aura on this man.”
Xie Yuan immediately understood why Shen Zhuo had distinguished this from the common turbid air of street thugs. He extended his spiritual sense, yet he could barely see the man’s physical body. The man was completely encased in a thick, physical shroud of red and black miasma. The black energy churned like a rolling fog of pestilence, shot through with streaks of crimson bloodlust that stained the mist an ominous, gory hue.
As Xie Yuan focused his investigation on that blood-red malice, a sudden, baseless urge to kill surged within his heart. It felt as if countless vengeful spirits were roaring in his ears, struggling and wailing in agony. He shook his head violently, attempting to dispel the voices invading his mind.
Shen Zhuo noticed the sudden shift in his expression. “What is wrong?”
Xie Yuan exhaled the stagnant breath from his lungs and snapped his eyes open, warning the other three. “Careful, do not get close.”
Chen Qiu followed suit, channeling his spiritual energy to look at the man. The moment he perceived the terrifying bloodlust, his face filled with shock. “Is this the resentment Daoist Shen mentioned?”
Shen Zhuo applied the last of his remaining spiritual energy to his eyes, adding, “It is far more than that. This resentment has merged with blood-red malice. This person carries the weight of at least forty or fifty lives. If he is allowed to turn into a demon, the consequences will be endless.”
The scarred middle-aged man suddenly raised his hand, clutching a large iron cleaver that reflected a cruel, murderous light. He bellowed, “What are you lingering for? Kill! Leave no one alive on this entire street! Strip them of every coin they have!”
Along with his roar, the dense black and red resentment surged outward. The thugs who had been defeated by Shen Zhuo’s group earlier felt the residual black energy on their bodies being pulled and concentrated once more, becoming even more terrifying than before. Corroded by this energy, their faces twisted and their eyes flashed with greed. They picked up their fallen blades one by one, their bloodthirsty gazes sweeping through the crowd.
By now, the civilians who had not yet fled had long since scrambled away. Before the wonton stall owner disappeared, he turned and screamed at the top of his lungs, “It is him! The one in the middle is Chen Gouzi! Be careful, young heroes!”
The thugs controlled by the resentment focused their vicious glares on Shen Zhuo and his three companions, particularly on Xie Yuan, whose dark silken robes marked him as a man of great wealth.
One man brandished his blade and hissed, “Brother Gou has spoken! Slaughter them, and their gold and silver belong to us! These people are clearly rich. Who knows what treasures they are carrying? What are you waiting for!”
With that, the thugs lunged forward, their blades swinging downward. The brothers Chen Qiu and Chen Dong moved like lightning, their Yanxue Sect footwork appearing supernatural. Before the thugs could even track their movements, the brothers had each neutralized an attacker.
Xie Yuan was about to strike with his white jade fan when a green-clad figure suddenly flashed past his side. A long sword swept from behind him like a dragon emerging from its cave, parrying the heavy iron blade that was diving toward his head.
Xie Yuan froze, staring at the back of the figure shielding him.
“I have run out of spiritual energy. Those two from the Yanxue Sect,” Shen Zhuo began, glancing at Chen Qiu and Chen Dong but not finishing his sentence. His focus returned to the thug in front of him. With a flick of his wrist and a slight shift in footwork, he circled behind the man. In the next second, the hilt of his sword struck the thug’s neck with a sharp wind. The man collapsed without even a groan.
Shen Zhuo flicked his wrist, the sword carving a beautiful arc in the air. He said to Xie Yuan, “Only you can deal with the source of that resentment. Leave the rest to me.”
Xie Yuan was momentarily stunned by the clean, decisive swordsmanship. Still worried, he asked, “Your spiritual energy?”
Shen Zhuo turned his head, a slight smile playing on his handsome, youthful face. “Am I useless without spiritual energy? Then you underestimate me far too much.”
That smile gave Xie Yuan an inexplicable sense of peace. He unfurled his fan, the corners of his own mouth lifting. “It seems the title of waste given to Shen Zhuo of the Xuanyun Sect is overdue for a change.”
Xie Yuan loosened his grip, and the white jade fan disassembled, its pieces flying from different directions to strike Chen Gouzi simultaneously.
Shen Zhuo flicked his sword, forcing back another thug attempting to ambush Xie Yuan. He looked up to see the five jade fragments moving with unstoppable force, turning into five streaks of white light as they plunged into the red and black mist. However, the lustrous glow of the jade seemed like a stone dropped into the ocean, instantly swallowed by the resentment surrounding Chen Gouzi.
Chen Gouzi let out a violent roar and lunged at Xie Yuan with his blade. Xie Yuan remained composed, his eyes half closed as his hands moved rapidly to form a seal. The jade fragments submerged in the mist suddenly vibrated violently, causing the entire blood-red fog to shake uncontrollably.
By this time, the Yanxue Sect brothers had subdued the other bandits. Chen Qiu looked at the increasingly unstable cloud of malice and asked worriedly, “Is Daoist Xie truly alright facing that alone?”
“Brother Qiu, what are you saying?” Chen Dong dismissed his concern. “That is Xie Yuan! Among the younger generation of the immortal sects, who else but Pei Chuan of the Xuanyun Sect could hope to match him? If he cannot handle it, we are even more helpless.”
Chen Qiu wanted to say more, but Shen Zhuo raised a hand to stop him. “Back away. Be careful not to let the resentment affect you.”
As they spoke, a brilliant white light erupted from within the red and black mist. Driven by Xie Yuan’s power, the white jade fragments repeatedly struck the miasma. The spiritual energy on the jade began to cleanse the bloodlust, forcing the filth to scatter and flee.
Xie Yuan changed his hand seal again. The five jade fragments flew into the air and merged, returning to the shape of a fan. Simultaneously, a massive phantom of the white jade fan appeared in the air behind it. The phantom slowly tilted forward, perfectly enveloping Chen Gouzi. Wherever the phantom passed, the blood-stained black fog was instantly extinguished.
Once the phantom dissipated, Chen Gouzi staggered, looking as though all his essence had been drained. He could no longer even hold his blade, which hit the ground with a loud clack.
Seeing the man disarmed, Chen Qiu began to relax, only to see several wisps of black fog reconvening around Chen Gouzi. He shouted in alarm, “Not good! The resentment is gathering again!”
The moment he finished, the white jade fan floating in the air snapped shut. The handle struck the back of Chen Gouzi’s neck with precision, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Xie Yuan retracted his power and walked toward the fallen man. As he reached out, the white jade fan flew back into his palm as if it recognized its master.
Shen Zhuo, witnessing the fan’s spiritual display, could not help but praise it again. “A fine treasure indeed. Your master truly treated you well. I suspect this fan has already birthed a spirit, has it not?”
In this world, if an object is nurtured by spiritual energy for long enough, it has the potential to cultivate an inner spirit. Looking at Xie Yuan’s fan, Shen Zhuo could not help but think of his own natal sword, which had once birthed a sword spirit as well.
Xie Yuan knelt down, using the tip of his fan to pull open Chen Gouzi’s outer robe. He replied, “My master is the last remaining immortal in this world. The things he carries are all touched by divine power. Most are capable of nurturing spirits.”
Shen Zhuo was stunned. “An immortal still exists in this world?”
In the memories of his past life, no cultivator in the entire immortal world had successfully crossed the Tribulation for six or seven hundred years. He had thought he would be the one to break that streak of weakness, but he had failed his own Tribulation and ended up in this body as a waste. He had assumed the Way of Heaven no longer allowed for such beings. He never expected to hear that an immortal still walked beneath the Heavens.
“Yes. But he has been missing for ten years,” Xie Yuan said, his tone turning flat. He did not stop his search, pulling a brocade pouch from the inner pocket of the chest where the resentment was thickest.
The moment the pouch was removed, dense black energy began to leak out uncontrollably. Just holding it in his hand radiated a heart-stopping, sinister chill.
Chen Dong poked his head over curiously. “Is this the jade pendant with the resentment you mentioned?”
Xie Yuan did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Shen Zhuo.
“Open it and we will know,” Shen Zhuo signaled.
Xie Yuan untied the pouch and poured the contents into his palm.
“Is this truly the jade pendant Master Jian is looking for?” Chen Qiu asked in surprise. “Did he not say it was made of warm white jade?”
It was no wonder he was shocked. Resting in Xie Yuan’s palm was indeed a jade pendant, but it was a haunting, ink-black color. Within it, a crimson luster flowed faintly. No matter how one looked at it, it had nothing to do with the warm white jade Master Jian had described.
As Xie Yuan held the pendant, a chill instantly pierced his skin and invaded his very marrow. The scene before him changed abruptly. In a daze, he found himself standing on a battlefield he had never seen before.
Corpses littered the ground, representing the bodies of cultivators from every sect. The sky and earth were stained red with blood. Piercing cries and the clash of weapons rang in his ears. Black smoke rolled over the scorched earth, and the heavy scent of blood and despair was nearly physical, making it impossible to breathe.
He shook his head violently. When he opened his eyes again, the vision had receded, and he was back on the long street outside the Jian estate. Yet the chill still lingered on his fingertips.
Shen Zhuo saw him dazed and looked into Xie Yuan’s eyes. “Be careful yourself. Do not let the resentment disturb your mind.”
Xie Yuan smiled, returning to his usual dashing posture. “This little thing cannot handle me.”
Shen Zhuo hesitated for a moment and held out his hand. “Perhaps I should carry it?”
“No need,” Xie Yuan said, looking at the youth’s slender frame and shaking his head. He gazed down at the black jade. “This pendant is incredibly strange, and it is entirely black. Is this truly the one Master Jian was looking for?”
“It is hard to say. Regardless of whether it is the object he seeks,” Shen Zhuo said, his gaze falling on the jade as well, “this item definitely has a connection to him.”
“Why do you say that?” Chen Dong asked.
Shen Zhuo nodded toward the unconscious Chen Gouzi. “Whether this jade is auspicious or sinister, it is absolutely not something a mere thug like him should possess.”
Chen Qiu understood immediately. “Do you mean Chen Gouzi obtained this from Master Jian through his brother, Butler Chen?”
“Yes.”
Chen Qiu pondered for a moment and asked, “But what use does a thug like him have for a jade pendant filled with resentment?”
“For wealth,” Shen Zhuo explained. “Resentment amplifies the deepest desires in a holder’s heart, causing them to lose control and sink into violence.”
Chen Dong realized it as well. “No wonder those thugs were shouting about killing and stealing. That is the desire you mentioned, right?”
“Exactly.”
Chen Qiu looked worriedly at the jade in Xie Yuan’s hand and then at Xie Yuan. “Is it alright for you to hold it?”
Xie Yuan looked up and met Chen Qiu’s gaze with a light smile. “Me? I have no such worldly desires.”
However, Shen Zhuo suddenly felt something was wrong. He had grown accustomed to Xie Yuan’s playful smile over the last two days, and his intuition told him the current smile was unnatural. His fingers moved quietly to the hilt of his sword. Staring at Xie Yuan’s face, he said in a heavy voice, “Desire is only related to the deepest longing in a person’s heart. It has nothing to do with whether it is worldly or how much money they have.”
Before he could finish, Xie Yuan suddenly tightened his grip, clutching the jade pendant and hiding it behind his back. He looked up at Shen Zhuo, and the black energy around him surged violently, forming a thick, impenetrable fog that enveloped his figure.
In the mist, he whispered, his voice carrying an unprecedented coldness. “How does Daoist Shen know so much detail? Since you know everything, you must surely know the whereabouts of my master.”