No spiritual root? I devour the origins of all paths.

Chapter 3 Encirclement and Kill

Night, the crescent moon hangs like a hook.

Ling Chen sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed, his spiritual energy flowing slowly along the path of the "Ten Thousand Paths Heavenly Venerable Technique".

After defeating Ling Hao, his cultivation level had stabilized at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. He was just one step away from entering the Qi Gathering Realm.

But this step is not easy.

The cultivation method of the Myriad Dao Celestial Venerable Technique is completely different from ordinary cultivation methods. Ordinary cultivation methods only require absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and refining it into the body. However, the Myriad Dao Celestial Venerable Technique requires devouring the origin of all things—spiritual herbs, spiritual minerals, and even the spiritual power of other cultivators, all of which can be transformed into one's own.

"This is why... the Celestial Venerable of the previous life was able to rule over all paths."

Ling Chen slowly opened his eyes, a flash of understanding crossing his gaze.

A single spiritual root can only cultivate the corresponding attribute of spiritual energy. However, the Myriad Paths Returning to Nothingness Diagram in his dantian can devour all spiritual energy and transform it into the purest primordial power.

This means that his potential is not limited by his spiritual root.

"elder brother!"

Ling Xue pushed open the door and entered, looking flustered.

"What's wrong?"

"People have come from outside. The Second Elder has brought a lot of people and they've surrounded the courtyard."

Ling Chen's gaze darkened.

He had long anticipated this day would come.

During the Bai Ri Clan competition, he revealed his strength. The Second Elder, Ling Tieshan, was Ling Hao's uncle and had always considered him and his son a thorn in his side. Now that Ling Hao had been severely injured by him, how could Ling Tieshan let it go?

"Xue'er, stay inside and don't come out."

"But brother—"

"obedient."

Ling Chen got up, took out a short knife from a hidden compartment by the bedside, and tucked it into his waistband. This knife was a keepsake left by his father, named "Po Jun" (破军). Although it was not a spiritual weapon, it was incomparably sharp.

Then he pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard.

Under the moonlight, more than thirty people surrounded the small courtyard, making it impossible to move. The leader was none other than the Second Elder, Ling Tieshan, followed by seven or eight clan guards at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, as well as several unfamiliar faces with cold auras, clearly not members of the Ling family.

"Second Elder, what brings you here so late at night?"

Ling Chen's voice was so calm it was unsettling.

Ling Tieshan, his face grim, raised his hand and threw something, which rolled to the ground at Ling Chen's feet.

It was a broken jade pendant.

"This was found on Hao'er. His dantian was destroyed, so he can forget about cultivating again for the rest of his life."

Ling Tieshan's voice was filled with suppressed rage, "Ling Chen, clan sparring is supposed to end when the point is reached. Yet you resorted to such a vicious act, harming your own clansman! According to clan rules, your cultivation should be abolished and you should be expelled from the Ling family!"

"Harm to one's own kind?" Ling Chen glanced down at the jade pendant, then suddenly laughed. "During the clan competition, Ling Hao kept demanding that I kneel and kowtow. When he used the Blazing Sun Fist, did he ever consider stopping short of defeat? If I had lost today, would the Second Elder have come to uphold justice for him?"

"presumptuous!"

Ling Tieshan roared, his spiritual energy surging around him, and the pressure of the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm suddenly erupted, like an invisible mountain pressing down on him.

Ling Chen grunted, his knees slightly bent, but he gritted his teeth and straightened his spine.

There are three major realms separating the Nascent Soul Realm and the Body Tempering Realm. The sheer pressure alone is enough to make an ordinary Body Tempering Realm cultivator collapse to the ground.

But he cannot kneel.

He's knelt down far enough in the last five years.

From this day forward, he will no longer kneel before anyone.

"Good, good, good." Ling Tieshan said "good" three times in succession, his eyes growing increasingly murderous. "Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me for disregarding our kinship. Take him down!"

More than thirty guards responded in unison, drew their swords, and rushed towards Ling Chen.

Ling Chen took a deep breath and instead of retreating, advanced.

The Broken Army Blade landed in his hand, its cold light flashing.

puff--

The guard at the front looked down in disbelief at the deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his chest, and then slowly collapsed.

One blow kills.

The other guards paused, their faces filled with shock.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Behind Ling Tieshan, an old man in black sneered, "You can't even handle a mere Body Tempering Realm brat. What use are you to the Ling family?"

Before he finished speaking, he had already darted out like a ghost, his five fingers forming a claw, aiming straight for Ling Chen's throat.

Spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips, gleaming with an eerie black light.

Peak of the Qi Gathering Realm!

"die!"

The old man in black was incredibly fast, arriving in front of Ling Chen in the blink of an eye.

Ling Chen's pupils contracted slightly. He lacked combat experience, and facing an enemy with such a vast disparity in strength, his instincts compelled him to retreat.

But retreat is not an option.

Ling Xue was behind him.

He gritted his teeth, and his sword slashed upwards at an angle, the blade reflecting the moonlight and drawing a silver arc.

clang--

The blade and claws clashed, producing a crisp, metallic clang.

Ling Chen's tiger's mouth was cracked from the shock, and the Po Jun Dao (Broken Army Blade) almost slipped

The old man in black wasn't faring much better. His claw strike contained corrosive spiritual energy, which should have torn the man and the knife apart. But the recoil from the blade made his fingertips go numb.

"This knife..." The old man in black's gaze fell on the Broken Army Blade, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. "There's something strange about it. Boy, hand over the knife, and I might spare your life."

Ling Chen remained silent.

He answered that question with his actions.

Another stab.

A simple, direct, and unpretentious cut.

The old man in black snorted coldly, and without further probing, he unleashed both palms, his black spiritual energy transforming into a torrent that surged toward Ling Chen.

"Styx Palm!"

That palm strike even obscured the moonlight.

Ling Chen felt as if he had fallen into boundless darkness, surrounded by the shadow of death.

The difference between the peak of the Body Tempering Realm and the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm is like an insurmountable chasm.

But he felt no fear.

There was only resentment.

He had only just begun to see hope. He had only just begun to have the ability to protect his sister. He had only just begun to learn the secret his father had left behind.

How could you die here?

Just as the darkness was about to engulf him—

The Myriad Dao Returning to Nothingness Diagram in his dantian trembled violently.

A terrifying power surged from the painting, roaring and rushing along the meridians, and entered the body of the Po Jun Blade.

hum-

The blade rang out.

The silver blade flashed and transformed into a torrent of cyan and gold, like the dawn breaking through the long night, tearing open the curtain of darkness.

The old man in black's expression changed drastically.

"What—"

boom!

The clash of blades and the shadows of palms created a deafening roar.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a figure was sent flying backward, crashing into the courtyard wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

It is Ling Tieshan.

The old man in black staggered backward, his right arm severed at the elbow, blood gushing out. He stared at Ling Chen in disbelief, his lips trembling as he managed to squeeze out a few words: "You...you...what kind of technique is this...?"

Ling Chen knelt on one knee, his Broken Army Blade supporting him on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He is still alive.

In that instant, the Myriad Dao Returning to Ruins Diagram forcibly extracted all his spiritual power, unleashing a strike far exceeding his cultivation level. The price was severe damage to his meridians; at this moment, every part of his body ached.

But he tore a hole in it.

A corner of the courtyard wall had collapsed, and Ling Tieshan lay among the rubble, his breath faint.

The old man in black had lost an arm, greatly reducing his fighting strength.

The remaining guards looked at each other, none of them daring to step forward.

"A bunch of useless trash." Ling Tieshan struggled to his feet from the rubble, his face covered in blood, his eyes gleaming with ferocity. "Attack! Whoever kills him, this elder will reward him with a thousand spirit stones!"

Enticed by the generous reward, the guards were once again eager to act.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside.

The First Elder, Ling Tiefeng, entered with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the mess in the courtyard, his face turning ashen.

That's enough.

The two words, like a thunderclap, made everyone's eardrums buzz.

The terrifying aura of the Void Realm was on full display.

Ling Tieshan's face turned pale: "Elder—"

"Shut up." Ling Tiefeng looked at him coldly, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Second brother, you colluded with outsiders to deal with your own young master. What should be the punishment according to the clan rules?"

Ling Tieshan's lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

Ling Tiefeng stopped looking at him and turned to look at Ling Chen, his gaze complicated.

"That's the end of tonight's business. Second Elder Ling Tieshan is stripped of his position as elder and confined to his quarters for three years, effective immediately. Three days later, Ling Chen will represent the Ling family in the Qingzhou sect selection."

He paused.

"This is a decision made by the tribe."

Ling Chen raised his head and met the eyes of the Grand Elder.

He saw the deeper meaning in the other person's eyes.

The old man, who had been observing from the shadows, finally made his choice that night.

"Thank you... Elder."

Ling Chen's voice was hoarse. He struggled to stand up and bowed to Ling Tiefeng.

Ling Tiefeng nodded and turned to leave.

Ling Tieshan glared fiercely at Ling Chen, then, supporting the heavily injured old man in black, staggered away.

The guards in the courtyard scattered like birds and beasts, as if granted a pardon.

The courtyard returned to silence.

Ling Chen leaned on his Broken Army Blade, looking up at the crescent moon.

The moonlight fell on his face, revealing the bloodstains that had not yet dried.

"Qingzhou... Sect Selection."

He murmured softly, a cold flame burning in his eyes.

The real storm has only just begun.

-

[End of Chapter 3]