novelHire Chapter 890: Blood Feud
Chapter 890: Blood Feud
As the words fell.Chen Huaian flicked his finger.
Dang——!
A ring of air rippled outward from the flicking finger.
The Battle Soul of the Great Mount Sumeru Rod in Tang Ritian's hand instantly shattered, and the exploding fragments rained down on him like a violent storm, blasting him away. He crashed through who knows how many giant trees, disappearing into the boundless twilight at the forest's edge.
"Father!"
Tang Er glanced in the direction Tang Ritian had been blasted, unable to even see his father's silhouette anymore.
He then turned his head to look at Li Qingran.
Li Qingran stood there, holding the Su Xian Sword in one hand, silver-white energy flowing around her body, the surrounding space tearing inch by inch.
As a transmigrator, Tang Er knew exactly what that silver-white energy flow was.
—That was Sword Qi.
He had already been shocked by the Sword Qi originally emanating from Li Qingran.
The Sword Qi erupting now was even more terrifying.
And this Sword Qi did not come from Li Qingran herself, but from that special Battle Soul behind her, that white-clothed swordsman.
The white-clothed swordsman also held a sword in one hand. As he stood up, the Sword Qi around Li Qingran grew even more violent, attacking everything around indiscriminately, leaving densely packed sword marks on the ground, emitting a grating "sizzling" sound.
"My wife is someone you can touch? And uproot the grass to prevent regrowth? Hmph—!"
Chen Huaian discovered he could speak again.
This Million-Year World Ring seemed to have lifted one-tenth of his seal.
In his current Battle Soul form, he could already mobilize one-tenth of a Golden Immortal's power.
A Million-Year World Ring only bought this much.
He was a bit dissatisfied.
But he had no choice but to accept it.
"Senior! There's some misunderstanding here!"
Tang Er sensed something and quickly knelt before Li Qingran and Chen Huaian, kowtowing his way forward step by step, trembling as he said: "My father's temper is just like that, he was also acting for the safety of me and Little Rabbit.
I know you are very angry, you can vent any rage on me.
Please, spare my father's life!"
"Spare his life?"
Chen Huaian scoffed, his eyes cold.
"If I weren't here today, my wife would have been slapped to death by your father!
And you would only think my wife died pitifully, could you resurrect her?
Or could you stop your father from killing my wife?
You can do nothing.
Therefore, you have no right to stop me now!
Debts have their creditors, grievances have their source. Your father's debt shall naturally be borne by your father himself!"
Before his words faded.
A weak roar sounded from deep within the forest.
"Tang Er, run!"
"Take Little Rabbit and run!"
"Run?" Chen Huaian raised an eyebrow, took a step forward, and in the next instant, he was already standing before Tang Ritian deep in the forest with Li Qingran. "Is there a need to run?"
He looked down condescendingly at this being who could be considered T0-level in the Canglan World.
Legendary Battle Master.
Below the demigods, this was likely the strongest power, right?
Judging by the aura, roughly equivalent to somewhere between the Unity Realm and Void Shattering Realm of the Cangyun Realm.
At this moment, Tang Ritian's condition was extremely poor.
Although Chen Huaian had merely flicked his finger,
that single finger contained the sword path he had comprehended all the way to the Golden Immortal realm.
That seemingly ordinary flick not only shattered Tang Ritian's Battle Soul but also displaced his internal organs, as if scraped by layer upon layer of Sword Qi.
At the bottom of the crater.
Mud mixed with blood, emitting a nauseating stench.
Tang Ritian lay on his back, his chest caved in.
The arrogance that once made the entire Canglan Realm tremble in fear,
now reduced to only a few gasps like a broken bellows.
He struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurred by blood,
only able to vaguely see that figure standing by the crater's edge, clad in white purer than snow.
High above.
Unstained by dust.
Like a deity looking down upon a dying ant.
"Cough... cough..."
Tang Ritian spat out a mouthful of black blood mixed with organ fragments, painfully pulling the corner of his mouth into a smile uglier than crying.
"Senior, I, I... admit defeat."
He had kicked an iron plate, and it was his own bones that shattered.
He had no complaints.
"Senior... I'll pay for this life with mine."
Tang Ritian gasped, his voice weak, yet carrying a father's final humility and plea: "But my son caused no real harm to your esteemed wife, he is innocent..."
"Misfortune should not extend to wives and children... that's the jianghu rule."
"I beg you... spare him a path to live."
Chen Huaian looked at him indifferently.
The wind blew through the treetops, sweeping up a few withered yellow leaves that drifted down onto Tang Ritian's blood-stained face.
"Jianghu rule?"
A trace of mockery curled at the corner of Chen Huaian's mouth.
"When you were about to kill my wife just now, did you think of the jianghu rule?"
Tang Ritian was speechless, the light in his eyes instantly dimming—that was despair.
"However..."
Chen Huaian's tone shifted, becoming as flat as if discussing the weather.
"This Venerable One is not a bloodthirsty person."
"You tried to kill my wife, so I kill you. A life for a life, very fair."
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze seeming to pierce through the dense layers of forest, landing on the youth scrambling and crawling frantically toward them in the distance.
"As for that little brat..."
'If you don't uproot the grass when weeding, it sprouts again with the spring breeze.' That saying holds true."
Chen Huaian withdrew his gaze, bringing two fingers together, a chilling glint flickering at their tips.
"But This Venerable One doesn't care."
"That is a concern for the weak."
"If that blade of grass dares to grow again, if it dares to grow before This Venerable One again..."
He looked at Tang Ritian, enunciating each word clearly:
"This Venerable One will... simply swing the sword again."
Tang Ritian was stunned.
Then, a complex emotion surged in those turbid eyes.
Relief, gratitude, and also... sorrow.
With such a mindset, it was hard to imagine how strong this white-clothed swordsman was when alive...
No, even dead, turned into a Battle Soul, he was still absurdly strong.
This person... must not be made an enemy.
But he no longer had the chance to give Tang Er his final instructions.
He could only hope Tang Er wouldn't be foolish enough to seek revenge against Li Qingran.
"Th... thank you."
He slowly closed his eyes.
Lifting his neck, like a prisoner awaiting execution,
or like a traveler finally laying down his burden.
"Do it."
Chen Huaian wasted no words.
He simply waved his sleeve lightly.
Swish.
An extremely thin, fast, faint white line flashed briefly in the air. It was like a painter's brush, casually sketching a stroke in the void.
Tang Ritian still maintained that head-raised posture,
only his rising and falling chest instantly stilled.
That sword was too fast. Fast enough to slice the boundary between life and death, the flesh not even having time to react.
A few breaths later.
Sss—
A fine line of blood slowly appeared on Tang Ritian's neck.
Life force severed.
The Legendary Battle Master, the generation's Haotian, thus met his end.
Chen Huaian didn't spare another glance at the corpse.
He turned, that sharp Sword Intent instantly retracting, transforming back into that gentle, jade-like white-clothed young master.
"Let's go."
He took the hand of the silent Li Qingran beside him.
"The smell of blood in this forest is too strong, it chokes the nose."
Li Qingran nodded obediently, letting him lead her.
The two transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the horizon.
...
An unknown amount of time passed.
The sky darkened.
Lead-grey clouds pressed low, as if about to touch the treetops.
Rustle...
The wind rose.
Fine snowflakes fell from the clouds, drifting profusely,
soon cloaking this blood-stained forest in a layer of plain mourning white.
"Father!!!"
A heart-wrenching roar tore through the forest's silence.
Tang Er stumbled into this ruin.
His clothes were torn by thorns, his body covered in mud, his originally handsome face etched with terror and panic.
Little Rabbit followed closely behind him, eyes red, not daring to make a sound.
Tang Er rushed to the edge of the huge crater.
His footsteps abruptly halted.
The snow fell heavier and heavier.
White snowflakes landed on Tang Ritian's face, on that chest that would never rise and fall again.
And that... shocking line of blood.
"Fa... father?"
Tang Er stretched out a trembling hand, wanting to shake awake the man who was always taciturn but had shielded him from all storms.
The moment his fingertips touched the skin.
Cold.
Stiff.
Thud.
With his touch, the head full of stubble slowly tilted to one side, finally rolling onto the snow.
At the severed neck, the long-congealed black blood looked like a mocking mouth.
"Ah..."
Tang Er's mouth hung open, a strange "heh heh" sound coming from his throat, as if someone was choking him.
His world collapsed in that instant.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
Tang Er suddenly clutched the head, kneeling in the snow, letting out a mournful wail like a cuckoo crying blood.
Pain.
Remorse.
Rage.
Countless emotions exploded in his chest, finally transforming into two lines of glaring bloody tears, sliding down the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the pure white snow, burning deep crimson pits.
The Demonic Pupils went completely out of control at this moment.
The originally clear purple was instantly devoured by blood-red, turning into two burning flames of vengeance.
He stared fixedly in the direction Chen Huaian had left.
His teeth ground with a grating sound, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Battle Soul Hall..."
"White-clothed swordsman..."
"Li Qingran..."
Each name was like a curse carved into his bones.
Mother was gone.
Now father had left him too.
Tang Er clutched his father's icy head tightly, in this blizzard, in this cold world, roaring out:
"This blood feud unavenged..."
"I, Tang Er..."
"Swear I am not human!!!"