Vindicated After a Wrongful Death - Chapter 11

Xiang Zhongjing stumbled as he tried to keep up. Blinded and struggling against the slick, muddy ground, his foot caught on a fallen branch, and he pitched forward, falling flat on his face.

Gu Congxu: “…”

The “kitten” hadn’t even gone down yet, but Xiang Zhongjing had already hit the dirt.

With half his body submerged in muddy water, Xiang Zhongjing tried to push himself up, only to slip and fall again, looking utterly pathetic. He gasped for air, the freezing water on his face finally clearing his head a little. His vision was a blurred mess, so he began groping around blindly for his wooden stick.

Yi Junting hadn’t been able to grab him in time. He had run several paces ahead before realizing Xiang Zhongjing had fallen, and when he turned back, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Through the torrential rain, the mountain-sized spirit beast was already charging toward them with a deafening roar. Each step of its heavy paws made the ground tremble, and a single sweep of its tail sent towering trees crashing down.

Yet, Xiang Zhongjing seemed oblivious to the monstrous snarls echoing in his ears, focused entirely on searching the mud for his stick.

Palid with fear, Yi Junting didn’t think twice before sprinting back.

His fellow disciples screamed in terror, “Senior Brother! Come back!”

Yi Junting ignored them, running as fast as his legs could carry him. “Sword Sovereign!” he cried out urgently.

Xiang Zhongjing let out a small “ah” of relief, his fingers finally brushing against the wood.

Seeing Xiang Zhongjing covered in filth, looking as destitute as a beggar, only served to confirm Yi Junting’s tragic suspicions. Yi Junting had grown up hearing tales of Xiang Zhongjing’s exploits. He knew that during the Great Beast-Taming Ceremony years ago, Xiang Zhongjing had used nothing but a single sword to force the top beast-taming cultivator to bow in defeat. The sheer power of that strike, which seemed to split the very clouds, had inspired countless people to take up the path of the sword.

Whenever his father spoke of that day, his eyes would shine with a lingering sense of awe and longing.

Many in the Three Realms and Nine Provinces practiced the sword, but only one man had ever earned the title of “Sword Sovereign,” Xiang Zhongjing.

And yet, here he was, driven to such a miserable state by a minor spirit beast.

Yi Junting felt a pang of genuine sorrow. He really doesn’t have a shred of spiritual power left.

If he did, he wouldn’t have been running away in the first place.

The moon on the horizon had truly fallen into the mire.

In that brief moment, Yi Junting’s thoughts had drifted far away, but his reflexes hadn’t slowed. He struggled to pull Xiang Zhongjing up, shouting, “The Linglong Tower is nearby! My father sent men to meet me. Once we reach the tower, this beast won’t be a threat!”

Just as he finished speaking, the beast was upon them. Its claws struck the earth with a bone-shaking thud. Xiang Zhongjing’s legs gave way, and he collapsed again.

This time, Yi Junting was caught off guard and dragged down with him.

Terror gripped him as he looked back at the beast lunging toward them. His heart nearly stopped, and he almost screamed for his father. There was no time to pull out his magical artifacts. The wind from the beast’s descending claws felt like a falling boulder, a suffocating pressure closing in on them.

At that exact moment, Xiang Zhongjing, who couldn’t even stand steady, suddenly flipped over. He reached out and shoved Yi Junting behind him, facing the murderous beast alone.

Yi Junting’s face went ash-gray as he shrieked, “Sword Sovereign!”

The young disciples in the distance were paralyzed with shock, barely clinging to consciousness.

Just as everyone braced themselves for the sight of a bloody mess on the ground, Xiang Zhongjing suddenly raised his wooden stick. Holding it like a sword, he thrust it with unstoppable force toward the beast’s forehead.

The earring on his ear suddenly flared with two flickers of ghostly fire. The flames crawled up his arm like vines, winding around the broken stick like a slithering snake.

The beast’s momentum froze, its massive vertical pupils shrinking in fear.

Xiang Zhongjing sat in the mud with one leg hooked up. Rainwater washed over his cheeks, cleaning away the grime. The fire on his stick didn’t go out in the rain, instead, it roared to life, countless sparks instantly transforming into the shape of sword intent, flying toward the beast like arrows from a bow.

With a thunderous boom, the rain and sparks cascaded down together.

Xiang Zhongjing remained unmoved. The cloth over his eyes had slipped down, revealing a pair of eyes that were cold and devoid of emotion.

The stick in his hand still burned with ghostly fire. The beast in front of him had been halted by the overwhelming wall of flames, the tip of the stick resting a mere half-inch from its vital spot.

The beast, which had been roaring to devour them just seconds ago, was now trembling so hard its paws shook.

Predators are the most sensitive to killing intent and danger. It had assumed this man was the easiest prey because he couldn’t even run properly, but the moment those flames appeared, the man’s harmless aura vanished. It was replaced by a killing intent soaked in the blood of thousands.

If it had stopped even a second later, that fire would have pierced its skull.

The beast shivered in primal fear, barely able to suppress its instinct to bolt as it stared at Xiang Zhongjing in horror.

Amidst the flickering flames, Xiang Zhongjing raised an eyebrow, a faint, playful smile touching his lips as he looked at the beast with its tail tucked between its legs.

The creature was about the size of a snow wolf, but its courage was no bigger than a needle. To think it was terrified of a mere wooden stick.

It wasn’t just the beast, everyone present, including the True Dragon waiting to strike within his consciousness, was stunned.

The little dragon fell off the lampstand in surprise, landing in the spiritual sea with a soft “ji” sound.

Gu Congxu remained silent for a long time. After double-checking that Xiang Zhongjing’s Nascent Soul was still firmly sealed, he spoke with a complicated tone: “You… actually know how to use a sword?”

The aura behind that flame-covered stick was unmistakably genuine sword intent.

Xiang Zhongjing tilted his head, his soaked clothes giving him an even more untamed appearance. He said calmly, “Did you think they called me Sword Sovereign for fun?”

Gu Congxu: “…”

Stunned into silence, Gu Congxu realized he had never known Xiang Zhongjing’s sword intent could be so piercingly sharp even without spiritual power.

Xiang Zhongjing stood up casually. The earlier explosion of flames had partially burned away his clothes, revealing glimpses of his pale skin that rarely saw the sun.

Thick-skinned as he was, Xiang Zhongjing wasn’t about to stand around half-naked in front of his juniors. He turned to Yi Junting, who was still sitting on the ground, and asked, “Do you have any spare clothes?”

Yi Junting looked as if he’d been frightened out of his wits, his eyes vacant. “Huh?”

Just as Xiang Zhongjing was about to repeat himself, a pitch-black outer robe dropped onto his shoulders out of thin air. He touched it and found the texture was cool and hard like scales, yet it fit him as comfortably as silk.

“Sange?”

Gu Congxu curled himself into a circle in the corner of the consciousness. Upon hearing his name, he snorted, “Don’t get it dirty. Remember to give it back.”

Xiang Zhongjing paused, then pulled the robe tight around him, chuckling softly. “Alright.”

After the two had exchanged a few words, Yi Junting finally snapped out of his trance with a startled yelp.

“S-S-S-Sword Sovereign—” Yi Junting’s finger shook as he pointed from the massive beast to Xiang Zhongjing, his words a jumbled mess. “That… such a huge beast, you just… the fire… aah!”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

The disciples in the distance were also sprawled on the ground, their eyes wide with disbelief and terror, more frightened now than they had been of the monster.

They all knew Xiang Zhongjing was the “Sovereign Xiang” who had been sealed in the secret realm. Seeing his pathetic state earlier had only confirmed the rumors that his left hand was ruined and his cultivation was gone.

None of them expected that a “cripple” who gasped for air after a few steps could subdue such a fierce beast so effortlessly with an unremarkable stick.

Didn’t he lose his cultivation?

Could it be that a vengeful ghost had truly returned to seek retribution?!

The disciples were trembling, looking like they might faint all over again.

Even though the danger had passed, no one could relax, fearing Xiang Zhongjing might skewer them with his stick next.

Yi Junting, being the closest, was a mess of conflicting emotions.

Xiang Zhongjing had finished putting on the black robe. His vision had cleared enough for him to see. He bit down on the cloth strip he had used as a blindfold, gathered his messy long hair with one hand, and tied it back loosely.

Yi Junting asked tentatively, “Sword Sovereign… your spiritual power?”

Could it be that it wasn’t actually gone?

Xiang Zhongjing looked at the beast, which was currently hiding its face in its paws, not daring to move. He replied casually, “It’s still sealed. But this ‘kitten’ is no match for me.”

Yi Junting: “…”

Yi Junting’s heart fluctuated between wild joy and utter shock. He wiped the rain from his face, his voice still trembling. “Then what you said before… about beast-taming?”

Xiang Zhongjing reached out and patted the black “kitten” on the head. The beast, which had been so vicious moments ago, was very quick to adapt; it timidly rubbed its head against his palm, its eyes full of submission.

Satisfied with its obedience, Xiang Zhongjing turned to Yi Junting. “Yes. Didn’t I say I’d help you tame a beast for the Great Ceremony?” He looked back, puzzled. “Did you forget?”

Yi Junting: “…”

Yi Junting almost burst into tears. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten; he just hadn’t believed it for a second. Who could have imagined that a man without spiritual power could scare a fierce beast into submission by sheer aura alone?

Xiang Zhongjing patted the beast’s head again and asked, “Do you like this one?”

The beast didn’t dare complain about the patting, but its legs were too weak from fear to even try to run.

Yi Junting froze, his eyes widening. “But… it’s a Heaven-rank spirit beast…”

The Demon Race governed by Jin Chuling consisted of demons who had already taken human form. However, scattered across the Three Realms were many spirit beasts without higher consciousness. These beasts weren’t under demon jurisdiction and were ranked as Heaven, Earth, or Profound. Once a beast broke through the Heaven-rank, it could transform into a human and become a true demon cultivator.

Humanoid demons were incredibly proud and rarely signed contracts with humans. Usually, only spirit beasts who hadn’t yet transformed would enter a pact to gain a chance at achieving human form.

Xiang Zhongjing raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with Heaven-rank? Is there a law against contracting them now?”

Yi Junting shook his head frantically. “No, no!”

It was just that he had never dreamed he would one day be able to contract a Heaven-rank beast. Realizing Xiang Zhongjing was serious, Yi Junting scrambled up from the mud, ignoring the filth on his clothes as he splashed over. He wiped his face, his shock replaced by sparkling eyes full of anticipation.

The more Xiang Zhongjing looked at the boy, the more he liked him. When Xiang Zhongjing was at his lowest, the boy didn’t look down on him; when they were running for their lives, the boy tried to save him. And now that Xiang Zhongjing had shown his lethal side, the boy wasn’t repulsed or terrified, but ran up to him without a hint of fear.

Xiang Zhongjing sighed. He considered offering some worldly advice, but then decided that such pure-hearted sincerity was a rare thing.

He didn’t say more and turned his mind to Gu Congxu. “Sange, your turn.”

Gu Congxu didn’t say a word. He transformed into a small dragon and curled around Xiang Zhongjing’s left wrist. Xiang Zhongjing used his right hand to lift his left, pointing it toward the crouching black beast.

The little dragon’s horns poked out from the sleeve, and he let out a fierce-sounding roar at the beast that was thousands of times larger than him.

The sound was tiny and high-pitched. Xiang Zhongjing burst out laughing.

Gu Congxu: “…”

Despite his small size, the pressure of a True Dragon was so overwhelming that the beast nearly tried to dig a hole to bury itself. The draconic aura pierced through the beast’s mind, making resistance impossible. It could only whimper and press its head into the mud.

Gu Congxu said coldly, “It’s done.”

Xiang Zhongjing was still laughing. Pushed to his limit, Gu Congxu leaned down and bit Xiang Zhongjing’s right wrist, leaving two tiny tooth marks.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

A while later, Yi Junting was walking on air, carrying the black “kitten” in his arms. The other disciples followed timidly behind, looking like they wanted to approach but were too scared.

Xiang Zhongjing ignored the others and glanced at the shivering beast. “If you reach the Core Formation stage, it will likely be able to take human form.”

The beast, which had been full of shame, froze before its eyes lit up with joy. For beasts with impure bloodlines, transforming was incredibly difficult; many were trapped at Heaven-rank their entire lives. Contracting with a human was, for a spirit beast, a shortcut to becoming a demon cultivator.

Whether it was worth trading freedom for such a leap was debatable for some, but judging by this black beast’s reaction, it clearly thought it was a great deal.

Yi Junting still felt like he was dreaming. He instinctively petted the beast, and it no longer resisted, instead purring and bumping its head against his palm. He grinned, finally feeling a sense of peace.

Xiang Zhongjing reflexively rubbed his left hand and asked, “Do you know where Man Qiuxia is?”

Knowing that Xiang Zhongjing had come to the Path of Infinity to seek Man Qiuxia for his injuries, Yi Junting replied, “Senior Man lives in Infinity City. The tallest building you see when you enter the city belongs to him.”

Xiang Zhongjing nodded.

Yi Junting looked a bit worried. “But Senior Man hasn’t seen patients in years. Not long ago, Sect Leader Qu of the Yizong Sect went to seek medical help and was kicked out.”

Xiang Zhongjing said nonchalantly, “He will treat me.”

Yi Junting didn’t know where he got such confidence. He whispered, “Are you… old friends with Senior Man?”

Xiang Zhongjing thought for a moment. “We fought a few times back in the day. I once destroyed his entire medicinal garden with a single sword strike.”

Yi Junting: “…”

Yi Junting felt faint. “Senior Man is famous for holding grudges!”

If they weren’t friends, that was one thing, but they had a history of bad blood. How could the eccentric Man Qiuxia possibly agree to treat him?! Yi Junting was worried on Xiang Zhongjing’s behalf.

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