Chapter 21: The Merchant’s Malicious Gifts

One might say that the mysterious store, appearing as if from the heavens, had armed them all, with the rogue cultivators, in particular, seeing their strength elevate by an entire level.

How did that saying go?

A warmonger must not only understand weaponry but also the art of war itself.

Ahem, having eaten and drunk their fill, their weapons now sharpened, it was time for some action.

A wicked smile crept across Su Qin’s face, hidden beneath his mask. He cleared his throat.

“It would be impolite not to return a courtesy. As a merchant, I shall bestow a gift upon the two customers who spent the most tonight.”

Upon hearing of a gift, Qi He and Elder Gao both looked over simultaneously.

Qi He feigned composure, though a hint of anticipation flickered within him, while Elder Gao, however, wore a conflicted expression, his face shifting between light and shadow.

Su Qin raised a hand, and two vine-wrapped packages were delivered before the two men. Everyone present watched with unbridled envy, their jealous eyes fixed intently on the two ‘lucky recipients’.

The moment the package arrived, Elder Gao began to tear at it, but the inherent toughness of the innate spirit wood was beyond the brittle grasp of a formation cultivator like him.

He waited as the package slowly unfurled, the leaves gradually wilting. Upon seeing the contents of the package, Elder Gao seemed to age several decades in an instant.

Blood-stained tokens, bearing the names of his son, his grandson, indeed almost every member of his family, each imbued with a sickeningly familiar aura.

Just this morning, before their departure, Elder Gao had promised his grandson that once Su Qin was eliminated, he would betroth his gentle and lovely eldest disciple, Zhao Qichi, to him.

His young grandson, having only exchanged a few words with Zhao Qichi, had been utterly captivated by her.

Upon hearing of Su Qin’s mistreatment of his disciple, he had even cast aside his dissolute ways, resolving to cultivate diligently.

Elder Gao had observed this with approval, secretly delighted.

Yet now, all members of the Gao family had become nothing but cold, lifeless tokens.

“Go find a cool place to stay, immediately!”

Before delivering his ‘grand gift,’ Su Qin had already sent a message to Immortal Lingtai. With a sudden lurch beneath her, Zhao Shuyun plummeted into the gaping chasm carved out by Blood Master, a look of utter bewilderment on her delicate face.

On the other side, Qi He barely managed to swallow a mouthful of surging blood, his vision slowly clearing. He could finally discern the contents of the booklet once more.

It was a list of spies from the Bone Painting Hall, embedded within his Azure Mystic Sect.

Upon seeing the glaring name ‘Xiao Chen’ emblazoned upon it, a sense of absurd randomness in the world caused his lips to twitch.

“What? My personal disciple, Xiao Chen, is also tainted by demonic influence?”

His seasoned political instincts screamed at him: the booklet had to be destroyed immediately, lest the morale of the army be shaken.

But it was too late. Elder Gao was about to erupt.

Su Qin’s gaze sharpened instantly. His timing was impeccable. From this moment on, every action had to be executed with extreme caution.

Elder Gao let out a heaven-shattering roar. The booklet instantly soared into the air, transforming into ashes. Its contents materialized as colossal characters of light and shadow in the sky, visible for a hundred li (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 0.5 kilometers or 0.3 miles) around.

A layer of gray light enveloped all the disciples of the Bone Painting Hall. Only Xiao Chen, by some unknown means, remained unaffected.

With the booklet destroyed, the spies could no longer remain concealed. The objective was to force them into a desperate, last-stand battle.

Han Zhiyun also froze upon seeing Xiao Chen’s name. She had been unaware that Xiao Chen held a position within the Azure Mystic Sect as well.

It seemed the Xiao Chen before her was not entirely the person she had imagined; he had concealed many things.

A wicked smirk played on Xiao Chen’s lips, his eyes gleaming with avarice. Though he didn’t know the identities of the two mysterious individuals, they had inadvertently assisted him. A sinister plan began to form in his mind.

“Old scoundrel! What enmity did I bear with you? How dare you murder my son and plunder my family’s assets!”

Elder Gao’s eyes were bloodshot, practically tearing open. His vision was a crimson blur, and his voice trembled with anguish.

“All disciples of the Bone Painting Hall, heed my command! At all costs, kill this man! This man just slaughtered the Bone Painting Hall! And then, with a flick of his wrist, sold our own Bone Painting Hall’s possessions back to us!”

The disciples of the Bone Painting Hall awoke as if from a dream. Many saw their personal magical artifacts in the hands of others, only they now felt utterly foreign.

“My Golden Light Pouch! How did it get stretched so wide?!”

“Who plucked all the hairs from my whisk?!”

Killing intent, killing intent, nothing but killing intent!

Elder Gao activated a formation, and a towering surge of malevolent energy leapt across the valley, hurtling directly towards Su Qin. The terrifying power seemed poised to tear him to shreds in the very next instant.

Yet, gazing at the twenty-meter radius of verdant, malevolent energy before him, Su Qin showed no intention of acting. Instead, he withdrew his hand from Gu Yuhe’s grasp, leaving the young girl momentarily stunned.

“Heh heh, as long as one fails to deeply understand their own vital weakness, then mere rabble (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘tǔ jī wǎ gǒu,’ literally ‘earthen chicken, tile dog,’ referring to worthless, contemptible individuals) will forever remain mere rabble.”

Those who failed to recognize their own vital weakness simply could not catch the attention of a demon lord.

In truth, what Su Qin cared about most at this moment was Gu Yuhe’s reaction.

Come, my disciple.

Let your master see, what kind of reaction you, child, will display.

Facing an attack of this magnitude, one that could make every pore on one’s body tremble even with senses restricted, you are still unable to perceive your master’s emotions or actions. You don’t know if your master has fled, or if your master can even protect you.

True feelings are revealed at the precipice of life and death. Any more words would be useless.

Will you trust your master, neither dodging nor evading, or will you expose the darkness within your heart and flee alone?

A playful smile touched Su Qin’s lips. Ever since becoming a demon lord, he had reveled in such games, for they were practically open-book exams.

“Kill your friend, and I’ll let you go.”

This was the line Su Qin most frequently uttered when tormenting captives. Though they knew it to be a lie, what did that hinder?

Without exception, even false hope amidst despair, humans would pursue it at any cost.

Such was human nature.

Gu Yuhe had clearly sensed the impending danger. Fine beads of sweat dotted her delicate nose, her legs had begun to tremble once more, and her right foot instinctively took a step back.

‘You still don’t trust your master, after all.’

Su Qin had long anticipated this outcome. He shook his head, without a trace of disappointment in his eyes, for he had never held much hope from the very beginning.

Ah, humans – one should never commit wholeheartedly to anyone.

The ghastly green skeletal malevolence was now mere meters from the two of them. Su Qin’s gaze reverted to the cold indifference of a demon lord, for he was accustomed to facing crises alone.

“Let’s end this quickly, Gu Yuhe, after all, won’t change her mind just because of a few words.”

Yet, just as Su Qin prepared to act, that petite figure suddenly rushed forward, unfurling her small frame, and embraced him tightly, shielding him within her arms.

Confronting such an attack, her choice was not to flee, but to walk directly towards it, using her fragile body to protect him!

A third option. She had chosen a third option, one Su Qin had never even conceived.

In that instant, the demon lord’s expression faltered in shock, then his eyes blazed with brilliant light.

—Boom!

It was as if a colossal palm had descended from the heavens, utterly pulverizing the ground of Immortal Slaying Valley!

No one quite realized what had transpired. Elder Gao’s meticulously arranged killing formation was severed almost simultaneously. The remaining pillars of light were dispersed with a mere flick of Su Qin’s finger.

“How could this be?!”

Elder Gao spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, a stone pillar having pierced through his right chest. The bloodlust in his eyes largely dissipated, he stared intently at the terrifying figure silhouetted against the mountain ridge.

Su Qin cast a cold, sidelong glance, gently stroking the head of the little girl in his arms. Her clothes were already damp in several places.

“Hmph, perhaps it was just a lucky guess.”

Confronted with an outcome that far exceeded his expectations, Su Qin pursed his lips, a hint of insincerity in his demeanor, yet the movements of his hand were gentler than ever before.

“It must be an act. There are no such people in this world. This lord shall see how long you can keep up the charade.”

However, the demon lord’s eyes were no longer entirely cold, but instead held a trace of inexplicable warmth.