Chapter 74: Massacre

"Damn it! What are those enforcers good for?! So many of them couldn't even stop a few Flame Usurpers, allowing them to chase me?!""Pu Wen's plan is utterly useless! He's just a good-for-nothing, all talk and no action!!""Damn it... damn it!!""The White Qi Token is gone, and so is the ring! This time, I'm truly finished!!"

Yan Xicai sprinted up the hill with all his might, cursing furiously as he went. He didn't dare to look back, terrified that his head would end up on the ground like everyone else's if he did... He definitely didn't want that; his head was far too precious.

In his haste, Yan Xicai stumbled, losing his footing and rolling down the hill like a ball. Mud and gravel clung to his body as he rolled, leaving him utterly disoriented. By the time he finally regained his senses, he had already hit the ground with a painful thud.

Pain shot through his entire body. He groaned as he opened his eyes, the centuries-old, unchanging gray sky oppressive above him like a slab of lead... Yan Xicai attempted to sit up but couldn't. He had sustained multiple fractures; even the slightest movement caused him to grimace in pain, let alone attempting to get up.

Yan Xicai had never known such agony. He lay on the ground like a corpse, his chest heaving, with misty white vapor rising into the air. Despair filled his heart. He was truly terrified.

He feared he would truly die in this ancient tomb, losing everything he had: his revenge plan, his merchant guild's assets. He had barely managed to be reborn into such a fortunate life; who knew what kind of pauper he might become in his next?

A rustling sound came from nearby. Yan Xicai's heart leaped into his throat. His eyes wide, he stared intently at the sky nearby, dreading the sight of Number 10's demonic face, for that would signal his end.

To his surprise, it wasn't Number 10 who appeared, but a face he recognized."You?!" Yan Xicai's eyes widened in surprise and delight.It was a young man with a scarred face and a limp... It was Xiao Jian.

"Quick! Get me out of here!" Yan Xicai exclaimed, overjoyed. "Carry me! If I make it out of here alive, I guarantee you'll remain an enforcer and live a life of comfort and prosperity!" Yan Xicai couldn't move on his own, but Xiao Jian could carry him. If he could just escape, find a hiding place, and wait until the ancient tomb reopened, he would survive!

Xiao Jian glanced at Yan Xicai's bulky frame, then slowly shook his head after a moment: "I'm sorry, Young Master Yan... I'm a cripple."

At these words, Yan Xicai's voice died in his throat. Indeed, Xiao Jian was a cripple; someone who struggled to walk himself. How could he possibly carry Yan Xicai and escape the pursuing Flame Usurpers? The moment this realization hit him, the faint glimmer of hope that had just ignited in Yan Xicai was instantly extinguished. He looked at the gaunt, ugly Xiao Jian, and a torrent of resentment and fury erupted from within him. With bloodshot eyes, he began to curse violently:

"Goddammit... Fucking hell!!!""It's come to this!! And you're still a fucking good-for-nothing!! Useless!!""My life is in your hands, and so is your fortune! And you can't even grasp it yourself!! Why on earth did I bring along a dead weight like you?! Can you do anything right?! I've truly hit rock bottom!!!"

Yan Xicai completely lost control. He couldn't believe his otherwise promising life was ending because of a cripple. All he felt now was regret, wondering why he'd ever allowed this useless person to join the enforcers. He should have beaten this good-for-nothing and his father to death with sticks back then!

Xiao Jian lowered his head, enduring Yan Xicai's insults. Under the gloomy sky, a cold glint slowly appeared in his eyes. The humiliations he and his father had endured, all flashed through his mind. He gazed at Yan Xicai's ugly, contorted face, and his fists clenched uncontrollably.

"You're just like your father! Both of you are fucking useless! If my father hadn't given him a handout, he would have long since—"

"Shut up!!" Xiao Jian roared, immediately straddling Yan Xicai and landing a punch on his cheek!

Yan Xicai's voice died. He stared blankly at Xiao Jian, whose eyes gleamed menacingly, and after a long moment, spoke in disbelief, "You dared to hit me? You actually dared to hit me..."

"I hit you, so what?" Xiao Jian snarled, striking again and again, punch after punch. "Is being born into a good family such a big deal?! What right do you have to be so arrogant?! My father was brought into your household because your father recognized his skills! Who are you to curse him?! You were drunk when you crippled my leg, leaving me like this! If it weren't for you, would I be in this state?!"

Xiao Jian's fists were hard, toughened from years of manual labor. He mercilessly pummeled Yan Xicai, who was beaten so severely he couldn't even utter a complete sentence. Only when Xiao Jian grew tired did the blood-soaked Yan Xicai manage to gasp for breath. He glared at Xiao Jian, his eyes burning with vengeful fury.

"You dared to hit me! You're dead!""I'm dead?"

Xiao Jian sneered. He suddenly drew a short knife from his waist and plunged it into Yan Xicai's lung!"Who's dead now??"

Yan Xicai screamed, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. "You dare to kill me... your whole family will die...""I killed you? Who can prove it?" The cold glint in Xiao Jian's eyes intensified. "Flame Usurpers infiltrated the Ancient Tomb of Military Dao and went on a killing spree. Is it so strange for a Yan Xicai to die?"

At these words, a look of sheer horror spread across Yan Xicai's face. He stared, aghast, at Xiao Jian's grotesque scarred face, as if he were seeing him for the very first time.

Xiao Jian pulled out the short knife and maniacally plunged it into Yan Xicai's body, repeatedly. The blade moved in and out, growing increasingly crimson, as blood flowed onto the dull ground, a spreading pool gradually engulfing them both. Yan Xicai's life ebbed away rapidly. He desperately wanted to stop Xiao Jian, to buy his life with wealth or promises, but at this moment, he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"Xiao... Jian..." Blood surged into Yan Xicai's throat like a fountain, and he managed to mumble indistinctly."My name isn't Xiao Jian."

Jian Changsheng gripped the short knife's hilt with both hands and raised it high. His eyes, usually filled with humility and subservience, now blazed with an unprecedented ferocity."My name is Jian Changsheng!!"

*Thud—!*

The blade violently pierced Yan Xicai's throat. Yan Xicai's body convulsed violently, then utterly collapsed to the ground... lifeless.

Jian Changsheng's chest heaved violently, and the corners of his blood-splattered mouth curled into an involuntary smile. An unprecedented sense of exhilaration and clarity surged through him, as if a long nightmare had finally shattered, and his entire being was embracing a new beginning!

Simultaneously, above the thick clouds, the foundation of the Military God Dao flared with light!

"At this late stage, someone actually gained recognition from the Military God Dao?" Number 8, who was in pursuit of Pu Wen, saw this and abruptly halted. He watched the black ribbon extending from the Dao foundation, descending towards a nearby hill, and a faint light sparked in his eyes!

The plan to draw the Military God Dao's attention by accumulating killing intent was clearly no longer viable. If they wanted to steal fragments of the Military God Dao's foundation, they would have to target someone else's divine path. And this particular divine path was too close; heading there now should still be possible! Number 8 unhesitatingly abandoned the pursuit of Pu Wen and rushed directly towards the black ribbon descending from the sky.

At the edge of the hill, a red-robed figure, who had witnessed Jian Changsheng brutally kill Yan Xicai, raised an eyebrow. A faint smile played on his lips."Interesting..."