"It's you!" Chen Wenshan's anger surged upon hearing that all-too-familiar voice. If not for this person, would his daughter be dead?
A daughter he had raised for nearly twenty years—dead with no value left behind. How was he supposed to calm the storm in his heart?
"Of course it's me. You killed my father. Did you think I wouldn't come for you one day?"
Chen Jinshu's eyes sharpened as her fingers continued plucking swiftly at the zither strings. In a flash, Chen Wenshan lost control of himself and was pulled into a bizarre illusion—a dream conjured by powerful magic.
In the dream, he saw his deceased daughter. He saw the dear friends he'd once rivaled, each of whom had died by his own hand. And then he saw Chen Jinshu's father. The faces of those cultivators he'd personally killed twisted in pain, haunting him with agony.
As the melody intensified, the surrounding forest dissolved, transforming into fields of lonely graves. Crimson flags fluttered in the wind, like those on an ancient battlefield, piled high with corpses.
This melody—Lone Swan's Blood Cry—was Chen Jinshu's creation. It could awaken the inner demons and fears of cultivators steeped in wickedness, making them taste the revenge of their victims.
She knew her father's spirit must be among those within the dream. Nearby, Bu Zhenhai had also been drawn into the illusion, though his situation wasn't nearly as grim. His face was just a little bitter, as if he had encountered an elder he deeply regretted failing.
Moments later, sensing the timing was right, Chen Jinshu fed a Truth Elixir into Chen Wenshan's mouth. With a pluck of her finger across the strings, the illusion vanished instantly. The forest returned to its original form, and birdsong filled the air once more.
Chen Wenshan's mind regained some clarity.
She immediately asked, "Was it you who killed my father during the demon-hunting expedition all those years ago?"
Chen Wenshan was just about to laugh mockingly— But a strange force compelled him to open his mouth against his will.
"That's right! I knew about that Blood Ape long before. I even sprinkled some beast-attracting powder on your father beforehand. After he died, I cleaned everything up—that's why no one could trace it back."
After his confession, his mind cleared a little more. He sneered, "Do you know how miserably your father died that day? Every beast bit into his flesh. He was tortured to death."
His expression turned dark. "Well then! Good, very good! Do you think this will break me?"
Chen Jinshu stared at him blankly, face emotionless. But inside, her heart raged with storms.
"So the clan covered it up… They really kept it secret."
"Were there other clan cultivators involved?"
"Of course. I had the tacit approval of others—how else could I keep getting away with it? Especially that expedition leader. Jealous of your father's talent. He never questioned the beast powder…"
"I see. So the grudge between you and my father—was it really just about my mother?"
"Hmph! That blind woman actually chose that doomed bastard. But I hated him more—always stealing the spotlight. He got the best resources in the Chen generation. And me, with five elemental roots? How could I accept that?"
"You were weak, and yet you blamed others?" Chen Jinshu laughed coldly. Some people—because of their poor talent—succumb to jealousy and go on to commit outrageous crimes. No one can truly predict when someone will act on evil impulses. Sometimes, people just want to hurt others for the sake of it.
Chen Wenshan was likely long accustomed to harming others. That's why he always sought to strike at those stronger than himself.
"Daoyou Bu Zhenhai—had I not threatened you to bring this man here, he probably would've robbed you blind."
"I won't waste words on you. You like being smug, don't you? Then let me show you how it feels to be gnawed to death by beasts."
With that, she fed another pill into Chen Wenshan's mouth—a Spirit-Breathing Pill. The moment it touched his tongue, his entire body began to emit a strange, sweet scent—like a delicate perfume.
"Bu Zhenhai—good luck." She casually tossed him the antidote.
"You can leave after swearing not to speak a word of today."
"I swear…" Bu Zhenhai caught the antidote and swallowed it bitterly. Within moments, he felt the spiritual energy in his core begin to flow again, though it would take time to fully recover.
"In three months, the Xuanming Sect will bring Foundation Establishment Pills to auction. Consider this tip your payment."
"Thank you, Senior!" Bu Zhenhai's eyes lit up and he wasted no time flying toward the Daoist temple.
Chen Jinshu's gaze returned to Chen Wenshan. "You can pray for mercy now. And smile for the camera while you're at it."
She soared into the sky and activated a Recording Stone. All the arrogance drained from Chen Wenshan's eyes. Only terror remained.
Howls. Roars. Clangs.
The cries of approaching spirit beasts echoed around him. His pupils shrank in fear. His face turned deathly pale. He shook his head wildly.
Crash!
A tide of beasts charged through the forest, drawn to the scent of his body. Their fangs glistened as they tore into him.
"Ahhh—!"
His screams echoed for fifty miles—piercing, terrified, and full of despair. The spirit beasts devoured his flesh piece by piece, leaving only bone. The blood on the forest floor was licked away entirely.
Chen Jinshu's eyes turned fierce. It was time for the real culprits to get a taste of reality. Soon, only a few hard bones remained of Chen Wenshan's body. Without hesitation, she gathered them into a wooden box.
"He got off easy with this kind of death."
She would place these bones before her father's grave as an offering. With a flick, she summoned her Azure Frost Sword and turned toward the spirit beasts who still looked hungry.
Moments later, after cleaning up the area, she rode Xiao Yin back to her clan's territory.
Three Days Later – Mount Ningyu
"Mother, I'm back."
Inside the house, Madam Wu Shuya's face lit up upon hearing her daughter's voice. She rose from her meditation mat and hurried toward her.
"How did it go?"
"It's done. Though… it wasn't easy. I won't get into the ugly details. But there's something I need to tell you about Father."
"You… you killed Chen Wenshan?"
Madam Wu Shuya didn't finish the sentence, but Chen Jinshu understood. She took out the Recording Stone and the remaining bones from her storage pouch.
"This is what's left of Chen Wenshan. The beasts ate the rest—alive."
"Father probably suffered even worse. And our clansmen… they all stood by and watched."