"Patriarch, save me! Ancestor, save me!"
The voice belonged to Chen Zhiyuan, the captain who had led the team that day. Despite being the strongest among them, he had poor talent—possessing five elemental roots—and was still only at the seventh level of Qi Refining.
The Grand Elder and Chen Qiaozhen exchanged a glance of disgust. After committing such crimes, he still dared to beg for mercy. A person like this—his death wasn't even worth mourning.
"I've already handed all of you over to Jinshu's discretion," Chen Qiaozhen said before turning and walking away.
Before leaving, she gave her newly appointed father—the Patriarch—a final warning:
"As for Jinshu's matters, let her handle them however she wishes. If any of you dare to interfere, don't blame me for no longer protecting the Chen family. Also, the Chen family's clan rules must be redefined."
"Understood!" The Patriarch's face turned pale with fear. Now facing his Foundation Establishment daughter, a deep-seated instinct to obey welled up inside him.
"Elders—if any of you were involved in this, you'd better admit it now. If Jinshu finds out on her own, your entire lineage will be erased from the family registry. As for these nine, the Chen family cannot keep them. Their descendants and elders will all be expelled from the clan."
After speaking, the Patriarch said no more, turning his gaze to Chen Jinshu, hoping to please her. But she was far from satisfied. Leaving a few murderers behind for her to "handle" wasn't justice.
"Why don't you confess honestly? How many people were you trying to harm?" The elders scolded the nine loudly.
"My eldest brother had outstanding talent back then. We thought he wanted to temper himself, so we didn't report it."
"You deserve to die!" Jinshu heard the excuse and instantly slashed her sword across the speaker's throat.
A sharp red line burst forth, painting the entire hall floor with blood. The others recoiled in horror.
"If I hear another excuse like that, go meet my father in the afterlife."
"And don't even think about leaving this hall. I've built my Foundation—stay put if you want to live."
"You—what about the rest of you?"
One of the Chen disciples, a pale but clean-looking man, knelt before her and said, "Back then, I was forced by Chen Zhiyuan. I was too afraid to speak, but I've carried this pain in my heart ever since. I dare not ask for forgiveness—only that you spare my two children, for the sake of our shared bloodline."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of desperate kowtowing echoed through the hall as the other wrongdoers followed suit, smashing their foreheads into the ground until they bled.
"Begging for mercy? What a joke! Mother, what do you think?"
"Jinshu, do as you see fit."
"Very well! I won't spare them just to avoid making a few more enemies. These people have already developed such corrupt natures—no doubt their descendants are the same. Consider this a cleansing of evil."
She interrogated them a bit more, but ultimately got little new information. However, one unexpected name emerged—Chen family's Third Elder. He had known about her father's situation but kept silent, simply because one of the perpetrators was his cousin.
"Third Elder! You always seemed so impartial. But when it came to my father, why were you so silent?" Jinshu mocked coldly. "Or do you believe my father deserved to die?"
"No, I don't. I was wrong. Back then, I did hear the truth from this man, but for the sake of my older brother's reputation…"
Jinshu burned with rage. She raised her sword and stabbed it directly into the Third Elder's dantian.
"Reputation? His reputation mattered more than my father's life? How absurd! Bring the Third Elder's entire household here, along with the nine families of those men." She addressed the Patriarch.
"Understood!"
Without hesitation, Jinshu then sliced the throats of the remaining eight men. Blood gushed, and all the elders turned pale with terror, hardly daring to breathe.
"Jinshu, will this affect your mental state?" Madam Wu Shuya asked with some concern.
"No. This is to clear away internal demons before my future Golden Core tribulation. It won't affect me." Jinshu shook her head. After killing Chen Wenshan, her heart had felt much lighter, but there was still something lingering.
She suspected it was the unresolved ties to her own family. Now that everything had been dealt with, she could finally clear her heart and focus entirely on cultivation.
"Good! Leave the rest to your Second Uncle. It wouldn't be good for you to take so many lives yourself," said Chen Wentan.
"Very well. I'll leave the rest to Second Uncle." Jinshu did not object. Taking so many lives did affect her a little—these things could resurface during future tribulations. But she had a clear conscience regarding these people and felt no fear.
Soon, the Patriarch led several elders to clean out the families and assets of the nine offenders—along with every member of the Third Elder's branch. By the time everything was settled, an hour had passed.
Jinshu entrusted the families of the nine to her Second Uncle, expecting he might show some mercy. To her surprise, Chen Wentan killed them all. Jinshu was stunned—but she saw approval in Ning Lingwei's eyes.
Truly, someone from a major clan had a broader perspective. After all, these people might've known secrets, and having lost their leaders or children, the younger ones might seek revenge in the future. Better to cut the problem off at its root.
Once everything was done, Jinshu and the others carried the corpses to her father Chen Wen'an's grave for the offering. She placed Chen Wenshan's head at the center, with the others' bodies laid out behind.
"Father, Jinshu has avenged you. I hope you can now rest peacefully in the afterlife." She bowed toward the grave.
"Jinshu's grown now—she's the personal disciple of a Golden Core elder and has reached Foundation Establishment. I can finally enjoy life alongside my daughter," Madam Wu Shuya said bittersweetly.
Though Chen Wen'an had died many years ago, she still remembered him vividly. This was the curse of cultivators—memories that never fade. The faces of the dead are forever etched into their hearts, and recalling them always brought sorrow and longing.
"Brother, I'll protect Jinshu and Sister-in-law well," Chen Wentan said, eyes tinged red.
Then, they piled the bodies of the Chen traitors into a mound and lit them aflame.
Thick black smoke rose into the sky.
At that moment, Jinshu felt her heart completely purified. A deep sense of calm settled over her.
Far away, Chen Qiaozhen sighed softly, watching the smoke rise from the Chen family grounds. A flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes.
She, too, had once suffered at the hands of the clan—but unlike Jinshu, she had been far more fortunate.
"The Chen family… is no longer a place I can stay."