Once his body had fully recovered, Wen Jingzhi’s first act was to return to Wen Town. Over the course of several months, he painstakingly gathered the remains of every member of his clan, including his parents.
He erected a memorial tablet for each of them and carved their names into it. Then he sought out the things they had loved most in life and placed them before their graves as offerings.
“The last time I saw Third Uncle, he was telling me to run.”
“My cousin wasn’t a member of the Wen family, so she shouldn’t have been affected by the bloodline curse you mentioned, Sister. But she still died beneath Fu Ge’s blade. She was telling me too, ‘Brother, run.’”
“Every one of them was a good person. A very good person.”
“There were people who used to say I wasn’t any good, but strangely enough, whenever I think back on it now, all I can remember is that they were smiling when they cursed me.”
…
Wen Jingzhi sat alone before the graveyard and spoke for a long time.
More than six thousand graves stretched out like a mountain.
They seemed to go on forever.
Even with Shu Xin helping him dig the pits, it took nearly half a year just to gather the remains and carve the tombstones.
What worried Shu Xin even more was that during those six months, aside from working hard to restore his health, Wen Jingzhi had not shed a single tear.
He had become almost completely silent.
He was only fourteen, yet his face was already filled with solitude and coldness.
It was as if none of the world’s happiness could touch even the smallest part of him.
Shu Xin did not know what to say to him.
No one could truly share another person’s suffering. At a time like this, even the most heartfelt words of comfort became pale and powerless.
The only thing Shu Xin could do was wait for Wen Jingzhi’s body to recover, then find him a suitable spiritual root.
After gathering all the remains in Wen Town, Shu Xin sealed every entrance and exit at Wen Jingzhi’s request.
With the Sword Spirit’s help, no one would ever be able to enter again.
From the outside, it looked as though the town had been destroyed by an earthquake or perhaps swept away by a flash flood.
From that day onward, Wen Town had vanished from the map.
Even if the future Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge wanted to return, it would be impossible.
They would never find Wen Town again.
Wen Jingzhi rose and went with Shu Xin to the cultivation world.
They settled in a remote corner where the spiritual energy was thin.
They had to resolve Wen Jingzhi’s cultivation problem first. Only then could he truly enter the cultivation world.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already set my sights on a demonic cultivator.” Shu Xin patted Wen Jingzhi on the head. “Get some proper rest. I’ll definitely bring it back for you.”
Single spiritual roots in demonic cultivators were not easy to find.
Fortunately, there were far too many demonic cultivators in this world. After killing enough of them, one would eventually turn up.
Shu Xin left with one sword and returned with two.
He also brought back the single spiritual root of a demonic cultivator who had committed countless atrocities.
“It’s very simple… Just, just place the spiritual root in this boy’s dantian. I’ve already transmitted the Heaven-Stealing Transposition Technique into his mind.” The Sword Spirit was still weak, with almost no strength left.
It had never imagined that Shu Xin would be so ruthless.
The moment Shu Xin had questioned it about how it could be broken, he had acted without the slightest hesitation.
The Sword Spirit had simply gotten carried away. It had become impassioned by Shu Xin’s words, grown bold, and forgotten itself. By the time it came to its senses, it had already cooperated with Shu Xin and allowed itself to be broken in two.
After all, if the Sword Spirit itself was unwilling, no one could break an immortal sword.
The Sword Spirit practically wanted to strangle itself to death.
How had it let Shu Xin fool it so thoroughly?
What did he mean by, “Even gold is still gold after being broken in half”? What did he mean by, “A momentary retreat is for the sake of a better charge”? And what did he mean by, “If you can’t change yourself, how can you ever change the world?”
The Sword Spirit had never encountered a Swordmaster who could spout such eloquent nonsense and produce one grand principle after another. Shu Xin had even presented facts, reasoned with it, and occasionally put on a pitiable act. The Sword Spirit, which had never experienced the dangers of human nature, had been fooled into utter ruin.
No, that wasn’t right. The Sword Spirit had experienced the dangers of human nature before. It simply had never imagined that its own Swordmaster could be so sinister!
The Sword Spirit’s thoughts had always been fixed on the idea that its Swordmaster must be an upright and incorruptible person, someone willing to stand against an Earthly Immortal to save the world.
Who could have expected it to be Shu Xin?
At first, she had still put on an act. Now she had completely let herself go and stopped pretending.
“Sister, did you encounter some powerful enemy?” Wen Jingzhi slept very restlessly and would awaken at the slightest sound.
When he saw the sword beside Shu Xin broken into two pieces, his face immediately filled with guilt.
“Was it because you were helping me…?”
“No. Stop right there.” Shu Xin hurriedly cut him off. “There’s something wrong with your state of mind. You’re blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens.”
With that, Shu Xin sat down beside Wen Jingzhi’s bed and took out the mass of spiritual essence.
“It was only one little demonic cultivator. If I couldn’t even deal with him, would you be looking down on me?” Shu Xin deliberately put on a stern expression.
“I—I didn’t mean that,” Wen Jingzhi said quickly.
“I’ve already found some jade slips on artifact forging and started studying them. I’ll forge them into two brand-new swords. As long as the Sword Spirit still exists, the only consequence will be a slight drop in its grade.” Shu Xin spoke indifferently. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”
“Wait. Didn’t you say you only just came up with that idea?” The Sword Spirit realized that something was wrong.
“I was only fooling you. In fact, I wanted to break you the first time I used you. But you kept boasting about how powerful you were, so I believed you.” In truth, Shu Xin had originally held on to a sliver of hope. As a transmigrator chosen by fate, he had thought he really might be able to kill any god or Buddha who stood in his way and become invincible beneath the heavens.
Reality had dealt Shu Xin a heavy blow.
What happened in Wen Town had finally made him resolve himself.
The Sword Spirit wanted to protest, but it was already too late.
“Consider this the first lesson I’ve taught you. Humans are experts at sweet-talking.” Shu Xin lightly flicked the blade. “Follow me obediently and don’t cause trouble. I promise you’ll recover completely someday.”
What else could the Sword Spirit say?
It was already broken. What leverage did it have left against Shu Xin?
Wen Jingzhi’s face had already been pale, but after hearing Shu Xin’s words, it lost what little color remained.
“All right, I won’t tease you anymore.” Shu Xin became serious. “I’ve already obtained what you need. The Heaven-Stealing Transposition Technique has also been explained to you by the Sword Spirit, so you should understand how much suffering lies ahead. It won’t be easy. But I’ll still let you choose one more time. Jingzhi, do you want to live your whole life as a happy mortal, or do you want to walk down this path—a path where you could die at any moment, and where you might never be able to take revenge?”
Wen Jingzhi’s body had almost completely recovered.
His legs had healed, and the areas that had been burned were whole once more.
Throughout the process, Shu Xin had slaughtered countless demonic lairs, seized who knew how many heavenly treasures, and spent an incalculable amount of spirit stones.
No cultivator would go so far for a mortal.
Even if that mortal had once saved their life, the debt would have been more than repaid by now.
Yet Shu Xin still had no intention of stopping.
The Sword Spirit could not understand.
Even if Wen Jingzhi truly managed to embark on the path of cultivation, the difficulties he would face in the future would be no fewer than Shu Xin’s. In fact, there would likely be even more.
What Shu Xin had done had already gone beyond the Sword Spirit’s understanding.
It had saved people before, of course, but never had it gone so far as to risk its life.
Naturally, the Sword Spirit could not understand.
To Shu Xin, it was only after Wen Jingzhi appeared that she began to feel there was still hope for this world.
If every mortal and cultivator regarded the law of the jungle as truth—if the weak could only weep, beg for mercy from the strong, and hope for the favor of so-called gods, while the strong merely submitted to those even stronger than themselves and treated everyone weaker as nourishment—then even if a thousand, ten thousand more Swordmasters appeared, they would be of no use to this world.
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
If this world could give birth to one Wen Jingzhi, then naturally, it could give birth to thousands upon thousands more.
Hearing Shu Xin’s question, Wen Jingzhi’s expression did not change. He merely gave her a simple smile.
“Big Sister, everyone is born destined to die.” Wen Jingzhi held the spiritual root in both hands, and a flame seemed to leap within his eyes. “I only hope that when I die, I won’t have too many regrets.”
With that, Wen Jingzhi slit open his own abdomen without hesitation and guided the spiritual root into his dantian.
At the same time, he began circulating the Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Swapping cultivation art as the Sword Spirit had instructed, attempting to turn the spiritual root into something that belonged to him.
Yet the moment the spiritual root entered Wen Jingzhi’s body, something went terribly wrong.
The body that had only just been healed by spiritual medicine began splitting apart once more.
Countless wounds tore open across his skin, as though something inside him were forcing its way out.
The spiritual energy rampaged through Wen Jingzhi’s body, destroying everything in its path as if trying to escape from a vessel that did not belong to it.
Blood streamed from Wen Jingzhi’s eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
Even the spiritual energy within the spirit-gathering formation Shu Xin had arranged nearby was disturbed by the shock wave, becoming chaotic and turbulent.
“What’s happening?” Seeing this, Shu Xin forcibly restrained her desire to intervene and questioned the Sword Spirit, which was pretending to be dead beside her. “Wen Jingzhi is only a mortal, and what I took was merely the spiritual root of a demonic cultivator who hadn’t yet reached the Dao-Inquiry Threshold. His cultivation shouldn’t be capable of causing such a great disturbance.”
At this rate, she would have to guard against the surrounding cultivators noticing something was wrong and assuming that some priceless treasure had appeared here, prompting them to come and seize it.
“I... I don’t know either.” The Sword Spirit was completely bewildered. “I only inherited this cultivation art. I’ve never seen what the beginning of the cultivation process looks like. Everyone I’ve seen cultivate this art had already survived the initial stage successfully.”
As for what happened beforehand, how could the Sword Spirit possibly know?
But judging from the current situation, it was clearly anything but simple.
This was where the Sword Spirit’s lack of knowledge showed.
The Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Swapping Demonic Art had been given that name precisely because it concealed one’s existence from the laws of Heaven, allowing a mortal body to defy the designs of the world itself.
In this world, only those with spiritual roots could cultivate.
Yet the appearance of this cultivation art had overturned that rule.
The art had first been created in ancient times, after two great cultivators became Dao companions and gave birth to a mortal child with no spiritual root whatsoever.
Unable to bear watching their own child live no more than a century, they had devoted themselves to the problem. Together with like-minded fellow cultivators, they had spent an immeasurable amount of time and effort researching a cultivation art that could change the child’s fate.
But even after it was created, how could stealing another person’s spiritual root and taking the fortune of Heaven and Earth ever be easy?
The best method was to use the spiritual root of a newborn infant related by blood. At that stage, a spiritual root was at its weakest and purest, and would have the least impact on a mortal.
But such an act would undoubtedly bring down Heaven’s punishment, while also wasting the spiritual root of another blood relative.
That was why the cultivation art had been sealed away.
Who would sacrifice a spiritually gifted descendant to save another descendant who had been born without a spiritual root?
Years of painstaking effort had ultimately come to nothing.
Later, a genius mortal discovered the cultivation art.
They were even less likely to dig out the spiritual root of a cultivator relative and transplant it into themselves. Thus, they altered the art once again, beginning instead with the spiritual roots of infants—who were the purest and had no cultivation whatsoever.
In this way, the effect on the practitioner would be minimized.
But such actions would still bring down Heaven’s punishment.
Often, hundreds of spiritually gifted infants would fall victim to the process.
The cultivation art thus became a demonic art, and the entire cultivation world joined forces to suppress and seal it away.
The version preserved in the Sword Spirit’s inheritance was already the last complete copy of the Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Swapping Art in existence.
Shu Xin naturally could not bring herself to slaughter an infant. Instead, she had chosen the spiritual root of an adult demonic cultivator who already possessed cultivation.
It was like locking a powerful demonic cultivator and a mortal in the same room and allowing them to fight to the death.
How difficult would it be for the mortal to emerge victorious?
But that was not even the hardest part.
The hardest part was that, if the laws of Heaven were compared to a precise instrument, then the Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Swapping Demonic Art was like a virus exploiting a loophole in the system. If it remained undetected, the laws of Heaven might turn a blind eye.
But the moment it was discovered, it would naturally be erased.
If Wen Jingzhi cultivated in secret by himself, the laws of Heaven would have no reason to pay attention to a mere mortal.
But with Shu Xin—a Swordmaster bearing tremendous destiny—at his side, it was almost impossible for him to escape Heaven’s notice.
Therefore, the very first step of his cultivation was several times more difficult than that of an ordinary mortal.
Meeting Shu Xin was his destined opportunity, but he would also have to bear the backlash that came with it.
Shu Xin wanted to step forward and remove the spiritual root from Wen Jingzhi’s body. But when she saw him still curled tightly around it, refusing to let it escape, she knew she should not interfere.
“Big Sister, could... could you go outside for a moment?” Wen Jingzhi said haltingly. “I... I’m afraid I’m going to look... look terrible.”
“This little brat really has his pride,” the Sword Spirit sighed. “At a time like this, he’s still worried about whether he looks good?”
“That’s called having backbone,” Shu Xin retorted.
“All right, Jingzhi. I believe you can do it.” Shu Xin nodded, still refraining from intervening.
At a moment like this, any attempt on her part to stop Wen Jingzhi would be an insult to his resolve.
So she withdrew.
By then, several uninvited cultivators had already gathered nearby.
“Fellow cultivator, what’s inside? The spiritual energy fluctuation is enormous. Everyone deserves a share of whatever it is. Surely it wouldn’t be proper for you to keep it all to yourself?”
“That’s right. With a face as beautiful as yours, it would be a pity for you to die here.”
“Why waste words on this woman? Just charge in and see for yourself.”
...
Shu Xin had deliberately chosen a remote place with sparse spiritual energy.
One reason was to give Wen Jingzhi a quiet place to recuperate. The other was to ensure that she could handle certain matters without interference.
Like now.
Shu Xin let out a cold laugh.
“If any of you have the ability to take even one step inside, I’ll write my name backward.”
Some of these cultivators had not even reached Core Formation, yet they dared to shout at her?
Sure enough, it was best to pick on trash cultivators like these.
After beating them up, Shu Xin felt refreshed from head to toe.
Inside, Wen Jingzhi had already used up the last of his strength speaking with Shu Xin.
Only after Shu Xin left did he finally lose control of his expression. His features twisted together in agony.
Why did it hurt so much?
He could not help crying out.
When Fu Ge had chopped off both his legs, he had still managed to endure it and comfort his mother.
But the pain he was suffering now was far worse than it had been then.
In such a short time, it felt as though his body had been shattered and then pieced back together.
The spiritual energy contained within his spiritual root was scouring the meridians and bones that had been clogged for more than a decade.
How could an ordinary mortal body withstand such a torrent?
It hurt. It hurt so much.
Wen Jingzhi bit down on his own wrist.
He could not cry out again.
If he did, Big Sister would definitely worry about him.
This was his only chance. He absolutely could not give up.
Many memories surfaced in Wen Jingzhi’s mind.
He remembered the lives of the more than six thousand people in Wen Family Town. They had all watched him grow up and tolerated every bit of his bad temper.
He also remembered the unease and fear he had felt when he first escaped from the Blood Demon Kingdom and saw so many people.
And his father and mother—they had finally had a child of their own.
He had been arguing endlessly with his aunts and uncles over whether he wanted a little brother or a little sister.
Then, in the blink of an eye, all that happiness came to an abrupt end.
The warmer the memories, the more painful reality became.
It was all gone.
Everything was gone.
He could not understand how his aunts and uncles had turned into people he no longer recognized overnight.
Nor could he understand why, despite never offending anyone, he had ended up in such a state.
But if he could not cultivate, if he could not avenge everyone in Wen Family Town, then no one would ever remember that such a town had existed.
He could not accept that!
Wen Jingzhi fought to keep himself from losing consciousness.
But there were many things in this world that one could not avoid simply by refusing to accept them.
Wen Jingzhi felt his consciousness drifting away bit by bit.
His body grew light.
He knew this feeling all too well.
He had felt the same way when his uncle killed him.
Back then, the red knot Shu Xin had given him had saved his life.
But now that feeling had returned, and this time, there would be no second red knot to save him.
Am I going to die?
The thought surfaced hazily in Wen Jingzhi’s mind.
Am I going to see Father, Mother, and the others? Will they laugh at me for being useless and stupid? Will they blame me for going down to join them so soon?
If I die, Big Sister will be very sad, won’t she?
She looks so lonely.
It must be exhausting for her to stand alone against this world. I want to help her, too.
Thoughts flashed through Wen Jingzhi’s mind one after another.
Outside the room, after finishing off all the cultivators, Shu Xin suddenly realized that the breathing inside had nearly stopped.
“Damn it. That kid is about to die.”
The Sword Spirit hurriedly urged her, “I told you long ago that this cultivation method is extremely difficult. Out of ten thousand people, it’s already fortunate if even one survives.”
Besides, spiritual energy had fallen so drastically. It would only be harder for Wen Jingzhi to succeed.
Outside, Shu Xin could clearly hear the sound of Wen Jingzhi’s skin splitting. She could also hear his blood dripping through the bed frame and onto the floor, drop by drop.
She did not need to look to know what kind of torture the person inside was enduring.
But Shu Xin still did not go in.
She was waiting.
Waiting until Wen Jingzhi could no longer hold on—or until he had made it through.
Shu Xin waited outside the door for three days. When Wen Jingzhi’s breathing grew weaker and weaker, she finally could not wait any longer and pushed the door open.
“Jingzhi!” Shu Xin rushed inside, intending to save him.
But then she discovered that the spiritual energy surrounding Wen Jingzhi had already stabilized.
His body, meanwhile, was recovering at an astonishing speed.
What was going on?
Shu Xin froze.
Even the Sword Spirit was stunned.
“Big Sister, so this is the secret treasure of Wen Family Town.” Wen Jingzhi’s face twisted into a smile more painful than tears.
In the palm of his hand lay a Peace Talisman missing one small corner.
This time, it had lost another piece.
It was this very object that had saved Shu Xin before.
And now, it had saved Wen Jingzhi.
It had originally only been effective against injuries caused by spiritual energy.
Since Wen Jingzhi’s physical damage had been caused by taking another person’s spiritual root, it naturally counted as damage caused by spiritual energy as well.
The secret treasure was probably what that Earthly Immortal wanted.
But Wen Fan did not know. Fu Lan did not know either.
This object was completely useless to mortals.
That was why they had treated it as an ordinary Peace Talisman and hung it around Wen Jingzhi’s neck.
Even Wen Jingshu had never imagined that this old, ugly, ordinary wooden talisman would be the final remnant left behind by the Great Demon of the Chun Clan—or that it would be the last divine treasure in this world capable of repairing injuries suffered by cultivators.
Even the Sword Spirit had never expected that something it had grown accustomed to seeing would, in the cultivation world of today, become a secret treasure coveted even by Earthly Immortals, a treasure desired by countless people.
For its sake, an Earthly Immortal had been willing to set an entire scheme into motion, luring a descendant of the Chun Clan into cultivating a forbidden bloodline art. In this way, the vitality and flesh of every clan member could be gathered together and transformed into a pill capable of prolonging life.
The so-called secret treasure of the Chun Clan was nothing more than a small blessing left by a Great Demon of the Chun Clan for its descendants.
It could not even be sensed, much less used by mortals, so naturally no one had ever discovered it.
“In the end, it’s still my family and my people protecting me.”
Wen Jingzhi gripped the talisman tightly, his face smeared with blood.
But Shu Xin knew that the young man before her had already passed the first trial.
He had stepped onto the path of cultivation.
He now possessed the first weapon with which to seek revenge.
“Congratulations, Jingzhi. From this moment on, you finally have the right to avenge them.” Shu Xin took Wen Jingzhi’s hand. “It can keep you safe, and it will help you climb higher and higher, step by step.”
“Don’t be afraid, Jingzhi. You have more than just me behind you.”
There were many, many others.
His parents. His clansmen.
They had merely found another way to continue protecting him.
When his parents died, when his people were wiped out, and even when all of Wen Family Town was buried, Wen Jingzhi had not cried.
But now, feeling the Peace Talisman grow warm in his palm and hearing Shu Xin’s words—
hearing the sound of the spiritual root flowing within his body—
Wen Jingzhi finally could not hold back any longer. He threw his arms around Shu Xin and began to sob softly.
