Volume One, Chapter Eleven: The Dragon Soul's Rend

Xu Que looked at his clansmen.

His body was covered in deep knife wounds, his clothes soaked in blood, and the ground was stained with crimson. The wound on his right arm was so deep the bone was visible, and a patch of his scalp had been scorched away.

Such a wretched state was far from a normal sparring session among fellow disciples. If this wasn't a life-or-death vendetta, what was it? Furthermore, the assailant had intended to cripple Xu Ziling’s dantian, ensuring he would remain a useless invalid forever.

Xu Que gripped his hand tightly, and the spirit blade that had been thrust toward Xu Ziling’s dantian shattered. The attacker scrambled backward to put some distance between them, reuniting with his two companions, emboldened once more.

The man spoke, "Xu Que, I heard that after you returned from the Immortal Extinction Forbidden Land, you became a cripple. It seems the rumors were unreliable."

"He Wu!" Xu Que let out a cold snort. "And Wang Dingtian and Li Zhun. Who authorized the three of you to hunt down my Xu clan members?"

"Hahaha, no one ordered us; we just enjoy doing it." The three men laughed loudly, completely unconcerned.

Ignoring them for the moment, Xu Que immediately pulled out his storage ring. There were still some emergency healing pills inside that he hadn't yet refined. After Xu Ziling ingested them, his condition improved slightly.

He hurriedly urged, "Young Master, run! The people from the He, Wang, and Li families are secretly encircling us."

"Is it still called a 'secret encirclement' when they are this blatant? Does the Holy Land's Enforcement Hall not care?" Xu Que demanded angrily.

"Young Master, have you forgotten that the Elder of the Enforcement Hall is Duanmu Ao? That old scoundrel claims there is no evidence and refuses to do anything."

"..."

Xu Que understood instantly. The Duanmu family must have suppressed the news, deceiving those above and hiding the truth from those below, then lured the Xu clan disciples to secluded areas to slaughter them.

He Wu finished laughing and toyed with a blade manifested from spiritual energy. "Do you understand now? Your Xu family is like a rat crossing the street; who would dare to help you? Xu Que, to think you actually dared to come back—tsk, tsk, tsk, I didn't realize you brothers were so deeply attached."

Xu Que asked, "Is it worth it for the sake of Duanmu Xiong? Are your three families also going to wade into this muddy water for him? As far as I know, the strength of your three families is, at best, second-rate. This is a game you cannot afford to play."

He Wu said disdainfully, "We are the butchers, and your Xu family is the feast!"

Hearing this, Xu Que felt relieved. "It seems this was decided by the families behind you, rather than your own reckless initiative."

He Wu frowned. Why did Xu Que seem even more at ease knowing he was going up against four families simultaneously in the Holy Land?

Li Zhun, standing to the side, sneered, "Xu Que, I heard that you only managed to kill the Seventh Young Master of the Duanmu family because your Xu family's Seventh Elder broke through to the Martial Sovereign realm. In this Holy Land, no one is here to back you up."

Wang Dingtian added, "Your Xu family has already offended the Duanmu family. Instead of keeping your tails between your legs, you want to take on all three of our families at once?"

The three of them did not hold Xu Que in any regard. According to the information they had received, the Xu family was merely a first-rate clan of the Great Martial Empire, on par with their own families. Even if one of their elders had recently broken through to the Martial Sovereign realm, so what? Their families were not from the Great Martial Empire; they had nothing to fear. Most importantly, this was the Holy Land, where the influence of external family forces was minimal unless one belonged to the three local prominent clans, such as the Duanmu family.

They believed that since Xu Que had returned, he wouldn't dare to make a move. At most, he would go crying to his master for help.

"Young Master, it is my incompetence that has made me a burden to you," Xu Ziling said, lowering his head in shame.

Xu Que did not blame him. He was only at the peak of the Martial Master realm; what could he do against three hunting Martial Sects?

Xu Que patted him, signaling for Xu Ziling to focus on recovering. He placed his hand on the ground. *Black Dragon Soul!*

*ROAR!*

Suddenly, the earth trembled. The sound of a dragon’s roar stunned He Wu, Wang Dingtian, and Li Zhun.

In the next moment, Wang Dingtian’s head was clamped firmly in the jaws of the Black Dragon Soul. *Crunch.* It was juicy and crisp. Wang Dingtian’s body spurted blood where he stood.

Li Zhun and He Wu were so terrified they scrambled away, staring at the Black Dragon Soul and gasping, "What is this?"

*ROAR!*

The Black Dragon Soul immediately split into two heads and lunged toward the remaining pair.

*Clang.*

In his panic, He Wu swung his sword, grazing the spectral head of the Black Dragon Soul, but hitting nothing but air. "A dead soul?"

*Squelch!*

The next instant, the Black Dragon Soul dove into his body, crushed his heart, and burst out through his chest. He Wu collapsed on the spot, staring in disbelief at Xu Que, who hadn't moved an inch. "What... what is this?"

The other, Li Zhun, tried to flee, but his head was bitten off by the Black Dragon Soul in an instant.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, a disciple from the Enforcement Team bolted out from the side of the path. "Xu Que, you dare to kill in the Holy Land? You truly have grown bold."

After the slaughter, the Black Dragon Soul dissolved into the ground and returned to the bones of Xu Que's fingers.

"I think it's you who is bold. You arrive and immediately jump to framing me. Since when did disciples of our Holy Land make a habit of framing their own? Which of your dog eyes saw me kill anyone?"

The Enforcement Team member was taken aback. Xu Que had indeed not moved a muscle. "You... you released the Black Dragon and killed these three."

"Why couldn't it be that you killed them and are now trying to frame me?"

"You are spitting blood! I am with those three."

"If you are with them, does that mean you condoned them harming my clansmen?"

The Enforcement Team member was instantly cornered by Xu Que’s logic, unable to defend himself. No matter how he answered, he seemed to have violated the rules of the Holy Land first.

The disciple shouted in anger, "You are twisting words! I am reporting this to the Enforcement Hall right now. Let's see how you explain yourself. Wait to be judged by the Holy Land!"

But as he turned, he saw three dragon heads with scarlet eyes staring at him.

"Wind!"

The man was prepared; he immediately condensed a powerful gust of wind around himself. With the spiritual energy forming this gale, he could ward off such spectral spirits. But suddenly, he felt a chill in his heart.

Xu Que had silently rushed behind him, picked up a sword from the ground, and pierced his heart.

"Ah... cough... you... you really dare... to kill me?" The Enforcement disciple turned, staring at Xu Que in terror.

Xu Que said viciously, "What? You've already defected to the Duanmu family, and you still expect to find elders to arbitrate? Are you alright in the head?"

Xu Que kicked him away.

He quickly rushed Xu Ziling to the Holy Land’s Medical Hut. Upon arrival, Xu Que saw his cousins abandoned in the open yard of the hut, receiving no treatment.

"Young Master," Xu Wuji said, his expression agitated upon seeing Xu Que. "Run!"

Xu Qiange’s face was deathly pale, her long hair disheveled. With her last bit of strength, she said, "Young Master, they are targeting you. Leave the Holy Land quickly."

Xu Que hurriedly took out healing medicine to treat them and said, "I already know the situation. I trust my master will protect me. What is going on with this medical hut? How can you leave the wounded out here to be scorched by the sun?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman in green robes walked out of the hut.

"Who says the wounded shouldn't be exposed to the sun? This is my latest invention: the Sun-Exposure Healing Method."

"Duanmu Ya!"

Xu Que recognized her immediately—Duanmu Xiong’s younger sister. She was also the chief disciple of the Holy Land’s Medical Elder and ranked eighth in the Holy Land.

"Xu Que, you’ve grown bold. You used to be ranked ninth in the Holy Land; don't flatter yourself. For these years, I’ve held the eighth spot, consistently staying above you. To think you actually dared to kill my useless brother—I have to give you some credit. I thought your brain was only filled with Zhu Yanran."

Xu Que pulled out his weapon. "Do you want to die? I don't mind fulfilling that wish for you."

Duanmu Ya crossed her arms, looking at him with disdain. "Go ahead, then. While you were unconscious and injured these past few days, I’ve broken through to the sixth level of the Martial Sect. I don't even know how many years it would take you to catch up..."

Before she could finish, Xu Que lunged forward, slamming a fist into her smug face.

Duanmu Ya’s pupils constricted, and she instinctively raised her hands to block.

*Crack.*

Duanmu Ya’s arm bone snapped, and his fist struck her face, shattering her nose.

*BOOM.*

Duanmu Ya screamed as she was sent flying into the medical hut, smashing through pots, pans, and alchemy furnaces. The other female disciples beside her fled in panic.

Xu Que stepped into the hut; that punch hadn't been enough to kill her. Suddenly, an old man with white hair blocked his path. "Xu Que, stop! You dare to commit violence in my medical hut?"

This old man was the Elder of the Medical Hut, and the master of the Duanmu siblings. He hadn't appeared before, but now that they were fighting, he came to assert his authority.

Xu Que berated him, "Old scoundrel, are you also going to show favoritism to the Duanmu family? Are you going to leave my Xu clan members to die?"

The white-haired elder replied, "These two have had their dantians shattered; without extraordinary methods, how could they recover? But since these are extraordinary methods, there is naturally a risk of failure or death. If you don't trust my medical skills, you can treat them yourself."

Xu Que understood. The Holy Land's Medical Hut had also been bought by the Duanmu family.

Xu Que said coldly, "Fine. Then I will show you, a quack doctor, how such injuries should be treated! When I'm done, you can hand over your title as the Holy Land’s miracle doctor to me."