After battling through a wave of criminals and finally facing Leader Li, Shen Yuan felt his body taking its toll. He knew he had to end it quickly, or else things might turn ugly. His eyes narrowed as he saw an opportunity when Leader Li made a mistake due to overexertion.
He swung his greatsword with all his might, cutting open Leader Li's ribcage. 'Ughh,' Leader Li grunted as he stumbled back a few steps.
His eyes regained a bit of clarity due to pain as he realized that even after going berserk for so long, he hadn't managed to put a dent in Shen Yuan. He gritted his teeth, his eyes turned red from craziness.
"Ahhhhh, I will fucking kill you!!!" He roared at the top of his lungs as he began burning his blood, his strength rising as he reached the peak of the Inner Sea realm.
Shen Yuan's eyes turned solemn as he felt the overwhelming pressure radiating from Leader Li. He sheathed his greatsword, knowing brute force alone wouldn't be enough to fight him head-on.
He took out his dual swords again because he was the best with swords. He trained for the majority of his childhood with long swords.
He gripped them tightly, recalling a technique he had learned before. It was a higher-level technique than his body could currently handle, so he had been reluctant to use it.
But now, he decided to use it first and worry about the consequences later. He took a deep breath and sheathed one sword, leaving himself with just a single blade, as the technique required a single sword for maximum potential.
He began gathering the Qi from the environment into his sword, even drawing on his own Qi reserves.
'Heaven and Earth Severance: First Form-Mountain Cleaving!' He softy muttered the technique name in his mind as he raised the sword above his head and brought it down with full force.
An unbelievable amount of Qi began releasing from his sword as a sword beam was released from his sword with a hint of indescribable intent behind it.
Leader Li didn't even have time to react before the beam reached him. All he could do was raise his greatsword in a futile attempt to block the attack. But both he and his saber were cleanly sliced in half.
The sword strike continued, slaying the other criminals as well. The ground shattered along the sword's path, revealing a raging river below. Everyone except Shen Yuan was swept into the flowing river, leaving Shen Yuan's exhausted body and Han Ming's lifeless form behind.
Shen Yuan stumbled forward as he nearly dropped to the ground due to overexertion. He quickly took out a few pills and swallowed them, then sat down in a meditative stance to heal his injuries and recover his stamina.
"..." He stayed silent while meditating as he was lost in his thoughts of loss. The only true friend he made during his journey in this training grounds died while he couldn't even protect him.
He contemplated for a long time while sitting there.
After a while, his injuries healed as he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes turned back to normal but still had a hint of red in them. But something else had also disappeared from his eyes, the hint of naivety that he had before. His eyes were now more calm and deep.
He heaved a sigh as he stood up. He looked around to see the cavern, which was filled with Night Illuminating Grass before was now barren all over the place, deep crevices were everywhere due to his fight against the criminals.
There was a ravine in the center where the hit used to be as well, where a raging river was flowing, he looked at the river for a moment.
As he stood there, his thoughts drifted to the lives he had taken. He had killed a human being for the first time today—not just one, but many. The weight of those deaths weighed heavily on his heart. His mind replayed the moments before each strike, the fleeting hesitation that had plagued him. What if he hadn't hesitated? Could he have saved Han Ming?
"Sigh, they deserve death for standing in my way." Shen Yuan muttered to himself in a low voice, trying to justify his actions. "I shouldn't have hesitated when I had the chance before. Maybe if I hadn't hesitated h-" Shen Yuan got silent as he spoke up to here. The what-ifs and maybes gnawed at his mind. Finally, he just shook his head to dispel these thoughts,
With a heavy heart, Shen Yuan turned and walked toward Han Ming's lifeless body.
"System, can he be revived?" He asked the System in a voice tinged with sadness, even though he knew it wouldn't answer him, as it didn't answer him even when his life was in danger.
[His soul has already left his body, and due to some restrictions I cannot exert my powers on the reincarnation river of this plane, the host is advised to bury him right here and look for his reincarnation in the future.]
The words hit Shen Yuan like a blow, and for a moment, he could only stare at Han Ming's lifeless form. Then, with a glimmer of hope, he asked, "Is it possible to find his reincarnation in this world??" He couldn't wait for the system to answer, even forgetting to curse it for not responding earlier in his grief.
[It's nearly impossible with the host's current power.]
Shen Yuan's heart sank, but he forced himself to remain composed. He couldn't allow despair to take root. Instead, he turned his grief into resolve. If there was even a sliver of a chance, he would pursue it. Han Ming deserved that much.
Even though they only met for a short while, he was his first true friend in this world. He might have been a simpleton who sacrificed his life for him but nonetheless, he would still won't give up this hope.
He looked at Han Ming's lifeless body, "I hope you find a good family in your next life," Shen Yuan whispered lightly, "I will surely look for you in this life."
He clasped his hands together and lightly bowed his head in prayer, silently vowing to fulfill his promise. He stayed like that for several minutes, paying his respects, and letting the reality of Han Ming's death sink in.
Finally, Shen Yuan began digging a grave with a shovel that he took out from his storage ring. He finished digging a hole, covering Han Ming's body with a white cloth, and laid him down inside.
As he stood over the grave, preparing to cover it, something caught his eye., Han Ming's hand slid off the white cloth, revealing his storage ring.
"Ah, I forgot about this. Maybe I can find his relatives and return the storage ring to them." He gently took off the storage ring and put it in his pocket. After sorting his thoughts he began burying Han Ming's body.