The Quest for Immortality
If Shen Shouxing puts forth all his effort and adds one more strike, he can pierce his heart veins.
By then, even if Shen Tuao does not die, he will be severely injured.
But at this moment, Shen Shouxing suddenly turns his sword, aiming at the nearby Xun Ziyou.
All along the way, Xun Ziyou had been on guard against Shen Shouxing,
But after enduring the fierce battles while surrounding Shen Tuao, his vigilance faltered a bit.
Hence, he was somewhat caught off guard by this strike.
By the time Xun Ziyou reacted, Shen Shouxing’s sword light was already headed straight for his heart veins.
This was a strike from a Golden Core Peak Cultivator, a surprise attack;
Even if others had expected it, they couldn’t stop it.
But because he had been cautious, instinct remained, and in that hair-raising moment,
Xun Ziyou instinctively sidestepped.
Shen Shouxing’s longsword missed by a few inches and stabbed Xun Ziyou in the shoulder,
The sword qi ravaging his flesh.
Xun Ziyou had no choice but to abandon Shen Tuao and withdraw.
Elder Bear alone could not suppress Shen Tuao and also had to retreat several meters.
Shen Tuao freed himself from the restraints and slowly stood up.
For a moment, the four of them formed separate factions, each maintaining their killing intent,
On guard against each other.
Xun Ziyou glanced at the sword wound on his shoulder and then looked at Shen Shouxing,
Speaking coldly:
"Elder Shen, what is the meaning of this?"
Shen Shouxing’s expression was indifferent, feeling regret in his heart.
This Elder Xun was still too vigilant, only providing this one opportunity all along the way until now.
Despite this, he still evaded that strike.
Otherwise, the longsword piercing the heart, followed by a twist of sword qi,
Would almost have ended his story right there.
Shen Shouxing silently gazed at Xun Ziyou, now that things had come to this point,
He didn’t need to hide anything, so he said blandly:
"For the sake of my Shen Family, it seems necessary to trouble Elder Xun and leave him here
At the bottom of this Solitary Mountain tomb."
Xun Ziyou was unsurprised, his gaze like a sword, "So, this whole affair
Truly was orchestrated by the Shen Family?"
"Was it your Shen Family that caused the mining disaster,
Trapping and killing hundreds of thousands of Mining Cultivators,
Then used the tomb to seal the mine pit,
Leaving these afflicted Mining Cultivators never to see the light of day even after death?!"
Xun Ziyou’s tone held rage.
Everyone’s expression changed, Mo Hua’s heart trembled slightly.
Shen Shouxing’s gaze dimmed, remaining silent.
"Your silence means you acquiesce?" Xun Ziyou focused his gaze, then remarked mockingly,
"Your Shen Family truly has such nerve; an entire mine, so many innocent cultivators...to kill so casually..."
Xun Ziyou regarded Shen Shouxing again, "You were responsible for Solitary Mountain, and despite not yet being at the Feather Transformation Realm,
You managed to hold the position of Powerful Elder of the Shen Family, it must be because you rendered colossal achievements.
I suppose that achievement was tricking and killing these Mining Cultivators, wasn’t it?"
"Was that mining disaster back then planned and executed by you, Elder Shen Shouxing?"
Xun Ziyou’s tone was icy, yet suppressed with anger.
With these words, the atmosphere turned deadly silent.
No one present said a word.
Even if they didn’t know before, after entering the tomb, witnessing the pit of tens of thousands,
Seeing so many ghosts of corpses and the mountain of bodies, somewhere in their hearts, they had already begun to suspect.
Yet, no one pointed it out.
Pretending not to know was still a temporary way to cover up the truth.
Once pointed out, confirming the Shen Family’s actions,
It would almost instantly lead to a relentless situation.
The Shen Family would surely silence them.
The Solitary Mountain disaster, with over ten thousand Loose Cultivators tragically dying.
Such shocking wickedness was enough to shake the Shen Family’s foundations.
The Taoist Court there would definitely not let the Shen Family off.
The Shen Family would face criticism from all sides, utterly ruining their reputation.
And it looks like, from here, Shen Shouxing never intended to let anyone leave Solitary Mountain alive.
Fan Jin felt his scalp tingle, a bitterness in his heart.
His worst fears had come true; they truly had not escaped this calamity.
Beside him, Master Gu felt chilled, along with immense anger.
He was trembling with rage, almost grinding his teeth as he uttered word by word:
"Tens upon tens of thousands of Loose Cultivators at Solitary Mountain,
Utterly tricked and killed, left dead in this dark abyssal mine pit..."
"Shen Shouxing, can your conscience truly withstand this?
Aren’t you truly afraid of...retribution?"
Shen Shouxing’s expression remained indifferent, but his forehead kept twitching,
An internal struggle as if he also didn’t want to recall this past nightmare.
The scene of so many Mining Cultivators being tricked and killed, the look of bewilderment,
Helplessness, loneliness, and despair on those faces, broke through the sealed memories,
Surfacing in his mind.
These were decisions he made personally, equivalent to the massacre he personally initiated.
A fissure appeared in Shen Shouxing’s soul.
But his face remained numb and cold, "I...had no choice."
Xun Ziyou sneered.
Shen Shouxing ignored the mockery and sighed lightly:
"In the Great Families brimming with talents, climbing upwards is ultimately incredibly difficult,
If you’re not within, you simply wouldn’t understand."
"Especially those hailing from poor backgrounds, of illegitimate bloodlines,
The offspring on the margins of family power, climbing upwards is more difficult than ascending to the skies."
"All the good things belong to others."
"You can only follow behind others, picking up the scraps they don’t want,
Having to bow with humility, showing gratitude and appreciation..."
There was a glint of anger and pain in Shen Shouxing’s eyes.
"Having tasted this, I didn’t want to live this kind of life,
Nor do I want my son, grandson, to live like this in the future."
"So, I must climb upward, by any means necessary."
Xun Ziyou stayed silent, then said quietly, "So, the tens of thousands of Mining Cultivators at Solitary Mountain
Became your stepping stones to climb upward?"
"I really didn’t want to kill them." Shen Shouxing said coldly,
"I’m not a person who kills indiscriminately, but they caused too much trouble,
Even to an unmanageable extent, things developing like this, a vast number of Loose Cultivators
Could become mobs and refugees,
The Shen Family wouldn’t be able to accommodate them, naturally there’s only one route left...burying them along with Solitary Mountain."
Master Gu surged with anger, "Your Shen Family seized their mountain, occupied their mine,
Forcing them into desperation, yet blaming them for causing trouble?"
Shen Shouxing said, "The mountain was abandoned by them,
The mine was sold by them,
The shortsighted Loose Cultivators, for immediate profit, lost their ultimate foundation for survival,
What does it have to do with my Shen Family?"
"You..." Master Gu felt fury fill his chest, pointing with a trembling finger at Shen Shouxing, rendered speechless.
Xun Ziyou coldly said, "Regardless of any reason, you can’t trick and kill so many Loose Cultivators."
Shen Shouxing remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "They...were useless..."
"For mining, my Shen Family has large spiritual machines,
We don’t need their labor."
"They were already destitute, unable to profit from them with Spirit Stone."
"The only value was their generations growing up at Solitary Mountain,
But for immediate personal gain, they sold it all."
"Think about it yourself, what use are they?"
"Furthermore, these hungry and poor Loose Cultivators were also causing trouble,
Thus making it more impossible for me to keep them."
"Keeping them is of no benefit to my Shen Family, to the Taoist Court,
To Solitary Mountain, and even to the stability of the entire Qian Learning state boundary."
"Cultivators must progress, Great Families must develop,
The Cultivation World must prosper, naturally requiring to step on the bones of these underprivileged."
"It has been this way since ancient times."
"It’s just a matter of some seeing it, some not."
"Those who see it are powerless;
Those who don’t see it or don’t want to see it are indifferent..."