Chapter 69 : A Righteous Path Turned Vile

At this thought, Old Patriarch could not suppress his killing intent as he spoke.

"Has that Hong Old Demon truly gone mad?"

"To dare commit such a heinous act that enrages both heaven and man right under my nose, even if he flees to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths [the farthest reaches of the cosmos], I shall hunt him down and grind his bones to dust."

Eldrin Chen did not reply. After carefully examining the battlefield, he looked towards Pingling Town and said, "The battlefield bears no trace of the specific baleful aura or demonic energy characteristic of Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who use unorthodox, often violent methods to advance their cultivation]."

"The vital essence and soul energy of the Death mortals were not siphoned away. There is even a residue of pure, orthodox Daoist Vital Energy [the foundational life force cultivated by orthodox practitioners]. This does not seem like the work of a Demonic Cultivator, but rather that of a righteous-path cultivator."

"A righteous-path cultivator?"

Old Patriarch exchanged a glance with Lior Chen, his voice filled with disbelief. "How is that possible? How could a righteous-path cultivator dare commit such an atrocity?"

"Regardless of whether the perpetrator walks the righteous or demonic path, their actions now are no different from those of a Demonic Cultivator," Eldrin Chen stated, a cold glint flashing in his pupils. "Demonic Cultivator are driven solely by profit. They would not take such a massive risk to kill without gaining any tangible benefit."

"Judging by the state of Pingling Town, this seems more like an act of vengeful hatred, a desperate move to drag us down with them."

"Then who could it be?" Lior Chen's eyes turned icy cold, his face unable to conceal the surging murderous intent. "Could it be that White Hope Lin from the Lin Clan, whose cultivation path you shattered, harbored such resentment that he did this?" Visit audio-novel .c om to enjoy the complete series.

Eldrin Chen shook his head. "The Lin Clan has vast estates and deep roots. I doubt they would dare take such a step."

As he spoke, he suddenly looked up, his gaze meeting that of Eternal Profound Chen.

"Could it be..."

"Remaining Years Zuo."

Old Patriarch ground his teeth, his tone filled with certainty.

Eldrin Chen and Lior Chen exchanged icy glances, their hearts confirming the answer. The Chen Clan did not have many mortal enemies. The most direct foe still alive was Hong Old Demon.

But besides Hong Old Demon, the Chen Clan had another sworn enemy, locked in a feud to the death: the Zuo Immortal Clan of Feng County.

Within the main lineage of this Zuo Immortal Clan, there had been only two Foundation Establishment Cultivator: Bright Void Zuo and Daylight Wonder Zuo. Both had fallen to the hands of Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch years ago.

With no Foundation Establishment Cultivator to guard it, the Zuo Clan soon fell victim to a demonic calamity. It was said that Hong Old Demon, seizing the moment before the clan could react, collaborated with Demonic Cultivator who had long been embedded within the Zuo Clan, breaching their City Defense Grand Formation from within and without.

For mortals, the breach of a City Defense Grand Formation heralds a scene of unspeakable horror. The malevolent Hong Old Demon performed a bloody ritual, sacrificing over one hundred thousand mortals of the Zuo Clan to forge his life-bound Demonic Treasure, the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber.

This incident caused a great stir throughout the Three Counties of Border Province at the time. Every major clan dispatched forces to hunt down Hong Old Demon, but unfortunately, after forging his demonic saber, the fiend's power had surged dramatically. He actually managed to escape the pursuit of numerous Immortal Clan forces from Feng County.

It is said that a Violet Sanctum Patriarch from Feng County personally gave chase for tens of thousands of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], yet only succeeded in severely wounding Hong Old Demon, failing to completely eradicate the demon.

At that time, Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch were attacking Dire Wolf Mountain, but upon returning to Heavenly Ruins Mountain and hearing of these events, they were utterly shocked.

They had thought the feud with the Zuo Clan was over, but later news arrived that the Zuo Clan actually still had a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the 'Yu' generation. This individual had been sent to the Verdant Sun Sect as a child to train.

His name was Remaining Years Zuo. In terms of seniority, he was two generations above even the Zuo Clan clan leader, Bright Void Zuo. Already over one hundred and eighty years old, he was a veteran Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Verdant Sun Sect, with a cultivation base as high as the Foundation Establishment 8th Tier.

This Remaining Years Zuo had achieved Foundation Establishment thanks to the Verdant Sun Sect. For many years, he had been forbidden from having contact with the Zuo Clan, which is why Eternal Profound Chen had never considered him a true member of the Zuo Clan.

Later, after some investigation, they discovered that Remaining Years Zuo was actually the youngest son of the Zuo Clan's founding Patriarch. He harbored deep feelings for his clan but had always maintained distance to avoid suspicion.

It was only after the Zuo Clan was annihilated that this old cultivator, with his lifespan nearly exhausted, finally emerged. Reportedly, after his earnest pleas, the higher-ups of the Verdant Sun Sect made a rare exception, allowing him to seek vengeance against the Demonic Cultivator.

"We slew Bright Void Zuo and Daylight Wonder Zuo. The Zuo Clan was left without a Foundation Establishment expert to guard it, which is why Hong Old Demon could perform his blood sacrifice and forge the Blood-Transforming Demon Saber."

"That makes sense now. This Remaining Years Zuo, with his lifespan at its end, is determined to fight to the death. He has come for revenge."

Old Patriarch closed his eyes, his expression etched with anguish and resolve.

To be fair, although the Chen Clan and the Zuo Clan harbored a death feud between their two Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] experts, the Chen Clan had no desire to see the hundreds of thousands of mortals of the Zuo Clan perish in a demonic calamity.

Since Remaining Years Zuo could not find Hong Old Demon, he vented his hatred upon his sworn enemy, the Chen Clan. In truth, he was not entirely wrong in his target.

"This Remaining Years Zuo has likely already descended into demonic madness," Eldrin Chen sighed, shaking his head. "With his lifespan nearing its end, he has set his sights on our Chen Clan, determined to drag us down with him in mutual destruction. I fear this is merely the beginning."

Eternal Profound Chen's gaze turned icy with killing intent. "He dared to slaughter an entire town of our Chen Clan, butchering eight thousand of our clansmen to the last soul. Such a blood debt is beyond reconciliation."

"Even if he is a member of the Verdant Sun Sect, we cannot let him live." Immerse yourself in the complete world at www . audio-novel.com.

"Having committed such an atrocity that outrages both gods and men, it is unlikely the Verdant Sun Sect would shield him," Lior Chen agreed, nodding. He then furrowed his brow. "The question is, how do we find him?"

Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before analyzing, "Since he seeks vengeance against us, he will not give up easily."

"His target must be one of our three vital lifelines. Wait..."

Before he could finish, his expression abruptly changed. "Disaster! It's a diversionary tactic!"

Unable to wait a moment longer, he hastily summoned the Solar Fire Ascension Sword [a legendary flying sword imbued with solar fire essence]. It transformed into a streak of azure sword radiance that pierced through the heavens as he shot into the distance.

Eternal Profound Chen and the Third Elder reacted almost instantly, their expressions shifting dramatically as they too took to the skies. They hurriedly channeled their own sword lights and gave chase.

Meanwhile, six thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] away, on the shore of Spirit Isle Lake, a white-haired elder stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

This man was Remaining Years Zuo. In this moment, he was no longer a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator [the second major stage of cultivation] from the Verdant Sun Sect. He was the Patriarch [the founding leader] of the Zuo Immortal Clan.

"So this is Spirit Isle Lake," he murmured.

The elder's gaze pierced through the shimmering layers of light on the water's surface, fixing upon the lake before him. A profound, deathly stillness filled his eyes.

"The three vital lifelines of the Chen Clan: Green Chariot Mountain, Pingyang City, and this Spirit Isle Lake. Shattering any one of them would be the ultimate revenge against them."

"Green Chariot Mountain has been fortified by them for centuries, layered with countless defensive formations and guarded by a host of cultivators. Without the power of the Violet Sanctum Realm [the third major stage of cultivation], breaching it is nearly impossible. Even if I went, it would be nothing but a fool's errand, a certain death."

"Our actions at Pingyang City have already alerted them. With Eternal Profound Chen stationed there now, there is no chance for success."

"Therefore, the only remaining target... is this Spirit Isle Lake."

The old man murmured to himself, and as his words fell, a glimmer of light gradually kindled within his deathly still pupils.

He took a step, ascending into the heavens. A killing intent surged forth from his very being, churning the winds and clouds of the world.

"Because of your Chen Clan, one hundred thousand of my Zuo Clan kin died with grievances unavenged. Today, your Chen Clan will pay the price."

"Kill—!"

Remaining Years Zuo arrived, bearing a tide of Celestial Slaughter intent. As he flew towards Spirit Isle Lake, he was swiftly detected by Eternal Spread Chen.

Although the Old Granduncle was already one hundred and eighteen years of age, his experience was vast and his instincts sharp. With a single glance, he sensed something was amiss.

Without waiting for Remaining Years Zuo to breach Spirit Lake Isle, the Old Granduncle hastily activated his formation disk, managing to trigger the Island Protection Grand Formation at the critical moment. This content originates from audio-novel.com. Please respect copyright.