"So, this is your perspective? Do you believe you're the only one with wisdom?" Shangguan Ning retorted sharply as she fully absorbed Fang Yuan's words.
"We're fully aware that Jiang Chen treats us well, advocating for mutual aid!"
"However, he bears no intent of usurping us, he nurtures the aspiration that the four of us can advance in unison!"
"Why else do you think Jiang Chen rescued you time and time again!? Wouldn't his path be easier if you perished! Fool!" Shangguan Ning's voice crescendoed, her vehemence palpable, marking the end of her fiery rebuttal against Fang Yuan's allegations.
"No! His every action is but a façade!" Fang Yuan countered, his eyes blazing with indignant fury.
"His display is riddled with falsehoods!"
"Everything he's orchestrated, is solely to curry favor with you!"
"I was the one who brokered our pact, yet you rally behind him merely because of some trivial benefits he bestows! Is it not because his talents outshine mine!"
"Why else won't you stand unwaveringly by my side!"
"Both of you are equally guilty of duplicity!" With these final words, Fang Yuan was a tempest of brewing negative emotions, his entire being poised on the brink of an emotional eruption.
"Fang Yuan! Why do you suppose we exhibit amicability towards Jiang Chen? Is the reason not evident?" Nangong Wan challenged, her voice fraught with clear disappointment as she rapid-fired questions at him, "Have you forgotten that Jiang Chen was aware of our existence and took it upon himself to seek us out with a warning?"
"Jiang Chen could have hoarded this secret, biding his time to trade it for considerable gains," Shangguan Ning interjected, her tone firm.
"But he refrained from such actions. His choices indeed had an objective, but one can't overlook his benevolence!"
"For us, Jiang Chen is indeed an ideal ally. The four of us banding together, supporting each other, is the optimum course for all involved!"
"It's specifically due to your envy and animosity, your pettiness, that you've continuously resisted Jiang Chen, resulting in the current predicament!"
"And yet, despite the dire state of affairs, you exhibit no signs of remorse!" Shangguan Ning's tone was far more direct than Nangong Wan's, laced with evident disappointment. Her trust in Fang Yuan was entirely eroded, leaving no room for sugar-coated words.
"No! You're entirely misguided, Jiang Chen harbors malevolent schemes, he's a foe, an irreconcilable adversary!" Fang Yuan snapped, his voice filled with desperation and anger.
"You never put your trust in me! You've always harbored an interest in Jiang Chen from the outset!"
"Ah, devoid of honor, I'll exterminate you, annihilate you all!" Fang Yuan's eyes flared with madness as he succumbed completely, spouting disjointed sentences whilst desperately assailing the Soul Embodying Ring!
"Fang Yuan!" Both Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning exclaimed, shocked beyond words. They hadn't anticipated Fang Yuan would unravel into such hysteria.
"Fang Yuan, cease this!!" Jiang Chen's expression shifted drastically, and he promptly unleashed the 'Spirit Stirring Sting'!
Boom!
An invisible spiritual shockwave hit Fang Yuan without warning!
"Ahhh!" Fang Yuan's agonized scream echoed through the void, as the feeling of his head about to explode overtook him. The aggressive force he had sent towards the Soul Embodying Ring halted abruptly.
But he didn't stop.
At this point, Fang Yuan had even lost the support of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.
Faced with Jiang Chen, his predestined enemy, he was drowning in desperation!
He was certain of his impending demise.
Yet, even as he teetered on the brink of death, he longed to drag Jiang Chen, Nangong Wan, and Shangguan Ning down with him, to make them pay, even if it was the last thing he did!
Nevertheless, Jiang Chen had no intention of allowing him to achieve this!
"Halt!" Jiang Chen roared, his body crashing into Fang Yuan's side, followed by a swift, precise knife-hand strike.
Instantly, the Soul Embodying Ring was jarred loose from Fang Yuan's hold.
Propelled sideways, Fang Yuan landed with a thud into the pool of blood beneath the corpse of the demonic python, a creature proficient in the Great Dao of Poison.
Even in death, the demonic python radiated a lethal venom. Fang Yuan, with only the combat prowess of the Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm, stood no chance against its potency.
As Fang Yuan plunged into the pool of blood, his body immediately sank, and copious plumes of gray-white smoke spiraled upward!
"Ahhh!" The sheer intensity of the pain elicited a heart-wrenching scream from Fang Yuan.
Despite the overwhelming agony, sheer willpower drove him to clamber out of the venomous blood pool.
His protective artifact had been completely destroyed, and a significant portion of his skin was ulcerated.
Where there once stood a robust young man was now a bloodied, mutilated figure, unrecognizable from his former self.
Nevertheless, without missing a beat, Fang Yuan started a frenzied dash into the wilderness.
As he fled, his deranged screams echoed across the landscape, "Jiang Chen harbors the residual souls of two Void Tribulation realm great powerhouses! Whoever seizes them can ascend to the Third Step of the Cultivation Path!"
"Fang Yuan!" Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning exclaimed in horror.
They hadn't expected Fang Yuan's desperation to reach such heights, he was attempting to lead them all to their destruction!
"We have no other options!" A flicker of 'pain' crossed Jiang Chen's face before he strode forward, launching an attack from behind Fang Yuan.
"You won't escape retribution...!" Fang Yuan roared in fury, but his words cut off abruptly before he could finish.
For Jiang Chen's Peerless Sky Piercing Sword had already pierced his heart!
With an influx of raw, overwhelming power, Fang Yuan's life was extinguished in an instant.
[Ding! Congratulations on successfully eliminating the protagonist, Fang Yuan!]
[Ding! You have accrued 50,000 Villain Value points!]
[Ding! You have amassed 18,686 Black Heavenly Fate Value points!]
Three System prompts echoed in Jiang Chen's mind.
Yet, he paid them no heed for the moment.
Instead, with a powerful swing, he sent Fang Yuan's corpse soaring through the air, transforming into a streak of light that plunged directly into the gaping mouth of the Dao Comprehension realm demonic python.
Inside the python's maw, a pool of venomous blood, now even more potent than before, had formed.
Once Fang Yuan's corpse was immersed in the pool, his flesh and blood disintegrated in the blink of an eye, reducing him to a blood-soaked skeleton.
The only evidence of his identity was the Heavenly Origin top-grade spear, now corroded beyond recognition.
At this point, a soft glow radiated from Jiang Chen's forehead, cascading onto the Soul Embodying Ring in his grasp.
Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning immediately felt a subtle binding force, and deep within their hearts, they intuitively understood that they were faced with a binary choice: to refuse or to accept.
They could sense that the power guiding them to this realization was astoundingly potent, far surpassing anything that the Void Tribulation realm could offer!
This force was even stronger than the power of the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path they had envisioned, by an immeasurable magnitude!
As for the choices confronting them: if they opted to refuse, their current situation would persist; if they accepted, they would forge a deeper bond with Jiang Chen, one that was unbreakable.
Simultaneously, Jiang Chen was aware that his System had targeted the Soul Embodying Ring, providing Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning an opportunity to make a decision.
Although it may have seemed like the System was offering them a choice, in reality, everything hinged on Jiang Chen's desired outcome and the pathway to achieve it.
'If Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning harbored no favorable feelings for me, the circumstances would be different,' Jiang Chen mused to himself as a self-assured spark twinkled in his eyes. 'But now...'
A note from AlphaWIA:
If you're enjoying my work, consider supporting me:
Patreon (Membership) [https://www.patreon.com/AlphaWIA]
Ko-fi (One time support & Membership (The chapters will be added soon)) [https://ko-fi.com/alphawia]
"So, this is your perspective? Do you believe you're the only one with wisdom?" Shangguan Ning retorted sharply as she fully absorbed Fang Yuan's words.
"We're fully aware that Jiang Chen treats us well, advocating for mutual aid!"
"However, he bears no intent of usurping us, he nurtures the aspiration that the four of us can advance in unison!"
"Why else do you think Jiang Chen rescued you time and time again!? Wouldn't his path be easier if you perished! Fool!" Shangguan Ning's voice crescendoed, her vehemence palpable, marking the end of her fiery rebuttal against Fang Yuan's allegations.
"No! His every action is but a façade!" Fang Yuan countered, his eyes blazing with indignant fury.
"His display is riddled with falsehoods!"
"Everything he's orchestrated, is solely to curry favor with you!"
"I was the one who brokered our pact, yet you rally behind him merely because of some trivial benefits he bestows! Is it not because his talents outshine mine!"
"Why else won't you stand unwaveringly by my side!"
"Both of you are equally guilty of duplicity!" With these final words, Fang Yuan was a tempest of brewing negative emotions, his entire being poised on the brink of an emotional eruption.
"Fang Yuan! Why do you suppose we exhibit amicability towards Jiang Chen? Is the reason not evident?" Nangong Wan challenged, her voice fraught with clear disappointment as she rapid-fired questions at him, "Have you forgotten that Jiang Chen was aware of our existence and took it upon himself to seek us out with a warning?"
"Jiang Chen could have hoarded this secret, biding his time to trade it for considerable gains," Shangguan Ning interjected, her tone firm.
"But he refrained from such actions. His choices indeed had an objective, but one can't overlook his benevolence!"
"For us, Jiang Chen is indeed an ideal ally. The four of us banding together, supporting each other, is the optimum course for all involved!"
"It's specifically due to your envy and animosity, your pettiness, that you've continuously resisted Jiang Chen, resulting in the current predicament!"
"And yet, despite the dire state of affairs, you exhibit no signs of remorse!" Shangguan Ning's tone was far more direct than Nangong Wan's, laced with evident disappointment. Her trust in Fang Yuan was entirely eroded, leaving no room for sugar-coated words.
"No! You're entirely misguided, Jiang Chen harbors malevolent schemes, he's a foe, an irreconcilable adversary!" Fang Yuan snapped, his voice filled with desperation and anger.
"You never put your trust in me! You've always harbored an interest in Jiang Chen from the outset!"
"Ah, devoid of honor, I'll exterminate you, annihilate you all!" Fang Yuan's eyes flared with madness as he succumbed completely, spouting disjointed sentences whilst desperately assailing the Soul Embodying Ring!
"Fang Yuan!" Both Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning exclaimed, shocked beyond words. They hadn't anticipated Fang Yuan would unravel into such hysteria.
"Fang Yuan, cease this!!" Jiang Chen's expression shifted drastically, and he promptly unleashed the 'Spirit Stirring Sting'!
Boom!
An invisible spiritual shockwave hit Fang Yuan without warning!
"Ahhh!" Fang Yuan's agonized scream echoed through the void, as the feeling of his head about to explode overtook him. The aggressive force he had sent towards the Soul Embodying Ring halted abruptly.
But he didn't stop.
At this point, Fang Yuan had even lost the support of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.
Faced with Jiang Chen, his predestined enemy, he was drowning in desperation!
He was certain of his impending demise.
Yet, even as he teetered on the brink of death, he longed to drag Jiang Chen, Nangong Wan, and Shangguan Ning down with him, to make them pay, even if it was the last thing he did!
Nevertheless, Jiang Chen had no intention of allowing him to achieve this!
"Halt!" Jiang Chen roared, his body crashing into Fang Yuan's side, followed by a swift, precise knife-hand strike.
Instantly, the Soul Embodying Ring was jarred loose from Fang Yuan's hold.
Propelled sideways, Fang Yuan landed with a thud into the pool of blood beneath the corpse of the demonic python, a creature proficient in the Great Dao of Poison.
Even in death, the demonic python radiated a lethal venom. Fang Yuan, with only the combat prowess of the Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm, stood no chance against its potency.
As Fang Yuan plunged into the pool of blood, his body immediately sank, and copious plumes of gray-white smoke spiraled upward!
"Ahhh!" The sheer intensity of the pain elicited a heart-wrenching scream from Fang Yuan.
Despite the overwhelming agony, sheer willpower drove him to clamber out of the venomous blood pool.
His protective artifact had been completely destroyed, and a significant portion of his skin was ulcerated.
Where there once stood a robust young man was now a bloodied, mutilated figure, unrecognizable from his former self.
Nevertheless, without missing a beat, Fang Yuan started a frenzied dash into the wilderness.
As he fled, his deranged screams echoed across the landscape, "Jiang Chen harbors the residual souls of two Void Tribulation realm great powerhouses! Whoever seizes them can ascend to the Third Step of the Cultivation Path!"
"Fang Yuan!" Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning exclaimed in horror.
They hadn't expected Fang Yuan's desperation to reach such heights, he was attempting to lead them all to their destruction!
"We have no other options!" A flicker of 'pain' crossed Jiang Chen's face before he strode forward, launching an attack from behind Fang Yuan.
"You won't escape retribution...!" Fang Yuan roared in fury, but his words cut off abruptly before he could finish.
For Jiang Chen's Peerless Sky Piercing Sword had already pierced his heart!
With an influx of raw, overwhelming power, Fang Yuan's life was extinguished in an instant.
[Ding! Congratulations on successfully eliminating the protagonist, Fang Yuan!]
[Ding! You have accrued 50,000 Villain Value points!]
[Ding! You have amassed 18,686 Black Heavenly Fate Value points!]
Three System prompts echoed in Jiang Chen's mind.
Yet, he paid them no heed for the moment.
Instead, with a powerful swing, he sent Fang Yuan's corpse soaring through the air, transforming into a streak of light that plunged directly into the gaping mouth of the Dao Comprehension realm demonic python.
Inside the python's maw, a pool of venomous blood, now even more potent than before, had formed.
Once Fang Yuan's corpse was immersed in the pool, his flesh and blood disintegrated in the blink of an eye, reducing him to a blood-soaked skeleton.
The only evidence of his identity was the Heavenly Origin top-grade spear, now corroded beyond recognition.
At this point, a soft glow radiated from Jiang Chen's forehead, cascading onto the Soul Embodying Ring in his grasp.
Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning immediately felt a subtle binding force, and deep within their hearts, they intuitively understood that they were faced with a binary choice: to refuse or to accept.
They could sense that the power guiding them to this realization was astoundingly potent, far surpassing anything that the Void Tribulation realm could offer!
This force was even stronger than the power of the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path they had envisioned, by an immeasurable magnitude!
As for the choices confronting them: if they opted to refuse, their current situation would persist; if they accepted, they would forge a deeper bond with Jiang Chen, one that was unbreakable.
Simultaneously, Jiang Chen was aware that his System had targeted the Soul Embodying Ring, providing Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning an opportunity to make a decision.
Although it may have seemed like the System was offering them a choice, in reality, everything hinged on Jiang Chen's desired outcome and the pathway to achieve it.
'If Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning harbored no favorable feelings for me, the circumstances would be different,' Jiang Chen mused to himself as a self-assured spark twinkled in his eyes. 'But now...'
A note from AlphaWIA:
If you're enjoying my work, consider supporting me:
Patreon (Membership) [https://www.patreon.com/AlphaWIA]
Ko-fi (One time support & Membership (The chapters will be added soon)) [https://ko-fi.com/alphawia]
