Chapter 124: The Endless Path of Slaughter

"Among the paths taken by you all, yours is the most astonishing and the most perilous!"

"Your path is unlike the others. Perhaps the hatred in your heart is too intense, and you require a powerful outlet. You are not wrong in what you see: kill, kill, kill—endless slaughter!"

"And your path is the Endless Path of Slaughter!"

"The Endless Path of Slaughter?" Xiao Beihan and the others were puzzled. In truth, for them in this world, they did not understand what a 'path' truly was; they only knew to continuously absorb energy to improve their cultivation. They had gained a general understanding from the various paths Brother Fan had explained earlier. For instance, Feihong and Qian Jin embodied speed, Ou Hu stood for strength, and Li Changfeng represented some form of Imperial Leadership. Yet, regarding this Endless Path of Slaughter, they had no idea what it entailed.

Lin Fan let out a deep sigh, his eyes, now calm, gazing toward the sea of clouds. "Indeed, the Endless Path of Slaughter. Cultivating this path requires endless killing. I know of only a handful of people who have even reached the entry level of this path, yet any one of them, if brought forth, could stir up a storm of blood and ruin."

"Because, once you set foot on this path, you are destined to be accompanied by slaughter for the rest of your life!"

Xiao Beihan was silent for a moment before saying, "As long as I can exact my revenge, what does a lifetime of slaughter matter?"

"Forget revenge—I would even slaughter my way into the Nine Heavens!"

Lin Fan gave him the same reply as before, then sighed. "Stepping onto this path is about more than just revenge. As long as you do not die, there will surely be a place for you in this world. However, while this path allows for rapid cultivation, your emotions will be gradually eroded. When you reach the pinnacle, aside from the initial obsession in your heart, nothing will remain but endless slaughter. You will have nothing else within you."

"Many have walked this path, but their ends are always tragic. Either they descend into madness, are killed by stronger experts, or lose their original nature to the slaughter, shattering their inner obsession and becoming mere puppets—demons who know only how to kill. Are you certain you still wish to take this path?"

Xiao Beihan looked at Lin Fan, knelt on one knee, and said firmly, "As long as I can have my revenge, I am willing to do anything. At any cost, I choose this path. I believe I can hold onto my inner obsession and will not lose my true self!"

"Sigh!"

Lin Fan looked at the firm expression on Beihan’s face, pondered for a moment, and then sighed deeply again before speaking in a low voice: "Very well, I will teach you. But remember, the day your eyes are clouded by slaughter, I will end you with my own hands."

"If it comes to that, and I am truly blinded by slaughter, I leave myself to Brother Fan’s judgment," Xiao Beihan stated resolutely.

Xiao Luoyu was about to speak when his expression suddenly shifted. His figure vanished instantly, reappearing beside Hongyi, whose face had turned pale as beads of cold sweat rolled down her skin. With a flick of his finger, Hongyi went limp and collapsed into Lin Fan's arms.

Xiao Beihan and the others were shocked. Lin Fan, with a grave expression, tapped rapidly on Hongyi’s body. After a full quarter of an hour, he stopped, drenched in sweat, just as Hongyi began to stir.

As Hongyi opened her eyes and saw Lin Fan so close, she felt an inexplicable sense of safety. The embrace felt so warm, like a home—cozy and secure. She wanted nothing more than to drift off into a deep sleep. However, she could not; she had to tell Big Brother what she had seen.

With a haggard expression, Hongyi looked at Xiao Luoyu, her small lips parting slowly: "Big Brother, I saw a vast land, but it was completely desolate. It was as if wherever the blade energy permeated, all life was extinguished. I couldn't find a single trace of vitality—not even the smallest blade of grass remained."

"It's alright, that doesn't matter now. You should sleep for a while."

Lin Fan looked at Hongyi in his arms with heartache. He had known this moment would come. The Poison Path belongs to the Path of Destruction, and Hongyi carried a sea of blood-feuds—her hatred even more intense than Xiao Beihan’s—to the point that it had fundamentally altered her nature. Under the guidance of the path, she had undoubtedly realized the Path of Destruction, and specifically, its most extreme form: the Great Path of Annihilation!

"Mm."

Hongyi nodded obediently and drifted into a deep sleep in Lin Fan's arms. Perhaps this was the safest place she had ever known; even in her sleep, a faint smile graced her lips.

Lin Fan held Hongyi close and turned to Sun Hao. "Actually, whether it is the Path of the Sword or the Path of the Blade, both are postnatal paths. Your Path of Melody is the same."

"Your Path of Melody leans toward the darkness; it is the Path of Sonic Slaughter. Sound is eternal; everything in existence is accompanied by sound. This path is immensely powerful. It can exist independently of other paths, yet it can also encompass many of them!"

"My master once spoke of a supreme expert who excelled in using instruments—the zither, the flute, and the xiao."

"With a single xiao, he could stir the four directions; with a flute, he could annihilate legions of enemies; with a zither, he could overturn the sea of stars!"

"He was just like you, cultivating the Path of Sonic Slaughter. Sonic slaughter is the dark facet of the Path of Melody, which can also be classified under the Path of Ruin within the Great Path of Destruction. As it happens, my master possessed the cultivation techniques of this supreme expert, and I shall pass them on to you in the future."

"I see you currently have only nine fingers. That expert's most powerful technique was the Nine-Finger Demon Zither. I will teach you that technique eventually."

Sun Hao nodded upon hearing this. In truth, even without Brother Fan explaining it, he had a rough idea of where his path lay, but after Brother Fan’s clarification, it became much clearer.

Lin Fan paused before continuing, "Beihan is the Endless Path of Slaughter! Changfeng is the Path of Imperial Supremacy! Feihong is the Ultimate Path of Speed! Qian Jin is the Ultimate Path of Speed! Ou Hu is the Path of Overwhelming Tyranny! Sun Hao is the Path of Sonic Slaughter! As for Hongyi, her path is the Great Path of Destruction!"

Having said this, Lin Fan looked at Lady Muxia, who was still closing her eyes in contemplation, and shook his head. Talent, after all, varies. Among countless young prodigies, Lady Muxia was certainly in the upper tier. Unfortunately, she had never been guided in martial arts, which remained only at a minor level of mastery, unlike Beihan and the others who, through his guidance, had opened their minds and reached major mastery. Although his demonstration of the path was blurred, they could still glean something from it, and with his explicit explanations, their paths were defined. However, Lady Muxia could not see what was in the manifestation, and he could not provide her with guidance. Perhaps Xiao Beihan and the others were simply more gifted than Lady Muxia to begin with.

Just then, Lin Fan’s ears twitched. He looked into the distance and saw fifteen or sixteen people appearing, surrounding them.

Lin Fan smiled to himself, thinking: "Four at the Pulse Circulation Realm, eleven at the peak of the Qi Pulse Realm—a truly formidable strength!"

"My name is Long Ya, a peak early-stage Pulse Circulation Realm cultivator. This is my sister, Long Xinlan, an early-stage Pulse Circulation Realm cultivator. These two are also early-stage Pulse Circulation Realm, and those eleven are all at the peak of the Qi Pulse Realm!"

"As long as you hand over your points, we will retreat and not eliminate you. The elimination system has already begun; we no longer care about points. As long as you are among the final five thousand who are not eliminated, you can still enter the Heavenly Book Academy!"

As soon as the group arrived, Long Ya clearly introduced their strength, including the number of Pulse Circulation Realm and peak Qi Pulse Realm cultivators. Finally, Long Ya slowly said to Lin Fan and the others: "I believe you are smart. At the very least, I don't recognize you among the Pulse Circulation experts I know. You wouldn't want to clash with us, would you?"

Long Ya? Long Xinlan?

Lin Fan first exchanged glances with Xiao Beihan and Li Changfeng, then with Qian Jin and the others, feeling quite helpless. It really was a small world! Lin Fan and Li Changfeng naturally understood that Long Ya was Xiao Jianhao’s true biological heir—a desperate move by Xiao Jianhao to allow Beihan to remain in the Xiao family legitimately. As for Qian Jin and the others, though they didn't know the full story, they knew that Xiao Jianhao had arranged a marriage for Xiao Beihan, and the girl was a Pulse Circulation Realm expert named Long Xinlan. They didn't believe there were two people in the trial space with the same name and the same strength.

So, comparing the facts, the betrothed bride and the brother-in-law had come knocking on their door!

Qian Jin and the others were not surprised that Brother Fan called Li Ji 'Changfeng,' as they had long known that Li Ji was a childhood nickname and Li Changfeng was his formal name.

"We won't clash with you, but do you know who we are?" Lin Fan stepped forward, assuming these people likely didn't know who they were, otherwise, they probably wouldn't be trying to rob Xiao Beihan of his points. Thinking this way, it seemed Long Ya was simply taking his group around to search for students to rob and had just happened upon them by chance, rather than targeting their high-ranking points.

"I don't care who you are! If you don't hand over the points, we'll beat you to a pulp!"

Long Xinlan was a very beautiful young girl, but it was clear she was a spicy little firecracker. She wore crimson leather armor that left her waist, abdomen, and arms exposed. Hearing Lin Fan’s words, she pointed at him and said, "We aren't the kind of people who use unscrupulous means for points, but if you don't hand them over, don't blame us for beating you until your faces look like pig heads!"

"Damn, this girl is spicy. Can you handle her in the future?"

Before Lin Fan could speak, the simple-minded Ou Hu couldn't help himself, asking in a muffled voice directed at Xiao Beihan. He thought he had lowered his voice, but with his booming lungs, it could likely be heard from five hundred meters away.

"You impudent rascal, you're courting death—!"

Xiao Beihan's expression changed, and he poked Ou Hu hard. Just then, a sharp cry rang out, and a figure appeared before Ou Hu, a delicate fist already slamming into his face.

*Bang!*

With a dull thud, Ou Hu’s two-meter-tall frame was sent flying by the fist of the girl, who stood only about 1.7 meters tall. He flew dozens of meters before crashing into a Dragon Pine tree and coming to a stop.

"Damn, that's fierce, that's spicy!"

Li Changfeng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Xiao Beihan with some concern. He really felt worried for this brother of his! He gripped his own delicate, white hand and glanced at Muxia, who had already woken up, deciding that Muxia was much gentler.

*Ahem!*

Xiao Beihan saw the smiles on the faces of Li Changfeng, Qian Jin, and Sun Hao, and finally, unable to keep his composure, he coughed twice and walked forward.

"Uh, well, women... it's always better to be a bit gentler. Your personality is just too spicy..."