Chapter 8: The City Lord's Son's Struggle (Part 7)

Xu Changzhi, the current head of the Xu family!
Unlike the young man he last glimpsed in his memory, Xu Changzhi had reached middle age and become the current head of the Xu family.
Xu Changzhi staggered, seeing those familiar heads.
His head spun violently, as if the world was spinning.
His lips trembled slightly, his teeth clenched, his eyes bloodshot.
Su Chen watched this scene with amusement, calmly saying, "Looks like I didn't kill the wrong person."
Xu Changzhi suddenly raised his head, like a ravenous demon, and roared, "Kill! I'll kill you!"
Xu Changzhi charged forward.
Xu Changzhi was grabbed by the neck.
Su Chen showed no mercy, directly crippling Xu Changzhi's cultivation with a single palm strike.
A Spirit Pattern Realm cultivator fighting a Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator is like beating a chick.
Of course, exceptions exist for peerless geniuses, and Xu Changzhi wasn't one of those.
He didn't kill Xu Changzhi immediately, but instead led him to the old man of the Xu family.
Xu Ba
Hearing the commotion at the Xu family's residence, Xu Ba sensed something was wrong and quickly emerged from seclusion, only to see a strange man shrouded in black robes dragging his most prized son, with the heads of his descendants hanging from his hands and waist.
Among them were his beloved great-grandson and great-granddaughter.
They were both dead.
"What grudge do you hold against my Xu family? Why wouldn't you even spare such a young child?"
Xu Ba cried out in anguish, the pain of a parent burying their child was unbearable.
"Where is the Spirit Sea inheritance? Tell me, and perhaps I can spare this fellow's life and leave some lineage for your Xu family."
Su Chen's tone was cold, his eyes wary as he looked at Xu Ba.
He didn't underestimate any opponent.
Xu Ba wanted to fight Su Chen to the death, but Su Chen sensed the old man's intention, his feet trembling, unleashing his full power as a third-level Spirit Pattern Realm cultivator.
Xu Ba was in despair. He was already old, his vital energy was declining, and this strange man before him was even more powerful. Even if he fought to the death, he might not be able to seriously injure him.
After much internal struggle, looking at the unconscious Xu Changzhi who still clung to life, tears streamed down his face.
He had made his decision.
"Can you swear an oath? If I hand over the Spirit Sea inheritance, your words will stand."
Xu Ba didn't ask how this strange man knew his Xu family possessed the Spirit Sea inheritance.
It was meaningless now. Even if he didn't have it, he had to now.
To preserve the last embers of his family's legacy.
Su Chen nodded: "I came only for the Spirit Sea inheritance. Having obtained it, leaving a spark for your Xu family is not unreasonable. If you break this oath, your martial arts journey shall end here."
Xu Ba got the result he wanted, returned to the house, and took out an animal hide inscribed with strange runes.
There were also translations that the Xu family had deciphered over the years.
Looking at Xu Ba working so hard, Su Chen recalled the days of wits and courage they had shared, and even felt a slight urge to let him go.
Of course, that was impossible.
Su Chen accepted the Spirit Sea inheritance with his front hand, and then... just as Xu Ba was about to take Xu Changzhi's hand, he slashed off Xu Changzhi's head with a single sword stroke. The head rolled on the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain.
"You..."
Xu Ba couldn't speak, his heart aching.
A familiar yet cold voice reached his ears.
"Do you still remember the Su family, Ancestor Su Chen? When you annihilated the Su family, did you consider the old and young?"
"Now, it's just someone coming to collect a debt."
Xu Ba's eyes widened.
From the very beginning, this black-robed man had no intention of letting his Xu family go!
"You will die a horrible death! You broke your martial oath; you will be devoured by ten thousand ghosts!"
"My entire Xu family will watch you from the Yellow Springs!"
Xu Ba screamed and was killed by Su Chen.
Arranging all the heads neatly together, Su Chen, having avenged his great grudge, remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he simply said softly,
"I will not go to the Yellow Springs. Even if you wait until the Yellow Springs run dry, you will not see me."
He can only reincarnate again and again.
But he will not go to the Yellow Springs.
Having obtained the Xu family's Spirit Sea Realm inheritance and killed Xu Ba of the Xu family, Su Chen left.
He ignored the other members of the Xu family, for there were others in this world who hated the Xu family even more than he did.
Before leaving, Su Chen glanced at the plump old man entering the inner courtyard.
He murmured, "Su Xuehe... the Su family is in your hands. You mustn't follow in my and the Xu family's footsteps."
Su Chen left. He had forgiven Su Xuehe for stealing his martial arts resources.
As it turned out, Su Xuehe was more suitable to be the Su family's heir than he had been then. Su Xuehe would manage the Xu family's resources properly.
The grudges were severed, the past was gone.
Su Chen wanted to live this life well; he wanted to see the higher realms of martial arts.
Su Xuehe seemed to sense something, turned back, and saw the black-robed man who had helped them destroy the Xu family disappear from sight in a few swift movements.
"That senior should have obtained what he desired."
Su Xuehe thought to himself. The item must be extremely valuable, but beyond their reach.
However… he was puzzled. Why did that figure…somewhat resemble the person he remembered leaving the Su family?
It must be his imagination.
Su Xuehe walked alone into the inner courtyard, leaving the Su family guards outside.
Seeing the neatly arranged heads of the Xu family members, Su Xuehe suddenly laughed, then viciously shoved the unseeing, aged head towards it.
Her head exploded instantly, but Su Xuehe smiled as two clear tears streamed down her face.
"Brother Chen...did you see? Xuehe...finally avenged you."
"Brother Chen, it was Xuehe who was young and ignorant. It was Xuehe who was jealous of Father's favor towards you, jealous of everyone in the Su family liking you. But Xuehe truly didn't intentionally steal your position. Xuehe truly didn't want to force you to leave the family."
"Brother Chen, you don't know, for those three years you disappeared without a trace. My mother...my mother really needed the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus Pill to save her life. I asked them for it, but they wouldn't give it to me. Only by becoming the first in line to inherit could I have the right to save my mother."
"Brother Chen...after you left the family, I searched for you for sixty years. The day I heard news of you, I wasn't happy, I was afraid. I was afraid you wouldn't see me, afraid you still held a grudge against me. The day you were willing to see me was the happiest day I'd had since my mother's death."
"Actually, I cried for a long time on the way back that day. If you knew, you'd definitely laugh at me. I used to cry a lot when I was little, and you always told me, 'A man doesn't easily shed tears.' I think that was wrong; I just hadn't reached the point of true heartbreak yet."
"Brother...it was Xuehe's fault...it was Xuehe who caused your death, who caused you to live a life of unhappiness."
Su Xuehe's choked sobs, which he had been trying to suppress, gradually turned into a childlike wail.
The sound of swords clashing rang out all night.
Finally, dawn broke.