Chapter 16: Slaughter

The sound of the suona horn lasted for half the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

In this place, it seemed as if the entire world was filled with the sound of the suona.

As the music continued, dark specks gradually appeared in the sky.

Upon closer inspection, it was a flock of crows.

The black dots grew more numerous and dense until they formed a gigantic black circle, hovering over Liu Family Village.

“Caw! Caw! Caw!”

The crows’ cries blended with the horn’s melody, creating a sound both mournful and joyful, a blend of death tinged with vitality.

In his past life, people had named the piece played for Wang Chu “A Hundred Birds Salute the Phoenix.”

“A Hundred Birds Salute the Phoenix” is a joyful tune, typically reserved for those who have passed away peacefully of old age, and thus seemed ill-suited for this occasion.

Yet Wang Chu felt that if Liu Changqing’s late mother saw the changes in her son now, she would surely be pleased in the afterlife.

Therefore, he believed playing this piece was appropriate.

By the time he put down the suona, the sun had set and night had fallen.

The crows circling above Liu Family Village did not leave with the cessation of the horn’s sound.

They remained, unwilling to depart.

But Wang Chu had no desire to stay any longer.

He packed up his belongings, walked to the main road, and boarded a horse-drawn carriage.

“Drive on!”

He urged the horses forward, heading toward Ling City.

Not far ahead, he heard faint, intermittent screams coming from Liu Family Village behind him.

At that moment, Wang Chu reached out casually and brushed his hand through the air.

Ripples appeared in the empty space before his eyes, like waves on a lake, and a scene swiftly unfolded.

In the picture, white and crimson intermingled—the ground littered with corpses.

Liu Hu, once brazen and domineering, knelt among the bodies, facing a man—none other than Liu Changqing.

At this moment, though not simultaneous with the current time, their roles had completely reversed.

Liu Hu had become the victim, while Liu Changqing stood as executioner.

Terror consumed Liu Hu’s face as he trembled all over.

“Brother Changqing! I was wrong, I truly was! I beg you, remember our childhood friendship and spare me this once. What I did to you was not my will—it was forced upon me by your junior disciple. I had no choice.”

Liu Changqing looked down at Liu Hu with a gentle smile.

“Do you know why I saved you for last?”

Liu Hu struggled to think, answering hesitantly:

“Be… because we were closest friends, and you couldn’t bring yourself to kill me, right?”

The smile on Liu Changqing’s lips deepened.

“You’re half right. After all, it would be a pity to kill you before you truly understand the fear of death.”

Liu Hu’s body went limp.

“Bro… Brother Changqing, listen to me, I still…”

Before Liu Hu could finish, a dark line slashed through the air.

His head flew off and tumbled across the snow like a leather ball.

Eventually, the rolling head was stopped by his son’s corpse.

With Liu Hu’s death, Liu Family Village was utterly wiped out.

Blinded by bloodlust, Liu Changqing felt a rush of exhilaration and clarity—he had never been happier.

Before he could savor the moment, a pitch-black fissure appeared before him.

The crack was nearly identical to the one that had previously swallowed him.

Without hesitation or questioning, Liu Changqing stepped through.

His vision blurred briefly, and he found himself no longer in Liu Family Village but on a deserted hillside.

Opposite the hill stood the sect he had once belonged to: the Changheng Sect.

Unlike its usual tranquility, the sect was unusually lively and festive today.

Under the moonlight, using his Thousand Eyes Technique, Liu Changqing saw two disciples standing before the mountain gate, each holding a bottle of wine.

The festive cloth draped around the gate and the hanging plaque announced the occasion.

It was the wedding banquet of his junior brother and junior sister.

Liu Changqing laughed—a wild, unhinged laugh.

He increasingly realized how right Wang Chu’s words had been.

In the past, his kindness had led only to ruin and the destruction of his family.

Yet the other party’s cruelty had paved a smooth path to success and a joyful union.

Had he not experienced that accident and remained in the sect, it would have been he, Liu Changqing, marrying his junior sister.

Shaking his head and wiping the smile from his face, he resolved to attend the banquet’s closing moments.

He intended to offer his sincerest blessings and his most impressive gift to his junior brother and sister.

Liu Changqing’s figure vanished into the hillside and soon appeared at the Changheng Sect’s gate.

The two gatekeepers, curious about who would arrive so late for the wedding, looked up.

When they saw Liu Changqing’s face by moonlight, their eyes widened in shock, words failing them.

It was no wonder.

Liu Changqing had long been history; who would have imagined he would reappear on this very day, at this very time?

“You… you are Liu Changqing!?”

After a long silence, one disciple finally stammered.

Liu Changqing smiled and nodded.

“Junior Brother Song, long time no see. Your cultivation has improved somewhat.”

The man addressed as Junior Brother Song did not look pleased but rather panicked.

“Senior Brother Liu… you were…”

Liu Changqing squinted.

“You mean to say I’ve become a cripple, a monster? Is that what you want to ask?”

The man swallowed nervously.

“Why have you come back? This sect is no longer a place for you. If you’re here for Senior Sister Chu, I advise you to give up. She is now Junior Brother Zhou’s partner.”

Liu Changqing asked calmly,

“Do you remember how you all cast me out back then?”

The two grew increasingly uneasy.

“What? Do you intend to seek revenge? Let me tell you, Liu Changqing, don’t think that just because your appearance has returned, you can do as you please. Without the sect, you are nothing. If you know what’s good for you, leave immediately!”

“Y-Yes, you’d better leave quickly, or don’t blame us for not sparing you despite our brotherly bond…”

Whoosh!

Liu Changqing raised his hand and struck out.

With a single palm, the two Qi Refining stage gatekeepers were instantly severed like withered wood.

Blood stained the mountain gate, its color hardly different from the festive cloth hanging there.

Liu Changqing stepped forward, took their heads, and strode into the gate.

Along the way, he encountered several acquaintances.

He transformed them all into gifts, carrying them single-handedly.

With each additional gift in his hand,

the killing aura emanating from Liu Changqing grew stronger.

When he reached the heart of the banquet at the sect’s main hall,

he was “welcomed” by a corridor of disciples, surrounded in the center.

Changheng Sect was merely a mid-tier power; aside from the Grand Elder in seclusion who was at Nascent Soul stage, the sect leader was only at the Golden Core stage.

Faced with this “reception” from former comrades, Liu Changqing remained unperturbed.

He carried his gifts forward; anyone who dared block his path became a gift.

Gradually, a gap was carved through the human barricade by death and fear.

Not far from the opening stood a table in disarray.

Beside it stood the bride and groom in wedding attire.

They were his beloved junior brother and junior sister.

…