Su Chen thought for a moment and said, "I'll call you Little Purple from now on."
Slowly opening her lazy eyelids, the purple fox gave him a glare, looking distinctly very weak.
"Alright, follow me from now on. I'll find you some spiritual herbs or buy some elixirs."
At his current stage, he had yet to condense his own flame and was completely incapable of refining pills, so he had no choice but to buy them.
After Su Chen left Panyou City, the major families there went completely mad. Su Chen had slaughtered their core disciples, including several sons of the family patriarchs.
The major families joined forces and went straight to the Su Clan to demand an explanation, only to be told that Su Chen had already been expelled from the Su Clan and was no longer a member of the family.
They had no reason to doubt it, as the deterrent might of the Su Clan had already spread throughout Panyou City.
Choosing to give up was simply out of the question.
The major families immediately dispatched their most elite warriors to search for Su Chen in a widespread, casting-net fashion.
Deep within the Punishment Forest, Su Chen grew increasingly vigilant. The depths of the forest were home to all sorts of fierce and formidable demonic beasts, and running into one by bad luck would spell immense trouble.
As long as he made it through the forest, he believed he could reach the Eastwast Academy very soon.
Night had completely enshrouded the forest.
It was pitch black, eerily and frighteningly silent.
To save time, he had deliberately chosen to walk through the Punishment Forest. Running into danger was only to be expected; if he were afraid of death, he might as well just find some hole to hide in.
His expression grew increasingly solemn. Up until now, he hadn't encountered a single demonic beast, nor had he heard a single roar—it was far too calm.
So quiet that it felt deeply unnatural.
The forest under the cover of night was pitch black, wrapped in a gloomy and desolate cold that caused even Su Chen to shiver involuntarily.
He did not stop.
He kept moving forward.
According to the distance, if he just had one more day, he would successfully cross the forest. Having no demonic beasts to threaten him was all the better.
"This is..."
Looking at the countless skeletal remains of demonic beasts scattered everywhere before him, densely packed and exuding a nauseating aura of death, he could not tell at a glance how many beasts had died here.
No wonder he hadn't seen a single beast or heard any movement; it turned out that all the demonic beasts had been completely slaughtered. Just who on earth could have done this?
With an exceptionally grave look in his eyes, Su Chen walked forward step by step, keeping his guard up to the absolute maximum.
Right at that moment.
A terrifying killing intent surged from all directions, viciously invading his mind, causing Su Chen's eyes to instantly blur.
Deep within his mind, an endless purgatory formed. Countless skeletons piled up like mountains to create a sea of corpses, and vast, oppressive death auras hovered in the void, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
Pain flickered across his face. Su Chen clenched his fists tightly, controlled by the purgatory in his mind, while a faint crimson hue began to spread across the surface of his skin.
Hum!
Suddenly, a chorus of Buddhist chanting echoed in Su Chen's mind. Eight distinct Buddhist chants resonated simultaneously, and the purgatory that had been there just a second before vanished instantly, restoring Su Chen to sobriety.
Covered in sweat, he broke out in lingering fear. What a terrifying killing-intent illusion! If not for the assistance of the eight Buddhas within his Chaotic Body, he probably would have been completely consumed by the killing intent and turned into a mindless slaughtering machine, or directly devoured by it.
The more he thought about it, the more shaken he felt.
Instead of retreating, Su Chen pressed forward.
However, this time, he began circulating Buddhist divine arts within his body. An invisible aura of Buddhism enveloped his entire being, ensuring that even if he ran into a similar situation again, he would at least be mentally prepared.
After walking for about half an hour, he came before a towering stone wall. The gigantic stone monument was covered in dense, intricate runes that looked like tiny tadpoles, forming bizarre patterns.
The ground was littered with the bones of demonic beasts, their blood pooled into rivers.
Yet, a single figure standing before the stone wall completely captivated Su Chen.
Even from behind, Su Chen could imagine just how earth-shatteringly stunning this woman's appearance must be. Her tall figure possessed not a single flaw, and long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back.
She sat as motionless as an old monk in meditation.
Filled with curiosity, Su Chen could easily guess that the stone wall before them was definitely a treasure—especially given the bizarre runes and patterns, and the strange, mystical aura emanating from it that he could clearly sense.
He walked over to the side of the woman and merely glanced sideways at her.
Her skin was like jade, her eyebrows like delicate smoke, and her eyes held a brilliant, shifting radiance. Beneath a high, straight bridge of her nose was a cherry mouth. She possessed a peerless, nation-toppling countenance. Su Chen considered himself fortunate, having never seen such a breathtakingly beautiful woman in all his years.
Only four words could possibly describe her:
"Earth-shatteringly stunning."
The more he looked, the more curious he became. Su Chen noticed the woman still hadn't moved at all, her gaze locked stubbornly on the stone wall before her. Following her line of sight, he too looked up at the towering monument.
To ensure his safety, Su Chen immediately circulated his Buddhist divine arts and the Chaotic Heaven-Swallowing Art. A faint, golden illusory manifestation of his Chaotic Body vaguely materialized behind him.
While others might not understand it, under the shroud of his Chaotic Body's golden manifestation, Su Chen was actually able to gradually decipher the runes on the stone wall, discovering that they concealed a profound martial art.
"The Primordial God-Demon Manual?"
A surge of immense joy flooded his heart. Su Chen wasted not a single second, immediately driving the Chaotic Heaven-Swallowing Art within his body. Wisps of devouring force continuously poured into the stone wall, enveloping its entire front surface—especially the carved runes.
This martial art had to be unimaginably powerful, because only under the shroud of his devouring force could one truly comprehend the so-called Primordial God-Demon Manual contained within the stone wall.
Under the influence of the devouring runes, tadpole-like symbols instantly flooded into Su Chen's mind—they were precisely the cultivation methods of the Primordial God-Demon Manual.
Overjoyed and wasting no time on hesitation, he drove the Chaotic Heaven-Swallowing Art faster and faster, accelerating his rate of absorption.
Half an hour later, Su Chen let out a long breath. He had finally finished devouring it.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing the woman suddenly whip around to look at him, her ink-black eyes locked onto him with the fixity of a predator staring at its prey, Su Chen watched in shock as she actually began to stripping off her clothes.
A flush of crimson spread across her peerless face, and she lunged straight at Su Chen.
The aura radiating from the woman was far too tyrannical; it instantly locked Su Chen down, rendering him completely unable to move a single inch. He couldn't even circulate the Chaotic Heaven-Swallowing Art, nor could he manage to draw the Burial Tribulation Pen.
Su Chen had never imagined that one day he would encounter such a situation. Feeling his internal power forcibly sealed, he was instantly knocked flat on his back by the woman.
"I'm still a virgin! No!"
No one paid any heed to Su Chen's cries. Only the scattered corpses of demonic beasts littered the ground around them. However, the instant their bodies fell, the demonic corpses across the earth were blasted away by a sudden wave of turbulent air, and currents of energy enveloped the two of them, forming a giant, cocoon-like barrier.
In the silent, dark night, Su Chen lost his virginity as a man.
And he lost it under such bizarre circumstances.
A desolate aura shrouded the surroundings. Roughly six hours later, the cocoon fractured, countless cracks spreading across its surface until it collapsed with a loud bang.
The woman's eyes were icy cold. She had never expected that she would be corrupted by the stone wall and driven to commit such an act, slaughtering every single demonic beast in the Punishment Forest. She had originally intended to comprehend the martial art contained within the wall, but never could she have imagined that she would try to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used as bait, losing her own chastity in the process.
For a mere Foundation Establishment Realm brat, it was difficult to suppress the killing intent raging in her heart. Yet, to a woman, her first man was undoubtedly an incomparable existence. Had it been any other offense, she likely would have killed him long ago.
"What kind of expression is that?"
Looking at the innocent-looking young man, the woman grew furious, itching to slap him across the face.
"What kind of expression *can* I have? You relied on your superior cultivation to do whatever you wanted, and I didn't even have a chance to fight back!"
Shameless!
Utterly shameless!
She had never seen anyone so shameless. He had reaped the benefits yet still acted aggrieved, making it look as though *he* were the victim when she was the one who had suffered a loss.
Fuming with anger, the woman radiated a bone-chilling killing intent, her eyes cold as ice.
Su Chen, however, showed not a shred of fear. He genuinely was the victim; in his view, in matters like this, men and women were equally important—whichever party was forced into a passive position was the victim.
Endure it!
The woman glared coldly at the young man before her and asked, "What is your name? Where are you from?"
"Su Chen. A rogue cultivator."
He had already expelled himself from the Su Clan and was no longer a member of the family, so he could indeed be considered a rogue cultivator.
With a deep sigh, Su Chen stood up and said helplessly, "Forget it. I'm a man, so I won't haggle over it with you. If you're willing, I can take responsibility."
In Su Chen's view, as a man, one should be magnanimous, even if he had been on the receiving end of things in this matter.
Fortunately, he didn't strictly lose out; the woman possessed an earth-shatteringly gorgeous face. If she had been some hideous monster, that really would have been disastrous.
"Take responsibility?"
The woman was almost amused by these words.
A mere Foundation Establishment Realm brat actually had the nerve to say he would take responsibility for her? How could he possibly take responsibility? And *how* would he even do it?His expression instantly turned cold. Su Chen could read deep contempt in the woman's eyes, and he understood what she meant—she simply looked down on him for his low cultivation.
"Let's just treat what happened today as an accident. You can forget all about it."
Instead, Su Chen smiled and said, "You might think it's an accident, but I, Su Chen, am not a casual person. I admit I am not qualified to take responsibility right now, but one day I will let the whole world know that you are my woman."
The woman did not believe him at all.
Nodding, she said with a smile, "Then I shall look forward to that day."
In her eyes, anyone could talk big, but actually pulling it off was a completely different matter.
For someone at the Foundation Establishment Realm to talk about taking responsibility was a joke in itself.
Watching the woman turn to leave, Su Chen asked, "What is your name?"
"Luo Tianfei of the Ancestral Phoenix Palace."
As he watched her figure vanish into the distance, Su Chen's eyes were filled with unwavering determination. Even now, he still felt somewhat dazed, never expecting to lose his virginity right here, and to a complete stranger at that.
The Ancestral Phoenix Palace?
He had never heard of such a sect in the Eastern Wasteland.
Yet Su Chen knew very well that the Eastern Wasteland was vast, and sects were countless. Dynasties alone numbered in the thousands, so it was entirely normal that he had not heard of the Ancestral Phoenix Palace.
Having survived the turmoil of the night, Su Chen did not linger and immediately departed at top speed.
Because of Luo Tianfei's massacre, the demonic beasts deep in the Heavenly Punishment Forest had been almost entirely wiped out, allowing Su Chen to pass through without encountering any obstacles.
It was a close shave, but he made it safely.
For a martial artist at the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Heavenly Punishment Forest was indeed an extremely dangerous place where a single misstep meant death.
"Hey, kid, wait up."
Just as Su Chen stepped out of the Heavenly Punishment Forest, two men blocked his path. Both were in the Void Pill Realm, and one of them was only about four feet tall with a crafty, sinister expression.
"Something the matter?"
"Since you made it out of the Heavenly Punishment Forest alive, you must have plenty of good stuff on you. We won't kill you—just hand over your spatial ring and be done with it."
Killing people and seizing treasures was standard practice.
They didn't pay the young man any mind at all. As Void Pill Realm cultivators, let alone teaming up, either one of them could easily wipe him out.
Without wasting any breath, if they wanted to rob his spatial ring, they would have to see if they had the capability.
Rolling Rock Fist, one of the martial arts hidden within the Su Clan's martial pavilion.
As Su Chen unleashed it, it felt like massive boulders tumbling and roaring down a cliff. Fist after fist, the wind howled with fierce momentum as he launched a vicious assault directly at the two men.
"Courting death!"
Seeing the young man strike first, the two flew into a rage, roaring with fury as they launched their counterattack wrapped in murderous intent.
A mere Foundation Establishment trash dared to strike first in front of them—he truly had no regard for his life.
Overbearing palm prints converged from left and right. The fist force and palm strikes collided violently, sending surging shockwaves rippling in all directions. The ground cracked under the pressure, forming a web of fissures like a giant spider's web.
Even the most ordinary martial art, when wielded by Su Chen, possessed terrifying might.
After the brief collision, the expressions of the two men shifted drastically. Never had they expected that a youth merely at the Foundation Establishment Realm would possess such strength.
Daring not to underestimate him any longer, the two immediately released their respective Blood Wheels—one manifested a wolf Blood Wheel, the other a tiger Blood Wheel. With a wolf's howl and a tiger's roar shaking the surroundings, the two beasts raised their heads and roared toward the sky.
Above Su Chen's head, a Blood Wheel instantly condensed, with a solitary killing sword floating quietly within it. His cold eyes stared at the charging wolf and tiger.
"My body is as a sword, and with this sword, I cleave the firmament!"
Reformed through slaughter, this Blood Wheel far surpassed its predecessor in grade. The chilling sword intent felt like an endless purgatory, and the overbearing sword qi pierced through layers of space, slashing fiercely down upon the two Blood Wheels.
The sword qi forcefully pierced through the tiger and wolf Blood Wheels. Accompanied by miserable shrieks echoing through the void, the Blood Wheels hovering above the two men instantly shattered, and their bodies flew backward like kites with snapped strings.
Thud!
Both men crashed heavily onto the ground, blood staining them from head to toe. Before they could even react, Su Chen's figure was already standing right before them.
Two Void Pill Realm experts, severely injured by a single sword strike.
They found it impossible to accept this reality. Even if they were only at Level 2 Void Pill Realm, they should not have been a match for a Foundation Establishment martial artist.
The gap between the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Void Pill Realm was like an unbridgeable chasm, nearly impossible to cross. Yet now, whether they believed it or not, the facts were right in front of them, leaving no room for denial.
They were thoroughly terrified.
Their previous arrogance had completely vanished. Casting aside any lingering terror in their hearts, they stammered in panic, "Please, Master, spare our lives! We are willing to be your dogs. Wherever you tell us to go west, we wouldn't dare head east!"
"Begging you, Master, spare us!"
In the face of life and death, so-called dignity was worthless; as long as they could keep breathing, anything was fine.
Su Chen's gaze was ice-cold, devoid of any unnecessary words. He understood all too well how brutal the cruel reality truly was: without sufficient strength and a hard enough fist, one could only be slaughtered by others.
Circulating the Chaotic Swallowing Art within his body, he struck them down one palm at a time, seamlessly beginning to devour their souls.
~~~~~~~~
Skyskeleton City.
At this moment, martial artists entering and leaving the city were as numerous as grains of sand. The streets were bustling and prosperous, filled with hawking cries and noisy clamor. Some martial artists even rode demonic beasts through the streets.
Skyskeleton City had very strict rules: anyone wishing to ride a demonic beast through the streets had to obtain permission from the city guards, register their beasts, and pay a gold coin fee. After all, if a beast injured someone or caused a fatality, the owner could be tracked down.
Seeing people riding demonic beasts, passersby hurriedly stepped aside. No one wanted to risk their lives on whether a beast might suddenly go mad.
Entering Skyskeleton City, Su Chen prepared to purchase some pills for the purple fox. After all, its injuries were far too severe; if things continued like this, he believed the fox wouldn't last much longer.
"If I get the chance in the future, I must tame a true dragon as a mount. That would be quite prestigious."
He smiled helplessly.
Su Chen knew very well just how difficult it was to tame a divine dragon as a mount. As the pinnacle existence in the realm of demonic beasts, the dragon race possessed strength that reigned supreme across the continent.
Walking down the street, he scanned the shops on both sides to see if there were any elixir pavilions or shops.
A young girl dressed in a pink skirt came riding toward him on a white fox. She looked about seventeen or eighteen, with exquisite features, snow-white skin, and a jade pendant hanging around her neck.
When they were five meters apart, the white fox lowered its head, let out a low roar, and bolted directly toward Su Chen.
"White fox, what are you doing?"
"White fox, stop!"
The white fox was also at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and its strength even surpassed Xia Liyan's. Its sudden frenzy caught Xia Liyan completely off guard.
Losing her balance, she was unceremoniously thrown off the fox's back, her backside making intimate contact with the ground and causing her to wince in pain.
To everyone's astonishment, the white fox trotted right up to Su Chen, bent its front knees, and kowtowed before him.
"Is that Xia Liyan from the Xia family?"
"Duh! You don't even recognize the apple of the Xia family's eye? In Skyskeleton City, you might not know the city guards, but you can't not know Xia Liyan."
"I have no idea what's going on, but Xia Liyan's mount actually knelt down to this guy. We've got a good show to watch now."
"Yeah, look at Xia Liyan's expression."
Standing up, Xia Liyan dusted off the dirt from her rear.
Gazing at the white fox kneeling in worship, she was utterly stunned. Even she had no idea what was wrong with her mount or why it would suddenly kneel to this stranger.
At that moment, even Su Chen looked at the white fox kneeling before him in absolute bewilderment.
What was happening?
"Who are you? Why did you make my white fox kneel to you?"
Xia Liyan walked over and reached out a delicate hand to stroke the kneeling white fox, as if trying to soothe it.
A crowd had already gathered around. After all, Xia Liyan was quite famous in Skyskeleton City, and everyone wanted to see why her mount had inexplicably knelt before a complete stranger.
Looking innocent, Su Chen grew somewhat impatient and said, "Perhaps my charm is simply too great, even your mount couldn't resist it."
What?
Hearing this, everyone present was astonished. They had seen shameless people before, but never anyone quite this brazen.
The emotional perception of demonic beasts and humans was completely different. While the young man was indeed handsome, claiming he could attract a demonic beast to kneel was sheer nonsense.
Rolling her eyes, Xia Liyan said with utter disdain, "You truly insult my intelligence. Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Junior Sister Xia, what's wrong? Who upset you?"
At that moment, a young man emerged from the crowd, holding a folding fan and swishing it in a pretentious manner. Clad in flowing white robes, he had fairly delicate features—though he had clearly put on makeup.
"Dong Zhang from the Dong family is here."