Chapter 58: Chapter 56: The Secret of the Firmament

This is a technique from the Soul Destruction Finger—the Cloud Annihilation Finger!

The Soul Destruction Finger, much like the Shadow Step, was comprised of over a dozen techniques. What Jiang Jichen had used before was merely the Basic Attack of the Soul Destruction Finger; the Cloud Annihilation Finger was its true first technique.

Just as Position Shifting was the first step technique of the Shadow Step!

These Spirit Cultivation Techniques all belonged to the most mysterious lineage of cultivation techniques from ancient times. They worked by continuously deriving different techniques from a fundamental method, allowing one to constantly advance and grow stronger.

This lineage of cultivation techniques was called the Mysteries of the High Heavens!

Of course, none of these people could have recognized it.

After annihilating the gray cloud with a single finger, Jiang Jichen didn’t stop. He executed the Shadow Step and appeared before Song Zian in an instant.

"You’re a dead man. What’s the use in knowing?"

Jiang Jichen closed the distance again, striking with another punch.

PUH!

Song Zian’s strongest attack had been annihilated by a single finger from Jiang Jichen. His heart was filled with despair, his fighting spirit utterly extinguished. He couldn’t react to the incoming punch at all, only able to raise a palm instinctively to block.

But in close quarters, how could he possibly be a match for Jiang Jichen, who practiced the Undying Scripture and was at the Eighth-Level Body Refining Realm?

Song Zian’s Spirit Pattern Space, already dim, was shattered by Jiang Jichen’s punch.

"This..."

Seeing this, the crowd could only think that the boy was terrifyingly vicious. To be able to shatter a Spirit Pattern Space with a single punch—just what kind of power did that fist hold?

But it wasn’t over. Jiang Jichen threw a second punch.

CRACK!

Without his Spirit Pattern Space, Song Zian was sent flying by Jiang Jichen’s fist. His bones and tendons shattered; he was completely out of the fight.

At that moment, feeling the cold grip of death, an expression of terror finally twisted Song Zian’s features.

He knew the boy truly intended to kill him, without a shred of mercy.

The thought of being defeated by a mere Seventh-level Mortal Warrior was disheartening, but he was the chosen prodigy of the Song Family. He didn’t want to die!

"Jiang Jichen, you can’t kill me! I am a Young Master of the Song Family of Yun Country! If you kill me, the Song Family will never let you get away with it!"

Song Zian was finally afraid. He had no choice but to use his family name to try and intimidate Jiang Jichen, for he could feel the boy’s genuine killing intent.

The other adventurers finally walked over. Houu Han called out, "Little brother, could you please stay your hand and spare his life?"

Su Fei didn’t speak, but she had heard Song Zian’s words.

’The Song Family of Yun Country... that was an incredibly powerful clan.’

Yun Country was a nation ranked just below the four great powers of the Southern Continent, on par with Wind Country.

And the Song Family was the number one Noble Family in Yun Country. To think Song Zian was actually from there.

’If young Jiang Jichen kills Song Zian, there will be immense trouble.’

’If the Song Family of Yun Country wanted to hunt someone down—especially a mere Mortal Realm boy—there was no way he would survive.’

So, out of concern for Jiang Jichen’s safety, Su Fei finally spoke up. "Little Jiang, it might be unwise to kill him. The Song Family of Yun Country will surely hunt you down!"

Su Fei’s words were a well-intentioned warning, but the phrase "it might be unwise to kill him" left everyone speechless.

By Beauty Su’s logic, if he were an easy target, she wouldn’t have tried to stop Jiang Jichen from killing Song Zian.

Just then, however, one of the young adventurers stepped forward. He looked at Jiang Jichen and said, "It’s true that someone died on the path you chose for us, and we did encounter two Fire Ape Spirit Fiends. You were lucky enough to kill them, but regardless, you are still greatly at fault. Therefore, you have no right to kill Young Master Song!"

In reality, upon hearing that Song Zian was from the Song Family of Yun Country, several people had involuntarily sided with him.

’If we can save Song Zian,’ they thought, ’the Song Family will surely owe us a favor.’

A favor from the Song Family of Yun Country was of immeasurable value!

"I find it strange," Su Fei responded coolly, fiercely protective of Jiang Jichen. "Instead of being grateful to Little Jiang, you claim he’s at fault? Let me ask you: if he hadn’t led the way, and you had listened to Song Zian and followed Liu Zhuo, do you think you’d still be alive right now?"

In truth, most adventuring parties were temporary. The members barely knew each other and were bound only by mutual interest. There was little camaraderie, so no one really cared that a few people had just died.

"But Jiang Jichen promised he could lead us past the Fire Ape Spirit Fiends," another young adventurer spoke up, his tone threatening toward Jiang Jichen. "So what’s the situation now? Care to explain? If you can’t give us a good reason, don’t blame us for getting nasty!"

Houu Han also looked at Jiang Jichen. The area the boy had led them through had turned out to be crawling with Fire Ape Spirit Fiends; he needed an explanation, too.

Since they had dropped all pretenses, Jiang Jichen saw no reason to be low-key. He looked at the young adventurer, pointed a finger at him, and spoke coldly. "So what if you get nasty? I could kill you in a single move. I saved your life, yet not only are you ungrateful, you’re trying to frame me. You’re a heartless dog!"

"You...!"

To be told by a mere Seventh-level Mortal Warrior that he could be killed in one move—and to be called a heartless dog—made the face of the Ninth Level Great Perfection Mortal Realm adventurer turn green with rage. But then he remembered how this boy had effortlessly defeated Song Zian, an expert at the Innate First Realm Perfect Realm who even knew a Secret Technique. The adventurer was suddenly rendered speechless.

Jiang Jichen then spoke, his voice indifferent. "I chose this path precisely because it only had two Fire Ape Spirit Fiends, the weakest two within a li’s radius. I could eliminate them with ease; they posed no threat. The other paths, however, were crawling with powerful Fire Ape Spirit Fiends lurking five meters underground. If anyone had passed by, several would have burst out to attack at once. As for why I urged you all to hurry and warned that ’delay invites disaster’? It was because powerful Fire Ape Spirit Fiends from farther away were rushing toward this very path. The last team member... well, your hesitation, suspicion, and arguments wasted just enough time for him to be killed by one of those approaching fiends. If any of you had been any slower, you would have met the same fate!"

Jiang Jichen’s voice was cold and merciless. He wasn’t begging for their gratitude, but he held a simple belief: ’I saved your lives. The least you can do is not turn around and accuse me.’

Hearing Jiang Jichen’s explanation, everyone was struck with a sudden realization and fell silent.

The faces of many flushed with shame.

"Then why didn’t you say so earlier?" one young adventurer forced himself to ask.

"From the moment I pointed out the path and told you to follow, did any of you ever give me a chance to speak?" Jiang Jichen retorted coldly.

The young adventurer, however, persisted. "But Young Master Song is from the Song Family of Yun Country! You can’t kill him!"

Jiang Jichen let out a cold laugh. Without even glancing at the adventurer, he suddenly kicked out. Song Zian’s body flew through the air, landing on a distant path he had indicated.

BOOM!

Instantly, a horde of Fire Ape Spirit Fiends erupted from the ground and engulfed Song Zian.