High Martial World: I Gain Passive Skills Daily-Chapter 39 - 38: Setting the City Ablaze

Bright and open conspiracy.

The mark formed by the Life Token shone in the palm, its pure golden light strikingly intense.

Of course, this mark was merely an external manifestation.

Even if Chen Kuang’s hand was severed now, the life-and-death connection would still exist. With just a thought, he could instantly take those cultivators to their graves with him.

This was the deepest, most unbreakable connection. Perhaps someone could sever it, but that did not include Shen Xingzhu, who was Half-Step into Profound.

Shen Xingzhu watched him with a heavy gaze.

"I naturally know."

She said.

"Li Hongling wanted to hide it from me, intending to blow up the entire Imperial City once I left, burying more than two thousand people in the Liang Country Imperial Palace along with Su Yu’s corpse."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kuang chuckled, his expression somewhat playful.

Li Hongling’s little tricks, she was indeed aware of them!

And this was exactly the situation she wanted to witness and personally guide.

Using that false facade of mercy as bait, once Li Hongling did ignite those Mountain-Breaking Thunder, Shen Xingzhu would immediately kill Li Hongling, leaving no opportunity behind.

What Shen Xingzhu was reveling in was precisely this murder game.

Should she show even the slightest suspicion, Li Hongling would be wary due to the prestige of the Mystic God Daoist Sect and wouldn’t dare to act, but she maintained a completely indifferent attitude.

Unfortunately, in the end, Li Hongling died at the hands of Chen Kuang.

And Shen Xingzhu herself also had her Dao Heart damaged by Chen Kuang.

Everything she had planned turned into an unpredictable mess because of Chen Kuang.

When the sound of his laughter reached her, Shen Xingzhu suddenly felt a trace of irritation in her heart.

Again like this...

Why?

This guy, his realm had clearly fallen back to the Enlightenment Realm, his whole body should be erupting with pain, and being in a desperate situation, he should be in unbearable agony now, so why does he still dare to laugh?

Staring at him, Shen Xingzhu intensified her tone, emphasizing:

"I naturally know about Li Hongling’s hidden Mountain-Breaking Thunder, but trying to threaten me with it is nothing more than wishful thinking."

Chen Kuang smiled brightly: "What do you mean by this, Fairy?"

Shen Xingzhu replied: "At this moment, there are no ordinary people left in the city. These cultivators, whether voluntarily or deceived by you, have already entrusted their lives to you. If you don’t want them to die because of you, you just need not kill the ordinary people."

"If you were unaware, the fault lies with me, but you know full well, so it’s merely borrowing a knife to kill."

She said lightly: "They die because of you; it’s your fault. What does it have to do with me?"

"A good borrowing a knife to kill."

"Such clear reasoning, it seems Fairy is indeed not easily fooled."

Chen Kuang sighed: "However, the people in the Imperial City, Fairy does not intend to save them, so..."

"The entire Liang Kingdom, even the world, will Fairy save them or not?"

Shen Xingzhu’s gaze sharpened, and the trace of irritation in her heart suddenly magnified.

Like disrupted strings, like a lake disturbed with ripples by a pebble, it can no longer calm down.

The entire Liang Kingdom, even the world?

You, a mere Enlightenment Realm cultivator, dare to speak of the world?

Simply audacious beyond measure!

In the past, if Shen Xingzhu heard an Enlightenment Realm cultivator discussing world affairs, it was like hearing an ant say it wanted to trip an elephant; she would simply pretend not to hear, not even giving it the weight of a joke.

Yet at this moment, when Chen Kuang said these words, Shen Xingzhu found it hard to ignore.

She even had a vague burgeoning thought in her heart.

The words this guy spoke, he truly dared to do them, and indeed could do them!

But... what exactly could make him use the world as leverage?

For a long time.

Seeing Shen Xingzhu remain silent, Chen Kuang laughed.

"Why does Fairy hesitate?"

"I’m merely a contemptible person, with wild and reckless words, why take them seriously? Why not just chop off my head with one sword and settle one of Fairy’s concerns."

The more fearless he acted, the more hesitant Shen Xingzhu became.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Xingzhu suppressed the irritation in her heart and said coldly: "What exactly do you want to do?"

Chen Kuang placed his hand on Chu Wen Ruo’s slender shoulders: "Fairy, have you heard of a secret?"

"A secret that perhaps only the Liang Country’s Royal Family is qualified to know."

Shen Xingzhu frowned and looked towards Chu Wen Ruo.

Chu Wen Ruo widened his eyes, seemingly not expecting that the secret he casually spoke of to help save Chen Kuang’s life would now play a crucial role.

Chen Kuang continued eerily: "Since Fairy knew of the hidden passages with gunpowder, you should have already discovered that those passages are filled with vast Spiritual Qi."

Shen Xingzhu grew increasingly uneasy: "So what? All the passages are arranged with Qiankun Art of Divination, obviously to maintain the array of the National Defense Barrier of the Imperial City."

"Oh?"

Qiankun Art of Divination... yet another term I don’t understand.

However, it seems others see the significance of Spiritual Qi in the dark path differently.

Chen Kuang spoke leisurely, "At this moment, that National Defense Barrier is shattered. Fairy, do you see if the Spiritual Qi of the dark path still exists?"

Shen Xingzhu’s breath hitched.

Chen Kuang’s heart comprehended, and he chuckled, "It seems it still exists."

In an instant, Shen Xingzhu appeared by Chen Kuang’s side, her long sword poised at his neck, "What is the purpose of that dark path array?"

Chen Kuang initially intended to bluff a bit more, but calculating the time, it seemed about right, so he shrugged and said:

"Beneath the Celestial Prison, there is yet another Demon Suppression Prison that seals an Ancient Demon Fiend with Heaven-Reaching cultivation."

"And with the power of those Mountain-Breaking Thunder, it only takes an instant to blast open this seal."

Chen Kuang grinned, "In a certain sense, Fairy ought to thank me."

"If Li Hongling truly detonated those Mountain-Breaking Thunder as you thought, you’d be in a far worse predicament than you are now..."

An even a hundredfold more tragic fate.

After all, in such a situation, it would entirely be her selfish desire that unleashed the Heaven-Reaching Great Demon, bringing disaster and ruin.

Her Dao Heart would be shattered into mere fragments.

Yet... the current situation doesn’t seem particularly better.

Shen Xingzhu’s pupils contracted, gazing at the silent Imperial City ruins.

Chen Kuang clicked his tongue, "An Ancient Great Demon, truly wonder how strong it could be? How does it compare to a Saint?"

Shen Xingzhu suddenly turned, her sword advancing an inch, slicing the skin on Chen Kuang’s neck.

Chen Kuang laughed, raising his fist forcefully.

Golden light burst forth from his palm.

"Boom!!!!"

A loud explosion shook the heart of the Imperial City, flames reaching the sky.

Fierce fires ignited the remnants of the Imperial City, growing into an unrestrained blaze and sweeping half of the grand city.

The ground rumbled as the foundation of the dark path was completely blasted open, transforming into a deep abyss-like black fissure.

A terrifying maleficent aura seeped out from within.

In the depth of the darkness, a massive shimmering blue eye slowly opened, its scarlet slit pupil intensely eerie.

"This is the first one."

Chen Kuang chuckled softly, "There are twelve remaining individuals; if I wished, they could instantly activate the rest of the Mountain-Breaking Thunder."

"Fairy, now you can choose—"

"To kill me or turn back to the Imperial City now, and seal that Great Demon again."

"Those cultivators died because of me, but the future deaths caused by this Great Demon to the world would be because of you."

Shen Xingzhu now understood his fearlessness.

He held a flame in his hand, capable of turning this city to ash, igniting a global fire.

Chen Kuang spoke maliciously:

"There is something that I must return to Fairy Shen."

"If you are ignorant, then the fault falls on me, but if you are clear about it, it’s merely borrowed hands for killing."

Shen Xingzhu’s face turned somewhat pale: "Those people, came to save Liang Kingdom..."

Chen Kuang nodded and smiled warmly, "Indeed, they died saving Liang Kingdom."

"They willingly let me decide their fate, died fulfilling their purpose."

Shen Xingzhu took a breath, staring at Chen Kuang’s smiling face.

"You are simply... a devil."

With that, she withdrew her sword, transforming into a stream of light, rushing towards the fiery-drenched Imperial City.

Chu Wen Ruo, who had been trembling with anxiety, was stunned and breathed a sigh of relief, "She left! Mr. Chen, are we... safe now?"

"Ah!"

She suddenly exclaimed because Chen Kuang had unexpectedly slapped her buttocks.

The woman’s face instantly flushed with embarrassment, biting her lip, forcing herself to remain silent.

"Not yet."

Chen Kuang’s voice was weary, falling forward, heavily leaning onto Chu Wen Ruo’s back.

"Quickly, remember what I said earlier? Grab the reins and run forward, don’t look back."

His voice grew weaker.

Chu Wen Ruo’s heart tightened, finally realizing that her back felt wet and sticky, warm indeed.

It wasn’t sweat... but blood.

Her face turned pale, reaching out to grasp Chen Kuang’s hand resting on her shoulder, unexpectedly touching vivid red.

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ps: I’m back on track today, starting normal updates. Asking for votes, kisses!