Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Murong Lin soared gracefully through the dense forest, navigating through the intertwining branches and occasionally swinging his blade to disperse the poisonous insect miasma polluting the air.

Before long, he arrived at a swamp in the western region—a location harbouring a potentially auspicious encounter.

Advancing slowly, Murong Lin’s divine senses detected a shift in the surroundings. Abruptly halting midair, he descended rapidly as if responding to an unseen force.

Simultaneously, a menacing figure burst forth from the murky swamp, hurtling aggressively toward Murong Lin. This entity moved with extraordinary speed, resembling the tentacle of a colossal creature. Yet, Murong Lin, displaying swifter reflexes, swiftly swung his blade at the oncoming tentacle.

His blade, infused with the intent of ‘Emotionless’ and augmented by the essence of ‘Evil of lifelessness, lawlessness, and formlessness’, collided with the massive tentacle. A dazzling burst of light erupted as the two forces clashed, sending shockwaves through the air that disturbed the surrounding swamp and soil.

In an instant, the tentacle came to an abrupt halt, thwarted by Murong Lin’s skilful manoeuvre. He agilely flew to the side, occasionally slashing his blade at the ground. A thunderous roar echoed from beneath him, instilling fear in the vicinity. The once-hidden poisonous insects and creatures now stirred with agitation, charging towards Murong Lin in response to the unsettling disturbance.

Maintaining a vigilant stance, Murong Lin gripped his blade, his eyes fixed on the steadily rising ground. As the dirt cascaded off the forming mound, a chilling revelation unfolded—the emergence of seven more tentacles, mirroring the previous one, slithering forth from the depths beneath the earth.

A symphony of dirt danced in the air, accompanied by the increasing poisonous miasma that seeped into the surroundings. Amidst the purple haze, eight colossal tentacles undulated, occasionally crashing against the ground.

Cautiously, Murong Lin swung his blade, the attack landing lightly on a ten-foot-long tentacle, leaving it unscathed. However, this seemingly harmless strike invoked the wrath of the tentacle’s owner. The ground quivered once again, erupting in explosions of dirt as a massive head emerged—a tiger-faced visage belonging to the ‘Tiger-faced Green Stone Dweller’.

This was a first layer Abhijñā realm creature that lacked offensive prowess but possessed the ability to control the demonic beasts in its vicinity. It thrived in the swamp, relying on the surrounding creatures to bring sustenance to it monthly.

Having been disturbed from its slumber by Murong Lin, the creature was already agitated. Murong Lin’s attack further fueled its fury. Gathering the poisonous insects and beasts around, it fixed its gaze on him, repeatedly swinging its eight tentacles in a fit of rage.

Devoid of sentience, the ‘Tiger-faced Green Stone Dweller’ could not assume a human form even after reaching the Abhijñā realm. Its tiger eyes remained locked on Murong Lin as it continued its relentless assault and unsettling screams.

Murong Lin, equally focused on the creature before him—an odd fusion of squid and tiger—couldn’t conceal his disdain. The grotesque sight compelled him to marvel as he swung his blade at the creature’s head.

This Abhijñā realm demonic beast guarded the entrance to the underground secret room. Disposing of it was Murong Lin’s key to gaining access to the hidden depths below.

With a deep inhale, Murong Lin unleashed two consecutive blade techniques:

“Sky Net style!”

“Catastrophe style!”

Both attacks found their mark on the creature’s head, targeting its vulnerable point.

The demonic beast, keenly aware of its own vulnerabilities, skillfully deployed its eight tentacles to swiftly block Murong Lin’s attack. Its robust physique and remarkably elastic spiritual powers instantaneously diminished Murong Lin’s offensive prowess by half.

Undeterred, Murong Lin swiftly repositioned himself behind the creature for another strike at its head.

“Dark Sky style!”

Regrettably, this attack proved ineffective against the non-sentient ‘Tiger-faced Green Stone Dweller’. A hint of confusion flickered in the creature’s expression as it continued its frenzied flailing, indiscriminately sweeping away everything in its vicinity.

A casual slap of its tentacles sent surrounding trees crashing to the ground, and with a sweep, the ground erupted in a shower of flying dirt. Murong Lin, relying on his divine senses and lightning-quick reaction speed, adeptly avoided the onslaught.

Finally seizing an opportunity, Murong Lin unleashed his fourth blade:

“Everlasting style!”

With this strike, time itself seemed to decelerate. Even the ‘Tiger-faced Green Stone Dweller’ slowed its arm movements, oblivious to the change. However, Murong Lin’s speed remained constant as his blade landed squarely on the creature’s head.

“Ka! Cha!”

A substantial wound marred the creature’s head, black blood streaming relentlessly as if the strike had cleaved it open.

However, far from being subdued, the wound only fueled the fury of the ‘Tiger-faced Green Stone Dweller’. It erupted from the ground, revealing its massive body towering at the height of a four-story building. A sharp beak protruded from its tiger’s mouth, creating a bizarre sight.

With its eyes now red from the flowing blood, the creature viciously glared at Murong Lin. Its eight tentacles danced in an ominous gesture, as if performing some kind of ritual.

In an instant, the sky darkened, and the swamp became humid, the air heavy with the anticipation of rain.

This marked the ‘Tiger-headed Green Stone Dweller’ unleashing its ultimate technique. However, Murong Lin wasn’t about to stand idly by, especially with a growing number of poisonous insects and creatures surrounding them.

Strengthening his fifth blade with ‘Emotionless’ and ‘Evil of lifelessness, lawlessness, and formlessness’, he unleashed:

“Overthrow style!”

A black haze enveloped Murong Lin’s body, radiating corrosive energy that inspired madness and terror. With a single swing of his blade, an expression of fear crossed the ‘Tiger-faced Green Stone Dweller’s’ face. Suspended in mid-air, it soon crashed powerlessly to the ground, the once-threatening dark clouds dissolving into the earth.

The entire swamp transformed into a shallow pool, ripples spreading as dirt fell and tainted their surroundings. Another deep gash marred the creature’s head, far more severe than before. The light in its eyes slowly dimmed, the damage this time reaching its very brains.

“Roar!” It defiantly bellowed, attempting to shake off the effects of the blade light. However, Murong Lin’s destructive blade intent and the corrosiveness of his Manifestation transformation proved overwhelming. The creature’s head decomposed and shattered, black blood pouring out and polluting the swamp beneath its lifeless body.

Finally, its eight tentacles drooped powerlessly, crashing to the ground in a final splash. This time, it was dead.

Panting, Murong Lin collapsed to the ground. A cold smile graced his lips as he swept his surroundings his divine senses. In an instant, he disappeared into the underground room beneath.

With the ‘Array Disruptor,’ Murong Lin swiftly entered the array, transported into the secret room. The ‘Tiger-faced Green Stone Dweller’ had met its demise outside, its primordial spirit condensing into a primordial spiritual crystal, which Murong Lin took away.

The rest of its corpse held no value.

By this time, human voices echoed in the surroundings, drawn by the roars of the creature:

“Look! That person disappeared! He went under the swamp!”

“I was right! The earlier battle was with this demonic beast! There’s a fortuitous encounter beneath the ground!”

“Let’s go, everyone! We can’t let him take it for himself!”

“Ahhh! There are so many poisonous insects here! Kill them all!”

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Translator’s note

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