Eternal Evil Emperor

Even after six years as a young master, Xie Tian had never accepted the kneeling worship of others. Looking at the crowd that was much shorter than himself, a sense of pleasure flickered across his heart.

However, Xie Tian was well aware that it was not until he had confronted and killed Xie Li with brute force that fear truly began to sprout endlessly from the depths of everyone's hearts. In other words, what these people feared was his lethal ability. Without strength, he would still be a dog to be slaughtered by others.

Lifting his gaze to the sky, which had grown bluer, and looking around at the dilapidated courtyard, which seemed a bit more refined, even the croaking frogs and chirping cicadas sounded more pleasant to his ears. Xie Tian exhaled a heavy breath, one that he had been holding back for a long time, realizing that this was the first time in twelve years he had felt so at ease.

What brought him comfort was not the worship of the crowd, but his own growth, a sense of ease that was not granted by others but earned through trials, hard cultivation, and life-and-death experiences. Now, even though he was covered in injuries and in unbearable pain, it felt infinitely better than when he had ascended to the position of young master six years ago.

All those who knelt were shaking violently, and Xie Tian's indifferent gaze swept over each person before finally resting on Xie Bao.

Xie Bao had not knelt, yet he too was shivering uncontrollably.

As if the reason for this was the greenish short blade in Xie Tian's hand, which was pointed at him without the slightest tremble.

But the reason Xie Bao did not kneel was not to preserve the dignity of the Xie family's main branch, nor out of a will to die rather than submit. It was the anger born from jealousy that momentarily made him forget the fear of death, even though the body of Xie Da lay at his feet, and even as Xie Li's corpse was decaying and dissolving.

"You're nothing but a dog of my Xie family!"

Xie Bao spat out these words with all his strength, the thick malice conveyed through gritted teeth, and it was then that Xie Tian understood that Xie Bao's shivering was not out of fear, but fury.

Yet, to make Xie Bao so enraged brought even greater pleasure to Xie Tian, and so he casually slapped Xie Bao's face with the flat of the blade, earnestly asking, "Are you afraid of the Red Alum Liquid?"

At the mention of those three words, "Red Alum Liquid," Xie Bao couldn't help but look towards Xie Li's corpse, and with that one glance, all his emotions swiftly vanished, his being overtaken by intense fear in an instant.

"I, I am a young, young master of the Xie, Xie family, you, you dare not, not kill, kill me!"

Xie Bao tried his best to turn his head away from the short blade coated with Red Alum Liquid, but regrettably, he was so frightened by the half-decomposed body that his whole body had gone limp, leaving him unable to control his own movements and resorting to a threatening trembling voice at Xie Tian.

In response, Xie Tian kept slapping with the flat of the blade, each strike harder than the last.

Clang! Eventually, Xie Bao knelt, wailing like a mourner as he begged for mercy.

With a simple method, Xie Tian crushed the last bit of arrogance and self-respect on Xie Bao that stemmed from the petulance of a young master – profoundly childish in essence.

"A month ago, right here," Xie Tian pointed to the ground and spoke softly to the crowd, "A total of sixteen people bullied and humiliated me. I thought that one day, I would repay you all a hundredfold, to ease at least a trace of resentment in my heart."

At these words, a shudder ran through the servants out of the blue, quietly thanking their luck, while most of the Xie family disciples trembled violently and began to cry loudly on the ground.

The small fraction that remained included only one person.

Xie Tian watched as Xie Jin sprinted towards the main gate of the broken courtyard like a scared rabbit and, without a second thought, threw the short blade in his hand, which lodged itself in the door frame just as Xie Jin was about to step through the gate.

The Life-taking Poison Blade stopped barely two inches from Xie Jin's nose, but he showed no sign of fear. Instead, a wild joy filled his heart, and he turned and scampered towards the courtyard wall, taunting Xie Tian while running, "Idiot, without your poison blade, what can you do to me? You little bastard, wait until I call the adults, and then you'll see the end of your days—Ah! My foot!"

Xie Tian watched Xie Jin calmly, a rare playfulness appearing in his eyes, for Xie Jin had stepped on various spikes and caltrops hidden throughout the courtyard time and again, but he remained defiant as he approached the wall. In the short distance of less than fifteen feet, Xie Jin's body became covered in all kinds of hidden weapons, a sight too ghastly to behold.

As Xie Tian indulgently permitted, Xie Jin successfully made it to the wall, but by that time, he no longer had any strength to climb over the low wall next to him. He could only lean against it, trembling and pointing at Xie Tian, unable to utter a word, his pitiable expression indescribably comical.

Everyone watched this scene with their mouths agape, unable to say a word. They quickly moved their knees toward the center of the courtyard, then buried their heads even lower and trembled more violently.

"Looking at it now, spending effort on you would be utterly worthless." Hearing Xie Tian's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, just when his cool voice sounded again, "Except you."

Xie Tian walked toward Xie Bao.

Facing the deity of slaughter before him, Xie Bao stood dazed, tears of fear falling involuntarily. Looking up, he spoke with a quivering voice, yearning for air like a drowning man, "Please, please spare me…"

"Spare you?" Xie Tian chuckled evilly, "I don't think your Xie family would spare me."

Xie Bao was taken aback and then hastily said, "I swear on the ancestral founders of the Xie family, as long as you don't kill me, no one from the Xie family will trouble you!"

"Is it that simple?"

Xie Bao was startled again, thinking Xie Tian still feared the Xie family, and a strong surge of hope welled up in his heart as he quickly said, "No, no, no, as long as you don't kill me and share your secrets with me, I swear!"

Xie Tian was silent for a long moment before he laughed and said, "I'm just playing with you. I'm not worried about whether the Xie family will spare me or not. And to give you one more thing, compared to Xie Shuai, you are far from his level. At least he would never naïvely think that just because of his status as a young master he could get everything. He at least understood the need to pay a price."

No sooner had Xie Tian spoken than he unceremoniously broke all four of Xie Bao's limbs. Amidst the wrenching screams and curses, he dragged the mud-like Xie Bao along, packed his bag, and then, ignoring everyone else, headed towards the gate.

"Live well, and watch as I pull down Xie Shuai and Xie Yun from the heavens."

Leaving a remark for the kneeling crowd, Xie Tian straightened his back, drew the short blade, and departed.

While everyone was still trembling in fear at Xie Tian's overwhelming strength, another figure passed by them, lifting his head to reveal it was Chen Qiang.

Chen Qiang hadn't been unconscious for long before he came to, so he witnessed Xie Tian's battles up close. Each confrontation ruthlessly shattered the pride of his number one servant. The Xie Tian he deemed as trash, weak, and cowardly, turned out to be stronger and braver than him!

Beside himself with both shame and resentment towards Xie Tian for repaying kindness with enmity, Chen Qiang followed Xie Tian out of the broken courtyard. Gazing at Xie Tian's back in front of him, Chen Qiang's eyes were filled with confusion. He couldn't understand why Xie Tian would sever the hand of the man who saved his life, nor could he foresee his own future with a severed hand, nor did he know how to take revenge. He could only walk behind his nemesis as if he were a walking corpse.

Xie Tian paused at the entrance of the canteen, thought for a moment, then left Xie Bao behind and stepped into the canteen. Behind the dining table was the same amiable bearded face that had affectionately called him little Tian for six years.

Regrettably, the friendliness on the bearded face disappeared the moment he saw Xie Tian, his brow furrowed with disdain he coldly snarled, "Get out! Is this a place for you?"

Xie Tian was taken aback but then nodded and left the canteen. Just as the bearded man's sneer hadn't faded from his face, Xie Tian walked back in.

This time, he was dragging the terribly miserable Xie Bao with him.

"Ten rhinowolf legs."

After taking the packaged rhinowolf legs from the trembling hands of the bearded man, Xie Tian turned to leave. As he reached the doorway of the canteen, he turned to look at the bearded face and smiled, "Thank you."

Xie's residence was large, and the road away from the Xie family was long. More and more members of the Xie family gathered around Xie Tian, but he didn't mind at all. He was quite interested in observing the shock of the servants, the cold severity of the guards, and the anger of the Xie family, feeling immensely satisfied in his heart.

With Xie Bao in hand, Xie Tian successfully walked out of the Xie family's gates. At that moment, Family Head Xie Changrong finally appeared with a pallid face, blocking his path.

"Scoundrel! How dare you behave so as a servant!"

Xie Changrong was like an insurmountable wall to Xie Tian. Feeling the vast Inner Qi approaching, Xie Tian stepped back three steps just as the other was about to reach him, slightly tilting the porcelain vial in his palm. A drop of Red Alum Liquid was about to fall, aimed right at Xie Bao's neck.

"I've left the Xie residence. What more do you want?" Xie Changrong's face was a flash of indignation, and he reluctantly retracted his right foot, asking sternly.

"Do not follow us. Forty li outside the north gate of Yangshuo City, I will release Xie Bao." Xie Tian paused, enduring the severe pain in his organs, and then added, "Take good care of Uncle Beard. He's the only one in the Xie family who cared about me."

Time seemed to freeze.

Xie Changrong just looked at Xie Tian expressionlessly, watching him for a full third of an incense stick's burning time. Seeing that there wasn't a trace of fear in Xie Tian's eyes, he finally spoke coldly, word by word, "If anything happens to my son, there will be no room for you to hide in the entire state of Song! Out of my way!"

Xie Tian nodded, not relaxing or feeling joy at the other's compromise. He knew that in front of Xie Changrong and the senior elders, a single misstep could result in total annihilation.

"Ah, Family Head's guess was not wrong; that madman was indeed a divine being, otherwise how could a worthless wretch have such a performance?" Watching Xie Tian leave, an elder behind Xie Changrong couldn't help but sigh quietly.

"Hmph, the madman had been seen through by Family Head long ago. Otherwise, why would Family Head set such a clever trap, if not to further understand him?"

"Hehe, the madman thought he could fool everyone, not knowing that Family Head had his eyes on him six years ago. Now, turning his own plans against him, he has indeed revealed his true colors!"

"Family Head, that wretch is merely at the fifth level of brute force, wounded and hurt by your Inner Qi. Why not seize the opportunity and force him to reveal his secret?"

Xie Changrong coldly regarded the elder who had spoken: "Although Bao'er lacks talent, he is still my flesh and blood. In the face of Red Alum Liquid, who is certain they won't harm my son? Is it I, at the fifth level of Inner Qi, or you, at the second?"

"I'm just worried about the unforeseen changes that might come with time, after all, Bao'er is also dear to us all." The elder explained awkwardly, then inquired, "What about that servant named Chen Qiang who also left with him, shall we...?"

"An invalid, not worth our attention!"

"What about Uncle Beard mentioned by Xie Tian..."

"Just kill him and feed him to the dogs!" Xie Changrong entered the gates, his icy voice echoing throughout the residence, "Merely at the fifth level of brute force, causing such a commotion! Family Head's order! After rescuing Bao'er, Elders of Inner Qi will lead the team to pursue Xie Tian for a thousand li to recover the Family Head's medallion! Regain the Xie family's secret Cultivation Technique!"

The fifth level of brute force? Hearing the Family Head's casual words, the Xie family members all breathed a sigh of relief, but only the true managers of the Xie family knew how terrifying Xie Tian was, who had managed to assassinate the invincible duo of saber and sword; and they also recognized the staggering secrets he possessed.

"Just a month's time, to nurture someone devoid of primordial energy into causing the downfall of the invincible duo, mad old man, who exactly are you..."

Back in his study, Xie Changrong's gaze flickered non-stop, his tightly clenched fists trembling slightly, signaling his shock and excitement. If the Xie family could master the secret behind Xie Tian's rapid progression, they were sure to become another martial arts legend in the state of Song after the three great sects!

"Hahaha! With Shuai'er and Yun'er propelling our ambitions, plus the secrets on that wretch's body, heh! Chen Zhen, Jin Huan, mere ants!"

The mad old man, like the wind, could hover above the study, overlooking Yangshuo City with an imposing aura.

However, upon hearing Xie Changrong's words, the mad old man's face instantly wore a miserable expression, muttering to himself, "Am I really that powerful? Besides finding 'shit' and watching dramas, what else have I done..."

Xie Tian was unaware of Xie Changrong's order, and even if he did know, he wouldn't be too surprised. He had long anticipated that the Xie family would not let him go after this incident, and he had his own plans.

It must be said that despite Xie Tian's young age, his schemes were anything but ordinary. Of course, he would never have imagined that the entire incident was under Xie Changrong's control, daring to test him with his own flesh and blood. If he knew this, it's uncertain just how terrified he would be.

At the same time, he also didn't know that Xie Changrong would never kill him. Otherwise, the word "pursue" in the order would have been "hunt to kill". While coveting the secrets he possessed, Xie Changrong also deeply feared the methods of the mad old man.