Chương 106: Witness of the Era (Part 3)

Su Chen left Central Continent. His first destination was the Southern Barbarian Lands. The Southern Barbarian Lands were the weakest. When picking soft persimmons, one always started with the easiest. After stepping through a spatial tunnel, he arrived in the Southern Barbarian Lands. Thousands of years had passed. The land had changed beyond recognition.

Revisiting old places, Su Chen learned that the once-arrogant Imperial Sword Dynasty, which had dominated an era, had long since crumbled into dust along with the flow of history. In its place rose one new dynasty after another. In his sixth life, he had offended far too many people. Standing at the pinnacle meant that even death did not erase debts. Though Shen Daoyuan had ultimately broken through to the Nirvana realm, he had still perished under the joint assault of the Imperial Sword Dynasty's enemies.

The Shen Clan's bloodline had been extinguished completely. Su Chen let out a soft sigh and headed toward the former site of the Imperial Sword Manor. He passed through mountains and rivers until he reached the foot of a lush, verdant peak. Along the way, he encountered an old man. When the elder saw Su Chen walking toward the mountain, he quickly called out, "Young hero, are you heading up that peak to search for the ruins of the old Imperial Sword Manor in hopes of finding some opportunity?" Su Chen nodded.

"Does the elder know of the Imperial Sword Manor?" The old man sighed.

"How could I not know? Every year, young people like you come here hoping to uncover the legacy left behind by the Imperial Sword Manor, dreaming of becoming a legend like Emperor Shen. But without exception, they all end up in the jaws of the Tiger God that guards the mountain. That Tiger God… is the protector of the mountain. It allows no one to covet the ruins of the Imperial Sword Manor!" Su Chen was mildly surprised. Tiger God? Could it be Hu Mao? Was he still alive? He shook his head.

"Thank you for the warning, elder. Still, I intend to go up the mountain and take a look." The old man's expression filled with regret. He looked at Su Chen the way one looks at yet another young life about to vanish forever. In his youth, he too had harbored such ambitions. After watching friend after friend enter the mountain and never return, he had finally awakened. From then on, he tried to stop others from throwing their lives away.

Yet no matter how clearly he explained the truth, every single person made the same choice as Su Chen—stepping into the mountain, never to be seen again. After Su Chen disappeared into the mountain without a trace, the old man turned and left. If another young cultivator came seeking the ruins, he would appear once more and speak the same words. Inside the mountain, Su Chen did not meet the fate the elder feared. He followed the path all the way to the former site of the Imperial Sword Manor.

Everything had vanished. Wiped clean by the passage of time.

"Human, leave now—or I will eat you!" A massive white tiger suddenly emerged, baring its fangs and opening a blood-drenched maw large enough to swallow Su Chen in one bite. Su Chen remained calm and unruffled.

"So you are the Tiger God that guards this place? What relation do you have to Hu Mao?" The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The towering white tiger's eyes narrowed with caution the moment it heard the name. It let out a low growl.

"Who are you? How do you know my grandfather's name? Speak—or I will devour you!" Su Chen cast it a faint glance. He extended five fingers. In an instant, the world within a hundred meters changed. A colossal palm descended from the sky, pressing down toward the white tiger with overwhelming force. The tiger sensed mortal danger. Fear flooded its eyes. It had never imagined this seemingly frail, aura-less human could be such a terrifying expert.

It turned to flee, but the five fingers pinned it in place, rendering it immobile. Su Chen rode his white horse up beside it. The horse lowered its head. Golden pupils flashed with undisguised contempt—as if to say: a mere little wild demon dares show disrespect to its master? The white tiger shuddered violently under that gaze. The suppression came from deep within its bloodline. Even with its limited intelligence, it understood instantly: the young man on the white horse was no ordinary person.

He was far beyond the miscellaneous trash it had encountered before. The ferocity in the tiger's eyes vanished. Its menacing growl transformed into the crisp, clear voice of a young woman.

"Meow~ Young hero, spare me… actually, I'm a cat demon, not a tiger demon at all! My meat is sour, and I can't help with yang deficiency!" Su Chen: "…"

"You tiger demons really do know a lot." Same personality as Hu Mao. Su Chen was now certain—this white tiger was a descendant of the Hu Mao who had once followed him. The white tiger lowered her voice to a near-whisper.

"These are all things Grandfather told me… he said these words could save my life. Great hero, you're a good person. You definitely won't kill a little demon like me, meow~" Looking at the gradually clearing eyes of the white tiger, Su Chen could not help but chuckle.

"I won't kill you. But I am not a good person." The tiger blinked in confusion. Su Chen continued calmly.

"What is your name? And where is your grandfather now?" Faced with the question, the tiger hesitated. Remembering that Su Chen had just said he was not a good person, she obediently answered from the heart.

"This little demon is called Hu Miaomiao… As for Grandfather…" A rare trace of sorrow appeared in her tiger eyes.

"Grandfather passed away ten years ago. A group of people forced their way into the Imperial Sword Manor. Grandfather fought them to protect this place and suffered mortal wounds. He died ten years ago. Before he passed, he told me I must stay here and guard the Great Lord forever." Su Chen felt a slight stir in his heart. Shen Chen had countless descendants, countless kin. In the end, the one who remained most loyal turned out to be this rebellious-brained tiger demon.

There were far too many people in the world who could not even compare to a single demon.

"Take me to the Imperial Sword Manor." Su Chen withdrew his five fingers, releasing the suppression on Hu Miaomiao. The tiger shrank back in fear of him and obediently led the way. They arrived at the former site of the Imperial Sword Manor. All that remained was a single dilapidated house, a simple grave mound with clothes and a hat placed upon it, and the standing corpse of a tiger demon—covered in scars, fierce and unyielding, staring into the distance as though still alive. Hu Miaomiao spoke sadly.

"There are no treasures here at all. Grandfather only guarded this place because it was the Great Lord's home. Every year, outsiders come trying to plunder it. Fifty years ago, people from the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land broke in. They took the sword from above the Great Lord's grave. Grandfather fought with his life but could not stop them…" Su Chen listened quietly to her recount the past. He already knew—the sword those people took was almost certainly the one forged from his sixth-life body.

He stepped forward and gently sensed the lingering aura on the dead Hu Mao's corpse. From it he clearly detected a deeply familiar yet profoundly hostile sword intent.

"Heavenly Sword Sacred Land…" Hu Mao had been mortally wounded by the Heavenly Sword Sacred Land's signature sword intent—an injury that could never be healed. That was what ultimately claimed his life. The calm surface of Su Chen's state of mind suddenly surged with irrepressible killing intent.

"Hu Miaomiao… are you willing to leave this place and follow me?" The tiger froze. A flicker of longing appeared in her eyes. She glanced back at Hu Mao's remains, then hesitated.

"Great hero… are you a good person?" Su Chen smiled faintly.

"I am not a good person." Hu Miaomiao lowered her head in submission.

"Then I am willing to follow the Great Hero. Grandfather once said: No bad person will ever admit they are bad, and no good person will ever claim they are good." Su Chen's eyes burned with cold killing intent as he looked into the distance.

"Then come with me… to take revenge."