NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 22: Today, there are no chickens and dogs on this island.
He rose and expelled the visually impaired man.
Wu Ping’s expression turned furious: “Next time I blabber, lose your tongue!”
Evidently, he had been drinking the previous night. Consequently, someone dared to make him a scapegoat!
Did Wu Ping truly keep twisting their necks with his hands?
Getting up, he soared directly into the sky, flying towards the water village. He intended to discover who dared to frame him. Wu Ping simply desired to maintain a low profile and avoid attracting the attention of the righteous. Is that also a mistake?
He merely wanted to eliminate a demon!
Without a clear explanation, the crime of continuous slaughter for a hundred miles in this water town would likely be pinned on him.
“Damn it, spreading rumours and running away with a broken leg.”
The man rose, spewing a mouthful of blood, and said with laboured breath, “Whom did I provoke?”
…
Water Town, also known as Water Town Lianze, was linked to a large area on the outskirts of Nanyang. Numerous small islands, housing casual cultivators and water bandits, mostly accommodated ordinary people. A celebration banquet was underway on a small island where water bandits were entrenched.
The chairman sat upright, a youth with a lifeless face. With a leopard’s head and eyes, the water bandit leader asked with flattery, “My lord, there are rumours outside that the Demon Star Wu Ping is responsible for the hundred miles of continuous slaughter in this water village. Should we clarify and avoid provoking him?”
The water bandit leader felt a twinge of bitterness. He couldn’t afford this person, nor could he afford Wu Ping. Carrying the blame for others, once you leave, trouble comes knocking. Can he endure it in this water village?
“It’s fine. He’s just an outer disciple of the Blood Rain Sect, and the reputation of a demon star is a joke. Unable to survive the seventh energy level and kill with a hundred soul streamers. Let him help me bear this blame. It’s a compliment to him.”
“When I’ve refined these hundred soul streamers, I’ll find and kill him. The title of Demon Star suits me better. Hahahahahaha!”
“Yes, Wu Ping can’t handle the title of demon star. Only you, my lord, are the rising martial arts stars.”
The water bandit leader could only say so. In truth, he harboured concerns. Why not take the gold and silver and flee?
He always felt an impending disaster. Amidst wine and food, the youth with a lifeless face stood in the centre of the island, looking at a blood-coloured tree not as tall as a human.
Pride welled up within him. His real name was He Jun, an elder of the Worship Sect in Nanyang. Simultaneously, he was the eldest son of the Worship Sect’s master.
The Worship Sect was small, with the highest cultivation being the soul ascension realm. He Jun, much like his deceased father, would likely remain in the soul ascension realm throughout his life.
How could he accept that fate?
No cultivator willingly halted their cultivation progress. He wanted improvement and fame. Some time ago, his father encountered a talented disciple of the Blood Rain Sect named Wu Kongsheng. Though only an outer disciple, Wu Kongsheng was highly esteemed in the Blood Rain Sect and possessed exceptional talent.
He also happened to be a direct descendant of the Wu family. Jun’s father took him to present gifts to Wu Kongsheng to establish a friendship. However, Wu Kongsheng, despite having a lower cultivation level, mocked He Jun, calling him a waste. Even He Jun’s father, the master of the Worship Mountain Sect, faced humiliation.
Unable to bear the bitterness, He Jun, feeling bored, decided to take a walk for relaxation. Hearing about the stunning scenery of Nanyang Water Town, he headed there. One day, while playing, he noticed turbulent waves underwater, leading him to discover the cave of a powerful demon cultivator. Though the cave held a secret law, He Jun found it lacking in other treasures.
Nonetheless, this secret method intrigued him. He realised its superiority over his cultivation and its uniqueness. Determined, He Jun decided to refine and revise this exercise. After hiding in Water Town Lianze for many days, he planned to test the tree species mentioned in the secret method.
News of Wu Ping reached him just as he was about to venture out. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue, but the fact that Wu Ping shared the same surname as him deeply affected He Jun. Moreover, Wu Ping was a disciple of the Blood Rain Sect, intensifying He Jun’s emotions.
He couldn’t tolerate it any longer. If Wu Ping, a genius with the Wu surname, could fight against the odds, why couldn’t he? He Jun decided to take control of one of the largest water bandit dens, using it to his advantage and initiating a massacre across the hundred-mile water town. He piled up the corpses of the villagers to cultivate magic roots, drawing out their living souls.
He Jun questioned why he couldn’t possess a hundred Soul Streamers like Wu Ping and take the blame for killing disciples. This realisation filled him with laughter, declaring himself the devil among demons. He revelled in the idea of being the demon star in the world.
Ecstatic, He Jun shouted, “I am the devil among demons!” His declaration was met with gathering black clouds in the sky, reinforcing his belief in his demonic identity.
However, Wu Ping, enraged by He Jun’s actions, stood above the dark clouds, confronting him. Wu Ping condemned He Jun’s shameless audacity and vowed to unleash his wrath. Amidst the dark clouds, Wu Ping’s soul-refining streamer pierced the demon mist, and he declared, “I’ll light you up in the sky!” He vowed to exterminate everything on the island if need be.