NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 72: Thank You for Helping Me Sever the Last Thread of Hesitation
Chapter 72: Thank You for Helping Me Sever the Last Thread of Hesitation
Boom!
In the dense, sun-blocking forests of Qingzhou, two figures sped through the area, each step on the thick branches sending them hundreds of meters forward.
"Still can't shake him off?"
The figure on the left was a determined young man who glanced back frequently, his brows furrowing deeper with each look.
"Brother Meng, we can't keep going like this!"
The figure on the right had a face covered with black marks, giving him a somewhat terrifying appearance.
He quickly whispered, "I'll hold him off, you go retrieve the Fire Dao Divine Weapon!"
"No! Brother Yuan, you've only just entered the Luminescence Realm, while that bald monk is half a step into the Spiritual Wandering Realm. If you stay behind, you'll die!"
The young man shook his head hastily. "As your friend, how can I stand by and watch you stay behind to die?"
Before he could finish, the hideous figure cut him off.
"Enough nonsense! Meng Hedong, if you consider me your friend, listen to me and go get the Fire Dao Divine Weapon!"
Taking a deep breath, the hideous man smiled faintly.
"I, Yuan Bufu, was born without parents, just a lonely boat drifting in this world. Even if I die, no one will mourn. But you're different. You have the Five-Year Pact waiting for you. Many people are still counting on your return!"
"Go. If I die, just find a place to bury me. I came into this world alone, and I'll leave it alone. No regrets, no ties."
With that, the man, formerly known as Chen Ugly Child, shoved Meng Hedong hard, pushing him forward.
Without hesitation, Yuan Bufu turned and rushed toward the pursuer.
"Brother Yuan..."
Watching Yuan Bufu march to his death, Meng Hedong clenched his fists tightly.
"I, Meng Hedong, swear here and now, if Brother Yuan survives this, you will be my sworn brother for life!"
He took a deep breath and quickly fled into the distance.
At the same time, Chen Ugly Child landed on a grassy cliff, looking silently into the distance, as if waiting for something.
Whoosh!
A streak of fire shot through the sky, landing in front of Chen Ugly Child.
The flames dispersed, revealing an old monk in a blue and green Daoist robe.
"Oh? That brat Meng escaped, and you're left behind, little ugly one? Trying to stop me?"
The bald monk, with slanted eyebrows and triangular eyes, looked at Chen Ugly Child with amusement.
"No more talk. Today, Brother Meng must retrieve the Fire Dao Divine Weapon," Chen Ugly Child said calmly.
"Hahaha, such loyalty!"
The monk chuckled lowly. "Fine, then I shall turn you into a human elixir first, and then I'll go fetch that divine weapon!"
He licked his cracked lips with a rotten tongue, greed shining in his eyes.
Such a young body—turning him into a human elixir would surely be nourishing.
While he pondered, Chen Ugly Child suddenly attacked.
"Waterflow Blade Technique: Azure Moon Slash!"
A cold blade light burst forth in the sky. Wielding dual blades, Chen Ugly Child became a streak of sword energy, fiercely slashing toward the monk.
"Trivial skill."
The monk grinned, flicking his fingers five times.
Five fire snakes shot from his fingertips.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Five muffled sounds rang out.
The first three fire snakes shattered Chen Ugly Child's cold blade light, while the fourth knocked his sword from his hand.
The fifth slammed into Chen Ugly Child's chest, sending him crashing to the ground like a broken rag doll.
"Boy, enter my stomach first, and later I'll bring your friend to join you."
The monk laughed, forming hand seals. His voice echoed as he cast a spell.
"Fire Technique: Yuluo Purgatory!"
Boom!
In an instant, flames surged from the ground, turning the surrounding ten-meter area into a raging sea of fire. Chen Ugly Child was immediately engulfed by the flames.
"Burn!"
At the monk's command, the fire intensified, swallowing Chen Ugly Child whole.
"Ah!"
Amid the sea of fire, Chen Ugly Child's screams echoed as he writhed in agony, his skin burned inch by inch, his bones scorched.
His hair was the first to catch fire. In his panic, he reached up to smother the flames, only to tear off his scalp. The blood evaporated before it could spill.
His skin melted like wax, and despite his iron will, Chen Ugly Child couldn't stop himself from screaming.
"Ah! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Kill me! Please, just kill me!"
Watching Chen Ugly Child squirm and writhe in the flames like a maggot, the monk's face grew more maniacal.
"Don't worry, once I finish refining you, it won't hurt anymore."
The monk smiled, increasing the intensity of the flames.
"Ah!"
The excruciating screams continued, each one more heart-wrenching than the last.
After about ten breaths, the figure within the flames stopped moving and lay motionless on the ground.
"Is it done?"
The monk's eyes gleamed as he extinguished the flames and approached Chen Ugly Child's charred body.
His skin had melted completely, leaving behind the vague shape of a human figure.
"Senior, I was wrong. Please, don't kill me..."
Suddenly, a terrified, sobbing voice came from Chen Ugly Child's throat.
"Still alive? How is that possible?"
The monk's expression changed.
Suddenly—
Crunch!
A skeletal hand, barely clinging to melted flesh, grabbed the monk's throat.
Chen Ugly Child slowly stood up, his face twisted into a melted smile.
"Senior, how was my performance?"
Boom!
A surge of energy from the Spiritual Wandering Realm erupted from Chen Ugly Child's body.
"You..." The monk's face twisted in terror, cold sweat pouring down his spine.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two clashed briefly.
Moments later, the monk's lifeless body lay on the ground, his eyes wide open, as if witnessing something unspeakable in his final moments.
Chen Ugly Child crouched beside the monk's ear and whispered:
"I wasn't sure whether to cultivate this path.
Thank you for helping me sever my last thread of hesitation."
With that, Chen Ugly Child grabbed the monk's head and dragged his corpse to the cliffside.
Below the cliff lay a toxic pool, its surface occasionally disturbed by strange, sharp-toothed fish leaping in and out.
Plop.
Like discarding trash, Chen Ugly Child tossed the monk's body into the pool.
Splash!
The fish swarmed the corpse, gnawing at the flesh and bones.
Soon, the water settled, leaving only ripples of blood on the surface.
Standing at the cliff's edge, Chen Ugly Child gazed at the distant mountains.
The mountain range stretched endlessly, disappearing into the horizon.
A cold mountain breeze swept through the valley, across the peaks, and finally, across his face.
Lost in thought, he recalled his abandonment as a child, the mockery of his appearance by peers, his mother's death, and how her body was wrapped in a ragged mat and tossed into the wilderness.
On that rainy day, he knelt in the mud, digging a shallow grave with his hands to bury his mother carefully.
The memories surged like a relentless tide.
His life had been filled with sorrow, without a trace of joy.
Suddenly, a smile spread across Chen Ugly Child's burned, disfigured face.
"It's just a little hardship," he whispered softly.