FIMA Ch159: Who Eats

“Hahaha… Deng Huan, the person you’ve taken a fancy to seems to already have a lover. Look—even the sword’s out…” the pale-faced man from the Corpse Refining Sect mocked the pink-robed man from Hehuan Sect.

The pink-robed man, Deng Huan, did not get angry.

Instead, he smiled at Gu Siyuan in a sticky, cloying way. “Oh my, you’ve even drawn your sword? Only now did I notice—you’re quite my type too. Why don’t you come be my plaything as well? Look at that hand holding the sword, so strong, so long and elegant… I really want to cut it off and keep it as a collection.”

On Gu Siyuan’s usually cold and stern face appeared the faintest trace of a smile. “Sure.”

Deng Huan looked pleasantly surprised. “Really—”

But Xie Xueyi gave a scornful laugh and cursed, “Really your ass. A toad lusting after swan meat. Trash as disgusting as you isn’t worthy.”

Deng Huan’s face turned instantly gloomy, revealing a mouthful of white, chilling teeth. “Pretty little treasure, it seems you really refuse to learn. Then let gege teach you how to speak.”

The moment the words fell, a streak of pure white sword qi flashed in his hand.

Deng Huan also used a sword, except unlike other cultivators who kept their weapons in storage rings, he used a flexible sword that was usually worn in his belt as decoration and drawn directly in battle.

A flexible sword followed a light and drifting path. It looked casual to the extreme, yet was heavy with killing intent. Sword light shot from its tip toward them at terrifying speed.

Gu Siyuan flung Xie Xueyi to the side with one hand, then tapped his toe and shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string.

To those watching from the sidelines, it looked as though he had gone mad and was throwing himself toward death, deliberately charging straight into that fierce incoming sword light.

Yet at the instant when man and sword light were about to meet—just as everyone was nearly covering their eyes, unable to bear the bloody scene—

Gu Siyuan’s green-robed figure tilted with impossible speed, like a soaring spiritual hawk gliding through the air, and effortlessly slipped past the sword light without even brushing against it.

Then all anyone could vaguely make out was a single sweep of the sword in his hand, and a flash of star-bright sword light, a hundred times more brilliant than Deng Huan’s own, streaked through the air in an instant.

Perhaps the starlight was simply too bright.

For one brief moment, everyone felt as though the world before their eyes had vanished, swallowed whole by endless darkness, leaving in both sight and mind only that single dazzling star-flare.

It tore through the darkness.

It was incomparably sharp.

It came fast, and vanished just as fast, dreamlike and unreal.

In the span of a breath, it disappeared without a trace.

The onlookers blinked, and the clear blue sky still remained before them. But Gu Siyuan had somehow already passed by Deng Huan’s side, his tall straight figure now standing ahead with his back to the crowd, while blood dripped steadily from the gleaming tip of the sword in his hand.

“Ah… ah…” Deng Huan suddenly let out cries of pain.

At the same time, his right hand clutched his left upper arm, veins bulging across his face.

But that movement broke the almost frozen stillness of the scene.

Only then did everyone realize that his left arm had already been severed from the shoulder. The cut was smooth and neat, and scarlet blood sprayed from the wound where white bone was visible, staining a large patch of nearby ground and even the surrounding spectators.

A young girl, still rather little, could not help touching her nose. When she looked at her fingertip and saw the bit of bright red there, she stared in shock. It was blood from the severed arm that had splashed onto her.

“Blood… it’s blood…”

While everyone was still trapped in total shock and uncertainty, Gu Siyuan flicked the sword lightly in his hand. The blade became spotless again, as clean as new, as though nothing had happened.

Then he slowly turned around and looked at the pale-faced Deng Huan without hurry or alarm. “You said you wanted a hand to collect. I have now delivered one as promised. I hope you’re satisfied.”

“You…” Deng Huan opened his mouth, but a sharp, drilling pain burst from his severed shoulder. He was already in too much agony to speak.

Gu Siyuan’s cold, detached manner—as though human lives meant nothing to him at all—utterly stunned the surrounding crowd.

So vicious. So cold.

This man was vicious to the extreme.

And cold to the extreme as well…

Earlier, when the three demonic youths had fought Yin Xiaojue, Zhao Tianzong, and the others, they had merely driven them back. Though they suffered some injuries, they had not gone too far.

But Gu Siyuan not only possessed a terrifying sword technique—he was even more terrifying in character. Without another word, he had directly severed one arm from the pink-robed Hehuan Sect man.

Since when had the righteous path produced such a baleful star?

And when they thought of entering the secret realm and competing against a monster like this, many of them could not help but shiver.

Yet as Xie Xueyi watched Gu Siyuan, his eyes were full of admiration and worship. He practically jumped up and shouted, “Gege, you’re amazing! You were so handsome just now!”

The corner of Gu Siyuan’s lips lifted slightly as he turned to head back.

At that moment, however, two young men blocked his path.

They were none other than the other two heirs of the demonic path who had come with Deng Huan: the black-clothed, overbearing one was Yu Haofeng, young master of the Demon Sect; the pale-faced one was Zhu Buming, senior brother of the Corpse Refining Sect.

Yu Haofeng’s expression was icy as he stared fixedly at Gu Siyuan. “Your name is Gu Siyuan? You think you can just leave like that?”

Gu Siyuan’s gaze swept over the faces of the two men, completely unconcerned. “Let’s keep this quick. The two of you can come at me together.”

The pale-faced Zhu Buming angrily snapped, “What an arrogant bastard.”

Gu Siyuan’s expression did not change. Looking only at him, he parted his thin lips and said, “So then, what do you like to collect? Hands, legs, or heads?”

Thinking of what had just happened to Deng Huan, Zhu Buming’s face shifted between green and white. After hesitating again and again, he ultimately said nothing.

“Hahaha… hahaha… interesting, interesting!” At the side, however, Yu Haofeng suddenly burst into several loud peals of laughter, harsh and vicious to the ear.

Zhu Buming looked at him in astonishment.

As for Gu Siyuan, the person at the center of all this, his face remained as calm as the water of an ancient well untouched for a thousand years, a stillness into which no one could stir even the slightest ripple.

A moment later, Yu Haofeng finally seemed to have laughed enough. His eyes locked onto Gu Siyuan, and the killing intent on his body surged skyward without the slightest concealment. Some of the nearby people with weaker cultivation were nearly forced to hunch over under the pressure.

Everyone quickly circulated spiritual power and retreated several steps.

These two monsters were clearly about to fight. They could not afford to provoke them, but at least they could avoid them.

“Hmph. This is the first time I’ve seen someone dare boast so shamelessly in front of me. The secret realm is about to open, so there’s no need for us to fight to the death here and let those fools reap the benefit. I’ll give you one chance—if you can receive one palm strike from me without taking a step back, then for now, this matter will be dropped.”

No sooner had Yu Haofeng finished speaking—

“Overturning Heaven Palm!”

The gloved hands at his sides suddenly soared upward, then came crashing down toward Gu Siyuan like a tiger pouncing on prey.

At once, sand and stones flew through the air, and dark clouds gathered across the sky.

Compared to Deng Huan’s earlier sword strike, this was on an entirely different level.

Yet Gu Siyuan still stood where he was, not even raising a brow, as though what approached him was not a heaven-rending, earth-covering divine palm but only a summer breeze brushing across a mountain ridge.

He sheathed the sword in his hand and instead sent out a palm strike of his own in response.

“Zhaixing Shou!”

The instant Gu Siyuan struck out with his palm, countless motes of starlight gathered before him, then formed in midair into a vast starry hand of overwhelming force, as though descending from the heavens themselves and reaching forward from afar.

The two palm forces collided head-on midway.

Yu Haofeng’s face changed at once. He only felt that the starry giant hand carried with it the crushing force of the entire night sky, and he had no choice but to use all of his spiritual power to resist it.

The aftershocks of the clash exploded with earth-shaking destruction. Layers of earth were ripped open, dirt sprayed everywhere, plants were torn up root by root, and this stretch of beautiful purple bamboo forest was utterly ruined.

Then, after one violent storm of impact—

a black figure flew backward at extreme speed, staggering several steps before barely steadying himself on the ground. Then he clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs.

“Yu Haofeng!”

The pale-faced Zhu Buming was shocked beyond measure and hurried over at once.

At that moment, a set of light footsteps passed softly by.

Zhu Buming’s body trembled as he slowly raised his head.

Gu Siyuan’s green sword robe stirred gently in the wind. His gaze swept casually over Yu Haofeng, who was half-kneeling on the ground, and he said, “As you requested, one move has been exchanged. Let this matter rest for now.”

Zhu Buming’s eyes widened, and for a moment he did not know what to think.

Every boast they had made had been returned by this man in a way that could only be called brutal, all without him changing expression.

…How could there be someone so terrifying?

Zhu Buming trembled, terrified that Gu Siyuan might decide to continue and trouble him as well. His strength was only about on par with Deng Huan’s, and far below Yu Haofeng’s. If this man cut off one of his arms or took one of his legs, the outcome would be far too miserable.

But clearly, Gu Siyuan had no interest in him at all. His steps never paused, and he simply passed by Zhu Buming with his hands behind his back, walking calmly toward the loudly cheering Xie Xueyi in front.

Xie Xueyi pounced over like a little lion. “Hahaha, gege, that was incredible! Those people wanted to show off and didn’t even bother to pick the right target first. It’s hilarious!”

The corner of Gu Siyuan’s lips lifted slightly as he reached out and gently pinched his cheek. “Just a few meaningless fights.”

Xie Xueyi’s eyes turned, and he nodded with a grin. “That’s true. If those people hadn’t been blind, then how could someone as gentle and kind as gege possibly bother fighting with others? It’s all their fault.”

Gu Siyuan nodded solemnly. “Exactly. I hate fighting with people the most.”

This calm, cloud-light, even black-is-white attitude of Gu Siyuan’s only made the defeated Yu Haofeng even angrier, and he could not stop himself from coughing up yet another mouthful of blood.

“Haofeng…” Zhu Buming quickly fumbled out a medicinal pill and fed it to him.

However, compared to the three demonic heirs who had not known him before, the ones truly more shaken by all this were Yin Xiaojue of Mingguang Immortal Sect, Zhao Tianzong of Chaotian Immortal Sect, and the others. Their faces burned so hot they hardly dared lift their eyes.

Just moments ago, the three of them had been beaten by Yu Haofeng and Deng Huan without the slightest ability to fight back. Yet Gu Siyuan had forced back two of them in a single move.

Didn’t that mean the gap between them and Gu Siyuan…

Heh. Ridiculous. Truly ridiculous. Before this, they had actually dared to speak grandly in front of Gu Siyuan?

Gu Siyuan’s title as Da Shixiong of Taixuan Immortal Sect was not just well deserved—it was far stronger than any of them had imagined.

Unable to help himself, Zhao Tianzong muttered a complaint to Ji Jinghuan beside him. “Ji Jinghuan, were you really late during the Five Mountains Competition back then? Or did you do it on purpose—”

“What did you say?!” Ji Jinghuan exploded with rage, his face flushing from white to red.

“N-nothing.” Zhao Tianzong hurriedly turned his face away.

Although Ji Jinghuan could not compare to Gu Siyuan, he was still stronger than Zhao Tianzong. Zhao Tianzong had already offended Gu Siyuan once just now—there was no need to offend Ji Jinghuan too.

But Ji Jinghuan found himself entirely unable to feel pleased at all.

He could feel the gazes from all directions landing on him—those looks mixed with suspicion, regret, even contempt—and his heart immediately sank to the very bottom.

Why?

Why did Gu Siyuan have to show off at exactly this time?

Why, in only these past few months, did Gu Siyuan seem even stronger than when they had last stood before the Gongfa Pavilion? How had he suddenly improved so quickly?

Why did he have to make him lose all face on purpose?

…Damn it!

High in the air, the Nascent Soul elders of the three sects looked toward the Baiqing Mountain Lord and sighed. “Your Taixuan Immortal Sect really isn’t very honest. You actually hid such a good seedling from everyone.”

The Baiqing Mountain Lord smiled helplessly. “Siyuan devotes himself to cultivation. He rarely leaves the mountain, and he does not enjoy disputing with others.”

“But thank heavens there’s still him. The face of our righteous path was won back entirely by him. I never thought the demonic path’s current generation would produce several good seedlings.”

“The demonic path harbors wolfish ambitions… Once this secret realm closes, I fear the whole world may descend into chaos. Let us hope these little fellows all gain something worthwhile.”

As they spoke, the elders all glanced toward a certain patch of black cloud in the distance. Three figures also stood there—the Nascent Soul elders of the three demonic sects.

All three wore very ugly expressions.

The righteous path had produced a heaven-defying genius whose battle strength could crush all others. In the secret realm ahead, wouldn’t that mean a huge portion of the resources would be seized by them instead? That was certainly not part of the original plan…

Just then, a seven-colored rainbow glow slowly appeared across the sky.

The eyes of everyone present lit up.

“The time has come. The entrance to the secret realm has appeared.”

“Go, let’s enter.”

“Quick!”

The place where Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi landed inside the secret realm was actually rather good—a broad forest meadow.

The moment anyone nearby caught sight of Gu Siyuan’s face, they immediately fled at top speed.

Outside the secret realm, with so many people watching, everyone would still restrain themselves a little.

But once inside the secret realm, killing for treasure and destroying evidence were perfectly normal affairs. With how ruthless and brutal Gu Siyuan had acted just now, no one dared gamble their life on whether he happened to possess a conscience.

Watching the retreating figures, Xie Xueyi could not help laughing out loud. “Gege, you’re the great demon king now. You’ve scared everyone so badly—they’re like rabbits spotting an eagle.”

Feeling the rich spiritual energy inside the secret realm, Gu Siyuan sensed his entire body being washed clean by it, and even his cultivation seemed to rise another notch.

Hearing Xie Xueyi’s words, he replied in a fairly good mood, “If I’m the eagle and they’re the rabbits, then what are you? You’re all alone now. Aren’t you afraid staying by my side?”

Xie Xueyi was delighted that Gu Siyuan had now begun to actively join in with jokes.

With a bright smile, he said, “I’m a lion, of course—the king of the forest. I’m not afraid of you at all. I’m going to bite hold of you, this king of the sky, and drag you back to my den to be my little wife.”

Looking at the bright-eyed confidence on his face, Gu Siyuan could not help lifting a hand to pinch his chin. “All this time, Xie-shidi seems to have had a very serious misunderstanding about me.”

Xie Xueyi blinked. “What misunderstanding?”

Gu Siyuan’s hand tightened slightly, drawing him closer by a little. In a low voice, he said, “Mm… in the world of hawks, a little lion like you—soft, fragrant, and tender—is the one who gets eaten.”

“…” Xie Xueyi.

Feeling that close breath and hearing that low magnetic voice, the backs of Xie Xueyi’s ears flushed red.

But… but what did that mean?

Was his wife trying to turn the heavens upside down now?

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