Chapter 11: Beaten to Death

He actually knew that I had cursed those two old fools! Xiao Jun suddenly felt a terrible premonition rising in his heart.

Could this kid... actually possess Earth Realm strength?

No sooner had this thought appeared than Xiao Jun ruthlessly crushed it. That was impossible. He steeled himself and lifted his head to meet Ye Cheng’s eyes.

Buzz!

A wave of chaotic pain exploded in his mind, as if he’d been struck hard by a heavy object.

This is... a spiritual attack?

This man actually knows how to use a spiritual attack!

This was beyond everything Xiao Jun had ever known. In his understanding, only Earth Realm masters could wield such attacks with ease.

The beggar standing before him was no beggar at all. Xiao Jun felt as though he were facing a terrifying expert who could slaughter him without effort, and worse—this man was already intent on killing him.

In a split second, Xiao Jun's entire view of Ye Cheng changed.

He’s an Earth Realm cultivator! He must be!

I absolutely cannot afford to cross this man. This time, I’ve really kicked an iron wall!

With no hesitation, Xiao Jun’s legs buckled and he dropped to his knees before the man who looked like a beggar, right in front of everyone.

“What?!”

A moment ago, the crowd had been mocking Ye Cheng, but now they stared in utter shock.

Xiao Jun’s reputation preceded him—a rising star recently returned from abroad, already serving as a private doctor for wealthy families with a salary of over a million a year. They’d heard he’d worked with senior doctors to tackle many difficult cases, and had become a renowned figure in the field.

For a man of such status to kneel before a beggar?

“Please, I beg you! I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness! If I had known those two elders were your parents, I would never have dared harm them!”

Xiao Jun was trembling all over, terrified that Ye Cheng might take his head at the slightest displeasure.

“Oh? And when you cursed them, did you ever imagine this day would come? Regret it now, do you?”

Ye Cheng grabbed a fistful of Xiao Jun’s hair, his gaze blazing with cold light.

“So, you like raising venomous insects, do you?”

Buzz!

Several beams of golden light shot straight into Xiao Jun’s eyes. He tried to shut them, but Ye Cheng’s overpowering spiritual energy held his eyelids wide open; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t close his eyes.

“Ahhhh!”

Xiao Jun’s screams sent the doctors and nurses fleeing from the room in terror. Soon, only Ye Cheng and a few others remained inside.

Watching Xiao Jun writhe and beg for mercy, Ye Mengxue’s eyes sparkled with amazement.

Ye Cheng, what have you gone through all these years? How did you become like this?

She had no answer, so she hurried to her mother’s side for comfort.

“Sis, didn’t you want to know how I’d cure Mom and Dad? Watch closely!”

Ye Cheng raised his left hand towards his parents’ bodies. A powerful force began to surge from his palm.

As their bodies trembled, a fantastical scene unfolded.

Several crystal-clear, beetle-like insects wriggled out from inside their bodies!

Ye Mengxue stared, dumbfounded. It was the most astounding sight she had ever witnessed.

Those insects struggled in midair, but eventually rolled together into a ball and flew straight into Ye Cheng’s palm.

“These are the tools you’ve used all these years to harm so many people, aren’t they?” Ye Cheng smiled at the trembling Xiao Jun.

“No... please, my lord! I’ll do anything—serve you all my life if you wish...”

Pop!

A sound like a bursting balloon came from Ye Cheng’s hand.

Those venomous insects, cultivated for years and on the verge of becoming spiritual pets, were utterly annihilated with a single squeeze.

And Xiao Jun, who was still kneeling and trembling, collapsed motionless to the floor at the very same moment.

“Is... is he dead?” Ye Mengxue shivered at the gruesome sight.

“For harming my parents, how could death alone be enough?” Ye Cheng smiled gently at his sister.

“I’ve planted a true spirit worm in his brain. He’ll suffer a fate ten thousand times worse than our parents.”

Seeing her sister’s confused expression, Ye Cheng let go, satisfied.

Of course, he would never tell her that the worm he’d implanted was the legendary first demon parasite of cultivation: the Marrow Eater.

As the name implied, the Marrow Eater lived in the host’s brain, feeding on it bit by bit, hollowing out the skull until nothing was left, bringing an excruciating death.

And the worst part was the agony of sensing the parasite’s movements in one’s head, unable to do anything but wait helplessly for death—this was what made the Marrow Eater truly terrifying.

Ye Cheng would not normally use such a spirit parasite, but Xiao Jun had dared to touch his reverse scale: he had tried to harm Ye Cheng’s family.

A dragon’s reverse scale—touch it and you die.

Ye Cheng was no different.

Whoever dares to harm my family will pay a hundredfold!

With the culprit dealt with, it was time for the next.

Ye Cheng turned his gaze to Lu Moyan, who was sprawled on the floor.

Gone was the arrogance of the young master; now, he clutched his swollen, pig-like face, staring at Ye Cheng in terror.

“What... what do you want? Don’t come any closer!”

Sensing that Ye Cheng’s sights were now set on him, Lu Moyan scrambled backwards in a panic.

“Stay away! Stay away! What are you useless fools doing? Come protect me! Hurry!”

His voice was nearly a wail. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had never encountered anyone as ruthless as Ye Cheng.

His methods were so savage, so far beyond anything Lu Moyan could comprehend, that it seemed death was certain for anyone who crossed him.

His bodyguards, of course, stood frozen where they were, not daring to move.

They knew exactly what Xiao Jun was capable of—a master of the Profound Realm, who had willingly knelt before Ye Cheng and begged for mercy, throwing away all dignity, only to suffer a fate worse than death.

Who would dare to protect Lu Moyan now? They could only hope to save their own lives.

Seeing that he had no one left to help him, Lu Moyan, in a fit of desperation, jabbed a finger at Ye Cheng and began to shout.

“Do you have any idea who I am?”

“I’m an outer disciple of the Lu Clan, one of Jiang City’s Four Great Sects! I’m the sole heir to the outer sect—do you know what that means?”

“If you dare kill me, my brother, my father, my grandfather—they’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and tear you limb from limb—”

Slap!

A third resounding slap landed, and this time Lu Moyan never had a chance to utter another foul word.

The esteemed young master of the Lu Clan, sole heir to the outer sect, was beaten to death on the spot.

Watching her brother avenge their family, Ye Mengxue lowered her head.

At last, she understood the truth.

Xiao Jun had tried to use those insects to kill their parents; Lu Moyan had conspired to use Xiao Jun’s treatment to kill her brother, Ye Cheng.

All this time, she’d been dealing with people like them—and even lashed out at her brother for protecting her.

A wave of deep remorse washed over Ye Mengxue. She sank to the floor, sobbing softly.

A gentle, warm hand rested on her shoulder.

“It’s all over, Sis.”

“Xiao Cheng is back.”