Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Rapid Progress! Dark Energy Level 1
"I’m not going! I’m not! I was just joking..."
The leader’s voice trembled. His face covered in blood, he frantically waved his hands.
"Joking? You bastard! Is everything a joke? How about I bring your mom out to ’play’ with someday, how about that?!"
Chen Xuan’s voice was cold. "Have you learned your lesson?"
"I was wrong, I was wrong."
The leader stammered under Chen Xuan’s menacing presence.
At this point, he couldn’t care less about saving face.
Saving his own skin and avoiding another beating was all that mattered.
SMACK!
Chen Xuan slapped him again, sending him flying sideways in a spray of blood.
"If you know you’re wrong, then fucking fix it!"
Chen Xuan’s voice was frigid. He walked straight over to Liu Zifeng, who was clad in tattered clothes and had a face full of terror. He grabbed Liu Zifeng by the head. "Speak. What did you want with me?"
"Nothing, it’s nothing..."
Liu Zifeng swallowed his humiliation and hastily replied.
"’Nothing? If it was nothing, why did you send someone to find me?’"
Chen Xuan frowned. SMACK! He slapped him across the face as well. "You bastard. A complete and utter bastard!"
"You!"
Liu Zifeng was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
The humiliation was unbearable. His heart twisted with rage, and he wanted to throw his head back and scream at the heavens.
’This is so damn humiliating!’
But under Chen Xuan’s oppressive presence, he didn’t dare utter a single word.
[Detected Liu Zifeng’s mental collapse. Retribution points have increased again. +300 retribution points!]
’Oh?’
A glint flashed in Chen Xuan’s eyes.
’An unexpected bonus!’
’The heavens are truly on my side!’
’This Liu Zifeng is a real goldmine for retribution points.’
"Liu Zifeng, you heard what I said. Go ahead and mess with the people in the slums of Panshi City. But I can’t guarantee what will happen after you do. After all, I’m all alone. A man with nothing to lose doesn’t fear a man with everything. If you want to make a move, be my guest."
Chen Xuan’s voice was placid. He turned and left without another word.
Next, he had to go find Elder Ge to clean up his mess.
After all, the gang rules had just been announced: no infighting.
And right after, he’d gone and seriously injured Liu Zifeng and his men.
This could either be a huge deal or nothing at all.
It all depended on whether he had powerful backing.
’With a backer, it’s no big deal!’
’Without one, I’m as good as dead!’
「Not long after.」
Chen Xuan found Elder Ge again.
"What? You seriously injured Liu Zifeng and his men? And three leaders in total? What are the other two’s names?"
Elder Ge shot to his feet, his voice cracking.
"Don’t know them."
Chen Xuan shook his head. "It all happened so fast. I didn’t have time to ask!"
"You!"
Elder Ge’s expression flickered.
’This kid!’
’Liu Zifeng is one of Elder Fang’s men.’
’And Elder Fang is the Right Protector’s top subordinate.’
’Including Fang Li, Chen Xuan has now seriously injured four experts from the Right Protector’s side.’
’He’s a real troublemaker.’
"Can you handle it?"
Chen Xuan asked.
"It’s fine. It should be fine. They started it, not you. Even if you injured them badly, it just means they weren’t good enough."
Elder Ge said quickly, though his mind was racing.
"Really? It’s not a problem?"
Chen Xuan’s eyes lit up.
’I thought we’d both be punished equally.’
’Looks like as long as someone else starts it, I can retaliate as much as I want.’
"So... I should just leave them there?"
Chen Xuan asked.
"Of course not! We need to get them medical attention immediately. Tell you what, don’t you go. I’ll handle it myself. That way you can avoid running into Elder Fang and the others."
Ge Xuan said at once, "That Elder Fang is ruthless, but he puts on the act of a perfect gentleman. You’ve injured several of his subordinates now; he definitely won’t let this go. You head back first!"
"Yes, thank you, Elder Ge!"
Chen Xuan expressed his thanks and promptly left.
’A monster... what kind of monster is this kid...’
Elder Ge’s mind was reeling.
’A talent like this must be protected at all costs.’
He immediately hurried off to see the Left Protector.
He told the Left Protector everything Chen Xuan had done.
"He’s gone and injured Liu Zifeng and two other leaders?"
Zuo Qiuyun’s expression shifted slightly as he began to pace back and forth.
"Yes, Left Protector. The boy is a prodigy. We absolutely cannot abandon him."
Elder Ge couldn’t help but remind him, "Before he even cultivated Bright Force, he could already defeat masters at the Seventh and Eighth Layers of Bright Force. Now that he has, he’s even defeated someone like Liu Zifeng. A man like that is incredibly useful to us..."
His heart pounded with anxiety as he looked nervously at Zuo Qiuyun.
In recent years, the Left Protector had been forced to abandon far too many of his leaders.
In the struggle between the Left and Right Protectors, Zuo Qiuyun appeared to have the higher status.
But in reality, the Right Protector was steadily gaining ground, while the Left Protector was constantly being pushed back.
The Left Protector’s occasional counterattacks were always ineffectual.
"The problem is that I’m in a critical period where the Gang Leader is extremely wary of me..."
Zuo Qiuyun’s brow furrowed, his expression dark. "My every move draws the Gang Leader’s suspicion. Do you think I *wanted* to abandon my previous subordinates? They slipped up, and the Gang Leader seized the opportunity. If I didn’t show the proper ’sincere’ attitude, the very next day he would have trumped up some other charge to punish me... Do you think it was easy for me to do that?"
A chill went through Ge Xuan’s heart.
’It’s over.’
’As soon as the Left Protector said those words, he knew the situation was dire.’
’The Left Protector had used this exact same speech when he’d abandoned seven or eight subordinates in the past.’
"But we can’t afford to weaken ourselves any further! The Gang Leader is relentlessly suppressing you while promoting the Right Protector... Can’t we... can’t we fight back with reason and logic?"
Ge Xuan pleaded.
"’Fight back with reason?’"
A bitter smile appeared on Zuo Qiuyun’s face as he shook his head gently. "If you must blame something, blame me for being too strong, for my position being too high. That itself is the original sin. You want to contend with the Gang Leader? There is only one path, and it leads to death. There is no other!"
"Then we’re just supposed to let this continue?"
Ge Xuan demanded furiously.
Zuo Qiuyun’s expression was grim. "No. We wait. When my strength rises by another major realm, I’ll be confident I can defeat the Gang Leader. Then, all this humiliation will be over!"
"But you just promised you’d have Chen Xuan’s back, that you’d let him act boldly! Now that he’s actually done it, you’re going to abandon him? I can’t be the one to tell him that!"
Ge Xuan said, his voice choked with frustration.
"I didn’t realize he was such a magnet for trouble. Besides, who said anything about abandoning him? I will absolutely protect Chen Xuan."
The Left Protector said, his expression sour.
"You’re not abandoning him?"
Ge Xuan’s eyes lit up.
The Left Protector’s face was grim. He turned to face Ge Xuan.
"Go. Tell Chen Xuan to buy a gift and give Liu Zifeng and the others a sincere apology. Then this matter will be dropped. I’ll cover the cost of the gift. Make sure he’s earnest about it, and tell him for God’s sake, not to cause me any more trouble."
"Yes, Left Protector!"
Although Ge Xuan still felt deeply frustrated, he had no choice but to nod.
...
In the quarters arranged by the Red Sand Gang headquarters.
Chen Xuan sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at the panel before him.
Retribution Points: 2525
’Retribution points, deduce Black Evil Palm and Thunderbolt Step!’
Chen Xuan commanded silently.
[Ding! You have consumed 500 retribution points to continue deducing the Black Evil Palm. Your Black Evil Palm cultivation speed has once again reached 5x that of an ordinary person. Cultivation in progress...]
[You felt that was not enough and added another 800 retribution points. Your cultivation speed has reached a terrifying 13x. You feel your strength advancing by leaps and bounds with every passing second!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your Black Evil Palm has reached perfection! Your Cultivation has increased again, reaching the Ninth Layer of Bright Force!]
[You have an epiphany, as if you have touched the threshold of Dark Force. You begin cultivating the Thunderbolt Step. You consume 1200 retribution points, and your Thunderbolt Step begins to advance by leaps and bounds...]
[You finally feel a change in the power within your body. A profound, mysterious, and incomparably wondrous Dark Force emerges!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your Thunderbolt Step has reached Minor Success!]
[You have reached the Dark Force First Layer!]
...
As the last line of text appeared.
A series of CRACKLES and POPS suddenly erupted from Chen Xuan’s body. His bones and meridians resounded with explosive reports, and an unprecedented level of perception flooded his mind.
"’This is Dark Force?’"
Chen Xuan stood up, carefully sensing the changes.
An invisible power flowed within him, sharp as a needle, fast as lightning.
It could be used to injure someone on the surface, or from within.
BAM!
He swung his palm, striking the corner of the table.
The table didn’t even budge.
But every single item on it shattered to pieces.
"’Incredible!’"
Chen Xuan marveled.
Because of his Innate Divine Strength, the effects of his Dark Force far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
’Bright Force is the foundation.’
’It’s like the foundation of a skyscraper.’
’How high you can build depends entirely on how thick your foundation is.’
’He had Innate Divine Strength, so his foundation was far beyond that of a normal person. Therefore, his Dark Force was also unimaginably terrifying!’
