The Eternal Sin

"Quite the performance, kid. If I didn’t have these eyes, I’d probably be squawking and panicking like the rest of these idiots."

Jiang Chen, who was clutching his chest and coughing blood on the ground, felt his heart hammer against his ribs.

He did not move a muscle, but his mind raced. ’Even a peak grade concealment talisman is no good. Who is it? Which one of them saw through me? Or is it someone watching from the sidelines?’

The clone’s gaze shifted to the fourth man, the middle aged man with blue eyes who had remained eerily silent. The man suddenly bowed deeply and flicked his wrist, sending a speck of light toward the clone. The clone caught it, and it vanished into its sleeve.

The three who were groveling glanced sideways in confusion.

’This blue eyed bastard knows... I want to kill him!’ Jiang Chen’s eyes shone darkly.

"Do not bother acting anymore," the middle aged man’s mental voice continued in his mind, sounding bored. "My eyes can see through illusions and concealment. ’Eldest Brother’ is a spiritual clone. So are the other three behind him. You are the one puppeteering this whole show.’

’How cunning and ingenious. But unfortunately for you, one shout from me and this invincible backing of yours turns into a joke. Hehe. What do you think those three would do to you once they realize they have been crying and begging in front of an eighth layer brat?"

Jiang Chen ground his teeth, his eyes narrowed behind his messy hair. He felt like a tightrope walker who had just sensed the rope begin to fray.

But as he analyzed the situation, he realized something.

’He has not exposed me.’ Jiang Chen’s eyes flashed. ’If he tells them, he gets the satisfaction of watching me die. But since he has decided to take this up with me, he must be trying to extort me. This person truly is a schemer at heart. Good. This is actually not a hopeless situation, much better than letting the others know. But I must not let him take control of my weakness!’

Jiang Chen spat out a mouthful of blood and sent a mental transmission back through that person’s divine sense linkage. "Do you think I am scared? Go ahead, shout! Hehe, if we fight, I might not be able to kill all of you. But I know that you will be buried right next to me! So go ahead and scream, or should I do it myself?"

In the physical world, the middle aged man’s eyebrow twitched. Only a fraction of a millimeter, but Jiang Chen saw it through his clone.

The middle aged man had to recalculate.

He had expected a plea for mercy or a bribe from Jiang Chen. He did not expect a counter threat to be slapped in his face. Annoyance flickered across his features, followed by a trace of genuine wariness.

"Heh, you have guts youngster. I will give you that," the middle aged man replied, his tone shifting from mockery to a sort of respect. "But it is such a waste to fight, do you not think? We are both here for the same thing, profit. Why die for a secret when we can live for a fortune?"

"What do you propose?" Jiang Chen questioned.

"I do not care about these three pigs," the middle aged man said, glancing at his ’allies.’ "They have no loyalty, and neither do I. Why should I help them for free when I can join you and take a bigger bite? Hehe, keep the act going."

"Deal," Jiang Chen replied instantly.

The tension in the passage had stretched to a breaking point.

"Oh?" the clone mused, its voice softening slightly. "I see. Those eyes... you are the one Seventh Brother mentioned. He spoke of a debt of karma. I suppose you are fortunate. You may leave. What is your name?"

"It... it is Meng Yu. I thank Senior for his mercy and for remembering the small ties of the past," the man said, his voice steady despite the sweat beading on his brow. He turned and walked away without a second glance.

The three groveling cultivators stared after him in shock, their minds reeling.

Why was it not them who had helped the ’Seventh Brother’ in the past? Why did fate favor others? It was so unfair.

Then the clone’s cold gaze snapped back to them. "As for you three, which technique should I use? Should I flay your souls layer by layer? Or refine your dantians into pills for my Fifth Brother to consume?"

"Mercy! Great Lord, mercy!"

"Spare us! We were blind!"

Despair seized them as death seemed imminent, like a blade hanging right above their heads.

Just then, a mental transmission from the departing Meng Yu slid into their minds. "What a pathetic sight you three are, hehe. If you are willing, I can save you, but it will cost you. Hand over your life saving treasures, and I will speak on your behalf. Otherwise, do not even dream of having an intact corpse for someone to bury when you are dead, hehehe!"

Pressed against the edge of a cliff with no bridge in sight, the three exchanged conflicted glances.

Anger and unwillingness stirred in their chests, but none dared give voice to it. Only after several heavy breaths did they grit their teeth and agree to Meng Yu’s terms. The words felt as though they were dragged from their throats by invisible hooks. But what else could they do?

This was the ruthlessness of the cultivation world. Here the strong devoured the weak. It was as simple as that.

Meng Yu then stopped, turned, and made a plea for their lives. "Senior! Please, wait! These three were indeed reckless. However, the matter began from a commercial conflict. Killing them would be excessive. I beg Senior to consider mercy."

The clone in the concealment mist snorted coldly. "Hmph! Do not overstep your bounds. I only spared you because Seventh Brother was indebted to you. But these three tried to harm my Fifth Brother. I cannot forgive them!"

Meng Yu immediately produced another faint speck of light. It flew into the figure’s hand.

This time, the silence lasted longer.

Finally, the leading clone spoke. "Very well. Since you insist, I shall spare them."

The trio nearly collapsed in relief, their foreheads hitting the floor in thanks. But Jiang Chen, now limping back to the group, let out a roar of fury. "Eldest Brother! I cannot accept this! They insulted me, I want their blood!!"

"Silence!" the clone rebuked sharply, causing Jiang Chen to fall quiet. The clone then looked at the three survivors. "Though I spare your lives, my Fifth Brother has suffered humiliation. If I release you like this, it would hurt his Dao heart. Therefore, I grant you a choice. You will buy every last leaf of my brother’s stock of herbs at his price. Do it now, or refuse and die."

"This... how much?" the three headed man asked weakly. He had already promised his life saving treasure to Meng Yu. He was a shell of his former self.

Jiang Chen spat on the ground. "There are four varieties of herbs remaining, totaling seventeen thousand spirit stones. But since splitting that three ways is troublesome, let us round it up and make sure no one suffers unfairly. Thirty thousand spirit stones! Pay up and be grateful that my Eldest Brother is in a forgiving mood today!"

The bone clad woman gasped. "Thirty thousand? That... that is ten thousand each! This is just robbing us!"

Jiang Chen leaned in, his face inches from hers, the "Eldest Brother" looming behind him like a mountain of death.

"I am robbing you. What are you going to do about it?" Jiang Chen mocked.

He continued, "Eldest Brother, it seems they find the price too high. Perhaps the Soul Refining Lamp is a better option?"

The three stall owners felt their blood turn to ice.

"Wait! No!"

"We’ll pay! We’ll pay!"

"Just spare us!"

The three of them screamed, frantically pulling out bundles of spirit stones.