Zhanxian (Immortal Executioner)

Yang Chen didn’t know why minister Sun’s whole family would be executed, all he knew was the minister Sun’s official birthplace was here. It might be that he had committed some offense in the capital and been remitted back home, then afterwards, because of some unknown reason, gotten his whole family executed unto the third generation.

When Yang Chen left his small house at dawn, after close to twenty hours of practicing, the killing intent outside him was already so thin it practically wasn’t noticeable. The killing intent absorption rate of the second level Three Purities Secret was more than double, and by the time he finished, Yang Chen was already at most like an executioner that had killed a bit too many. Even if he still had some killing aura and killing intent, it wasn’t on the level of opposing heaven.

The first crisis after leaving the Immortal Executioner Stage was finally quietly dissipating. Yang Chen had held the advantage in the race with time, and turned himself into a mortal before those puritanical cultivators arrived. Because he had only cultivated Three Purities Secret, absorbing killing intent and turning it into divine consciousness, he didn’t have a trace of magical power. Even if jindan stage cultivators came over, they still couldn’t discover anything abnormal about Yang Chen.

The instant he approached the execution ground, Yang Chen saw that familiar face. Yang Chen had looked up to that cultivation genius many times in his previous life, but now that unique genius was like a startled little rabbit, curled up in the crowd, her eyes wandering back and forth across the surrounding crowd, her gaze displaying a deep despair.

Sun Qingxue, the Blue Cloud Sect’s direct disciple in Yang Chen’s previous life, an outstanding talent of the young generation, equally matched with the genius disciples of other great sects. Once she had been a character of reverence for Yang Chen, but right now she was so helpless, and unspeakably scared as she looked at Yang Chen.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Yang Chen walked over in front of that young Sun Qingxue. Right now Sun Qingxue was at most ten years old. The little girl saw Yang Chen walk over, and was even more frightened, her small head exerting itself to pull back behind her relatives, but since she was fettered she was unable to move much.

Even if Yang Chen’s killing intent was almost absorbed, what was left was still enough to frighten ordinary people. Right now, standing in front of Sun Quingxue, not only her, but even the adults next to her were so scared their souls almost flew off when faced with the executioner’s killing intent Yang Chen radiated.

“Don’t be afraid, little sister!” Standing there, Yang Chen didn’t get too close, only revealing a smile to Sun Qingxue: “Don’t worry, your whole family will be alright.”

On the execution ground, an executioner with upper body naked, head covered with red cloth, one hand raising an executioner’s blade, radiating incomparably cold killing intent, now suddenly spoke so amiably to a few prisoners slated for execution, this was even more shocking than a beggar suddenly pulling out tens of thousands of strings of cash, and those arrested Sun family members almost all displayed expressions of shock.

“Really? Big brother!” Young Sun Qingxue displayed an expression of pleasant surprise: “We’ll really be alright?”

The other Sun family adults couldn’t help closing their eyes. They seemed to already know their fate, right now they had already been escorted to the execution ground, and the executioner coming alone to tell them they would be alright, idiots would believe it. Only the insensible Sun Qingxue would take Yang Chen seriously.

“Really, I won’t trick you!” At the same time as Yang Chen spoke, he took the initiative to release his his killing intent. He believed that there were already puritanical cultivators in the surroundings who had rushed over.

Even though ninety nine percent of Yang Chen’s killing intent had already been absorbed, the release of the remainder, plus the constant reinforcement of his divine consciousness, made all the people around the execution ground shiver. Watching that silhouette standing in the middle of the execution ground like a god of death, even the supervising official was a bit scared, not knowing whether he should throw out all the death sentence plates and hurry up and leave this damned place.

Practically the instant Yang Chen released his killing intent, he heard a sharp whistle next to his ear, and at the same time a stern shout: “Monster, cease!”

Immediately afterward, several silhouettes suddenly appeared from the horizon, flying in the direction of the execution ground. A few beams of light shot like arrows, directly at Yang Chen. But the instant before hitting him, all the lights disappeared from the spot, turning around and flying back. A few divine consciousnesses swiftly enveloped Yang Chen, and dissipated after sweeping across him once.

“An executioner?” A befuddled voice echoed, and several shares of immense imposing manner immediately seemed to appear in the sky, enveloping all the people in the execution ground, making all the ordinary people below stare at the sky in amazement.

“Heavens, immortals!” Someone finally gave voice, and the originally not many people immediately knelt on the ground. The several people who appeared were without exception hanging in the air. Besides the legendary immortals, who could accomplish that?

Yang Chen stood there without moving, as if scared dumb, resisting his thoughts and without releasing his own divine consciousness. However, he was always facing Sun Qingxue, and gave her another smile. His gaze seemed to tell her: “See, didn’t I say you’d be fine?”

“Fairy Shi!” Yet another white light suddenly appeared, and all the people in the sky seemed extremely courteous towards the new arrival. The person who spoke just now even bowed slightly. When the white light halted, everyone on the ground were stupefied, dumbstruck as they looked at that cold countenanced woman.

Hearing this name, Yang Chen’s gaze immediately rose. Fairy Shi was also a world renown young character when Yang Chen was cultivating in his previous life, the personal disciple of Green Jade Immortal Island, practically the number one person of the young generation. She had unexpectedly also showed up here.

Yang Chen looked at that ice cold silhouette, looked at that sword light as spotlessly white as the clothes she wore, and couldn’t help sighing slightly inwardly. Shi Shanshan was still exactly as he remembered her, only, that was a ten thousand year old memory. At the same time as he sighed with lamentation, he also tightly guarded his divine consciousness, for fear he would divulge the slightest clue, directly treated as a butchering monster and purified.

Shi Shanshan only dashed a slight nod to the person who spoke just now, without saying anything else, only looking at Yang Chen who was just gazing at her. Fairy Shi was never very talkative, and all cultivators knew and didn’t mind her manners.

“Providence births virtue, bearing such a heavy sin of killing, do you not fear retribution?” Nobody had anticipated that the ice cold fairy Shi would speak to a vulgar ordinary mortal, and even to an executioner despised even by common people.

“Every debt has a debtor, this is my place of duty, executing orders!” Below the sky and above the earth, all gazes were focused on Yang Chen as he calmly spoke. At the same time he also stared fixedly at Shi Shanshan in the sky, without retreating half a step.

“How stupid, this person’s sin of killing is strangely heavy, he’s definitely related with the monster we’re looking for.” Yang Chen’s words to Shi Shanshan immediately offended one of the young cultivators in the air. Shi Shanshan was the idol of countless gazes, but when she now lowered herself to advice Yang Chen, Yang Chen stubbornly refused to repent, immediately causing her protectors to jump out: “Fairy Shi, we had better capture him to question him closer.”

“There is now many cruelties under heaven, murders taking place each day, which executioner in the world is unlike him?” Fairy Shi didn’t speak to Yang Chen again, only perfunctorily leaving some words to the supposed protector, her gaze closely watching Yang Chen’s eyes. It seemed that the words so confidently spoken by the owner of those eyes, left her very surprised.

Shi Shanshan could feel that Yang Chen’s words came from the heart, he hadn’t even answered whether he feared heavenly retribution. But the reason was still very clear, the job of an executioner was killing people, you couldn’t say that a diligent executioner had done anything wrong. Perhaps even immortals, though you could say that killing people was wrong, you still couldn’t say an executioner was wrong for following orders.

Where was there any absolute right in this world, where was there any absolute wrong, even experienced in worldly affairs, one had to distinguish right from wrong and not lump different matters together. Thinking clearly about this, Shi Shanshan suddenly felt a wide open understanding in her heart, and her practice that had been somewhat rough in the past, suddenly broke free of all restraints, swiftly circulating through her energy channels.

With a sudden revolution, her spiritual force moved one lap within her body, without any kind of restriction. Even an alarming genius like Shi Shanshan had to exult inwardly. At the peak of foundation building, she could finally consider attacking jindan.

The change in spiritual force within Shi Shanshan didn’t escape the divine consciousness of the others, and even if they didn’t know just what had happened, they could conclude that Shi Shanshan’s mental cultivation had made a great advancement, and her power had subsequently increased a level further. The several puritanical cultivators that had come all stepped forward and cupped their hands to Shi Shanshan: “Congratulations, fairy!”

“Many thanks, everyone!” Shi Shanshan cupped her hands in return to the surroundings, then gave Yang Chen a slight nod. Giving him a rather complex look, she suddenly waved one hand, a line of white light appearing in front of Yang Chen. He reached out and took a tiny pill into his hand. At the same time and extremely cold and aloof ‘thank you’ reached Yang Chen’s ear.

Yang Chen declined to comment, and Shi Shanshan didn’t say anything else either. Her gaze also left Yang Chen, finally falling on Sun Qingxue next to him.

“Little sister, your bones are rather unusual, your good fortune is profound, do you want to follow me to cultivate?” Shi Shanshan yet again spoke to a mortal, but the contents and target made everyone relax. One little girl, and bringing her to cultivate, it seemed fairy Shi was moved to affection.

Sun Qingxue naturally hadn’t foreseen that such a gigantic meat pie would fall from heaven, and at ten years of age, she didn’t even know how she should answer the fairy-like big sister’s question. Instead it was the adults next to her that spoke in unison with surprised expressions: “She does, our family’s Qingxue is willing!”

“Little sister, do you want to?” Shi Shanshan didn’t pay any attention to the Sun family members, she only looked at Sun Qingxue, waiting for her reply.

At this time, Sun Qingxue completely lacked the demeanor of an outstanding genius that Yang Chen remembered, only fearfully looking at fairy Shi in the sky, then again looking at the family members at her side, then finally casting a glance at Yang Chen, as if this big brother who had smiled at her in the execution ground a few times, had given her hope, made her feel even more relieved than her own family.

“Didn’t I tell the truth?” Yang Chen didn’t give Sun Qingxue any direct answer, only smiled and spoke.

“En!” Just while the bystanders were doubtful, Sun Qingxue understood Yang Chen’s meaning. Yang Chen had just said that she would be alright, and that her whole family would be alright, and Yang Chen still said the same now.

Sun Qingxue’s gaze again turned to the beautiful fairy in the sky. With Yang Chen’s affirmation she seemed to find confidence, and despite still being tied up, she shot a question at the sky: “If I come with big sister fairy, will my family be alright?”

This question made all the people in the air smile. Fairy Shi also smiled slightly, like a beautiful flower blossoming in the sky, the souls of the surrounding people immediately flew off. The renowned fairy Shi was admittedly addressed by her surname, but there was also a hint of meaning to say she was like stone, never smiling all year round. But when confronting a little girl, everyone were lucky enough to see her smile.

(TL note: Shi means rock or stone.)

Shi Shanshan’s smile gave Sun Qingxue unlimited courage, and she bravely struggled to stand up, saying to Shi Shanshan in the sky: “As long as my family is fine, I’ll follow you!”

With several immortals showing up personally, ensuring the safety of a family was the simplest of matters, even on the execution ground. The supervising official didn’t even have the courage to order them to stop, and only watched the Sun family’s members ropes undone one after another, then quickly disappear from the execution ground after Shi Shanshan.

Only once the entire Sun family had disappeared out of sight did the supervising official shakily stand up, once again ensure that there were no more immortals in the sky, he strengthened his courage and shouted hoarsely: “The convicted family has been robbed from the execution grounds by the powers of Tiger Head Mountain, release the news with bounties and warrants of arrest.”

Everyone had seen the people in the sky, and also heard them address fairy Shi, but nobody dared say anything, everyone agreeing with the explanation that Tiger Head Mountain were responsible.

Yang Chen snickered in his sleeve. On his way home, in his mind replayed the little girl Sun Qingxue’s final words and the scene of her reluctantly turning to leave.

“Big brother, thank you!”

“Big brother, I’ll find a time to come see you in the future!”

　　……

If he told the people of his previous world that the Blue Cloud Sect’s Sun Qingxue had said something like that to him, out of ten thousand people, ten thousand and one wouldn’t believe him. But in this life it was fact. The only thing that left him puzzled was that it should have been the Blue Cloud Sect’s people that appeared to save Sun Qingxue, so how come it was Green Jade Immortal Island’s fairy Shi? Could it be that Sun Qingxue would be a disciple of Green Jade Immortal Island in the future, and not taught by Blue Cloud Sect?

However, whether Sun Qingxue was a disciple of Green Jade Immortal Island or Blue Cloud Sect in the end wasn’t of any great importance to Yang Chen. His achievements as executioner had no come to a successful conclusion, and it was time to leave.

What Yang Chen cared about now was what cultivation technique he should cultivate in order to gain the greatest advantage on his future road of cultivation.