Chapter 4: Blade Broken, Man Broken!

"Bang!" The burly brute slammed to the ground, and the impact made Xander Scurr and the others flinch hard. "Y-you… how can you…" Xander's lips turned purple, his face drained of color. It felt like he was staring at the return of that top genius. "Wasn't your Elixir Field dug out and given to my brother? How could you still have this kind of strength!" "Fake. It has to be fake!" "Kill him! Kill him!" Shocked and terrified, Xander shrieked and stomped in place, barking orders for the remaining guards to attack. The guards stared at Murray Scurr, swallowed hard, then forced themselves forward. In their eyes, the guard who had died earlier only died because he'd been careless and hadn't even used a weapon. Murray had no Elixir Field. He couldn't possibly still have cultivation. At most, he had a bit of brute strength left. And because Murray had been cultivating nonstop and never had the chance to clean up, every wound on his body was sealed under thick scabs of dried blood. They couldn't tell he had already fully recovered. Five late-stage Spirit Movement Realm guards closed in and surrounded him. Panic surged across Melody's face. She was still terrified for Murray's safety, because she thought the same thing Xander and the others did. Murray showing that kind of power was already horrifying enough. Restoring an Elixir Field and recovering cultivation sounded like pure fantasy. "Young master, you need to-" "Relax," Murray said, steadying her with a glance. "They'll all die here." His gaze sharpened into ice. He tossed aside the iron rod, then picked up the burly brute's sword. With the blade in hand, the Lawless Sword Art surged through his mind. "Lawless Sword Art, Absolving Sin!" A Battle Technique beyond Heavenly Rank revealed its true might for the first time. Murray lifted his arm and slashed. Sword Energy screamed straight at the guards. "What is that?" Their first reaction was blank confusion. By the time understanding struck, it was too late. "That's a swor-" "Shhk, shhk!" One slash. Three heads hit the ground. "Sword Energy… that's Sword Energy!" The last two guards skidded to a stop, faces bleaching as they stared at the three corpses. "How is this possible? How could he have Sword Energy!" "Wasn't his Elixir Field dug out? Where did his cultivation come from? How can he still be this strong!" Murray didn't give them time to recover from the shock. He drove in again, sword flashing as he went for their throats. "Clang, clang!" This time, the two guards reacted in time, jerking up their swords to block. It changed nothing. Blade broken, man broken. "Shhk!" Two swords snapped. Two heads followed, tumbling to the ground as blood sprayed in thick streams. Xander's scalp went cold. His whole body went numb with fear. "Xander Scurr!" After cutting down the guards, Murray turned. His eyes held nothing but endless killing intent. You're next. "S-Su Mu- M-Murray, you… you you you…" Meeting that terrifying gaze, Xander nearly lost control of his bladder. He pointed at Murray like he'd seen a ghost, backing away in a trembling stumble before crashing onto the floor. "You recovered your cultivation? Wasn't your Life Palace dug out by my father and given to my brother?" he roared, horror-stricken. In this dungeon, Murray had been alone. How could he possibly have recovered? Had he truly run into a ghost? "You can thank you and your father for it," Murray said. He walked forward step by step, the dripping sword dragging Xander deeper into despair. "Xander Scurr, you and your father repaid kindness with betrayal. Without me, would you have what you have today? If I hadn't saved you two years ago, you wouldn't even be alive!" "And you still wanted to rip out my heart. You still dared to lay hands on my people. You deserve to die." "No! You can't kill me!" Murray stopped right in front of him, and Xander threw up a hand, shouting in panic. "If you kill me, my father will never let you go!" "Heh…" Murray's laugh was cold as steel. "Don't worry. You'll be seeing your father soon." He set the sword against Xander's neck. "Don't kill me! I… I know where Jocelyn Hauk is right now!" Xander blurted out, like a drowning man clawing at driftwood. Jocelyn! Murray's heart lurched. "Talk," he snapped. "Where is Jocelyn?" "If I tell you, will you let me go?" "Speak." "I heard Jocelyn Hauk caught the eye of some big shot in the Martial House. She was taken back to the Martial House to recover," Xander rattled off, shivering. Then he looked up at Murray with desperate hope. "I told you. Please… please let me live." "Murray… it was my father and my brother. It wasn't me!" Xander scrambled to his knees, crying as he kowtowed. "Murray, you always treated me like your real little brother. I'm begging you, spare my life!" "Don't call me that." Murray's voice turned disgusted. "Hearing it from you makes me sick. And I never had a brother as vile as you." "Shhk!" Murray twisted his wrist. Xander felt a sudden chill at his throat. He lifted a hand, touched his neck, and stared at the blood soaking his palm. "Y-you… you can't go back on your word…" He looked up at Murray in disbelief. He'd already told him. Why wasn't he being spared? "Did I ever say I'd spare you?" Murray looked down at him, expressionless, then kicked him flat. "You think you deserve to keep living?" "Jocelyn… wait for me." Murray lifted his eyes, staring through the dungeon door toward the distant horizon, as if he could see Jocelyn Hauk far away in the Martial House. A moment later, he came back to himself. He crouched by Xander's corpse and searched it, pulling out several jade bottles. "Melody." He turned and walked to her with the bottles in hand. Melody stared at him blankly, clearly still trapped in the aftermath of what she'd just witnessed. "Melody, drink this Medicinal Liquid first. Your injuries will heal quickly." Murray uncorked one jade bottle and offered it to her. She jolted, finally snapping out of it. She looked at him in a daze, took the bottle, and swallowed it in one gulp. Color returned to her face almost immediately. "Young master… your injuries, how did you…" She hesitated, then couldn't help asking. Only then did she truly realize how impossible it was. Murray had been locked here alone. His Elixir Field had been dug out. How could he have recovered unless immortals truly existed? Murray shook his head, warning her not to ask. Melody nodded obediently and didn't press further. "Young master, come back with me," she said, suddenly remembering something. "The Great Elder has been waiting for you for so long! If the Great Elder knows you're safe, he'll be overjoyed!" Murray fell silent for a beat. A sharp light flickered through his eyes, and then he shook his head. Melody's gaze filled with confusion. "Young master, the Great Elder can protect you." "No." Murray still refused. The Great Elder could protect him, but the price would be Marcus Scurr's insane retaliation. Murray didn't want to drag anyone else down, not anyone who still cared about him. "Go back first and tell the Great Elder. Don't make it public," Murray said. "On the day of Martial House Enrollment, I'll return." There were only half a month left until Martial House Enrollment. In those two weeks, he had to break into the Life Palace Realm and personally slaughter Marcus Scurr. Melody wanted to argue, but in the end she nodded quietly. As long as young master was alive, nothing else mattered. Murray turned and picked up the sword from Xander's body. Out of everything here, it was the best quality, a Mid-grade Mortal Weapon. For the moment, it was more than enough. Then he collected all the Medicinal Liquid from the other bodies. He would need it for cultivation later. When he finished, the two of them walked out of the dungeon together. Facing the endless forest ahead, Murray immediately confirmed where they were. "The Inner Reaches of the Demon Beast Mountain Range… Marcus Scurr, you really did spare no expense." Building a dungeon in the Demon Beast Mountain Range was no easy feat. For Marcus Scurr and his son to dig out Murray's Elixir Field, to try to rip out his heart, they had gone completely mad. Half a month. In half a month, he would make Marcus Scurr and his son pay the most brutal price. He would make them regret everything. "Young master, I'm leaving first," Melody said softly. "Please be careful." Murray watched her go. She waved again and again, reluctant to part, until she disappeared into the trees. "Hm?" Murray murmured. Before leaving, he used inner vision on his Sword Meridian. The Origin Liquid inside had increased by half. It was already close to forming a complete drop! "Even the Small Sword feels stronger," he muttered, stunned and delighted. "Does fighting fill the Sword Meridian faster than cultivation? Can it even strengthen Sword Intent?" Joy flashed across his face. All this time, he had been wrong. Battle, and killing, was the fastest way to cultivate.