Chapter 5: Close Call

One day later. In the Scurr Family Study, Marcus Scurr stared at Xander Scurr's corpse on the floor, chewed so badly it was barely recognizable. His eyes were bloodshot, and rage shook through his entire body. "Why? Why did it turn out like this?" He whipped his head toward the steward who had brought the body back and bellowed like a madman. The steward dropped to his knees on the spot, trembling so hard he could barely breathe. Xander had only been discovered on the second day. The reek of blood from the dungeon had drawn in plenty of Demon Beasts. The guards' bodies had been almost completely eaten, and if they had arrived any later, Xander would have been gone without a trace. "Little brother!" Evan Scurr charged into the study as if he had lost his mind. The moment he saw Xander's mangled face, his eyes went wide, veins bulging at the corners. "Who killed my brother?" Facing the Family Head's eldest son, the Eldest Young Master who had already replaced Murray Scurr as the top genius, no one dared to make a sound. "Where's Murray Scurr?" Evan suddenly remembered him and roared at the steward. "E-Eldest Young Master… M-Murray Scurr is gone. No one can find him!" "What?" Evan froze. He exchanged a look with Marcus, and the same savage fury surfaced on both their faces. "It was that Great Elder, that old bastard!" "He's always doted on Murray Scurr. It had to be him!" Murray had been crippled to that state and kept tightly locked up. There was no way he had escaped on his own, let alone killed Xander. It had to be the Great Elder. "That old bastard never stopped searching. I didn't think he'd actually find him." "I'm going to kill that old bastard and avenge my brother!" Evan roared, yanking his sword free as he stormed for the door. Marcus caught him and held him back. "Evan, calm down!" "We don't have proof. If the Great Elder rescued Murray Scurr, he definitely found out what we did. We can't act recklessly!" "So my brother just dies for nothing?" Evan glared at him, eyes red as if bleeding. This was his real brother, not that dog Murray Scurr. "Of course not." A cold glint flashed through Marcus's eyes. The pain of losing a son was not something he could simply swallow. "You haven't joined the Martial House yet. If you tear things open with that old bastard, it'll hurt you too much. The most important thing is to drag Murray Scurr out and kill him." Evan fell silent. After a moment, he nodded. "But what if that old bastard tells everyone what happened?" Worry tightened Evan's chest. If this got exposed, his reputation would be ruined. "He wouldn't dare." Marcus sneered and turned toward the doorway. "If he speaks, he's declaring war on us. For the sake of the family, he won't dare fight me." "And you're a Twin Life Palace genius. No matter what that old thing does, he can't touch your future." Evan nodded. Even if it all came out, so what? A Twin Life Palace genius was rare. The Martial House might even make an exception and take him in. Even if the Martial House refused, he could always go somewhere else and rise all the same. "That old bastard won't bring Murray Scurr back. He's probably hiding in the depths of the Demon Beast Mountain Range to heal." A vicious smile curled at Marcus's mouth. "Trying to play games right under my nose? Let's see how far it gets him." "Send everyone out. Find Murray Scurr. Once you do, kill on sight!" "Evan, your priority is cultivation. Once you join the Martial House, you can kill that old thing and avenge Xander." … "Thud!" In the Inner Reaches of the Demon Beast Mountain Range, Murray Scurr wiped sweat from his brow as he looked at the Azure Wind Wolf sprawled at his feet. He had not stopped for even a moment over the past two days. It had been nonstop, frenzied fighting, and his cultivation had already broken through to the Ninth-stage Spirit Movement Realm. He was close to returning to the Life Palace Realm. "Two drops of Origin Liquid." With inner vision, he checked the Sword Meridian and saw the two condensed drops. A smile tugged at his lips. Those two drops were the greatest reward of his effort. "Thirteen days left." He uncorked a bottle of Medicinal Liquid and drank it down, then fixed his gaze toward the core of the Demon Beast Mountain Range. "I need to move faster." After these two days, he had mostly figured out how to condense Origin Liquid. The fastest way was still battle. Fighting not only helped him form Origin Liquid, it also sharpened his control over Sword Intent. The second method was cultivation, but condensing Origin Liquid demanded an extremely rich environment. In a place where Origin Energy was thin, he could cultivate for half a month and still fail to produce even a single drop. The third method was consuming Treasures of Heaven and Earth, or high-grade Medicinal Liquid and pill. The core region held plenty of such Treasures of Heaven and Earth. Relentless battle, plus Treasures of Heaven and Earth, would speed up his Origin Liquid condensation and push him into the Life Palace Realm as quickly as possible. In the depths of the Demon Beast Mountain Range, any Demon Beast that could survive this far in had strength comparable to a human in the Life Palace Realm. Some were even terrifying existences on par with the Rebirth Realm. The core region was a forbidden zone for the weak. One hour later. As Murray passed a massive boulder, a faint floral fragrance drifted to him. "This scent… Purple Flame Flower?" His heart stirred. He pivoted and sprang onto the boulder, and his eyes lit up when he spotted a purple plant growing there. "It really is Purple Flame Flower!" Purple Flame Flower was a top-grade medicinal herb. It could be consumed directly, using fiery heat to temper the meridians and Elixir Field, strengthening their resilience. It also contained an extremely pure power. For Murray, it was irresistible. "If I eat that Purple Flame Flower, I'll definitely condense three more drops of Origin Liquid. My cultivation will even break through to the Peak of the Spirit Movement Realm!" "But where there's Purple Flame Flower, there's a Purple Crystal Beast…" Purple Flame Flower was a companion spirit herb to the Purple Crystal Beast. If the flower was here, the beast was nearby. The Purple Crystal Beast was an exceptionally powerful Demon Beast, and its defense was downright monstrous. With Murray's current strength, running into one meant more danger than hope. "Forget it. You don't get rich without risking your neck." He stopped thinking and moved. Since he did not see the Purple Crystal Beast, he would harvest first and worry later. Once it was in his hand, he would turn and leave immediately, before the Purple Crystal Beast showed up. "Purple Flame Flower? Derek, that's Purple Flame Flower!" Just as Murray jumped down from the boulder, four people emerged from the side. Their eyes locked onto the Purple Flame Flower in his hand, shining with greed. "It really is Purple Flame Flower!" "Murray Scurr?" The four rushed forward in excitement, then abruptly halted, staring at Murray in disbelief. "He's not dead?" "He's that filthy pervert?" One of the women blinked, then looked at Murray with open disgust. She hugged her clothes tighter and took several steps back, as if even being glanced at by him would stain her. After the initial shock, the three men exchanged looks. Purple Flame Flower was incredibly rare. Even if they did not use it themselves, selling it would make them rich. But Murray had once been the city's top genius… "That pervert might've survived by luck, but his cultivation was crippled. What's there to fear?" The young man in front sneered with contempt. A gift delivered to their doorstep was still a gift. The other two men and the woman nodded slightly. The story of Murray angering a powerful figure by violating women, then being crippled and killed, had long spread through Tranquil City. They had no reason to fear a cripple barely clinging to life. "People from the Zimmerman family." Murray recognized the leader. He was a genius of the Zimmerman family named Derek Zimmerman. Derek Zimmerman held out his hand at Murray with arrogant certainty. "Hand over the Purple Flame Flower. Otherwise, you die." Killing intent surfaced on his face. He did not know how Murray had survived, and he did not know how Murray had dared come to the core region, but if Murray refused, then Murray would die. A cold light flashed in Murray's eyes. He drew his sword in one smooth motion. Kill him? That depended on whether they had the strength. "You still dare fight?" Derek and the others laughed. They almost admired his nerve. "No wonder you dared come to the core region. You really don't know how to value your life!" "We left you a dog's life and you still don't cherish it. Fine. Today we'll send you on your way for good!" Derek barked the order, and all four moved at once. Any one of them could have killed Murray, but wasn't it more satisfying to torture him to death together? Seeing them attack as a group, Murray sneered. They really thought highly of him. "Lawless Sword Art, Absolving Sin!" "Clang, clang, clang!" In an instant, every ounce of power in his body surged. With a low shout, he slashed horizontally. Derek and the others' expressions changed violently. "So much strength!" "Gah!" Their palms split from the shock. Because they had underestimated him, all four were blasted backward. "Thud, thud, thud, thud!" "How can he be this strong?" "Wasn't he crippled? How does he still have power like this?" They scrambled up, their right hands shaking uncontrollably. Fear climbed across their faces as they stared at Murray. This kind of strength should never have existed in him. "Did he focus on body cultivation after his cultivation was crippled?" "Kill him!" Derek's face twisted with malice. No matter how strong Murray was, he was taking that Purple Flame Flower. "ROAR!" Before they could move, a furious bellow erupted behind them, shaking the forest. On the boulder, a wolf-like Demon Beast appeared. Its body had almost no fur. Instead, it was covered in a layer of purple crystal, as if plated in armor. "Purple Crystal Beast!" Murray looked up. Seeing it already in a berserk rage, he hesitated for only a heartbeat before turning and leaving. A Purple Crystal Beast stronger than the Life Palace Realm was more than enough to take Derek and the others' lives. "ROAR!" The Purple Crystal Beast's fury boiled over. Its gaze snapped onto the four of them, feral light bursting from its eyes. It had only gone off to take a dump, and the Purple Flame Flower it had guarded for years had been stolen. They had gone too far.