A Dutiful Son's Bloodstained Path

As the dutiful son, Tang Hwi, swept through the Taesang Pavilion, he became utterly drenched in blood. Of course, not a single drop of it was his own; it belonged entirely to the Elders. One by one, he beat to death the very men who had once led the Sichuan Tang Clan. They were by no means incompetent, but the hidden weapons and poisons they so proudly brandished were utterly useless against him.

No matter how much internal energy they infused into their hidden weapons, they could not pierce his skin. Even the lethal poisons capable of slaying dozens of southern elephants were instantly dissolved into his Demonic Qi, neutralized by the Poison Butterfly Divine Art he had learned from Tang Suryeon. Facing Tang Hwi—who was their absolute natural enemy—the Elders fell like autumn leaves.

After he had dispatched ten of them, the remaining Elders finally seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. Despite their advanced age, which usually demanded long hours of sleep, they had all risen and banded together. Among them, the Second Elder, who held the highest rank among the survivors, bellowed in rage.

"Tang Hwi, you bastard! Have you lost your mind?! How dare you commit such an atrocity...!"

"You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know, sometimes..." Tang Hwi interrupted, casually rotating his shoulders and wrists to loosen his stiff muscles. "...there are people who just don't realize that the generations have changed."

It was a display of blatant contempt, yet the four remaining Elders did not dare open their mouths. This was despite the fact that they could not sense even a single shred of internal energy radiating from him.

"Know your place," Tang Hwi sneered. "We treated you with respect because you were the old dogs guarding the house. So why do you keep trying to bite the master?"

The blood-soaked killing intent rolling off Tang Hwi was enough to terrify even these seasoned masters. Why are they all so eager to die? he wondered.

Originally, he had intended to send them off peacefully with poison. That was, until he discovered their plot to force Tang Suryeon into a remarriage—specifically, to marry her off to one of their own blood relatives from a branch family so they could easily manipulate her to their liking.

"No matter how unavoidable political marriages are for prestigious clans, my mother already went through that once," Tang Hwi said, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "You shackled her to a piece of trash like Namgung Buryun back then, and now you're trying to force her into another marriage?"

"How... how do you know about that...?"

"Third Elder! That is not what is important right now!" the Second Elder hissed. "What matters is that the eldest young master has been consumed by madness, enough to slaughter ten of us! What we must do immediately is—watch out!"

Taking advantage of their brief exchange, Tang Hwi lunged. But the Seventh Elder's warning to the Second Elder was rendered utterly useless. With a sharp tap, Tang Hwi pivoted at a near-right angle, redirecting his explosive momentum straight toward the Seventh Elder instead. Terrified but experienced, the Seventh Elder quickly fell into a defensive stance. This was Tang Nancheon, the Seventh Elder of the Taesang Pavilion—a master of fist and palm techniques who specialized in close-quarters combat.

"You arrogant brat! If you think I am the same as those other elders, you are sorely mistaken!"

Tang Nancheon thrust out his palm, coating it in sharp *qi* to intercept Tang Hwi's incoming fist. But in that split second, Tang Hwi fluidly retracted his punch, spun on his heel, and unleashed a sudden, devastating kick. Horrified, Tang Nancheon desperately summoned his protective *qi*. He pulled back his palms and crossed his forearms to block, but it was already too late. Tang Hwi's leg whipped around like a dragon's tail, shattering the elder's forearms and sending him flying through the air.

"Seventh Elder!"

"Hwi, you monster!"

Leaving the silent, broken body of the Seventh Elder sailing through the air, the remaining Elders surged toward Tang Hwi.

The Second, Third, and Ninth Elders... They are all masters of hidden weapons, but each utilizes entirely different styles. I just need to guard my vital points. No matter how close his body was to achieving an indestructible diamond-like state, vulnerable areas like the eyes, solar plexus, and ears remained dangerous. Places that could not be hardened through cultivation would always be weaknesses.

The Ninth Elder threw his Dragon Scale Daggers. True to their name, they were as hard as dragon scales and possessed devastating power, but their sheer weight made them slow. While they were sharp enough to inflict meaningful damage on Tang Hwi's skin, hitting him was another story entirely.

To compensate for this, the Second Elder blanketed the surrounding area with a swarm of cow-hair needles, sealing off any path of evasion. Astonishingly, every single needle was coated in sharp *qi*. Tang Hwi had suspected the old man possessed a vast reserve of internal energy, but who would have thought he had enough to squander so lavishly?

In response, Tang Hwi stomped his foot.

"The Heavenly Demonic Steps?!" the Second Elder gasped in sheer disbelief.

"It's just a simple stomp," Tang Hwi replied coolly, lunging toward him.

Sensing an opportunity, the Third Elder slipped behind Tang Hwi. Gripping a long, dagger-like throwing knife in a reverse grip, he drove it straight toward Tang Hwi's back, aiming for the heart. A loud metallic clang echoed through the courtyard. The strike carried the profound principles of internal energy transmission, sending a violent vibration echoing through Tang Hwi's internal organs. He sustained internal damage, but he forced himself to endure it.

Seeing Tang Hwi charge right through the internal damage, the Second Elder could no longer hide his terror. With a pale, panic-stricken face, he frantically unleashed a volley of hidden weapons from his sleeves, aiming for Tang Hwi's eyes, solar plexus, and groin. Tang Hwi twisted his body mid-air, deflecting the projectiles, and slammed directly into the Second Elder. It was the Iron Mountain Lean—a basic close-combat technique that used the back to strike an opponent. Hit by this deceptively simple move, the Second Elder coughed up a fountain of blood and was sent hurtling into the distance.

As the Third Elder tried to slip behind him for another strike, Tang Hwi whipped around with a devastating back kick, striking the elder's face and completely caving it in.

"I'm not fond of getting hit twice," Tang Hwi muttered.

"You monster!" the Ninth Elder roared, throwing his Dragon Scale Daggers once more. Because his posture was slightly off after kicking the Third Elder, Tang Hwi was left completely exposed to the incoming blades. He was about to be shredded to pieces... or so it seemed.

The Ninth Elder drew another Dragon Scale Dagger from his sleeve—but instead of throwing it, he gripped it tightly and charged. Though heavy, the dagger was still lighter than a sword. Coated in his sharp *qi*, it should easily slice through Tang Hwi's diamond-like flesh. With that calculation, the Ninth Elder swung his dagger to counter Tang Hwi's incoming fist. A harsh screech of metal on energy rang out.

"What?!" Even with his *qi* infused into the blade, the Dragon Scale Dagger failed to pierce Tang Hwi's Dragon Scale Robe. A dull crack followed. Tang Hwi's fist slammed directly into his face, crushing his skull and killing him instantly.

Having dealt with all four elders, Tang Hwi swallowed the blood welling up in his throat and spoke to the empty air. "How long do you plan on just watching?"

"..."

"If you're just going to stand there, stay still. Because I'm about to come over and beat you to death."

"Heheh. Is it so wrong for a grandfather to watch his grandson show off his tricks?"

Out of the absolute darkness, where not even a breath could be felt, an elderly man stepped forward. Though he appeared to be merely in his twilight years, his actual age was close to eighty. He was Tang Cheon, the Lord of the Taesang Pavilion and the former Supreme Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

When a martial artist at the Late Master Realm achieved a state akin to oneness with nature and hid in the shadows, it was impossible for someone of a lower realm to detect them. Yet, Tang Hwi had spoken with absolute certainty of his presence, leaving Tang Cheon with no choice but to reveal himself.

"But tell me, how were you so sure your grandfather was here? I had completely erased my presence."

"You erased it too perfectly, which made it stand out instead," Tang Hwi replied. "In your effort to completely eliminate your presence, you disrupted the natural flow of the surroundings. It was like looking at a beautiful painting with a gaping hole right in the middle."

"Oho! I have learned something new today. Indeed, a master highly sensitive to energy would find my concealment easier to spot because of that very disruption."

"But why didn't you launch a surprise attack?"

"A surprise attack? Why on earth would your grandfather launch a surprise attack on you?" Tang Cheon tilted his head in genuine confusion.

Tang Hwi stared intently at the old man. Having lived countless lives and accumulated vast experience, he could tell that Tang Cheon's words were entirely genuine. What was even more absurd was that he felt absolutely no hostility from the old man—only an overwhelming, almost unconditional goodwill. Tang Hwi let out a hollow laugh at this sudden, boundless affection from his grandfather.

"You've steeped yourself in poison for so long that your brain has rotted," Tang Hwi remarked bluntly.

"Heheh. How could I possibly dislike you? I feel like gouging out my own eyes for failing to recognize such a rough diamond, and for criticizing my precious grandson in the past."

"I grew up just fine on my own, though."

"Indeed, and that is precisely why I regret it so. It seems you learned the sword from your mother, but you've also mastered external martial arts to an incredible degree on your own. Ah, if only I had taught you my flying dagger techniques when you were still a raw gem!"

To an outsider, his grumbling made him look like a doting grandfather who was simply anxious to shower his grandson with more affection. But Tang Hwi recalled his life before awakening his past memories, remembering the look in Tang Cheon's eyes back then. He used to look at me like I was an insect.

Back when he believed Tang Hwi had no talent for hidden weapons or poison arts, Tang Cheon had looked down on his own biological grandson as if he were a worthless bug. Because of that, Tang Hwi could not understand this sudden, complete reversal in Tang Cheon's attitude.

"It seems you are displeased with the elders' attempt to remarry your mother," Tang Cheon noted.

"She has suffered enough all these years," Tang Hwi replied. "It is time for her to live the life she truly desires."

A life of complete fulfillment as a woman, tangled in bed with Tang Hwi himself.

"Heheh. What a dutiful son," Tang Cheon chuckled.

"More importantly," Tang Hwi said, "why are you being so kind when you know I intend to kill you? Are you hoping I'll grant you a painless death?"

From the moment Tang Hwi detected his presence, he had directed a steady stream of pure killing intent toward him. Even for a higher-realm master, such intense malice should have been highly offensive. Yet, Tang Cheon had received it with nothing but warmth. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠When Tang Hwi voiced his natural confusion, Tang Cheon cackled, a deep, wide grin spreading across his face.

"My grandson has reached the Mid Master Realm at the tender age of twenty-one! Such talent is virtually unprecedented in the history of the Jianghu. And every single person who achieved such a feat eventually became the Number One Under Heaven!"

Tang Cheon's eyes rolled back slightly, wild with a manic, obsessive ecstasy.

"The Number One Under Heaven is finally being born from our clan! How could I not rejoice?! Killing the Elders of the Taesang Pavilion? Who cares about them! They were nothing but old, useless parasites eating our food anyway! If sacrificing such worthless pests appeases my grandson's anger, then they deserved ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to die ten times over!"

"Ha..." Tang Hwi breathed out, genuinely astonished.

He was a rare breed of lunatic—one utterly obsessed with the clan's glory. In all his past lives, Tang Hwi had only encountered a handful of people so single-mindedly fixated on their family's standing as a martial powerhouse rather than the lives of its members. Such individuals possessed a psychological makeup entirely different from ordinary people. They were incomprehensible fanatics who placed the clan above all else. That was why Tang Cheon had stood by and watched as Tang Hwi slaughtered the very elders who had spent their entire lives alongside him. To him, the value of a future Number One Under Heaven far outweighed a dozen decrepit elders.

"Do you want my life? I will gladly give it to you! But you must make one promise to your grandfather."

"What kind of promise?"

"Kill me after you become the Number One Under Heaven! Once I see my Hwi stand at the absolute peak of the world under the name of the Tang Clan, you may take my life whenever you wish!"

A man who held even his own life so cheaply... Manipulating someone like this was child's play for Tang Hwi. Becoming the Number One Under Heaven was an incredibly straightforward path for him. No, not straightforward—familiar.

He had reached that peak multiple times across his past lives, and he had fallen from it just as often. In any case, as long as he set his mind to it, it was a dream he could easily realize. At least, it was for him. Furthermore, given Tang Cheon's obsessive nature, Tang Hwi had a strong hunch that the old man wouldn't care in the slightest even if he engaged in incestuous relationships within the family. After deliberately weighing Tang Cheon's proposal, Tang Hwi slowly extended his hand, offering a handshake. A radiant smile broke across Tang Cheon's face as he reached out to grasp it.

A wet squelch echoed through the courtyard.

Suddenly pulling the hand he had just clasped, Tang Hwi drove his hand like a spear straight through Tang Cheon's chest, piercing his heart. It was a devastating, unexpected strike. Because Tang Hwi had completely masked his killing intent until their hands met, Tang Cheon had let his guard down entirely. With his heart instantly ruptured, the old man could not even utter a sound as his life ebbed away. His eyes bulged with a silent, desperate question.

Why? Why did you betray me? I would have been your most absolute ally... Why?

Tang Hwi looked down at his dying grandfather, his expression twisted in disgust as he answered the unspoken question. "There is no way in hell I would ever allow a lunatic like you near my family."

With a look of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠profound grievance etched onto his face, Tang Cheon closed his eyes forever. It was a hollow, pathetic end for the legendary Dark King.