Chapter 69: 69, Deserved consequences

The atmosphere in the cave plummeted to freezing point. That evening, when two team members had vanished without a trace, the incident had already cast a heavy pall over everyone. Yet no one had anticipated that a fratricidal clash would erupt.

Xu Xianchu, Lu Xinyu, Liu Bu, and Wang Lei gradually grasped the truth: the two private soldiers seemed intent on ambushing Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaomu, but the pair had dispatched them in an instant.

The speed of the battle defied imagination, and it compelled Xu Xianchu to scrutinize the two figures before him with renewed gravity.

He sighed, "This is their own doing."

Ren Xiaosu remained silent, yet after much deliberation, he understood Xu Xianchu’s lack of motive.

If it were for firearms, Xu Xianchu’s own arsenal—rifles or pistols—had suffered no loss. If it were to seize Lu Xinyu, Xu Xianchu had long possessed opportunities, for Lu Xinyu had once thrown herself at him, yet he had never acknowledged her directly.

If it were for water, Xu Xianchu had just drawn a jarful that night, rendering it pointless to covet Ren Xiaosu’s two bottles.

Ren Xiaosu’s concern stemmed from fearing Xu Xianchu might intervene for the sake of order within the group. But it ultimately proved Xu Xianchu had no desire to entangle himself in such matters.

Xu Xianchu’s true aim was to unravel the enigma of Jing Shan and the evolution of its creatures, not to lead others astray.

"Still, Sun Junzheng’s crime does not warrant death," Xu Xianchu sighed again. "Forget it—there is no right or wrong in this wilderness."

Ren Xiaosu sensed Xu Xianchu had grasped the law of survival here: no right or wrong, only survival as truth.

He did not deem Yang Xiaomu’s actions just, but leaving no loose ends was undoubtedly correct!

Ren Xiaosu dragged the three corpses outside the cave and addressed Xu Xianchu and Yang Xiaomu: "I’ve been puzzled by Xu Xia’s disappearance. This is a chance to examine it closely."

He told Yang Xiaomu, "Call out if anything seems amiss."

With that, he leaned against the rock wall and resumed sleeping. The others marveled at Ren Xiaosu’s audacity—how could he nap so peacefully after slaying men? Had he not been the one to kill them?

In truth, Ren Xiaosu was not asleep. He was meditating within his inner palace, where a new black shadow had appeared, rousing his curiosity and banishing drowsiness.

He had long envied Xu Xianchu, even harboring a grudging admiration for Zhang Baogen’s bubble-spitting ability.

Though bubble-spitting seemed feeble, Ren Xiaosu suspected its potential for growth.

Could transcendents improve? He believed they could.

Yet he, though possessing a palace that seemed imposing, had merely honed strength and agility, unlike a true transcendent.

After all, others, through prolonged training, could match his current prowess.

Thus, before replicating Xu Xianchu’s shadow, he could not claim transcendence—at least not in combat.

Xu Xianchu’s bullet-deflecting shadow had long fascinated him. Firearms terrified him; their bullets reached supersonic speeds, leaving ordinary people defenseless.

To Ren Xiaosu, fear of firearms marked the threshold of a true transcendent…

Of course, he was not immune to all firearms—ambush could still kill him.

Now, the black shadow stood motionless beside the palace’s typewriter. Upon closer inspection, its outline was unmistakably his own, albeit blurred.

Why was Xu Xianchu’s shadow gray, while his was black, though directly copied? Was there a difference?

At that moment, Ren Xiaosu attempted to maneuver the shadow within the palace, only to realize… its strength and speed were double his own, its physical "density" likewise doubled. No wonder it could deflect bullets—any ordinary person could, but they would die, whereas it would not.

Through his exploration, he discovered the shadow’s duration hinged on spiritual power—as long as his will remained strong, it could persist indefinitely.

Yet he wondered: how could one quantify such an ethereal force?

He queried the palace: "What is my spiritual power?"

The palace replied, "No permission to disclose."

Ren Xiaosu frowned. His master-level wilderness survival, strength, and agility could be assessed—why not spiritual power?

Was there no standard for spiritual power, or was there another reason?

Since answers eluded him, he abandoned further thought and slept.

He surmised why Xu Xianchu’s shadow was gray and his black: his physical form surpassed Xu Xianchu’s, rendering his shadow more substantial.

…

Morning sunlight bathed Ren Xiaosu’s face. The first thing he did was glance at where he had discarded the corpses—only to find them unchanged. No wonder Yang Xiaomu had not roused him; nothing had occurred.

If nothing had happened, it had not. One could not forever await peril.

His gaze shifted inward, meeting Liu Bu’s eyes. Liu Bu, no longer arrogant as in the early days, now flinched.

That night, Liu Bu had slept poorly. A coward at heart, he had grown uneasy upon realizing Ren Xiaosu’s might.

Fear was inevitable. He, Lu Xinyu, and Wang Lei had realized: though few in number, each member was a demon or deity among mortals.

Xu Xianchu had risen and stood outside the cave, surveying the forest with unknown thoughts.

Ren Xiaosu approached Wang Lei, whose instinctive recoil on the stretcher proved futile against his speed.

He lifted Wang Lei’s shirt, gazing at the wound Xu Xianchu had inflicted, and said, "Enough. You can walk now—the injury has healed."

Only then did Wang Lei realize his wound no longer ached. Could Ren Xiaosu’s black elixir be so potent?!