This battle really surprised the smiley old man who was in the air. Mainly because the fight ended in a flash, and though the two people's energy weren't considered strong in his eyes, the ferociousness of their duel surprised him. Even more surprising was Ren Jie's ruthlessness. From the start to the end, he never showed any fear of his first time being engaged in a life and death struggle, he was even more brutal than his opponent as he fiercely fought to the end.
That Yan Zhenfei, from abandoning his sword from the start to subsequently forcing his True Qi into Ren Jie's body, all were acts of experience, giving play to his strong points and avoiding his shortcomings. However, he ultimately didn't even manage to end things with both sides defeated while Ren Jie could persevere till the end and relied on his final breakthrough to kill Yan Zhenfei with a single strike. The ruthlessness and ferocity that was consistently present made up a big part of the reason for that.
"Damn it, he actually really broke through!" The smiley old man was very speechless even now. This fellow really had a breakthrough, how did this even make sense.
Although he was in the Body Refinement Realm, how long had it been, merely a few days had passed.
The last time he cultivated the All-Kill Array with him, he advanced in one night. It was the same thing today. Previously, he had thought he was speaking rubbish, but now…
Looking at Yan Zhenfei who had been killed and sent flying by Ren Jie, the smiley old man thought to himself, If this fellow knew that Ren Jie was only at the fourth level of the Body Refinement Realm, I wonder how he would've felt. The difference between Body Refinement Realm and True Qi Realm was huge. Usually, it would be considered good if three to four perfected Body Refinement Realm beings could go against one in the True Qi Realm. Occasionally there were god-forsaken people who challenged those in another realm, they were essentially in the ninth-level or had perfected the Body Refinement Realm.
Such people usually had great potential. Though they were at the ninth-level or had perfected the Body Refinement Realm, they were definitely several times stronger than the usual beings in the Body Refinement Realm. They'd even learned some middle-grade or superior-grade combat skills or possessed some spiritual artifacts, that was how they were able to skip the ranks for their challenges.
Whereas even after his breakthrough, Ren Jie's true capability was merely at the fifth level of the Body Refinement Realm. He actually feared nothing when faced against a True Qi Realm and ultimately killed him. How was he a young master, even soldiers that had spent a long time on the battlefield were nothing more than this.
Most detestable was that this wasn't an assassination but an outright, face to face kill. Goddamn it, how did he meet such a monster? How was he supposed to teach him, what should he teach him!
Originally, he'd wanted to use this incident to have him learn the cruelty of this world and let him witness what truly killing someone was, but now…
"Spurt…" After finally killing Yan Zhenfei, the mouthful of blood that Ren Jie had been suppressing was finally spat out. He went through many expressions. He'd skipped the realms and killed a being in the True Qi Realm, after all, it wasn't a joke. Only, he had a firm belief earlier, that he absolutely could not retreat.
Fortunately, the energy was released now. The Qi at the fifth level of the Jade Emperor Refinement Technique was strong. After circulating it several times and stabilizing his internal injuries, even his other wounds felt much better.
Ren Jie walked over and lifted Yan Zhenfei's body in one grip. He strode to Sun Zhu who was seated on the steps in front of the door propped up on a broken sword and holding a crying child.
"Passing through, plop…" Ren Jie said as he threw Yan Zhenfei's body in front of Sun Zhu. Only once he spoke, blood streamed from the corner of his mouth again. Ren Jie wiped the blood using his hand. Ever since he came to this world, he had known that this was longer a society ruled by law like how it was on earth, everything depended on fists and capability. However, it was only today that he seemed to experience first hand the cruelty of this world.
Ren Jie could tell that this Sun Zhu was dying. He was inhaling more than he was exhaling, only hanging on with his willpower.
"Ha… haha… cough…" Sun Zhu laughed. The Qi that had been sustaining him instantly seemed to break up, but he ultimately looked towards Ren Jie gratefully. "Thank… you. At least… I… know, my Sun family… has been doing good our whole lives… on the whole, would not… cough…
"This… this… is what he wants… I got it by chance in the past… I… I realized it was unusual… but didn't know it… it would bring misfortune, otherwise… I wouldn't have kept it… no matter how good… I don't want it, I only the family… peaceful… don't want, I really didn't want it, this… isn't something… an average family like us… can have. You can have it… thank you for avenging… my Sun family… Sun Rui… the child… please, she's very spec…" In Sun Zhu's hand that was holding his granddaughter was a round pearl the size of a baby's first. It was utterly clear, and one could see that something was in there, only it was quite blurred.
He opened his hand towards Ren Jie, at the same time wanting to entrust him the child and say more. However, before he could finish, his eyes slowly shut and he passed away in the same position.
Sun Rui's eyes were still wide as she sat in his arms. She had a death grip on Sun Zhu's arm and her body continued to tremble.
A courtyard full of bodies, in the darkness of the night, standing there, Ren Jie also couldn't find peace for a long time.
"Dang…" Just then, the pearl fell from Sun Zhu's hand.
Looking at Sun Rui who was still holding tightly onto the arm of the dead Sun Zhu, Ren Jie was suddenly at a loss of what to do. When facing Yan Zhenfei who was much stronger than him and had massacred more than a hundred people, he could charge forward without any fear. However, looking at this little girl in her pajamas with bloodstains on her face that were clearly from when Sun Zhu was battling Yan Zhenfei, this little girl who didn't have the aura of a child raised in a village and seemed to radiate grace, Ren Jie also felt really troubled.
"Um…" Ren Jie was feeling troubled about how to talk to this little girl and didn't bother about the pearl that had dropped. However, once the pearl fell out of Sun Zhu's hands, the smiley old man in the air suddenly faltered. In the next second, he landed and stood by the pearl, staring at it unmoved.
"How… how could this be, jade… jade essence…" The smiley old man's voice was slightly shaky as he looked at the pearl in disbelief.
"What jade essence?" Ren Jie was also stunned to see the smiley old man drop down so quickly and look so surprised. He had yet to probe into the background of the smiley old man even till now, but he was certainly exceptional. Something that could make him this shocked must be out of the ordinary.
Ren Jie asked as he bent and picked the pearl up, looking at it carefully. It only felt very comfortable in his hands, nothing special.
"What can you tell, this outer layer is formed by smelting and condensing the jade essence. It would be scary if you could see through it." As he spoke, the smiley old man lifted his hand and took the round ball from Ren Jie's hand. He examined it extremely carefully and extremely agitatedly.
"After all that, what exactly is going on?" Seeing that the smiley old man hadn't gotten to the main point after all that talk, Ren Jie could not help but pursue.
The smiley old man said with the pearl in hand, "Even the average person knows. When one enters the True Qi Realm, he can use an inferior-grade spiritual jade for cultivation. In the Divine Power Realm, it would be best to use a middle-grade spiritual jade. A superior-grade spiritual jade is extremely precious, only the powerful at the Yin Yang Realm have the right to possess and use it. And above the superior-grade spiritual jade, there's the ultimate-grade spiritual jade. One piece of ultimate-grade spiritual jade is equivalent to a thousand pieces of superior-grade spiritual jade. If converted into jade coins, a piece of ultimate-grade spiritual jade is worth a million jade coins, and that's only in theory. In reality, it's impossible to buy an ultimate-grade spiritual jade using jade coins. Everyone knows this, but in actuality, above the ultimate-grade spiritual jade, there's still jade essence, the essence of jade. Its value is difficult to measure, and this pearl has been made by someone compressing and condensing jade essence to form it."
Ren Jie wasn't someone like Yan Zhenfei, neither was he some saint. Earlier on, Sun Zhu handed this pearl to him, clearly because he'd wanted to entrust the child to him. However, the moment he heard that this thing was actually even more precious than an ultimate-grade spiritual jade, Ren Jie's first thought was, F*ck, this must be able to sustain the video for a long time.
"Hmph, don't think that you've prospered…" The smiley old carefully checked the condition inside and said, "A jade essence is not something that mortals can possess at all. Even I only know the way to use a jade essence, but I have no way of smelting, condensing and re-compressing it. Below the Yin Yang Realm, even if you have jade essence you won't be able to use it, just like how people who've yet to reach the True Qi Realm have no way of using spiritual jade. You totally won't be able to move the huge amount of energy in it. As for this jade essence pearl that has been re-condensed and re-compressed, even I have no way of checking what's in it. The only odd thing, that rascal was such a trashy True Qi Realm cultivator, how could he have recognized this jade essence pearl. Oh, this is…"
The smiley old man was naturally referring to how Yan Zhenfei could recognize it. Usually, even a cultivator at the peak of the Divine Power Realm or even at the Yin Yang Realm and had condensed their Yin soul might not recognize the jade essence. Hence, he examined it carefully while finding it odd. All of a sudden, his expression changed slightly, because he'd abruptly found an indistinct mark at the top. It was faint. If one didn't pay attention to it, he might just think it was a black cloud, but the smiley old man faltered.
Then, he squatted down directly and searched Yan Zhenfei's body swiftly.
Seeing the smiley old man's actions, Ren Jie knew there must be something. However, regarding the smiley old man's comment that he wasn't able to use the jade essence, Ren Jie was very confident inside. He wasn't in the True Qi Realm. Previously, he'd used the video in the laptop in his consciousness to absorb energy and could do the same this time. He believed it was no problem for jade essence too. This thought only flashed across his mind. Ren Jie suddenly realized that the little girl called Sun Rui still had her eyes fixed on Yan Zhenfei.
"Your grandfather is already dead and your family has been avenged. Come with me first." Filled with bloodshed and murder, even Ren Jie, an outsider, couldn't take it after coming in, what more for a seven, eight years old little girl who had witnessed it with her own eyes. Ren Jie wanted to take Sun Rui away. Initially, Ren Jie had been thinking, if the little girl struggled too hard, he would find a way to put her to sleep and bring her back. Unexpectedly, the little girl gave her hand to Ren Jie, then her other hand reluctantly let go of Sun Zhu.
Mm!
Ren Jie first faltered, then realized. This graceful looking Sun Rui who was still trembling in her pajamas had kept her eyes fixed on Yan Zhenfei all the way.
"Sure enough. I was saying that with this good-for-nothing in the True Qi Realm, how was it possible that he could recognize the jade essence. Turns out, he's indeed Broken Soul's man. There's a mark left by the powerful people of Broken Soul back then. It seems like this person can at the least condense his Yang spirit and also use superior-grade and above spiritual artifacts to be able to leave a mark on this jade essence, only it seems like a rushed job." The smiley old man found a unique black little token shaped like a cloud from Yan Zhenfei, then stood up and murmured to himself.
As he went on, the smiley old man also had all sorts of feelings in his heart.
If this had been someone else, he probably would have had the thought of seizing this long ago. Because the preciousness of the jade essence was enough to move him. To him, ordinary wealth was totally useless, only such treasures were of use to him.
Yet, of all people, it had to be in Ren Jie's hands. Damn it, too detestable.
He thought of all a sudden and his divine sense found that there was a battle around here. He thought it was suitable for Ren Jie to witness the tragedy of family extermination. To the smiley old man, even if Ren Jie refused to go down, he would've thrown him anyway, since he was also haughty previously. The smiley old man, who had failed twice, planned on using this chance to train him.
In the end, he actually charged down on his own initiative, killed the fellow, and even got a jade essence pearl. Gosh, what bullsh*t!
Jade essence. Back then, for a piece of jade essence, he had fought in a ruin, stuck in one place for several years without leaving. And this was a pearl that was condensed using jade essence, there even seemed to be something sealed in it. If this jade essence was only a case, the smiley old man really didn't dare to imagine what could be sealed inside.
Upset, too damn upset.
Infuriating, so infuriating he was about to explode.
If they went on like this, this rascal would certainly be the death of him.
He'd participated in thousands of battles, killed countless people. Why hadn't he encountered something like this? Damn it, it couldn't be that he was doomed to let the father and son have him by his short hairs in this lifetime. He could even meet an incident like this.
"Keep it well. However, never ever think of touching this jade essence. It's not as simple, and there seems to be something inside. Also, don't expose it. Otherwise, even the Ren family cannot protect you. Something that the Broken Souls have their eyes on, even the emperor has to return it. Keep it carefully, do not ever let anyone see it, understand. I really wonder what I owed you, father and son, in my previous life. Actually… damn it, giving it to you… you… you…" The smiley old man was about to hand the jade essence pearl to Ren Jie, only then did he truly look at the graceful Sun Rui who was holding Ren Jie's hand but still staring at Yan Zhenfei's body.
"What's with you again, someone stepped on your tail?" Ren Jie had wanted to ask if he'd seen a ghost, but seeing that he was looking at Sun Rui, he did not say that. Only, Ren Jie found the smiley old man's continuous abnormal behavior odd. He wouldn't be like this just because he couldn't bear to part with the jade essence, right?
The smiley old man abruptly stuffed the jade essence pearl into Ren Jie's hands, squatted down, and looked at Sun Rui who was staring at Yan Zhenfei's body with a hollow gaze, covered in blood and trembling in her pajamas.
"Native… soul. Gosh, it's really a native soul. Such a constitution stated in the legends really does exist, haha. And I actually encountered it." She wasn't just a native soul, she had a thread of intelligence line between her brows. "Could this be… the legendary native intelligence mark. This… a small town, how is it possible to have such a child… this…" The smiley old man looked at Sun Rui a hundred times more shocked than he saw the jade essence.