As sunlight emerged from the eastern horizon, residents ventured out of their homes upon hearing whispers echoing around every corner. Some wondered what was wrong, heading to the same place at the same time—to see if they had indeed secured Sanxiu.
"Sanxiu? The killer cultivator?" The old woman doubted, who was hunched over.
"Yes! He killed several hunters at Jansai's old inn," the woman in her fifties responded. "And the news I know is that he killed Jansai and all the people who were there!"
"Heaven's call! This is too much!" The old lady gasped in shock, unable to accept Sanxiu's viciousness. "Where is he now?"
"In the village hall," the woman moved her head to indicate the location. "He'll be executed this morning."
"Thank God, he deserved it!" The elder took a few steps forward and then uttered, "Let's check it out. I wanted to make sure of his death!"
In that large and spacious area, there were a lot of multitudes assembled. The open space in the center of the village was the main intention of all residents, merchants, and wanderers alike. In that location, a very high podium was set, as the executioner was still sharpening his sword.
A woman's scream now echoed through the crowd – the desperate voice of Siuxa struggling against her captors. "Please! Free him, it's not his doing! He wasn't in the inn!" The woman with flowing black hair cried out, attempting to resist as her hands were restrained by two weishi.
"Shut up!" the man clad with steel cuirass roughly tugged on her mane, forcing her to look up, suppressing the discomfort. "Or we will kill you too!"
Forced onto the stage, Renxian showed no signs of resistance. His eyes were lifeless, his mind elsewhere. Kneeling with head lowered, he suddenly noticed the general audience before him – a sea of cheering faces, all desiring his destruction.
Almost like the students of his former class, when he was down, they laughed at him. Renxian could vividly feel the memories of being insulted and harassed, their gazes mirroring those wishing him misery. Closing his eyes, Renxian contemplated the echoes of his past.
"Why do I have to experience this all over again?" He muttered. "Why should I yield like this when I'm not a weak man like Charles?"
The executioner seemed to clean up his sword which was next to Renxian who was still being held by a weishi in each hand. As he turned to Sanxiu, the burly man in the black robe stepped closer in preparation. Waiting for the signal from the village chief to Renxian's right.
"Sanxiu, the Cultivator Killer!" The old man with a fine red attire shouted, causing the crowd to fall silent. "Secluded Wanderer, Deviant Cultivator, Beast Hunter. You are called by many names."
"Yet, what have you done to those hunters, you don't deserve all those names except a cultivator killer!" The face with many wrinkles turned to the man who was still kneeling, slightly feeling that something was wrong with him. "You proved it yourself."
"Before your demise," the village chief furrowed his brows when he felt something amiss from the rogue cultivator. "Any last words?"
As an elder with Gate 3 cultivation, he couldn't ignore the growing aura emitted by Renxian. Gradually, this pressure expanded to the surroundings, causing the watching citizens to sense something out of the ordinary, something unpredictable.
A noticeable anticipation spread among the crowd as if they were collectively afraid of the unknown.
Renxian looked up, revealing an attractive yet tense face. In a heavy voice, he declared, "I won't surrender to my second life."
Suddenly, the sound of shouting began to reverberate, distracting everyone present. The volume increased, prompting some residents to disperse and run away in anxiety. The unsettling commotion found clarity when someone cried out with a terrified face, "Goblins! Goblins are entering the village!"
"What?" The chief nearly jumped out of his skin at that, followed by the residents who scattered in a panic to save themselves - heedless of the execution. "Hunter and weishi, do your duty!"
When he looked back at Renxian, he found that there were two unconscious weishi, releasing Sanxiu who had fled to who knows where. However, the black-haired man did not flee outside the village but instead headed towards the location where the Goblins had invaded the village with Siuxa on his back.
"Renxian, what are you doing?" the woman bewildered who was still wearing the black hanfu.
"It's probably because we slaughtered their companions in that forest," Sanxiu said still looking ahead, watching some of the villagers pass him by in fear. "And they decided to avenge this."
"But, why?" Siuxa suddenly held Renxian's hand, causing the man to turn his head. "Why are you doing this? Aren't they, the same people, who almost kill you?"
Their two eyes met, bound to each other. "You don't owe them. Let's find Meagu and Niara first."
Deliberating no more, the man turned back to the front. Several green creatures, wielding spears, were already visible, having killed several villagers and destroyed their wooden houses. The screams of pain echoed, impossible for Renxian to ignore. He knew he had to take action.
Quickly the man touched both of Siuxa's shoulders, looking at her intently. "Siuxa, you go find them, I'll hold the monster back!"
While the woman had wide eyes and parted lips, asked, "Why? Why should you do that?"
Hesitated, he was silent for a few seconds until finally pouring out a warm smile. A smile that was probably very memorable to Siuxa. "I just don't want to become the person they rumored me to be."
Not believing the response of a fugitive who might be targeted by several regions, Siuxa froze on the spot, letting Renxian leave her alone - among the crowd of citizens. For now, Sanxiu didn't think much of his choice, the sense of resentment and desire to fight was instantly gone, replaced by a dedication to protect.
There were already weishi fighting those creatures with unusual abilities. They were Gate 3 cultivators, certainly able to counterbalance the Goblins' attacks with some of the elements deployed. Most of them released fire which was effective against small Goblins because they were somehow scared of it.
But, the amount of that monster is uncountable. They were numerous and this was the advantage they had. As if knowing that, they chose to retreat and attack simultaneously, overwhelming the weishi who were assisted by Gate 1 to 3 class hunters. Some of them even died horribly.
"Darn it! That's a lot of them!" exclaimed a brown-haired man wearing scale armor. "How supposed we do?"
Suddenly a man ran past them, hurtling towards the creatures. He quickly drew his new black katana and performed the Enhanced Blinding Slash skill, sweeping through the Goblins' front formation with fantastic damage with an explosive impact that made everyone there gape in awe.
As if there was no mercy, the creature's body was severed into several pieces due to the effects of the lightning-fast attack with a destructive slash not only in front but around the area. Dust scattered, obscuring their vision until the hunter finally noticed that it was Renxian standing with his back to them.
"Sanxiu! What do you want?" shouted the man who accused and finished off Renxian in front of the inn. "We don't need your help!"
The man's black hair fluttered as he looked behind him, revealing cerulean irises that seemed to cast a light amid the billowed smoke. "And I don't have to listen."
Continuing the attack, Renxian almost slaughtered all those creatures that endlessly sprung up. Gradually, weishi entered in to help him, as did the hunters who initially hesitated but now had to put their egos aside, straightening their intentions to protect the village.
"Damn it! Leave the Goblins for me!" The scale armor hunter plunged into the carnage with the others.
Smoke spread through the air, flames scorched houses, and corpses lay everywhere splattered with blood. Sanxiu was at the forefront skillfully playing his skills, dancing amidst the Goblins with incredibly fast movements.
"What is this Afterimage skill?"
[Your attack will be doubled. It is like you cast two times in a row when the first attack hits the target.]
"Ah, is that the second attack that will appear in front of me?"
[Yes. It depends on your attack direction.]
The Rogue Cultivator continued showcasing his skills, mercilessly beating the creatures. Deploying several slashes, he leaped up, delivering a top-down blow with a swing that created a shockwave, causing the goblins to bounce off the ground, splitting into two.
At that moment, he noticed an enormous figure emerging from behind the forest where the goblins were. Not only was Renxian frozen in place, but almost all the weishi and hunters, who had not moved at all, were wide-eyed with fear.
[The Hornclaw Goblin. The boss of the Goblins in that forest. He had horns like thorns, with a large shape that was immune to the fire element. He is an intermediate A-level Mystical Beast with elemental abilities.]
Renxian frowned, steeled his heart, and smiled. "This will be a fight to remember."