Su Chen's expression turned strange. This Chen Xuan was undoubtedly a child of destiny. There was no doubt about it. He just didn't know what type. The unfortunate Dongfang had clearly served as nothing more than a stepping stone on the protagonist's path, wiped out entirely.

Su Chen felt a trace of sympathy for Dongfang Yunxing's suffering. He had experienced something similar himself once. He quickly set a goal in his mind: train Dongfang Yunxing to take down Chen Xuan.

After all, Su Chen was quite experienced at dealing with children of destiny.

Of course, killing the child of destiny and helping Dongfang Yunxing get revenge was not his main objective. He suspected that the energy the Heaven's Mandate Pearl required was closely connected to children of destiny.

"Do you want to become stronger?"

Hearing the words from the pearl, Dongfang Yunxing nodded repeatedly.

Of course he did. How could he not?

Every waking moment, he thought only of becoming stronger so he could kill Chen Xuan. Every time he closed his eyes, the tragic deaths of his loved ones haunted him.

"Your enemy, Chen Xuan, possesses great destiny. With your current strength, killing him is impossible."

"Moreover, catching up to Chen Xuan and killing him will be a long process. It could take ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years, or even longer."

Su Chen's voice was cold and stern.

Dongfang Yunxing's talent and comprehension were simply too poor. Under normal circumstances, killing Chen Xuan would be utterly impossible. With Su Chen's help, he now had a slim chance.

Dongfang Yunxing dropped to his knees with a thud.

"As long as I can have my revenge, I, Dongfang Yunxing, am willing to pay any price. Even if the path is a thousand or ten thousand times harder, even if it takes thousands or tens of thousands of years and the seas turn into mulberry fields, I swear I will kill Chen Xuan and avenge the ninety-nine members of my Dongfang! Please teach me, Master!"

Seeing his disciple's determination, Su Chen smiled inside the Heaven's Mandate Pearl.

Hatred could sometimes be the best weapon.

...

Green Stone Mountain Range.

The past six months had been hell for Dongfang Yunxing.

To grow stronger and temper his body, he stole spiritual honey brewed by scale-stinging bees. He was stung hundreds or thousands of times each day, then smeared the honey all over his body to strengthen his physique and absorb its power. His body had become as tough as spiritual iron.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

To increase his cultivation, he fought powerful demonic beasts every day, dancing on the edge of life and death. Only when he was on the verge of dying did Su Chen's voice emerge from the pearl on his chest to guide his cultivation.

Under the pressure of mortal danger and with Su Chen's guidance, the once incomprehensible techniques and impossible martial skills suddenly became clear to him. He even managed to counter-kill the powerful beasts.

In just half a year, Dongfang Yunxing reached the peak of the ninth layer of Spirit Gathering. He was only one step away from breaking through to the Spirit Vein realm.

Spirit Vein realm.

Without a good spirit vein.

"Use my own body as the vein?"

Dongfang Yunxing was stunned.

To break through to the Spirit Vein realm, Su Chen did not have him choose any external spirit vein. Instead, he was to use his own cultivation as the foundation for his spirit vein. He had never heard of such a method before.

Since ancient times, breaking through to the Spirit Vein realm required killing a Spirit Vein realm demonic beast and refining its spirit vein. No one had ever spoken of using one's own body as the vein.

Still, trusting his master completely, Dongfang Yunxing followed Su Chen's instructions step by step to construct his spirit vein and attempt the breakthrough.

Half a month later, Dongfang Yunxing successfully broke through to the Spirit Vein realm. He suppressed the surge of joy in his heart.

His master had once said that once he broke through to the Spirit Vein realm, he would be qualified to begin his first step of revenge. Now that he had succeeded, he finally had the right to seek vengeance against Chen Xuan.

Stone Mountain City.

Ever since Chen Xuan broke through to the Spirit Sea realm, he had left the city behind and stepped into a much broader world. With a Spirit Sea realm expert like him, the Chen Family had become the number one clan in Stone Mountain City. The Liu Family rose to become the second.

A hunting party had also soared in status after their beautiful leader became involved with Chen Xuan, turning them into the strongest hunting party within eight hundred miles.

However, one day, shocking news spread.

In a demonic beast mountain range outside Stone Mountain City, the entire Purple Clothes Hunting Party—the so-called number one hunting party—had been wiped out.

Every member died. Even their leader, Chen Xuan's woman and a seventh-layer Spirit Vein realm expert, had met a miserable end. Someone had dared to kill the woman of Stone Mountain City's strongest expert.

A storm was brewing. Stone Mountain City would not remain peaceful for long.

...

Dongfang Yunxing began his revenge. He did not target Chen Xuan directly at first. Under Su Chen's guidance, he carried out his plan methodically, moving from the weak to the strong, from distant to close connections.

The Purple Clothes Hunting Party was his first target, but not his last.

After destroying the party, Dongfang Yunxing noticed that his cultivation speed had increased noticeably. Some previously obscure techniques and martial skills suddenly became clearer to him.

He thought it was merely an illusion.

It was not.

"So that's how it works," Su Chen realized why the pearl was called the Heaven's Mandate Pearl.

It plundered great destiny and fed it back to its owner, improving both Talent and comprehension. This was a heaven-defying treasure. It might not compare to the Reverse Fate Scripture, but it was undoubtedly connected to true immortals—perhaps even to beings above them.

In his previous life, Su Chen would have done anything to obtain such an item. Yet now, through a twist of fate, he had become its artifact spirit.

Dongfang Yunxing's intense hatred toward the child of destiny must have activated the pearl.

Su Chen: "..."

No wonder Jiang Chen had studied it for millions of years without results before awakening his memories. The price of activating the Heaven's Mandate Pearl was apparently deep hatred toward a child of destiny. He had suffered from having too high a background.

Still, destroying the Purple Clothes Hunting Party brought enormous benefits to Dongfang Yunxing—and to Su Chen as well. The Heaven's Mandate Pearl absorbed energy ten times greater than when he had killed Liu Rufeng.

Su Chen recovered some of his strength.

"Next target: the Liu Family."

Dongfang Yunxing gazed in the direction of the Liu Family, his eyes cold. He would leave no one alive—not a single chicken or dog.