54: Being timid when being ruthless

If strength isn't enough, tactics will make up for it.

Without leaving the Treasure Pagoda, he managed to scheme and kill six Ancestors of the Distraction Realm, ninety-eight Out-of-Body Realm Family Guardians, and thirty Nascent Soul Realm Family Elders of the Shi Family, all from within.

In one battle, he nearly wiped out the core strength of the Shi Family!

Just one word:

Awesome!

Especially the killing of six Ancestors of the Distraction Realm—this was a feat even Long Aotian hadn't anticipated. Among them, the Great Ancestor of the Shi Family was a strong cultivator at the Ninth Revolution Peak Stage of the Spirit Division Realm, just a step away from the Mahayana Realm.

He was on the verge of becoming the fourth Mahayana Realm Clan God of the Shi Family, yet he died!

It could be said that the death of the Great Ancestor alone almost directly reduced the overall strength of the Shi Family by ten percent.

Furthermore, the Fifth Elder, who was at the Fifth Revolution of the Spirit Division Realm, and the Sixth Elder, at the Fourth Revolution of the Spirit Division Realm, were both Middle Stage strong cultivators of the Spirit Division Realm and were also far from simple.

In this battle, Long Aotian achieved a complete victory!

And he finally settled the score for the slap Shi Gandang gave his grandfather back on Immortal Severing Mountain.

Of course, this wasn't over yet.

The Shi Family had captured the Second Elder and Third Ancestor of the Long Family and planned a public execution. The two sides had reached a point of no return.

Long Aotian was confident he could eliminate all enemies!

Shi Gandang probably never dreamed that the slap he gave Long Wudi would bring such a terrifying disaster upon his Shi Family.

The backlash from that slap not only sent him to Hell but also ensured that his Family was not spared… As the battle concluded, Long Aotian cleared the battlefield.

Those fellows were only concerned with escaping and didn't have time to take advantage of him. But then again, all the dead were members of their Shi Family; they were too busy grieving to pay attention to those storage rings, let alone the Magical Artifacts scattered on the ground.

And besides, those guys probably feared that if they picked up his spoils of war, he would remember them and retaliate fiercely, right?!

They definitely didn't want to experience the sensation of being in the Void Annihilation Array a second time.

With his Divine Sense covering the area, Long Aotian retrieved items from a distance. All the storage rings, and even the Magical Artifacts used by those strong cultivators of the Shi Family that were scattered on the ground, were one by one collected into his Treasure Pagoda.

Long Aotian didn't have time to count them because Long Aoxue was still inside the defensive array. Who knew if Shi Xiaodan was reliable? If Shi Jing didn't act in time, and Shi Xiaodan, emboldened by lust, defiled Long Aoxue, then Long Aotian truly might as well bash his head against a block of tofu and die.

Long Aotian also didn't know if there were other strong cultivators of the Shi Family hiding within the defensive array. He could only once again use the Void Annihilation Array to attack the defensive array to send a message to Shi Xiaodan, telling him to come out.

Sure enough.

Less than two breaths after the Void Annihilation Array attacked the defensive array, Shi Xiaodan appeared outside the defensive array.

Seeing the silence outside, the crimson ground, scattered fragments of severed limbs, and the pungent smell of blood in the air, several thoughts flashed through Shi Xiaodan's mind, and he was filled with shock.

Clearly, those of the Shi Family who weren't dead had fled. The mysterious strong cultivator had once again attacked the array, meaning the mysterious strong cultivator had won this battle!

"Junior Shi Xiaodan greets Senior!"

"Are you a member of the Shi Family?"

Indeed, the mysterious strong cultivator, who had faked a very youthful voice, once again used Divine Sense to transmit a message to him.

"Replying to Senior, this Junior's surname is Shi, as in the Shi of 'time.' I used the alias Shi Xiaodan in the Shi Family and am not a member of the Shi Family."

"Oh?"

Long Aotian clearly didn't quite believe his words; that 'Oh' carried a deeply scrutinizing meaning.

Shi Xiaodan, however, cupped his hands and said, "Senior, please allow Junior to explain in detail.

This Junior was originally a Mortal, tilling fields in Nanyang, merely surviving in a chaotic world, not seeking fame among immortal masters.

However, the previous master, not disdaining this Junior's humble status, condescended to visit this Junior three times in his thatched cottage, insisting that this Junior had extraordinary bones and was a peerless martial Dao Genius…"

"…"

Long Aotian was also somewhat stunned.

What the Hell, a self-introduction, and he turned it into a 'Memorial to the Throne'?

"Get to the point!"

Long Aotian urged, a bit annoyed but also amused.

"Yes, Senior!"

Shi Xiaodan's face was filled with indignation: "After that old Daoist took me to cultivate immortality, my wife and child were tragically humiliated and killed by a branch of the Shi Family. Having achieved some success in cultivation, I returned, filled with grief and determination to avenge my wife and child.

After investigation, I discovered that the one who killed my wife and child was Shi Youse, the son of the Shi Family's Clan Chief. He was traveling in Nanyang Town, and the head of the small branch of the Shi Family in Nanyang Town, to curry favor with him, abducted my wife and child. My wife and child were well-known beauties in Nanyang Town, and Shi Youse was a notorious lecher… After learning who the culprit was, I did not give up on avenging my wife and child because of the culprit's formidable background!

I slaughtered the entire Nanyang Town, so no one knew who I was. I adopted the alias of a Shi Family member, a Disciple from the small branch of the Shi Family in Nanyang Town who had gone out for training, only to return home to disaster, and then sought refuge with the Imperial City Shi Family.

The Shi Family couldn't verify the truth of my identity, and I insisted that I was a Shi Family member, even playing the victim. Coupled with the fact that I was already at the Ninth Revolution Peak Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm at just over thirty years old, the Shi Family saw me as a rare martial Dao Genius. They eventually accepted me, not only bringing me into the main lineage but also cultivating me with special attention, sending me here… Senior, I have an irreconcilable feud with the Shi Family. It's pitiful that I've been undercover in the Shi Family for ten years, yet I still haven't been able to kill Shi Tianjing's son, Shi Youse. I live every day under the watchful eyes of over a dozen super strong cultivators of the Shi Family, my great revenge remaining unfulfilled.

Now, Senior's extensive slaughter of the Shi Family's strong cultivators has somewhat relieved the pent-up frustration in this Junior's heart!"

"I didn't expect the one who massacred Nanyang to be you?

Ruthless enough!

To go undercover and seek revenge, you dragged a small town of over a hundred thousand people to their graves!

Your name and your actions are very inconsistent!"

Long Aotian was very surprised. He had been observing Shi Xiaodan while he spoke, and he seemed not to be lying.

Of course, even so, he didn't fully believe him.

What he hadn't expected was that the infamous Nanyang Town massacre in Jingchu Royal City ten years ago was committed by this seemingly harmless Shi Xiaodan, and his motive was merely to conceal his identity, go undercover in the Shi Family, and seize an opportunity to avenge his wife and child.

Ruthless!

Truly, truly ruthless!

"Perhaps? When I was little, I was indeed very timid, which is why my parents gave me such a name. For this, I suffered a lot of ridicule."

Shi Xiaodan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Because of a name, he destroyed a life, changed a life, and lived a life well.

"Ten years, from the Ninth Revolution Peak Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm to the Seventh Revolution Stage of the Out-of-Body Realm, in today's Eastern Barrens, that truly can be called a martial Dao Genius!"

"Before Senior, this Junior dares not claim to be a Genius!"

"Haha!"

Long Aotian smiled noncommittally and continued to transmit his Divine Sense: "I'm very curious, with your current cultivation, you should be able to kill Shi Tianjing's son, right?

Why haven't you acted until now?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiaodan couldn't help but give a bitter smile: "Senior, you may not know, but Shi Youse is an Inner Sect Elder of the Fire Cloud Sect and is often not in the Shi Family.

After my cultivation surpassed his, I did want to personally kill my enemy, but I was brought here and secretly cultivated by the Shi Family, living under the eyes of all the strong cultivators of the Shi Family, making it very difficult for me to leave…"

"So that's how it is."

Long Aotian suddenly understood, then transmitted his message: "You can do whatever you need to do now! I'll give you a piece of news: Shi Tianjing lost an arm but is not dead…"