Chapter 60: Are You a Saint?

—

Five teenagers sprinted through the forest, stopping only when they reached a spot not far from Xu Shen’s hidden position. They leaned against the trees, panting heavily.

It was too dark to make out their faces clearly, and the distance made it difficult for Xu Shen to identify them immediately.

—

“Murong Jian, I swear you’ve lost your mind! You said this would be a great place for training, but look at this hellhole!” one of the young men shouted angrily.

“Cai Tianpeng, why don’t you shut up? You were the one running the fastest just now,” a girl retorted with frustration in her voice.

“Who can stop a third-tier corpse worm? You want me to stay and die?” Cai Tianpeng shot back.

“And so you just left us behind to fend for ourselves?” the girl snapped.

—

Listening to their argument, Xu Shen’s expression turned strange. Wait a minute… these five again?

He recognized them—Murong Xin and her teammates from the Changbai Mountain frontline. Though he hadn’t interacted with them much back then, he had heard they had performed decently during the incident, despite being targeted by the Heart of Reversal.

Judging by their voices, they seemed to have recovered well.

But what were they doing here in the capital, training in the Hengduan Mountain Range?

—

“Dear cousin, how was I supposed to know this would happen?” Murong Jian said defensively. “We were looking for a type of humanoid ghoul that isn’t very strong. I don’t know why these corpse worms are everywhere!”

Xu Shen scratched his head. Oh… those humanoid ghouls? I probably killed them all earlier.

—

“Enough arguing,” another voice interjected. “We need to figure out how to get out of here. Something doesn’t feel right.”

“Do you hear that?” someone else asked nervously.

—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground trembled as massive trees shook violently. A large, round silhouette moved through the forest with a thunderous rumble.

The oppressive aura of a third-tier corpse worm radiated outward.

Xu Shen’s eyes narrowed. A third-tier corpse worm? Finally.

He had been searching for one for days. While second-tier peak corpse worms could be killed with two strikes from his blade—even without using Battle Art—he had been itching to test himself against a third-tier opponent.

—

Previously, Li Tian had been a complete disappointment. Despite being at Flame Mastery, his foundation was so weak that even a second-tier peak Xinhuo Guard could have easily defeated him.

This third-tier corpse worm, however, seemed unstable—likely newly advanced. It was the perfect target for Xu Shen to test his skills.

—

“Run! RUN!!” Cai Tianpeng screamed as he turned to flee.

Xu Shen frowned. If you run, won’t the corpse worm just chase you? What a waste of effort.

Without hesitation, Xu Shen began stealthily moving closer to the group.

—

“Wait! There’s another one behind us—it’s at second-tier peak!” Murong Jian shouted in alarm.

Suddenly, flashes of lightning, golden light, and sword energy illuminated the dark forest as the group prepared to defend themselves.

—

SQUEEE!!!

A piercing screech echoed through the night as the third-tier corpse worm smashed through a massive tree, revealing its grotesque form under the pale moonlight.

Standing nearly five meters tall, its body resembled a giant disc. Eight horrifying limbs jutted out from its underside, each tipped with razor-sharp claws. A long, bony tail swayed menacingly behind it, slicing through the air with an ominous whistling sound.

Its six compound eyes glowed with bloodthirsty malice.

—

“We’re doomed…” Murong Jian muttered, his face pale with despair.

After surviving the ordeal at Changbai Mountain, their group had grown stronger—Murong Jian himself had reached Core Solidification late-stage. Feeling confident, he had decided to show off by bringing his cousin and friends to train in the Hengduan Mountain Range.

But now they were being hunted by corpse worms—and a third-tier one at that.

—

“Jian-ge, let’s focus on taking down the one behind us! Maybe we can escape if we work together,” suggested Shi Jian, whose hands crackled with lightning energy.

“It’s pointless,” Murong Jian replied bitterly. “By the time we kill the one behind us, this third-tier monster will have torn us apart.”

—

“This is all your fault!” Cai Tianpeng shouted angrily. “You just had to show off and bring us here!”

“Shut up!” Murong Xin snapped coldly. “You begged my cousin to bring you here—don’t forget that!”

“I only came because you were coming!” Cai Tianpeng retorted. “How was I supposed to know this idiot would drag us into such a nightmare?”

“You’re disgusting,” Lin Sancai said disdainfully as she shook her head. She held a longsword in her hand and looked at Cai Tianpeng with open contempt.

Murong Xin’s eyes also glimmered with disappointment. She had always thought Cai Tianpeng’s flaws were minor and could be corrected over time. But now, faced with life-and-death stakes, his true nature was laid bare—and it was revolting.

—

“What did you say?! You bitch!!” Cai Tianpeng snarled viciously at Lin Sancai.

“I said you’re disgusting,” Lin Sancai replied coldly. “I’ve thought so ever since Changbai Mountain. Turns out my instincts were spot-on.”

Though she appeared frail and sickly, Lin Sancai’s words were sharp and unyielding.

“You bitch!! If we’re all going to die anyway, I’ll kill you first!!” Cai Tianpeng roared as he lunged at her.

—

No one expected him to snap so suddenly—not even Lin Sancai herself. By the time she raised her sword in defense, it was already too late. Cai Tianpeng’s hand was mere inches from her throat.

—

BANG!

A shadow flashed past, appearing beside Lin Sancai in an instant.

Blood splattered across her face as she froze in shock.

A severed arm hung in midair.

Standing beside her was a man clad in black, wearing a gray mask adorned with strange patterns. He rested a black longsword on his shoulder while holding Cai Tianpeng by the neck with one hand—lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

—

“Starting an internal fight at a time like this? Endangering your own teammates?”

“You deserve to die.”

Xu Shen’s voice was cold and merciless as he spoke. Without hesitation, he hurled Cai Tianpeng toward the third-tier corpse worm.

—

The creature’s bloodthirsty eyes gleamed with excitement as it opened its grotesque maw and swallowed Cai Tianpeng whole in one bite.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The sound of bones snapping and flesh tearing filled the air as the corpse worm devoured its prey.

—

The remaining four stared in stunned silence at the masked man who had appeared out of nowhere.

Cai Tianpeng… was dead?

“You… you killed him?” Murong Xin stammered as she finally regained her senses.

“A coward who endangers his teammates—what use is there in keeping him alive?” Xu Shen replied coldly. “What are you—a saint?”

His sharp gaze silenced Murong Xin instantly.

—

If not for his favorable impression of Lin Sancai, Xu Shen wouldn’t have bothered intervening at all.

Lin Sancai stood frozen in place, her face still smeared with blood. Yet there was no fear in her eyes—only a strange light as she stared at Xu Shen.

This man… had saved her life.

—

“And you,” Xu Shen said, turning to Lin Sancai. “Why didn’t you stab him earlier? What were you waiting for?”

Then he turned his scornful gaze toward Murong Jian and Shi Jian. “And you two—you just stood there like idiots while that trash caused chaos. Do you have any spine at all?”

His words cut deep, leaving them speechless.

Xu Shen was genuinely angry. Old Man Xu Wei had sacrificed himself to give people like them a chance to live—and this was how they repaid that gift?

If they had acted decisively earlier—fighting back against the second-tier peak corpse worm—they wouldn’t have been in such dire straits now.

Waiting around for death was nothing but cowardice.

—

“Are you… from Xinhuo Guard?” Murong Jian asked hesitantly after noticing Xu Shen’s attire. His eyes lit up with hope despite being scolded moments ago.

“Less talking,” Xu Shen snapped. “Can you still fight?”

“Yes!” Murong Jian replied immediately.

“Good. You four handle the one behind us,” Xu Shen ordered before charging toward the third-tier corpse worm without waiting for a response.

—

SQUEEE!!!

The corpse worm screeched furiously as it saw this tiny human charging straight at it. Its front limbs lashed out like spears, glowing faintly with gray light—clearly laced with deadly poison.

“Shut up!” Xu Shen roared as he swung his blade in a wide arc. His overwhelming killing intent erupted like a storm as his eyes turned blood-red.

His killing heart activated instantly!

—

Beneath his clothes, his Weapon Rune flared to life as golden light enveloped his blade. The faint sound of mountains rumbling echoed through the air as he brought his sword down with immense force.

SLASH!

Two razor-sharp limbs were severed cleanly in an instant!

The corpse worm reared back in pain as its severed limbs fell to the ground—but Xu Shen only laughed maniacally like some crazed villain.

“So this is what a newly advanced third-tier is capable of? Pathetic!”

Of course, much of the credit went to his black blade’s armor-piercing properties—but that didn’t dampen his excitement one bit.

—

SQUEEE!!!

Enraged by its injuries, the corpse worm lashed out with its long bony tail like a spear aimed directly at Xu Shen’s chest!

The attack came so fast that Xu Shen barely had time to react—but he managed to block it with his blade at the last second.

CLANG!

The impact sent him flying backward until he crashed through several trees before coming to a stop.

—

Meanwhile, behind him, Murong Jian and his group fought desperately against the second-tier peak corpse worm—throwing everything they had into their attacks until it staggered backward, bleeding profusely.

Xu Shen stood up slowly and cracked his neck before smirking at the third-tier corpse worm.

“If that’s all you’ve got…”

“Sorry—but you’ll be dead in three seconds.”