Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The wind in Broken Soul Valley always carries a fishy smell, the stench left by the decaying bodies of creatures that have died here over the years.

Chen Xuan walked at the front of the group, casually holding the broken sword in his hand. Occasionally, the tip of the sword would glide across the black stones by the roadside, sparking a string of dark golden sparks.

Su Chang'an's soul had already disappeared, and the brief tenderness just now seemed like an illusion, but the lingering warmth in his palm told him that the fox was right beside him, or rather, inside his body.

This feeling made him feel at ease.

The atmosphere in the Chen family's collateral branch group behind Chen Xuan was somewhat somber.

Chen Fan walked at the very back of the group.

He kept his head down, his boots making a "plop plop" sound as they trod on the muddy humus.

He looked at the tall, straight figure in front of him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Just half an hour ago, this man, whom his family regarded as a scumbag, killed Ji Wushuang, the divine son of the Central Continent, with a single sword strike, and even shattered a divine soul mark of a quasi-emperor.

That kind of power, that kind of domineering presence, was something Chen Fan could never even dream of.

He is from a collateral branch of the family.

In a behemoth like the Chen family, the only difference between collateral relatives and servants was that they also shared the surname Chen.

From a young age, they are instilled with the idea that the direct descendants are the heavens, while the collateral descendants are nothing. The direct descendants eat meat, while the collateral descendants can only get a sip of soup depending on the master's mood.

"Chen Fan, stay close, don't fall behind," Chen Mu, who was in front, called out as he turned around.

Chen Fan responded and quickened his pace.

The surrounding fog seemed to have thickened a bit.

Previously, he could clearly see the black rocks and withered trees several meters away, but now it was as if a layer of thick ink had been splashed on his face, and his vision quickly became blurred.

Chen Fan subconsciously reached out to grab Chen Mu's shoulder, seeking a sense of security.

But he missed his target.

Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"Chen Mu?"

He shouted.

No one responded.

The surroundings were deathly silent; even the howling of the wind through the canyon had vanished.

Chen Mu, who was just walking in front of him, and Chen Xuan, who was walking at the very front, and even the Ji family prisoners who were tied up like dumplings, were all gone.

It was as if he was the only person left in the world.

Chen Fan's breathing became rapid. He drew the long sword from his waist and looked around warily.

"Who? Who's playing tricks on us!"

His voice echoed through the thick fog, sounding somewhat dry and trembling.

"Playing tricks?"

An aged voice suddenly entered Chen Fan's ears.

The sound didn't seem to come from any direction; it was more like it exploded directly in his head.

It exudes an air of superior authority and a sense of oppression that makes one's soul tremble.

Chen Fan's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

He was all too familiar with that aura.

At the Chen family's annual ancestral worship ceremony, the ancestors who sit high above the clouds exude this kind of aura.

It was a suppression from the depths of his bloodline that made him instinctively want to submit.

"Who are you..." Chen Fan gritted his teeth, struggling to stay upright and not kneel down.

Who I am is not important.

The aged voice slowly said, "The important thing is who you are. Chen Fan, a member of the third branch of the collateral lineage, has decent talent, but unfortunately his bloodline is mixed. At best, he can only reach the Transformation Realm in this lifetime. If he's lucky, he might become an outer sect steward; if he's unlucky, he'll just be cannon fodder in the family's struggle."

Chen Fan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Every word the other person said felt like a needle piercing his heart.

This is a fact.

This is also the greatest pain in the hearts of every collateral descendant of the Chen family.

"What exactly do you want?" Chen Fan gripped the knife tightly, his palms sweating profusely.

The thick fog ahead churned and gradually coalesced into a blurry human face.

The face was obscured by features, except for a pair of eyes that gleamed with a chilling light, staring intently at Chen Fan.

I want to give you a chance.

The voice was full of temptation: "An opportunity to rewrite your destiny, to climb out of the mire and become a cloud in the sky."

Chen Fan was taken aback for a moment, then sneered: "There are no free lunches in the world, only traps. Since you have such extraordinary abilities, why bother toying with a mere collateral disciple like me?"

"Heh, he's a smart guy."

The blurry face twitched at the corner of its mouth, as if in a smile: "Since you're a smart person, I'll be frank. I want you to do one thing."

"What is it?"

"Kill Chen Xuan."

The moment those four words were uttered, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Chen Fan's pupils constricted sharply, and he instinctively took two steps back, shaking his head vigorously like a rattle-drum: "Impossible! Brother Chen Xuan saved our lives! If it weren't for him, we would have been torn to pieces by the wolves at the entrance of Broken Soul Valley! You want me to kill him? I, Chen Fan, may not be a big shot, but I know the meaning of loyalty!"

"righteous?"

The aged voice seemed to have heard the biggest joke, letting out a piercing laugh: "In the cultivation world, how many spirit stones is loyalty worth? Chen Fan, don't forget, he's a discarded son of the family, someone the family wants to eliminate. If you follow him, you'll only face death."

"Then I'll accept it!" Chen Fan shouted, his neck stiff.

"Is that so? What about your relatives on this line? What about your younger brother who's still struggling in the outer sect? Do you want them to be with you, destined to be trampled underfoot for the rest of their lives?"

Chen Fan's body stiffened.

younger brother.

That was his only weakness.

Seeing Chen Fan waver, the voice intensified its pressure, becoming even more seductive: "As long as you kill Chen Xuan, or stab him in the back at the crucial moment when he breaks the formation, I will personally purify your bloodline afterward."

"Purify the bloodline..." Chen Fan murmured to himself, a hint of confusion and longing flashing in his eyes.

He knew all too well what purifying the bloodline meant in the Chen family.

This means he can get rid of the title of "bastard," it means he can cultivate the family's core techniques, and it means his younger brother can stand up straight and no longer be bullied at will.

This is the lifelong dream of all the collateral disciples.

"Although Chen Xuan is strong now, he is already at his limit."

The voice continued its seductive tactic: "He burned his Dao foundation and forcibly activated power that didn't belong to him; now he's merely outwardly strong but inwardly weak. A single small pill can send him on his way. And you will become a meritorious member of the Chen family, a new generation of direct descendants."

The words fell.

Suddenly, a gap opened up in the thick fog ahead.

A jet-black pill, suspended silently in mid-air, slowly floated in front of Chen Fan.

This elixir had no medicinal fragrance whatsoever; instead, it exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

"This is the 'Soul-Scattering Pill'."

The voice became somewhat ethereal, seemingly fading into the distance: "Colorless and odorless, it dissolves instantly in water. Once he ingests it, his cultivation will dissipate within half a quarter of an hour, leaving him completely at the mercy of others. Chen Fan, you only have one chance. The moment this pill enters Chen Xuan's stomach, I will know. At that time, your lineage will be recorded in the Chen family genealogy."

"Think it over carefully, do you want to be a dog for the rest of your life, or be a human for once?"

As the last word fell, the blurry face vanished completely.

The suffocating sense of oppression in the surroundings also disappeared.

Chen Fan stood there, panting heavily, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

He reached out and tremblingly grasped the black pill floating in front of him.

The medicine was icy cold.

The real tactile sensation told him that what had just happened was neither an illusion nor the work of inner demons.

It really was the ancestor of the Chen family who came to him.

Chen Fan stared at the pill in his hand, his eyes filled with intense struggle.

On one side was the life-saving grace, and on the other was Chen Xuan's cold yet protective figure that had stood in front of them on several occasions.

On one hand, there was the opportunity to change her fate, the expectant look in her younger brother's eyes, and the endless humiliation of escaping the label of "collateral relative."

This pill, though seemingly light, felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Chen Fan! What are you daydreaming about?"

Suddenly, a large hand slammed down on Chen Fan's shoulder.

Chen Fan shuddered, clenched his fist tightly, and hid the pill in his sleeve.

He looked up in alarm.

The thick fog in front of us has dissipated, and the familiar scenery of Broken Soul Valley is now visible all around.

Chen Mu was standing next to him, looking at him with a puzzled expression: "I've been calling you for ages and you haven't responded. Are you possessed?"

Chen Fan swallowed hard, forcing out a smile that looked worse than a grimace: "N-nothing... I was just spacing out, thinking about something."

"What are you thinking about so intently? Hurry up and let's go, Brother Xuan is waiting ahead." Chen Mu didn't think much of it, urged him, and turned to walk forward.

Chen Fan stood still.

He looked at Chen Xuan, who was not far ahead and had his back to him, looking down to survey the terrain.

Chen Xuan's figure remained upright, like an insurmountable mountain.

But at this moment, in Chen Fan's eyes, behind that high mountain, there seemed to be a huge, unseen abyss.

With just a gentle push, the mountain would fall and shatter into pieces.

And he could climb up the mountain, stepping on its bones, and reach the clouds.

Chen Fan looked down at his mud-covered boots.

She glanced again at his hand, which had turned white from being clenched so tightly.

The pill in his palm was digging into him painfully.

"A collateral branch..."

Chen Fan murmured something in a low voice that only he could hear.

His eyes were dark and unfathomable in the shadows, finally turning into a heavy sigh as he lifted his foot and slowly followed.

......

The mist shrouds the departed souls, their whispers faint; a single, loyal heart inquires about the future.

The spine breaks the path to survival, the bloodline is purified to gain a name for death.

With mountains in front, it's hard to take action; with abyss behind, it's hard to calm one's mind.

Hidden within his sleeve was the Yama's Decree, and he followed his former master as they walked through the snow.