However, does he really have to walk the same old path again? Still be framed by William Carter, hunted by Tai Tianmen, and humiliated by the restrictions of Xuantianmen? As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, a highly tempting idea suddenly emerged. Before Edward Clark self-destructed, he had spoken at length with the equally dying James Carter, even sharing the demonic cultivation method he used to enhance his spiritual root before his own cultivation.

In the Immortal Realm, Edward Clark rampaged for centuries, and tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers and generals were powerless against him. In the end, it was only due to a traitor’s betrayal that a net of a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals was laid to trap him. Yet even then, Edward Clark still slaughtered countless enemies, turning the land into a river of blood. Finally, mortally wounded and beyond saving, he used the Demonic Self-Destruction Art to perish together with the hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals.

The reason Edward Clark could be so unrestrained in the Immortal Realm was because his fire spiritual root, one of the five elements, was a full spiritual root. Coincidentally, James Carter had learned this method to enhance spiritual roots, and he too possessed a fire spiritual root, but had not yet begun cultivation. Isn’t this a golden opportunity?

As soon as this thought arose, James Carter’s heart began to pound wildly. Even when he ascended to the Spirit Realm and then to the Immortal Realm, he had never been so agitated and out of control. Yet, along with the excitement, there was also a sense of being caught in a dilemma.

After all, this was a demonic art that required killing people and absorbing their life essence to replenish one’s spiritual root. As a reborn Da Luo Golden Immortal, does he really need to practice demonic arts? Edward Clark had killed far more than just a few tens of thousands—does he also have to kill tens of thousands to cultivate? With his ten thousand years of cultivation experience, there’s no way his cultivation would be poor. On one hand is killing to enhance his spiritual root, on the other is normal cultivation—these two thoughts spun around in James Carter’s mind, and he couldn’t make a decision for the moment.

“Have you forgotten, James Carter!” In his mind, a stern voice rebuked him: “Have you forgotten how your master was bullied and died with hatred? Have you forgotten how you were framed by William Carter and could never rise again? Have you forgotten how, after your ascension, you were humiliated like a slave by that high and mighty Xuantianmen figure? Have you forgotten it all? You’ve been cowardly for a lifetime—are you going to keep being cowardly in this life?”

“No!” James Carter let out a low, hoarse roar. All those painful memories he thought he had forgotten surged up in an instant. The sorrowful look his master gave him before dying, William Carter’s triumphant expression after framing him, the contemptuous gaze of that Immortal Realm big shot who saw him as less than a dog—all flashed crazily before his eyes. Finally, his memory lingered on the moment his master handed him the Mingguang Sword.

“No!” This fleeting moment of beauty must not be shattered by anyone. In James Carter’s eyes, an unprecedented determination appeared: “Even if I must bear the deepest bloodshed, even if I become a peerless demon, I will protect you, so that from now on you may have joy and peace.”

Ten thousand years of endurance in his previous life had made James Carter’s character incomparably tenacious. Now, having made his decision, James Carter instantly calmed down. Looking at the towering gates of Tai Tianmen, he let out a cold laugh, turned, and left.

“Master, wait for me. Wait for me to become your disciple again. The tragedy of the previous life will never happen again.” James Carter shouted in his heart, as if making a vow: “Last life, you bore everything for me. This life, let me hold up the sky for you!”

Chapter 3: As the Executioner (Part 1)

It was nearly a month’s journey from Tai Tianmen back to Carter Village. On the way here, the sect would cover travel expenses and transportation, but those who were eliminated had to find their own way back. The younger generation of Carter Village was not very wealthy, so for this month-long journey, they could only walk home.

Everyone had considered this, so before leaving, each person brought some silver with them. At a small shop at the foot of the mountain, they bought a large pile of dry buns, wrapped them in cloth—this would be their food for the road. For farming families, a long journey was not a big deal. As long as it didn’t delay farm work, if they happened to get a stroke of immortal fate, they could leap over the dragon gate; if not, they would just return and continue their lives.

James Carter had already returned to his usual gentle temperament. With his goal set, James Carter no longer felt impatient. The usually indecisive James Carter now seemed to have suddenly changed in the eyes of others—still gentle and smiling, but able to easily get his companions to unconsciously follow his arrangements. No one found anything odd; they just felt that James Carter made a lot of sense.

Finding a random excuse, James Carter left the group and set off alone. The other companions didn’t think much of it; most guessed he wanted to go back and see if there was another chance, but no one said it out loud and just let him go.

Of course, James Carter was not, as others imagined, returning to Tai Tianmen to seek another opportunity, but instead turned directly into the mountains. With a hatchet in hand and relying on his ten thousand years of experience, James Carter could easily find food and water. The reason he avoided everyone was because James Carter was about to begin tempering his body.

This kind of tempering was completely different from cultivating immortal arts. It was not about drawing qi into the body to practice the Qi Refining Technique, but about using martial arts and external training methods to make the body stronger. As for internal cultivation methods, he did not practice them at all.