Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Book 2: Chapter 39: A Plaything

Vol 2 Ch 39: A Plaything

Zhang Xuan frowned. "A plaything?"

"That's right! I was just an ordinary girl from a humble family. When I was eight, my mother took me out shopping, and Ling Buyang spotted me. He offered 500 source coins to buy me."

"My mother refused, swearing she wouldn't give me up. His lackeys killed her on the spot. Worse, to sever my ties completely, they forced our family's location out of her and wiped out my entire household!"

"From that day on, I understood that my only path to survival was obedience. So I became the most docile and obedient servant they could ask for."

"When I turned fourteen, I had matured and stood out among the other girls. Ling Buyang summoned me to his room. I thought I was finally going to become his woman. But instead, he tied me up—candles, whips, humiliating me in every way possible—yet he never consummated the relationship."

"It continued like this, time and time again. From my initial despair and rage, I grew numb. I realized that in his eyes, I was nothing but a worthless plaything!"

"So I trained hard, enduring the humiliation, helping him recruit more girls to satisfy his twisted desires. Finally, last year, he formally married me as his concubine. But even then, I was never treated with dignity. His perverse torment never stopped..."

Her laughter grew hollow. "Go ahead, kill me... It doesn't matter whose toy I am. There's no reason for me to keep living!"

Zhang Xuan sighed, his expression solemn. He raised his hand and tapped her lightly. A surge of power entered her mind, bringing all her memories into his view.

After reviewing everything, Zhang Xuan gently brushed his hand across her forehead. Her eyes widened in disbelief, a line of blood trickling from her lips as her body fell lifeless to the ground.

A tragic past did not excuse her becoming a perpetrator of such evil. She had aided Ling Buyang in his crimes, allowing darkness to flourish under her watch.

With a flick of his hand, Zhang Xuan collected the source tokens from her belongings—around one hundred thousand in total. He searched the room, locating four used destiny disks, and stored them in his personal realm.

Though these disks were nearly depleted, yielding less than ten thousand destiny force strands combined, any contribution was better than none.

Returning to her memories, Zhang Xuan's expression darkened further.

The atrocities committed under the Not Necessary Hall's name were beyond heinous. Recruiting beautiful women for Ling Buyang's debauchery, murdering countless cultivators—human lives were no more than weeds to them. In these years alone, the Hall had claimed thousands of lives.

Despite their crimes, they had evaded justice, protected by Ling Buyang's status as Hall Master.

"Destinies, like faiths, grow through expansion. The more practitioners, the broader and stronger a destiny becomes, enabling its founder to achieve even greater power," Zhang Xuan muttered as he pieced together the Hall's true purpose.

He strode out of the room, only to find a group of Hall members gathered in the courtyard.

"Len Huo, what happened? We heard Madam Yu calling out earlier..."

The guards were confused until they caught a glimpse of the scene within. Their faces turned pale.

"Something’s wrong! Madam Yu... she's dead! It's him! Intruder!"

The courtyard erupted into chaos. Swords and blades of the Hall's renowned Soul Severance technique crisscrossed, forming an inescapable net.

Zhang Xuan stepped forward, his face calm, his soul force radiating outward to shield against the strikes. With a wave of his hand, the formidable Dragon Claw technique summoned spiritual dragons that swept through the courtyard.

In a matter of moments, the courtyard was silent again, littered with lifeless bodies.

Satisfied, Zhang Xuan searched the fallen members, retrieving another set of source tokens worth several hundred thousand. He then pushed open the doors of another room.

Inside, a group of young girls sat huddled, their ankles bound in chains. They flinched at his arrival, eyes wide with fear.

"You... Who are you?" A girl stepped back, her voice trembling. "Men aren't allowed here. If Madam Yu finds out, you'll be killed. Please leave!"

"Yes, leave quickly!" another pleaded. "Last time, someone sneaked in, and they were killed on the spot."

"Madam Yu is dead," Zhang Xuan said quietly.

The girls froze, disbelief in their eyes. "Dead? She was so powerful... How could she die?"

"Did you... kill her?"

"Yes," Zhang Xuan replied.

With a flick of his finger, sword energy danced across the room, slicing through the chains binding their ankles.

"You’re free now. Go home," he said.

The girls hesitated, but when they stepped outside and saw the bodies of their captors, their eyes filled with tears. Their freedom had come so suddenly.

"Let's go!"

They fled, seizing the chance to escape.

Zhang Xuan watched them leave, then turned and searched the Hall's storerooms. He found piles of medicinal herbs, treasures, and cultivation manuals, which he promptly stored in his realm.

Once finished, he leapt onto the roof and disappeared into the night.

Minutes after his departure, a squad of black-clad cultivators arrived at the Hall's gates.

"No guards?" their leader muttered, frowning.

The group quietly entered, but what they found inside left them stunned: corpses strewn everywhere, not a single soul left alive.

"How... What happened here?"

"Everyone’s dead?"

"Did the Hall Master send another team?"

The leader examined the bodies closely. "These men were slain in a single strike. Whoever did this is at least a Divine Soul cultivator. Return and report immediately!"

Without hesitation, the black-clad squad retreated, carrying the grim news back to their superiors.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan made his way back to Destiny Hall. Armed with Madam Yu’s memories, he felt confident in maintaining his disguise as Ling Buyang.

Entering the hall, he was immediately greeted by the apprentice Xie Feng, who appeared visibly relieved.

"Senior Elder, you're finally here! The Hall Master has been looking for you."

"The Hall Master?" Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Xie Feng nodded.

Zhang Xuan handed him a source token and asked, "Do you know why?"

Pocketing the token, Xie Feng replied cautiously, "Feng Zhaoting was here earlier. I’m not sure of the specifics, but it seems urgent."

"Feng Zhaoting?" Zhang Xuan mused.

It seemed word of his brother’s death had reached him quickly.

"Lead the way," Zhang Xuan said.

Xie Feng nodded and hesitated before adding, "It’s rare to see the Hall Master this anxious. Five teams have been sent out already. Could it be... they've decided on the Deputy Hall Master?"

Zhang Xuan chuckled. "Not quite. It probably has something to do with me killing Feng Yizhou."

Xie Feng froze. "You... killed Feng Yizhou? The Hall Master's brother? The Fuyuan Trading Company owner?"

His face turned ashen, disbelief written across his features.

Author's Note