Chapter 56: All Five Aggregates Are Void

As soon as those words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. In the next moment, all eyes turned toward the only mountain path leading to the summit.

At the end of that path, the hunched figure of Master Duan Chuan, the Golden Light Elder, slowly emerged. Behind him, a group of disciples from the Quanxing Sect, led by their sect leader Gen Sheng, followed closely.

“Ho? There are quite a few familiar faces here!” Liang Ting glanced around, unable to suppress a grin.

“Cloudflow Sword, Yanwu Hall, Tiangong Hall, Tengshan, Redflower Immortal… even members of the Lu family, one of the Four Great Clans. Elder Duan, you’ve certainly made a lot of enemies,” Wu Man chuckled, a teasing glint appearing in her eyes as she looked at Duan Chuan.

“It’s all the misdeeds of my youth…” Duan Chuan sighed softly, then, under the watchful gaze of everyone, slowly made his way to the center of the clearing at the mountain’s peak.

“Friends, some of you may have come just for the spectacle, but I reckon most are here to settle old scores with me. I thank you all for patiently waiting until this day of reckoning. According to the rules of our Quanxing Sect, after seven days, when the copper gong sounds, it will signify that I have resolved all karmic ties, and that this gathering will come to a complete end.”

As he spoke, Duan Chuan glanced toward Zhao Zhen, who held the copper gong nearby. This was Duan’s final request—he hoped Zhao Zhen would be the one to sound the gong after seven days, marking the closure of all debts.

“Enough of your nonsense, old Golden Light ghost! No one wants to hear your ramblings. If you want to settle your debts, then start now. If you regret it, better run off with your tail between your legs, just like you did all those years ago!” one voice spat.

“That’s right! Don’t talk about seven days—if you can survive just the first day, then all our grudges are wiped clean!” another added.

Listening to the venomous taunts from old enemies, Duan Chuan did not lose his temper; instead, he smiled and shook his head gently.

“Heh, I know none of you want to hear this demon’s nonsense, so let’s get started.”

With that, Duan Chuan sat cross-legged in the middle of the square.

As his words fell, the righteous crowd glanced at one another, hesitant and silent, none willing to be the first to step forward.

“Since everyone’s so polite, I’ll go first!” At last, a middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd.

He approached Duan Chuan with a grim expression and demanded, “Duan Chuan, do you remember the family of four you slaughtered in Huaian thirty years ago?!”

“Huaian… yes, I remember.” Duan Chuan nodded.

Back then, he had a quarrel with a man on the road. Neither yielded, and it ended in a fight. Naturally, Duan won. Following the principle of eradicating the root, he sought out that man’s family and wiped them out completely.

“Who are you?” Duan asked.

“I’m from the family you killed—the four victims were my uncle’s entire household! Later, my father sought revenge and was also brutally slain by you!”

“Sorry.” Duan Chuan bowed his head slowly. What began as a petty quarrel had led to the tragic annihilation of a whole family. Looking back, it seemed absurd.

Bang!

The man punched Duan hard in the face. In an instant, Duan’s nose was broken, blood streaming down his face.

“You old bastard! If there weren’t so many others waiting to take their revenge, I’d have you torn to pieces right here and now!”

The man clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and forced himself to suppress the rage burning inside him.

He knew the others would never allow him to kill Duan outright. Many respected elders from famous sects were present, while he was but a solitary wanderer without a clan. Getting even one punch in was already a small victory.

“Hmph! I’ll watch from the sidelines how you’ll die a miserable death today!” he spat, then bowed to the others before retreating back into the crowd.

With the first strike made, the others eagerly rushed forward, fearing they’d miss their chance. Duan’s frail body was battered with countless fists and kicks.

Some smashed his fingers with hammers; others stabbed him viciously with swords. Some didn’t even hesitate—cutting his Achilles tendons outright.

Within moments, Duan Chuan’s body was battered and bruised, every inch wounded.

Yet throughout it all, he bore it with a serene smile, completely passive, accepting their rage with a calm demeanor.

Eventually, they left him barely breathing.

Because none of the true masters from the great sects had yet stepped forward.

Throughout the ordeal, Zhao Zhen stood silently aside, watching coldly without intervening. Yet the grip on the copper gong and mallet in his hands grew tighter by the moment.

“Tsk, looking at the Elder like this, don’t even talk about a day—he probably won’t last even an hour,” someone murmured.

“Exactly. That’s why, for us Quanxing disciples, this so-called ‘settling of debts’ is nothing but a death sentence. With all the things we’ve done in the past, those righteous sects won’t let us off easily when the time comes.”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into the Elder this time. Why bother with this ‘settling of debts’? With his skills, if he wanted to run, none of these people would ever catch him. Right, Layman? Layman?”

Liang Ting called to Wu Man, but she didn’t respond. Turning, he saw Wu Man trembling as she stared at Duan Chuan, who was nearly a bloodied ruin on the ground.

“The five aggregates are empty… the five aggregates are empty! No mistake! This is the state of emptiness of the five aggregates!”

“Old Duan, I never expected that after three times of ordination and three returns to secular life, this monk is still no match for you, an old relic!”

Just then, Wu Man’s gaze suddenly fixed on Gen Sheng beside her.

“Sect Leader, Elder Duan is in this state because of your doing, isn’t he? I beg you, please help me!”

“Heh, Layman, this is not my doing but the Elder’s own awakening. As acting sect leader, I can only guide the disciples as best I can; I lack the power to do more.”

Thud!

In the next instant, before the stunned eyes of all Quanxing disciples, Wu Man knelt down before Gen Sheng without hesitation.

“Sect Leader! I beg you!”

“Layman, please rise. There’s no need for this. Since you asked for my help, I will not refuse.”

“Thank you, Sect Leader! Thank you!”

Watching Wu Man repeatedly kowtowing before Gen Sheng, a complex expression flickered in Liang Ting’s eyes.

Is Gen Sheng really that powerful?

Could it be that he might help me find what I truly seek?

Well, I’ll watch a little longer. If the Layman also achieves enlightenment like the Elder, then perhaps I will try to seek his help as well.