Chapter 318: The Divine Tomb of the Underground Palace (5)
The guests had never encountered a situation like this before. They were so frightened they stood frozen, not knowing what to do.
From their perspective, this sort of problem should have been handled by the local staff the production team usually worked with. Unfortunately, those staff members had stayed behind to coordinate with special departments and hadn’t traveled with them this time.
Normally, when the crew traveled to filming locations, there would be a convoy of vehicles. But this time, they only had one car.
Now, stranded in the middle of nowhere with not a single soul around to lend a hand, the guests felt utterly hopeless.
A chilling sense of helplessness crept over everyone.
Bai Shuang was terrified by the elderly woman outside furiously pounding on the car window. She quickly scooted toward the center of the seat, away from the glass, and, with trembling hands, secretly pulled out her phone, hoping to contact the rescue team they had just separated from.
But the moment she lit up her screen, she was stunned—there was no signal. Not even GPS was functioning!
Out here in the deep forested mountains, her phone had become nothing more than an expensive paperweight—completely useless.
Bai Shuang, who had always relied heavily on her phone, was so scared she nearly burst into tears.
Fortunately, the presence of Yan Shixun gave everyone a sliver of reassurance. They calmed down slightly and looked at his tall, poised figure with nervous eyes, silently praying they would somehow get out of here safely.
But Yan Shixun didn’t share their optimism.
The car’s tire had been slashed and blown out. And this time, there was no support vehicle to help with replacements. They had just departed from the southwest, and the vehicle was poorly stocked with emergency supplies. Everyone was already exhausted, unable to respond to the situation at their best.
If they were facing ruthless criminals or malevolent spirits, Yan Shixun would have remained unfazed. He would have simply crushed through and cleared the path without hesitation.
But the problem was—these were living, breathing people. Villagers who lived right here.
Among the group crawling over the vehicle, he even spotted a little girl with braided pigtails.
After being lifted up—presumably by her mother—she gleefully jumped around on the car’s hood, then reached down to snap off the windshield wiper, waving it around like a toy.
The driver’s heart ached watching the scene. He muttered anxiously that everything cost money—repairs would be expensive.
Amid this chaotic farce, Yan Shixun remained like a detached observer, calmly scanning the faces of the villagers outside. From their excited expressions and greedy eyes, he gauged how much money they were hoping to get—and calculated the best way to leave quickly.
The villagers could act recklessly, but Yan Shixun couldn’t respond in kind.
Petty bullies relied on the kindness of others.
The more civilized and good-hearted a person was, the more they suffered in situations like this.
But unfortunately for them, Yan Shixun wasn’t someone who liked to suffer losses. He didn’t consider himself kind or gentle either.
He was a bad-tempered man—and a dangerous one.
He quickly made up his mind. Then, in a calm tone, he instructed the driver, “Open the door. Press the switch and hold it—I just need one second. As soon as I’m out, shut the door immediately.”
“Stay inside. Don’t get out. I’ll be back soon.”
After briefly reassuring the guests, Yan Shixun walked toward the car door.
Outside, villagers had their faces pressed against the glass, features distorted against the windowpane. When they saw someone inside moving—as if about to get out and talk to them—they grew even more excited. Some even began banging on the car body, as if showing off their strength to intimidate those inside.
Under such tension, even the driver couldn’t help feeling nervous. His hand hovered over the door switch, but his whole body trembled uncontrollably. He feared if he didn’t open and shut the door quickly enough, those outside might break in.
Right now, the vehicle was like a fortress, separating them from danger. If that layer of protection disappeared, the driver didn’t dare imagine what might happen.
But Yan Shixun appeared especially composed.
He stood behind the door and gave the driver a small nod. At the same time, his muscles tensed, ready to spring into action the moment the door opened.
The driver took a deep breath and *click!*—pressed the door switch.
The door slowly slid open, creating a narrow gap.
The young and strong villagers blocking the door grew visibly excited. They cracked their knuckles, preparing to charge in.
Sweat soaked the driver’s palms. His heart pounded in his chest.
When the gap widened just enough for a person to squeeze through, several arms had already reached inside, flailing wildly as if trying to drag the people in the car out.
But in the very next second, a black figure, swift as a raging storm, shot out of the car and lunged straight at the villagers blocking the door.
The black coat unfurled in the air like a massive shroud, enveloping the stunned villagers who hadn’t even had time to react. In a flash, the coat wrapped around the heads of seven or eight villagers, slamming their skulls against one another with loud *thud!* *thud!* sounds.
What followed were painful wails of “Oww! Oww!” from the villagers.
Seeing how things were going, one of the villagers panicked and shouted in alarm, “He’s killing people! He’s killing people!”
The black coat whipped through the air like a fierce wind. Though made of soft, fine cashmere, its force at that moment rivaled that of a meteor hammer. A strike from it was enough to make a person cry from the pain. A slash across the face left a long, bloody gash.
The searing pain and overwhelming fear forced the villagers to retreat, driven by pure survival instinct to stay out of the coat’s range, terrified of getting hit again.
The few villagers who had been at the front, with their heads caught by the coat, were seeing stars from the collision. Now dizzy and nauseous from being spun around, their vision went black, unable to see or think clearly, completely losing the will to fight.
Yet the person who subdued this group of strong, labor-hardened men was just a single young man.
His handsome face was cold and sharp, radiating an aura that warned people to stay far away. Even a casual glance from him carried murderous intent, like someone who had truly fought and killed.
An old woman who had been about to rush forward, sobbing, was frozen on the spot by fear.
She had never felt death so close to her. It was as if the King of Hell himself was beckoning her forward.
That young man merely stood there casually, and yet his overwhelming presence kept everyone at bay. People began second-guessing their actions, wondering if they had picked the wrong target—had they just run into someone too tough to handle?
Seeing that even the strong men at the front had gained nothing, the rest of the villagers dared not advance.
They had never encountered someone like this before. For a moment, they all stood frozen in fear, uncertain who this person was or where he came from.
Behind Yan Shixun, the car door slowly closed.
He stood next to the car, one hand in his pocket. His black shirt stretched slightly with the motion, outlining the smooth lines of his muscles. With his other hand, he easily swung the black coat around, showing a hint of leisurely ease, like a cat toying with a mouse.
Yan Shixun was calm and composed, so unaffected it was as if he didn’t even register the crowd before him.
When he had stepped out of the car, he had single-handedly surrounded dozens of villagers.
Now that he had made a show of force, the rest would be easier to handle.
In his earlier years, he had roamed the mountains far and wide, and had faced countless roadside ambushes. He had long since gotten used to situations like this.
If it hadn’t been for the bad timing—he had just finished a fierce battle to save the world from peril, was injured, and had guests from the show with him—an incident like this wouldn’t have even made him frown.
Yan Shixun’s ears twitched slightly. When he sharply caught the sound of someone dry-heaving inside the coat, he swiftly turned his wrist and released the restraint.
As a result, the dizzy villagers were flung far away by inertia.
With several heavy thuds, some crashed into trees while others were hurled headfirst into the bushes, limbs sprawled awkwardly.
Only a pair of twitching legs were left visible, as if in convulsion.
One man’s shoe flew in a graceful arc through the air, destination unknown.
Yan *Mild Germophobe* *Dislikes Physical Contact* Shixun clicked his tongue: Tch. Don’t puke on my coat. That’s disgusting.
The villagers who had been crying and shouting moments before were now stunned by the unexpected turn of events. They gawked in disbelief at the people flung across the field, eyes wide as saucers.
Was… was this even humanly possible?
For a moment, silence reigned.
Even the show’s guests, who had been anxiously watching from the car, instinctively held their breath, eyes glued to the scene.
“B-Brother Yan is really that badass? And he’s still injured…”
An Nanyuan swallowed hard, voice trembling. “I suddenly feel like… Brother Yan really was holding back before.”
Everyone around him nodded in unison, all in agreement.
The villagers stood there, dumbfounded for a long while before they finally processed what had happened.
Some who seemed to be relatives of the men who had been thrown cried out and rushed toward the bushes.
“My son! My son!”
“The father of my child! What happened to you? Say something!”
“Brother! Wake up!”
The scene descended into momentary chaos.
Only Yan Shixun calmly brushed the dust and creases off his coat. With a swift motion, he flung it around his shoulders, the hem slicing cleanly through the air in a sharp arc.
He tilted his head slightly and pulled out a handkerchief, slowly wiping his palms. His composed features suggested he was entirely used to such situations, treating the chaos before him as if it were nothing.
The only thing that bothered him was the dust dirtying his hands.
The villagers, who had originally intended to charge at Yan Shixun to continue their shouting and weeping, were momentarily stunned by his demeanor. Unsure of who he was, they hesitated, their courage faltering.
One middle-aged woman, however, after seeing the young man she knew lying unconscious on the ground after being thrown aside, cursed loudly and marched forward, furious, prepared to confront Yan Shixun.
But she was quickly stopped by another villager who pulled her back and signaled her frantically, trying to keep her from acting recklessly.
The woman, thinking of her son’s bruised and swollen face, was seething with rage. She wanted nothing more than to scratch the face of this young man and avenge her son.
“You little bastard! Born with a mother but raised without one, how dare you come here and act wild! Tired of living, are you?! Just wait, today I’ll take your parents’ place and teach you a lesson. I’ll show you just how vast the heavens and the earth are!”
She shook off the hand holding her back, rolled up her sleeves, and lunged toward Yan Shixun, teeth clenched and voice shrill with fury.
The noise grated on Yan Shixun’s nerves. He tilted his head slightly, visibly irritated.
“The vast heavens and earth?”
He let out a low chuckle—cold and sharp, like ice.
If every time Ye Li reached out to save the human world, what he saw was this kind of crowd, this kind of scene, then it was no surprise he chose to close Fengdu.
His master had just died to save the world—his body and soul obliterated, wiped entirely from existence, with not even the chance of reincarnation.
And now someone dared to lecture him about the vastness of heaven and earth?
And insult his master—the man who had been his teacher, his father, his closest companion?
“Heh.”
Yan Shixun curled his lips into a scornful smile: “I personally killed my own father. What, you want to try me too? I’ll show you what the heavens and earth truly are.”
For the sake of the Great Dao and the living beings under heaven, he had killed the old Fengdu, and with that, had lost his master forever.
Just the thought sent a sharp pain through his chest. His eyes darkened with a furious gleam. The hand he had just let fall reached out again—his stance for a takedown forming instantly.
Before the woman could get close, Yan Shixun had already seized her outstretched wrist.
His long fingers clamped down with strength. With the slightest pressure—Crack! A sharp snap echoed.
What followed was a pig-slaughtering scream of agony.
But Yan Shixun’s brow didn’t even twitch. He simply flipped his hand and swung the woman like a sack of grain, slamming her to the ground.
In that moment, the woman felt her organs shift out of place. It was as if they were about to shoot out of her throat.
Overwhelmed by the pain, she opened her mouth, but her eyes went glassy. She couldn’t even make another sound.
The surrounding villagers froze on the spot.
Those who had planned to observe Yan Shixun and look for a chance to act instinctively took two steps back, finally realizing that the man before them was a true demon of a person.
He had killed his own father with his own hands… This was no ordinary man. He was someone they absolutely could not afford to mess with.
Whether it was the seven or eight young men who had been thrown aside earlier or this middle-aged woman now crumpled on the ground, Yan Shixun had taken them down with ease—calm, composed, without blinking an eye. That kind of terrifying composure made everyone’s courage crumble.
They now understood: this man was nothing like the travelers they usually blackmailed for money. He was of a completely different breed.
This man wasn’t afraid of death, nor of causing trouble!
Even scarier was the fact that… it really seemed like he had killed someone before.
The villagers glanced at each other, none daring to take the lead.
And so, dozens of people lingered in place, hesitating, not a single one daring to move. All of them looked fearfully at Yan Shixun.
Even the villagers who had just leapt onto the vehicle to cause a scene were now tiptoeing down from the truck, trying not to make a sound, afraid to startle Yan Shixun.
The way things were unfolding left the guests inside the vehicle dumbfounded. They stared, wide-eyed, unable to react.
But this outcome was exactly what Yan Shixun had anticipated.
Just typical cowardice—bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
They rushed to the front when it was time to divide money, but once danger appeared, each ran faster than the next. They looked united on the surface, but were actually vulnerable and weak.
As long as the first loudmouth who stepped forward was dealt with properly, no one else would have the courage to follow.
Yan Shixun casually swept his gaze over the villagers.
In the silence, only the sounds of wailing could still be heard not far off.
“My poor grandson! How did he fall like that? He threw up all over himself!”
“Son! Son, wake up!”
“That lump on his head—how is it almost as big as his whole head?!”
The villagers all lowered their heads, as if flowers had suddenly bloomed on their toes.
But Yan Shixun just laughed lightly and raised his voice, asking, “Not dead yet? Should I do a good deed and send them the rest of the way?”
The wailing stopped instantly.
And so, even the last of the sounds vanished.
The chaos from just moments ago was replaced by a deathly silence.
Yan Shixun nodded in satisfaction and said, “Now then, let’s talk about compensation.”
He looked toward the man clearly surrounded by the other villagers—a leader of sorts—then raised a slender finger, listing things off one by one.
“First, you’ll need to pay me for emotional distress, for being startled, for lost sleep…”
“W-Wait a minute!”
The villager’s eyes bulged as he yelled, “You’re extorting us!”
Yan Shixun raised an eyebrow, sounding amused. “Hearing that from you is truly hilarious. Think about it from my perspective. You’ve just handled a few deaths, you’re exhausted and want to sleep, but just as the car starts moving, a swarm of ants suddenly rushes out and won’t stop shouting, keeping you from resting.”
“How pitiful. If I don’t ask for a little more compensation, it wouldn’t do justice to my reputation in the Dao.”
He shook his head and clicked his tongue. “We’re technically in the same business, you know. But your little side hustle here—I’m not interested in stealing it. Honestly, I’ve got too many cases of life and death on my end to deal with. As long as you pay up, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened today. Isn’t that a great deal?”
Then, as if deeply moved by his own words, he added, “I really am such a kind person.”
The villagers: …I’m the one who blocks roads and extorts people, but now I’m getting extorted? If this gets out, won’t the neighboring villages laugh themselves to death?
The villagers were completely stunned by Yan Shixun’s “kindness.” They felt like their eyes had been opened to a whole new world. Who would have thought someone could make robbery sound so pure and refined?
And he even called himself kind!
Even An Nanyuan, still sitting inside the car, couldn’t help but laugh. “A new definition of kindness, hahaha.”
The villagers wanted to say or do something, but what Yan Shixun had let slip in his earlier words made them hesitate—too afraid to act rashly.
What did he mean by “life and death cases”? And that he had handled “a few deaths”… What kind of business was this guy involved in? Was he some kind of murderer or criminal?
Many of them started to feel uneasy, whispering in their hearts, Anyone who can talk about killing people so calmly without even blinking… plus, his skills just now really were impressive… did we just pick a fight with someone we can’t handle?
Someone suspiciously glanced toward the truck, trying to see what clues they could find.
Just then, the guests’ bloodstained clothes—discarded and piled up behind a window—caught their eye.
The splatters of blood looked as though a murder had just taken place.
The man gasped, and his gaze toward the people inside the truck turned filled with fear.
This—this was clearly a criminal gang! The kind that kills without batting an eye!
He quickly tugged on the sleeve of the person next to him, frantically gesturing for them to look at the truck.
The other villagers squinted, and to their horror, they noticed that it wasn’t just the bloody clothes. Even the gaps in the tires had bits of uncleaned blood and meat stuck in them.
They really had just killed someone!
Everyone was instantly stunned.
Even the old lady who had been clinging to the window, crying and shouting, quickly backed away in fear, as if afraid that Yan Shixun would remember her.
Meanwhile, Yan Shixun stood there, completely at ease, letting them guess and imagine all they wanted. Once he judged that they were sufficiently shaken, he finally spoke again, smiling as he asked, “Done looking? If you’re done, then hand over the money. And while you’re at it, fix my tire.”
“If you’re missing even one thing…”
He tilted his head slightly, still smiling. “Then pay with your life.”
The villagers stared at Yan Shixun in horror, not even daring to breathe.
Dressed in a black shirt and draped in a coat, Yan Shixun exuded an aura that made it easy to believe he would follow through on every word he said.
And then, as if to seal the deal, he added one more line with deep meaning:
“That’s the thing about being a villain… there’s always someone out there who’s worse than you.”
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