Chapter 4, As the Executioner (Part 2)

In the room of the old executioner in a county town a thousand miles away, there lay twenty taels of gold on the table, and sitting opposite the executioner was Yang Chen

In fact, this stretch of road has already crossed from the Chen State, where the Yang family originally resided, into the territory of the Zhao State. For Yang Chen's parents, two honest and simple farmers, leaving the Chen State was almost an impossible task. However, under Yang Chen's seemingly prophetic arrangements, they encountered no dangers along the way and arrived smoothly.

Yang Chen was not at all modest; he purchased houses, land, and servants, arranging for his parents a large estate in a somewhat remote yet picturesque location, complete with hundreds of acres of fertile fields, dozens of servants, and over a hundred tenant families. Two peasants who had never enjoyed a single day of comfort suddenly found themselves among those they had envied for a lifetime, with everyone addressing them as 'Master' and 'Mistress,' which truly left them in disbelief

"There is a head to every grievance, and a master to every debt. You and I have no past grievances, nor recent enmities. I am merely fulfilling my duty and acting on orders, and I apologize for any offense caused!" Yang Chen, bare-chested with a blood-red silk scarf wrapped around his head, reached out to pull the death warrant stuck on the kneeling prisoner and tossed it to the ground. He raised the ghost-headed broadsword that had been held in his right hand.

A burst of noise followed by thunderous applause

Having arranged everything, Yang Chen did not rush to leave, but instead spent time with his parents, living together for six months. During this period, Yang Chen became increasingly diligent in his workouts, and with the exquisite food, he seemed to have become significantly more robust. His entire body was muscular and well-defined, making it hard to believe that he was only sixteen years old

After reaping a season's harvest, the life of the entire estate had already entered a stable routine. It was only then that Yang Chen bid farewell to his parents and left this new home. At this point, it had been nine months since his rebirth.

Yang Chen entered the situation with remarkable speed. The day after completing these tasks, a prisoner was to be executed by decapitation. This was Yang Chen's first time killing at the execution ground, and it was also his first attempt to experiment with the techniques of the Old Demon. Although these were the words spoken by the Old Demon before his death, there was no certainty they were true; nonetheless, Yang Chen was determined to give it a try. The executioner was undoubtedly the most legitimate choice for killing.

In six months, to kill for oneself, to reduce one's own sins, and to receive twenty taels of gold in return, even after deducting the bribes to the county magistrate, it is still a considerable profit. If the old executioner does not agree, then he is indeed a fool

After resting for more than an hour in a suitable place, an additional box mysteriously appeared among the Yang family's luggage, and it was placed inside another existing box, making it undetectable to anyone.

"What you mean is that you want to become an executioner, and if I help you achieve that, these will be mine?" The old executioner could hardly believe what his eyes saw and his ears heard; is there really such a good thing in this world?

Due to illness, a leave of absence was requested, and a disciple was recommended. The old executioner completed all of this in just half a day. Yang Chen's robust physique left no doubt in others' minds about his ability to fulfill the heavy responsibilities of an executioner

Old Master Yang indeed possesses considerable wealth; in addition to having over 600 taels of gold and more than 100 taels of silver, the rest is entirely composed of low-grade spirit stones. Several dozen jin of low-grade spirit stones are worth as much as tens of thousands of taels of gold

Yang Chen took a deep breath, and the cultivation technique that he had recalled countless times in his mind suddenly began to circulate. An invisible aura surged from the corpse directly into Yang Chen's body, transforming into a warm current that spread throughout his limbs and bones

I am destined to have a hard life, the diviner said that if I do not kill enough people, I will bring misfortune to my parents and family. Therefore, I must take on the role of an executioner to kill some people and resolve my fate. Yang Chen casually fabricated a plausible reason: "I only need to do this for half a year, after which I will leave, and you can continue with whatever you need to do." After half a year, I will leave, and you can continue with whatever you need to do.

Everyone only saw a flash of a bright blade, and they were not even sure if Yang Chen had made that move. Yet, Yang Chen seemed to have transformed back into that amiable young man, surprisingly holding a piece of brand new silk cloth, beginning to wipe the blade. The crowd was taken aback and focused their gaze; the prisoner's head was still intact on the prisoner's neck, completely motionless. What was going on?

This location is remote, and apart from the people in this village, there are hardly any outsiders passing through. Even in times of war, it is unlikely to be significantly affected. This is a place carefully chosen by Yang Chen, who has taken all these factors into account.

In a moment of astonishment, a trace of blood suddenly appeared between the prisoner's neck, which then elongated into a line of blood. Following this, with a loud bang, the head fell completely from the line of blood, revealing a wound the size of a bowl. The hot blood gushed forth like a spring, shooting into the sky, hissing for a good five or six breaths before losing its force. It was only at this moment that the body of the prisoner, who had just been kneeling, collapsed to the ground.

According to the information gathered by Yang Chen, after the rebellion in the Heavenly Court, the Immortal Execution Platform executed no fewer than several thousand deities of various ranks. This unique execution artifact of the Heavenly Court, the Immortal Execution Platform, is operated by mortals to prevent those powerful beings from posing a threat to the realm of immortals. As for the selection of operators for the Immortal Execution Platform, they are naturally chosen from among the executioners of the mortal world.

If Yang Chen can enter the Immortal Slaying Platform, then he can justifiably slay immortals to cultivate demonic powers. The benefits gained from killing one immortal are likely more effective than killing ten thousand mortals. Not only would he not bear the reputation of the demonic path, but he would also replenish his cultivation roots. Thinking about it now, this is simply a chance given by heaven for him to live again, arranging for him to slay immortals.

The Yang family is merely surnamed Yang and has no familial relationship with the elderly Mr. Yang of Yang Village. The three members of the family hired a horse-drawn carriage in the county town, bringing along their few belongings, and soon left the confines of the county town.

Near the next county, Yang Chen dismissed the original carriage and hired a new one in the new county, traveling to the second location. He changed carriages approximately six times before finally purchasing one. After more than a day's journey, the family arrived near the location where Yang Chen had buried the box.

No one knows why Yang Chen chose to become a mortal executioner; only Yang Chen himself is aware of the reason. There was once a rebellion in the Celestial Court of the Immortal Realm, which occurred long before Yang Chen ascended. However, Yang Chen has learned that it likely took place shortly after his birth, when the signs in the mortal realm were marked by a sky full of blood light for a day and a night, followed by chaos across the land, leading to the complete overthrow of numerous dynasties.

With this action from Yang Chen, the onlookers inside and outside the execution ground immediately widened their eyes and held their breath. The strong liquor that had been prepared earlier was set aside as Yang Chen picked up the wine bowl, took a large gulp, and then swished another mouthful before spitting it out towards the ghostly-headed saber with a loud "pfft." After completing all this, Yang Chen's eyes brightened as he looked at the prisoner, a sudden aura of killing intent emanating from him, transforming him as if he had become a different person. He raised the ghostly-headed saber high and brought it down with great force.

Subsequently, they focused on a direction and traveled for approximately two months, finally arriving at the place where Yang Chen wanted to arrange for his parents to live. Fortunately, they traveled along official roads, and the family of three did not appear to be wealthy, so they were not bothered by any thieves, arriving safely at their destination. After this arrangement, it would no longer be possible for anyone to find Yang Chen's parents.

The executioner is not a profession that one would envy. In fact, under the current hierarchical system, the executioner is merely a profession despised by the divine, even regarded as inferior to beggars. Walking down the street, no one can hold them in esteem. Moreover, due to the numerous killings, it is believed to offend heaven, and legends say that one must descend to the eighteen layers of hell after death. The old executioner could hardly believe that someone would spend so much gold to actively request this task.