Chapter 100 - Killing With a Borrowed Knife
"What?!" Second Uncle Lin, Ancestor Ning, Ning Que, and Murong Li jolted to their feet, eyes wide with horror and disbelief! These three Sword Princelings were their descendants!
The words struck them like a brutal bolt of lightning, smoke nearly billowing from their every orifice, particularly the older generation who were on the verge of heart attacks born from blood flowing in reverse.
"Who did this?" For a moment, dozens of powerful beings from Sword Heaven, their faces contorted with rage, nearly in unison demanded an answer from Ning Jing. Every single one of them radiated a murderous aura that threatened to engulf the very heavens.
Three Sword Princelings! Of the five in Sword Heaven, more than half were now abruptly taken away. Just moments ago, they were lamenting the overnight loss of three Heaven Chosen and two powerhouses in the Forbidden Tower!
"I don't know... but there were two blood characters left on the ground!" Ning Jing, turning to her father Ning Que, uttered shakily, "Yun Xiao!"
"Murder with a signature? Such brazen audacity?" Second Uncle Lin grumbled, his anger threatening his very wellbeing.
"He massacred in the Spirit Treasure Walk last night and returned to the Ancestor Sword Hall to kill again? Just because Lil Bei ambushed him this morning? Such unbridled malevolence..." Ancestor Ning’s face twisted with unbridled rage, seething in every crease of his ancient face. He had been convinced by Ning Que the previous night, but everything that unfolded now, simply slapped him in the face.
"Everyone, calm down! It could also be a frame, pushing us to kill Yun Xiao! Let’s find Yun Xiao first and clarify the situation!" Ning Que spoke in a grave tone.
"Dad, Brother Chen has already stormed towards Wind Listening Pavilion!" A frantic look painted Ning Jing’s face, "You must hurry!"
"Lin Chen?!"
Everyone was well aware of Lin Chen’s temperament! These younger brothers and sisters had cultivated alongside him; witnessing this spectacle, what further calamity might this foreshadow?
"Ning Jing, you first help collect the bodies of your little brother and the other two... No matter who it is, your father will find them and avenge Ning Bei!" Ning Que's eyes blazed red with a mixture of agony and fury.
With those words, this large group of Sword Heaven powerhouses mounted their Sovereign Swords, soaring toward the Wind Listening Pavilion with the wind whispering threats of vengeance beneath their feet.
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Sword Heaven, the thatched cottage! The sun perched at three sticks' height above the horizon!
"They've been killed?" The Sword Lord was roused from his groggy slumber by Xiao Yu's clamor. He’d overindulged the previous night!
Others dared not approach this thatched cottage. Consequently, by the time the couple received the news, it was already somewhat stale.
"With Lil Chen's temperament, he'll certainly duel that little whelp to the death! That boy possesses a hundred-layer Sword Aura; I fear for his safety. Hurry, go!" Urgency colored Xiao Yu's words.
"Lil Chen is in trouble?" The Sword Lord shook his head, "Our son has a fifty-layer Sword Aura, plus two formidable Demon Cores. Whether it's Thousand Waters Lure or Ghostly Inferno, both are demon magics of 5,000-year-old Demon Emperors, capable of protecting his Sword Soul! Coupled with his cultivation in the Sovereign Dragon Realm and his Upper Planet grade swordsmanship... what I worry about is Yun Xiao getting into trouble!"
"Neither can afford trouble! Any mishap for either would mean all previous efforts have gone to waste..." Xiao Yu spoke through gritted teeth.
Just who was it, inserting a stick into their wheel spokes at this crucial moment, prompting this clash between the two prodigies?
Both Sword Lord and Xiao Yu furrowed their brows!
Even as they spoke, the pair had already mounted their Sovereign Swords, heading toward the Wind Listening Pavilion.
"That Sun Moon Divine Light is an incomplete scripture! It possesses only form without sword intent. I hope Yun Xiao doesn’t utilize it recklessly, otherwise, his vulnerabilities will be exposed!" As the Sword Lord rode the wind and cleaved the waves, his eyebrows knit together tightly. "Who’s causing this chaos? Who's getting tired of living?"
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Wind Listening Pavilion!
As dawn broke, the whooshing sounds of swords whisked through the air, reaching Yun Xiao’s ears.
“Taking their sweet time, haven’t they? Those three corpses must be nice and cool by now.” A cold smirk slithered across his face, eyes indifferent, as he vigorously stepped out of the east tower!
Upon the courtyard and over the lotus pond, a youth with a sword on his back abruptly descended.
BOOM! The pond trembled, spurting a grand display of water as a dense sword energy swept across, shredding hundreds of withered lotuses into mere dust!
With long hair fluttering wildly, the sword-bearing youth trod upon the water's surface, his eyes swirling with turbulent sword energy, fixed fiercely upon Yun Xiao.
“Brother?” Lin Lin, startled, emerged to see Lin Chen, his eyes ablaze with a ravenous fury. Her heart skipped a beat, promptly inquiring, “What’s happened to you?”
“Die!” Lin Chen articulated that single word and, wrapped in the majestic power of the Sovereign Dragon Realm, ferociously lunged toward Yun Xiao!
In the Sovereign Dragon Realm, the Origin Core morphed into a divine dragon. However, this wasn’t some illusionary Dragon Spring, but a true dragon with tangible form.
Under the robust magic power of the Sovereign Dragon Realm, Lin Chen seemed entwined by a divine dragon of sacred, white light—imperious, majestic, an unassailable sovereign!
“Brother?” Lin Lin stood agape.
“Lin Chen!” At that moment, a dark figure interposed herself before Yun Xiao.
“Ning Yan?” Upon seeing her, Lin Chen’s chest heaved, his fury and murderous intent intensifying.
“What do you think you’re doing? Yun Xiao is the Young Sword Lord! How dare you, without cause, assault your superior?” Ning Yan’s eyes narrowed, her voice sternly projecting. All through the previous night, she contemplated departing to avoid the impending storm, but in the end, she chose to stay. She came to Yun Xiao early this morning, intending to advise the boy to keep a low profile in the upcoming days, but upon arrival, she encountered Lin Chen’s aggression.
“Without cause? Assaulting my superior?” Lin Chen, hearing these phrases, unleashed an even more frigid and eerie chuckle, “Ning Yan, you’ve caused multiple deaths!”
“What?” Ning Yan stood bewildered.
“As Lil Bei’s aunt, you brought back a murderous devil, costing him, Lil Qian, and Lil Long their lives!” Lin Chen spoke, his voice venomous and fierce.
"Brother Bei and the others?" Lin Lin's voice quivered, "They're dead? That can't be..."
"Lin Chen, are you joking?" Ning Yan's scalp tingled with horror.
"If you don’t believe me, visit the Ancestral Sword Hall! Their blood, having flowed all night, has dried!" Lin Chen stared intently at Yun Xiao. "Ning Yan, you who have wrought disaster upon Sword Heaven and the Sea of Swords, if you don’t step aside, if you continue to shield this criminal, I will kill even you!"
"Do you have any evidence?" Ning Yan glared, demanding an answer.
"After the murder, the name Yun Xiao was left at the scene!"
Ning Yan suddenly whipped her head toward Yun Xiao, sharply inquiring, "What's going on?"
Yun Xiao snickered coldly. "Isn't it obvious? It’s simply a case of killing by a borrowed knife."
"Killing by a borrowed knife?" Ning Yan’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.
"There are too many in Sword Heaven who wish me dead, but always with some lack of righteous cause, right? So, they pull this setup and framing trick, deceiving and inciting those without discernment into vengeful fury, thereby having me killed by another’s hand," Yun Xiao explained indifferently.
"Yun Xiao! If you have the courage to kill and leave your name, do you not have the courage to admit it?" Lin Chen growled lowly.
"I know you wish me dead, if you want to fight, then let’s fight, I will accompany you to the end. Don’t play these kinds of dirty tricks, it's uninteresting!" Yun Xiao retorted, voice frigid.
Having heard up to this point, Ning Yan had a guess in her mind!
"Lin Chen, something is fishy about this matter. Don’t act rashly. Wait until your father arrives and investigates it thoroughly! I believe he will bring justice to you and Lil Bei!" Ning Yan hastily implored.
"You are Lil Bei’s aunt, whom do you believe?" Lin Chen glared at Ning Yan.
"Judging the matter as it stands! In this matter, I believe Yun Xiao. His reputation in Sword Heaven has just begun to rise, there’s no need for him to do this!" Ning Yan declared, gritting her teeth.
"Brother, maybe we should investigate first?" Lin Lin also suggested.
"Shut up!" Lin Chen growled softly, his eyes gazing at Yun Xiao, filled with surging sword energy.
By this time, dozens of Sword Heaven’s top brass had already arrived by Sovereign Swords from the Jade Sun Tower. Seeing that Lin Chen and Yun Xiao had not started fighting, they all exhaled in relief!
Surrounded by the venerable ancestors of Sword Heaven, including Second Uncle Lin, Murong Li, and Ancestor Ning, along with Ning Que and several Great Sword Venerables, a tense atmosphere hummed through the air.
Ning Que, attempting to inject a measure of calm into the gathering storm, spoke gently, "Lil Chen, we've discussed this matter and found it to be suspicious as well. Keep your cool for now, wait for your father's arrival."
Wait for his father? Lin Chen cast them all a frosty glare. "My father treasures him like a jewel. Even if Yun Xiao were to massacre our entire Sword Heaven, would my father care? He doesn’t give a shit about our well-being, only about keeping up appearances!"
The ancestors exchanged helpless glances, finding no words to refute Lin Chen’s bitter observation. They too had felt the sting of Lin Qingfeng's slap and harbored their own simmering resentment.
Murong Li sighed heavily, his face etching regret. "Young Master Lin speaks the truth! Even if Yun Xiao retaliates maliciously, provocatively leaving his name at the scene, feigning ignorance now with no evidence against him, the Sword Lord would not punish him. It's pitiful that the three will have died in vain!"
Yun Xiao, his voice a chilling sneer, interjected, "Ancestor Murong, perhaps you’re the killer? To target me, to force Sword Heaven to kowtow to the Forbidden Tower, you even murder your own granddaughter. How noble!"
"Silence!" Murong Li retorted, blood boiling in instant rage.
"Yun Xiao, you're brave enough to kill people, but too afraid to admit it?" Lin Chen said fiercely.
"If you insist that I did it, then fine I admit it! After all, you just want to find a reason to kill me. Does it matter whether or not I’m the murderer? It doesn’t. From the moment I entered Sword Heaven, you've wanted me dead. Is playing these pretentious games interesting to you?" Yun Xiao snarled back.
Lin Chen, consumed by a red haze of anger, declared vehemently, "Yes, you're right! I will annihilate you! If I say it was you who killed them, then it was you who killed them! Now I will avenge my younger brothers and sister!!"
His fury frothing and vision thoroughly reddened, Lin Chen’s thoughts were crystal clear. This man, with his terrifyingly formidable talents, must not be allowed another day, another moment of cultivation. Every additional breath Yun Xiao took introduced another variable into the equation.
Was he the murderer? Did it matter anymore?
Lin Chen deemed it unimportant! As long as he had an excuse, the decision was made—Yun Xiao had to die!
"Lin Chen, wait for your father! Yun Xiao doesn't need to stain his hand with blood, especially when it's being orchestrated by another's hand!" Ning Yan urged, her heart thrummed anxiously, yet she stood, an unyielding barrier before Lin Chen's wrath.
"Scram, wretched woman! You are shameless!" Lin Chen, tempestuous, his garments fluttering in heated turmoil, propelled himself towards Yun Xiao, as his toes lightly kissed the lake's surface.
Ning Yan, her expression steeped in horrified surprise, barely had time to gasp before Lin Chen, with a frenzied swing, brought his scabbard down upon her shoulder with a thunderous crash.
CRACK! Ning Yan was violently hurled aside, her arm snapping with an audible, grisly break. She screamed, a sound swallowed by the walls she collided with, her head a blossoming red of mingling pain and blood.
"Yun Xiao, flee..." she managed to gurgle through the blood cascading from her mouth, internal wounds weeping in silent agony. Ironically, her brother's words echoed in her faltering mind. Failing to escape this maelstrom meant bloodshed was imminent.
"Aunt Ning!" Yun Xiao spared her a poignant gaze. "Unless you repent to my Senior Sister Zhao, don’t imagine you can vindicate yourself..."
"..." Silence hung from Ning Yan, pained, pondering—was this really the thanks she got for taking a hit for him?
"Be cautious!" In this dire moment, seeing Yun Xiao not taking to his heels, she could only warn, her heart whispering prayers for the Sword Lord, Lin QIngfeng, to arrive soon.
"Lin Chen...!" A collective intake of breath held Sword Heaven in its grasping claws as Lin Chen, undeterred, poised to strike. Everyone, from Ancestor Ning to Ning Que, hesitated.
"Let him kill if he's so intent on it!"
"The Sword Lord surely won’t harshly punish his own son, right? Especially considering he’s his sole heir, and a talent destined to surpass him at that."
"With Yun Xiao's demise, the Sea of Swords will be pacified!"
Such were the thoughts that flitted, swift and dark, through the minds of the assembly.
KLANG! In the aftermath of striking Ning Yan, Lin Chen, a manifestation of lethal intent, now stood before Yun Xiao. He regarded the youth draped in white, a chilling silence seeping into the air, before abruptly drawing a lustrous Sword Soul from his sheathe. "Let's go!"
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