Chapter 113 - A Woman Surnamed Zhao
"Ling'er..." Moon Fairy called out and tenderly pressed his lips to hers..
Ling'er shyly reciprocated. The atmosphere was thick with passion. Suddenly, Moon Fairy whispered in her ear, "You're such a kind-hearted girl."
"Of course! I wouldn't even harm an ant," Ling'er murmured dreamily.
"Have you ever consumed a human?" Moon Fairy asked.
"I have, especially infants. Their tiny cries are quite delightful," she hummed softly. Before she could say more, fangs suddenly sprouted from Moon Fairy's mouth, plunging into her delicate neck!
"Ah, what are you doing?!" With a sharp cry, Ling'er tried to shove him away, but his claws pierced her flesh, holding her firmly.
In moments, she was drenched in her own blood. A chilling phosphorescent flame blazed on Moon Fairy's body, swiftly transferring to Ling'er, charring her smooth skin. Trapped and unable to escape, her desperate screams filled the air.
"No! No!" Suddenly, Ling'er's form expanded, morphing into a shimmering white serpent.
Moon Fairy transformed too, revealing his true form as a three-tailed fox demon. His claws dug deep into the serpent's flesh, and his teeth tore a chunk from her body.
"W-why...?" The white serpent's eyes shimmered with despair.
Silent, Moon Fairy clamped his jaws shut and unleashed a torrent of white flames into her mouth, incinerating her from the inside. The serpent's body ignited, and with a heart-wrenching scream, she crumbled to ashes.
"I loved you..." The ghostly wail of the serpent persisted. She had risked her father's wrath to steal something precious for him, and he had repaid her with betrayal?
Moon Fairy gazed at her, uttering coldly, "I am sworn to destroy all demons."
The white serpent, in utter disbelief, retorted, "Aren't you a demon yourself...?" As this last thought hung in the air, her soul disappeared like a wisp of smoke.
He gazed at the demon mountain before him and murmured, "The Creator Immortal is the source of all things, encompassing man, demon, and everything in between. But I am Yun Xiao, merely a man! A mortal who returned from the dead!"
Every time he told the Blue Star and the Red Moon he wasn't the Creator Immortal, that he wasn't their Creator, the two remained unmoved. But Yun Xiao had never forgotten himself. He wasn't some nebulous child of chaos but a young Emperor from the Cloud Nation who had been brought back to life.
That fact was immutable.
"To slay a demon, one must become a demon first!" Moon Fairy lowered his head and from the white snake, pulled out a white jade token.
"A War of Immortals jade token?" He chuckled, "Well then, one man, two identities. Why not join the War of Immortals as both people? That doesn't sound too bad."
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Sea of Swords, Sword Heaven, Murong Manor. The Murong Family was the third greatest household in Sword Heaven, only surpassed by the Lin and Ning Families!
Murong Li, a powerhouse in the Early Sovereign Dragon Realm, was a revered Ancestor of Sword Heaven. On this deep night, about twenty members of the Murong Family were engaged in a courtyard discussion. At the head of it all was Murong Li himself.
"Father, I've tallied it. We of the Murong Family have sent fifty-one members to the mortal realm to deal with demons. Most are young disciples," the Great Sword Venerable, Murong Yi, said.
"Out of the five hundred from Sword Heaven, more than a tenth come from our family. We've given our all," Murong Li remarked, stroking his long beard.
"Once the bait's in the water, we'll just wait for the fish to bite," Great Sword Venerable Murong Kang said with a cold smirk.
Both of these Great Sword Venerables were sons of Murong Li.
"We'll use the small fish to catch a big one. How brilliant! I hope our descendants can make a name for the Sea of Swords and make that rogue wish he were dead!" Murong Li exclaimed with a ferocious tone.
"Father." Murong Kang raised an eyebrow, "So, are you implying the Sword Lord had intentions for Yun Xiao, but the lad sensed it and outplayed him?"
"Exactly! That boy is ruthless!" Murong Li said, icily.
"I always thought it strange. With the Sword Lord and Madame Xiao being so devoted and arranging so many marriages, why would he suddenly go mad? Now it all makes sense," Murong Kang mused.
The gravity of the situation was palpable in the air. "By now, we might still be clueless about the Sword Lord's true intentions," Murong Yi stated with a frosty demeanor. "But that doesn't matter. What's important is that Sword Heaven and the Forbidden Tower need to unite. We have to eradicate this rebel! If he remains alive, it's a disgrace to the entire Sea of Swords."
The audacity! The sheer audacity of one young lad to play around with two mighty Sword Cultivator factions!
"The most heart-wrenching part is the Azure Kite Sea," someone lamented. Thinking about it was like pouring salt on an old wound—the legacy of generations lost.
"The Sword Cultivators of Azure Spirit, those hillbillies, they can't hide forever." Murong Li chuckled sinisterly. "With those weaklings by Yun Xiao's side, his death is inevitable. The only question is how he'll meet his end. Dawn approaches, and by sunrise, Ye Guying will emerge. Yun Xiao will have nowhere to run."
"Sunrise? That means less than three hours remain!" Murong Kang chuckled with gleeful anticipation, already savoring the upcoming spectacle.
A cruel laughter erupted among the twenty members of the Murong Family, chilling to the very bone. But in an unexpected twist, a streak of azure light shot directly into Murong Kang's mouth!
SPUTTER! Murong Kang leaned back, his eyes rolling white, a twisted smile on his face. Blood and other viscera trickled down from the back of his head...
"Kang!" Murong Li's laughter froze instantly, his face pale as he gazed upon his son's grotesque end.
Before anyone could react, the azure light darted around the room like a water skipper. Starting from Murong Kang on Murong Li's left, to Murong Yi on his right.
HUM! Suddenly, an azure Sword Soul radiating with a hundred layers of Sword Aura materialized right before Murong Li's eyes.
PUFF PUFF PUFF! All the members of the Murong Family at the table mirrored Murong Kang, their heads thrown back, blood dripping, frozen in time.
"Yun... Yun... Yun Xiao..." Murong Li's voice trembled as he stumbled to his feet, wailing in terror. He collapsed to his knees, "You've got it all wrong! I was just about to support your claim to be the new Sword Lord!" he cried out in desperation. But it was too late. With a sudden burst, his head exploded.
In an instant, the grand Murong Manor was cloaked in a deathly silence.
HUM! The azure Flying Sword soared away, leaving no trace behind. From the beginning to the end, no one had seen its master.
Not long after, Sword Lord Lin Qingfeng, Madame Xiao, and a host of Sword Heaven's Sword Cultivators arrived.
Pushing open the courtyard door, they were immediately confronted with the grim tableau of the Murong Family's deathly feast.
Apart from Murong Li whose head was all over the walls, the remaining individuals lay slain with their heads cocked up in the air, their blood pooling beneath the table like a meandering stream.
Those who saw it gasped in shock!
"Yun Xiao is still within Sword Heaven!" Cries of alarm rang out. People's faces drained of color, huddling together in fear.
The Sword Lord stood in the front, his eyes a fierce red, his hands beneath his sleeves trembling with anger. "Dammit!"
Just then, another man, his face ashen with panic, rushed over, tumbling as he went. "Sword Lord," he cried, "something's happened to Second Uncle Lin's family too!"
"Second Uncle Lin? What's happened?" the Sword Lord asked.
The man glanced at the ghastly scene before them and murmured, "The same... all dead!"
Hearing this, everyone present turned even paler.
"Dear, with his prowess lurking and striking down folks, what are we to do?" Madame Xiao quivered.
"We'll look to the thousand mortal nations," the Sword Lord said, his voice grave and face contorted. "To avoid further assassinations, sound the Jade Sun Bell. Gather all Sword Heaven Sword Cultivators at the Jade Sun Tower!"
"Understood!" As they made their way to Jade Sun Tower and struck the massive bell, about eight thousand of the remaining Sword Heaven Sword Cultivators congregated, their expressions varied—some nervous, some frowning, others looking down.
"The Ning Family is here too!"
"After both Ancestor Murong and Second Uncle Lin were killed, they remain unscathed, huh..." Ancestor Ning, Ning Que and others stood at a distance, their faces pale, remaining silent.
"Have they found that traitor Ning Yan?"
"No!"
After gathering everyone, the Sword Lord sat atop the Jade Sun Tower, clutching a tea cup, remaining silent. So, the Sword Heaven folks began to murmur amongst themselves.
By now, night had deepened.
"Had there been no mishap, I would have already swapped my sword bone and been born anew," the Sword Lord lamented, shaking his head, his eyes dim.
"Dear, you're a good man. The heavens will protect you! Even if the odds are low, you'll surely succeed!" Madame Xiao said, holding his hand, her eyes filled with tears.
"Let's find the culprit first," the Sword Lord whispered, closing his eyes.
In the midst of the tense atmosphere, a figure in black robes descended on a Sovereign Sword. As he landed, he burst with enthusiasm, "Sword Lord! There's great news!"
"Speak!" The Sword Lord's eyes snapped open, fixing an intense stare upon the newcomer.
"It's about the Heaven Chosen from the Forbidden Tower, Xiao Xue'er. In the thousand mortal nations, she's hooked a big fish! A woman by the name of Zhao, rumored to be Yun Xiao's senior sister!" The man in black practically vibrated with excitement.
"His senior sister? Surnamed Zhao?" The Sword Lord shot up, his grip tightening so fiercely that the teacup in his hand shattered.
"Yes!"
"Is she at the Forbidden Tower?"
"They're riding on a sword, so it's a tad slow, but they should arrive soon." The black-robed Sword Cultivator grinned. "This is a huge catch!"
"Excellent! Very excellent!" A gleam of anticipation flashed across the Sword Lord's eyes. Striding forward, he stood at the railing of the Jade Sun Tower, addressing the eight thousand people below, "Those who wish to crush Yun Xiao and restore the honor of the Sea of Swords, step forward! Join me at the Forbidden Tower!"
"Yes!" A collective shout of agreement echoed. About four thousand individuals stepped forward, ready for the mission.
The remaining cultivators exchanged uneasy glances, murmuring among themselves, "With the Sword Lord, Tower Lord, and the soon-to-emerge Ye Guying, they won't need us..."
With such a tempting bait and the formidable strength of Sword Heaven and the Forbidden Tower, capturing a young lad was as easy as pie. Why call everyone? The reason was clear. The Sword Lord simply wanted everyone to witness the grim fate that awaited those who opposed him and Xiao Changtian.
A lesson for all. A mistake that mustn't be repeated.
"Out of the great Sword Heaven, we only have 4,322 brave souls?" The Sword Lord chuckled coldly, launching into the skies on his Sovereign Sword.
A buzzing sound filled the air as over four thousand Sword Heaven cultivators soared, their spirits aflame, following their leader.
Those left behind, numbering just under four thousand stood in stunned silence.
Among the crowd, Ancestor Ning heaved a heavy sigh. "For Lil Bei's death, we too hold Yun Xiao responsible. However, Xiao Changtian and Lin Qingfeng's actions, capturing Yun Xiao's friends and family and unleashing demons upon the thousand mortal nations are measures we the Ning Family cannot condone even in death."
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