Chapter 343: Always the Instigator!
"Qingzan!"
This name was known to all in the Nine Hells, a legend in every ear.
Her face, once as untouchable as frost, was now overly familiar to the ten thousand strong gathered.
Just a short while ago, Qingzan was still the Talisman Emperor's right hand, painting strategies beside him. But now, only her head remained, thrown into the arena by Yun Xiao himself, turning into the center of everyone's attention...
The edges of the arena erupted in an uproar, shaking the very air.
The powerhouses from all hells gasped in shock, their breaths warm enough to raise the temperature of the sealed Immortal Asylum, making the air stiflingly hot.
Their eyes darted towards Yun Xiao, eyelids twitching wildly.
"The Talisman Emperor, Wick Devil, and others tried to assassinate Yun Xiao, but not only did he survive unscathed, he even beheaded the Talisman Emperor's wife!"
"And with that, he's completely severed the Inscription Cultivators' connection to the Sword Ruins..."
Most cultivators from the Nine Hells were left dumbfounded for a moment. They sensed that something big was about to unfold! The Calamity Seal Purgatory wouldn't let this slide!
Sure enough, in the next instant, over 2,000 Inscription Cultivators turned red-eyed and flushed with rage.
"Yun Xiao!" More than 2,000 Inscription Cultivators surged towards the Radiance Gate, their eyes swirling with murderous intent.
BUZZ! Many had already summoned their Life Sigils from between their eyebrows!
"What Exiled Sword Immortal? He's merely a brute without morals, daring to attack our Emperor's wife during the Nine Hells Conquest Clash. Can the enlightened ones of the seven hells just sit by and watch?"
In the midst of the Inscription Cultivators, a woman spoke, her aging face twisted in rage and ferocity.
"Madame Liuli is right! A life for a life!" Someone from the Yang Devil's side immediately responded.
"Whoever protects him, shares his guilt," a resentment demon from the Undead Depths coldly added.
Just these three hells alone boasted 7,000 Fate Ocean Realm powerhouses, all ready to strike.
Madam Liuli's reputation was clearly high. She was the former Talisman Empress, belonging to the same generation as the Sword Warden, and mother to the current Emperor.
That meant Qingzan was her daughter-in-law.
The current Talisman Emperor rose to power quickly, inheriting the throne early from Madame Liuli. But her stepping down didn't mean she was weak. To this day, she maintained her Genesis Spirit Realm strength, still one of the top powerhouses in the Nine Hells!
"His stubborn arrogance has enraged the world. Let's not bother the Immortal Asylum with this. Once we deal with this villain, the Nine Hells Conquest Clash can continue fairly," the Sea Dragon Emperor of the Leviathan Ravine said.
This man, with blue hair, dragon horns, and a naturally imposing presence, was left out of the Talisman Emperor's assassination plan, to avoid alienating the Phoenix Empress and Netherworld Emperor.
Now, with the Sea Dragon Emperor explaining to the Immortal Asylum and others, it seemed nothing could stop their murderous intent.
A battle among the powerhouses of the Nine Hells was about to erupt!
"This kid kills and provokes us openly, isn't he just giving us a reason to eliminate him?" Madam Liuli coldly stared at Yun Xiao, sneering inside.
To be honest, she had many conflicts with her daughter-in-law. Although Qingzan's death meant the Inscription Cultivators couldn't leverage her Sword Cultivator status, Madam Liuli was pleased deep down!
Madam Liuli felt a wicked satisfaction inside. Qingzan's death not only brought her joy, but also served as a perfect pretext for an attack.
"Qingzan, you got what you deserved," Madam Liuli sneered inwardly.
Violence was about to erupt at any moment!
Just then, the Inscription Cultivator Shen Xiaochan appeared before Madam Liuli and others.
"Xiaochan?" Madam Liuli's face lit up with a fake smile. She glanced slyly at Qingzan's dismembered head and signaled Shen Xiaochan with her eyes, implying, "With Qingzan gone, you can now return as the lady of the Calamity Seal Purgatory."
She thought Shen Xiaochan would understand her hint, but to her surprise, the young girl coldly responded, "The Nine Hells Conquest Clash forbids personal vendettas. Violators will be expelled from the Immortal Asylum and lose their right to compete!"
Madam Liuli's smile froze, her expression turning icy as she retorted, "He started it with his personal vendetta of murder!"
"You're wrong! It was your people who first tried to assassinate him at the Radiance Palace, breaking the rules of our Immortal Asylum. Only one death this time is your good fortune. If it happens again, the punishment will be doubled!" Shen Xiaochan replied unapologetically.
"You!" Madam Liuli glared at her, accusingly, "Shen Xiaochan, are you just settling personal scores? Are you still bitter about being expelled from the Calamity Seal Purgatory, trying to trip us up with your twisted tales? What right do you, a discarded woman, have to represent the Immortal Asylum?"
The Sea Dragon Emperor chimed in, "Madam Liuli is right... Besides, the Immortal Asylum is just a referee. Its authority is granted by the other eight hells. What right do they have to meddle in our personal grudges?"
"We may not care about matters outside the Nine Hells Conquest Clash, but within Immortal Asylum, we set the rules," Shen Xiaochan replied coldly, sweeping them with her gaze. "And neither your Inscription Cultivators nor the Sea Dragon Clan speak for the entire Nine Hells."
The 7,000 Fate Ocean Realm powerhouses bristled at her words.
Just then, two groups of powerhouses returned!
They immediately noticed Qingzan's head in the arena.
One group included the Talisman Emperor, Wick Devil, and Pale Revenant.
The other was led by the Sword Warden.
When the Sword Warden returned and saw Yun Xiao unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Yun Xiao handed the Sword Warden's injured daughter back to him, advising, "She's hurt. You should heal her."
"But if they blatantly attack..." The Sword Warden, eyeing the tense situation, voiced his concerns.
The rules of the Immortal Asylum seemed to be at the mercy of whims. If the Radiance Palace allowed for murder, why not obliterate the Sword Cultivators in the competition stage?
"It doesn't matter. Someone will intervene," Yun Xiao reassured him.
"Oh?" This assurance calmed the Sword Warden, but the other Sword Cultivators remained on edge.
They retreated to Yun Xiao's side, summoning their Sword Souls, ready to die for Yun Xiao if need be.
The Talisman Emperor's return only added to the deadly silence of the scene.
The Talisman Emperor stood on the arena platform, his face twisted in agony, his trembling fingers betraying his inner turmoil, as if his insides were being shredded.
Assassinate Yun Xiao? That plan had cost him dearly, losing both his wife and his troops.
Qingzan's terrified eyes before her death were like cruel lashes, whipping the Talisman Emperor's quivering heart with barbed whips.
"In opposing me, did you consider if your family is enough to satisfy my vengeance?" In the eerie silence, Yun Xiao's scornful, cold laugh pierced through the Talisman Emperor's heart like a sword.
The Yang Devils, Inscription Cultivators, and sea demons nearly choked on their own rage.
Especially the Talisman Emperor, his eyes bloodshot with emotion. It was clear he held deep affection for Qingzan. The deeper the affection, the more painful it was for him, like he was smashing his own foot with a rock.
"Kill him!" These words, like a thunderous storm, erupted.
For a moment, it felt like the whole world's pressure bore down on those 1,000 Sword Cultivators!
Their hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer number of opponents.
Interestingly, the Yin Devils, land demons, and merfolk seemed hardly riled up over Qingzan's death. After all, it was a humiliating case of an assassination gone wrong!
Truly a loss of both reputation and swordsmanship...
The land demons and Yin Devils, numbering about 4,000, exchanged glances, hesitating to join the fray.
"Should we shout too?" some old demons asked the Phoenix Empress.
"Shout what? They didn't include me in their assassination, why should I bother?" the Phoenix Empress scoffed.
Clearly, she was irked about being excluded, feeling a lack of trust.
"8,000 against 1,000, with 4,000 onlookers..." The Phoenix Empress knew this was a critical moment. The 8,000 humans, demons, and devils were like a volcano, just waiting for a spark to erupt.
At that instant, an indignant voice suddenly rose among the land demons.
"Brothers of the Primeval Demon Hell, join me! Let's annihilate these hypocritical Sword Cultivators!" The voice was unfamiliar, and the land demons turned to see a fox demon speaking.
"Moon Fairy?" The Phoenix Empress was taken back.
Before she could react, the fox demon stood at the forefront of the group, glaring at Yun Xiao. "Yun Xiao, you rely on the rules of the Immortal Asylum to provoke the other seven hells. Do you really think the Immortal Asylum has the power to restrain the wrath of the Nine Hells?"
"Don't they?" Yun Xiao replied with a cold smirk.
"Heh..." The Moon Fairy scoffed, looking at Yun Xiao with pity, shaking his head. "Such a great Exiled Sword Immortal, gifted beyond measure below the neck. If only you had a brain to match."
This mockery resonated widely.
"Right! The Immortal Asylum is just a few people. How can they restrain us?"
"An eye for an eye is fair!"
Their furious gazes turned towards all the Sword Cultivators.
They clearly believed that those who abet tyranny deserved death too.
"Moon Fairy is right. Yun Xiao is naively ridiculous!"
"He's done for. He's incurred the wrath of all!"
Suddenly, even the demons from the Primeval Demon Hell rallied behind Moon Fairy, 1,000 strong. They thought once Yun Xiao was dead, the future would belong to Moon Fairy.
"Such a blight on the natural order should be exterminated. If not now, when?" With a roar, Moon Fairy, fearing the seven hells might hesitate, charged towards the 1,000 Sword Cultivators!
Transforming into a Four-Tailed Demon Fox, his movements shook the earth, his aura formidable.
"You beast, how dare you!"
The Sword Cultivators raised their hands in unison, unleashing countless Sword Souls like a tempestuous rain, targeting Moon Fairy.
"Despicable!" Moon Fairy rolled and dodged desperately in the midst of the relentless sword rain, escaping in a most undignified manner.
"Aren't you brave enough to kill? Are you all useless?!" Moon Fairy looked up furiously, glaring at the 8,000 participants from the Calamity Seal Purgatory, Rising Sun Inferno, Undead Depths, and Leviathan Ravine.
His goading lit the fire fully! Without an official command from the Talisman Emperor or Wick Devil, the thousands behind them, consumed by rage, surged forward.
This volcanic eruption of pent-up anger needed only a leader to ignite the fury of the crowd. The Inscription Cultivators, Yang Devils, and sea demons were all blinded by rage!
BOOM! Pausing the Nine Hells Conquest Clash, almost 10,000 individuals charged at the 1,000 Sword Cultivators. The earth shook with their thunderous approach, their murderous intent overwhelming!
All the powerhouses of the Nine Hells gathered here, their combined sacred power wrought chaos! Even without clashing, the Immortal Asylum shook.
"Yun Xiao is done for!"
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om