Chapter 197: Chapter 44 Xuan Ye Arrives_3
Xuan Ye’s words were harsh indeed, and Xuan Yue was stunned, while Ah Dai was even more shocked. His heart was filled with unbearable agony, he knew that his identity did not match that of Xuan Yue, but he did not expect Xuan Yue’s father to see him in such a way. His voice trembled and his face flushed as he retorted, "I― I am not a demon."
Xuan Ye sneered and said, "Still claiming you’re not a demon. Tell me, who killed the bandits in the Elf Forest? Who killed those marauders in the Yalian tribe? Nearly a thousand lives were destroyed by your Sword of Hades, and you still claim you’re not a demon."
"No, no―" Ah Dai shouted hysterically, his blood boiling within him. The scenes of his past killings flashed before his eyes. He grasped his hair with both hands, shaking his head vigorously, "No, no, I didn’t want to kill them, they forced me to, they forced me."
Xuan Yue felt a twinge of pain at Ah Dai’s state. She wanted to comfort him, but her body refused to move. "Father, how could you say such things? Those Ah Dai killed were all bad people! And if we don’t kill them, they would have killed us."
Xuan Ye snorted coldly and said, "So, bad people are not humans? They’re also lives of thousands."
Ah Dai shuddered, a surge of warmth suddenly flowing into his body. The familiar energy calmed his turbulent emotions, a soft voice echoed in his ear, "Ah Dai, calm down. If you go on like this, you’ll fall into madness. Don’t worry, your master will handle it for you."
Ah Dai’s aura gradually stabilized, he turned to see Xi Wen standing beside him. Including Xi Wen, the eyes of all the second-generation disciples of the Tian Gang Sword Sect were filled with anger. Xuan Ye’s words not only insulted Ah Dai, but also insulted Hades Owen. Owen was their brother, and he was already dead, how could they tolerate outsiders slandering him.
"Your Excellency Bishop, you should watch your words. Ah Dai is our third generation disciple of the Tian Gang Sword Sect and I can assure you that he has a kind heart. I don’t think Ah Dai did anything wrong in killing those people. Killing a bad person is equivalent to saving hundreds or thousands of good people. Moreover, if an enemy threatened your life, wouldn’t you kill to protect yourself?"
Xuan Ye was surprised. He didn’t expect Ah Dai to have such a deep relationship with the Tian Gang Sword Sect. Even after knowing that Ah Dai possessed the Sword of Hades, Xi Wen still protected him. He glanced nervously at the angry powerful men around him. If it was only Xi Wen, he believed he could handle, but he felt less confident in facing any two of the elderly masters with significant power.
Tears streamed down Xuan Yue’s cheeks as she pleaded, "Father, Ah Dai has never killed a good person. Don’t falsely accuse him!"
Xuan Ye walked up to Ah Dai, a cold gleam in his eyes, and grumbled to himself that he had also killed over two thousand bandits. He couldn’t really blame this kid for his killings. He scoffed, "Exactly because he has yet to kill a good person, I am not intending to take his life. However, his Sword of Hades must be claimed by the Church, and you, you’re not allowed to be with him anymore, you must return to the Church immediately with me."
Ah Dai stood there at a loss, looking at Xi Wen for help. He really wished to give up the Sword of Hades, but it was the last heirloom Owen left to him, he couldn’t bear to part with it.
Just as Xi Wen was about to speak, Zhou Wen abruptly stood up, huffed, and declared, "Your Excellency Cardinal, be clear that this is our Tian Gang Mountains, not your Holy Church. Our sect’s dignity cannot be violated by anyone. Ah Dai is our third-generation disciple and to be frank, the ’Nether King’ you spoke of is our long lost brother. Now that our brother is dead, the Sword of Hades can be considered his heirloom. We absolutely will not allow outsiders to take it away."
Xuan Ye was livid. Since his appointment as the Red Robe Priest, no one had ever been so disrespectful to him. But the words of Zhou Wen did startle him. He couldn’t believe that ’Nether King’- the world’s number one assassin, turned out to be the disciple of the Sword Saint of Tian Gang. With these old men here, it seemed like his mission was set for failure. Was he truly going to call for backup from the Church? But then, the Tian Gang Sword Sect was backed by the entire Empire of Huasheng. If this matter escalated, it might lead to severe consequences for both parties.
Lu Wen saw Xuan Ye’s face changing colors, knowing that he was at his boiling point. He looked at Xi Wen, quickly stepping forward, pulling Zhou Wen back and addressing Bishop, "Your Excellency, I apologize for my brother’s brash behavior, please ignore it. However, ’Nether King’ is indeed our long lost brother, he was forced by the Assassin’s Guild to do what he did. Now that he’s dead, we won’t hold onto his sins, we hope you won’t either. As for the Sword of Hades, we hope to find a solution that satisfies both of us. Our master has always held the Church in high regard, and we do not wish for any rifts to form between us, wouldn’t you agree?"
Lu Wen’s words were neither humble nor arrogant, leaving Xuan Ye with no room to retaliate. He said gravely, "So how do you propose we resolve this? The Sword of Hades was initially discovered by the third Pope of our Church, but it was somehow lost. When ’Nether King’ brandished this evil sword across the continent, our current Pope issued an order requiring us to reclaim the sword at all costs. Now that the Sword of Hades is with Ah Dai, do you expect me to just give up?"
