Sharp Gold’s Stern Slaughter!

A Stern Slaughter Intent permeated the grand hall.

Dozens of Flying Swords crisscrossed the air like deep-sea Swimming Fish, shrieking as they tore through the space in an endless series of collisions.

Amidst the flying sparks, all the furnishings were shattered to pieces.

"Kan Feichen!"

A man shouted:

"The Sword Sect of today is a far cry from what it once was. The four halls don’t even have a single True Man among them. If you submit to the Demon Exorcism Hall, their Hall Master has promised to help your Sword Sect raise a True Man within ten years."

"Why must you be so stubborn?"

"Bullshit!" a sturdy, bearded old man with disheveled, long hair roared in fury:

"Have a Soul Talisman embedded in my Sea of Consciousness and spend my life as that Hall Master’s Puppet? I would rather die!"

"You, surnamed Guo! You killed my beloved disciple and brought ruin to my Sharp Gold Hall. Today, either you die or I do!"

"How foolish," a man with flowing white hair standing opposite him said, shaking his head.

"Countless people in this world would kill for the chance to be the Hall Master’s Puppet, a chance they’ll never get. Since you’re looking for death..."

"Then I will oblige you!"

"Kill!"

"CLANG CLANG CLANG..."

"SPURT!"

The Sword Light in the center of the hall flared. Several people fell, unable to rise, and Kan Feichen spat blood as he was forced back again and again.

"Hou Cheng!"

He stared at a person behind him, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.

"You... you actually betrayed me?"

"Master." Hou Cheng took a step back, panic showing in his eyes.

"You forced my hand."

"I was clearly the senior disciple, yet you gave all the good stuff to Su Fei. Even Junior Sister Xiaoo..."

"Besides, you know full well how powerful the Demon Exorcism Hall is among the Demon Catchers. We can’t possibly stand against them."

"Aaargh!" Kan Feichen roared in fury:

"You animal!"

"I’ll kill you!"

A red and a white Flying Sword shot out from behind him, their sword glows forming a giant pair of scissors that snipped toward Hou Cheng.

"CLANG..."

Something blocked the Sword Light.

The man surnamed Guo was cloaked in a layer of ice. He let the Flying Swords strike him, but they could only chip off small shards of ice.

"Don’t waste your energy."

He sneered and shook his head. "My Snow Woman Visualization Image is the perfect counter to your Red Gold Twin Swords, not to mention you’re already heavily injured."

"Kan Feichen!"

"I already gave you a chance. Since you’re unwilling, then making Hou Cheng the Hall Master of the Sharp Gold Hall is just as good."

"BOOM!"

As he stomped a single foot on the ground, an endless frost erupted, and the great hall was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.

The disciples of the Sword Sect’s Sharp Gold Hall were almost all frozen to death on the spot.

"Aaargh!"

Kan Feichen roared at the heavens as blood burst from the Acupoints All Over his Body, and his aura surged in power.

"Senior, be careful!"

Hou Cheng’s expression changed drastically. "It’s the Nine Elements Life Loss Technique, a technique that burns life force to increase power! The old bastard is really going all out."

"Hmph!" The man surnamed Guo narrowed his eyes. The space between his brows glowed faintly, and the Snow Woman Dharma Form manifested on the spot.

The Snow Woman, as beautiful as an immortal, had a full head of white hair whipping in the wind. She waved a delicate hand forward, and the frost instantly condensed into solid ice.

"SHIIING!"

The Sword Light from the Red Gold Twin Swords flared, meeting the opponent’s attack with a crisscrossing slash.

"BOOM!"

Powerful Qi thundered.

The frozen great hall shattered into pieces. Figures were sent tumbling out, and Flying Swords danced chaotically in every direction.

"SPURT!"

Kan Feichen tumbled to the ground spitting blood, and his Red Gold Twin Swords fell before him with a CLANG.

As for the man surnamed Guo, though his face was pale, he had ultimately managed to withstand the desperate, all-or-nothing strike thanks to his Snow Woman Dharma Form.

’It’s over!’

Despair washed over Kan Feichen’s face.

’But now my beloved disciple is dead and my Sect is destroyed. What’s the point of me living on alone?’

’It would be better to die and have it all be over with.’

"Master!"

A familiar voice rang in his ears. Su Fei rushed over and helped Kan Feichen up from the ground.

"Are... are you alright?"

"Su Fei?" Kan Feichen started, then coughed several times.

"You... you’re alright?"

"I’m fine." Su Fei’s eyes were red as he nodded repeatedly.

"Brother Zhu saved me."

"I am Zhu Ju, from Yidu." Zhu Ju stood to the side, reciting a line he had clearly repeated countless times before: "I have long heard that Tianzui City has been a gathering place for Demon Catchers since ancient times, where Magic flourishes and Demons are forbidden entry..."

"I never thought that even here, there would be no escaping all this fighting and killing."

He sighed with emotion and shook his head repeatedly.

On this trip, Zhu Ju had originally planned to find some Cultivators to exchange experiences with, but it seemed Tianzui City was just as chaotic.

In fact, it was even more chaotic than Yidu!

’Wherever there are people, there is a Martial World. How can the so-called chaos caused by Demons ever compare to the calamities wrought by Cultivation?’

’If that’s the case...’

’I might as well take a different path.’

He stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"You’re not dead?" Hou Cheng stepped out from behind the Snow Woman Dharma Form, looking at Su Fei with astonishment.

"You’re hard to kill!"

"You knew something was going to happen to me?" Su Fei gritted his teeth.

"So you were in league with Zhang Guo all along."

"Isn’t it obvious?" Hou Cheng spread his hands.

"Not just you, I’m going to kill Master too. Except for Junior Sister Xiaoo, everyone else is going to die today!"

"You..." Su Fei was choked with rage.

"You animal!"

"Quick!" Kan Feichen gritted his teeth and gave Su Fei a hard shove, shouting urgently:

"Take your junior sister and go! I’ll buy you time! Go to the Sword Sect! The Sharp Gold Hall will not agree to join the Demon Exorcism Hall!"

"Trying to leave?" The Snow Woman stepped forward, its snow-white eyes fixed on the three of them. It slowly extended a large hand.

"Do you really think you can get away?"

"WHOOSH..."

A cold wind blew, seeming slow but actually swift.

It was clearly just a light breeze, but everything in its path froze solid, and all living things lost their vitality.

Even the Flying Swords’ Spirituality was greatly diminished.

"HUMMM..."

Just as Zhu Ju and the other two were about to be frozen into ice sculptures, a five-colored Spiritual Light appeared out of thin air, holding the frost at bay.

The Five Elements Ring!

"Eh?"

The Snow Woman showed a look of surprise. "There’s another expert here?"

’The Sharp Gold Hall has two other Great Mages besides Kan Feichen, but one of them isn’t at the residence right now.’

’The other one tacitly approved of my actions.’

’Even the Sharp Gold Hall’s Magic Altar was destroyed ahead of time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here alone.’

"It doesn’t matter."

He narrowed his eyes. "They’ll all die just the same!"

’The Visualization Image I cultivate is the bane of all who follow the path of the Sword Artifact. The Sword Intent coming off this person in front of me is soaring to the heavens; he’s clearly a Sword Cultivator as well.’

’In that case...’

’There’s no need to be afraid.’

"SHIIING!"

The moment his words fell, a streak of Sword Light abruptly sliced through the void. It cycled through five colors, like a brilliant meteor.

The meteor flashed past and was gone.

Zhu Ju raised his hand, and the Five-Pointed Flying Sword spun back to him.

"..."

The Snow Woman’s body stiffened, its eyes locked in a death stare. The massive Dharma Aspect slowly vanished in the wind.

A spot of crimson had appeared between the eyebrows of the man surnamed Guo’s Physical Body, all signs of life gone.

The cold wind still blew.

The scene was deathly silent.

"Master."

Su Fei also had to shake his head to snap out of his daze. "Brother Zhu is also a Great Mage who follows the Cultivation path of Treasures. His strength is far greater than mine."

"Heh..." Kan Feichen gave a bitter smile.

’Stronger than you?’

’He’s stronger than your master!’

’He must be a Peak Great Mage. Plus, the Flying Sword he wields is of extraordinary quality. That’s the only way he could have killed the Snow Woman in a single strike.’

’But this is a good thing for the Sharp Gold Hall!’

He took a deep breath, flicked a finger at the Flying Sword at his feet, and the Red Gold Twin Swords instantly streaked across Hou Cheng’s neck.

"Quick!"

"We’re going to the Sword Sect!"

"Today is the day the four halls meet to discuss whether to join the Demon Exorcism Hall. We absolutely cannot agree to it."

As he spoke, he shook the Qiankun Bag at his waist, and a carriage appeared out of thin air.

The carriage, etched with numerous patterns, emanated a mysterious aura as it hovered silently in midair, waiting for them to board.

*

*

*

The Sword Sect.

The four halls took turns acting in the position of Sect Leader.

This year, it was the Talisman Hall’s turn.

In the great hall, disciples from the Fire Separation, Mountain Shattering, and Talisman Halls had all arrived. Only the people from the Sharp Gold Hall were missing.

Dozens of people stood in the hall, but no one spoke. The atmosphere was deathly silent and oppressive.

After a long time, the Talisman Hall’s Hall Master, Jiang Qiu, glanced at the sky and said slowly:

"The appointed hour has long since passed. There’s no point in waiting any longer. According to the Sect’s rules, the Sharp Gold Hall will be considered to have abstained from this meeting."

"We can’t!" The Fire Separation Hall’s Hall Master, Wang Huo, a burly man with a powerful build, spoke in a low, rumbling voice: "This time is different. It concerns the very survival of the Sword Sect. All four halls must be present; not one can be missing."

"Still waiting?" The Hall Master of the Mountain-Shattering Hall, Xiaoo Meng, was a beautiful woman whose age was impossible to guess from her appearance.

Her sword-like eyebrows arched as she said coldly:

"Until when?"

"Or do we have to wait for bad news from the Sharp Gold Hall before you’re satisfied, Senior Brother Wang?"

"BANG!" Wang Huo slammed the table and shot to his feet, roaring angrily:

"You also guessed something would happen to the Sharp Gold Hall? The four halls of the Sword Sect are like branches of the same tree! Are we just going to ignore it?"

"..." Xiaoo Meng’s fingers trembled slightly. Ripples spread across her beautiful, watery eyes, and wisps of Sword Qi roiled with nowhere to go.

"What good would it do even if we knew?"

She sighed softly and closed her eyes. "If we don’t produce a satisfactory answer today, I’m afraid the Mountain Shattering and Fire Separation Halls will follow in the footsteps of Sharp Gold."

"The weak are prey to the strong. That’s just how the world works!"

"Bullshit!" Wang Huo raged. "Junior Sister Xiaoo, did you agree only because the Demon Exorcism Hall promised to help you become a True Man after this is done?"

"If our Four Veins joined forces, with the help of our four Magic Altars and our friends, I don’t believe they would dare to use force!"

"Enough!" Jiang Qiu snapped. "You’re grown adults, stop bickering like children. Besides, at this point, complaining is meaningless."

"So, what is your decision?"

Xiaoo Meng kept her eyes shut tight. Wang Huo remained silent.

"Neither of you will speak?" Jiang Qiu snorted lightly. "Fine, I’ll be the bad guy. I agree to merge the four halls of the Sword Sect into the Demon Catchers’ Demon Exorcism Hall."

"Why?" Wang Huo’s face twisted in anguish. "Senior Brother Jiang, the Hall Master of the Demon Exorcism Hall is incredibly ambitious. If we join now, the Sword Sect could be wiped out at any moment."

"That’s right." Jiang Qiu didn’t deny it. "But if we don’t join, it’s debatable whether the four halls of the Sword Sect will even exist tomorrow."

"Senior Brother, are you aware of the Demon Exorcism Hall’s methods for dealing with subordinate factions?" Wang Huo continued to argue. "First, they use Soul Talismans to control life and death, then they suppress you until they have complete control. In short, I do not agree."

"And you think you have a choice?" Xiaoo Meng sneered. "It’s better than being dead!"

"What do you mean we don’t have a choice?" Wang Huo’s eyes flew open in anger. "We can go find Brother Yan! Brother Yan is a Second Decline True Man. He wouldn’t be afraid even if he had to face both Hall Masters of the Demon Exorcism Hall."

"Shut your mouth!" Jiang Qiu’s expression changed dramatically. "Don’t you dare mention that name in front of me!"

Xiaoo Meng merely raised an eyebrow, while Wang Huo seemed to recall something, and his towering rage was suddenly silenced.

"Let’s just leave it at that."

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Qiu raised his hand. "The Talisman Hall agrees to the Sword Sect’s merger with the Demon Exorcism Hall. And I... am also willing to have the Soul Talisman planted by Hall Master Liuu."

"CRACK!"

Wang Huo clenched his fist, and the armrest of his chair was crushed to splinters.

"Junior Sister Xiaoo."

Jiang Qiu turned his head to look at her and said slowly:

"Your opinion?"

"..." Xiaoo Meng’s face was ashen. Her eyes darted back and forth before she finally sighed in resignation and said slowly:

"I am willing as well."

"BANG!"

The ground beneath Wang Huo’s feet cracked and split.

"Of the Sword Sect’s four halls, Sharp Gold Hall is absent, while the Talisman and Mountain Shattering Halls agree." Jiang Qiu nodded. "Even if the Fire Separation Hall disagrees, the matter is settled."

Just then, a furious roar came from outside the hall.

"Wait!"

"The Sharp Gold Hall does not agree!"