Chapter 451: Who Are You Talking About?!
Turning his own methods against him?
No!
Xu Sanyan had simply borrowed the power of the Heavenly Dao to seize control of the attack.
The Heaven-Seizing Dao allows one to plunder all things and assimilate them into oneself, its essence lying in the act of “seizing.”
What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine remains mine. This principle resonated perfectly with Xu Sanyan’s nature, eliciting no resistance within him.
Sun Yingtang’s face twisted in disbelief as he instinctively retorted, “Impossible! How could you know the Five Hearts Heavenly Inquiry Palm?”
Before the words had even left his lips, Sun Yingtang seemed to realize something, his voice trembling with shock. “That’s… that’s my palm strike from just now?!”
“Heh, correct. Too bad there’s no prize for guessing right.”
Xu Sanyan ceased his taunts, his figure blurring into motion as he closed the distance like a phantom. Sun Yingtang held his breath, a milky-white barrier shimmering into existence before him.
Boom!
The colossal palm slammed down, the barrier shuddering violently yet holding firm. Before Sun Yingtang could even exhale in relief, a bare-chested figure had already closed the gap.
Xu Sanyan’s hands pierced the barrier like sharp blades. Bathed in crimson light, the milky-white barrier melted like snow, shattering in an instant.
Sun Yingtang sensed imminent danger, his face twisting in alarm. Nearby, the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan, realizing the dire situation, roared, “Brother Sun, be careful!”
Thud!
A fountain of blood erupted. Sun Yingtang’s pupils constricted as a searing pain tore through his chest. He lowered his head shakily to see a massive hand protruding from his chest, clutching a crimson organ—his heart.
“Brother Sun!”
The Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan felt his heart and lungs clench in agony. After nearly a millennium of friendship, they were now separated by the veil of life and death.
Xu Sanyan turned to the Old Ancestor with a malevolent grin, his voice chillingly cold. “Don’t worry, old man. I’ll send you down to join him soon enough!”
Whoosh!
The hand withdrew, leaving a blood-soaked hole the width of an arm in Sun Yingtang’s chest. Blood gushed forth, instantly soaking his robes.
Xu Sanyan tightened his grip, crushing the crimson heart into a bloody pulp. He glanced at Sun Yingtang’s ashen face—the man had already breathed his last.
“Pay with your life!”
The Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan’s eyes burned with fury. He frantically channeled all his spiritual power, raising his arms high to summon a raging tempest that swirled around Xu Sanyan.
The gale-force winds, sharp as knives, threatened to tear him to shreds, but they couldn’t even breach the shimmering blood-red barrier.
“Let’s go!”
The Jiang Clan Head, who had been observing the battle, grabbed his two sons and retreated at full speed. He knew the outcome was decided; the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan was merely a spent arrow, unable to hold out much longer.
Jiang Yan’s heart pounded with terror, his mind a chaotic whirlwind. He felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare, utterly detached from reality.
What had he just witnessed? Xu Sanyan casually slaughtering the prefect? The Old Ancestor forced to fight for his life? His father fleeing in panic?
Is this real?
Jiang Yan pinched himself hard. The pain felt real enough…
Jiang Yu’s skin crawled, his body trembling uncontrollably. He realized how fortunate he had been to survive his encounter with this man earlier.
“Father, where are we going?” Jiang Yan asked, noticing they weren’t heading home.
“To the Capital City!” the Jiang Clan Head replied grimly. He sensed the Jiang Family’s stronghold was no longer safe. Even with the protective formation, Xu Sanyan might still breach it if he came looking for them.
After much deliberation, they concluded that the Capital City was the safest place. Even if Xu Sanyan were to act recklessly, he wouldn’t dare enter the Capital City alone.
The three had flown for a hundred miles when the Jiang Clan Head suddenly stopped, his face ashen as he stared ahead. A lone figure stood silently watching them.
“Where are you three off to? Leaving without a word?” Xu Sanyan drawled, his tone casual and mocking as he glanced at them. He idly tossed a round object in his hand.
Jiang Yu’s trembling intensified. He recognized it now—the round object Xu Sanyan was playing with wasn’t a ball at all, but…
The Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan’s head!
“Do you truly intend to slaughter us all?” the Jiang Clan Head asked desperately, clinging to a sliver of hope.
Xu Sanyan chuckled and casually tossed the head into his arms. “You’re not beautiful women. Why shouldn’t I kill you?”
If they had been beautiful women, Xu Sanyan might have hesitated. After all, he was known for his deep and unwavering devotion—he only had eyes for the beautiful and alluring.
“Run!”
The Jiang Clan Head roared, charging fearlessly at Xu Sanyan to buy his two sons some time.
Jiang Yan immediately turned and fled, but a bloodcurdling scream behind him was followed by a sudden weightlessness as his body spun violently, and he lost consciousness completely.
Four heads and three corpses lay scattered on the ground. Xu Sanyan didn’t spare them another glance before turning and walking away.
In the capital city of the Qian Kingdom, the capital examination was in full swing. After the day’s trials concluded, Jiang Longchang gathered with his friends at a tavern. As their conversation grew lively, one of them remarked,
“Have you heard? Disaster struck Qian Prefecture recently. Five cities, totaling a million lives, were wiped out, including Qian Prefecture City itself. Alas… these are truly troubled times.”
“Huh?” Jiang Longchang stiffened at the news. “Qian Prefecture?”
But Qian Prefecture was far from the Chaotic Cloud Mountains. How could the chaos have spread so far?
The speaker realized his mistake and added with sympathy, “Oh, Jiang-xiong, you’re from Qian Prefecture, aren’t you? I heard Qianzhou City was also…”
Jiang Longchang’s heart raced. He pressed urgently, “How could this be? Qian Prefecture is separated from the Chaotic Cloud Mountains by two other prefectures. How could the chaos have reached Qianzhou City?”
The man explained, “It wasn’t the chaos from the mountains. It was a demonic path demonfolk causing havoc. I heard this from someone who heard it from the Jiang Family of South Heaven Valley. They say even Prefectural Governor Lord Sun and the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan, both void harmony realm cultivators, were…”
“Alas…”
The more Jiang Longchang heard, the more uneasy he felt. Abandoning all pretense of composure, he abruptly rose from his seat, determined to verify the rumors with the authorities.
The man continued, “They say this demonic path demonfolk also visited the Hundred Saints Secret Realm. There, he defeated Fang Qingge of the Source Worship Sect and Jingyi of the Heaven’s Will Demon Subduing Temple. What was his name again…?”
Another voice chimed in, “I was at the Hundred Saints Secret Realm too. That man was Xu Sanyan, the holy son of the Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect.”
“Who?!” Tang Huanhuan leaped to her feet, her gaze burning into the speaker. “Who did you say?”
Within the imperial palace,
Bang!
Emperor Qian violently kicked over the desk before him, his eyes fixed on the memorial in his hand with a ferocious glare. The surrounding ministers held their breath, terrified of being implicated.
“Someone explain to me exactly what this means: ‘The five cities of Qian Prefecture… life extinguished’!”
The Emperor’s voice seemed to rise from the depths of the underworld, its chilling coldness like a bone-piercing blizzard that sent a shiver down everyone’s spines.
“Who submitted this memorial?”
A figure stepped forward from the crowd, bowing deeply. “Your Majesty, it was this humble servant.”
“Explain the situation in detail,” the Emperor commanded, turning to sit on the dragon throne. He forcefully suppressed his inner rage and listened intently.
“According to reports, the demonic path demonfolk Xu Sanyan, using the alias Liang Yongzhuo, deceived Qian Prefecture’s formation master Shan Zhoushan through unknown means. He then used the names of Shan Zhoushan’s martial nephew to infiltrate the city, waiting for an opportunity to deploy a formation…”
The Emperor’s face grew darker with each word. Finally, he closed his eyes, the name Xu Sanyan churning endlessly in his mind.
(End of the Chapter)