Sunlight streamed down brightly over the earth, making it look as though the land was veiled in gold silk.
Linjiang City was shrouded in complete silence. Clouds of smoke and dust filled the air.
Crowds of people were gathered on both sides of the streets. It was extremely crowded and everyone's eyes were wide with shock as they stared at the figure that looked like a gold statue under the golden sunlight.
There were cultivators, blue-robed Main Path Guild disciples below the fourth-class and also Linjiang city guards gathered there, among others…
The entire area was completely silent. Only the sound that could be heard was the sound of heavy breaths reverberated in everyone's ears.
Blood… The ground was completely covered in blood. Blood flowed out of the destroyed restaurant building.
Owner Wu, the many stewards and clerks of the Jade Pavilion, were huddled around the door, staring at the restaurant across the street with narrowed eyes. The corpse swayed before crashing down to the ground, sending a huge cloud of dust into the air.
Owner Wu's eyes sparkled brightly. The middle-aged manager and the others looked full of fear and terror as their hearts raced.
They stared fixedly at An Fan on the street whose head was severed by Fang Lang as a seemingly limitless terror filled their hearts.
Even the genius Li Yuanzhen, who participated in the same Imperial Examination as Fang Lang, looked absolutely horrified at that moment.
Fang Lang… was on a killing rampage!
He had killed a great number of Main Path Guild disciples!
Even the most brilliant disciple out of all those Main Path Guild disciples under fourth-class realm, An Fan, was unable to escape death. Fang Lang beheaded him ruthlessly!
Li Yuanzhen recalled the words that An Fan always told him that Fang Lang was not to be feared. This was because he was a disciple of the Main Path Guild and their future had no limits. A day would come when he would master Forbidden Spells and surpass Fang Lang to become the greatest genius of their class.
Li Yuanzhen believed his words back then. However, An Fan, who spoke those words to him, had his head chopped off by Fang Lang.
Everything that he said to reassure Li Yuanzhen had become a laughable phrase as insignificant as a passing cloud!
Fang Lang, who newly advanced to the fourth-class, sword-intent realm had killed the peak fourth-class An Fan!
This was a true monster powerhouse!
To surpass him!? What a joke!
Li Yuanzhen was already in a state of despair but at that moment, he was completely crushed!
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})He collapsed to the ground. His eyes were filled with despair.
How could he catch up with a monster like that!?
It was a tragedy to be in the same generation and the same class as a genius like him!
Fang Lang's white robes were stained with blood. It was not his blood but the blood of the Main Path Guild disciples.
When Fang Lang decided to go on a killing rampage, he knew that he might transform into a malevolent spirit. Neither the look of fear nor the terrified eyes around him moved him in the slightest.
The expression on An Fan's severed head was one of terror.
This expression was rarely seen on his face because An Fan was someone who cared a lot about his appearance. The irony was that he was dead. For someone who was so particular about his appearance, this humiliating expression would stay on his face forever.
A breeze blew past. Fang Lang leaned against the Obsidian Sword. The sword blade that was as black as ink reflected the sunlight as blood dripped continuously from it.
The killing intent on Fang Lang grew stronger. His steely expression made him appear like a wolf in the desert that tore apart everything that was a threat.
He returned the Champion's Blade to his scabbard.
Fang Lang leaned against the Obsidian Sword with one hand as he picked up An Fan's head with the other. He tossed it lightly into the air.
The severed head fell in an arc to land on the ground, making a dull thud.
As the wind blew past his bloodstained robes, there seemed to be a poetic beauty about the scene.
The area outside the city was plunged into a sea of disbelief.
An Fan was dead. Many of the Main Path Guild disciples who entered Linjiang City to hunt Fang Lang had been slaughtered. Even the genius An Fan could not escape this grim fate.
This brutal reality devastated each and every one of the Main Path Guild warriors outside the city!
…
The area outside Linjiang City was in a momentary state of calm.
The atmosphere was sluggish and heavy, as though one was deep within quicksand. Even the slightest movement seemed extremely difficult!
"How… how dare he!?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})A Main Path Guild elder looked on with wide eyes. His beard quivered. He hovered in the sky and reached out a trembling finger to point towards Fang Lang inside the city. His emotions were as turbulent as a mudslide!
The Main Path Guild warriors that came to stop the Sword Guild stopped fighting. They all seemed to turn into statues. Everything seemed to turn out completely different from what they expected!
"This d*mn child deserves to die!" growled the elder as sorrow overwhelmed his features.
He clearly yelled for Fang Lang to stop but Fang Lang still went ahead and killed An Fan in cold blood!
In the distance, Wen Ting gripped his rapier and chuckled.
"So he deserves to die? That's hilarious. So you're allowed to kill my Sword Guild disciples but my disciples aren't allowed to return in kind?"
"The Main Path Guild has grown accustomed to being on top, right? Don't forget. The Sword Guild used to be the First Guild in the Tang Dynasty! So what if one of my Sword Guild disciples kills one of your disciples!?"
Wen Ting's robes billowed. His cultivation had dropped to the gutter when he killed the first prince, Li Tianlin. At the moment, his cultivation was recovering with the help of the Sword Guild. However, it was not fully recovered yet.
Since he still had his seventh-class realm foundation, he could get involved in this battle.
Elder Ji of the Sword Guild's scarred face quivered slightly. He held his sword and said coldly, "He killed well! This is a cultivator's vendetta. Since it's a cultivator's vendetta, life or death is your own responsibility."
"Do you have any right to say anything now that you're being slaughtered since a group of you are hunting a single person, even sealing the city in the process? You bunch of old people are absolute jokes!"
His taunting words enraged the Main Path Guild warriors. The Sword Guild warriors tried to hide their smiles.
The news that Fang Lang was on a killing rampage in Linjiang City caught them all by surprise. It was astonishing that Fang Lang could carve out a bloody path for himself even when he was cornered by so many Main Path Guild disciples when it seemed like there was no way out.
He did not choose to run away or hide. Instead, he attacked and ran amok on a killing spree!
Many of the Sword Guild warriors were shocked but at the same time, they felt a burning fire raging within them!
Even though the Sword Guild had fallen to the last position among the ten great sects, their disciples could not be bullied!
They could vaguely glimpse the reflection of the peerless beauty that subdued all the sects in the Tang Dynasty, the First Sword Taihua in Fang Lang!
They were both mightily domineering people who managed to single-handedly bring a sect to their knees!
As soon as Wen Ting finished speaking, he turned to look towards the city. He wore an extremely complicated expression. After a long time, he sighed.
Back then, Fang Lang was an inexperienced youth swaying his steel sword around in the Luojiang Academy practice grounds. However… Fang Lang had chosen to walk on an extremely tough path paved with blood.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Wen Ting wondered if he had influenced Fang Lang to pick the wrong path. Was this a good choice or was it a bad one for the youth?
It was a shame that there was no turning back in all decisions in the world. Wen Ting could not alter the things that happened in the past. The only thing that he could do… was to help the youth clear the obstacles in his way.
He flicked the rapier in his hand. The rapier hummed. Wen Ting's calm aura began to sink.
In the distance, the expression of a Main Path Guild disciple faltered. He attempted to break the seal over the city walls but as soon as he started, Wen Ting sent out a blade ray. The blade ray descended from the sky and forced this Main Path Guild disciple back.
"Don't be in a rush to open it. Leave it sealed for now," said Wen Ting calmly.
'Why did he have to open the seal? Did he not like the fact that the city was sealed? Wasn't the plan to trap Fang Lang and capture him like shooting fish in a barrel? Well, they might as well continue on then!' thought Wen Ting.
Wen Ting's actions triggered the Sword Guild warriors into action. Instant, powerful blade energy filled the air.
Outside the city, the roles were reversed. The Sword Guild warriors who wanted to break the seal over the city had begun to stop the Main Path Guild from releasing the seal.
This change seemed extremely comical to some of the people there.
The Main Path Guild warriors were unable to undo the rune because of the interference from the Sword Guild warriors. This was because the offensive force of the Sword Guild seemed to become more powerful all of a sudden!
...
In the sky, a terrifying clash broke out. The clouds seemed to ripple violently in all directions as though it were a pond and a giant stone had been thrown into it!
A gigantic hole seemed to be carved out of the sky at that moment!
Chao Xiaojian soared in the skies. His white robes billowed around him as the green steel sword in his hand shattered into thousands of sword fragments, seemingly transforming into thousands of flight swords. They soared in the sky like a school of fish, packed densely in the sky.
At a distance from him, the Main Path Guild sect leader, Zhao Longshi rode on his red-crowned crane, surrounded by floating runes as his robed billowed in the wind.
At that moment, the two of them had stopped fighting. Zhao Longshi frowned and turned to face Linjiang City, looking as though he could see the sea of blood within the city walls.
"This brat has gone overboard!"
Zhao Longshi drowned. The fact that so many of the Main Path Guild disciples had lost their lives would have a huge impact on the Main Path Guild. It might even affect the future fortune of the Main Path Guild. After all, young disciples were the foundation of the Main Path Guild. They were the future pillars of the sect.
However, all the genius fourth-class disciples, including An Fan, had been slaughtered by Fang Lang. This was the end of an entire generation for the Main Path Guild!
"Even Xuanyuan Taihua was not this ruthless!"
Zhao Longshi's expression was stony. He turned around, having no intentions of continuing to fight Chao Xiaojian. He needed to see the situation in Linjiang City.
However, Chao Xiaojian did not let him leave. Even though Fang Lang's killing spree was out of his expectation. Chao Xiaojian was delighted by his actions.
"It's no wonder he's the disciple that Xuanyuan Taihua has acknowledged to have great potential!"
Fang Lang's explosive temper delighted Chao Xiaojian!
"Zhao Longshi, let the young people engage in their fight. Why should an old fart like you meddle in their business?"
Chao Xiaojian flicked his hand and the countless flight swords instantly sped through the air like a silver river!
Zhao Longshi ignored him and cast a rune. It seemed like a mountain was moving towards Chao Xiaojian's sword river as Zhao Longshi continued to fly in the direction of Linjiang City.
Chao Xiaojian had no choice since his brute force fell short when compared to Zhao Longshi. However, Chao Xiaojian was extremely determined.
Since he forced Chao Xiaojian into a corner, he cannot blame Chao Xiaojian for putting up a desperate fight and giving his all.
Even Fang Lang was striving with everything that he had. Hence, Chao Xiaojian could not embarrass himself. In the past, he earned the name of the White-Haired Sword Demon through his do-or-die efforts in defeating his foes!
…
The Main Path Guild on Mount Tongtian.
Zhao Taifeng frowned deeply as he absorbed spiritual energy from the Main Path Mausoleum unceasingly to replenish his exhausted supplies.
His eyes seemed to span across time and space to see the scene happening within Linjiang City. Fang Lang's vicious actions caught him by surprise.
Zhao Taifeng felt as though he could not let Fang Lang off the more he learned about him. This boy might become the second Xuanyuan Taihua.
Perhaps this could be considered a good thing for the Tang Dynasty. However, it would be an absolute disaster for the Main Path Guild!
All of a sudden, Zhao Taifeng turned to look up into the sky. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the ripple in the air. A terrifying aura rolled towards him. A person appeared among the clouds wearing steel armor that reflected the intense flames of the burning mountains. A frightful stench of blood filled the air.
"It's you…"
Zhao Taifeng stared at the strapping man who appeared from behind the clouds with a frown.
"Ancestor Zhao, what do you think about joining forces?" said the tall and strapping man coolly.
…
On the mountain roads, hundreds of miles away from Linjiang City, an old monk dressed in a cassock and holding a staff was traveling with a young monk who had a radish-shaped head. The mountain road beneath his feet was like an endless track.
The old monk's face was covered in wrinkles. His cassock and monk robes billowed around him.
"Master, where are we headed to now that we're leaving the sect?"
"The day is approaching quickly when the All-Seeing Buddha Sect disciples will battle the geniuses of the demon and devil tribes in Lingshan Demon Portal. Why are you choosing to leave the sect instead of leading the battle?"
The little monk raised his head, looking a little worried.
The old monk turned to look at the young monk and said with a kind smile, "The Lingshan Demon Portal guarded by the All-Seeing Buddha Sect is different from the other demon portals. The All-Seeing Buddha Sect values compassion and does not kill. Hence, ten ninth-class disciples will enter the demon realm and transform into buddhist pagoda to dispel the demon beasts in the demon portal. In this manner, we will create a buddhist domain and ensure peace in the area."
"However, ten warriors of the demon tribe and the devil tribe have appeared and transformed into demon towers to confront our warriors. It's a move designed to compete with us. It's also a method to communicate between the two worlds."
"The agreement was to hold a battle between the younger generation every ten years. If we win, one demon tower will retreat. However, if we lose, one of our buddhist pagodas will be withdrawn."
The old monk's words caused a solemn expression to appear on the young monk's face.
"That's right, master. This year's Battle of Pagodas is about to begin. Since you know, why are we here?" asked the young monk anxiously.
The old monk smiled gently. He raised his head and placed his palms together in front of him, exhaling deeply.
"In the blink of an eye, 189 years have gone by. This year will be the last decade… the first 18 wins are split equally between both sides. At the moment, there is one buddhist pagoda left and also one demon tower."
"This last battle is extremely important. If we win, the peace in Lingshan Demon Portal that lasted close to two centuries will continue. If we lose, the demon realm will surely herd the demon beasts that were dispelled by the buddhist pagoda back into the demon portal. If that happens, the All-Seeing Buddha Sect will not see peace."
"There's a very important reason. This is the last buddhist pagoda and it can't retreat. Do you think that the younger generation of our All-Seeing Buddha Sect will be able to guarantee a win for this last battle?"
The light in the old monk's eyes seemed to deepen.
The young monk instantly became unhappy. "Master, are you looking down on me?"
A corner of the old monk's lips curved upwards. He placed a hand on the young monk's head and said, "This year, the demon tribe and the devil tribe have prepared thoroughly. Your fellow disciples who have been training hard in the demon realm have sent word that the demon tribe will send out the sacred maidens and the archdevils of the devil tribe…"
The old monk's features slowly became serious. "Within the All-Seeing Buddha Sect, your senior disciples who are cultivating hard in the demon realm have reported that the talents of the sacred maidens and the archdevils are terrifying. Their core is even more astonishing. According to the Tang Dynasty core classification, they possess the legendary divine core in the texts!"
"Do you think that you'll be alright if you go?" asked the old monk to the young monk.
The young monk gaped and shook his head.
The divine core!?
Was there really the existence of a divine core in this world?
"Does that mean that you're heading to Linjiang City to give our only external assist position to An Fan of the Main Path Guild, master? I've heard that An Fan is pretty powerful. Might he have the divine core?" asked the young monk with raised eyebrows.
The old monk's wrinkled face creased into a deep smile as he raised his head to look in the direction of Linjiang City. He placed his palms together and softly said, "We're not heading there for An Fan."
"The person that we're heading to see is this year's champion, Fang Lang. I don't know what core Fang Lang has. However, he's Xuanyuan Taihua's disciple. That is enough."
The young monk was stunned. They were not going to seek out An Fan? Instead, they were going to look for Xuanyuan Taihua's disciple, Fang Lang?
The young monk thought about the sword that was stuck in the All-Seeing Buddha Sect Pagoda and fell silent.
If he was Xuanyuan Taihua's disciple, perhaps he could compete with the sacred maidens and archdevils of the demon and devil tribes…
However, the young monk still felt a little unconvinced. After all, Xuanyuan Taihua was Xuanyuan Taihua but her disciple was merely a disciple. Could Xuanyuan Taihua's disciple really be mentioned in the same breath as Xuanyuan Taihua?
…
Linjiang City.
The battle outside the city resumed once again. However, the roles of both sides were reversed. The Sword Guild warriors who were originally fighting to open the city gates chose to stop the Main Path Guild warriors from doing so.
The battle between the two parties was intense as blade rays and runes clashed relentlessly, causing the roads outside the city to become pitted with holes.
The turbulence spread into the city, striking fear in the hearts of the Linjiang inhabitants!
However, the scene that was happening inside the city was even more fear-inducing!
Fang Lang walked towards the walls of Linjiang City. All the fourth-class Main Path Guild disciples were dead. The remaining third-class realm disciples gathered together as they confronted Fang Lang. They continually retreated in the direction of the city gates.
From a high vantage point, it looked as though Fang Lang was forcing several hundred third-realm Main Path Guild disciples to retreat.
All the cultivators were scared witless. Even if the Main Path Guild disciples offered an exorbitant reward, the remaining cultivators were only filled with terrier when they thought about the cultivators that lost their lives in the restaurant.
There was no ripple of strong emotions in Fang Lang's eyes. He walked slowly as his blood-stained robes billowed around him. He was a single person but he managed to cause hundreds of Main Path Guild disciples to dare not make any strange motions.
They did not dare to make any seals, nor did they dare to shout loudly. They could only retreat continuously.
Retreat until they arrived at the city gate where they could retreat no more.
Since Fang Lang had killed so many fourth-class Main Path Guild disciples, an invisible aura materialized around him. It was an aura that struck terror.
Killing a single person makes one a sinner. Killing ten thousand makes one a hero!
Even though Fang Lang has not killed ten thousand men, there was still an awe-inspiring aura around him.
The Main Path Guild disciples that were forced to retreat to the city gates looked pale with terror. Among the crowd, some disciples called out loudly, "Fang Lang! Linjiang City has been sealed by the warriors of the Main Path Guild. You won't be able to escape!"
"Are you really going to kill all of us? What difference is there between you and the demons if you do so?"
Among the crowd, Li Yuanzhen was deathly pale. He did not know what to say and stared intently at Fang Lang. He saw Fang Lang stop in his tracks when he heard those words. A warm smile appeared on Fang Lang's face.
This smile caused all Li Yuanzhen's hairs to stand on end as his skin erupted in goosebumps.
"He's really going to kill us! He'll actually do it!"
Li Yuanzhen turned around and ran towards the city gates and started hammering the city gate.
Fang Lang continued to walk towards the Main Path Guild disciples, maintaining a warm smile.
With a flash of his figure, he charged into the crowd abruptly, making the most out of the 2x Endurance Card before the effects ran out.
The Obsidian Sword swung as two gusts of sword intent surged into the air.
Lightning streaks rolled out from Sword Thunder like a blue Lightning Dragon and wreaked havoc among the third-class realm disciples, causing blood to spurt out all over!
Fang Lang showed no mercy to any of the third-class disciples who dared to fight back. He raised his sword against them.
Under the sun, blood seemed to bloom like flowers on the ground. With each step that he took, Fang Lang also took a life. In ten steps, he killed ten people.
The white robe on him was blood-red. However, his expression did not falter at all.
Li Yuanzhen crouched on the ground in a daze. His body would not stop trembling. He seemed to forget how to cast any runes.
The sound of footsteps walking over fresh blood rang out.
Fang Lang held the Obsidian Sword at his side as he walked towards Li Yuanzhen, turning to look at him.
There was no fight left in Li Yuanzhen's eyes. He raised his head to meet Fang Lang's gaze blankly.
Fang Lang looked at him quietly.
After a long time, a friendly smile appeared on his face. This smile was deeply imprinted in Li Yuanzhen's heart, like an evil devil that crept out of the depths of hell!
Fang Lang gripped the Obsidian Sword and walked past Li Yuanzhen without killing him.
Main Path Guild disciples were crouched all over the ground trembling in fear. Fang Lang did not slaughter all of them. However, all these disciples have completely lost their fighting spirit. The only thing they had left was the fathomless dark shadow that Fang Lang gave them!
Fang Lang's hands were drenched in blood. He returned the Obsidian Sword into his scabbard.
He stood below the city tower and raised his eyes to look at the city guards stations on the Linjiang City walls.
"Open the gates, please. Thank you in advance for your assistance."
Fang Lang smiled warmly as he greeted the city guard.
On the city tower, a group of armored soldiers gulped nervously. They did not dare to go against his wishes and rushed to open the Linjiang City gates.
Creak~
The city gates opened slowly. Sunlight shone down upon Fang Lang's blood-drenched figure. The ground beneath his feet and the ground behind him was a path of blood heaped with corpses.
Outside the city, the fighting stopped.
Runes hovered, sealing the city walls. Opening the city walls merely allowed the scene within the city to be seen by the warriors fighting outside.
Everyone looked on in a daze, gaping their mouths.
Somewhere in the forest a distance away, an old monk and a young monk seemed to have shrunk the earth to arrive here in an instant.
When he saw Fang Lang standing at the city gates dressed in robes dripping with blood, the young monk could not stop himself from rubbing his bald head.
He stammered, "M-master… O-okay… you're right. Master, are we… really going to invite him?"
The old monk's gaze deepened. His pupils reflected the tragic sight in Linjiang City that looked like hell's gates. He sighed and pressed his palms together.
"Amitabha. He's the one."
