"It was given to me, but when did I ever say that if they gave me the Heavenly Bead, I wouldn't annihilate their entire clan?" Xu Zimei countered.
"Uh," Guan Zhenhai looked utterly confused, "That seems to be something that was never said."
"That's right," Xu Zimei replied. "Even if I had said it, so what? Can't I go back on my word and regret it now?"
"Yes, yes," Guan Zhenhai paused for a moment, then quickly nodded in agreement.
Everyone present felt that Xu Zimei had completely shattered their worldview—such blatant shamelessness, and he spoke it with such righteous indignation.
The three could only sigh to themselves, I've never seen such an unashamedly thick-skinned person.
To think that the True Martial Holy Sect is a prestigious and orthodox sect, the Deputy Sect Master a hero of his generation, who at a young age broke through the seven Vein Gates and ascended to the Saint Vein Realm.
They never expected the son to be so scheming and unpredictable.
......
Only the Chang Family's residence was brightly lit, with several influential family members gathered in the meeting hall.
"This True Martial Holy Sect has gone too far, completely disregarding our Chang Family," the Great Elder spoke forthrightly, his white beard bristling with anger.
"Why should they even consider you? Any elite Inner Sect Disciple from their ranks could wipe out our entire Chang Family," the Fifth Elder whispered softly on the side.
"I think we should protest to the Holy Sect. I know one of the Outer Sect Elders," the Second Elder quickly added.
"What use is an Outer Sect Elder, if he can't even control their Inner Sect Disciples," the Fifth Elder said weakly once again.
"Old Five, no one would mistake you for a mute if you didn't speak," Chang Tianxiong glanced at the Fifth Elder, speaking calmly.
"Exactly, we're already enraged, and you won't even let us vent," the Third Elder huffed coldly from the side.
......
"Everyone, stop arguing. I think if there's something to be discussed, it can be done at leisure in hell," a sudden voice sounded.
Everyone there was startled and quickly turned to look towards the entrance.
A figure in black clothes entered the room slowly with a sword, fresh blood still dripping from its blade. It seemed like the guards outside had all been killed.
"Who are you?" Chang Tianxiong frowned slightly, with three of his Vein Gates wide open.
The other Elders in the hall were also on high alert, watching the newcomer intently, their auras subtly connecting and pressing down on the stranger.
"Lun Quan, Xuan Gu, Zhao Yingfeng," the black-clothed figure said softly. With each step he took, another Vein Gate opened on his body.
Then, as he took a fourth step, the fourth Vein Gate, Kun Hai, also opened, and his powerful aura surged like massive waves that concealed the sky, pressing down wave after wave, leaving everyone in the hall struggling to breathe.
The Lun Quan Vein Gate is located on the back of the left hand.
The Xuan Gu Vein Gate is on the back of the right hand.
Zhao Yingfeng is situated in the chest area.
And Kun Hai corresponds with the chest, its Vein Gate situated on the back.
As all four Vein Gates opened, everyone in the Chang Family's faces changed color as they exclaimed in shock, "Empty Vein Realm."
The man in black clothes slowly raised his sword, the blade pointing straight at his chest, and with a slight flick of his right wrist, a sword light flew out swiftly.
The Great Elder beside didn't even have time to react before being cleaved into pieces by the sword light.
"Everyone, don't panic, attack together to hold him off. I'll go to the City Lord Mansion for reinforcements," Chang Tianxiong shouted, then promptly fled.
The black-clothed man's sword light shot out from his right hand again, this time in the shape of a cross.
Chang Tianxiong did not even have a chance to react when the sword light already loomed large before his eyes, about to plunge into his chest.
Suddenly, the Fifth Elder rushed in front of Chang Tianxiong, taking the fatal blow for him.
"Family Head, run! Our Chang Family cannot end like this," the Fifth Elder said before spitting out a mouthful of blood and losing consciousness.
"Although you tend to babble too much normally, when it really matters, you're the reliable one," Chang Tianxiong said sorrowfully.
......
The man in black held a sword in his left hand and in the palm of his right hand, clumps of fireballs gathered.
He threw these fireballs into the Chang Family's compound, and the buildings along the way collapsed in the explosions, starting to burn.
The sky was filled with flames, and columns of smoke rose slowly above the Chang Family compound like a shroud blocking out the sun.
In the Chang Family's backyard, the Third Prince and the old man realized something was wrong immediately.
The old man tried to escape with the Third Prince, but they were stopped by the man in black.
"Sir, this is the Third Prince of the Purple Sun Empire. He has absolutely nothing to do with the Chang Family, and we have always been supporters of the Holy Sect," the elder explained hastily.
Hovering in mid-air with four Vein Gates wide open, he was also a formidable practitioner of the Empty Vein Realm.
"Holy Sect or no Holy Sect, I'm just an ordinary Loose Cultivator. I couldn't stand the Chang Family's behaviors, so I decided to eradicate evil for the sake of justice. It has nothing to do with the Holy Sect," said the man in black indifferently.
"Yes, yes, nothing to do with the Holy Sect. Sir, your chivalrous heart is admirable," the elder said quickly.
"Go. You've seen nothing tonight," said the man in black.
The elder quickly expressed his gratitude and left with the Third Prince.
......
Xu Zimei sat in the courtyard of the side hall, admiring the bright moon while watching the red glow of the distant fires lighting up the sky.
In his past life, it seemed that the Chang Family was the first power to join Chu Yang.
They had even presented the Prison Suppression Pearl to Chu Yang.
Even though the current Chang Family was pitifully weak to him, Xu Zimei still did not want to leave any future troubles.
......
"You're from the True Martial Holy Sect," Chang Tianxiong roared furiously as he looked at his family's home destroyed in an instant.
"Why? I've already surrendered the Heavenly Bead, why do you still do this?"
"Does the death of a weakling need a reason?" said the man in black lightly.
"I don't understand where our Chang Family offended him," Chang Tianxiong said heroically, looking around.
Five hundred years of wandering and striving by generations had all been ruined in his own hands.
He remembered the day his father had passed the position of Family Head to him.
"My son, you must find the person of Destiny and lead our family to truly glorious times, not just dwelling in obscurity, letting the cage of Heavenly Sword City bind the wings of our family from soaring."
He slowly picked up the sword in his hand amidst the crying of the children, the screams of his clansfolk, and the ruins of his family's five hundred years of glory within the flames.
Raising his head to the overcast sky, he did not know when his hair had come undone.
With his long hair scattering down, he let out a heroic cry and brought the sword slashing toward his own neck.
With a "ding" sound, the longsword fell to the ground as Chang Tianxiong half-knelt, blood spurting from his neck as his vision blurred.
Eventually, his body collapsed powerlessly to the ground.