As the voice fell, Zhao Zheng's face had already turned ashen.
However, from his left and right, the sound of sword whistles arose. With a solemn and upright Eight-Sided Wooden Sword on one side and a narrow blue Ice Sword only two fingers wide on the other, both swords struck towards Ni Tianxing, stopping less than two meters away, unable to press forward by even an inch.
Wang Anfeng and Xue Qinshuang's bodies collapsed powerlessly to the ground; almost simultaneously, lightning and icy flames appeared on the edges of the swords, but in the blink of an eye, they were extinguished.
Amidst a furious roar, the Mo Blade cleaved down from above, its blade shattered by the rebounding force. Baili Feng stumbled back repeatedly, with blood bursting from the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, yet he seemed not to feel it at all, his eyes now filled with hostility towards the Confucian Scholar.
Spitting to the side disdainfully, he said in a cold voice:
Ni Tianxing surveyed his surroundings and said:
"Among a room full of Martial Artists, only three little brats dare to draw their swords. As for so-called heroes, heh..."
His words were filled with scorn.
Xue Qinshuang calmed the turbulent Qi and blood in her chest, realizing in her heart that this man's martial power had almost reached the peak of top-tier masters; she was slightly anxious but managed a smile, saying:
"Master's lackadaisical display is indeed formidable…"
"However, since the Master has called upon the power of Heaven and Earth, I fear that in a moment, the Seventy-Two Pillars of the States charged with suppressing Fufeng will arrive, along with the Masters from the Fufeng Academy."
"Could it be that Master Ni has already reached the First Rank Realm, capable of matching a Superior Immortal on earth?"
The Confucian Scholar glanced at her, shook his head leisurely, and said:
"Such is the way in Great Qin; the law is strict. Even achieving the First Rank Realm would not allow one to forcefully break out of Fufeng County City."
"Just now, I've used twenty years of accumulated power to break into the Upper Third Rank, how could I be an opponent?"
"Since you know this, how dare you be so presumptuous!"
A shout of anger rang out as a solemn figure appeared at the doorway.
His stature towered over seven feet tall, with a fair complexion, yet he exuded a deep and dignified majesty. He had no beard, only a short stubble on his chin, his black hair fastened with a single blue jade hairpin. With fine light brows and slightly narrow eyes, he had the look of a finely honed blade.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed on Ni Tianxing, emitting a chilling hostility, with thin and pale lips that appeared cold and emotionless.
A Second Rank Martial Artist and one of the Seventy-Two Pillars of the States of Great Qin, Yu Wenze, charged with suppressing Fufeng.
Ni Tianxing seemed to have anticipated the arrival, nodding his head slightly in greeting, and said:
"General Yu Wenze, it has been a long time since we parted twenty years ago."
Then, turning to the side, he moderated his tone and said:
"Since the Master has already arrived, why not come out?"
An audible sigh arose, and from the side, an old man with white hair and beard appeared, looking at Ni Tianxing with a pained expression, as if he wanted to say something but ultimately found it too difficult and could only sigh once more.
Ni Tianxing calmly looked outside the hall, at one civil and one military Upper Third Rank Grandmasters. The sound of bowstrings echoed continuously in his ears, a dense array of powerful crossbows and strong bows ready to fire. His handsome face remained calm, waiting until the iron troops were fully arrayed in a military formation before he finally spoke leisurely:
"Worthy of Great Qin, even when facing an Upper Third Rank Martial Artist like myself, there is not the slightest fear."
Yu Wenze replied coldly:
"The iron laws of Great Qin, what have we to fear?"
The Confucian Scholar's lips curled up slightly, and his eyes suddenly sharpened, as he said with a sneer:
"Since you are not afraid even of an Upper Third Rank..."
"Then, how could the might of the vast Great Qin allow a minor group like the Giant Whale Gang to wreak havoc in a State City for over a decade, and yet not stamp it out?!"
His voice boomed like a great bell, and upon hearing his words, the ashen-faced Zhao Zheng seemed to be infused with new strength, struggling to rise, only to be shaken into submission by the Vigorous Qi in Ni Tianxing's hands, unable to resist. The Confucian Scholar turned his head to look at the dignified elder, his expression suddenly twisted, as he shouted coldly.
"And how could a gang that has been able to terrorize a County City, murdering and pillaging for over a decade without being exterminated, be eradicated cleanly by a minor Fifth Rank Martial Artist, with every last one, old and young, hundreds of lives, wiped out without a trace!"
"Why then, could this no-account stuck at the Fifth Rank for seven or eight years, after quelling the Giant Whale Gang, break through to the Fourth Rank the following year and become a well-known Master?!"
The Confucian Scholar looked around coolly.
"Gentlemen, can any of you enlighten me?"
His words were indeed earth-shattering; emboldened by the presence of two Great Grandmasters, the surrounding guests started to retort:
"But the matter of the Giant Whale Gang is already concluded, it's said that it was about looting and plundering..."
The Confucian Scholar reined in his wild demeanor, sneered, and said:
"Everyone says, everyone says, it's always what everyone says..."
"Heh, have you seen it for yourself?!"
"That's right, the words come from those high and mighty Noble Clans; whatever they say, you all just believe... like pigs and dogs reared at home, easily slaughtered or butchered at their whim."
Yu Wenze's demeanor grew increasingly serious as he said:
"If this is true... you could report it to the officials, or to me..."
Ni Tianxing gave him a glance and suddenly burst into laughter,
"Because I must clear my name, I waited for you two, known for your uprightness, certain you would conduct a thorough investigation!"
"And then, it's all about revenge, mainly revenge!"
"Telling you now, at most I could slaughter but one of them; what about the others? Heh heh, innocent, innocent?"
"All fattened on buns soaked in blood – none are clean in my eyes."
"Do you know why I knew about the Giant Whale Gang's affair? Do you know why I called it a favor over a meal?"
"This year, I am thirty-nine. If not for the Giant Whale Gang, I would have died at four, on a snowy night thirty-five years ago. We were just a small faction making a living on the waterways, helping each other out to afford some meat for the New Year's Eve. But you..."
The Confucian Scholar pointed with his finger, making several empty jabs, sneering,
"Just because we salvaged some sort of Divine Weapon remains, you annihilated my Giant Whale Gang, all three hundred and seventeen of them, not leaving a single soul alive!"
"My kin, my loves, my yearnings, my respects, heh... heh heh, hahaha!"
His eyes began to redden with fury as he shouted,
"Reporting to the officials got no response, crying to heaven brought no mercy, clearly because this must be a Martial Arts weapon the Great Qin Empire aimed to gather. Killing a small faction over it, what's that to you?! Not even dirtying your hands, no matter if common folks, even if law-abiding, standing in the empire's way only makes them bandits fit for slaughter and plunder!"
"Hahaha, how interesting, how interesting; what's righteous is decided by you, what's evil too is decided by you! Righteousness and evil hinge merely on a word!"
"Turns out, the voice of the Great Qin Empire does not belong to common folks. Turns out, if heaven wants you dead, you must die gratefully and gloriously. Master, because I once helped you slay demons, now you capture me on my path of vengeance, wanting to wash away my hatred with the scriptures of various clans – but you didn't know of this at that time. Tell me, how can you wash this away?"
"How can it be washed away!"
Ni Tianxing laughed uproariously. Amid the sound, Zhao Zheng toppled forward, lifeless, his heart crushed by a hand in the height of fury. In that palm, a light suddenly emerged, slowly pulling forth, baptized in the blood from his heart, a red crystal began to grow.
"You see... this is the remains you never found, perhaps more than just remains."
"Twenty years ago, he killed three hundred and seventeen of us, top to bottom; you called it acting heroically with justice!"
"Now, I return tooth for tooth, blood for blood, and you label me a demonic heretic!"
His voice went silent for a long while, then rang out again with carefree laughter.
"A demonic heretic then!"
In the midst of laughter, the crystal transformed into a thin and sharp longsword, waves of heat rolling over it. The Divine Weapon with its own spirit, choosing its master, acknowledged him as its owner the moment Ni Tianxing grasped it, freeing it from its seal, and the original rosy glow churned and turned into a bloody flame.
From outside the door, a series of crisp sounds erupted as three hundred God-destroying Crossbows aimed at the entrance, causing a wave of alarmed cries. It was clear that to strike Ni Tianxing, they were ready to kill everyone in the hall without hesitation.
The Military General, void of any hesitation, bellowed out,
"A soldier shows no mercy, fire!"
Without an ounce of doubt, arrows fell like rain towards Ni Tianxing, and even Wang Anfeng three, near Ni Tianxing, found themselves engulfed in a deluge of killing intent from arrows capable of killing a Middle Third Rank expert. In the rush of this intent to kill, Baili Feng instinctively closed his eyes, expecting pain, but felt none. Upon opening them, his expression changed dramatically.
A familiar figure in grey stood before them, blocking the arrow rain.
He had often belittled him, urging him to be cleaner, but now, not only grease, his grey robe bore bloodstains.
The young man's vision, for some reason, began to blur.
The Confucian Scholar looked at them, the Divine Weapon orbiting around him, meeting their gaze in silence.
Master Ni suddenly let out a heh of laughter, as usual, placing his hand heavily upon Wang Anfeng and Baili Feng's heads, ruffling their dark hair without restraint, his mind swirling with thoughts, but in the end, he said just one thing.
Said it utterly plainly,
"Baili, little madman..."
"You've come twenty years too late."
Turning around, he held the sword, facing the torrential arrow rain, charging at the two Upper Third Rank figures, striding forth.
Letting out a wild laugh.
"The Confucian Ni Tianxing is dead; today, the demonic heretic, Ni Tianxing, is born!"
Would I be slaughtered by heaven like a mere dog?
Would I be beheaded by heaven like a mere dog?
Would I be executed by heaven, or defy and act against it?
PS: Today's first update... indeed, breaking amidst such a plot is annoying. This is not a story of a good hero, but was he innately wicked? Merely coerced by circumstances, right and wrong have become indistinct.
PS: Ni Tianxing changed his name twenty years ago during the pursuit, then was captured by the Master.
So for judgments like sealing the coffin - can I finish telling his story first before we get to that? (crying)