The urgent and piercing shrill wail of police sirens echoed through a corner of the Sakura Island city. Something unusual had clearly happened.
In a narrow alley, seven to eight corpses were covered with white sheets. Not far from them lay a young man drenched in blood, his shallow breaths making his chest rise and fall. Medical staff rushed over, but no one dared touch him. They could only stand by anxiously.
He had no visible wounds, yet blood had seeped out from every pore of his skin. Though he still breathed faintly, nearly half of his internal organs had already withered away. Even the slightest touch could hasten his death. Finally, after one long breath, the young man's arms fell limply, his head tilted to the side, and his breathing stopped.
Someone nearby sighed, and two figures stepped forward and covered his face. Right after, several people landed from both sides of the alley. Leading them was Akiu Masayo, the senior official who had previously negotiated with Wang Sheng and his companions.
"Couldn't he be saved?" Akiu Masayo whispered.
The medical staff, wearing white coats, shook their heads.
"Welcome back, Officer Akiu!" someone shouted from outside the alley. "That murderer has been captured, hasn't he? Why haven't you given me a real-time report?"
"We did capture him, but he resisted with all his might. We had to execute him on the spot," Akiu Masayo replied as he stepped into the beam of the searchlight. His gray ninja garb was still stained with blood. Laughing coldly, he gave the man an oppressive look. "I can assure you that his death was anything but peaceful."
Outside the alley stood several middle-aged men in suits, all in their forties or fifties. In front of them was a portly man with a balding crown. He frowned deeply at Akiu Masayo.
"Who gave you the right to kill that murderer?"
"He resisted, Captain Matsuda," Akiu Masayo answered calmly. He lowered his head, drew a cigarette from the case tucked into his ninja uniform, and lit it as though no one else were present. "According to the Special Affairs Ordinance, we had full authority to execute him on the spot. Anyway, he's already dead. I hope you can accept the fact that he was a deranged killer who took over forty innocent lives. All his victims were law-abiding citizens of our nation!"
The portly man dared not meet Akiu Masayo's sharp eyes. He gazed to the side before asking, "The sword… Where is the murder weapon?"
Akiu Masayo coldly answered, "Is the murder weapon so important? How do you know it was a sword, Captain Matsuda? Could it not have been a dagger or a saber? And how do you know the killer committed every murder with the same weapon?"
The fat man straightened his neck and shouted, "Don't forget your place, Officer Akiu! You are speaking to a senior official of this nation! I demand you tell me clearly where that weapon is and require it to be confiscated! If you do not stop this insolence, I will strip you of your position at once!"
Akiu Masayo sneered. "Hah, the mask is finally off. The only thing you want is that weapon, isn't it? Over the past six years, there have been thirty-two incidents on Sakura Island, resulting in over one thousand six hundred victims. Swords like the blood-absorbing sword caused them all, didn't they? Tell me, Captain Matsuda, are you really one of Sakura Island's people, or are you nothing but a dog raised by outsiders?"
"Officer Akiu! I declare—"
"It's gone," Akiu Masayo interrupted. He exhaled a ring of smoke. "By the time we intercepted the murderer, the sword had already vanished. You may strip me of my rank right now if you wish. That would at least save me the trouble of finding it."
"You—hmph!" The portly man trembled in anger. "You will understand how serious tonight's matter is."
He turned and stormed away.
Akiu Masayo laughed coldly. Behind him, several shadow dwellers burningly glared at the portly man's back, but they didn't do anything else.
Only when Matsuda and his entourage boarded several luxury cars and left in anger did Akiu Masayo finally relax a little. He crushed his cigarette and muttered, "I truly envy the working environment of the Hua Republic's executive departments."
"Captain," one shadow dweller whispered as he stepped closer. "Thanks to the surveillance footage, we may have found the one who took the devilish sword."
"Oh?" Akiu Masayo accepted a transparent glass tablet from his subordinate. Its interface resembled that of a mobile phone.
On the screen, two figures flashed across the rooftop of a building. The image was blurry, yet Akiu Masayo recognized them instantly. His expression grew complicated. After glancing around, he tapped the delete button.
"This is troublesome. Delete all copies of that image and destroy the surveillance that captured it." He rubbed his forehead as he scanned the area to make sure no one had overheard him.
"Why should we fear them, Captain? Even if we do not wish to spark a new conflict, retrieving a murder weapon is perfectly reasonable."
"If the cultivators of the Hua Republic can destroy the blood-absorbing sword, then that would be for the best." Akiu Masayo sighed softly. He then murmured, "Our beautiful nation is currently helpless. We have to adapt and take flexible measures when necessary. Still, that should never be mistaken for compromise or yielding. Now, go."
"Copy!" the subordinate whispered. He then leaped away into the night.
Akiu Masayo pondered for a moment. Finally, he muttered to himself, "Perhaps I should go as well."
A blood-red longsword hovered above the sofa, crimson light flowing along its blade. It trembled faintly, struggling to break free of the enchanted power restraining it.
Seven figures stood or sat in the room, all gazing intently at the weapon.
"It really is the same," Wang Sheng commented, breaking the silence. He turned to Shi Qianzhang. "Qianzhang, doesn't it remind you of that time?"
Curled on the sofa, Shi Qianzhang raised his heavy eyelids despite looking weary. Only faint traces were left of the holy light enveloping him.
"What time, Brother Sheng…?" he murmured, then yawned. "Why am I so sleepy…"
On the bed, Xi Lian looked up from her game and laughed mockingly.
"The night Guo Qianxing was captured at the hospital," Wang Sheng calmly answered.
Shi Qianzhang's spirit sharpened. He frowned at the blood-red longsword. "Huh? It really does look similar. Didn't the authorities confiscate the weapon from back then for research?"
"I spoke with Professor Ma," Wang Sheng explained, glancing at the messages on his device. "The blade that was confiscated back then was accidentally destroyed during research. They learned nothing from it except that it could absorb blood and transform it into its own power. That can't be the same weapon from over a decade ago, but it does belong to the same class of artifacts."
"How was it destroyed?" Hao Ling asked softly.
"Let me see." Wang Sheng scrolled through his virtual screen, checking the data charts. "During animal blood experiments. When they infused dog blood into it, it exploded."
Laughter rippled through the room, but Zhou Yinglong's expression remained stern. "Does that mean that the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect has members hiding here?"
"It wasn't the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect," Wang Sheng replied. He continued scrolling through the extensive information from Professor Ma. His access level clearly showed he held considerable clearance. "An organization from the nation of Dami took over the research.
"They acquired over a dozen devilish swords from the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect long ago, and they've never stopped studying them since. Sakura Island clearly served as their testing ground. This sword alone has devoured at least a thousand souls, barely becoming a prototype of a true devilish sword."
Mu Wanxuan blinked lightly. She tapped on her phone swiftly, and words appeared before her.
If we know all this, why haven't we stopped them?
"It isn't that simple," Huai Jing answered. "Though we want to uphold justice overseas as well, resistance here is strong, and there are circumstances that are beyond our control."
Wang Sheng cleared his throat. "Don't ask me why, but I actually know the origin of this sword. It's called the Blood-Dissolving Divine Sword, and the Heavenly Court handed down its forging method. When nourished to perfection, it could stand against True Immortal Realm experts. This one is still fairly weak since it hasn't consumed that many souls yet; its power is limited. Nevertheless, it already poses considerable danger."
"Blood-Dissolving Divine Sword?" Xi Lian blinked. "Why would the Heavenly Court create such a thing…"
"Special circumstances demand special measures." Huai Jing chuckled. "When the Heavenly Court descended on Earth, they were already near despair. Resorting to extraordinary methods is understandable."
Wang Sheng shook his head. "How should we deal with this sword?"
"Destroy it. Something that sinister can only harm others," Zhou Yinglong insisted.
Xi Lian jumped up immediately. "Hey! I was the one who found it! Why do you get to decide if it has to be destroyed? Weapons are like cultivation techniques. If you use it for righteousness, it becomes righteous. If you use it for corrupt Daoist practices, it gets corrupted! This sword holds tremendous power!" Newest update provıded by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Big Sister, please sit down. We really can't keep the sword," Wang Sheng said helplessly.
Xi Lian, in her youthful guise, pouted and sat back down. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to you. I can't believe we'll be wasting such a great treasure."
Wang Sheng placed his sword case at his side and drew Spiritless. As he gazed at the blood-red sword, a trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes.
"What is it, Brother Sheng?" Shi Qianzhang asked curiously.
After some thought, Wang Sheng replied, "If we destroy this weapon, we lose our only lead on the other swords. It would be better to use it as bait. Big Sister was right. People are the ones who commit evil, not cultivation techniques or weapons. Only by drawing out and eliminating the organization that forges Blood-Dissolving Divine Swords can we end this threat once and for all. We should—"
The vibration of a phone interrupted Wang Sheng's speech. Before he could answer, a three-dimensional projection of Chi Ling appeared before them.