Chapter 385 - 188: Monstrous Sins
Chapter 385: Chapter 188: Monstrous Sins
With a flick of his wrist, the Horizontal Saber slid from its sheath. He slowly raised the blade and spoke with a soft laugh:
"Everyone, I’d advise you not to make a move against me."
"He’s the one who betrayed the Heaven-Slaying Sect."
"He’s in cahoots with that Fang Shuwen... Now the Sect Leader has fallen into Fang Shuwen’s hands, his fate unknown. All of this is because of him, Zhao Ziying!"
"Take him down! Cut off his limbs first, then send him back to the sect to be dealt with by the clan elders."
As they spoke, they charged toward Zhao Ziying to kill him.
But in that instant, a crimson blade light flashed, and the two men were cleaved in half in mid-air.
The four pieces of their bodies flew in different directions. Amidst the spray of blood, a bloody glint appeared in Zhao Ziying’s eyes. On his Horizontal Saber, streaks of red light gathered, with a black stream flowing within them like an inky current.
The Seven Emotions and Seven Sins Heaven-Slaying Saber!
"This is impossible!" someone cried out in shock.
"How could you... have mastered the Seven Emotions and Seven Sins Heaven-Slaying Saber? What on earth did you do?"
"The Seven Emotions and Seven Sins Heaven-Slaying Saber uses sin to sever emotion. The deeper the sin, the more vicious the blade."
Zhao Ziying said slowly,
"Have you all forgotten what was just said?
"I, Zhao Ziying, colluded with Fang Shuwen and betrayed our clan. Is that not a sin? As a result, the Sect Leader’s fate is uncertain... no... having fallen into Fang Shuwen’s hands, he will surely die.
"And what sin could be greater, more heinous, than leading our Sect Leader to his death!?"
At these words, all the Heaven-Slaying Sect Members present gasped.
Zhao Ziying continued slowly,
"I’ll give you all a chance. Starting today, I, Zhao Ziying, intend to become the Sect Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Sect... What do you all think?"
’The previous Sect Leader’s fate is still unknown, and he’s already making a play for the position?’ everyone thought, stunned.
One person began to speak cautiously,
"You..."
He had only uttered that single word before his head parted ways with his body.
A chill ran through the hearts of the remaining crowd.
’This bastard has picked up bad habits from Fang Shuwen,’ they thought. ’Of all the things to learn, he had to pick up the one where you don’t let people finish speaking.’
But looking at Zhao Ziying, his Horizontal Saber held before him, his eyes glowing red...
After a moment’s hesitation, everyone present dropped to one knee.
"We greet the Sect Leader!!"
Zhao Ziying’s sins were indeed monstrous, so much so that he had pushed his mastery of the Seven Emotions and Seven Sins Heaven-Slaying Saber to an extremely high level in a short amount of time.
While his foundation was not yet as deep as Zhao Wuji’s, he was still far beyond what ordinary Heaven-Slaying Sect Members could handle.
A smile tugged at the corner of Zhao Ziying’s mouth as he said,
"You... are truly a heartless bunch. Utterly beyond saving."
As soon as he finished speaking, he brandished his saber and charged directly into the crowd.
"Colluding with outsiders and betraying the clan is a sin.
"Revealing the secrets of our legacy Martial Arts, causing the Sect Leader to fall into another’s hands, is also a sin.
"And who can say... that slaughtering one’s own clansmen is not a sin!?
"The entire Zhao Clan is steeped in sin. Today, I, Zhao Ziying, will purge it clean!
"By slaughtering all of you and uprooting this Demon Cave that is the Zhao Clan, what new heights will my Martial Arts reach!?"
This turn of events was completely unexpected. For a moment, only bloodcurdling screams filled the air.
...
...
Zhao Wuji lay on the ground, his face pale, his eyes staring blankly at the sky.
Clouds drifted lazily across the heavens, far beyond his reach.
But Zhao Wuji’s heart felt as though it had plunged into the Eighteen Levels of Hell.
’Just a short while ago, I was the patriarch of the Zhao Clan, the Sect Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Sect.’
’How... did it come to this?’
Of his two arms, one had been severed, the other shattered.
Both his legs had been broken. All four of his limbs were crippled.
Worse yet, he had just experienced the most brutal torture imaginable.
The agony was so intense that it had, for a time, made him forget the torment of the sins he had borne for the past twenty years.
Turning his head to look at Fang Shuwen, who stood nearby, he couldn’t help but ask in a dry, hoarse voice:
"What... what in the world are you trying to do?"
"I just want to ask you something," Fang Shuwen replied softly.
"...Do you always torture people first and ask questions later?"
Indignation swelled in Zhao Wuji’s heart, but indignation was all he had left.
He was also the first person to still feel indignant after experiencing Fang Shuwen’s "A Line."
But his previous towering rage had completely dissipated.
Fang Shuwen waved his hand dismissively.
"I just figured it would save some time. It keeps me from having to listen to all that ’kill me or carve me up as you please’ bullshit when you refuse to talk... I don’t have the time to waste arguing with you."
As he spoke, he took a Hidden Weapon from his robes.
It was about three inches long, shaped like a cross between a dagger and a sword, and was cold to the touch.
One end was engraved with the character ’Zhao’.
When Zhao Wuji saw this Hidden Weapon, his expression changed instantly.
"This blade... why do you have it?"
"So you do recognize it," Fang Shuwen said coldly.
"Who in your Zhao Clan was the owner of this Hidden Weapon?"
"...He was a clan uncle of my Zhao Clan."
Zhao Wuji did not hide anything. He furrowed his brow slightly.
"He was also the only clan member who used a Flying Saber instead of a single saber. And back then, his skill with the Seven Emotions and Seven Sins Heaven-Slaying Saber was no less than my own."
"But he had a reclusive and cold personality and didn’t like to wander the Jianghu, so not many people in the martial world knew of him."
Fang Shuwen raised an eyebrow slightly.
’Twenty years ago, Zhao Wuji trapped himself in Cold Valley Town. Nineteen years ago, the man who used this Flying Saber had Martial Arts on par with Zhao Wuji at that time.’
’The eight people who joined forces back then must have been of similar skill.’
’It seems the situation Fang Mingxuan faced was far more dangerous than he let on.’
’But that’s to be expected. After all, the people of their clan are all highly skilled in Martial Arts... that much is clear from ultimate techniques like the Cloud Passing Body Technique and the Sea-Shaking Divine Fist.’
’If they weren’t top-tier experts, they wouldn’t have been able to overwhelm Fang Mingxuan and cause him to lose his own son.’
After pondering for a moment, Fang Shuwen spoke softly,
"Where is this person now?"
Zhao Wuji, unaware of the connection between Fang Shuwen and the man who used the Flying Saber, pondered for a moment before saying,
"Nineteen years ago, he left to handle a major affair.
"But after that, he never came back..."
"What major affair?" Fang Shuwen asked again.
Zhao Wuji hesitated for a moment, then finally said,
"Nineteen years ago, the Heaven-Slaying Sect received a Token... It was called the ’Dragon Abyss’ Token and came from an extremely mysterious organization in the Central Domain.
"That clan uncle was summoned by this Token to take part in a plot for some immense benefit.
"If they had succeeded, our Heaven-Slaying Sect might have even been able to break the curse of the Seven Emotions and Seven Sins Heaven-Slaying Saber.
"But unexpectedly... he left and never returned."