The Heavenly Profound Sect Master's face twitched violently as he looked Chu Lu up and down, desperately trying to find some wound or abnormality on him.
Yet his eyes were practically bulging out, and he still could not find anything wrong.
Intense terror and intense confusion surged into his heart together. His voice trembled as he asked, "Y-you, why weren't you hurt? How did you block the Demon Slaying Mirror's attack?"
"I didn't block it." As Chu Lu continued harvesting the elders around him, he answered, "That thing is useless against me."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" the Heavenly Profound Sect Master roared himself hoarse. "The Demon Slaying Mirror is a supreme treasure left behind by the Old Ancestor. It cannot be wrong! As long as you harbor guilt in your heart, death is certain! You killed so many people along the way—how could you possibly feel nothing?"
"I really don't," Chu Lu answered casually.
The Heavenly Profound Sect Master froze, then roared again with a twisted expression, "Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"
Gritting his teeth, he raised the Demon Slaying Mirror high and said, "I don't know what method you used to block that previous strike, but I refuse to believe you can block it once and block it a second time! Demon Slaying Mirror, fire!"
Spiritual power flooded into it once more, and a beam of white light shot straight at Chu Lu.
Yet Chu Lu showed no reaction. With a wave of his hand, he cut down the last elder, then walked toward the Heavenly Profound Sect Master.
The Heavenly Profound Sect Master's cheeks were flushed red from agitation, and bloodshot veins surfaced in his eyes.
He felt no fear. He simply activated the Demon Slaying Mirror again and again without a care, as though he had fallen into some frenzied state.
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Chu Lu neither dodged nor evaded. Facing the Demon Slaying Mirror's beam and listening to the Heavenly Profound Sect Master's roars, he closed in step by step.
At last, he arrived before the Heavenly Profound Sect Master, grabbed the Demon Slaying Mirror, and snatched it away.
"Eh?" The Heavenly Profound Sect Master froze, as though only now realizing that Chu Lu had already reached him.
As he looked at Chu Lu staring at him expressionlessly, the fear he had forcibly suppressed finally surged forth.
"Next, it's your turn," Chu Lu said.
"Ah..." The Heavenly Profound Sect Master's legs began to tremble, and the familiar expression of terror appeared on his face.
Chu Lu raised his sword, just about to strike.
An aged voice suddenly came from afar. "Stop!"
Hearing that voice, Chu Lu showed no surprise at all.
After all, this counted as a classic plot development. He had encountered it several times already.
He and the Heavenly Profound Sect Master both looked toward the source of the voice, only to see an old man in a tattered Daoist robe slowly flying over.
Chu Lu had no particular reaction, but the Heavenly Profound Sect Master's expression changed drastically. He immediately knelt in midair and said, "Master!"
Chu Lu said, "Master?"
Luo Qingdie's voice sounded in his mind at just the right moment. "That is the Pure Yang Daoist, the former sect master of the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect, and also the current sect master's master."
"I see." Chu Lu nodded, then looked at the Pure Yang Daoist and said, "Old man, so what are you here for? Trying to persuade me to stop and save your disciple?"
The Pure Yang Daoist did not answer. He first looked over the utterly devastated mountain gate, his face full of heartache.
"After more than ten thousand years, after dozens of generations of sect masters burning the midnight oil and rising early to retire late, the mountain gate was built with great difficulty. Who would have thought it would become like this in merely a few hours?"
Hearing this, the Heavenly Profound Sect Master's face turned deathly pale. He kept kowtowing in midair. "This disciple is incompetent! This disciple is incompetent!"
"You truly are incompetent!" The Pure Yang Daoist glared viciously at the Heavenly Profound Sect Master. "When I passed the position of sect master to you, it was so you would work hard to govern and strengthen the sect! So you would subdue demons and eliminate devils, and uphold the Righteous Path! But what did you do?"
The more the Pure Yang Daoist spoke, the angrier he became. He raised a hand and viciously slapped the Heavenly Profound Sect Master, knocking his head sideways and leaving a bright red handprint on his face.
"Who told you to slander fellow cultivators? Who told you to trap and slaughter fellow cultivators? Who told you to sacrifice your fellow disciples?"
The Pure Yang Daoist struck him as he spoke. Before long, he had beaten the Heavenly Profound Sect Master's entire face red.
Standing to the side with his arms folded, Chu Lu watched and vaguely guessed the Pure Yang Daoist's intentions. He immediately found it boring.
"Enough," Chu Lu said. "If you think performing some self-inflicted suffering act will make me spare you, then you're underestimating me too much."
Only then did the Pure Yang Daoist finally look at Chu Lu. There was not a trace of hatred in his eyes; in its place was deep guilt.
"This old Daoist has no such intention," the Pure Yang Daoist said. "But this old Daoist truly hopes Fellow Daoist Luo will show mercy and spare the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect."
A savage smile appeared at the corner of Chu Lu's lips, and he immediately prepared to kill both master and disciple together.
Yet just as killing intent leaked from him, the Pure Yang Daoist spoke again. "However, this is not for our sake, but for the sake of all living beings under heaven."
"Oh?"
"Fellow Daoist Luo should understand the situation in the Nine Provinces," the Pure Yang Daoist said. "In the distant past, Righteous Path cultivators and demonic cultivators were mixed throughout the Nine Provinces. Demonic cultivators were brutal, casually killing people to cultivate their arts, leaving the common people unable to live in peace. It was only after the vast Demon Suppression War a thousand years ago that demonic cultivators were finally driven beyond the Nine Provinces into the Endless Wilderness, and the Magic Severing Array was established to prevent their return. Only then could the people live and work in peace."
"For these thousand years, the Magic Severing Array has been maintained by our sect," the Pure Yang Daoist continued. "Thus, only cultivators of our sect know how the array operates and how it is maintained. If you destroy our sect completely, Fellow Daoist, then no one will maintain the array. Should demonic cultivators seize the chance to infiltrate the Nine Provinces, it would lead to a great catastrophe."
"My wicked disciple deserves death. I deserve death as well for failing to teach him properly. The elders deserve death even more for blindly obeying him. But the common people of the Nine Provinces are innocent. They should not die because of this."
"Besides that, other Righteous Path cultivators hate you to the bone because of the rumors spread by my wicked disciple. They will certainly come for you in the future, and killing will inevitably follow. Surely Fellow Daoist does not wish to be forced to kill innocent people either?"
"So, for the sake of the innocent common people, for the sake of innocent fellow cultivators, please allow us to keep our useful lives and redeem our sins through meritorious service." The Pure Yang Daoist bowed sincerely. "We will continue maintaining the Magic Severing Array and protecting the people of the Nine Provinces. We will also clear your name and restore your innocence, setting everything back on the right track."
"I see." Chu Lu nodded. "What you said does sound rather reasonable."
Hearing this, a smile could not help appearing on the Pure Yang Daoist's face.
He heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.
—Wonderful. The sect has finally been preserved.
When the Pure Yang Daoist saw that the Demon Slaying Mirror had no effect on Chu Lu, he understood that although Chu Lu appeared to be a Great Demon who slaughtered innocents, he was actually a good person with principles and a bottom line.
And the simplest way to deal with good people was moral coercion.
Although he had spoken humbly before, he was actually using the lives of common people and fellow cultivators to threaten Chu Lu and force him to yield.
And, just as expected, it had worked.
The Pure Yang Daoist swiftly restrained the smile on his face again, lest he anger Chu Lu.
Then he straightened up and said with a guilty expression, "Then..."
Splat.
The sword pierced through the Pure Yang Daoist's throat.
"Eh?" The Pure Yang Daoist froze, staring blankly at Chu Lu, who had struck. He could not understand why Chu Lu had done this.
Hadn't he said his words made sense?
"What a pity." Chu Lu pulled out his sword. "I never compromise."
A string of bloody bubbles rose from the Pure Yang Daoist's mouth. He pointed at Chu Lu, wanting to speak but unable to make a sound, and his body went limp.
"Master!" the Heavenly Profound Sect Master cried out. He rushed over and caught the Pure Yang Daoist's corpse.
The instant he touched him, he understood that his master's life force had already been severed.
He turned toward Chu Lu, his eyes filled with rage. "Luo Qingdie! You beast! You actually killed Master! You're finished! Even if you stop now, it's too late! Even if I die, I will never maintain the Magic Severing Array again, much less clear your name! When demonic cultivators invade and living beings are plunged into misery, the Righteous Path will deem you the chief culprit and come to punish you. Let's see how you live then!"
"Then let them come." Chu Lu slowly rose into the air.
Although he had killed many people along the way, the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect was simply too vast. It had at least several hundred thousand disciples, and the number he had killed was no more than a drop in the ocean.
And although Phoenix Arrives was Luo Qingdie's strongest sword art, it was not suited for large-scale slaughter.
Thus, Chu Lu began preparing the sixth sword of the Nine Heavenly Phoenix Swords—Phoenix Flame Burns the Heavens.
"Y-you, what did you say?" The Heavenly Profound Sect Master looked up at Chu Lu.
"I said, let them come." Chu Lu said, "If demonic cultivators come, then I will kill demonic cultivators. If the Righteous Path comes, then I will kill the Righteous Path. If all living beings under heaven cannot tolerate me, then I will cleanse the world."
Countless dark clouds gathered above Chu Lu, as though endless darkness was about to devour the entire world. Wild winds howled, and the air between heaven and earth was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.
With an indifferent expression, he looked down and said, "All who resent me, envy me, covet me, mock me, curse me, harm me, or betray me shall not be allowed to live in this world!"
The Heavenly Profound Sect Master stared dumbfoundedly. He had never heard a Righteous Path cultivator utter such absurd words.
"Y-you, who do you think you are? The emperor of the Nine Provinces?" he said.
"Precisely so." Chu Lu lowered his eyes slightly and slowly raised both hands, unleashing the spiritual power of the Mahayana Stage without reservation.
Suddenly, a dazzling bolt of lightning tore through the oppressive darkness, instantly illuminating the surroundings as brightly as day. Immediately afterward, deafening thunder exploded, like a thousand armies and ten thousand horses galloping forth, like a colossal hammer smashing the earth, shaking hearts and souls alike.
Beneath the lightning, Chu Lu slowly spoke, his voice spreading throughout the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect.
"Above heaven and below heaven..."
"I alone am supreme!"
A terrifying aura spread outward with Chu Lu's words.
The Heavenly Profound Sect Master, along with those Heavenly Profound cultivators hiding throughout the mountain ranges, all felt a bone-chilling dread that threatened to drive them mad.
The next moment, beneath their watchful eyes, Chu Lu pointed at the towering mountain range below and said, "Phoenix Flame Burns the Heavens!"
In an instant, the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect, stretching across millions of acres, was engulfed by flames.
Hua Honglian: "So you wiped out the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect?"
Several days later, Chu Lu flew over a wilderness.
Meanwhile, the Chat Group was lively with conversation.
Luo Qingdie: "No. Chu Lu wiped it out. I didn't do anything."
Xu Liniang: "Are you trying to distance yourself from it?"
Zhu Shanlin: "She is absolutely trying to distance herself from it!"
Liu Ruyue: "Trying to play the pure white lotus."
Chu Lu: "I killed them for you, and now you're making me feel a little cold-hearted..."
Luo Qingdie: "But, but... Fine! I killed them! Happy now?"
Hua Honglian: "Why do you sound a little unwilling?"
Xu Liniang: "Like someone forced you into it."
Zhu Shanlin: "She's starting to pretend she's the victim."
Liu Ruyue: "Pure white lotus."
Luo Qingdie: "I'm not, I... Aaaah!"
After fooling around for a while, everyone only stopped laughing when they saw that Luo Qingdie was truly furious.
Hua Honglian: "By the way, what are you doing now?"
Luo Qingdie: "We just crossed the Magic Severing Array, and we're preparing to kill demonic cultivators."
Everyone immediately responded with question marks.
Luo Qingdie: "Chu Lu asked for it."
Chu Lu: "This time, she's right. I did ask for it."
"Why?"
Chu Lu: "I just don't want to repeat the same mistakes."
Last time, after wiping out the Inquiry Sword Sect, he had thought the mission was complete and planned to rest for a few days before returning. Yet the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect had suddenly appeared.
And now that he had wiped out the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect, Chu Lu figured that before long, some other enemy would probably pop out again.
Rather than sitting still and waiting for death like last time, it was better to take the initiative. It would save quite a bit of time.
So, between leaving the Nine Provinces to kill demonic cultivators and going to trouble other Righteous Path cultivators, he chose the former.
The reason was simple: demonic cultivators killed innocent mortals, while the Righteous Path only wanted to kill Chu Lu.
Clearly, the former needed to be dealt with first.
Come to think of it, that was also one of the reasons he had exterminated the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect.
Even without anyone maintaining it, the Magic Severing Array could continue operating on its own for some time. But if someone deliberately sabotaged it from within, it would not last long.
As for those low-level disciples of the Heavenly Profound Immortal Sect, sparing them would not have been impossible. After all, most of them had already been scared out of their wits and would not dare trouble him.
But if even one of them, driven by resentment, actively destroyed the Magic Severing Array and let demonic cultivators into the Nine Provinces, that would be troublesome. So he simply killed them all.
Once Phoenix Flame Burns the Heavens had been unleashed, even if survivors remained, they would be too few to matter.
However...
"This place really is empty." Chu Lu looked around. There was wilderness everywhere, without the slightest trace of human habitation.
He asked Luo Qingdie, "Where should we look for demonic cultivators? Do you have any ideas?"
Luo Qingdie: "Well... not really. I've come here a few times too, but I only defended against invading demonic cultivators near the border. I've never ventured deep inside."
"I see..." Chu Lu had a headache. Just as he was considering what to do, a voice suddenly came from ahead.
"Eh? Isn't this the famed Luo Qingdie, sect master of the Inquiry Sword Sect?"
Chu Lu raised an eyebrow and looked up, discovering a sinister-looking man standing ahead.
He was tall and slender, dressed in a black robe, like the silhouette of a ghost in the night. His eyes were narrow, with a strange red glint at their depths. One look was enough to tell that he was no decent person.
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