Even Mortals Can Slay Immortals

Having made up their minds, Zhao Wu and Hong Ming learned Little Village's exact location, then swiftly flew toward it.

"Senior Brother Zhao, if that man really is in Little Village, are we a match for him? I heard he's quite strong and incredibly fast."

In midair, Hong Ming looked worried as he spoke to Zhao Wu.

Zhao Wu said disdainfully, "Why wouldn't we be a match for him? No matter how strong he is, he's only in the Qi Refining realm. One of us is at the Qi Refining Peak and the other at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. Are we supposed to fear one man?

"Besides, Grandpa gave me several Second-Grade Spirit Talismans and the Second-grade Mid-tier Magical Artifact, the Mysterious Turtle Shield. What is there to fear?

"Even if we still can't beat him, we have another method!"

"What method?"

"We'll use those mortals from Little Village as shields. Since he chose to save those mortals, he definitely won't stand by and watch them die.

"As for us, it doesn't matter whether they live or die."

As he spoke, a crazed gleam appeared in Zhao Wu's eyes.

They were merely mortals. If they died, they died.

"Brilliant! Brilliant indeed! As expected of Senior Brother Zhao!"

The two sat atop a Second-grade Low-tier Flying Boat, one putting on airs and the other fawning over him, painting a remarkably harmonious picture.

Less than two hours later, the two arrived at Little Village.

The moment they arrived, Hong Ming arrogantly gathered everyone in the village together.

"Who are you people? What are you doing in our Little Village!"

The speaker was Zhang Zheng, the Village Chief's eldest son and a Third-rate Martial Artist.

As the strongest person in the village, he had a duty to protect its people.

Bang!

Seeing someone dare defy him, Hong Ming kicked him flying, sending him crashing brutally into a large tree nearby.

Blood spurted from his mouth, and his life was extinguished on the spot.

"Zheng!"

Zhang Shuo wailed and collapsed to the ground.

Everyone was cowed by Hong Ming's thunderous methods.

The younger children were so frightened that they burst into loud tears.

Zhao Wu looked at these ants with utter disdain. He seized Zhang Shuo by the collar and said coldly, "Old man, you're the Village Chief here, right? Tell me, has any stranger come to your village within the past twenty days?

"Think carefully before answering. If I'm not satisfied, they will all die!"

As he spoke, the longsword at his waist abruptly flew from its sheath and hovered behind Zhao Wu. The pressure of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer burst forth.

Everyone was forced flat onto the ground, unable to move.

Seeing this, Zhang Shuo instantly understood that these two before him were immortals.

For the sake of the villagers' lives, he answered, "Someone did come. He was a martial artist."

At those words, Zhao Wu's eyes gleamed, and his heart rose into his throat. At that moment, he instinctively believed Zhang Xuanchen was the person he sought. If he could capture him, it would surely be a great merit!

He would even win the sect's favor!

Thinking this, his grip tightened, and Zhang Shuo was nearly crushed into unconsciousness.

"Speak! Where is that man?"

Zhang Shuo said with difficulty, "He... he has already left Little Village."

"Left? Old man! Do you know the consequences of deceiving me?"

As he spoke, Zhao Wu lifted a child of three or four and crushed the child's head before Zhang Shuo's eyes.

Scalding blood splashed across Zhang Shuo's face.

The cooked duck had flown away. How could Zhao Wu endure that!

He struggled desperately, trying to break free, but Zhao Wu's hand was like an iron pincer, locking him in place so completely that he could not move at all.

His eyes were bloodshot. "I didn't lie to you! He left last night!"

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know either!"

"You really don't know?"

"I really don't know!"

Hearing the old man's definite answer, a vicious glint surged into Zhao Wu's eyes.

His right hand suddenly exerted force, directly snapping Zhang Shuo's neck.

He then withdrew the pressure around himself.

He intended to question the others.

But at the very instant he withdrew his spiritual pressure, Zhang Hao, only two meters from Zhao Wu and already driven mad, thrust his longsword toward Zhao Wu.

With the instantaneous burst of a Third-rate Martial Artist, coupled with Zhao Wu's complete lack of defense, the sword instantly pierced Zhao Wu's heart.

It then emerged through his back.

"Hahahaha, so what if you're an immortal! You killed my father and grandfather! Immortals can die too!"

Seeing that he had pierced Zhao Wu's heart, Zhang Hao laughed madly.

His eyes were filled with bloodlust!

The physical strength of Qi Refining cultivators who had not cultivated body-tempering methods was simply inferior to that of mortal martial artists.

A Third-rate Martial Artist possessed a thousand jin of strength at the very least. How could Zhao Wu withstand Zhang Hao's all-out sword strike?

Immortals... were nothing special after all!

"You..."

Feeling his life force continuously drain away, Zhao Wu stared in disbelief at the ferocious-looking young man before him.

He had never imagined that a mere mortal would dare attack him.

Nor had he imagined that he would be killed by a mortal.

His eyes were full of unwillingness.

With a thud, he fell to the ground!

"Senior Brother!"

Hong Ming watched this scene in terror, standing frozen in place for a moment.

Zhang Hao raised his longsword. "Everyone, don't be afraid! Immortals are not omnipotent! Even mortals can slay immortals!

"Our families cannot die in vain! Kill him! Avenge them!"

"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"

Seeing Zhang Hao kill an immortal, the people of Little Village seemed to have been injected with chicken blood. One after another, they drew their weapons and charged toward Hong Ming.

Seeing this, Hong Ming cast aside his fear and looked at the mortals charging toward him.

He sneered. "Even mortals can slay immortals? Heh, what a pack of foolish ants!

"You killed Senior Brother Zhao, so you will pay for him with your lives!"

The moment his words fell, Hong Ming's gaze sharpened, and his body instantly retreated dozens of meters!

A fierce aura erupted from him. "Three Pure Sword Art! Nine Swords Emerge Together!"

Whoosh!

Nine longswords, like life-reaping ghosts, continuously darted through the crowd. Every streak of sword light that fell meant several lives vanishing.

The first to be killed was Zhang Hao, who had charged at the front.

Only after more than a hundred people had been slaughtered did the remaining villagers realize the true terror of immortals.

They wailed as they fled for their lives!

But Hong Ming knew full well that he could not let a single person leave here alive!

Otherwise, death would be unavoidable for him.

Because Zhao Wu was Zhao Tianhai's grandson!

Now, he had only one chance to survive.

That was to return to the sect and blame Zhao Wu's death on Zhang Xuanchen.

With the merit of discovering the target, he would not be blamed!

And the prerequisite for all this was killing every villager before him. That way, even if Zhao Tianhai wanted to investigate, he would find nothing!

As for whether the ruler of the Qing Kingdom would hold him accountable for wiping out one village, Hong Ming was not the least bit worried.

He did not believe the Qing Kingdom would turn against the Purple Cloud Sect over two hundred ants.

Watching the villagers fall one after another, Li Lan and Zhang Qingqing's faces turned ashen.

They knew they would not escape this calamity today.

"Iron Egg, you must not come back."

This was the two women's final wish. They only prayed that Zhang Tiedan would not return to Little Village at this time.

Zhang Qingqing tightly clutched the Brocade Pouch Zhang Xuanchen had left behind.

A desolate, beautiful smile appeared on her face.

"Brother Chen, it seems we cannot meet again in this life. Then... let us meet again in the next."

Pfft!

Two Flying Swords instantly pierced Li Lan and Zhang Qingqing's hearts. With a thud, they fell into pools of blood.

Hong Ming glanced at the two women lying on the ground.

His eyes were filled with indifference.

After circling the village and confirming that no one had survived, he fiercely severed one of his own arms.

He put Zhao Wu's corpse into his Storage Bag, then boarded the Flying Boat and returned to the Purple Cloud Sect.

On a mountainside three li away.

Zhang Tiedan felt the spiritual energy continuously being drawn into his body, and his eyes shone with excitement.

"Th-this is spiritual energy? I really have the potential to become an immortal!

"Hahaha! Wonderful! I'll have a chance to find Master in the future."

Zhang Tiedan stood up, hid the Immortal Cultivation Method again, then went outside and looked at the sun hanging high in the sky.

A trace of panic immediately surfaced in his eyes.

"Oh no! So much time has passed! When I get home, Mother will definitely beat me again.

"Sigh, forget it, forget it. A beating is a beating.

"I still have to go home."

With that thought, he patted the dust from his backside and hurried home.

The closer Zhang Tiedan got to Little Village, the more something felt wrong.

His pace quickened accordingly.

Silent! Terrifyingly silent!

There was not a single villager working in the fields.

At the same time, a thick stench of blood entered his nostrils.

"Mother! Sister!"

Zhang Tiedan's heart sank. His breathing became rapid and shallow as he rushed into the village like a headless little beast.

The moment he turned a corner, his footsteps abruptly halted.

So frightened that he stumbled, he fell onto the ground.

Corpses covered the ground, blood flowing like a river, as though this were a blazing hell on earth.

"Village Chief... Aunt Wang... Gou Dan... everyone..."

His small body began to tremble. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he even forgot to cry.

"Mother! Sister!"

His eyes frantically searched among the mangled corpses for the figures of his two blood relatives.

His gaze suddenly froze on two bodies dozens of meters away, their hearts pierced through.

Trembling, he crawled over.

Looking at his mother and sister, their faces pale and their bodies covered in blood, he embraced their heads as enormous tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Mother, Iron Egg will listen to you from now on. I'll never be naughty again...

"Sister, I'll follow you and study properly from now on. Open your eyes and look at Iron Egg..."

His voice was hoarse and low as he called out again and again.

His initial sobs turned into ragged, hoarse cries.

They echoed through the deathly silent village.

But nothing could ever return.

After crying for a while, Zhang Tiedan shakily stood up.

He raised his head and pointed toward the gloomy heavens.

His eyes blazing with fury, he swore word by word:

"Mother, Sister, everyone...

"I, Zhang Tiedan, swear here!

"If I do not avenge this hatred—

"I swear I shall not be human! May heaven and earth destroy me!"

He lowered his head and looked at the exquisite Brocade Pouch his sister had tightly clutched before her death.

"Master... now Iron Egg... only has you left as family. Will you... take me in?"