Seven Kill Sect Emerges

"You—"

Zhou Wenbin's face changed drastically. He abruptly retreated, sweeping both hands before him as a powerful true qi barrier condensed in front of him.

As a steward of the Treasure Pavilion, his Zhuqi Realm Third Layer cultivation made him a formidable expert in Tiannan Prefecture. At this moment of life and death, the true qi within him surged madly like a boiling river.

The cultivation of the Zhuqi Realm Third Layer was displayed to the fullest at this moment, his true qi forming a semi-transparent shield wall before him as though it had substance.

Yet the old man merely gave his sword a light swing.

The Killing Intent on the Seven Kill Sword was like floodwaters bursting through a dike, instantly smashing through Zhou Wenbin's true qi barrier.

That jet-black Sword Qi seemed to have come from the Nine Nether Hells, carrying boundless resentment and murderous intent. Wherever it swept, Zhou Wenbin's true qi was torn apart like thin paper, unable to slow it in the slightest.

"No—"

Zhou Wenbin only had time to utter half a word, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

He wanted to dodge, only to discover that his body seemed to be locked down by some invisible force. He could not even move a finger.

A flash of sword light passed.

A thin line of blood appeared across his throat. At first, it was as fine as a strand of hair, but it spread in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Wenbin's eyes bulged wide. His mouth hung open, but not a sound came out.

Even stranger, all the blood in his body was drained away by the Seven Kill Sword. That black demonic sword was like a greedy Taotie, madly devouring his essence and blood.

Zhou Wenbin's body shriveled at a visible rate. His once-full face rapidly caved in, turning him into a horrifying desiccated corpse that fell stiffly to the floor with a dull thud.

The hall fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned. Someone's teacup slipped from their hand and hit the floor; scalding tea splashed over their clothes, yet they felt nothing. Some stood with their mouths agape, their cries of alarm caught in their throats. Others had their legs turn weak and collapsed straight onto the ground.

The Treasure Pavilion's steward, a Zhuqi Realm Third Layer expert, had his throat sealed by a single sword strike?

Just what cultivation did this old man possess?

More importantly, if they had not misheard, this old man before them was from Marquis of Tiannan's Mansion?

He had returned now to seek vengeance against the many forces that had destroyed Marquis of Tiannan's Mansion back then?

Holding the Seven Kill Sword, the old man stood upon the raised platform, his gaze sweeping over every person present. Killing intent burned from his body like tangible flames, while the Killing Intent on the Seven Kill Sword merged with his own, forming a swath of black mist around him.

"Heaven births all things to nourish man, yet not one good deed does man repay to Heaven."

The old man suddenly cried out, his voice ancient but vigorous, echoing endlessly through the hall.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"

As his words fell, voices rose in response from all around the hall.

The cries were perfectly uniform, carrying a chilling fervor like funeral bells ringing from hell.

Dozens of people seated throughout the hall rose at once, tearing off their outer robes to reveal black combat outfits beneath.

On each of their chests were embroidered the two blood-red words, "Seven Kill." The lettering was savage, as though written in blood.

"Seven Kill Sect emerges today!"

The old man raised the Seven Kill Sword high. Blood light flared brilliantly from its blade, and a streak of black Sword Qi shot into the sky, cleaving a massive crack through the Treasure Pavilion's roof.

"More than twenty years have passed. It is time to settle the blood debt of Marquis of Tiannan's Mansion!"

"Kill!"

The dozens of black-clad people struck at once, blades and sword shadows flashing through the hall.

Screams, cries of alarm, and the crash of overturned tables and chairs mixed together as the hall descended into chaos.

A wealthy merchant in embroidered robes had only just risen when two blade lights crossed over him, cutting his body into three pieces as blood gushed forth.

A young and beautiful maid screamed as she tried to flee, only to have a longsword pierce through her heart from behind and nail her dead to a pillar.

Several martial artists tried to resist, but before they could even draw their weapons, they were struck by multiple blades and swords at once, reduced to piles of mangled flesh.

"Seven Kill Sect? Could this old man be one of the remnants of the Seven Kill Army once commanded by the Marquis of Tiannan at the border?"

Inside a private room, a middle-aged Zhuqi Realm martial artist went pale, his voice trembling.

The Seven Kill Army had been an elite force that made enemies flee at the mere sound of its name during the former dynasty. It was said that every soldier was a martial artist chosen one out of a hundred, stationed at the border to resist the Northern Barbarians.

"Leave this place first."

"Whether it is the Seven Kill Army or the Seven Kill Sect, the Three Great Sects can deal with that headache. It has nothing to do with us."

"Exactly. When the Marquis of Tiannan died unexpectedly back then, the Three Great Sects had a hand in it."

The Zhuqi Realm cultivators in the auction house's private rooms all rushed outside.

Their figures flickered. Some shattered windows and leaped out, while others used movement techniques to dart through the crack in the roof. In the blink of an eye, they vanished without a trace.

The Seven Kill Sect martial artists did not stop them. Their targets seemed to be only the ordinary guests in the hall.

Standing on the raised platform, the old man activated the Seven Kill Sword in his hand, releasing an invisible pulling force.

Blood from the corpses strewn across the floor slowly flowed from their wounds toward the blade of the Seven Kill Sword, as though drawn by some mysterious force.

The sword seemed alive, greedily absorbing the blood and giving off an eerie red glow.

As it absorbed more and more blood, the runes on the blade lit up one after another, and that sky-filling Killing Intent grew increasingly dense.

The chaos ended in less than half an incense stick's time.

All the guests attending the auction, the Treasure Pavilion's maids, and its guards... all were killed and turned into desiccated corpses.

"Vice Sect Master, the cleanup is complete."

A black-clad man walked before the old man and dropped to one knee.

"Come. Follow me as we kill our way out."

The old man swung the Seven Kill Sword. The blood light on its blade surged wildly, erupting with terrifying Sword Force.

That Sword Force stretched several zhang long, black as ink and carrying the might to destroy heaven and earth. With a single strike, it split the auction hall in two.

The walls collapsed, beams and pillars snapped, and the entire Treasure Pavilion was on the verge of collapse beneath that one strike.

Dozens of black-clad people followed behind him, surging out of the Treasure Pavilion like a tide.

Inside the inn.

"So this is the Zhuqi Realm!"

Chen Xuan cleaned the grime from his body, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and carefully sensed the changes in his fleshly body.

The bronze sheen on the surface of his skin had become subdued, replaced by a faint golden radiance that seemed almost illusory.

Chen Xuan stretched his limbs, and his joints crackled like popping beans. He felt that his body had become much lighter, as though a thousand-jin burden had been lifted from him.

With a casual swing, his arm sliced through the air with a shrill tearing sound. It was the sound of air being ripped apart by excessive speed.

Beyond that.

Chen Xuan also felt that his five senses had greatly sharpened.

His eyes saw things with greater clarity. He could make out the veins on leaves in a tree a hundred meters away, while the flight of insects through the air seemed to have slowed several times over. No tiny detail could escape his gaze.

His ears could catch the faintest sounds of wind stirring grass at great distances. The clamor from the street outside the inn's window had now become distinctly layered.

He could clearly distinguish the footsteps of guests upstairs, the breathing from the room next door, and even the crisp clacking of the innkeeper's abacus downstairs.

The cries of distant street vendors, children at play, and carriage wheels rolling over bluestone slabs poured into his ears like a tide, yet they did not irritate him. His mind seemed to automatically filter out the noise, capturing only useful information.

Suddenly, Chen Xuan heard a burst of commotion coming from the distant street.