All for the Sake of Practicing the Blade

The fat man was beheaded; the skinny man was frightened mad.

Wei Zhaoting and the others went pale at once.

Wei Xuanfeng's string of moves had tortured their nerves again and again.

Everyone was on the verge of collapse!

"W-Wei... Boss Wei... what do we do now...?"

One martial artist spoke in a trembling voice, glancing nervously from side to side as he spoke, terrified that that god of slaughter might suddenly appear behind him.

"What do we do? You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?!"

Wei Zhaoting's mind was completely blank, and the group instantly descended into chaos.

Even Wei Zhaoting, the strongest among them, had run out of ideas. Didn't that make the rest of them lambs waiting for the slaughter?

"I told you not to go looking for trouble, but you just wouldn't listen! Well, now you've kicked an iron plate!"

"What's the use of saying that now? Hurry up and think of something!"

"How about we run down the mountain? Don't split up—even if we need to take a shit, we do it together!"

"And what about sleep? Who's keeping watch at night? Whoever stands watch dies!"

"Besides, what good would it do to go back to the city? What if he tracks you to your home and drags your family into this?"

"Then what do we do? We can't run, and we can't beat him!"

Everyone chimed in at once. At first, they could still discuss possible plans.

But as they went on, the more they talked, the more terrified they became.

Because they realized that Wei Xuanfeng had left them only one path.

That was...

To be tortured to death!

"Senior, Senior, what should I do? What should I do?!"

Ignoring the strange looks from those around him, Wei Zhaoting closed his eyes and loudly called out to the old fellow within his body.

A long while passed. Just as he gradually lost hope and was about to give up—

the old man's voice finally rang out.

"What are you panicking for, little friend? Steady yourself. What that man wants is precisely for you to panic like this!"

"S-Steady myself? At a time like this, how am I supposed to stay calm?!"

"Fool! If he were truly that formidable, why would he need to kill in secret and sow fear? Why not show himself directly and slaughter you one by one?"

"Y-Yeah! If he doesn't dare show himself, that means even he thinks he can't beat us! Senior, do you have a way for me to reconcile with him? I forgive him! I really forgive him! That bitch Su Chenlu—he can sleep with her all he wants. I won't interfere anymore!"

"Heh... you damned... you're stupid beyond saving! Hah... then again, if you weren't stupid, how could I..."

"Senior, what did you say? Speak louder!"

"I said, this boy's ruthless viciousness is rare even across the entire martial world. Could he be a core disciple of the Blood Gate...? Forget it, none of that matters. What matters is that you should stop thinking about reconciliation. Between you and him, only one can survive!"

"Then what should I do now?!"

"Run. Run toward White Lotus Mountain."

"W-Why?"

"Where there are wolves, use the wolves to devour the tiger."

Wei Zhaoting was overjoyed upon hearing this. He immediately opened his eyes and spoke to the others.

Though unwilling, they had no other choice. They could only accompany him and gamble on it!

They left at once. They did not even bring the skinny man with them, leaving him alone where he stood, babbling madly.

Less than ten breaths after Wei Zhaoting and the others departed, a scream rang out behind them.

They knew clearly that the scream had come from the skinny man!

Obviously, Wei Xuanfeng had no intention of sparing even a madman.

At once, everyone's faces turned ashen...

The old man hiding within Wei Zhaoting's body smiled indifferently.

As an elder of the Black Banner, he had seen through Wei Xuanfeng's intentions at a glance.

To make his own possession of Wei Zhaoting's body more convenient, he did not mind lending the other party a hand.

Such a gifted talent was even somewhat superior to holy sons and holy daughters.

After taking possession of the body...

The old man had already made up his mind: he had to recruit him into the Black Banner!

Every time a mountain wind swept past, the leaves rustled, and everyone's heart would leap into their throat.

Wei Zhaoting walked at the very front. No one spoke. There was only the crack of dry branches beneath their feet and their heavy breathing.

The wind poured in from the north, carrying the rotten dampness of the deep forest. It blew across the backs of their necks like a hand crawling over their skin.

At dusk, Wei Zhaoting ordered them to make camp.

Those on watch formed a circle, facing outward, their drawn blades laid across their knees.

The sleepers lay in the middle, heads pressed together, feet braced against feet. Even turning over would crush the leg of the person beside them.

Yet even so, when they woke the next day—

They discovered in horror that one of the night watchmen had still had his throat silently slit...

His blade was still at his side, but his body had already gone cold. A very fine cut marked his throat. Blood had flowed down his neck into his collar, soaked through the clothes on his back, and seeped into the mud.

From beginning to end, no one had heard a thing.

Wei Zhaoting stood there, staring at the corpse for a long time.

He did not even know when the man had died.

When they set out again, everyone was startled by the slightest movement.

When they saw the ears of a Soft-Boned Rabbit Demon rise from the grass, several blades hacked down at once. Only after the rabbit demon had been reduced to pulp did someone realize they had chopped off a section of a companion's trouser leg...

At dusk, as they passed through the last bamboo grove of the Wumeng Mountain range, the outline of White Lotus Mountain appeared at the edge of their sight.

Only then did a trace of relief flash through their eyes, though they knew that even reaching this place might not help.

After all, the Xuanlan Wolf Demons of White Lotus Mountain would not obey them. Wei Xuanfeng might make a move, and the wolf demons might even join forces to attack them instead.

But this one empty thought was all that kept their minds from collapsing.

So no one said it, and no one questioned it.

The mountain was steep and perilous, its peak hidden in clouds and mist. Intermittent wolf howls drifted down from the mountainside, one after another, as though they were passing something between themselves.

The moment Wei Zhaoting heard those sounds, tears streamed down his face!

Including himself, only four martial artists had made it here alive!

Four shadows stretched across the scree slope behind them, long and thin.

Wei Zhaoting opened his mouth. His lips were cracked, and threads of blood seeped out.

In his mind, he called out, "Senior, we've reached White Lotus Mountain. How do we make the wolf devour the tiger next?"

The old man did not answer.

Instead, a set of footsteps rang out abruptly.

Tap, tap, tap.

Wei Zhaoting raised his head.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

The man's clothes were spotless, without a speck of dirt. His hair was tied behind his head, not a single loose strand out of place. He carried an embroidered spring blade in his hand, its edge gleaming with a watery sheen, as if it had just been washed by a stream.

The afterglow shone from behind him, tracing his whole body with a dark-red rim.

Wei Zhaoting and the others looked up at him. Three days of flight, terror, and constant dread converged in that instant, becoming a chill that shot up from the soles of their feet.

"Gentlemen, I've grown tired of this hunting game." Wei Xuanfeng stood high on the slope, looking down at them. "The road to the Yellow Springs is long. Take your time—I won't be seeing you off!"

His words completely ignited Wei Zhaoting and the others.

"Brothers, fight him to the death!"

Wei Zhaoting and the others dragged their exhausted bodies forward, raising their blades as they charged to kill.

The prolonged mental torment had already driven them close to collapse.

Their eyes were bloodshot now, and there was only one thought in their hearts.

Let it end quickly. Whether he killed them, or they killed him—

Either was fine...

"Tsk..."

The instant they clashed, Wei Xuanfeng sensed their emotions.

This smash-the-pot-and-let-it-break mindset was not what Wei Xuanfeng wanted.

He was not a pervert. He had only one purpose in tormenting them to death.

To practice his blade!

But if they all rushed him at once, there would be no blade practice—he would simply die!

That was why he had picked them off one by one, keeping their numbers down to four.

But it seemed he might have gone a little too far...

These people had lost all desire to live. Their moves were limp and powerless.

He simply couldn't put enough pressure on himself, couldn't use them to hone his saber.

Alas...

No choice but to add more fuel to the fire...

"Since you've all prepared yourselves to be killed by me, then go in peace!" Wei Xuanfeng said as he counterattacked. "As for your families, don't worry. I'll take good care of them!"

At those words, the string in Wei Zhaoting's heart snapped completely.

A man's death was no more than a head hitting the ground. But when he thought of this demon going after his family...

The four of them went completely mad. There was only one thought in their minds!

Even if they died, they had to drag Wei Xuanfeng down with them!

Surrounded by the four men, Wei Xuanfeng felt their increasingly fierce attacks and gradually grew excited!

The Embroidered Spring Saber flashed without pause. Most of the time, he was defending.

This sense of danger, with saber light and sword shadows coming from all directions, was something he had never felt from the Xuanlan Wolf Demon!

That's right, just like this!

Gradually, he stopped thinking and let instinct take over his body completely.

As his defense grew tighter and tighter, the pressure the four men could place on Wei Xuanfeng grew less and less.

Whenever that happened, Wei Xuanfeng would swing the Embroidered Spring Saber, blocking their attacks while launching a counterattack in the same motion.

He carved neither shallow nor deep cuts across their bodies, sending sprays of blood bursting forth.

Injury only drove those who had lost their reason even madder.

Even ordinary people could have their blood boiling at the sight of blood, their courage growing tenfold over usual.

Let alone martial artists like Wei Zhaoting and the others, who had trained year-round.

Every spray of blood sent Wei Xuanfeng's pressure soaring.

Every time that pressure eased, he would swing his saber in retaliation.

Back and forth, until half an incense stick later.

Other than Wei Zhaoting, the remaining three martial artists had all collapsed to the ground.

Their minds had broken, their bodies and spirits were utterly spent, and Wei Xuanfeng had continuously bled them dry.

In the end, they had been exhausted alive and fallen to the ground...

"This feeling... all that effort was well worth it!"

With the support of the red entry Heaven's Motion, Wei Xuanfeng still had strength to spare.

His wild joy suppressed the faint, almost nonexistent exhaustion.

He could clearly feel that, after that battle, his Grand Ancestor Saber Technique had advanced by leaps and bounds!

Perhaps after a few more months of arduous training, it would advance to the next stage!

Once the ecstasy faded, he looked at the others, his eyes devoid of the slightest emotion.

Wei Xuanfeng said nothing. Dragging the Embroidered Spring Saber behind him, he walked step by step toward the nearest martial artist.

After killing them, he still had to hurry down the mountain.

By his reckoning, the deadline for the captain's assessment was almost up as well...

Swish!

One slash passed through, and head and body parted...

Seeing Wei Xuanfeng behead the others, Wei Zhaoting scrambled backward on hands and knees.

"Senior, save me!"

"Alas, unless I overdraw my soul and give you all my experience and memories, no one can save you."

"Then give them to me! Hurry, give them to me! I don't want to die—I can't die!"

"Then can you guarantee that you will treat my descendants well from now on?"

"Yes! Yes! I, Wei Zhaoting, swear to treat Senior's descendants well! If I break this oath, may Heaven destroy me and Earth extinguish me!"

"Very well... I believe you. Now, relax your mind and do not resist."

"Alright... alright..."

After dealing with the three martial artists, Wei Xuanfeng strode toward Wei Zhaoting.

But just as he raised his saber, ready to chop off Wei Zhaoting's head in a single stroke, he heard a murmured voice.

"My descendants... should still be looked after by this old man himself... Heh heh heh..."