Slaughter

Several kilometers from Tang Xuan, a vast hollow was packed with the Lava People he had seen earlier. Several enormous stones stood upright in its center, seemingly concealing something. Beside them stood an immense, middle-aged figure, three times the size of an ordinary Lava Person. The Lava Giant guarded the central stones, smashing any who approached them to pieces. Like the other Lava People, he could absorb the power of his own kind. The strength of every Lava Person he killed streamed into his body, allowing him to survive their relentless attacks.

Tang Xuan watched from a distance. He had been keeping watch here for two days. He had discovered that these Lava People periodically slaughtered one another on a massive scale to sustain their existence. He had also witnessed their birth: every few minutes, new Lava People crawled out of a broad fissure filled with magma, at least twenty at a time. Each newborn joined the army assaulting the central stones. By Tang Xuan's rough estimate, tens of thousands of Lava People had gathered here. The sight of that densely packed mass made his scalp prickle. Why hadn't he discovered this place during his earlier wanderings?

"Perhaps these Lava People would make good targets for sword practice." I've already thoroughly mastered the second form of the Godslayer Sword Art, but I still can't find the doorway into its third form, Thousand-Mile Pagoda. This form revolves around a single word: kill. Only through slaughter can I comprehend its true meaning. Without its underlying intent, the sword moves are nothing but an empty shell. I originally intended to practice this third form in Slaughter City, but now I need to grasp it quickly, strengthen myself, and escape this predicament.

These Lava People already possessed rudimentary signs of life. Even from afar, Tang Xuan could feel the killing aura radiating from the Lava Giant beside the central stones-savage, furious, and merciless. It was far denser than the killing aura Tang Xuan had accumulated in his previous battles.

How many of his own kind has he killed to amass such a dense killing aura? Tang Xuan couldn't help marveling.

"Thousand-Mile Pagoda is the most sinister of the Godslayer Sword Art's nine forms. Can I preserve my true self amid boundless slaughter?" Tang Xuan glanced at the sword in his hand. As though sensing the killing aura, the Godslayer Sword grew restless and trembled faintly in his grip. The malice already pent up inside the Godslayer Sword is troublesome enough. If it encounters this newly born killing aura... Ah, forget it. I'll wrest life from this desperate situation and stake everything on one last struggle.

The sword is the foremost of all weapons, the gentleman among arms. If a swordsman keeps looking ahead and glancing behind, how can he attain the Sword Way? The sword in his hand should press forward without hesitation!

With his resolve firm, Tang Xuan charged down, sword in hand. Whatever he couldn't understand, he would let his blade cut through the fog. He rushed forward and leaped into the front of the crowd, splitting a Lava Person in half from head to foot. Another sweeping slash cut two more in half at the waist, as easily as slicing melons and vegetables. His attack successfully drew their attention. More than ten abandoned their advance toward the central stones and surrounded him instead. Tang Xuan remained utterly composed. His sword stirred the wind, its movements growing ever sharper. Each move flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest hesitation. These Lava People possessed strength comparable to hundred-year soul beasts, but lacked their intelligence. Not one could withstand a single stroke of his sword. Magma scattered beneath his blade and splashed onto him, yet he felt no burning heat. The magma was actually cool.

Tang Xuan fought with ever-mounting courage, cutting down all dozen or so Lava People in moments. Riding that momentum, he plunged into the crowd and began slaughtering freely. The slain Lava People collapsed and dissolved into magma, and the trace of fire essence power each possessed flowed into his body. It replenished his stamina, keeping exhaustion at bay. All the Lava People turned to surround and attack him, considerably easing the pressure on the Lava Giant beside the central stones.

Caught off guard, Tang Xuan took a palm strike to his back from a Lava Person. He staggered and nearly fell. Using his forward momentum, he twisted around and slashed behind him. Two Lava People were instantly decapitated and dissolved into a pool of magma. Tang Xuan slid backward and leaped out of the encirclement.

That actually hurt quite a bit. Tang Xuan twisted his waist, then raised his sword to meet the charging Lava People again. Every rise and fall of his blade erased more of them.

The newborn Lava People also surged toward Tang Xuan, making him the center of attention. The area around the central stones had emptied, but the Lava Giant showed no intention of approaching. He remained beside the stones without moving a step, watching the battle. Tang Xuan had his hands full and could spare no attention for him.

In contrast to Tang Xuan's desperate battle, Shrek Academy lay in silence.

Tang San remained in Tang Xuan's room. This was already the fifth day. The scene of Tang Xuan being sent flying that day kept surfacing in his mind. Every recollection deepened his anguish and sharpened his hatred for the Titan Giant Ape.

"Titan Giant Ape, if my brother really... really met with disaster, I'll make you die with him. I'll wipe the entire Titan clan from this world!" Ruthlessness and resolve flashed in Tang San's eyes. Bracing his hand against the floor, he stood, opened the door unsteadily, and walked out.

When the others went to the dining hall for breakfast the next morning, Tang San was already seated inside. His expression appeared normal, betraying no sorrow as he ate quietly. The six stood at the entrance, unsure what to say. Tang San spoke first. "Come in and sit down, everyone. We still have training after breakfast." After five days submerged in grief, he looked somewhat thinner, but his smile remained warm and approachable. Hearing him, the six monsters walked in and found seats.

"Third Brother, I'm sorry! It's my fault. Brother Xuan only ended up in danger because of me." Sitting beside Tang San, Xiao Wu suddenly lowered her head and spoke. He had gone missing after she returned, and she truly blamed herself.

Tang San raised a hand and stroked Xiao Wu's head. "Xiao Wu, this isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself," he said gently. If anyone deserved blame, it was that hateful Titan Giant Ape. He would make him pay. Beneath the table, Tang San's other hand clenched tightly into a fist, and killing intent flashed through his eyes.

Grandmaster sighed in the kitchen. He knew Tang San had not relinquished his obsession. He was only acting calm because he didn't want everyone to worry. "Xiao Xuan, where on earth are you?"

In the underground world, Tang Xuan was fighting desperately. By his reckoning, he had been here for more than three months. Throughout that time, he had battled the Lava People every day. When the killing exhausted him, he ran back to the water where he had first awakened to rest. When hungry, he took a fasting pill. He deliberately forgot certain things-how to escape, how his friends outside were doing, and so on. Gradually, all of it faded away. Only the sword remained in his heart, and only one task remained: slaughter! When tired of killing, he slept; when he woke, he resumed. Over these three months, at least tens of thousands of Lava People had died beneath his blade. Tang Xuan was now like a human pulverizer, instantly killing the nearest ring of Lava People. His sword was swift. At first, he had paid attention to sword moves and footwork when attacking. Now, his standard was simple: strike too quickly for the enemy to evade, and kill with precision and decisiveness. He killed his opponents in the shortest possible time. Only dead enemies posed no threat. The ground was covered in magma, all that remained of the slain Lava People, with another fresh layer added each day. Had it been blood, rivers of it would have flowed here long ago.

"'Kill a man every ten steps; leave no trace for a thousand miles.' When I read those lines before, I only felt their boldness and magnificent sweep. Only now can I understand the dense killing aura within them-corpses floating for a thousand miles, mountains of bodies and seas of blood. Killing intent sweeps across heaven and earth, looking down upon the world. Nothing else remains between heaven and earth, only slaughter. Only then can the purest killing aura be nurtured." Tang Xuan's presence rose steadily, revealing an astonishing killing aura. He fell into a state of sudden enlightenment, comprehending intent itself. Following that feeling, he closed his eyes and let his body move with the intent in his heart. Closing his eyes did nothing to hinder his sword. Instead, it grew faster and more ruthless. Every thrust now carried a measure of intent. The sword had limits, but intent was infinite; his heart was still, yet his hands never stopped. Killing one made a criminal; killing ten thousand made a hero; slaughtering nine million made a hero among heroes. Tang Xuan's presence grew ever stronger, and a solemn killing aura surged into the sky. It drew the attention of the Lava Giant beside the central stones, who stared in Tang Xuan's direction.

Tang Xuan's eyes snapped open. Killing aura condensed within his sword, and he unleashed a slash. That single strike swept across several hundred meters, killing over a thousand Lava People and carving a sword scar a hundred meters long into the ground. He had gained some understanding of Thousand-Mile Pagoda. His killing aura was at its peak, and that last slash had left him craving more. Beating the Dragon Wings, Tang Xuan spiraled upward and unleashed four consecutive slashes, sweeping out in every direction. The ten thousand or more Lava People surrounding him had no time to flee. Those four strikes annihilated them all, leaving not a single survivor. The magma they became gathered into streams, while five savage sword scars lay scattered across the ground. Countless wisps of fire essence power flew toward Tang Xuan. After devouring them all, he immediately flew back to his resting place. He needed to refine this fire essence power; otherwise, it might burst him apart. It was scorching hot, placing tremendous strain on his internal organs. Besides, if he continued killing, his killing aura might slip beyond his control.