Si Chen's words rang in Song Chi's ears, loud enough to rouse the deaf.
Execution, Slaughter, Ensnarement, Annihilation.
Those four words shattered the sword heart he had been so proud of, yet opened an entirely new path he had never imagined.
However delicious the meals left by those before him might be, they were still cold leftovers. Only food from his own bowl would truly taste good!
"My... my sword..."
Song Chi muttered to himself, almost completely dazed. Clearly, he had already brushed against that threshold.
Si Chen looked at his spellbound expression and sighed softly.
His comprehension was decent, but if he relied on thought alone, who knew how many years it would take him to pierce that thin paper barrier?
"Since your mind can't turn the corner, let your body remember instead."
"Chi, watch closely."
"I'll demonstrate the 'form' of these four strikes only once. As for the 'spirit' within them, you'll have to fill that in yourself!"
With that, Si Chen made his hand into a sword and gave an utterly unremarkable, gentle sweep.
"The first strike, Execution."
Song Chi jolted awake. As he felt the edge of Si Chen's palm before him, only one thought remained in his mind: Sheer terror!
Si Chen was clearly using nothing more than his hand, yet its razor-sharp intent was more frightening than any divine weapon Song Chi had ever seen!
Acting on a sword cultivator's instincts, Song Chi immediately called upon Nine Swords to defend himself.
But it was meaningless.
Before the palm's edge reached him, his flesh began to collapse. Nine Swords might as well not have existed.
Song Chi's body suffered devastating damage. Every inch of skin, every segment of his root bone, wailed beneath that sword intent.
He could even clearly sense his flesh being literally