Qingcheng Demon Slaying Order

On the main road, an unremarkable tea stall.

Lu Shaoyou walked in slowly and chose a corner to sit.

"Customer, what would you like to drink?" A man dressed as a waiter walked over, carrying a teapot.

Lu Shaoyou ordered a pot of coarse tea.

The waiter put down the teapot and bowls, and as if casually, wiped the table with a rag. He lowered his voice and spoke quickly, "Flying fish dispatch: Soul Severing Cliff is a trap. They killed the Four Swords, framed you, and enraged True Man Songyue. Xue Yutang wants to use Qingcheng's name to rally the Qingzhou martial arts world to attack the 'demon', making you a public enemy of the martial arts world."

After speaking, the waiter straightened up and walked to another table as if nothing had happened.

The entire process was smooth and seamless, attracting no attention from anyone.

Lu Shaoyou picked up the tea bowl, blew on the floating tea leaves, and took a gentle sip.

The tea was bitter, but his expression remained unchanged.

A trap?

He had already guessed it.

If the Blood Saber Sect truly had the guts to fight him honorably, why would they resort to such a low-class trick as offering a bounty of fifty thousand taels?

It was just that he hadn't expected Xue Yutang's scheme to be even more vicious than he had imagined.

Not only did they want to kill him, but before he died, they wanted to completely ruin his reputation, burdening him with the infamy of a "demon" and leaving him a notorious name for eternity.

Kill with a borrowed knife, then strike at the heart.

"This is interesting."

Lu Shaoyou sneered inwardly.

He put down the tea bowl, left a piece of silver on the table, got up, retrieved his horse, and left the tea stall.

Although the Giant Whale Gang's intelligence didn't change his decision, it was still a favor.

He took note of it.

Without any hesitation, he continued on his way towards Blazing Fire City.

Xue Yutang wanted him to become a public enemy? They wanted all the cultivators in Qingzhou to kill him?

Very well.

He was just worried he didn't have enough Slaughter Value.

Since you all want to gather together, it saves me the trouble of finding you one by one.

Qingcheng Mountain, Purple Cloud Palace.

This place was the secluded cultivation ground of True Man Songyue, the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sword Sect. It was shrouded in mist, like a fairyland.

However, at this moment, this fairyland was enveloped by a terrifying killing intent.

"Ah—!"

A roar filled with endless grief and rage erupted from within the Purple Cloud Palace, shaking the surroundings. The startled birds in the mountains and forests flew into the sky with flapping wings.

An extremely cold aura exploded forth!

Outside the Purple Cloud Palace, several young Taoist attendants who were meditating felt as if they had instantly plunged into an ice cave. Their blood felt frozen, and they all looked up in horror towards the depths of the palace.

"Boom!"

The gate of the Purple Cloud Palace was shattered by an invisible force.

An old Taoist, dressed in a moon-white robe, with a youthful complexion despite his white hair, who should have possessed an immortal demeanor, walked out with bloodshot eyes.

He held a letter in his hand, a letter he was crushing out of shape.

It was the letter sent by Xue Yutang.

He was True Man Songyue, the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sword Sect, a master at the Xiantian Mid-stage!

"Er'er! Feng'er! Yan'er! Shan'er!"

True Man Songyue wailed towards the sky, his voice mournful, tears streaming down his aged face.

The Four Swords of Qingcheng were his most outstanding disciples, the future of his sect upon whom he had poured countless efforts and held great expectations!

But now, they were dead!

All dead!

Killed by a demon named Lu Shaoyou!

The immense grief quickly transformed into earth-shattering rage.

True Man Songyue's true qi surged around him, causing his snow-white Taoist robe to flutter wildly. His terrifying Xiantian Mid-stage pressure made the entire mountain peak tremble slightly.

"Lu! Shao! You!"

He uttered this name word by word, each syllable seeming to be squeezed from between his teeth, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

He wasn't blind to the instigation in Xue Yutang's letter.

But so what?

His disciple was dead, that was a fact! Killed by someone named Lu Shaoyou, that was also a fact!

That was enough!

"You brat! Demon! How dare you kill my beloved disciple! This Daoist priest will tear you limb from limb and scatter your ashes to the wind!"

He violently waved his sleeve, his voice like the frigid ice of the nine netherworlds, echoing throughout Qingcheng Mountain.

"Issue my Sect Leader's decree!"

"Immediately release the Qingcheng Demon Slaying Order!"

"Summon all allies of the Qingcheng Sword Sect, widely invite heroes and fellow cultivators from across the land, and three days from now, gather at Soul Severing Cliff in Blazing Fire City!"

"This Daoist priest will personally sever that demon's head, and use his blood to pay respects to the souls of my four disciples in heaven!"

"Return Qingzhou to its rightful, bright and clear state!"

As the Sect Leader's decree was issued, the entire Qingcheng Sword Sect was instantly shaken!

The "Qingcheng Demon Slaying Order" was the highest-level summons of the Qingcheng Sword Sect. It would never be issued lightly, unless the sect faced life-or-death danger or an unbearable humiliation.

The last time this order was issued was thirty years ago, to encircle and suppress the "Bloody Hand Butcher" who had been wreaking havoc in Qingzhou at the time.

Now, this order was issued again, for just one person!

The news spread like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, reaching the entire Qingzhou martial arts world at a speed faster than the Blood Saber Sect's bounty.

If the Blood Saber Sect's bounty only attracted desperadoes and the greedy…

Then the Qingcheng Sword Sect's "Demon Slaying Order" stirred the entire so-called "Righteous Faction"!

The Qingcheng Sword Sect had been established in Qingzhou for a hundred years, had wide connections, and its disciples and old friends were spread across the land.

True Man Songyue was highly respected. Now that his beloved disciple had been killed, he personally descended the mountain for revenge, even under the guise of eliminating evil for the martial world.

Countless sects and individuals who considered themselves part of the righteous path responded, whether out of friendship or for reputation.

In an instant, the eyes of all of Qingzhou focused on Blazing Fire City.

Soul Severing Cliff, a cliff that was originally unknown, instantly became the storm's eye of the entire martial arts world.

What was originally a personal vendetta in the martial world, with the meticulous planning of Xue Yutang and the furious push of True Man Songyue, had clearly evolved into a battle between good and evil targeting Lu Shaoyou, an open trial of the entire Qingzhou martial arts world against an outsider.

Two days later, Blazing Fire City.

This city, located near the border, was already overcrowded.

The inns within the city were completely full, and even the woodsheds were packed. Along the streets and alleys, martial artists with sabers and swords were seen everywhere, in groups of three to five, talking loudly.

"Did you hear? True Man Songyue has already arrived! He's staying at the City Lord's mansion! Also arriving are Sect Leader Zhou, the 'Iron Sword' of the Diancang Sect, and Elder Liu, the 'Returning Wind Sword' of the Hengshan Sect…"

"That's not all! I heard that even the 'Tranquil Heart Nunnery,' which has always stayed out of worldly affairs, has sent people! This time, that Lu Shaoyou won't be able to escape even with wings!"

"Hmph! A demon who indiscriminately kills the innocent, everyone should strike him down! The eldest son of the Blood Saber Sect is righteous, and True Man Songyue is merciful to give him a chance for a fair fight at Soul Severing Cliff, which is already a great kindness!"

The air was filled with excitement, greed, slaughter, and a hypocritical sense of justice.

Outside the city, on the road leading to Soul Severing Cliff, the crowds were even more dense.

Countless martial artists had rushed there in advance to secure advantageous viewing positions, fearing they would miss this rare grand event that happened once in a century.

Amidst this clamorous torrent, a figure in green, walking against the flow of people, slowly headed in the direction of Soul Severing Cliff.

He wasn't riding a horse; he walked step by step, not fast, but each step was exceptionally steady.

He was Lu Shaoyou.

He had arrived.

One man, one staff.

Walking towards the execution ground meticulously prepared for him.

Walking towards the so-called "righteous path" who had already condemned him to death.

The sunlight cast his shadow long, lonely, yet imbued with a pride that looked down upon the world.

The stage was set, the audience was seated, and the executioner had sharpened his blade.

And the sacrifice, whom everyone had identified, was calmly, step by step, walking towards the center of the stage.