Chapter 123: The Figure in the Black Robe

"But we cannot persuade the others!"

"Cannot persuade them? Then I, this old Daoist, will wipe them out!"

Xujing sat cross-legged, his anger still smoldering.

"Go. That old fellow from the Yuzhang Sect is currently hunting down a little nobody, isn't he? A dignified True Immortal realm expert lowering himself to harass a mere child—does he not feel any shame?"

"He has turned the Northern Territory into a chaotic mess with his disciples and grand-disciples. Does he truly believe that just because he is an elder of the True Immortal realm, he can do whatever he pleases? People like him are nothing but vermin. Tell him to leave; I shall spare his life. If he refuses to see reason, then destroying him is for the best!"

"Furthermore, tell those old fogies—Immortal Lingxiao, Tianmu, and Jitian—that the opportunity to break through their current cultivation level is right before us. Ask them if they wish to join in. Don't let others say that our Pure Yang Temple is a lone wolf."

True Person Liuguang was secretly shocked. His master was truly ruthless; he himself was far from that level.

To think he intended to strike down the Yuzhang Sect in one fell swoop!

However, he dared only think this; he would never voice it. His master’s method of teaching disciples had always been simple and brutal.

"I shall go at once, Master. If he refuses to listen to reason, I will use the Pure Yang Warning Bell to shatter his skull!"

True Person Liuguang hurried away.

Watching his retreating back, Xujing muttered to himself, "What is Wang Li trying to do? Does he not fear that revealing such secrets will bring a hunt down upon his head?"

He had long suspected the limits of the world's power, but he had never been able to confirm it. Even if he had confirmed it, he would never have spoken of it, preferring to test it in secret. Yet now, he was forced to take drastic measures.

Although the True Immortal of the Yuzhang Sect was at the very bottom of the True Immortal realm, the truth remained that he was a True Immortal, and not so easily dealt with. Once a major conflict erupted, the old monsters of other sects would certainly not stand idly by.

As the pinnacle existences of the Tianxuan World, True Immortal experts risked causing massive destruction to the world if they fought. It was almost certain to be a scenario where one would suffer a thousand losses to inflict eight hundred, which was why they had long ago reached a tacit understanding: avoid combat whenever possible.

Rather than letting others intervene to stop him later, it was better to release this information now and turn the Yuzhang Sect into the common enemy of all factions.

What Xujing wanted was to exert pressure through sheer momentum.

If everyone participated, no one could say that the Pure Yang Temple had broken the rules.

The Yuzhang Sect’s sole True Immortal, Daoist Star-Dust, did not yet know that he had become someone else’s experimental subject. His twenty-two clones were currently searching everywhere for Wuliu Zhengying!

It must be said that Wuliu Zhengying was quite daring. Even as Daoist Star-Dust hunted for him, he had the nerve to play a game of hiding in plain sight, concealing himself within a ruined, fragmented secret realm amidst the debris of the Wuliu Sect.

At this moment, Wuliu Zhengying was in a terrible state. His spiritual power was less than a tenth of what it had been, and his body was shattered into pieces, held together only by the power of merit within the Fate-Severing Sword.

"Old thief Star-Dust, once I recover from these wounds, I will surely take your dog life!"

He was sustaining his consciousness solely through the hatred in his heart, his mind and lips filled with fiery greetings for Daoist Star-Dust.

"I wonder when I will be able to recover."

"Fortunately, the Fate-Severing Sword allows me to break and then rise again, growing stronger with every battle. Otherwise, I should have died long ago from such fatal wounds."

Reflecting on the strange nature of the Fate-Severing Sword, Wuliu Zhengying regained the confidence to seek revenge against Daoist Star-Dust.

"That Lingxiao truly had no vision, abandoning such a powerful sacred artifact. I wonder what he was thinking?"

He had encountered the Fate-Severing Sword while on the run.

At the time, he was being pursued by two Earth Immortal realm experts. While hiding in a mountain stream within a dense forest during his escape, he had discovered the blade.

The moment he touched it, he knew that Lingxiao had voluntarily abandoned this sacred artifact, never having truly let it acknowledge him as its master. He even understood the reason why Lingxiao had discarded it.

The Fate-Severing Sword was indeed a sacred artifact, but it was also a death warrant.

It... could influence the human heart!

To take the sword was to become its puppet, becoming a suspicious, cunning, and bloodthirsty existence.

However, he could not care about such things; he needed the power of the sword to achieve his revenge.

Thus, he voluntarily accepted the enticement of the Fate-Severing Sword and became a cold-blooded assassin.

He abandoned everything, living only for vengeance, even discarding his own name to become known as Blood Hand.

Although the Fate-Severing Sword was powerful, it was ultimately only a spirit tool; it could not allow a Tribulation-transcending cultivator to possess the ability to fight a True Immortal expert.

A few days ago, his trail was discovered by Daoist Star-Dust, who severely wounded him with a single blow, nearly turning his physical body into dust.

The Fate-Severing Sword had automatically protected its master, bringing him here to avoid further pursuit.

After a few days of recuperation, his shattered body was nearing recovery. He could already feel that once he regained his strength, he would be able to step into the Mahayana realm.

"The Mahayana realm should be enough to deal with the old thief Star-Dust, right?" Blood Hand muttered to himself.

"Do you have some misunderstanding about the True Immortal realm?"

"Who is it?"

Facing the unfamiliar voice, Blood Hand became extremely vigilant.

The newcomer was cloaked in a black mantle, standing silently before him.

"Hiding your head and covering your face—what is the meaning of this, fellow Daoist?"

Blood Hand tried to see the person's face, but the black cloak seemed to have the ability to isolate divine sense and conceal features; no matter how hard he tried, he could not peek through.

"Do not waste your effort. If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead."

The black-robed person’s voice was hoarse but carried great pressure.

Blood Hand believed he was not lying.

In his current state, facing an expert who could appear beside him without a sound, he was essentially a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

"You didn't come here just to make my acquaintance, did you, fellow Daoist?"

The black-robed person said, "I have no interest in making your acquaintance. I am merely entrusted by someone to deliver some things to you."

Blood Hand asked, "I am nothing but a stray dog now. Who would still be thinking of me?"

"Are you practicing the Earth-tier high-grade metal-attribute technique, 'Invincible'?" the black-robed person asked.

Blood Hand nodded. "Your insight is good, fellow Daoist. Do you want my technique?"

The black-robed person shook his head. "No interest. I am merely confirming your situation."

"You have seen my situation, fellow Daoist. Give me the items."

"Very well. Here is an upgraded version of 'Invincible,' now a Heaven-tier high-grade technique. This is what I have for you, along with this playback device."

The black-robed person placed a spirit stone card and a playback device on the ground.

Blood Hand was stunned, asking with suspicion, "Are you Deacon Wang Li of the Pure Yang Temple?"

The black-robed person replied, "Who I am is not important. You have received what you were owed, and I have fulfilled my commission. That is enough."

"A word of advice: killing is not terrifying; what is terrifying is being controlled by the act of killing. You... look after yourself."

Having finished, the black-robed figure vanished on the spot.

Blood Hand struggled to his feet and began operating the playback device.

After browsing the technique contained on the spirit stone card, Blood Hand let out a bitter laugh.

"With so many experts from the great righteous sects, not one was willing to step forward and help me get revenge. Yet this Wang Li, who was reborn through possession, still remembers the agreement from back then. Heh, this world... it really is hard to tell the righteous from the demonic!"

"No wonder his reputation in the Heavenly Selection Ruins was so good."

"Since you could honor your promise when I was at my lowest, then if we meet in the future, I shall... spare your life!"

"Hahahaha..."

Blood Hand laughed with a sense of madness.