Bai Henghuan was already somewhat exhausted from blood loss, but upon seeing Lu Zhenxing’s face, he instinctively felt a shiver of fear. Trembling in pain and crying out, he said, “I didn’t write anything! It was Bai Hengjue who made me write it! It was just… just saying that we were worried about her well-being, that you had changed your mind and didn’t want her to leave Tingjian Manor… just… just made up a few lines…”
His speech was stammering, yet those listening could easily imagine the emotions Lu Huaixian felt upon receiving such a letter, going to the meeting place with hope, only to be captured and imprisoned by Bai Hengjue. The thought alone stirred a sense of pity.
As Bai Henghuan continued speaking, seeing that Lu Zhenxing remained motionless, seemingly deep in thought, he felt a slight relief and continued with a painful, hoarse voice, “Seeing her like that, I couldn’t bear it either. In fact, I…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
Lu Zhenxing had already pierced his chest with a sword.
Bai Henghuan looked incredulous, the fawning expression frozen on his face.
Lu Zhenxing swiftly withdrew his sword, the burst of killing intent as sharp and controlled as his blade.
Though knowing Bai Henghuan’s deeds and that he deserved death for aiding in such evils, witnessing Lu Zhenxing kill the peak master of Baiya Peak was still shocking.
Supporting himself with his sword, Lu Zhenxing’s towering figure swayed slightly, as if he could barely stand.
Those close enough were shocked to see two clear streams of tears slowly rolling down Lu Zhenxing’s unchanging face, flowing into his long beard.
He looked like a heartbroken, pitiable father.
Even Hua Yan, who had found him detestable before, couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sympathy at this moment.
The people of Baiya Peak had little affection for their peak master. Knowing he and the former peak master committed such sins, few wanted to defend him. Even if he hadn’t died, he wouldn’t have been able to remain peak master upon returning.
Most were more outraged at Lu Zhenxing’s blatant disregard for their dignity. However, given their guilt, they couldn’t say much.
Now, expecting Tingjian Manor to restrain Lu Zhusheng was impossible.
Moreover, the people of Baiya Peak were in chaos, screams echoing as they saw their fellow disciples dying one by one under Lu Zhusheng’s sword. Usually composed and concerned with their image, they now fled in terror, forgetting any semblance of dignity.
Lu Zhusheng tore off his black robe, revealing a crimson long robe underneath, adorned with peonies, peonies, and other floral patterns. Much like Jiang Louyue’s robe, it was dazzlingly flamboyant, transforming his entire presence. The formerly carefree bamboo-like aura was gone, replaced by a wild, unrestrained, and demonic energy.
At the same time, a large group of black-clad death warriors, who had been lying in ambush, emerged from all corners of the Sword-seeking Tournament’s venue, far more numerous than those seen at the Five Sects Conference.
The Sword-seeking Tournament was overseen by Dongfeng Buye Tower, a sect capable of bringing many people here, unlike other sects. It was only now that people realized how effortlessly Dongfeng Buye Tower could wipe out one or two sects without leaving a trace if it chose to commit evil.
No one had ever suspected them before, but now they were belatedly filled with fear.
These black-clad death warriors clearly obeyed Lu Zhusheng alone.
Lu Zhusheng commanded loudly and coldly, “Block the people of Baiya Peak!”
The black-clad warriors followed his orders without hesitation, using their swords and bodies to block the Baiya Peak disciples from retreating up the mountain.
He was serious about exterminating Baiya Peak!
Lu Zhenxing also looked over at him, but his eyes were filled with deep sorrow, confusion, and complexity, as if he was still immersed in his earlier emotions, or perhaps he didn’t know what to say at all.
In the past, he would have loudly commanded and questioned what Lu Zhusheng was doing.
Even though Lu Zhusheng was the son of his sworn brother, such rampant killing without restraint, behaving like a demon sect, would have made Lu Zhenxing personally take action to clean up his own sect.
But now he was lost, unable to discern right from wrong.
He believed it was Xie Changyun who killed Lu Huaixian, and his hatred for the demon sect ran so deep that he wanted to slaughter them all. He even took out his anger on her only surviving son, wanting to train him into a killing weapon.
For the past twenty years, he didn’t want to, nor dared to, invest too much emotion in him.
He always thought of Xie Changyun, feeling that showing any tenderness would be a compromise that seemed like forgetting his hatred.
Lu Zhenxing never compromised.
Even when he later decided to mercifully let Lu Chengsha go, his hatred for the demon sect never waned.
But he never expected to find out one day that it was someone else who killed her, and that Xie Changyun hadn’t truly abandoned and toyed with her. It was all because of that beast Bai Hengjue’s unfulfilled desires!
Lu Zhenxing could still vividly remember Bai Hengjue’s attentive and considerate demeanor when he sought to marry Lu Huaixian, never imagining him to be such a monstrous person!
Even if she had truly eloped with Xie Changyun, as long as she was happy, Lu Zhenxing would have accepted it.
But how could it turn out like this!
It felt as if the beliefs he had steadfastly held onto for decades were now crumbling. He could vent his anger on the demon sect and wish to exterminate them, but could he now vent his anger on Baiya Peak and exterminate them too?
Lu Huaitian flew over and supported the now exceptionally aged Lu Zhenxing.
Hua Yan finally saw Lu Chengsha in the distance.
Lu Zhusheng felt Lu Zhenxing’s gaze and spoke to his adoptive father with little emotion, “I anticipated this day. Expel me from Tingjian Manor if you wish; I never considered myself a disciple of Tingjian Manor. You don’t need to feel sorry for my father. I have no feelings for my parents, nor can I be said to have strayed from the righteous path—because from the beginning, I never wanted to be a part of the righteous sect, nor did I want to be your son.”
His voice was cold to the extreme.
“Alright, Yin Xiangsi, don’t forget your promise to me.”
As he spoke, a sharp, coquettish female voice rang out in the air, “Got it, Lord Jiang. If I had known you were Second Master Lu, I would have treated you more gently.”
The elders of Baiya Peak felt their scalps tingle at the sound of this voice.
The soft, sultry voice alone made the young disciples feel dazed and unfocused as it rolled through their ears. A strange, sweet fragrance spread through the air, followed by a swarm of dense, glowing white Gu insects appearing. These insects, drawn by the fragrance, burrowed through the skin. The disciples who were invaded couldn’t move, and moments later, the Gu insects emerged from the other side of their bodies, appearing to suck blood. They rapidly turned red and swelled.
The speed at which the Gu insects sucked blood far exceeded that of mosquitoes, and the drained disciples collapsed instantly, losing their lives. This was different from the Five Sects Conference, where the poisonous insects were more frightening than deadly.
A group of men dressed differently from before, also masked, moved through the crowd, collecting the engorged red Gu insects.
The scene was both shocking and horrifying.
Yin Xiangsi’s voice continued, “I’ll head up to Baiya Peak to deal with the remaining people. Oh dear, can you spare Bai Yujiang’s life? I’d like to keep him…”
Lu Zhusheng replied coldly, “Bai Hengjue’s son? I’ll handle him personally.”
Yin Xiangsi seemed regretful, “Alright, he’s yours. I’ll be off now. I hope he recovers some of his strength this time; after all, it’s the last chance.”
With that, Yin Xiangsi’s voice vanished. The elders of Baiya Peak, frightened, wanted to retreat immediately, but their path was blocked.
The remaining disciples of Baiya Peak no longer marveled at his collusion with Yin Xiangsi. Instead, they cried out,
“Help!”
“Please save us!”
The disciples of Baiya Peak pleaded for help.
This time, Baiya Peak hosted the event, so they had brought more disciples than other sects. Consequently, their casualties were even greater.
Other sects could no longer stand idly by. Disciples and elders with higher martial prowess flew down to rescue the innocent. Among them were Mu Xuelang from Qingcheng Sect and Zuo Jingshuang from Dangshan.
“Lu Zhusheng, stop this madness! Don’t commit any more grave mistakes!”
“Lu Zhusheng, even if you hate Bai Hengjue and Bai Henghuan, the other disciples of Baiya Peak are innocent! They had no knowledge of this!”
As Lu Zhusheng continued his rampage, he laughed and said, “I forgot to tell you, I never really cared about human lives. Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me. I only know that killing everyone in Baiya Peak will make me feel better. Yes, it was me who orchestrated the massacre at the Miyin Dragon Cave. I listened to their screams outside the cave all night and felt at peace. The more you scream, the better.”
“You madman!”
“Kill this demon!”
Even Jiang Louyue, who had been silent since proving her identity, finally spoke up, her voice slow but filled with pain. “How did you become like this? Will you continue making one mistake after another?”
No one expected Lu Zhusheng to yell without hesitation, “Shut up, you wench! Do you think I didn’t kill you because I have feelings for you? No, I kept you alive just to make you suffer the same way. You think I don’t know you have feelings for me?”
Jiang Louyue’s already pale face turned completely ashen. She anxiously tried to explain, “I don’t—”
Lu Zhusheng mocked, “Because you liked me, you knew she was tricked into going to the meeting but didn’t tell me. You knew she was imprisoned by Bai Hengjue but didn’t tell me. You didn’t even tell me she died. To prevent me from finding out, you burned all the information related to her in Dongfeng Buye Tower and lied that she was fine. If I hadn’t traced her path bit by bit from the day she sent her son, I might never have known in my lifetime.”
Jiang Louyue gripped the sides of her wheelchair tightly, unable to speak before Lu Zhusheng interrupted her again.
“Don’t say you don’t like me. You went out of your way to please me, even breaking ancestral rules to tell me your true identity, just to make me think you were special. Because I wore bamboo green, you also wore green. Actually, I don’t like this color at all. The little sect leader was right about one thing—I do like bright crimson. But it’s inappropriate for a man, so I chose a color more fitting to my name. The easygoing, kind version of me that you liked never existed. It was just an act to win her favor.”
His tone dripped with sarcasm, though it was unclear if he was mocking Jiang Louyue or himself.
“She only saw me as a younger brother, never having any romantic feelings for me. I knew this well—I was merely an adopted son of the Lu family, never harboring any delusions. I just hoped she would live a safe and happy life. Even if she eloped with Xie Changyun, I wouldn’t have opposed it. Yet, my constant concessions only led to regret. In the end, it would have been better if I had never pretended. Knowing she liked Kuangsheng from the start, why did I bother hiding my true self? I like vibrant colors and living recklessly, doing whatever I please.”
Hua Yan, listening while making her way towards Lu Chengsha amidst the chaos, thought to herself: So that’s why he painted the Xianjiang Treasure Pagoda in such an ostentatious color.
Xian referred to Lu Huaixian, and Jiang referred to himself.
Disciples from other sects had already started attacking Lu Zhusheng.
While slaughtering the disciples of Baiya Peak, he continued to speak without pause.
“Why did Xie Changyun, who obtained what I dreamed of, fail to cherish her? He could have gone to find her and still saved her, but he didn’t. He said it was because they were arguing at the time, and knowing she had left, his pride and arrogance prevented him from seeking her out… What a laughable reason! I trained day and night just to prove that I was no less than him. If I could turn back time, I wouldn’t have let her go with Xie Changyun, even if it meant using force.”
Lu Zhusheng looked at the corpses piling up at his feet, his voice cold and devoid of warmth, as if he were murmuring to himself: “If the Tiancan Sect’s human sacrifice ritual could really bring the dead back to life, then what would it matter if I killed everyone here?”
“She was so kind-hearted that she wouldn’t be able to accept this if she were revived. But that’s okay—I could die immediately afterward.”
His words sent chills down the spine.
The infamous human sacrifice ritual of the Tiancan Sect was known to be extremely sinister. Those who knew about it began to whisper among themselves, while those who were unaware started inquiring. The disciples of the demonic sect, in a tone of disdain, explained it briefly to the disciples of the righteous sects.
Surrounded and attacked by many, Lu Zhusheng showed no signs of exhaustion or strain. He continued his relentless killing spree.
No one could have anticipated this turn of events.
Lu Zhusheng, whose parents were killed by the demonic sect, should have held a deep-seated hatred for them. Yet, his words and actions were more sinister than those of the actual demonic sect members.
Hua Yan, having nearly reached Lu Chengsha, recalled the human sacrifice platform she had seen in the sect’s battlefield underground palace. It seemed he had genuinely considered using that method to revive Lu Huaixian.