Chapter 208 - 206: Sword Worship Manor

Chapter 208: Chapter 206: Sword Worship Manor

After the Red Lotus Saintess, Su Mei, died, it wasn’t just the Red Lotus Sect Martial Artists here who retreated. The sect’s members in other areas seemed to sense it too, and they all began to flee in disarray, withdrawing from the Blood Killing Realm.

After breathing a sigh of relief, Lu Wenhao and the others sensed that something was amiss.

’The Red Lotus Sect went to such great lengths to enter the Blood Killing Realm. Why would they retreat so quickly?’

So, they immediately rushed over to investigate, only to find Chen Yuan in the middle of fusing with the Seven Kills Stele Fragment.

In that instant, greed stirred in the hearts of everyone present.

They had also learned a great deal within the Blood Killing Realm. They knew the Sacred Artifact here was a fragment of the Divine Artifact, the Seven Kills Stele.

Although it was only one of seven fragments, it was a piece of a Divine Artifact that one could fuse with and control.

Moreover, five thousand years ago, the Blood Slaughter Venerable had relied on this very Seven Kills Stele Fragment to establish the Blood Killing Realm and build his legacy.

If they could seize the fragment, couldn’t they also reach the Blood Slaughter Venerable’s level?

What they didn’t realize was that while the Seven Kills Stele Fragment had contributed to the Blood Slaughter Venerable’s rise to power, his success was ultimately built on his own strength and methods.

At the very least, the Blood Slaughter Venerable had researched a Divine Artifact Incarnation for the Seven Kills Stele, creating a third, stable way to utilize it.

If most Martial Artists obtained the Seven Kills Stele Fragment, they would likely fuse with it recklessly, only to have their bodies explode from the impact of the Blood Fiend.

But with a priceless Divine Artifact right before them, how many could restrain their own greed?

’If the Blood Slaughter Venerable could do it, why can’t we?’

’If you, Chen Jiutian, can do it, what’s stopping us?’

With these thoughts in mind, the crowd began to slowly press forward toward the Seven Kills Stele.

"Halt!"

Qin Suguang shouted sternly, "The Red Lotus Saintess has been killed by Brother Chen, and the Red Lotus Sect has been routed. If you wish to leave the Blood Killing Realm, no one will stop you.

"But this Seven Kills Stele is what Brother Chen took from the Red Lotus Saintess. It is not for you to covet!"

Lu Wenhao sneered. "Chen Jiutian is so overbearing!

"Gentlemen, you may not know this, but Chen Jiutian and his two companions have already seized the weapon left behind by the Blood Slaughter Venerable, as well as the legacy of Master Dust Crossing.

"And now, his greed is insatiable! He wants to fuse with the Seven Kills Stele Fragment as well. Are we supposed to let him take every good thing in this Blood Killing Realm for himself? What kind of logic is that?"

The Blood Killing Realm wasn’t very large. The Jianghu heroes under Master Dust Crossing and the people of the Blood Killing Realm had all left behind a great deal of information before they died.

Thus, everyone present knew that the Red Lotus Sect had come for the Seven Kills Stele Fragment. They also knew that the Blood Slaughter Venerable and Master Dust Crossing were powerhouses from five thousand years ago, at least at the Ninth Realm Celestial Profound level to start.

Treasures left by experts of such a caliber were inherently priceless, enough to make anyone’s eyes turn red with envy.

To say nothing of the fact that Chen Yuan was currently fusing with a Divine Artifact Fragment!

Even if it was just a fragment, it was still part of a Divine Artifact.

Across the entire Jianghu, aside from the top Major Sects, the number of Divine Artifacts possessed by other forces or individuals was exceedingly rare.

That was why the Seven Kills Stele Fragment Chen Yuan was fusing with made everyone present burn with envy, to the point of drooling with greed.

"Treasures belong to those who find them! He seized this Seven Kills Stele Fragment from the Red Lotus Saintess, so why can’t we seize it from him?"

A young swordsman in his thirties, dressed in a brocade robe, sneered. "I am Zhu Zhaoxiong, Young Manor Master of Qin Province’s Sword Worship Manor! Everyone, this Seven Kills Stele appeared in our Qin Province, which means it is a Divine Artifact of Qin Province!

"This item can be obtained by the Vajra Prajna Temple, or by the heroes of Qin Province, but it absolutely cannot be taken by an outsider!

"Chen Jiutian is from Ning Province, Gu Lichuan is a wanderer from the backwaters of Liang Province, and Qin Suguang is nothing but a hawkdog of the Court. What right do they have to take a Divine Artifact of our Qin Province?

"I ask you all to set aside your prejudices for a moment and act together! We must not let these outsiders steal the Divine Artifact of Qin Province!"

Although Zhu Zhaoxiong was young, his methods were far more sophisticated than Lu Wenhao’s.

Lu Wenhao had merely tried to incite the crowd to attack Chen Yuan by pointing out how many benefits he had already received.

But Zhu Zhaoxiong was a cut above, escalating the issue to one of regionalism.

Eighty percent of the Martial Artists present were from Qin Province.

The Blood Killing Realm was in Qin Province, Master Dust Crossing who destroyed it was also from Qin Province, and the Seven Kills Stele Fragment had first appeared in the Qin Province region.

’What right do you three outsiders, Chen Jiutian and the others, have to take a Divine Artifact of our Qin Province?’

Stirred up like this, the crowd immediately felt a sense of shared animosity toward a common enemy.

Chen Yuan, who was in the process of fusing with the Seven Kills Stele, opened his eyes and glanced at Zhu Zhaoxiong.

’In the original plot, this man was no nameless character; he was a local powerhouse.’

Sword Worship Manor was a well-known Jianghu force in Qin Province, and many across the entire Jianghu had heard of it.

Sword Worship Manor’s top-tier combat strength wasn’t particularly formidable. The Manor Master, Zhu Xinwu, was a Martial Arts Grandmaster at the Primordial Pill Realm, but due to a hidden injury sustained in his early years, he was trapped in that realm, unable to advance for over a decade.

However, the Manor had an extensive network of connections. Many Jianghu people in Qin Province, especially Sword Cultivators, could be said to owe Sword Worship Manor a favor.

This was because Sword Worship Manor was the only Jianghu force to have publicly shared all of its swordsmanship techniques.

Zhu Xinwu came from the ranks of independent martial artists and knew how difficult their cultivation path was. Thus, he was willing to make his swordsmanship public for all swordsmen to practice.

Any Martial Artist who came to Sword Worship Manor would be provided with a month’s worth of food and allowed to observe the Manor’s inherited swordsmanship techniques.

As a result, many swordsmen were grateful for Sword Worship Manor’s kindness and, after a month, would voluntarily choose to stay on as Guests.

Other swordsmen, feeling that Sword Worship Manor was selfless for sharing its techniques, would even gift their own swordsmanship to the Manor to be shared publicly, allowing all swordsmen in the world to practice them.

So, although Sword Worship Manor only had one Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster in Zhu Xinwu, it had over three thousand Martial Artists under its banner, including over a hundred at the Condensing Truth Realm.

This was an utterly terrifying number. One had to remember that for its grand scheme this time, the Red Lotus Sect had only mobilized a few dozen Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists.

The number of Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists from Sword Worship Manor alone was greater than that of a Major Sect like Zhenwu Hall, which was listed on the Jianghu Wind and Cloud Rankings.

And in the future, when the world descended into chaos and heroes rose from all corners, Qin Province, despite being one of the Central Nine Provinces, would break free from the Court’s control as various factions rose in rebellion and declared themselves kings.

By that time, Zhu Zhaoxiong would have stepped into the Primordial Pill Realm and taken over Sword Worship Manor. He would rally support using the Manor’s foundation, raise the banner of rebellion, and establish the Sword Worship Alliance, instantly attracting tens of thousands of Qin Province Martial Artists to his cause.

At its peak, Zhu Zhaoxiong’s Sword Worship Alliance would have over a hundred thousand members and control a third of Qin Province’s territory. He would be an absolute hegemon, even more outstanding than his father.

However, in his later years, Zhu Zhaoxiong would get carried away by success and become somewhat inept. He would forget that his rise was built on the support of low-level Martial Artists and instead try to curry favor with the Major Sects, hoping for their assistance.

As a result, when the Martial Artists from those Major Sects joined the Sword Worship Alliance, they berated and abused the Alliance’s low-level members with arrogant and tyrannical attitudes. Yet Zhu Zhaoxiong only sided with the Major Sects’ members, causing the Sword Worship Alliance to become alienated and disunited, its power plummeting.

At this moment, Zhu Zhaoxiong was not yet the future hegemon of Qin Province, the Alliance Leader of the Sword Worship Alliance, but he was already showing a knack for inciting people.

Goaded on by Lu Wenhao and Zhu Zhaoxiong, the crowd, led by the two, charged toward Gu Lichuan and Qin Suguang.

Gu Lichuan drew his sword. With a triple flash of his blade, his Sword Intent soared to the heavens, overwhelmingly powerful, and he charged directly into the crowd.

Qin Suguang, however, was wreathed in shimmering Buddha Light. As immovable as a mountain, he single-handedly blocked more than ten Martial Artists.

Anyone who tried to rush past him toward Chen Yuan was met with his unyielding defense and forced back.

The longer they fought, the more shocked the attackers became.

They knew Gu Lichuan was strong. Armed with three top-tier swordsmanship styles, he was displaying the full, lethal might of his Sword Dao.

But Qin Suguang had always seemed mediocre—not particularly strong, but not exactly weak either.

Everyone had thought that a few of them together could take Qin Suguang down, yet they could not break through his defensive line.

It was the same even when ten people attacked him. In the end, a full seventeen people were assaulting Qin Suguang. He was clearly on the verge of collapse, but he still held on.

His resilience was so incredible that they couldn’t begin to comprehend where his limits lay.

"I’ll handle him!"

Zhu Zhaoxiong had been fighting Gu Lichuan alongside Lu Wenhao, but he had been forced back by Gu Lichuan’s terrifyingly powerful Sword Intent. He was no match for him at all.

Now, seeing that Qin Suguang was about to fall, he wanted to swoop in and snatch an easy victory.

’In his condition, I can definitely finish him in a single strike.’

’Even if I don’t get the Seven Kills Stele, Sword Worship Manor’s fame will soar.’

Zhu Zhaoxiong flourished his long sword, and in an instant, a dozen streams of sword light swept out, each with a completely different Attribute.

Some were aggressive as fire, some were chillingly severe, and others blended hardness and softness.

Sword Worship Manor had made over a dozen of its swordsmanship techniques public, but in reality, most of the Manor’s inherited techniques were only at the Profound Level, with only a few at the Earth Level.

Most importantly, Sword Worship Manor had a trump card—a Secret Technique that it had never revealed.

This Secret Technique was called the "Mixed Element Sword Scripture," and it was a Celestial Level Secret Technique.

It wasn’t a swordsmanship style itself, but it could fuse different styles together.

In theory, not only would you not be biting off more than you can chew, but the more swordsmanship styles you practiced, the more powerful the Mixed Element Sword Scripture would become.

Thus, to outsiders, it seemed that Sword Worship Manor had selflessly shared all its techniques, holding nothing back. This greatly increased the goodwill many swordsmen in the Jianghu felt toward the Manor.

But in reality, the techniques Sword Worship Manor shared were all relatively unimportant. The Chu Family father and son would never let the truly core "Mixed Element Sword Scripture" get out.

Furthermore, some other Martial Artists also chose to share their swordsmanship at Sword Worship Manor. Although these Martial Artists were generally not too powerful, every little bit added up, and their techniques all became fuel for the "Mixed Element Sword Scripture."

Zhu Zhaoxiong was a future hegemon, and his father, Zhu Xinwu, was no slouch either.

With a single stratagem, he was able to massively increase Sword Worship Manor’s prestige, accumulating immense power for Zhu Zhaoxiong’s future rise.