Chapter 176 - 114: One Man, One Sword, Annihilating Hidden Sword Manor

Some swords were fast, some were heavy, and some took an unorthodox path.

Dozens of different sword techniques came at him at once, sealing off all of Zhang Su’s escape routes.

It’s true that once strength reaches a certain point, numbers become meaningless.

But Zhang Su was only a Huajin Martial Artist.

Even if he could rival a Danjin Martial Artist, a true Danjin Martial Artist would still face dire odds when besieged by dozens of Huajin Martial Artists.

After all, Huajin Martial Artists weren’t a dime a dozen.

Gathering dozens of Huajin Martial Artists was, in fact, incredibly difficult.

But this was Hidden Sword Manor.

Only with Hidden Sword Manor’s centuries-deep foundation could so many Huajin Martial Artists be gathered at once.

This was the first time Zhang Su had ever faced such a force.

However, Zhang Su had never feared being besieged.

Whether it was one person or ten, to Zhang Su, it was all the same!

WHOOSH.

Zhang Su moved.

He thrust out his sword, and it seemed the sky filled with phantoms of the blade.

The densely packed phantoms of the blade blotted out the sky and covered the earth, making it impossible to distinguish illusion from reality.

Every phantom of the blade seemed real, yet at the same time, every one of them seemed false.

Furthermore, the sound of wind and thunder emanated from each phantom.

The might of the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique augmented the Nine Shadows Sword Technique as both Divine Intents erupted simultaneously.

And then there was his Body Technique.

Most people hadn’t paid attention to Zhang Su’s Body Technique.

After all, compared to his swordsmanship, Zhang Su’s Body Technique wasn’t nearly as eye-catching.

But in reality, Zhang Su’s Body Technique was formidable.

Back when he only had his Inner Force Cultivation, during his battle with the Five Elements Sect in Hengshan County, not a single Huajin Martial Artist could keep up with his Body Technique.

What’s more, now that Zhang Su had advanced to the Huajin realm, his Body Technique had improved in kind, becoming even more fearsome.

And so, like a phantom, Zhang Su weaved through the dozens of Huajin Martial Artists.

His steps were light and swift, each one landing in the gaps between his enemies’ sword techniques.

These Huajin Martial Artists all attacked with vicious precision, but in reality, they couldn’t even graze the corner of Zhang Su’s clothes.

One man thrust his sword, certain he saw the tip touch Zhang Su’s back, but in the next instant, Zhang Su’s figure vanished, and the blade stabbed into empty air.

Another swept his blade, sure that Zhang Su was right in front of him, but by the time the sword edge passed, Zhang Su had already moved three steps away.

Yet whenever Zhang Su brandished his sword, a flash of its phantom would kill a Huajin Martial Artist.

His sword was simply too fast.

The Shadow-Stealing Sword flashed under the moonlight, arc after brilliant white arc, each one claiming the life of a Huajin Martial Artist.

A single strike to the throat, clean and decisive.

One, three, five, eight, ten...

As the Huajin Martial Artists fell one by one, the bluestone ground of Hidden Sword Manor became covered in corpses.

To their horror, everyone realized that Zhang Su... was completely unscathed.

There wasn’t a single cut on his clothes, not a single wound on his body.

He weaved through the siege of dozens of Huajin Martial Artists with ease—they could see him, but they couldn’t touch him.

Ten, twenty, thirty...

The Huajin Martial Artists of Hidden Sword Manor fell one after another.

Of the initial dozens, only a handful remained.

The hands of the few who remained were trembling.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t experienced life-or-death battles, nor that they hadn’t seen blood.

But they had never witnessed a scene like this.

One man, one sword, had killed more than thirty Huajin Martial Artists.

And he had emerged completely unscathed. It was simply unbelievable.

"No, how is this possible? He’s only one man! How can he be this strong?"

Ouyang Jing’s face was ashen, completely drained of blood.

He stood at the back of the crowd, watching Zhang Su move unhindered among them, watching the Huajin Martial Artists of Hidden Sword Manor fall one after another.

The hand gripping his sword was trembling too.

’This wasn’t Hidden Sword Manor besieging Zhang Su. This was clearly Zhang Su slaughtering the Huajin Martial Artists of Hidden Sword Manor.’

’And he had slaughtered dozens of them!’

The Inner Force and Outer Force Martial Artists watched Zhang Su with expressions of utter terror.

They stood farther back, not qualified to join the siege.

But they had witnessed the entire process.

They had seen how Zhang Su moved as if taking a leisurely stroll amidst the siege of dozens of Huajin Martial Artists, and they had seen how he reaped lives, one sword strike at a time.

It was like watching a god of slaughter.

Zhang Su was spattered with a great deal of blood, but all of it belonged to others.

His face still held the same calm expression.

He was simply killing people.

As if performing a most ordinary task.

"That looks like... the Clan Elder’s sword?"

Someone finally noticed the sword in Zhang Su’s hand.

Under the moonlight, its scabbard was black, and its hilt was wrapped in dark red silk thread.

It was the Shadow-Stealing Sword, belonging to the Clan Elder Ouyang Yin.

Many people at Hidden Sword Manor recognized the blade.

"Why does Zhang Su have the Clan Elder’s sword?"

"The Shadow-Stealing Sword. That’s right, it’s the Clan Elder’s Shadow-Stealing Sword. The Clan Elder still hasn’t appeared after all this time. Could it be...?"

Someone finally thought of the terrifying possibility.

The Clan Elder’s personal sword was in Zhang Su’s hands, yet the Clan Elder had not appeared.

After so much time, with the Clan Elder’s speed, he should have arrived long ago.

But now, there wasn’t even a shadow of the Clan Elder to be seen.

There was only one possibility.

But the answer was too insane.

The mere thought of it sent a shiver down their spines.

SHLICK.

Zhang Su swung his longsword. Ouyang Jing offered not a shred of resistance before his throat was slit and he collapsed to the ground.

Ouyang Jing was dead.

Nearly all of Hidden Sword Manor’s experts had been slaughtered in a single night.

Seeing this, how could the remaining Inner Force and Outer Force Martial Artists have any will to fight?

"Run!"

It’s unclear who shouted first.

Instantly, countless Inner and Outer Force Martial Artists fled in a mad panic.

They ran desperately toward the manor’s exit.

Some scaled walls, some jumped through windows, and some smashed directly through the main gate.

No one looked back.

They knew in their hearts that from this day forward, Hidden Sword Manor was finished.

The Clan Elder was dead, the Manor Master was dead, the Young Master was dead, and the majority of their dozens of Huajin Martial Artists were dead.

The very foundation of Hidden Sword Manor was shattered.

Even if some Huajin Martial Artists had survived, they could not prop up the manor.

Now, they only wanted to escape Hidden Sword Manor and get as far away as possible.

Wielding the Shadow-Stealing Sword, Zhang Su moved through Hidden Sword Manor without restraint.

He killed anyone who dared to resist with a single strike of his sword.

He killed until no one dared to resist him any longer.

At long last, the entire Hidden Sword Manor fell quiet.

There were no more shouts of battle, only the night wind, which whimpered as it passed through the empty courtyards.

Zhang Su’s Shadow-Stealing Sword was still dripping with blood.

Droplets of dark red blood fell from the tip of the blade.

He spotted an Outer Force Martial Artist.

He was a young man of about twenty, dressed in a short gray robe, cowering in a corner of the courtyard wall and trembling uncontrollably.

He had no sword in his hand; he had clearly given up all resistance.

When he saw Zhang Su walking toward him, his entire body began to tremble.

"Spare me, Young Hero Zhang, spare my life!"

The Outer Force Martial Artist, his face white with terror, immediately began kowtowing and begging for mercy.

His forehead struck the bluestone ground with a THUD, THUD, THUD, and after just a few impacts, he had split the skin and started to bleed.

"Take me to the place where Hidden Sword Manor stores its martial arts, and I will spare your life," Zhang Su said.

The Outer Force Martial Artist’s head snapped up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

"I know where the Martial Arts Pavilion of Hidden Sword Manor is! Young Hero Zhang, please follow me."

Not daring to delay, the Outer Force Martial Artist immediately rose and respectfully led Zhang Su toward the Martial Arts Pavilion.

His legs were still trembling, but his pace was quick.

Zhang Su had returned to Hidden Sword Manor not only to destroy it, but also to peruse its Martial Arts Secret Manuals.

After all, with a legacy spanning several hundred years, Hidden Sword Manor was sure to have a great number of Martial Arts Secret Manuals.

Zhang Su had no intention of passing up Hidden Sword Manor’s martial arts.

The two of them passed through several corridors and arrived before a pavilion at the rear of the manor.

The pavilion was not large, only two stories high, with green bricks, black tiles, and flying, upturned eaves.

A plaque hung over the entrance, inscribed with three large words: Martial Arts Pavilion.

The calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, with strokes like iron and hooks like silver. It was clearly the work of a master.

"Young Hero Zhang, this is the Martial Arts Pavilion. All of Hidden Sword Manor’s martial arts are inside," the Outer Force Martial Artist said respectfully.

His voice was still trembling, but he was trying his best to sound calm.

Zhang Su nodded.

"Get lost."

"Thank you, Young Hero Zhang."

The Outer Force Martial Artist didn’t dare to linger. He immediately backed away from the Martial Arts Pavilion and sprinted out of the manor.

Zhang Su immediately stepped into the Martial Arts Pavilion.

The pavilion was dark, with only the moonlight filtering in through the windows to faintly illuminate its interior.

The first floor was lined with several large bookshelves, on which many volumes were neatly arranged.

Some were made of paper, some of silk, and others of bamboo slips.

"Sigh... To think that Hidden Sword Manor’s legacy of several hundred years would be destroyed in a single day..."

Suddenly, a soft sigh echoed from within the Martial Arts Pavilion.