Chapter 452 - 209: The Chief Constable and the Assassin

"When Heaven unleashes killing intent, the stars shift and constellations change.

"When Earth unleashes killing intent, dragons and serpents rise from the land.

"When Man unleashes killing intent, Heaven and Earth are overturned."

After a long, contemplative silence, Tang Huayi finally spoke:

"The Star Shifting and Constellation Changing Heavenly Killing Demon Skill contains three tiers of killing intent.

"They are divided into the paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man. When these three paths unite, they are called... the Killing Life Dao!

"Even among the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records, this skill is ranked among the very best.

"This is because... cultivating this martial art doesn’t depend on seasons or arduous training. It only requires one thing—killing!

"Killing to strengthen the body, killing to bolster one’s skill.

"The more you kill, the stronger your power becomes!"

Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed slightly.

"That reminds me of the Wine God Skill."

Tang Huayi had once told him that Qianyun Manor possessed a divine skill called the Wine God Skill.

With the Wine God Skill, the more one drank, the faster their Inner Energy grew.

Now, it seemed the Star Shifting and Constellation Changing Heavenly Killing Demon Skill was much the same.

"The two do indeed share a similar principle.

"However, the Wine God Skill strengthens the body by drinking wine, while the Star Shifting and Constellation Changing Heavenly Killing Demon Skill uses killing to cultivate power. Therein lies the difference between righteous and demonic."

At this point, Tang Huayi paused for a moment.

"Furthermore, the Star Shifting and Constellation Changing Heavenly Killing Demon Skill has an aspect that the Wine God Skill cannot compare to.

"Three tiers of killing intent, three paths of killing, and thus, three types of Dao Slaves.

"A ’Killing Life Seed’ is planted within each Dao Slave. The benefits gained from anyone they kill are then fed back to the Dao Master.

"Therefore, even if the Dao Master sits completely still, their Inner Energy will grow by leaps and bounds."

"...What’s the maximum number of Dao Slaves one can have?"

"The Heaven and Human Slaves cannot number more than nine.

"As for the Earth Killing Slaves, the number depends on the depth of the Dao Master’s Inner Energy. However, based on the current situation, everyone from the Setting Sun Sect should be a Dao Slave of the Killing Life Dao.

"Their reason for killing the bandits, the Qin family, and the people of Wanshui Manor is simple.

"To strengthen their power through killing and obtain even greater Inner Strength for their Dao Master."

Tang Huayi glanced at Jiang Ran again. "As for why the man you captured died overnight... he was most likely an Earth Killing Slave.

"Earth Killing Slaves are without thought or awareness, ready to sacrifice their lives without a second thought.

"They require a daily infusion of power from a Heaven Slave or a Human Slave to sustain their lives. Otherwise, the Killing Life Seed within them will devour all their life force.

"Ultimately... it all returns to the Dao Master.

"And that father and son pair must have been Heaven Slaves.

"The martial art he used was the [Star Shifting Finger] from the Star Shifting and Constellation Changing Heavenly Killing Demon Skill.

"But logically speaking, he shouldn’t have died so quickly... for his life force to be so completely extinguished.

"Could the Dao Master have been nearby at the time?"

Hearing this, Jiang Ran suddenly found something odd.

"Among Heaven, Earth, and Man, isn’t it usually Man who is weakest and Heaven who is strongest?"

"Man is destined to triumph over Heaven. Why should Heaven be stronger than Man?"

Tang Huayi shot Jiang Ran a sidelong glance.

"Among the three killings of Heaven, Earth, and Man, the weakest is Earth Killing.

"Next is Heaven Killing, and the strongest is Man. The key lies in the phrase, ’When Man unleashes killing intent, Heaven and Earth are overturned.’"

"Then why is it called the Star Shifting and Constellation Changing Heavenly Killing Demon Skill?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Ran understood and couldn’t help but shake his head.

"Why would the person who created this skill resort to such petty tricks with the details?"

"Because he killed too many people."

Tang Huayi said, "He was perhaps the greatest murderer in the history of the Demon Sect. And, throughout all of history, the one most afraid of death..."

"This person was afraid of death?"

Jiang Ran was taken aback.

"Perhaps the more people he killed, the more he feared it himself."

Tang Huayi continued:

"This person was the third patriarch of my Demon Sect, the Celestial Slaughter Demon Monarch.

"It’s said that the older he got, the more he feared death. His hands were stained with blood, his debts too numerous to count, and he believed everyone in the martial world wanted to kill him.

"In the end, he sealed himself away in a secret location, allowing no one to find him.

"But the Demon Skill he created was preserved within the Eighteen Celestial Demon Records."

Jiang Ran nodded gently.

Tang Huayi then said:

"Last night, did you sense any other experts hiding nearby?"

"No."

Jiang Ran said:

"I imagine a small place like Wanshui Manor wouldn’t be important enough to warrant a personal visit from the Dao Master."

"That’s true."

Tang Huayi murmured thoughtfully:

"Using poison smoke to weaken everyone’s stamina, then unleashing the Earth Killing Slaves to carry out the slaughter.

"If you hadn’t shown up unexpectedly, there shouldn’t have been a single survivor in Wanshui Manor, from top to bottom.

"The Dao Master really would have no reason to be in the vicinity..."

"In any case, with the Setting Sun Sect appearing in Dong County Prefecture, we’re bound to collect some clues on this trip."

Jiang Ran continued, "And there’s that letter... The ’friend’ from the Setting Sun Sect said there’s a gathering in Jinyang Prefecture that I can attend with this letter. When the time comes, I plan to check out Liu Courtyard."

"I’ll go with you."

Tang Huayi said immediately.

Jiang Ran glanced at her.

"Do you think I’ll find my good-for-nothing master there?"

"Er..."

"And that fiancée of mine, whose eyes are full of stars?"

"...Definitely, definitely."

Tang Huayi nodded hurriedly. "If they’re in Jinyang Prefecture, you’ll definitely be able to find them."

"I’ll take your word for it."

Jiang Ran shot Tang Huayi a look.

Tang Huayi gave a dry laugh and said no more.

Afterward, the group continued on their journey.

As expected, they found a town to stay in before nightfall.

But as soon as they entered the town, they realized something was wrong.

The entire town’s atmosphere was strange. The townspeople were particularly wary of outsiders like them.

After checking into an inn and asking around, they learned that just last night, a prominent family in town had been slaughtered by persons unknown.