Chapter 144 - Come Kill Me Quickly!

What was that muddy brown, amber liquid? Pungent and rank! Everyone knew exactly what it was!

"Demons!" The faces of the hundred thousand Sword Cultivators grew icy, their eyes emanating a chilling sword light.

"They dare defile the Sword Dao Monument again...!" Muffled growls echoed among the crowd.

A horde of demons had entered the human territory, audaciously urinating on the very wounds of the human race!

All arrogance stemmed from a disparity in strength. Seeing this, Yun Xiao realized that over the years, in the confrontations between humans and these demons, the Immortal Empire must have been at a disadvantage, otherwise, why would these demons be so brazen?

When Yun Xiao first laid eyes on the Sword Dao Monument, the grievances of billions of souls weighed heavily on his heart. Now these demons dared to desecrate this monument, how could he bear it?

"A few dozen Sovereign Physique Realm demons amount to nothing in the Demon Continent!" Yun Xiao's eyes darkened with a killing intent as he looked at the throng of Sword Cultivators, "The Sword Dao Monument represents the wishes of our ancestors. Why haven't they acted against this humiliation?"

A hundred thousand Sword Cultivators! Even if only a hundred Flying Swords were to attack, these audacious demons would be minced meat! Yet, he saw that the Sword Cultivators, their eyes red and fists clenched, stood still.

"What's going on?" Yun Xiao was taken aback. This was the entrance to the Three Great Sword Tombs! Wasn't the Sword Dao Monument their faith?

"Help me!" From atop the monument came the desperate shrieks of a woman! A group of filthy, excited, dark-furred monkeys were hopping around, their flushed faces grasping a human woman. Their sharp claws clung to her head, arms, and legs, hissing and screeching amongst themselves, ceaselessly quarreling.

The woman's clothes were torn, her body covered in blood, especially her lower body, which was gruesomely mangled. These dark-furred monkeys, with their reddened, filthy organs dripping with blood, had clearly violated her. What had they done? The look of pain and despair in the woman's eyes told the tale.

Yun Xiao's mind went blank with rage. Just as he summoned his Heaven Burial Sword Soul, he heard a tearing sound. The woman was brutally torn into pieces by the group of monkeys. Her blood and innards streamed down the Sword Dao Monument, painting a horrifying trail of crimson.

Yun Xiao's gaze hardened, teeth clenched. He was too far away to help. The woman's shriek as she was torn apart echoed like a nightmare in his mind.

Chattering ensued as the dark-furred monkey demons, having shredded their prey, tumbled in a raucous pile off the sacred monument, acting as if the world revolved around their misdeeds.

"Look at this beauty over here!"

"So fair! Love it! Love it!"

Their lecherous eyes fixated on Nangong Xi and Su Lianlian among other female Sword Cultivators. The creatures, their obscene parts reddening in excitement, clambered and rushed toward them.

"These brazen creatures are courting death." Yun Xiao's eyes were shot with blood. With a hundred thousand Sword Cultivators present, including many from the powerful Wind Fire Tribulation Realm, weren’t these demons just asking to be slain?

"Halt!" Nangong Xu stood forward, a low roar from him sending a storm of sword energy, which enveloped and halted the monkey demons in their tracks. Yet, he didn’t kill them.

Seeing this, Yun Xiao's brow furrowed deeper. Given Nangong Xu's strength, couldn't he have obliterated them with a single strike? Their audacity had humiliated both women and ancestors alike!

"Sword Cultivator? Mighty indeed! Come on, kill me then," the largest of the monkey demons sneered, darting up to Nangong Xu, shoving its neck towards him. "Right here, chop it!"

The foul stench and repulsive aura of the creature washed over Nangong Xu. The creature's blackened saliva sprayed onto his face. Rage thundered in his eyes. The veins in his hands bulged, his palm alight with radiant sword energy.

"Nangong Xu!" At that moment, Old Man Sun, face etched with worry, quickly grabbed the young man in the red robe, pulling him back.

"The Sword Dao Monument!" Blood tears welled in Nangong Xu's eyes as he stared intensely at Old Man Sun.

"I know! I know!" Old Man Sun's voice was choked with emotion. "If you strike now, our lineage will be utterly destroyed..."

Nangong Xu's lips nearly bled from how hard he bit them.

Laughter echoed. The monkey demons, mere creatures of the Sovereign Physique Realm, chortled and embraced each other, rolling about, completely embodying the crude nature of beasts.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Well, aren't we the timid ones?"

"Are these Sword Cultivators? More like Scaredy Cultivators."

"I wonder if they still have their family jewels. If not, we can lend a hand. After all, we're all primates here. Hehe..."

The largest of the dark-furred monkey demons dashed towards Yun Xiao with a mocking smile, pointing at its own neck. "You seem pretty miffed. Come on, give it a shot right here!"

Before it could even finish its taunt, a fierce blade of azure energy slashed straight through its neck.

"Huh?" The demon's head hung suspended in the air for a moment, dumbfounded.

Then, it watched as the white-robed youth grabbed its head, his sword piercing it dozens of times in rapid succession, turning the monkey's head into a cascading rain of fragments.

But that wasn't all! The youth then stomped on the beheaded corpse, unleashing a storm of slashes, transforming the monkey's body into a pulpy mess of reeking flesh—all in a mere blink of an eye.

The other playful monkey demons froze in shock.

The hundred thousand Sword Cultivators behind were equally stunned.

Nangong Xu took a deep breath.

Old Master Sun looked bewildered.

Nangong Xi and Su Lianlian exchanged glances, their faces shadowed by deep concern.

"We demons from the Demon Continent are honored guests of the Immortal Empire," the monkey demons asserted, their jesting tone now replaced with a creepy smirk. "How dare you kill an esteemed guest?"

Nangong Xi glanced at Old Master Sun before stepping forward, addressing the group of monkey demons with a stern voice. "Your Demon Saint had an agreement with the Immortal Empire. You promised not to harm anyone upon entering our lands. You broke that agreement first!"

The commotion caused by the Sword Dao Monument had already garnered attention from various cultivators. They stood at a distance, wearing expressions that ranged from bewilderment to alarm.

"Well, isn't this something?" A whimsical voice sliced through the atmosphere. All eyes turned, and emerging from the mists was a youth with dusk-red skin. He sported golden pupils and upright hair that resembled flaming torches, with sparks dancing amidst the strands.

"Golden Eyed Fire Ape!" Many Sword Cultivators instantly identified the creature's true form, and their faces paled.

"Young Demon Saint! You must stand up for us!" A group of dark-furred monkey demons clustered around the golden-eyed youth, wailing mournfully, playing the role of the injured party to perfection.

Before the golden-eyed youth could respond, Old Man Sun interjected, "Don't get entangled with him. Everyone, retreat to the Sword Tombs immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" It was evident from the unified response that this old man commanded deep respect amongst the Three Great Sword Tombs..

"Retreat to the Sword Tombs?" The golden-eyed youth sneered menacingly. "How delightful! We primates, to put it mildly, are a vindictive lot. Today, you Sword Cultivators violated the Immortal Empire's decree, wantonly killing my innocent kin. I could make a big fuss by reporting it, but... why bother?"

Pausing for effect, he directed his words to the group of monkey demons, "Little ones, these humans killed our brethren. In your sorrow, why not each of you pick a human woman and...express your grief atop this Sword Dao Monument? That's not too much to ask, right?"

"Young Demon Saint, not too much at all!"

"Right! Our grief demands fierce venting! I suggest we each choose two!"

"No, no, I want three!"

"It was their provocation first! If we're not allowed to vent, we'll report it and make sure they pay dearly!"

The dark-furred monkey demons hopped and skipped in delight.

"Return," Old Man Sun murmured, slowly closing his eyes and fading toward the direction of the Sword Tombs.

A hundred thousand Sword Cultivators bowed their heads, grinding their teeth to hold back waves of fury, and silently turned around.

Seeing this, the monkey demons laughed even harder.

"Is this the legacy of a billion Sword Cultivators?"

"Those swords don't look too straight to me!"

"Come on, let's grab some folks!"

They jeered and made merry, while the Sword Cultivators kept their heads bowed, moving away.

"Halt!" Yun Xiao couldn't believe what he was seeing. His eyes blazing with fire, he addressed the retreating Sword Cultivators, "What in blazes are you doing?"

They looked back at him, lost for words.

"Yun Xiao, stay your temper. When these pests cause a ruckus, the Immortal Empire will send someone. Our status as Sword Cultivators is delicate; if we fight, they'll find fault and finish us off," Old Man Sun said, his voice heavy with sorrow.

"Who's coming? Where are they?" Yun Xiao turned back to see the monkey demons about to snatch some folks. No one was coming to handle the situation!

Many onlookers merely gazed, while several women fled in panic.

"We Sword Cultivators walk on a blade's edge. One wrong move and it's doom. You're young, Yun Xiao. You don't understand the undercurrents of the Immortal Empire. If we always took the forefront, we would've been extinct ages ago!" Old Man Sun, trembling slightly, took a deep breath and declared, "Return to the Sword Tombs. From now on, without pressing matters, none shall leave."

"Oh?" The golden-eyed youth overheard the latter part. He glanced at the Sword Dao Monument and chuckled. "So, this is the famed Sword Dao Monument? Quite imposing. Makes a good pissing post."

He then raised his arm and shouted, "Lads! Call ten thousand of our monkey brethren! Let them... relieve themselves on these sword scars of the Monument! To honor our unjustly fallen monkey brother's spirit in the heavens!"

A band of dark-furred monkey demons jumped around with glee, their teeth bared in wild celebration. They weren't fools. Deep down, they understood that their young leader, the Young Demon Saint, wouldn't dare trample on the dignity of the Sword Cultivators or mock their beliefs without the backing of a powerful senior.

As the Divine Dawn Empress's spousal selection unfolded, and the demons pressed forward, who would stay still?

"Old Man Sun..." Nangong Xu's eyes welled with blood as he looked at the old man.

Old Sun's face contorted in agony. After a brief glance at the Sword Dao Monument, he said, in a voice that seemed to crack, "Let's go!"

Those words felt like a dagger in the hearts of the hundred thousand Sword Cultivators. The monkey demons could insult women, and there would be repercussions. But when they insulted the Sword Dao Monument, who would stand up for the dignity of the countless fallen Sword Cultivators?

Watching the hundred thousand Sword Cultivators, clearly burning with rage yet turning their backs to the monument, Yun Xiao felt as if he would grind his teeth to dust. He quickly positioned himself before the massive group, "Why?" He demanded, his eyes fixed on Old Man Sun, now recognizing him as the most influential among them.

"Why..." Old Man Sun's voice wavered. "That Young Demon Saint might be young, but he hails from a powerful demonic lineage. His father commands a legion of demons."

"And?" Yun Xiao's voice was cold as ice.

"If we take the bait and engage him, we'll be dancing to their tune," Old Man Sun replied, looking deeply into Yun Xiao's eyes. "While humans and demons can coexist, Sword Cultivators are marked for death. If we mindlessly rush into every trap, we'd have been wiped out ages ago."

"So, in essence, we're weak," Yun Xiao concluded.

"Yes! The weak get bullied, trampled, humiliated! Any resistance leads to certain death!" As Old Man Sun spoke, he touched an amber necklace around his neck, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Yun Xiao, there's more to our struggle than just the demons. There are those within the Immortal Empire who would abandon us and seek peace with the demons. Demons might be cruel, but the human heart can be far more treacherous." Nangong Xu broke his long silence with these somber words.

There was a time when humans and demons waged a colossal war. The blood of a billion Sword Cultivators was spilled on the Sword Dao Monument, each fighting valiantly. But what did that victory cost? What was the point of slaying demons? Behind them, the city gates slowly closed.