Chapter 406. Ximen Erjin (3)

“Abbot, I have good news and bad news.”

Ximen Erjin spoke in a low voice so that only Hong Jin could hear.

“The enemy has retreated to Hefei. I don’t know what happened, but it’s good news.”

“What’s the bad news?” Hong Jin asked, his voice trembling slightly. The pain of losing his eyes still lingered.

“The Dark Heavens Association Lord, that monster stayed behind.”

Ximen Erjin let out an incredulous laugh.

"I knew that his cultivation was incredible, but I never thought we would be so blatantly ignored..."

Unlike the enemy, over three hundred soldiers remained. Half of them were injured, but it was still a significant number.

Even if their opponent was one of the Six Empyrean Overlords, could one person really fight against three hundred martial artists alone?

Putting arrogance aside, that bordered on insanity.

"But then... wait, it can't be."

Hong Jin spoke in disbelief.

“Is it just one person creating this hell?”

“Yes.”

Ahhhhh!

Save me!

He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear everything.

Voices crying out for their families, others begging for help. Most of them were just screams filled with pain and fear.

"Since you’re throwing your lives away for this, I can let it slide."

The Shaolin Temple and the Ximen Family had been fighting by making good use of the terrain of densely packed trees and hills.

It wasn’t easy to fight in such conditions, but the trees acted as natural shields, obscuring the enemy’s view.

But those tactics didn’t work on the Dark Heavens Association Lord.

Nothing could block the path of the Master of the Dark Heavens.

Creak.

A tall tree, fed by years of sunlight, crashed to the ground with a thunderous crack.

Vegetation crumbled, and dust rose into the air like a dense fog.

For a moment, the scene blurred in the yellow haze, but soon outlines became visible. At first glance, they looked like survivors who had hidden behind the trees. But something was wrong.

A thin red line of blood was drawn across their waists, eventually splitting their bodies in two.

It wasn’t just one or two people. Dozens of warriors lost their lives to the Dark Heavens Association Lord’s sword.

“We’re changing the plan," Ximen Erjin said, staring straight ahead.

“If we change the plan...?”

“Only the Dark Heavens Association Lord remains, so there’s no need to stay here.”

“Ah...”

The Shaolin Temple and Ximen Family had stayed behind, even at the cost of their lives, to prevent the nearby village from being discovered.

"While the fact that they rushed back to Hefei is unsettling, it also means the village is safe. Our goal has been met. Fighting any longer is meaningless. You’re not going to insist otherwise, are you?”

“Understood.”

Hong Jin also agreed with Ximen Erjin.

“Let’s retreat.”

“But we’ll split up and move.”

Ximen Erjin gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

“If we take care of each other’s wounded, our speed will slow down, and even if we fight together, we won’t win anyway. So if we split up and run in different directions, at least one side will survive.”

“...Understood.”

Hong Jin also didn’t argue.

“Good.”

Ximen Erjin raised his sword high above his head.

“Listen!”

The crowd turned their attention to him.

“As of now, we’ll change the strategy! The Shaolin Temple will retreat to the northwest, and the Ximen Family to the northeast! Moreover, Head Monk of Religious Precepts, the Abbot has been injured, so support him as you retreat!"

"Oho."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord stared at them as if amused.

His gaze settled on Ximen Erjin.

“Wait a moment...”

Hui Zheng hesitated when he saw Ximen Erjin.

"Head of Religious Precepts, I won’t accept any objections! Don’t say nonsense like ‘Shaolin, the Highest Peak, must never retreat!’ Are you planning to die for the sake of honor? How long are you going to let pride ruin everything!” Ximen Erjin spat out at Hui Zheng in a fierce voice.

“For now, you must live! Live!”

“No, but...”

“Junior Master Uncle Hui Zheng!” Hong Jin shouted after hearing Ximen Erjin’s words.

Hong Jin turned his head toward the sound of Hui Zheng's voice because he couldn’t see.

“It’s okay! I also agreed! We can remember this humiliation for later. Even if it stains Shaolin’s honor, surviving is more important right now!”

“...”

Hui Zheng fell silent at Hong Jin’s words.

Then, as if he had made up his mind, he clasped his hands together toward the abbot.

“I will do as you wish!”

“Retreat! Retreat!” the Ximen Family shouted at the top of their lungs.

The shouts that started from the mountain echoed loudly through the valley and the wind. After that, a large-scale retreat began.

Hui Zheng sprinted up the hill. The blood-stained sleeves of his robe flapped as he moved.

“Junior Nephew Abbot, I will support you.”

No matter how strong he was as a Harmony Realm Master, within this many trees, Hong Jin couldn't run alone without being able to see in front of him.

It wouldn't have mattered if he was originally blind or had trained after losing his eyesight, but in the current situation, it was impossible.

"Then..."

Hui Zheng bid farewell to Ximen Erjin with an exchanged glance.

“I wish you luck.”

The farewell brief. They ran without looking back. The Shaolin Temple began to retreat toward the northwest.

It was nice to meet you, Ximen Erjin.

Hong Jin thought as he left with Hui Zheng.

I will not forget that you stayed behind with us. If the Dark Heavens Association Lord comes after us, I will put my life on the line to hold him back.

He would repay Ximen Erjin's kindness. Or so he thought.

“Why?”

“Why? Why did I stay behind?” Ximen Erjin asked.

“I’m curious.”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord looked at Ximen Erjin curiously.

"What is there to understand, are you trying to ask what ridiculous words those bastards who I hated all my life put in my head that made me do something stupid like this?"

Ximen Erjin sat down.

He wasn’t just sitting. He had been sitting like this ever since he drew everyone’s attention.

The saber was stabbed into the ground in front of him.

He wasn’t alone.

The warriors of the Ximen Family, numbering about a hundred and fifty, were the same. They stood in place of the felled tree.

No one spoke during the retreat. They didn’t wonder why they didn’t retreat, and they didn’t run away either, saying they didn’t want to die.

As soon as they saw Ximen Erjin sitting down, they naturally stayed.

We would defend the retreat until the Shaolin Temple disappeared.

"It's because this was objectively better." Ximen Erjin said, slowly rising to his feet.

"The Shaolin Temple and the Ximen Family. The Shaolin Abbot and the Thunder Inheriting Saber. If we weigh these two, it’s clear to see which one should survive.”

He reached out and grabbed the hilt of his saber. The saber stuck in the ground slipped out.

“The Shaolin Temple is the pillar and hope of the Righteous Faction. And it’s the same for the Evil Faction, which has joined hands with the Righteous Faction.”

A sneer escaped from Ximen Erjin’s lips.

"If you ask why, it's because they're so stupid and foolish that you wonder if they have brains. They aren't brothers, aren't friends, aren't even neighbors or even acquaintances, yet they sacrifice their lives for people. They use the martial arts they have practiced their whole lives for others. Are they really sane?”

Even after fighting alongside them, he couldn’t understand them.

The Evil Faction couldn’t understand the Righteous Faction.

They fought because they couldn’t understand.

Even now, it was no different.

That the Shaolin Abbot had wanted to protect him first, regardless of what Ximen Erjin himself was thinking.

Ximen Erjin didn't like that. He felt annoyed for some reason.

“Just looking at them makes me feel completely suffocated. But that’s why I can trust them.”

Ximen Erjin slowly lifted his lowered saber.

“Throughout history, they have not abandoned their belief in sacrificing their lives for others, and they have stubbornly maintained it. Even if the war continues for several decades, they will endlessly repeat the words of that great Buddha of theirs and sacrifice their bodies. I may not be this sure if it was anyone else, but if Hong Jin is the Abbot, they will definitely do so. That's why the temple is hope. In addition, they'll support their beliefs with the same amount of martial force."

Those who walked the Evil Path didn't truly believe that hope was an impossible ideal. It was just that they judged and measured their profits more objectively than anyone else, simply acting accordingly to that way of thinking.

“Is the Shaolin that trustworthy?”

“No.”

Ximen Erjin’s eyes were ablaze.

“I only believe in the possibilities and practicality that I choose to believe in.”

Ximen Erjin raised the saber in his hand high above his head.

“Listen!”

The shout of Thunder Inheriting Saber resonated loudly.

“No one will remember us!”

He shouted until his voice broke.

“There are no heroes among us. We haven’t even landed a fatal blow on the enemy!”

Thud!

Ximen Erjin stamped his feet hard.

“The reality before our eyes is that future generations will remember us as those who ran away from the Dark Heavens Association Lord and died!”

Those of the Evil Faction weren't dreamers. They always looked at reality. They would always give up before they even tried.

In return, they would always find other ways.

While they couldn't achieve their ideals, they still struggled to survive.

“Then why? Why did we stay if we knew this?!”

There was no answer.

But everyone knew.

"Because, we just wanted to."

Ximen Erjin bent his knees and prepared to charge forward.

"Even if we’re giving up our lives for others, it’s enough if it satisfies us. That’s all that matters.”

He was truly like a thunderbolt.

“Give up your lives for the Shaolin, Ximen Family."

Crack!!!

Ximen Erjin became lightning. A flash of blue light erupted beneath his feet.

As he was known for being fierce and fast, his speed was extraordinary. He took advantage of the terrain heading down the hill to increase his speed. From the side, it looked like lightning was descending.

Thunder and Lightning Aura!

He raised his right arm. Muscles pulled tight as if they might tear. His whole body throbbed with pain.

His lower abdomen had long been drained. He gathered even the dregs left in his meridians and exploded it all at once.

As he put his very life into it, his speed and strength grew impossibly fast.

He moved as if he was folding between spaces.

RUMBLE!

The thunderclap followed after. Ximen Erjin became light for a moment.

His bones snapped, his muscles tore, but he didn’t care.

His skin peeled off, exposing his flesh, but he didn’t care.

With the sole intention of cutting down the enemy, he unleashed the Thunder and Lightning Saber Technique, the ascendant technique of the Ximen Family.

Sparks flew. Lightning, which traced a trajectory like a meteor, was imbued into the saber and erupted like an explosion.

And the very moment that the saber, which had been powered by burning even his soul, was about to touch the Dark Heavens Association Lord’s neck, it was cut off.

Ximen Erjin’s right arm, that is.

Still, I only lost my right arm.

Ximen Erjin rolled his pupils to the side. He saw his right arm holding the saber spinning in the air. He quickly stretched out his left hand to retrieve it.

“How pointless.”

Squelch!

“UGH!"

Ximen Erjin vomited blood. His wide eyes stared at a body torn like cloth.

He didn’t know what the Dark Heavens Association Lord had done, but half his waist, just below his ribs, had been ripped apart.

“Impossibl—”

“Quite possible."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord swung his palm as if swatting away flies.

The palm hit Ximen Erjin’s body completely.

BANG!

The impact exploded where his palm struck. Force surged through Ximen Erjin’s body in violent waves.

His bones shattered into fragments. His organs burst.

Blood sprayed from his eyes, nose, and mouth like mist. His body flew back and crashed into a tree.

“Die, Dark Heavens Association Lord!”

“RAHHHH!”

“Let’s gooooo!”

About a hundred men followed Ximen Erjin’s charge, but the result was catastrophic. The reality was cruel, and no different.

Even the Harmony realm experts were torn to pieces in an instant. Whether they were Peak or Transcendent experts, the result was no different.

Not to mention, the Dark Heavens Association Lord was an absolute master of the quick sword. Of course, it didn’t take long for him to counterattack, and it didn’t take long for him to kill the enemy.

Even if sword strikes rained down from all directions like arrows, all he had to do was dodge. If that didn’t work, he just needed to erect a defensive qi barrier.

In the end, the scene that unfolded afterwards was a one-sided massacre.

“Hmm.”

About an hour had passed.

The Dark Heavens Association Lord walked through a pool of blood.

“Is this the end?”

It was futile.

Nothing would change even if they had fought desperately. Even if they held out for a long time, none of the warriors would have even been able to get a second chance. They couldn’t even hurt him.

It was no different from a person mercilessly trampling on an insect.

Dark Heavens Association Lord glanced around, and when he didn’t hear any breathing, he turned around.

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him.

"You... can't... pass..."

"Oho."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord let out a quiet sound of admiration.

“It was a mistake.”

Behind the Dark Heavens Association Lord was Ximen Erjin.

The saber in his left hand was broken into two, and his face was half-crushed. The area just below his heart was torn to pieces and missing flesh.

His clothes had long since become rags, and his eyes, unfocused, could be seen beneath his swollen eyelids.

Blood dripped from the hole where his arm had been.

There was no light in his eyes. He could no longer breathe. However, strangely enough, he stood firm.

“That I didn’t recruit a warrior of your caliber.”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord truly felt regret.

He should have included the Ximen Family from the Eight Gates of the Evil Dao.

Ximen Erjin was that worthy of a man.

“Goodbye, Ximen Erjin.”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord’s sword blurred again.

Clang!

His sword didn't cut through flesh.

This was the sound of metal clashing with metal.

“...”

The Dark Heavens Association Lord’s expression hardened for the first time.

The sword he had just swung wasn’t just any old sword. He had put his heart into it in honor of the martial artist who had shown him determination, even though he may have been an enemy.

What he cared about was who stood in front of him.

It wasn’t the Thunder Inheriting Saber, who had been severely injured and had finally stopped breathing.

It was the tall man blocking his way.

“Who are you?”

The man’s realm was invisible.

“You... who are you?”

“Sword Demon.”

He had once been the sword of Dark Heaven.

He had once been the Dark Heaven’s right-hand man.

“Wu Qu.”

And now, he was the Dark Heaven’s enemy.

The Dark Heavens Association Lord and the Sword Demon faced each other.