Tianlu and Sheng Xie

"I thought I sensed an old friend, but things have changed and people are gone—and now I even have to look at such a damnable thing." Lord Tianlu shook his head, as if in regret, yet seemingly seized by a whim. He bent down and slid Pan Ying from his hand. "Lend it to me for a spin!" Pan Ying hummed, bloodlight bursting forth! Surges pulsed through it. Yet Lord Tianlu looked left and right, brow furrowing. He slapped his head in irritable discontent, as though he couldn't recognize it or remember. Until his eyes faintly lit up. "So that's how it is. Hm, I think I remember... it was used like this!" Both of his hands tightened around the hilt. Holding Pan Ying in a reverse grip, he slowly raised it—and then, one arm after another extended from his back, fingers splaying wide, grabbing toward the blade and clutching it tight. He let it slash his palms, drinking and guzzling furiously, paying no heed to the agony or corrosion. The smile on that half of his face grew increasingly manic. As though unsheathing a blade, he wrenched it out boldly! In that instant, the piercing shriek of grinding metal rang throughout Xinquan, so shrill and distant. Pan Ying vibrated violently, as if roaring at the top of its lungs. Leaping forth from the grasp and lock of pair after pair of hands, the blade actually shed its iron hue, turning into a dreamlike crimson. Countless wisps of blood-red light flowed, like radiance and flame, surging incessantly! Noticing the anomaly, Ji Jue's expression instantly changed. It was not because Pan Ying had slipped out of control, but because he sensed the terrifying transformation taking place upon it—in just a few brief moments, it had surpassed all his long, arduous tempering. The unknown technique and its mysterious catalysis had actually temporarily advanced Pan Ying into its fully tempered complete form! There was not the slightest hidden danger. In fact, it had greatly increased Pan Ying's completion. Rather than some wicked heterodoxy, it was more like... this was the true orthodox method unrecorded in the Hanxiang Chapter! Wash blood with blood, conquer evil with evil! "That's it, that's it, this is how it should be! Haha, hahahahaha—" Lord Tianlu lowered his gaze, staring at the bloody glow upon the blade, as if filled with deep affection, sighing with emotion: "After so many years, I almost didn't recognize you..." At this moment, as the crimson blade lifted once more, it covered that half of Tang Qian's face. The fierce light in Tianlu's eyes flared, and he laughed out loud: "—Sheng Xie, long time no see!" The Eternal had ended, the dynasty had perished, Tianlu was buried on the battlefield, and Sheng Xie had shattered without a trace— All phenomena turned in flux, times and tides shifted. So many years had passed. The past had left no trace, and after everything of old had vanished like smoke, the remnant traces of a Sacrificial Lord and the legacy of the Nine Swords could actually meet again in this world that had long since changed beyond recognition. How absurd, yet what a blessing. Nothing could be better than this. "Now we fight side by side once more, old friend!" Lord Tianlu laughed heartily, stepping stride by stride toward the flames of battle. Advancing, the blade sang and hummed, bloodlight lingering in the void wherever the edge passed. One step crossed an immense distance. Leaving behind only a persistent crimson trace, like blood and glistening tears, meandering and dreamlike. The instant that bizarre face reappeared before his eyes, Pacquiao's soul nearly leaped from his body, plunging into icy terror! That demeanor and aura were entirely different from before! What was even more terrifying was that in that very instant, Domain: Eternal Dark Charnel Abyss ruptured silently—he hadn't even realized when that gruesome wound had appeared. With merely a casual swing of the sword, the silt-like darkness and countless corpses parted in horror to either side, as if fleeing. Yet immediately afterward, crimson flames surfaced over the silt and bones, sinking deep into marrow like a maggot clung to bone, combusting with savage ferocity! Unshakeable and impossible to dispel! Then, stepping forward, a level thrust—piercing through! *Snap!* The spear snapped at its waist. A gaping hole abruptly appeared in Pacquiao's chest. Emerald fire surged, trying to mend the wound, but— It was completely useless! Even the Lord of Scars showed no reaction, refusing to accept this wound as a sacrifice! "Abysmal." Lord Tianlu sighed contemptuously. "Scars has really degraded over the years. Back then, how could one of the Six Evils have taken in trash like this? Mycelium too. And you have the nerve to laugh? Laugh your mother's head!" Upon the Blade of Sheng Xie, the emblem of Mycelium appeared once more. Every wounded Knight of Homecoming paled in unison, feeling all their power flowing toward that sword within the circulation of Mycelium's bloody light! In an instant, having usurped the strength of all the Knights of Homecoming and seized Mycelium's gift, Tang Qian's body seemed to turn into a volcano, enveloped in flames so thick they suffocated. And within the raging flames, an indifferent gaze cast up toward the tall building. It fell upon Ji Jue's face, casting a glance. Then withdrew without interest. "Watch closely, kid—" With one hand, Lord Tianlu cast out crimson chains that wrapped around Pacquiao like leashing a dog. Right after, one withered right hand after another reached out to grip the hilt. With every added hand, the spirit and imposing might upon the blade swelled by another degree, until at last the bloodlight quaked violently, unable to bear this terrifying power. Midst hearty laughter, he raised it to the very apex, leveling it from afar at Pacquiao's pale face, grinning: "—*this* is how Sheng Xie is used!" *BOOM!!!* Emerald fire and phosphorescence burst like a waterfall, soaring into the sky. In his haste, the terror-stricken Pacquiao dared not mind the other Giants any longer. Pouring out all his strength, he instantly sacrificed more than half of his scar offerings, power swelling to an unprecedented peak. The battered Domain shrank and collapsed, wrapping around the broken spear. He thrust forward! This thrust surpassed his past limits and his present limits, reaching even higher heights beyond his wildest expectations— Regrettably, it was utterly useless. Sheng Xie's blood-stained light didn't waver in the slightest. Its supremely concentrated power shattered the Domain and the Lord of Scars' empowerment head-on. Under the operation of Blessing: [Crushing Ruin], it effortlessly tore through every trivial defense and resistance, driving straight in! Eyes, ears, mouth, nose, limbs, vitals—instantly detonated. Two intersecting cross-shaped sword marks were carved into Pacquiao's body, nearly mincing him to pieces in an instant, yet the blade held back an inch with surgical precision, leaving him with a sliver of life. Pacquiao screamed, shrieking in horror, convulsing. Not only because of this grievous injury, but because his own soul and life, under that strike, had actually degenerated—no, more like they had been stolen away! He had permanently lost a portion of his life and strength; his abilities were impaired, and even his rank showed faint signs of plummeting. Just a single strike— What on earth was that sword? What kind of damned monster was *this*?! Wailing, he scrambled up on all fours and retreated in utter disarray, his pupils dilated, frantic like a wild beast. *Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong, it was wrong from the very start! What happened? What is happening to me?* *Why did it—why—* *Smack!* The broken spear fell in front of him, jolting him out of his terror. Blankly raising his head, he looked toward where the spear had come from. Tianlu. It was the weapon Lord Tianlu had tossed over. "Pick it up." Lord Tianlu raised a left hand and picked his nose, bored to tears. Pacquiao froze, fingers trembling, yet he didn't dare bend down, hesitating... "I told you to pick it up!" Lord Tianlu abruptly flew into a rage. "It's one thing that you can't even beat a fucking Regeneration, but if you don't even have the guts to hold a weapon, what kind of Swarm are you supposed to be?!" Surging forward a step, he followed with a slap across Pacquiao's face, barking furiously: "I told you to pick it up! Right now, this second! Do you want this lord to personally exterminate three generations of your clan?!" Slap after slap rained down, swinging left and right. Arm after arm carrying the blood-flame of the Swarm swung mercilessly, delivering thunderous slaps that tore flesh and exposed bone, only to mend again amid his wails. Forcing him to pick up the weapon and stand as his foe. And then, stroke by stroke, he methodically severed finger after finger, wrist, elbow, arm, as though executing death by a thousand cuts. The whole of Xinquan fell into dead silence. No one dared speak. Even the three giant heroes stood far off, not daring to make a peep. At the very top of the building, Yellowbeard froze, turning his head back in shock to stare at Ji Jue in disbelief. *There's another fucking expert?!* *You little whelp, you were guarding against me, weren't you?!* "I didn't! That's not me!" Ji Jue shook his head frantically, finally feeling the bitter injustice of a false accusation, tears nearly spilling over. *The thing I prepared to guard against you wasn't this! I haven't even activated those hypersonic long-range missile launchers that tracked the Dragon Bone Fleet using Frederick's phone location the whole time!* *Who the hell knew Old Tom would suddenly go supercharged, and after seeing Pan Ying, went crazy and hyper-evolved into some damned thing like this?!* *I'm scared too!* *Uh, Master Yellowbeard, you'll protect me, right?* Amid screams and wails, the torment continued. With each cleave and puncture, Pacquiao's body became riddled with holes, not a patch of flesh left intact. It was as though he were being meticulously processed under an executioner's hand, always kept with just enough strength to resist so that Tianlu could toy with him like a cat with a mouse, reveling in the thrill of the hunt. The disparity in their strength was so glaring and absurd. Simply appalling. What grew clearer still was a faint, pungent odor of sulfur. A bizarre stench steadily seeped from Pacquiao's body, from deep within his soul, impossible to disguise any longer. "Heh, after all these years, it's my first time seeing such a pathetic vile fiend. You damned freaks have really gone downhill too." Lord Tianlu stepped on Pacquiao's head, sneering in contempt: "It's truly wonderful that we didn't slaughter all of you bastards back then. Otherwise, how could I enjoy such a pleasing spectacle?" "M-mercy... I... I—" Pacquiao struggled desperately, wailing in plea, but his voice suddenly choked off as his windpipe was stepped on. Unable to make a sound— "Shh, don't talk." Lord Tianlu raised a finger, then kicked an axe from who-knew-where over to his hand. "Pick it up." He said, "Continue." Happy times are fleeting; none could be wasted. Yet this time, the figure writhing and wailing in the mud could no longer get up. Even the courage for a final, dying struggle was completely gone. No matter how he urged his sacrifices, the Lord of Scars gave no response. The Swarm answered him no more, and Frenzied Slaughter had long since abandoned him. Yet just as he fell into utter despair, he felt the blessing of the Lord of Scars stir faintly. A glimmer of anticipation and hope couldn't help rising in his heart. Then, amidst the swirling emerald fire, a finger dimly emerged. Amid Pacquiao's ecstatic joy, the finger aimed at the spine of Pan Ying, right beneath Mycelium's emblem, and stamped down—an emblem of three intersecting scars instantly manifested. Immediately after, Ji Jue's vision went dark again, and again, and *again*. He only felt Pan Ying's completion tick up another notch, and then another set of inherited sacrificial secret rites was shoved bluntly into his mind! Stamp collection progress +1. What the hell! No, seriously, what are you Swarm Sacrificial Lords even thinking?! Don't you even check what stream you're watching before you send tips?!