"Impudence!"
Zhou Yang's face darkened. The Fenghua tree erupted in tandem with his qi mechanism. In an instant, its branches brandished over a hundred precious swords, lunging toward Xu Ying like a hundred-armed divine fiend!
Those swords fluttered up and down, shifting between swift and slow, impossibly nimble and dazzling to the eye!
Xu Ying had seen the sword arts of the giant deity before. That deity could wield four swords simultaneously—holding one in each hand while psychically maneuvering two flying swords.
Its swordplay had repeatedly put Xu Ying at a disadvantage, even piercing his shoulder blade and nearly costing him his life!
Yet compared to Zhou Yang's Zhou Celestial Demon-Slaying Sword, the giant deity's swordsmanship was barely worth mentioning.
When the Zhou Celestial Demon-Slaying Sword was deployed, over a hundred precious swords shuttled back and forth, each executing a different technique. It was as if over a hundred deities skilled in flying sword arts were simultaneously executing different sword forms to attack Xu Ying!
Anyone who had never studied the sword would likely have their limbs and head severed at the very first clash, their body perforated with holes!
Clutching the willow branch, Xu Ying shifted his footwork. Using the branch as a sword, he did not retreat. Instead, he advanced, charging straight into the Zhou Celestial Demon-Slaying Sword Formation against the hundred blades!
*Clang!*
His willow branch met the first sword. The instant it deflected the blade, a burst of sword light erupted from the tip of the branch, shearing through the wooden tendril behind the hilt!
Xu Ying stepped forward, dodging a sword striking from behind. The willow branch swept back to parry another blade, its sword qi grazing across the wood, sending another sword clattering to the ground.
Over twenty swords lunged from different directions, instantly plunging Xu Ying into mortal peril. No matter how exquisite his swordplay was, he lacked three heads and six arms to fend off so many attacks at once.
Suddenly, the willow branch flew from his hand into the air, tracing graceful arcs like swift arrows as it severed one whipping bough after another!
"The art of flying swords!"
Zhou Yang was taken aback. In just a brief moment, over thirty of the swords attacking Xu Ying had been struck down, and as the youth shifted and maneuvered, more and more blades fell.
Xu Ying flipped through the air like a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate, slipping through the maze of swords. The willow branch whirled around him; whenever a blade entered within ten feet, the branch instantly severed the tendril behind its hilt!
Deprived of their wooden conduits, the swords lost control and plunged straight to the earth.
A ceaseless clatter rang out. The moment Xu Ying landed, the ground behind him was carpeted with swords, every one severed at the hilt!
Zhou Yang sneered. The boughs at the hilts of the fallen swords burrowed into the earth and grew at frantic speed. The tendrils stretched longer and longer, twisting with uncanny agility as they swung their swords to strike at Xu Ying from behind!
"Xu Ying, you have no idea how formidable my Zhou clan's Zhou Celestial Demon-Slaying Sword truly is! Forget a demon king like you—even a demon god who enjoys incense offerings and sacrifices would perish with regret!"
Having landed barely a few dozen paces from Zhou Yang, Xu Ying raised a finger and pointed. With a sharp whistle, the willow branch accelerated violently, darting straight for Zhou Yang!
Zhou Yang roared, "Vajra Indestructible Body!"
His physique swelled wildly, soon standing over twelve feet tall. Bathed in golden light from head to toe, with broad limbs, he coated his palm in a thin film of golden qi and met the incoming willow branch!
The instant his palm contacted the branch, the willow branch's sword light flared brilliantly. With a tearing hiss, the sword qi punctured the golden qi on his palm.
In the next instant, the branch pressed into his flesh, unleashing immense force. Light rippled like waves where his palm met the wood.
At the same time, Xu Ying tore through the encirclement of swords, grasped the other end of the willow branch, and thrust forward with explosive momentum!
Zhou Yang bellowed, surging with magic power. With a loud snap, the willow branch shattered the middle finger bone of his palm, pierced straight out through the back of his hand, and once again flew from Xu Ying's grasp, darting directly toward the space between his brows!
Zhou Yang retreated frantically and threw another fist, shattering the willow branch to pieces. Suddenly, Xu Ying caught one of the fallen swords from the ground and flicked his finger against the blade. The longsword howled through the air, its sword qi surging as it slashed toward him!
Only then did Zhou Yang notice that over a dozen swords hovered behind Xu Ying, dancing around the youth to parry every single blade lunging from the Fenghua tree!
These swords were not bound treasures; they could serve Zhou Yang, but they could just as easily serve Xu Ying.
Zhou Yang attempted to snatch the blade barehanded, only for a burst of pain to shoot through his hand as all five fingers were sheared off!
Zhou Yang channeled his Mud Pill secret depository to regenerate the severed digits. Just then, Xu Ying struck with a punch, the phantom of the Elephant King Divine Body rising behind him as divine strength erupted.
The punch struck Zhou Yang square in the head, sending his massive body soaring backward through the air!
"Corrupt official! When you preyed upon the common folk of Lingling, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
Xu Ying charged forward like a fragrant elephant crossing a river. Each footfall shattered the ground beneath him with terrifying force. The swords behind him shot forth like streaks of light, imbued with the strength of dragons and elephants as they thrust toward Zhou Yang!
Shocked and infuriated, Zhou Yang shouted at the top of his lungs, "What are you waiting for? Help me!"
Blades converged upon him. He frantically raised his hands to block, managing to deflect three swords before Xu Ying spun around and swept a kick across his face.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Zhou Yang tumbled and crashed into the mountain forest. Streaks of sword light immediately plunged into the woods, sword qi bursting and crisscrossing to fell giant tree after tree!
The officials from the Lingling county yamen rushed forward, shouting, "Criminal, cease your insolence!"
Before the words had fully faded, a flash of emerald light flickered, and a willow branch pierced straight through one man's skull!
That emerald light moved like a spirit serpent, darting through the air at blinding speed. The remaining twelve officials hurriedly activated their Nuo arts, sending green vines whipping around them in an attempt to block the emerald streak.
The emerald light whistled through the air, letting out a bizarre shriek. Moving with terrifying velocity, it shattered every vine in its path.
Suddenly, an official's head jerked sideways as the emerald light pierced through his left temple and emerged from his right. Around him, the green vines instantly spiraled out of control, thrashing like mad serpents until his brain died and the countless writhing vines finally lost their power, collapsing to the ground.
A green-robed official heard a sound to his left and turned to look, only for a sharp agony to tear through his back. The willow branch pierced through his back and erupted from his chest.
The sword qi churning within the branch blew his heart apart. Spitting blood, he collapsed.
Like a death warrant, the emerald light swept across the forest. Its piercing shriek gradually slowed, its speed moderating as it drifted placidly to take its place behind Xu Ying.
Behind Xu Ying, the massive green vines stretching through the forest thrashed wildly before their strength waned, slumping limp to the earth.
Beneath the vines lay the corpses of the thirteen officials.
Ahead of Xu Ying, soaked in blood, Zhou Yang was slammed into the opposite cliff face by a heavy fist.
Upon the cliff, carved by an unknown hand, were two large characters: *Wuwang*—Without Falsehood.
*Whistle, whistle, whistle, whistle!*
Four swords shot forth, impaling Zhou Yang's limbs and pinning him firmly to the cliff face.
Zhou Yang struggled desperately, roaring in an attempt to break free.
"Magistrate Zhou, there was a time when I truly envied officials like you."
Xu Ying's turbulent aura gradually calmed. Looking at Zhou Yang pinned against the cliff, he said placidly, "You wore fine silks and rode proud steeds, standing high above as the parents of the people. Wherever you went, everyone knelt, bowed, and paid respects, fearing and revering you like deities. With a single command, a single official writ, you could force the common folk to offer up their fortunes and part with their wives and children! You lived far more comfortably than any god!"
Zhou Yang ceased his struggling and laughed. "Xu Ying, if you wanted an official post, why didn't you say so sooner? I am a scion of the Zhou clan; arranging an official post for you would be child's play!"
His eyes flickered. Silently, the Fenghua tree gathered the scattered swords, its branches rising. But right at that moment, a flash of sword light severed the demon tree at its roots.
Zhou Yang's expression hardened, not daring to make another move.
Xu Ying recalled his life in Jiangjiatian and continued, "Deities merely sit behind altar tables, atop their shrines, receiving people's kowtows and incense, eating only two meals a month on the first and fifteenth. They must also listen to the people's prayers, regulate the wind and rain, and grant their wishes. But you officials draw a stipend from the imperial court, feast on delicacies, dress in fine clothes, and have people kneel wherever you step—far surpassing any god! When I was young and you passed by in fine robes atop proud horses, I stood by the roadside, my face spattered with mud kicked up by your horses' hooves. How I envied you. I used to dream that one day, I could be just like you."
Zhou Yang secretly channeled his Nuo arts, smiling. "It's still not too late. My Zhou clan never had any grudge against you to begin with; it was only because of your talent that we sought to coerce your submission. Since it was all a misunderstanding, why tear apart all cordiality? My Zhou clan can arrange an official post for you."
Xu Ying continued as if talking to himself: "Back when I worked as a snake catcher alongside my foster father and grandfather, I could never sleep peacefully at night. I was always startled awake, hearing officials seizing people, women screaming in despair, children crying in the dark, and old women climbing over walls to flee for their lives. By day, I would see officials ride into the village, swaggering with grand authority, pillaging no differently from bandits. Back then, I had a dream. I wanted to be just as commanding and powerful as an official."
Zhou Yang chuckled. "You can be. As long as you pledge allegiance, my Zhou clan will never mistreat you."
Xu Ying carried on, "But the next day, I saw a woman throw herself down a well, and a man hang himself right at his front gate. That was when I realized being an official might not be so wonderful after all."
Zhou Yang sighed. "I too often lament the hardships of the common folk, and how corrupt ministers abuse power, leading those below to follow suit. Xu Ying, since you wish to reform such corrupt governance, all the more reason you should enter officialdom! Once you hold great power, you can sweep away the old and usher in the new, governing for the people's welfare. Wouldn't that allow you to fulfill your ambitions?"
Xu Ying's face darkened with sorrow. "Later, when my grandfather was out catching snakes, he was bitten and died of venom. My foster father took on the burden of caring for me. He wasn't my biological father, but he looked after me well. He worked himself to the bone for years, saved a bit of silver, and bought two mu of land. He told me, 'Ah Ying, don't catch snakes anymore. If you keep catching snakes, you'll end up dead in a serpent's jaws sooner or later.' He told me, 'Farm the land instead.' The very day after he bought that land, the officials came to collect the green sprout tax."
His lips twitched. After a brief silence, he continued, "He didn't have the money to pay. The land was confiscated and sold to Squire Jiang."
Zhou Yang frowned slightly. "Paying taxes is the law of the land; it has nothing to do with the officials of my Lingling."
Xu Ying said, "My foster father wept for a long time. He said the money used to buy that land had been earned with my grandfather's life, and that it should have been saved for me to take a wife when I grew up. He said he had failed me, failed my grandfather, and that he had to earn that money back. So he went into the mountains to hunt strange snakes. He didn't come back for days. When I finally found him, he was dead—killed by venom, so toxic that not even monsters dared eat him. I carried him back and buried him beside my grandfather."
Zhou Yang said, "Having endured such a tragic past, you have all the more reason to join my Zhou clan and become an official. Once you hold office, you can prevent more people from suffering your fate."
"Lord Zhou, you're mistaken. I didn't tell you all this to play the victim, beg for pity, or ask for an official post."
Xu Ying lifted his head, looking straight into his eyes, and said softly, "The reason I said all this is because the villagers told me that if someone dies without understanding why, they turn into a vengeful ghost. And my good friend Yuan Qi told me that explaining things to a corpse is completely superfluous."
The willow branch slowly drifted out from behind him.
"So, before I kill you, I want to make sure you understand clearly why I am taking your life."
Xu Ying turned away as the willow branch pierced through the center of Zhou Yang's brow like an emerald rainbow.
*Wuwang*—without falsehood—meant utmost sincerity.
True sincerity of the heart.
Xu Ying's actions were merely true to his heart and swift in deed: if he said he would let the man die with his eyes closed in peace, he would let him die with his eyes closed in peace.
Zhou Yang's eyes bulged wide. Letting out an earth-shattering roar of fury, he died with his eyes wide open, unreconciled to the end.
Xu Ying looked back at his expression and shook his head. "The villagers were probably lying to me. I explained it so clearly, yet he still died with his eyes open. In the future, it'll be safer to explain after killing them."
Just then, the bronze bell flew out from behind Xu Ying's head and said, "Ah Ying, do you know why your strength has advanced so rapidly, allowing you to cut down so many Nuo masters in swift succession?"
Xu Ying was puzzled.
"Because you are a Qi Refiner,"
the bronze bell murmured. "Your Qi Harvesting stage has reached the absolute pinnacle. You have beheld the mystic pass within your body, and you are about to knock upon the pass to reach the Heavenly River. Only once you take that step and grasp divine abilities will you be a true Qi Refiner.
"Once you take that step, you will be unlike anyone else in this world."
Chapter 23