Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 275: Overcoming the Heart Tribulation
The piercing sound of swords hummed incessantly, captivating people's hearts like a devil's sound. Sarcasm, hatred, contempt, and mockery poured into his heart. Through his blood-red eyes, Zhulang saw the flames burning down the houses, the brutal soldiers, the dead bodies all over the ground, the raped mother, the weak hands, the empty broken bowl for begging, and the green eyes of the wolves surrounding the tree.

Everyone has a history, indelible images of life. With these tragic images, it is difficult to smile on one's face. Indifference becomes a character trait, even to oneself.

The sword shadow was illusory, breaking through the air and stabbing towards Zhulang. The rusty sword in Zhulang's hand made a low wolf howl and shot out a blood-red arc of light, which swept away the stabbing sword. With a strong wind, Zhulang immediately leaped up like a fish, and then jumped forward another ten feet, and fell coldly into the water, splashing water everywhere, with a firm look in his eyes.

"The sword's power is indeed very strong!" Gusu Ye said sternly, "It seems that my regrets over the years will be made up today!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, senior." Wuzhan said calmly.

"If he had been born twenty years earlier, perhaps he would have made it through the 'Sword Burial Pool'. But now the swords in this pool are no longer what they used to be. The sword spirits are many times stronger. You will know as you read on. He will definitely die in the pool."

"Wow..." Thousands of swords broke out of the water, sword beams flashing, aiming at Zhulang, surrounding him like a swarm of bees, swords whistling incessantly, and the powerful murderous aura pressed Zhulang's body downward, his mind in a trance, and his blood boiling.

If his nine-foot long sword had not broken, he would not be afraid of these swords around him. But now the rusty sword in his hand was obviously much shorter and he could not wield it with ease. The loneliness, timidity, helplessness and despair hidden in his heart arose spontaneously. This is a taboo in sword intent. Zhulang knew that he was going to lose, just like the moment he stabbed Zhishui, he knew that his sword would break. This is a mental calamity, and this feeling will only appear when encountering a powerful enemy.

He believed that his master Wuzhan would be able to pass through the "Sword Burial Pool", but he let him do it. This was a rare opportunity and a test of life and death, which enabled him to overcome his mental tribulation. Wuzhan once taught him, "It is not the opponent who defeats you, but yourself. The sharpest thing in the world is not the sword, but the will to win. With it, you are invincible."

The surrounding swords moved, some swords bloomed like lotus flowers, some swords fell to the ground like meteors, some swords were like rainbows in the sky, and some swords were like Mount Tai pressing down on the top of the head, one by one, one by one, swarming in.

Zhulang's stern face moved, but his eyes did not move. They emitted cold light, and his body was like a sword, a sword with only sword intent.

"Dang..." The sound of swords colliding became a melody. People couldn't see how many swords Zhulang had used, let alone catch the trace of the rusty sword. The wind danced around Zhulang, the wind of sword intent, which swept away all the swords it encountered.

Thousands of sword shadows flowed in the air, and the swords roared, hitting the illusory and uncertain figures like a long river. If one sword was missed, it would be enough to kill.

Suddenly, Zhulang shouted: "It's just a bunch of defeated abandoned swords, how can they stop me!"

"Clang..." The swords exploded in all directions, "whoosh..." They spun and flew, "splash..." They fell into the water. After the strong wind, only a rusty sword was left, and Zhulang, who was holding it and gasping for breath, had many holes in his black robe and blood was flowing out.

All the disciples of Luoyue Villa were amazed. Over the years, few people dared to break into this daunting sword formation, let alone withstand the simultaneous attack of thousands of swords. However, this young man who was no older than them did it.

"You have surpassed Ping Qingjue of his youth. If you give up now and leave the broken sword, I will give you a sword that will be enough to make you dominate the world!" Gusu Ye said in an old voice.

After a long while, Zhu Lang snorted coldly and said, "To dominate the world? If it were in the past, I might be tempted, but now, this is no longer my goal. A sword that cannot kill all the damned people will only become more and more filthy. The sword I need can help me break through the clouds and compete with the sky. I don't know what it is, but I guess it must be heroic. Can you forge such a sword?"

"You are such an arrogant and conceited person. I cherish your high martial arts skills at such a young age and I cannot bear to kill you. But you are tired of living and want to compete with the heavens. Do you think you can reach the heavens with your little ability?"

"I don't even dare to think about it, how can I do it?" Zhulang said.

"Since you want to die so much, I will grant your wish!" As soon as he finished speaking, the water in the entire pool began to boil, and blood mist filled the air. The swords that fell into the water flew up again, no longer surrounding Zhulang, but gathered together and stood in front of Zhulang.

Thousands of swords formed a giant sword that was more than ten feet high, emitting brilliant light. The surrounding ground was shaking. Blood mist rose and condensed into an illusory and huge body, holding the giant sword. It was even taller than the giant sword. Zhulang was like an ant in front of it. The strong demonic pressure made everyone breathe heavily, let alone Zhulang who was the closest to it.

Wuzhan narrowed his eyes. This was far beyond his expectations. The hands in his sleeves had already grasped the five-colored stones, ready to attack at any time. These sword spirits had become demons, and were definitely not what Ping Qingjue had seen in the past.

"Are you afraid? This is the sword demon that I have cultivated for more than 20 years. Today I am using you to test my sword skills. It will be your honor to die under such a sword!"

Zhu Lang gritted his teeth and said, "You can talk about this after you kill me!"

"Then die!" The Sword Demon made a sound like muffled thunder, and the giant sword roared and chopped down, like the collapse of the sky. The magnificent sword energy pressed Zhulang in place, with nowhere to hide. The surrounding water was pushed to both sides, revealing the bottom of the pool. Who can block this sword?
When Wuzhan was about to make a move, Zhulang advanced instead of retreating. With a 'bang' of one foot, he stepped forward with all his might, swung his sword, and his whole body seemed to turn into a sword, merging with the rusty sword, and rushed towards the giant sword like a gust of wind.

No one could see clearly what happened, no one could see Zhulang's figure clearly. With a roar, a crack several dozen feet long was split open on the bottom of the pool. The giant sword was still suspended in mid-air, flashing with light, and a huge phantom was still standing in front of everyone.

Zhulang's figure appeared under the attic beside the pool, kneeling on one knee, leaning on a rusty sword, motionless, his robe turned into rags and dyed red.

After a long time, there was a crisp sound of "crack...", and the rusty sword cracked into several cracks, but it did not break. Then, Zhulang's mouth moved, but it didn't seem to be a smile. The shadow behind him made a "puff..." sound, and a hole appeared in his heart, forming a vortex, which rushed to Zhulang's back and was absorbed by it. The light of the giant sword disappeared, and it disintegrated in an instant, falling to the ground with a clang.

Everyone was horrified. "How is this possible? A young man defeated the Sword Demon with only a rusty sword!"

Wuzhan took back the five-colored stone. It seemed that it was a false alarm. Zhulang had overcome his mental tribulation, broke the sword formation, and his sword intent became even more refined.

"Impossible!" Gusu Ye said this after a long while, with regret and unwillingness.

"I hope you can keep your promise!" Wuzhan asked with his hands raised. 'Huh...' A figure flew out from the attic and landed in front of Zhulang. He was wearing a brown Taoist robe, had a strong physique, white hair and beard, and was full of energy. He stared at Zhulang and said, "Of course, but before that, you should return the sword spirit to me!"

Wuzhan walked slowly to Zhulang's side and said, "Senior, you are joking. The sword soul turned into a demon and was conquered by Zhulang's sword will. It chose its master and integrated into the soul consciousness. Zhulang did not deliberately take it away. If you ask him to return it, isn't this asking for his life?"

"If you don't return the sword spirit, don't even think about asking me to forge swords for you!"

Wuzhan said: "This result is not what we expected. How about this? Here is a book that Senior Ping Qingjue gave to me. I will give it to you to make up for your loss. You can take a look at it." As he said that, he handed the "Sword Intent Art" to Gusu Ye with both hands.

When Gusu Ye heard that it was Ping Qingjue's "Sword Intent Art", his heart moved and he said, "No wonder his sword intent is so similar to Ping Qingjue's!" He took the animal skin book, turned the pages, stroked his beard and took a closer look. His eyes gradually widened, as if he had found a treasure, and it was difficult to look away. When had he ever seen such an exquisite martial art that broke his past cognition and resolved years of confusion? "So that's it..., so that's it!"

"What do you think, Senior?"

"Brother Gusu, it was his good fortune that the sword spirit chose this kid. Since you promised to forge swords for them if they break the sword formation, you can't go back on your word, lest it get out and be ridiculed by your peers. I'm also interested and want to see if you can reforge this emperor's sword after so many years of not forging swords." The voice came from the attic, and it was obvious that he had seen the whole process.

Wuzhan's heart sank. This person had been watching from upstairs, but he didn't even detect any of her presence. This showed how high his cultivation level was.

Gusu Ye closed the animal skin book, pondered for a long time, looked at Wuzhan and said: "Okay, then I will accept this book, please come in!"

Wuzhan and Zhulang followed Gusu Ye into the building and went up to the attic on the second floor. They saw an old man with a Taoist look sitting in the attic. He was wearing a gray Taoist robe and had a peaceful expression.

When the old man saw the others going upstairs, he stood up and said to Wuzhan, "I have benefited a lot from your comments just now. It is true that there are more talented people in the world than ever before!"

Wuzhan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "How dare you address me as sir in front of a senior? This is really embarrassing for a junior like me!"

"A teacher should be knowledgeable and a role model. You are favored by the First Emperor, have such an outstanding disciple, and defeated the traitor Shishui in Huangshan and broke the emperor's sword. This shows that you are worthy of these two words!"

"Thank you very much, Senior. May I ask what your immortal name is?"

"He is my old friend, Master Feijian from Mount Lu!" Gusu Ye introduced.

When Wuzhan heard that this person was the famous Master Feijian, he immediately bowed and said, "I have long heard of your name. I am honored to meet you today!"

Fei Jian laughed and said, "No need to be polite, please take a seat. I have something to ask you, sir. Not long ago, my useless disciple came back and said that he was rescued by a masked master. I wonder if that hero is you, sir?"

Wuzhan said: "I just happened to pass by, I wonder how serious his injury is?"

Fei Jian bowed and sighed, "If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have survived. Now he's almost recovered. I want to thank you!"

Wuzhan busy: "You are too polite, sir."

Gusu Ye said: "Since you want to recast this sword, please give me the hilt as well."

Zhulang took out the hilt and handed it to Gusuye with both hands. Gusuye put the broken sword together, looked at it carefully for a long time and sighed: "What is engraved on it is the mountains and rivers of our China. I don't know the ancient text on the hilt, it should be the way to govern the world, so this sword is also called the Emperor's Sword. The one who holds this sword can command the world. It is said that it was forged by the Queen Mother of the Nine Heavens for Emperor Huangdi. It is extremely hard and sharp. What sharp weapon did you use to break this sword?"

Wuzhan said: "A stone."

"A piece of stone? How is that possible? This is a divine weapon. Don't even mention you using a stone. Even if you search the world for all the swords to chop it, it won't break. Come on, break it with a stone again. I will kneel down and worship you as my master!"

"It's indeed a bit strange, and I'm also a little surprised." Wuzhan naturally couldn't say that he had used his soul power.

Gusu Ye said: "Since you can't tell the truth, you can take this sword back. I don't have the ability of Xuannv!"

Fei Jian smiled and said, "I think what Mr. Li said is true. There are marks on the broken end, it is very likely that it was broken by a stone. You should know Ping Qingjue's sword intent. Even if he holds a broken sword, it is easy for him to break the famous sword. He has passed on his sword intent to Mr. Li. Do you really want to worship Mr. Li as your master?"

Gusu Ye heard Fei Jian say this and half believed it. He said angrily, "You actually helped him speak today. I gave you the wine I brewed for many years for nothing!"

Fei Jian said: "I really want to see if you can reforge this thousand-year-old sword."

"I am not as good as you in terms of cultivation, but when it comes to sword forging, haha, no one in the world can beat me. Okay, I will start the furnace today and reforge this magic sword!"

(End of this chapter)