The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 266 The Sword is the Butcher! (5k)

Du Yuan then looked towards the majestic mountain, where he could vaguely discern that the sword should be imprisoned halfway up the mountain.

Honestly, it's pretty strange. Shouldn't it be at the top of the mountain or at the foot of the mountain?

After gazing into the distance for a moment, Du Yuan withdrew her gaze, turned to look at the man in black, and asked in a questioning tone, "Why do you trust me so much?"

Although Mo Yike himself said that he was no longer qualified to hold that sword, it was still his natal immortal sword. How could he so easily trust a complete stranger like him?

The man in black shook his head and said with a smile, "You don't need to worry about me playing any tricks. We've been traveling together for so long, and I think you're a good person. Don't think that this short time is too short to see anything."

"Actually, to see a person clearly, it's enough to travel with them for a while."

Finally, the man in black stopped smiling and looked at Du Yuan seriously, saying, "After all, you only see me as a stranger, someone you'll travel with for this part of the journey at most, and then we'll probably have no further connection. Under such circumstances, even if I'm wary, how much can I really protect myself from?"

"In the end, to you, I am nothing more than a passerby you will most likely never meet again in this lifetime."

Du Yuan was surprised to hear this – he had never heard such a statement before, and upon closer examination, it actually made some sense.

"That's an interesting point. But I really can't accept your trust."

The man in black robes was not annoyed by this, but simply smiled and asked:

"What, are you still thinking about that 'Ren' sword? Although I am also a sword cultivator who loves swords like my life, I have to tell you the truth, my 'Spring Breeze' sword is indeed inferior to that 'Ren' sword. After all, it was one of the swords that the Sage Master once wore, and it is a truly fundamental weapon of Confucianism."

“If I could compare, then back then…” the man in black robes said, his voice lowering and his eyes filled with sorrow, “I probably wouldn’t have just witnessed the sword cultivators rebuild their backbone, only to break it myself in the process.”

Du Yuan was a little unsure how to respond. She could only speak from her heart:

"It's not that I look down on it, nor that I'm obsessed with the sword under the Lan River, it's just that I always feel that the sword I want is not this one."

Although Du Yuan could only vaguely see the place where the sword was pressed down, she could still feel the sharpness that could not be hidden even across mountains.

Spring breeze, spring breeze, indeed a fine sword.

That's right, he really didn't feel anything. When he left Lanhe to see other swords, he had a similar feeling.

I just think it's nice, and it's nice to hold, but I don't really have that feeling of being incredibly excited.

The man in black nodded in agreement: "In that case, let's go and see something else."

"Won't you take another look?"

That was, after all, Mo Yike's natal immortal sword.

The man in black robes was slightly hunched over. He raised his hand and waved it, his tone light and self-deprecating: "I dare not look any longer. Looking at it only makes my heart ache."

How could a swordsman who had abandoned his sword dare to look any longer?
Du Yuan sighed silently and slowed her pace to follow.

Before long, the two arrived at a plain that faced the "Spring Breeze" sword across the distance. Du Yuan remembered that this place concealed an extremely malevolent sword. Moreover, it corresponded to the "Spring Breeze" sword, mutually restraining each other.

As soon as he stepped onto the plain, the man in black raised an eyebrow and teased, "Oh ho, judging from your appearance, you must have given the creatures here a hard time earlier."

Du Yuan followed his gaze and saw that the plain in front of her was covered with crooked and grotesque marks.

It was clear that a huge object had been writhing in panic, and the mess was clearly visible even from miles away.

"I wonder what kind of snake demon this is?"

Although Du Yuan had not directly confronted the creature, she knew that a large black python was hidden there.

The man in black shook his head and smiled:

"You've stumped me. The world is so vast that I may not even know all the spirits and monsters that haven't hidden themselves, let alone those that conceal their tracks. If I think about it carefully, I probably wouldn't be able to explain the origins of half of them. So, I can't say for sure where this snake demon came from either."

He changed the subject slightly, his gaze falling on a spot on the ground: "But judging from this, it's probably just a pawn. Look at the quality of these scales, it's far from perfect."

As he spoke, the man in black raised his hand and snatched a black scale, holding it in his palm.

The scales were as big as a washbasin, as hard as refined steel, and as white as quenched ice. Although Du Yuan did not touch them, she could still feel a chilling aura from two or three steps away.

Ordinary mortals would likely call it a treasure upon seeing it, and even ordinary cultivators would probably regard it as a precious item.

But when the scales reached the hands of the man in black, he only glanced at them briefly before crushing them into powder.

"Although this is something that fell off after you took your turn," the man in black said calmly, looking at the fragments on his fingertips, "dragons and snakes cherish their scales the most. If its cultivation was truly not bad, these scales would not have broken so easily."

"Therefore, it can only serve as a pawn. In that case, it does live up to the name of this sword."

"I wonder what this sword is called?" Du Yuan's curiosity grew even stronger.

The man in black smiled and said, "The sword hidden here is called 'Deadly Sword.' Just from that name, you can probably guess how troublesome it is, right?"

As he spoke, a hint of wistful reminiscence crept in, and he added slowly, "Moreover, this sword originally belonged to the Butcher. Aren't you also surprised that his sword actually had a proper name?"

People only know that the Butcher is a swordsman, but very few people know the name of his sword.

Because this person never talks much to others.

The man in black wanted to turn around and see the look of surprise that Du Yuan should have, but when he turned around, he saw that her face was completely calm and unbelievably serene.

"You knew about this all along?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know," Du Yuan honestly shook her head.

This answer made the man in black even more suspicious, and he pressed on, "Let me ask you first, you don't actually know who 'The Butcher' is, do you?"

It's not surprising that they didn't recognize Li Shiyi. After all, that was the swan song at the end of a great era, and those cultivators who had severed their ties with karma early on and entered the secret realm to avoid calamity naturally wouldn't know such a rising star.

But the "human butcher" is different; that's a fearsome name that has been established for thousands of years. Even cultivators from other realms must have heard of his name long ago.

To everyone's surprise, Du Yuan nodded calmly: "Indeed, I have never heard of it."

Upon hearing this, the man in black didn't say much, but he gave Du Yuan a deep look. In all his life, this was the first time he had encountered such an "ignorant" and strange person.

He shook his head and finally offered an explanation:

"The name 'Human Butcher' had been known for hundreds of years before the great calamity. He was one of the most outstanding and ferocious demons in the demonic path, and also an extremely rare pure sword cultivator in the demonic path."

There are quite a few sword cultivators in the world, but very few pure sword cultivators, and pure sword cultivators in the demonic path are even rarer.

"In his entire life, he only did one thing—kill people. He didn't kill demons, monsters, immortals, or gods; he only killed people. That's how he got the title of 'Butcher of Men'."

"How many people did he kill?" Du Yuan frowned slightly as she listened.

The man in black shook his head: "I've long since lost track of the exact number. I only know that the phrase 'rivers of blood' is certainly true. But I never expected that such a ferocious demon would have come here back then."

At this point, his voice grew even lower, filled with bitterness: "What I never expected was that in the end, even he couldn't escape."

Even that infamous, universally hated demon could fight to the death, yet this man who once called himself the "Great Sword Immortal" fled first.
This matter has weighed on him ever since, and he feels suffocated whenever he thinks about it.

Du Yuan noticed that he was in a bad mood, so she took the initiative to change the subject:
"Since he has been famous for so long, hasn't any expert thought of taking action to get rid of this scoundrel?"

“Yes, of course there are. And not just once, and not just one person. It’s just that the guy is extremely cautious and won’t reveal the slightest flaw.” The man in black took a moment to calm himself down and continued, “He acts entirely on his whim, without any method: sometimes he can slaughter several large cities without stopping, and sometimes he can lie dormant for decades or even centuries without leaving a trace.”

"Furthermore, he never shows up in those mountainous areas, so over the years, no one has been able to truly get rid of him."

"Oh, such a fiend, he actually ended up here?"

Du Yuan had originally intended to change the subject, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but press for an answer. Such a fearless and cautious demon seemed unlikely to be the kind of person who would step forward in the face of imminent calamity.

"I find it strange too, but that's the truth."

The man in black robes spoke with increasing bitterness and self-mockery.

Du Yuan frowned even more, feeling that something was not right.

So he looked intently down into the plain.

Unfortunately, his understanding of Confucianism ultimately lacked sufficient refinement.

Let alone seeing the sword clearly, even seeing through the earth's veins would be difficult. Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Du Yuan silently murmured in her heart: 'Amitabha!'

The next instant, the man in black beside him felt a sudden tightness in his chest, followed by a chill running down his spine. This was not the first time he had experienced this strange sense of oppression.

Back when he became famous at a young age, he believed his cultivation far surpassed that of his peers. In a moment of impulsiveness, he recklessly ventured into a nameless and dangerous place.

He had only taken a few steps when he felt his blood and qi stagnate, and even his breathing became somewhat labored. When he realized something was wrong and turned around abruptly, he was shocked to see a true azure dragon standing proudly behind him, its dragon might as well be a prison, almost crushing his soul!

In that instant, he truly understood what it meant for "even an ant to see the blue sky".

Before the true dragon, I felt so insignificant that I didn't even dare to breathe. And the trembling and awe I felt then were exactly the same as now!

But ever since he truly cultivated the Great Dao and became a great sword immortal, he had never felt this kind of overwhelming pressure again. Why did it suddenly reappear today?
The man in black glanced around suspiciously, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword at his waist—but all he touched was empty fabric, and a wave of self-mockery washed over him.

Back then, it was my own insistence to go, and it was also my own loss of spirit that led me to abandon my sword and flee.

How can you still have the nerve to think about wielding a sword now?
After a wry smile, the doubts in my heart faded considerably.

Who cares what's going on? I'm just a corpse that should have died here long ago. Why should I care about these things?
Just then, Du Yuan suddenly became serious and said:

"You may have gotten one thing wrong from the very beginning."

The man in black frowned slightly, his tone full of doubt: "What is it?"

Du Yuan pointed to the plain beneath her feet and said, word by word:

"This sword is actually the 'human butcher'."

The moment those words landed, the man in black felt as if he had been struck hard in the heart by a heavy hammer.

He thought he had long since lost all hope and could no longer feel any emotion, but at this moment, a huge storm suddenly surged in his chest.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Du Yuan's sleeve tightly, his voice filled with disbelief and urgency:

"What did you say?! Say it again! What do you mean this sword is the killer?"

The trembling from her sleeves allowed Du Yuan to clearly sense the turbulent emotions raging within the man in black.

He slowed his speech, carefully considered his words, and confirmed them again:

"The sword should be the main element, and people should be its slaves. The infamous reputation of the 'human butcher' actually stems from this sword."

Du Yuan clearly remembered that just now, she had only silently recited "Amitabha Buddha" when the fog in front of her suddenly dissipated, and everything became clear.

Not to mention the evil sword called "Deadly" buried under the plain, even the traces of the black python's escape and its origins were all exposed before his eyes.

What truly startled him was the demonic sword called "Deadly": at the same moment, a scarlet vertical pupil opened from the hilt, staring straight at him with an almost tangible ferocity surging in its eyes.

At the same time, he saw that the sword had fallen at the bottom of an unnamed cliff. The moment a young man bent down to pick it up, the eye on the hilt suddenly opened. Then, countless blood-red patterns spread out from the sword and wrapped around the young man like living things. In the blink of an eye, they wrapped him up completely.

As the bloodstains faded, the eye on the sword hilt slowly closed, but the young man's eyes became exactly the same as the vertical pupil on the sword, devoid of any human color, only a cold, bloodthirsty gaze remained.

The man in black was half-believing and half-doubting; his spirit, which had been completely broken, seemed to be rising again, yet also seemed to have turned to ashes.

He abruptly released Du Yuan's hand, staggered back several steps until his heel hit a pebble, barely managing to regain his balance. He then asked, full of confusion:
"If... if it's true... then why... why did 'it' end up here?"

This question stumped Du Yuan as well.

So after hesitating for a moment, Du Yuan said:
"Perhaps this question should be asked of the sword itself?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Ask this sword! Since it's a demonic sword that devours its master, then asking it will reveal everything!"

In that instant, the man in black seemed to regain the spirit he had lost.

Although it was only for a moment, it was enough for the Great Sword Immortal!

Before he finished speaking, his clothes were already fluttering, and his sword intent, which had been dormant for many years, suddenly awakened—it was the pressure of a great sword immortal!
Even if it was only a momentary awakening, in an instant, it was as if a whirlwind had swept across, and the entire plain was filled with that sharp sword intent.

His arms were straight, and between his palms facing each other, a soaring sword aura condensed on them. Although he had no sword in his hand, he was more intimidating than if he were holding a divine weapon.

"Open it—!"

As his fierce shout fell, he slashed forward with both arms. There was no earth-shattering sound, but the plain beneath his feet seemed to have been cleaved by an invisible giant blade, and the ground instantly cracked open, creating a ravine that stretched straight into the earth.

Dust and gravel slid down the ravines, and even the earth's veins were severed in an instant.

Du Yuan watched with great admiration. This was the first time he had truly witnessed the peak killing power of a pure sword cultivator: without relying on magic weapons or spells, but only with a sudden surge of sword intent, he could use his body as a sword to cleave the earth.

Such power is truly remarkable!
At least, during his trip to the Southwest, he hadn't met anyone more powerful than this man in black.

And I've never seen anyone exert more force than in this instant!
Of course, the kittens have to be excluded. And it's also possible that they died too quickly and didn't have a chance to be shown off.

Regardless, this was the first time Du Yuan had ever seriously witnessed the killing power of a powerful cultivator when he was serious.

The man in black is powerful, but his demonic sword is equally formidable!
The moment the earth's veins that had been suppressing it were cleaved open, thunderclouds suddenly rose in the sky. It seemed as if a heavenly tribulation was about to descend, to prevent the demon from escaping.

Before that could happen, the demonic sword 'Death', which had already opened its eyes because of Du Yuan, instantly transformed into a stream of light and headed straight for the heavens.

Its target is very clear: Hexi County!
As long as one falls into Hexi and hides well, the heavenly tribulation will be restrained by human conduct and will be difficult to descend.

Even if we really disregard everything, it doesn't matter. With the checks and balances between Heavenly Law and Humanity, its power will naturally be weakened.

This is still an opportunity.

Seeing this, the man in black shouted sternly:

"Don't even think about escaping!"

With each step, the earth beneath his feet cracked open, spreading outwards like a spider web.

Only Du Yuan's feet remained intact.

And in front of that demonic sword, a pair of large hands, swirling with powerful sword energy, pressed down, determined to take it down in one fell swoop!
Du Yuan did not interfere, but simply stood aside, her gaze fixed on the "deadly" demonic sword.

Faced with the giant sword energy hand that was attacking, the vertical pupil on the hilt of the demonic sword narrowed as if it were a living person, revealing a hint of undisguised mockery.

What kind of swordsman is someone who has lost his spirit and his sword?

Unwilling to entangle with the man in black, its sword suddenly hummed, and crimson sword light surged along the spine of the sword. With a single twist, it tore apart the pair of sword energy hands. With its remaining momentum, it fled straight towards the west of the river.

"you dare!"

The man in black had eyes that were bloodshot and almost bleeding.

The 'Spring Breeze' pressed against the mountainside was also trembling wildly. It seemed that if the man in black raised his hand and summoned it, the immortal sword would break the seal on its own.

It went straight into the hands of its former master.

But at the very last moment, the man in black suddenly let out a long sigh, his newly ignited spirit instantly dissipated, his body went limp, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

The "spring breeze" on the mountainside seemed to sense its owner's dejection, its buzzing gradually fading and eventually falling into complete silence, leaving only a deathly stillness.

In the crimson light of the fleeing demonic sword, the vertical pupil on the hilt grew even more smug, its mockery almost tangible—I told you, what kind of person is a sword cultivator who can't even keep his own sword?

As the radiance grew ever larger, it was conceivable that in the blink of an eye, this demonic sword would fall into Hexi, relying on the great fortune earned by Gao Cheng and several successive county magistrates through their diligent governance and care for the people, to withstand the heavenly calamity.

That's incredibly fast!
Even the old beggar in Hexi barely managed to react:
"The Butcher's sword? No, that's just a sword slave. You're the Butcher himself!?"

The old beggar tried to raise his hand to stop it, but the moment his fingertips touched a wisp of the demonic sword's ferocious aura, he knew it was too late.

He sighed inwardly, 'If Li Shiyi were still alive, he could surely have stopped this wretched child!'

He could only watch helplessly as the demonic sword fell into Hexi and pierced the Hexi County government office.
Huh?! Where's the sword?
At this moment, the old beggar, who had seen it clearly, was filled with confusion. He had clearly seen the demonic sword fall into the Hexi County government office.

But where is that demonic sword that should be stuck in the county government's courtroom now?
Meanwhile, it was in Du Yuan's hands.

The vertical pupil of that demonic sword had long since lost all its malevolence, and even its previous mockery had vanished completely.

At this moment, all that remained was terror at the person gripping the sword!
(End of this chapter)