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

Chapter 267 Crushed (5k)

The pupil on the sword hilt was trembling wildly at that moment.

This demonic sword probably never imagined in its entire life that it would encounter such a person in such a place.

It can neither be eroded nor broken free.

It wasn't that it hadn't encountered powerful cultivators before, but this was the first time it had met such an outrageous being.

In a daze, it even seemed to have returned to the era when Heaven suppressed all things—at that time, it was just as helpless, only able to watch everything happen.

Looking at the demonic sword in her hand, which was still struggling but ultimately futile, Du Yuan smiled:

"You're always so cautious, but if you hadn't run into me today, I'm afraid I would have let you continue to be so arrogant!"

Now that she had the demonic sword in her hands, Du Yuan examined it closely and discovered even more entanglements of cause and effect.

Just as the man in black said, the sword was indeed extremely cautious: it never appeared in the mountains, and it would never make a move if it sensed anything amiss!
In the centuries it ravaged the land as a "human butcher," it has missed countless "golden opportunities." Although it has lost many chances for blood sacrifice, it has also managed to evade the ambushes of many powerful figures.

Seeing these causes and effects, Du Yuan sneered and said to it, "It's a pity that the devil is one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall!"

Just then, the man in black finally came to his senses and hesitantly stepped forward. However, he did not get close, but stopped three or four feet in front of Du Yuan.

Looking at the completely silent demonic sword "Death-Taking" in Du Yuan's hand, the man in black was not surprised that he had misjudged it—he had not even noticed that there was a great cultivator hiding beside him.

He trembled, wanting to ask a question, but he couldn't get the words out of his throat.

He was terrified!

He simply couldn't bring himself to ask such a simple question as, "Why did the butcher come back then?"

He considered himself a righteous person and bore the honorary title of "Great Sword Immortal." He was originally the leader of the righteous path in a state, and countless sword cultivators and major sects all followed his lead.

When the great calamity descended, he, like the other sword cultivators, saw Li Shiyi deliver a sword strike that restored the backbone of sword cultivators, and resolutely headed south to his death.

Can bear fruit.
Countless juniors inferior to him, countless lowly figures unworthy of his attention, have died heroically, their bones buried at his feet; yet he, the great swordsman and the leader of a state, has survived to this day!
Having survived the great calamity over the years, he gradually accepted reality—he wasn't as carefree as he thought, nor could he be considered a pure sword cultivator.

He's just an ordinary person with a bit of talent for swordsmanship.

Everyone buried beneath his feet is more respectable than him. Anyone could point a finger at him and yell, "What kind of swordsman do you think you are?"

But the one thing he couldn't accept was that even a demon like "Human Butcher" was more like a sword cultivator than him.

Du Yuan naturally noticed his hesitation. After a moment's consideration, he gripped the demonic sword named "Deadly" and slowly said:

"Those who came here back then were not butchers."

The man in black suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming with an indescribable light; but a moment later, he lowered his head in shame—after all, this was not something to be proud of.

Du Yuan continued to explain: "The one who came back then was the one who was corrupted by the demonic sword."

The Demon Sword "Deadly" was originally at the bottom of the Nameless Cliff. It was by corrupting a young man that it became the infamous butcher.

But the young man who had become a sword slave never gave up resisting. The Butcher's long period of dormancy, often lasting for years or even decades, was not only due to its own caution, but also largely due to its constant struggle with the young man.

However, the more times the demonic sword was used in blood sacrifice, the more difficult it became for the young man to resist.

Therefore, in the last hundred years, he almost gave up resistance.

The Demon Sword believed it had finally won, but in reality, the young man had been waiting for this great calamity. He knew that if things continued this way, he would ultimately not win, so he would take advantage of the calamity to destroy the Demon Sword in one fell swoop, and also to atone for his sins in releasing the Demon Sword back then.

Finally, Li Shiyi went south and unleashed that earth-shattering sword strike. The swords of all the sword cultivators in the world resonated in unison. The young man also seized this last opportunity—to turn the tables and follow the crowd south to atone for his sins!

The one who fought to the death from beginning to end was not the butcher, but the young man whose name even Du Yuan didn't know.

As Du Yuan finished speaking, the pent-up frustration that had been building up in the black-clad man's chest for countless years finally released.

At least, he wasn't even as bad as a monster like "The Butcher".

But based on this alone, it's absolutely impossible to regain his former spirit. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given up again at such a crucial moment.

But no matter what, he'll feel better in the days to come.

Now that the immense burden had been lifted, along with the release of pent-up emotions, the man in black, his posture even more hunched, bowed to Du Yuan and said, "Thank you for revealing the cause and effect."

Sometimes, the pent-up frustration in a person's heart can actually propel them forward—after all, they always hope to be able to vent it someday.

But once that breath dissipates and there are no other thoughts to sustain a person, they will be like him now, with their spine seemingly about to break.

Du Yuan sighed softly in her heart.

What wrong did this man do? Back then, his courage to head south to face the calamity already surpassed countless others in the world; in the end, he escaped, so it's really no wonder he was wrong.

Now, he just can't get over his own mental hurdle.

At times like this, the best thing for an outsider like myself to do is to say nothing. Any words of comfort would be superfluous and might even backfire, causing him more pain.

After he escaped back then, he has been half-dead ever since.

Seeing this, Du Yuan had no choice but to change the subject and ask, "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

The man in black gave a wry smile and slowly shook his head:

"My heart is at peace, and I have nothing more to say."

After speaking, his gaze remained fixed on the demonic sword in Du Yuan's hand, and he finally couldn't help but speak:
"The origin of this sword is a mystery, yet it is extremely malevolent. Moreover, if I am not mistaken, this sword has no fixed limit and can be raised to an infinitely higher level."

Most of the rare treasures in the world are predetermined; they can only reach a certain level, and very few can transcend that limit.

But when the man in black examined the demonic sword closely, he suddenly realized that it was probably forged by someone with unfathomable skill, who somehow escaped the will of Heaven and created it himself.

This allows its power to be infinitely increased simply by continuously offering blood as a sacrifice.

Considering that this sword was specifically designed to slaughter humans, the man in black secretly speculated that it might be the work of some otherworldly demon.

Although it is an ominous object, it is extremely precious. After all, treasures that can escape the dictates of fate are extremely rare in the world!
Just as the man in black was pondering how to persuade Du Yuan to take good care of the demonic sword, he saw Du Yuan suddenly chuckle and exert force in her palm, crushing the demonic sword to pieces!
The pupil on the hilt of the demonic sword first contracted sharply, then widened suddenly, churning with countless emotions, the most intense of which was a deep-seated terror.

It probably never expected that the person in front of it would destroy it so easily.

"This...this is a rare and precious sword!" the man in black exclaimed in surprise.

Du Yuan was somewhat surprised and raised an eyebrow, asking, "But isn't it also a 'human butcher' that everyone has the right to kill?"

The man in black was instantly dumbfounded, then his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably. Finally, his back nearly snapped, and he slowly slumped down, saying with shame:
"I am ashamed!"

Seeing the black-clad man's spirit, she had unintentionally interrupted it once again.

Du Yuan was also somewhat helpless.

Although this person escaped back then, his behavior actually shows that he had extremely high moral standards for himself.

Otherwise, if a slightly less capable person had been brought in, the situation would have been completely different.

So Du Yuan had no choice but to change the subject and point into the distance, saying:
"Let's go check on the swords in the surrounding area. Didn't we say we should see if these swords have found a suitable home?"

The man in black nodded slightly.

This was his last bit of motivation.

And so, the two walked slowly toward the other hidden sword locations.
-
Not long after the two left.

A man in black cautiously emerged from the mountains. Even after seeing that no one was around, he still carefully prepared by throwing out several talismans before daring to approach.

After seeing the fragments on the ground.

He had been so incredulous that he quickly picked it up and pieced it back together.

After piecing together the scattered pieces, they finally managed to recreate the demonic sword.

The man in black was sweating profusely. "It actually crushed it?!"

It's not scary that a celestial sword was broken.

There are mountains beyond mountains, and skies beyond skies. No matter how powerful you are, there will always be someone more powerful. Especially a sword that has been suppressed for so many years and still has no master.

So what's truly terrifying is that it shattered without a sound!

What does this mean?
This shows that this immortal sword is far inferior to that person's!

In comparison, doesn't that mean I'm just as bad as others?

Thinking of this, Wu Yike hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

After discovering he couldn't remove the wooden plaque, he thought he was prepared. Unexpectedly, he still underestimated the newcomer.

"I knew it, I knew it! Since that sword is here, the officials at the Confucian Temple couldn't possibly not come!"

"That damn bitch, she's really ruined my life!"

Thinking of this, he didn't dare delay and took out the secret technique that the alluring woman had given him.

Heart Road:

'Luckily, I was quick-witted enough to acquire this item early on. It not only helps me disappear without a trace, but it can also sever my karmic ties.'

'No wonder that woman was able to learn from those foxes in Tushan; she really does have some skills.'

'Ever since Lady Ruoqing of Tushan passed away, very few of the remaining foxes on Tushan Mountain have been able to master this secret technique.'

This technique is based on cultivation level and is not a fundamental outline of a method.

With his current level of cultivation, his progress in cultivation is already rapid; in addition, he had already carefully deduced and studied it before, and now that he has carefully read the secret techniques, he feels more and more at ease.

He recalled the magical power flow path he had previously tested, stepped out intricate seal script on the spot, then bit his fingertip, flicked his finger in the air, and shouted out the word "Go"!

But the next moment, instead of disappearing from the spot as he had predicted, his heart skipped a beat, his blood surged like boiling water, and his internal magic power went berserk.

By this time, he understood perfectly well that the damned bastard must have tampered with the secret technique!
During the test, the run was short, so naturally nothing happened.

If you try to escape now, you'll be in serious trouble instantly!
In a fit of shock and anger, he burst into curses:

"What a despicable person!"

Fortunately, relying on his profound cultivation, he suppressed the surge of magical power and hurriedly affixed a jade talisman to himself, using its power to lock down the energy around his body.

Although ignoring it might not necessarily lead to immediate death, without this jade talisman, one would certainly suffer a severe loss of vital energy!

Even though the situation was handled promptly and properly, his magical power was still sluggish and difficult to circulate, and his physique showed signs of weakness.

This secret technique is powerful to begin with; if you get the key wrong, the backlash will be even more ferocious.

Otherwise, why would people dare not rashly deduce and compile magic arts? Isn't it precisely because they are afraid that if they make a slight mistake in the key points, they will get burned and suffer a backlash?

He clutched his chest and forced himself to sit down against an old tree.

After observing the internal circulation of his body, the man in black felt a sweet taste in his throat and almost spat out another mouthful of blood: That bastard must have carefully tampered with this secret technique!
This has not only caused him to suffer heavy losses, but what's more troublesome is that he can no longer activate his magic power for long periods of time.

This means that it is virtually impossible for him to escape on his own.

"What a vicious bitch!"

A wave of unprecedented regret washed over the man in black—those fox demons had taught him the lesson that "the most poisonous heart is that of a woman," yet he still fell for it!

In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to those years.

That year, he went to the capital to take the imperial examination. Because it was getting late, he saw a manor in front of him and went up to knock on the door to ask for lodging.

Upon entering, he was dazzled by the sight of so many beautiful women in the courtyard.

At that time, he vaguely felt that it was one thing for such a manor to suddenly appear in the desolate mountains and wilderness, but how could there be so many frivolous beauties?

Something's definitely not right! But ultimately, his mind wandered, but his legs didn't follow.
From then on, he was entangled by that group of fox demons, who drained him of his Dao foundation. Fortunately, after they got tired of playing with him, they didn't really devour him completely. They just casually threw some worthless things at him and tossed him out like trash.

His natural talent plummeted, his path to enlightenment completely collapsed, and he lost dozens of kilograms of flesh.

He looked like some dry firewood that had been picked up from who-knows-where!
Back then, they could survive by relying on the last shred of "conscience" left in that group of foxes. Now, in this situation, who can they rely on?
The man in black stared blankly at the sky, his heart filled with despair.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stone bridge, the alluring woman who had gotten up from the ground and hastily dressed suddenly opened her mouth and spat out a lustrous golden pill.

She took the golden pill and walked towards the butcher who was lazily lying on the ground, and said:

"You were the top clerk of Tiannanzhai back then, with exceptional eyesight. Help me take a look at this golden pill and see if there's anything wrong with it."

The butcher still didn't intend to get up, remaining lying on the ground, scratching his bare belly. Seeing that the woman was pressing him so hard, he casually glanced up, frowned slightly, and held out his hand, saying:
"Give it to me, let me take a closer look."

The woman handed over the golden elixir, which the butcher took, examined it carefully for a long time, and then smiled and spoke:
"This pill is excellent, and it's perfectly suited to your cultivation path. Taking it will definitely help you reach a higher level. However, the person who gave you this pill probably didn't have good intentions."

The glamorous woman scoffed, "I knew that guy wouldn't be so kind."

The butcher toyed with the golden elixir between his fingers, slowly saying, "As for the way to break it, it's simple. The trickery in this elixir lies within the elixir itself. In other words, it must be taken at a specific time, otherwise the elixir's power will all turn into poison, harming oneself."

Upon hearing this, the alluring woman patted her chest in lingering fear and murmured:
"No wonder I couldn't find the problem no matter how I looked at it before; it was hidden here."

When she was suppressed by the Confucian scholar's righteous aura and couldn't lift her head, she wanted to swallow the golden pill to fight back. Fortunately, she held back in the end, otherwise she would probably have been killed by the black-clad man by now.

"When would be the right time to take this pill?"

The butcher casually tossed the golden elixir back to her and laughed:

"Simple! Right now! You're feeling the heat of spring right now, it's the perfect time! That guy must think you would never take this golden pill at this moment, so he deliberately set this up."

"That makes perfect sense." The glamorous woman sneered. "This guy really went to great lengths to harm me."

Seeing this, the butcher laughed and asked, "Looks like you didn't let him get away with it either?"

"Of course!" A sly glint flashed in the woman's eyes. "If he hadn't used that secret technique, it would have been fine, but since he has, he can't blame me for the consequences!"

That fellow went to great lengths to obtain this secret technique, clearly intending to take it and then flee far away.

If that's the case, if he behaves himself and doesn't run far away, this secret technique will be an extremely useful aid to him; but if he dares to think of abandoning me and running away on his own.

Heh, then all we can do is wait to die!

But just as the alluring woman was about to put the golden pill into her mouth, her movements suddenly stopped. She looked up at the butcher still lying on the ground, her tone still carrying a hint of lingering wariness:
"You wouldn't have lied to me too, would you?"

The butcher still didn't get up, only lazily raised his arm, patted the empty space beside him, and said in a flat, listless voice:
"Come and keep me company after you finish eating. Heaven knows how deep his secrets and how ruthless his methods are, that Confucian scholar you're dealing with. Why would I harm you? I'm from the Confucian school, and we've never gotten along."

He paused, then casually traced two lines on his belly with his fingertips:
Why make yourself unhappy for no reason? Don't you think that makes sense?

The Tiannanzhai where he lived was forcibly shut down because it did not conform to the rites and laws set by the Confucian Temple.

There are many festivals here.

Having realized this, the last trace of doubt in the alluring woman's heart completely dissipated, and she immediately opened her mouth and swallowed the golden elixir. After closing her eyes and focusing inward for a moment, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned upward:
Just as the butcher had said, the golden pill's effects were not only normal after taking it, but also very mild!
The hidden injuries that had been suppressed by the Confucian scholar's righteous energy were visibly healing and dissipating; along with his long-stagnant cultivation, it was also beginning to stir, showing signs of rising.

Her pupils still gleamed with a faint golden light, a testament to the medicinal power of the Golden Elixir, yet she had already loosened her belt again, leaning limply against the butcher, her voice cloying:
"When I face that scholar later, I'll be relying entirely on your sword!"

The butcher's eyes held a hint of amusement as he watched the golden light in her pupils gradually fade to a deep purple, and he replied with a smile:

"Well, then you'll have to take good care of my other 'knife' first."

The alluring woman immediately gave a coquettish cry, reached out and wrapped her arm around his, and the two rolled around in each other's arms again.

As they swayed and intertwined, the color in the alluring woman's pupils deepened to a deep purple, while the butcher's once smooth back was now covered with tree-like, dark lines, resembling the gnarled roots of an old tree, eerily strange.

(End of this chapter)