Mang of the Jian Clan blurred across space, carrying his newborn daughter in his right arm.
In his non-dominant left hand, he wielded his sword.
"And where will you run?"
The voice boomed behind Mang Jian, making him look over his shoulder.
Liang Xuan was hot on his heels, his dragon-like vertical pupils spewing blood.
Mang Jian flicked the sword in front of him, slicing space with his Sword Intent. In one breath, he crossed over a hundred miles, stumbling out on the other side of space. And the moment he saw what lay in front of him, his eyes widened.
Shen Rui of the Crimson Lotus Clan.
Gu Mochen of the Black Iron Clan.
Yun Haoran of the Heavenly River Clan.
Zhao Lingfeng of the Silent Wind Clan.
The four Immortal Patriarchs of the Righteous Faction of the Immortal Land were standing shoulder to shoulder, eyeing him.
A chill ran down Mang Jian's spine.
Sensing his unease, the newborn in his right arm began crying.
Space was torn apart behind him, and Liang Xuan, the Immortal Patriarch of the Azure Cloud Clan from the Upper Realm, appeared, wearing a murderous smile.
"… Why?" Mang Jian looked at the four Patriarchs who seemed to have betrayed him. "WHY?!"
The four Patriarchs' pupils shook, the Sword Intent in Mang Jian's voice slicing their Origins.
Their jaws tightened as they stabilized themselves, their fingers balling into fists behind their backs.
"… Truly deserving of being called the greatest swordsman the Immortal Land has ever birthed," Liang Xuan said, looking at Mang Jian's back. "To shake four Immortals' Origins with a mere cultivation of Nascent Soul… The Demon Clan indeed had some good seeds… Too bad. I killed all of them."
The sword Mang Jian carried shuddered.
He didn't look back anymore, but kept his eyes on the four Immortals in front of him.
"… Demon Clan?" he asked, a sarcastic smile, full of betrayal, flashing across his lips. "Demon Clan?! Have you all forgotten that you all belonged to the same Demon Clan only a few thousand years ago? Or have you all forgotten who saved the Immortal Land from the Blood Fiends' Invasion ten thousand years ago?! You Scum! Are you even worthy of calling yourselves Immortals?!"
Liang Xuan's eyes narrowed, and the four Patriarchs noted that.
Shen Rui sighed, a sword appearing in his hands. "We advised you not to marry the girl who was promised to another, Junior," he said. "For one girl, you barged into the Upper Realm with your meager cultivation and annihilated entire Clans… Did you really think there would be no repercussions? Or do you think that the Immortal Land must suffer the same fate as the Ji… the Demon Clan?"
Mang Jian stared at the man who had taught him the way of the sword.
A part of him instantly died as he heard Shen Rui call the Jian Clan a Demon one.
What remained died, too, when he saw an Iron Bell, a River Painting, and a Brush appearing in Gu Mochen, Yun Haoran, and Zhao Lingfeng's hands.
"Haha…" Mang Jian laughed, making all the Immortals frown suddenly. "Hahaha…"
The laugh drowned the baby's cries, echoing far and wide.
And the laugh vanished as soon as it had appeared.
"Come then…" Mang of the Jian Clan said. "Traitors!"
"Attack!" Liang Xuan shouted.
A blast of wind came for Mang Jian first as Zhao Lingfeng flicked the brush in his hand. A massive bell, covering the entire sky, appeared over him as Gu Mochen poured his cultivation into the Iron Bell he held. The gurgles of an invisible river roared as the River Painting fluttered over Yun Haoran's head, closing space in a thousand miles.
Shen Rui… hacked.
The closed space folded onto itself and went for Mang Jian, like a blade.
In return, the Nascent Soul Cultivator took a deep breath and let it out through his mouth, his entire cultivation entering a strange calm.
The wind tore open Mang Jian's clothes, covering his already bloody body with fresh wounds. The large bell descended, pressing his shoulders with the weight of a world. The space blade ran right through him, mutilating his innards.
Yet, Mang Jian didn't even move an inch.
All the Patriarchs, including Liang Xuan, stared at the man between them in disbelief.
"… How…" Liang Xuan uttered. "He is… achieving Immortality?!"
"What is Immortality…" Mang Jian said, blood dripping down from the corners of his mouth. "… but a fool's errand…"
"Kill!" Liang Xuan shot forward, joining the fray. "Don't let him create an Origin…"
The rest of the Patriarchs, too stunned to move, were forced to attack as well, ignoring the struggle in their hearts.
Seeing them all coming for him, the corners of Mang Jian's bloody lips lifted.
"If my Clan is a Demon Clan…" he said, succeeding in tricking the Immortals, "then… a Demon I am."
Mang Jian's sword traced an imperceptible path.
And a thin red line appeared on Liang Xuan's neck… before his head rolled down.
Shen Rui was too stunned to gasp when the sword cut his torso from the waist. "… Heart Intent… When…"
The bell over Mang Jian's head was cut apart as Gu Mochen's body was sliced into a hundred pieces. The River Painting was sliced in half, along with Yun Haoran. The wind lost its momentum as the tip of the sword ran through Zhao Lingfeng's heart.
Mang Jian pulled the sword out and flicked off the blood.
Suddenly… an ancient Sigh rang in his ears.
Mang Jian's head snapped up, but instantly his eyes exploded before a wave of power slammed onto him, pressing him against the earth in a fraction of a second.
"… You are too weak to look at me… Mang of the Jian Clan."
"Hahaha!" Mang Jian cried out from his heart, sensing nothing but... blood in his right arm. "Hahaha… Then I will… come back from the dead to look at you!"
"Some Peaks…" the Power said, crushing him to death. "… can never be seen."
In the Cursed Vault of Fear, Mang Jian felt Red's intent through his Reiatsu — to walk toward nothing but the Peak of Absolute Power.
But… Red wasn't the Peak he was searching for.
Mang Jian's sword let out a brilliant, white glow as he lifted his left hand higher.
"There's nothing worth seeing here…" the Blind Executioner said with a small smile on his lips. "Close your eyes… Sento!"
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