Xue Shen charged into the battle, both of them still obvious of him.
"COME ON, QUAN NING! IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO DIE! HAHAHA!" Bao Jia laughed maniacally, already certain in his mind that Quan Ning was as good as dead.
But just as Bao Jia was about to launch another attack toward Quan Ning, he froze, something felt wrong.
Xue Shen appeared behind Bao Jia so quickly, that Bao Jia hadn't even notice him. With one swing of his blade, Xue Shen aimed straight for the top of his head, trying to split Bao Jia's body in half from his head to his crotch.
Quan Ning's thoughts raced as his body grew heavy and sluggish.
'Is this how I die?!'
But just as he thought he would die, Bao Jia suddenly stopped moving, and he heard a sickening sound.
SHHK!
With a single swing, Xue Shen had cleaved Bao Jia in two, his body split from head to his crotch.
[Ding! 100 EXP]
[Ding! 10 EXP to Blade Mastery]
Bao Jia's eyes widened with horror as he realized what had happened, but it was already too late. His body split into two halves.
Quan Ning's despair evaporated. He had been saved! Around them, the entourage erupted into cheers.
"We survived!" one shouted.
Faces lit with relief and joy at their sudden victory.
But as Quan Ning was about to thank Xue Shen, his gratitude froze into suspicion because of his power.
"You said your name was-"
Before he could finish, Xue Shen's blade came hurdling towards him. Instinctively, Quan Ning blocked with his sword.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Quan Ning yelled out in horror.
"QIAN LIU!?" Da Xiong shouted from the side, using Xue Shen's false name. "What are you doing?" His mind raced, and a dreadful thought came into his mind. He muttered under his breath just loud enough for Lin Gao, and Yan Gao to hear, "Could he be the killer in the woods? The blade… the way the killings were carried out.. it's the same…"
"Does the Monster Hunter guild intend to betray our Ning Family!?" Quan Ning, asked assuming Xue Shen was a part of some scheme set by the Monster Hunters Guild.
"Stop struggling, you fool! Come and accept death's embrace!" Xue Shen yelled out. At last, he no longer needed to hide his true self.
Their blades clashed again and again.
CLINK! CLANK!
Although Quan Ning blocked every strike, it was painfully clear that he could not win against Xue Shen's relentless onslaught.
The entourage stood frozen in fear. They had just witnessed Xue Shen massacre thirty soldiers with ease. None dared to intervene—not even the Ning family's guards, they were paralyzed, and unsure of what to do.
Finally, Xue Shen saw an opening. His blade swung towards Quan Ning's arm.
"UAGHHHH!" Quan Ning screamed as his arm was severed, flying off while his sword clattered to the ground. He collapsed, trembling, eyes wide with terror. "Mercy! Please, mercy! I'll do anything, please!" he cried, dropping to his knees, forehead pressed into the dirt just below Xue Shen.
Xue Shen's face twisted in disgust. This Ning elder was so corrupted by existence, that he begged to continue playing its meaningless game. Xue Shen felt nothing but repulsion as he watched Quan Ning plead for his life.
"Are you so corrupted that you still wish to keep playing this meaningless game?!" Xue Shen yelled, his foot stepping on Quan Ning's head.
"I—"
But before he could finish, Xue Shen lifted his foot and brought it down with full force, crushing and shattering Quan Ning's skull.
CRACK!—CRUNCH!
Blood splattered across Xue Shen's boots. He stomped Quan Ning skull again, and again, each impact making a wet, sickening, almost squishing sound, like stepping onto a puddle. His face remained blank, indifferent to the sickening sounds.
Squish. Squish. Squish.
[Ding! 100 EXP]
[Ding! 10 EXP to Blade Mastery]
"Rest now… lost soul. You were too blinded by existence's illusions. But now… you'll find peace," Xue Shen muttered, speaking directly to Quan Ning.
The entourage could only watch in horror as Xue Shen killed Quan Ning. They had thought of running, but none dared move.
Then Xue Shen after having his fun looked at the onlookers..
Everybody's faces were frozen with fear when they saw Xue Shen glaring at them.
"Is he going to kill us too?" one whispered.
"Great Cultivator! It's an honor to be greeted by your presence," a guardian guild member said, rushing foward towards Xue Shen and kowtowing.
Xue Shen glared at the crowd in front of him. They all looked injured and still somewhat exhausted, but though most had regained a bit of energy after all he had taken out most of the enemies himself.
'There's over forty of them…' he thought. He was in a bad position, killing those two cultivators hadn't given him as much EXP as he had hoped. His plan was to reach level 11 and to put 4 points into endurance and have the stamina and endurance to keep fighting but that didn't happen.
Granted, Xue Shen was strong and fast, but he wasn't invincible. He had been fighting nonstop and was growing tired. After all, he wasn't a cultivator and did not possess endless stamina. Facing over forty men at once would be disastrous for both sides. Though he was confident he could kill them all, the risk wasn't worth it in his mind. After all, he could not die, not until he had liberated all from existence's clutches.
So he decided to intimidate them.
"Kill all of the Ning family escorts," Xue Shen declared to the rest of the entourage.
They looked at each other nervously. Though Xue Shen was just a mortal, the power he displayed made everyone believe he was a cultivator.
After all they had just seen him kill over thirty wolves, thirty men and two cultivators in the span of an hour, any sane person would listen if they valued their lives.
Suddenly, one man from the escort guild stabbed a Ning family guard in the back.
"Uagh! Are you all insane?! Our Ning family won't let this go unpunished!"
"Ning family? Look around, you fool. Your elder were just killed in front of you. Do you really think your Ning family will even let you off the hook? Even our lives are in danger if they find out we let them die, and even more so by that man," the escort guild member said, his voice sounding scared, and glancing at Xue Shen with fear in his eyes.
What Xue Shen witnessed next was truly magnificent, the other guilds went crazy, killing the all Ning family guards mercilessly.
"If only people were like this when I asked them to end their only existence…" he muttered under his breath, faint sadness in his eyes. 'Ha… pitiful and sickening — they would kill to preserve their existence, yet cannot have the will to end it, to free themselves from the torment of existence...' Xue Shen thought, as he watched, his gaze was cold ahd indifferent, as the men tore each other apart in a desperate bid to preserve their own existence.
The only ones who didn't move were the Monster Hunters Guild. They just stared at the carnage, all frozen not knowing what to do.
"Husband… what the hell do we do?" Yan Gao's eyes were mortified as she clutched Lin Gao's arms.
"Da Xiong… what the hell is wrong with this guy? When did he even join our Monster Hunter Guild?" Lin Gao said whispering.
"I-I don't know! he joined not even yesterday.." Da Xiong said, his hands trembling as he thought of Xue Shen.
"We're screwed. Us and our guild… if the Ning family find out we stood here and did nothing…" Lin Gao's face darkened at the grim consequences.
It was truly unfortunate, they had no choice, it was either help the Quan Ning and die with him, or do nothing and survive… at least for now, until the Ning family found out. He, of course, chose to do nothing.
He turned his head, not wanting to look at the blood-crazed guild members who were trying to kill the Ning family guards.
Four minutes later, all the Ning family guards had been slaughtered by the guild members, but the guilds themselves had also suffered casualties.
"Come out, miss!" a member of the Guardian Guild shouted, banging on the lavish wagon.
He burst through the door, revealing a young lady of the Ning family, huddled in a corner, shivering with fear.
"Come out, miss!" the escort repeated, but she shook her head, trembling, refusing to comply.
"You don't want to come out? Fine. Then I'll make you!" he snarled, lunging forward and yanking her by the hair, dragging her toward Xue Shen.
"NO! No!" she screamed, thrashing violently on the ground, desperate to escape his grip.
"Oh, great cultivator, I've brought you the young lady of the Ning family!" the guild member said proudly, clearly hoping to impress Xue Shen.
"Sir! I'm not the young miss!" the pink-haired lady protested immediately.
Xue Shen's eyes narrowed, sharp and calculating.
"How dare you lie in front of the great cultivator!" the escort barked, eager to gain favor from Xue Shen.
"Shut up!" Xue Shen snapped annoyed at the talkative man — and in an instant, the man's head was severed from his body.
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
"If you aren't the young lady of the Ning family, then who are you?" he asked, his tone curious, and not immediately dismissing her words outright.
She looked conflicted. She seemed to fear something far worse than death itself, hesitating to even speak the truth.
Xue Shen's gaze swept over the remaining crowd, counting at least sixteen people still present, including members of the Monster Hunters Guild.
All the while, he rested, observing, conserving his stamina.
"Come here and get in a line," Xue Shen ordered, motioning with his hands. For now, he ignored the pink-haired lady, focusing on dealing with the others first.
Exhausted, the guild members slowly moved closer to him.
"Now, put your weapons down," Xue Shen ordered.
Everyone's eyes were filled with suspicion. No one wanted to lower their weapons, but what choice did they have? If a cultivator attacked them, they wouldn't even be able to defend themselves. And if they disobeyed, they risked offending a cultivator, and being attacked anyway. Everyone was trapped in a tense predicament, unsure of what to do.
Xue Shen understood their situation and swung his blade, he cleanly severed one of the Guardian Guild members head, severing his head from his body.
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
THUD!
The man's body collapsed with a thud.
Everyone froze.. at that moment then, all of them instantly dropped their weapons.
`Would he… would he kill his own guild members?' Da Xiong thought. He didn't know Xue Shen at all.. not even remotely… quite unfortunate..
"Good," Xue Shen said, clapping slowly.
"Now… seven of you, come step closer." Xue Shen voice ordered
They all hesitated, but Xue Shen didn't wait, he stepped closer to one man and with a swift thrust, his blade drove into a man's stomach and out the back.
"UUGH!" The man's eyes widened in pure horror.
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
Immediately seven men stepped forward, trembling. Xue Shen swung horizontally. In one swing, all seven of their heads were cleanly cut. Their blood sprayed like rain, and heads rolled onto the ground.
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
'This… this cultivator… he intends to kill us all!' everyone thought.
"MO-MONSTER!" someone screamed, turning around to flee. But Xue Shen was fast. He grabbed one of the swords dropped and threw it at the man fleeing. It struck the man in the back of the head, killing him instantly, his body falling to the ground.
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
"Mercy, please, great cultivator!" one man cried out, the same one who brought the young lady out, he still hoped that he would be spared.
"Yes! Mercy, sir!" The second one begged.
"I'll serve you until my dying breath! Please, Sir Mercy!" a third voice pleaded — this one from the escort guild. He had reddish hair with a faint blonde undertone beneath it.
Lin Gao and Yan Gao followed suit, and were kneeling as well.
"Mr. Qian! Mercy! Please! Me and my wife will never speak of this!" Lin Gao said pleading.
Da Xiong was the only ones who didn't plead for their lives or kneel. Da Xiong's face was grim, and conflicted. Then, as if making a final decision, he gripped his halberd, hands trembling, and let out a fierce, resolute yell.
"DIE, YOU MONSTER!" He said, raising his halberd high and aiming at Xue Shen head.
Xue Shen's hands moved fast. "Fool." He deflected the halberd effortlessly and slashed Da Xiong's body diagonally. Da Xiong's body was split diagonally into two halves.
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
Lin Gao and Yan Gao stared in horror, their stomachs churning and faces pale at the sight of their comrades' lifeless, split in half.
Then Xue Shen thought of something in his mind. He then called the remaining members forward, everyone except Lin Gao, Yan Gao.
"Everybody but these three, fight amongst yourselves. I will spare the last one standing." The three people Xue Shen referred to were Lin Gao, Yan Gao and the escort member who hadn't pleaded for his life.
Everybody hearts raced. Hope filled their minds, a chance at survival… but only through slaughter…
Everybody grabbed their weapons.
"You can die first!" an older man yelled out to a escort guild member.
"Hah! Old man, You've lived long enough already, why don't you die first!" the younger man from the escort guild shouted.
The escort guild member was alone, there were two guardian guild members, it was obvious they were gonna team up on him.
No one wanted to attack first, yet none could stand still, they were all antsy.
"Hurry the hell up!" Xue Shen yelled out, he was growing impatient watching all of them nervously wait for each other to make the first move.
In an instant, the older man became the first target from an escort guild member. The younger man lunged at the old man and…