Chapter 2: Shattering the Sword Saint

Is doubt important?

Hou Gong shook off the rising thoughts and increased his speed.

Rumble...

A sinister aura grew increasingly intense.

From a distance, the Sword Saint's cry, accompanied by laughter, could be heard.

"Having slaughtered the Shaolin 108 Arhats, do you two among the Ten Guests really think you can stop me!"

The Ten Guests referred to the Ten Guests of the World.

These were the ten pillars of the Martial Arts Alliance.

Their martial prowess surpassed that of the leaders of the Nine Great Sects. Each of them was a being capable of ruling a region as a hegemon.

"Sword Saint, pull yourself together! So what if you're not the First Person under Heaven! The martial world is full of people who admire you! What more could you possibly lack!"

"Yes, that's right. I am humble and benevolent."

"Your character is worthy of being called the best under Heaven. How did it come to this!"

Qing Wu Zhe wailed.

Only four remained.

Qing Wu Zhe and Xiao Xiang Ke of the Ten Guests.

And Ling Yin, the Shaolin Abbot, and his disciple Ling Can.

Around them, the Shaolin monks who had formed the 108 Arhats Formation lay torn apart, their blood and flesh scattered everywhere.

The Sword Saint began to mutter.

"Yes, that's right. I... am humble. Humble and humble and humble and humble and humble and humble and humble...! Hahaha!"

The one standing there was the Sword Saint, yet it was not the Sword Saint.

Only a madman consumed by madness remained.

His appearance was no longer that of a human.

Black smoke enveloped him, swirling in a form that resembled a human.

If not for the fierce, burning red eyes and the white teeth that grinned within the smoke, one might think it was just a coincidence that the smoke took on a human shape.

"That fat and worthless Hou Gong is arrogant. He looks down on everyone while being praised as the First Person under Heaven. How arrogant he is. He must have been mocking me in his heart, thinking, 'What a joke, a pig like him being the Sword Saint.' So, I have no choice but to be humble. I must be humble. Hahaha, I am humble. Therefore, I must always be humble, humble, humble, and humble."

The Sword Saint's madness grew more violent.

"Some say I pretend to be humble because I cannot reach his level. Is that really the case! What is lacking in my talent, my ability, my bones, my martial bones, my knowledge, my wisdom, my manners, that I am inferior to him, to him, to him, to that pig. I! I, the Sword Saint, will make that pig kneel and teach him humility. Hou Gong, pig, pig, pig, pig. Hahaha!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The remaining four were overwhelmed by the Sword Saint's madness and no one could speak.

"Now I am the First Person under Heaven! I am the First Sword under Heaven! Everyone must bow and show respect before me, the First Person under Heaven. They must worship me, the fruit of my relentless endurance, my grinding of bones, my gnashing of teeth, my enduring the pain of being torn apart in the darkness. Hahaha!"

"Namuo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva... Sword Saint, you are not yourself now. How could you become so mad!"

Ling Yin's words were futile.

"Delusional monk! You, who only tear at vegetables like a rabbit, think I am mad? I am mad? I? I? Hahaha!"

The black smoke danced violently with the Sword Saint's laughter.

"Now I am the First Person under Heaven. No one can stop me. No one can survive my sword! A tremendous power to destroy anything surges within me."

The Sword Saint's aura surged like a blade, and a storm of black smoke extended toward the four, including Shaolin Abbot Ling Yin.

'It's over.'

Despair spread across their faces.

It was a black mist more terrifying than any divine weapon, impossible to avoid or even contemplate avoiding.

Right at that moment.

Boom!

A purple light struck the black smoke directly.

The light enveloped and trapped the smoke. Swirling like a whirlwind, it completely sealed it, and the smoke inside began to dissipate.

At the same time, two other lights struck the Sword Saint, and a scream erupted from the mist.

"AAAAAA!"

A brilliant light burst forth and then subsided, and the black smoke that burned fiercely was no more.

Instead, an old man in a wretched state stood there.

It was the Sword Saint.

His two arms had been torn off, and blood gushed from the ragged flesh. His chest was hollow, a hole large enough for the wind to pass through.

The Sword Saint looked down at the hole in his chest.

His eyes were full of disbelief, as if he could not believe what he saw.

"Ugh..."

He spat out a mouthful of blood and lifted his head.

Beyond the swirling purple light that enveloped his body, a figure floated in the sky like an immortal.

The Sword Saint muttered.

"Hou Gong..."

The Sword Saint laughed.

Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

"Brilliant. It was a brilliant duel. Haha, no matter what... I... cannot reach... you."

The Sword Saint coughed up blood and staggered.

"How... futile. I thought... I had surpassed... but it was impossible. But Hou Gong... you cannot be eternal either. I saw it in the darkness... whether it was a delusion... or a dream... I saw you lose everything... I saw you become weak, swayed by the wind... I wish that... that was your destruction..."

"You talk too much."

Snap!

Hou Gong flicked his finger.

Swish!

A purple sword light rushed toward the Sword Saint. It flashed and the Sword Saint's head was severed, his body torn apart. The Sword Saint did not even have time to scream as he was shattered and scattered.

At that moment, Ling Yin collapsed.

The Shaolin Abbot had only barely managed to stand until then.

Thud.

A beam of light, which was Hou Gong, suddenly caught Ling Yin.

Ling Yin's red robe was torn, and his face was as dark as ink. Hou Gong laid him down and placed his palm on his crown.

Soon, a black mist emerged from Ling Yin's crown.

The mist wriggled as if trying to escape from Hou Gong's grasp.

Whoosh.

Blue flames burst from Hou Gong's hand, and the mist vanished instantly.

Ling Yin's complexion gradually returned.

"Ally, thank you."

"..."

Hou Gong stared at him.

This could not be sincere.

108 Arhats.

The bodies of the Shaolin monks were scattered around.

Ling Yin, who had survived amidst their blood, was not the type to feel grateful for his survival.

Ling Yin was only regretful for not dying first.

Hou Gong turned his gaze.

"Qing Wu Zhe."

"Yes, Ally!"

Qing Wu Zhe bowed.

He was one of the Ten Guests of the Alliance.

"Your Ming Yuan Jue should suffice. Cleanse the remnants of the Sword Saint completely."

"Understood!"

"Xiao Xiang Ke."

"Your command!"

"Go to Wudang immediately and seek help."

"Understood!"

"I will visit the place where the Sword Saint stayed."

Hou Gong turned into a beam of light and soared into the sky, vanishing into the distance.

The Ten Guests of the World and Ling Yin and Ling Can of Shaolin looked up at the sky.

***

Six months later.

Dawn.

The Ally's quarters.

Flash!

A white light flashed and disappeared in a room of about ten square meters. It was so quick it seemed unbelievable.

The Ally's face on the bed contorted.

In an instant,

"Ugh!"

He gasped for breath and opened his eyes wide.

After holding his breath for a long time, he finally took a deep breath, which was so intense that the bed shook violently. He sat up and took several quick breaths before finally calming down.

As the Ally moved, the heavy bed creaked.

"Was it a dream?"

The Ally frowned and raised his plump right hand, examining it front and back. He touched his right hand with his left, then stroked his face, chest, and stomach, frowning again.

His eyes were filled with deep doubt.

'There's no way my body could have become fat overnight. Whose body is this?'

He realized the room was not his quarters.

'Where am I?'

The scene inside the room, as he looked around from the bed, was completely unfamiliar.

He got out of bed and walked around the room.

He touched the display cabinet on the left, looked at the mural on the wall, and reached the right wall.

There, three swords were hung.

In the shape of the character '三'.

From top to bottom, they were a medium sword, a short sword, and a long sword.

All three had the same swirling pattern on their scabbards and hilts, resembling a dragon ascending to the heavens.

He stood in front of the mirror in the corner and looked at his reflection. The fat old man in the mirror frowned.

One corner of his mouth curled up, but his eyes turned cold.

"It wasn't a dream. Could my body have changed? Or rather, could my soul have changed? How strange... How interesting..."

The one who had entered the Ally's body smiled.

And he spoke softly.

"Where is Song Hua?"

There was no answer.

Now his eyes began to smile.

"Song Hua won't come. Ah, she can't come. If it's a soul transfer, who could it be... No, what does the reason matter?"

He led his newly acquired massive body toward the displayed swords and picked up the short sword in the middle.

As he drew the sword, a purple light flashed and then dimmed.

"Haha..."

He brought the sword to his neck.

The sharp blade barely touched his skin, but it cut into the flesh, and blood welled up on his neck. Instantly, the sword glowed and hummed.

He soothed it.

"Don't cry. I am not your master."

He gripped the sword tightly.

"To achieve my wish in this way. How wonderful to be able to die. Like this..."

He plunged the sword into his neck.

Thud!

"May I never return... forever..."

Blood gushed from the punctured neck. He dragged the sword to the right side of his neck, and blood spurted out like a fountain. The Ally's body fell forward.

Boom!

The blood that flowed from beside his head gradually soaked his entire body.

***

"AAAAAA!"

A piercing scream erupted from the Ally's bedroom in the morning.

The dedicated maid who was cleaning the Ally's room discovered the Ally's body.

She ran to Zhuge Hui as if she had seen a ghost.

Shaking like a leaf, she began to babble incoherently. The young maid, in her late teens, looked like she had gone mad, except for her disheveled hair.

"Stop, stop!"

Zhuge Hui waved her hand.

Frowning slightly, she pressed for an answer.

"Did you not sleep well? Or are you in pain somewhere?"

The uncle is dead. And in his quarters.

How absurd could this be?

"No, I clearly saw it with my own eyes..."

"Enough."

Zhuge Hui looked at her with disdain and clicked her tongue.

But when the maid continued to sob and finally collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, she had no choice.

"You take the day off. I will go see the Ally."