Chapter 536: All the Jin Dan Are Dead

True Person Ruler's Iron Ruler Rushan gave Black Tower Xi no moment of delay, smashing down in an instant, and with a thunderous boom, pounded the ground where he stood into a cloud of fine dust.

The ground caved in over ten zhang deep, the earth hard as iron.

A few crow feathers drifted in the air, taking a long time before they finally fell to the ground.

"Not dead… not perfect."

Jiang Ding was somewhat disappointed.

A black feather, bearing a pitiful beautiful woman whose body was a mangled wreck, with flesh and bone in many places reduced to a pulpy mush, fled toward the distance, vanishing after several flickers.

"What is this? A Divine Crow's feather?"

True Person Ruler's face changed drastically.

This seemed to be the top bloodline talent of the Heishi of the Beast Path, and it had undergone some kind of beneficial mutation, allowing even a branch-line member to possess such a talent.

"Kill!"

True Person Ruler temporarily extinguished the thought of pursuit, and bowed in return.

Hei Tianlan was overjoyed, slashing out a black blade and cutting down several trapped Jin Dan cultivators.

Hei Tianlan bowed respectfully: "My main line has been offering tribute to the Tie clan of Rushan for six thousand two hundred and seventy-two years now. Here and now, there are branch-line members committing the crime of offending their superiors, defying human relations, violating the laws of our ancestors."

The remaining branch-line Jin Dan of the Heishi were panicked in their hearts; some immediately burned their essence blood to flee, some pleaded with words, some, seeing no hope of escape, struck first to attack—each reacting differently.

The iron ruler was tossed.

"Those who defy the laws of the heavens shall die."

"Run!"

The other main-line Jin Dan were likewise greatly emboldened, their magic treasures and techniques bombarding in military formation, beating the branch-line Jin Dan—who had lost their core commander—into grievous casualties; broken corpses and natal magic treasures kept falling, blood flowing across the ground.

This proved that, although the situation was as it was, the Tie clan of Rushan was still doing its utmost to fulfill the laws, and had not let down the main-line families that had offered tribute for thousands upon thousands of years.

Ten thousands of iron ruler shadows split forth, crashing toward every direction; each iron shadow was as heavy as a mountain, forcing the fleeing branch-line Jin Dan of the Heishi to turn back and resist, or else face the risk of dying on the spot at that very moment.

"According to the covenant of Rushan, I ask you to set things right."

"Kill! Kill!"

"Lord Tianlan, we too are of the Heishi bloodline, we were momentarily blinded…"

If he had not received the corresponding training, it was possible he would not have been able to succeed in his sneak attack at all.

True Person Ruler's smile was gentle, as if he were, on behalf of the Tie clan of Rushan, presiding over and witnessing the wedding of a main-line Jin Dan—joyful and warm.

"Ruler, as agreed."

His every movement carried a certain ancient, simple air, like the dances of ancestors in sacrifices, or the ceremonies of alliance between ancient tribes.

"Lord Ruler!"

Jiang Ding quietly admired this scene.

Just as he was about to pursue, he looked around at the branch-line Jin Dan who were mostly intact, and at Hei Tianlan and the others who had suffered grievous casualties, and sighed softly in his heart.

Influenced by the Soul Transformation of the Xu clan, he believed that clans,

are a scourge.

Whether branch-line or main-line, they are all scourges of the common people of the world, great thieves of the great Dao of the mortal immortal path.

There is no difference.

They all attempt to monopolize the immortal path for a single family and surname, forever cutting off the development of the immortal path.

As for a beautiful woman, he felt admiration in his heart, wanting to take her for his own—this is only human nature.

But that does not mean he has to act on it.

Before a beautiful face, there is principle.

When principle is opposed, naturally it would be best if they all died.

Before long, the slaughter here came to a stop; corpses were everywhere, limbs and entrails and fragments of magic treasures scattered about, with occasional large radial craters.

The branch-line Jin Dan, before dying, displayed a courage that inspired awe; self-detonating their Jin Dan or even their magic treasures was a common sight.

The results were also gratifying.

They once again caused some casualties among the main-line Jin Dan, and also managed to escape with a small portion of their number—not completely annihilated.

The surrounding loose-cultivator Jin Dan, like hyenas, seeing the wind was wrong, immediately fled far away.

"We have won!"

"Won!"

Hei Tianlan and the others wept with joy on the battlefield strewn with corpses.

"The ancestors' foundation has been preserved, not seized by traitors, so that our ancestors need not be shamed!"

"Bless us, ancestors!"

Better to give to outsiders than to household slaves!

For them, having the clan seized by the branch line was something countless times more terrifying than the destruction of the Heishi!

Hei Tianlan had seen it clearly now.

Loose cultivators, the Dari Sect and the like—between them and us there is only a contest of interests; yielding interests, we may yet live in peace. But these branch-line members, between them and us there is a blood feud!

Every main-line cultivator is at least a Two-Spirit Root, and among those at the top, Heavenly Spirit Roots appear from time to time.

Where do they come from?

They come from the spirit-rooted infants and young children among the branch-line descendants of the same ancestor—offered in great numbers as sacrifices into the blood pool, refined and plundered through this!

After today's battle, the branch line will never again have the power to resist!

Even if the Old Ancestor is displeased, he can only be forced to accept this result.

Because the Heishi's territory needs Jin Dan to guard it; a mere Nascent Soul Old Ancestor is not enough, and he cannot kill all the main-line Jin Dan, for then there would be no one left to work for him.

"Congratulations, Daoist Brother Tianlan."

True Person Ruler sighed faintly.

Not over the deaths of the branch-line rebels, but lamenting the decline of the Heishi main line's core strength, the constant withering of the Northern Plains family's elite — and being powerless to do anything about it.

"Congratulations to you as well, congratulations."

Hei Tianlan cupped his hands in greeting, then suddenly froze, staring at the silver sword tip that had appeared in his own chest.

One silver flying sword was not the end.

After the first sword, a second, a third, a fourth… thirty-eight flying swords appeared one after another in the chests of the remaining Jin Dan cultivators of the Heishi main line, naturally, as if these swords had been growing in their chests from the very beginning.

The auras of life and divine souls constantly withered away.

"Who is it?"

"Who dares to cause chaos right before my eyes?"

True Person Ruler was both shocked and furious. His divine sense swept across, and his iron-ruler magic treasure split into ten thousand ruler-shadows, striking out in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust and leaving countless craters — but he discovered nothing.

"Help…"

The smile had not yet faded from Hei Tianlan's face when a pleading look appeared in his eyes. He tried to say something, but his body silently collapsed to the ground.

All around, one Jin Dan cultivator after another fell like dead objects, one after another, until the ground was piled high with the corpses of Jin Dan cultivators — silent and still.

"Who is it?"

The furiously enraged True Person Ruler felt a chill in his heart, his back trembling uncontrollably.

This bizarre scene — even though he had lived for several hundred years, had experienced the Northern Plains family's war between the orthodox and the demonic, the bloody battle with the Dari Sect, and had once traveled the Eastern Sea.

He had never seen anything so bizarre!

True Person Ruler dared not be angry any longer. He sheathed his iron ruler, concealed his form, and fled frantically into the distance.

Then, his body suddenly went cold and rigid.

A silver flying sword from nowhere had already plunged into his chest long ago — he had only just now realized it.

He crashed face-first to the ground, his divine soul shattering.

"... Who... is it..."

Before he died, he faintly saw an ordinary-looking young man reveal his form, with a watery moonlight faintly glowing around him. He stood on the battlefield, not even glancing at the corpses around him, quietly gazing at the formation of the library pavilion, thinking about something.