Chapter 36: Slay Kunlun, Ascend to Light

Slaughter the whole household, leave no survivors.

The Kunlun Sect Sect Leader looked solemn:

No wonder the martial world calls you the living King of Hell, a great demon.

"King of Hell?" Zhuang Buran tilted his head:

"Isn't this nickname a bit too on-the-nose? 'Yanjun' would sound better."

He suddenly chuckled:

"That's settled then. From now on my surname is Zhuang, given name Bu Ran, courtesy name Yanjun."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces showed they were hard-pressed to speak; they accused him of being addicted to slaughter, cold-blooded and ruthless, yet he cared about whether his nickname sounded nice and even started picking a courtesy name for himself.

"In my view, the two words 'great demon' suit you better," the red-faced old man sneered.

A tiny stone, whistling with an unusually loud crack, instantly shattered the red-faced old man's neck.

"The old man's hearing is poor; to keep him from spouting nonsense due to confusion, it's better to send him to an eternal rest."

Zhuang Buran brushed back his sideburns:

"I've never understood; though I'm not a good person, I wouldn't call myself a great demon."

"Could it be that the jianghu's rules have changed—when hunted, one can only flee, not fight back?"

The three stared at the green-robed youth, whose mood shifted wildly and who killed at the drop of a hat, feeling ever more certain that they had gotten his name wrong, not his nickname.

"Zhuang Yanluo, you kill at will, your crimes pile high, and yet you dare say you're not a great demon!" the long-bearded old man shouted angrily.

Another whistling stone struck, and the long-bearded old man's neck was likewise shattered.

"Alas, it seems with age comes not only poor hearing but also deafness," Zhuang Buran said somewhat helplessly.

"I've already said it—'King of Hell' is too blunt; you should call me 'Hell Marshal'!"

"Great demon, you're overconfident, treating us as mere fish and meat for you to slaughter at will."

The black-haired old man drew his sword, leapt forward, and performed the Rain‑Striking Flower Sword Technique; his moves were mostly diagonal, but among the seven or eight diagonal strikes he occasionally slipped in a straight one, making it hard to predict.

Zhuang Buran stood his ground, dodging left and right with his upper body for a moment, quickly grasped the pattern, found it boring, and said:

"Otherwise?"

The black‑haired old man was struck on the skull by a palm strike of twisting, obedient force, with a loud 'bang', he collapsed to the ground and died.

"Looks like you're the last Sect Leader left." Zhuang Buran laughed:

"Can't you see reason? Your whole sect has gone to the Yellow Springs; shouldn't you just draw your sword and end yourself, saving me the trouble?"

"What a violent, reckless, ruthless great demon."

As the Kunlun Sect Sect Leader spoke, gripping his sword, a surge of internal energy shook his hand, and a hidden current seemed to ripple through his body, stirring the wind.

Seeing this, Zhuang Buran said:

"I've heard the Kunlun Sect's inherited internal art is a Daoist breathing method; its energy emphasizes accumulation and thickness, embracing unity and preserving the origin, and when it reaches its limit one can strike without sound, sending out a hidden current."

"You're well‑informed; this is our sect's Heavenly Gang Return to Origin Qi."

The Kunlun Sect Sect Leader leapt forward and shouted angrily:

"Zhuang the demon, hand over your life!"

Only see his sword technique: first gather internal energy, ride the qi to control the sword, sweep down from above, store power then release; the sword hummed like a dragon's roar.

"Not bad swordsmanship."

Zhuang Buran extended his fingers as a sword; an invisible blade seemed to form on his fingertip, a horizontal sweep released a chilling sword qi that forced the Kunlun Sect Sect Leader to hastily retreat.

"Too bad your internal strength is lacking; the speed of your released strike is nowhere near mine."

The Kunlun Sect Sect Leader's face hardened; he strained to draw dantian energy, then, following the sword's motion, expelled power—his attacks were as swift as thunder and lightning, the trembling blade shifting instantly.

"I've said your internal strength is insufficient; why don't you understand?"

The green‑robed youth threw a fierce punch; the Kunlun Sect Sect Leader felt only a heavy, unstoppable force, yet also sensed variations—sometimes hard and fierce, sometimes soft and yin, sometimes lateral—among the many kinds of punch power.

In an instant, his sword was snapped, his chest took a solid blow, and he was slammed into the stone floor, carving a shallow pit and becoming a bloody corpse.

Not long after, the Kunlun Sect's base was engulfed in roaring flames.

Three days later.

At the Bright Sect's headquarters on Light Peak, an unexpected guest arrived.

"If I remember correctly, your sect has been secretly probing my whereabouts lately."

At once, the few who had been discussing matters in the hall rose, wary, and shielded the elderly lady seated on the main chair, who was over sixty.

"Do you think your headquarters is so tightly guarded that no one could sneak in here?" the green‑robed youth chuckled softly.

"Heh, nothing in this world is truly impossible; if I want to go somewhere, I can."

His gaze swept over the crowd:

"Upon reaching Kunlun Mountain I learned the Bright Sect's prestige: its structure consists of the Sect Leader, the Left and Right Light Envoys, the Four Great Dharma Protectors, and the Five Elements Banners; the Two Light Envoys command the Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Thunder Gates, while the Sharp Metal, Huge Wood, Flood, Blazing Fire, and Thick Earth Banners obey the Sect Leader's orders."

"Under the Four Great Dharma Protectors lie countless followers; their strength is such that it's no surprise they occasionally rebel—yet they remain obscure in the martial world because their uprisings never involve jianghu affairs."

Zhuang Buran's gaze fell upon the still‑composed sixty‑year‑old lady:

"All I didn't expect was that this generation's Bright Sect Sect Leader is a mere woman—presumably called Yu Wupo."

"Since you're an honoured guest, there's no need for such alarm," Yu Wupo gestured for the Left and Right Envoys and the several Great Dharma Protectors to step to the sides, then continued:

"With your arrogant, overbearing nature paired with martial arts that could be called peerless, it's no wonder both the orthodox and heterodox factions call for your death."

"I have long ordered in the sect that our grand plan for world peace must not meddle in the martial world's right and wrong, and since the sect possesses myriad divine arts, there's no need to nurture greed."

After hearing this, Zhuang Buran said with deep meaning:

"Perhaps a civil official once gave your sect a lesson so profound that some of its younger members still remember it."

Upon hearing this, the Left and Right Envoys and several Dharma Protectors' faces turned colder by a third.

"Your mouth always hits where it hurts," Yu Wupo said, unbothered, her attitude still friendly.

Now I have already dealt with the sect members who developed greed for the Nine Yin True Classic.

Furthermore, the Tiger King was killed by you at the foot of Mount Zhongnan; he disobeyed the sect's orders and had already committed a grave offense, so our sect bears no grudge to pursue him, and thus there is little enmity between us.

Zhuang Buran truly did not expect Sect Leader Yu to be so reasonable; no wonder she can overawe the sect's upper and lower ranks with her female form; and if that is the case...

Zhuang Buran spoke in a calm tone:

I have heard that your sect possesses a treasure manual, the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, which contains the profound principles of martial arts; all martial arts in the world are merely methods of exerting force, and this manual can be said to be the culmination of all martial arts. I am greatly eager for it, and I beseech Sect Leader Yu to grant it to me.

His face showed his usual lazy smile:

Zhuang Buran, seeing Sect Leader Yu so refined, I suppose you won't let me return empty-handed.

Upon hearing that the blue-robed youth wanted the divine art that only the sect leader could cultivate, the Left Envoy of Light could no longer restrain himself and shouted angrily:

Impudent!

Zhuang Buran raised his hand and struck; the Left Envoy of Light, two zhang away, instinctively mobilized his energy to block, but felt a force of thousands of jin, unable to resist, and as his body was about to crash into the stone wall, Granny Five timely intervened, pulling with force to dispel that mighty surge.

If Zhuang Buran acts impudently, you are already a dead man.

The blue-robed youth shifted his gaze to Granny Five:

Although I had only used fifty percent of my strength just now, upon seeing Sect Leader Yu's effortless demeanor, I knew I had come to the right place.

(End of Chapter)