Chapter 686: Slay Heaven (Part II)

Hu Xiaotian knew this guy had always been slow‑witted, so he immediately declared his identity, but he hadn't expected the bear kid to say he'd strike and strike, acting so decisively, and moreover Xiong Tianba's fist speed was astonishingly fast; in the blink of an eye he was already before him, with Hu Xiaotian's back to the big door, there was no time to dodge. At the critical moment, Hu Xiaotian thrust out his sooty‑black fist to meet the bear kid head‑on; the two fists collided, emitting a loud "Peng!" as the muscles in both arms instantly tensed like forged iron, their forces fully exploding at the instant of impact; a powerful airflow radiated outward from that center, squeezing the surrounding air outward in all directions like a wave, and the nearby tables and chairs, unable to withstand the pressure of the air blast, toppled over one by one onto the floor.

Hu Xiaotian never imagined he could actually block the bear kid's punch head‑on; this guy possessed innate divine strength that even outweighed the black Hu marble slab, let alone himself.

Although Xiong Tianba hadn't used his full strength with that punch, he had still put in seventy percent; unexpectedly, it was blocked head‑on by the opponent, and he gained no advantage at all. Amazed, he clicked his tongue and praised, "Not bad, kid—you've got some skill."

Hu Xiaotian shouted, "You idiot, I'm your Uncle Hu!"

"I'm your uncle—damn it, this makes me furious!" Xiong Tianba rolled his eyes, swung his fist preparing to attack again; this time he resolved to use his full strength, holding nothing back.

Hu Xiaotian was both laughing and crying, unable to make heads or tails of this fool; just as he was about to employ the Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps to avoid the kid's sharpness, he heard Zhou Mo's reprimand from outside the door: "Bear kid, stop!"

Only then did Xiong Tianba cease his attack, his eyes still warily fixed on Hu Xiaotian, clearly treating him as a formidable foe.

From the back, Zhou Mo already recognized Hu Xiaotian, but when he made out Hu Xiaotian's face, his heart skipped a beat—who is this black‑skinned kid? He's even darker than the bear kid!

Hu Xiaotian said, "Big brother! It's me, Xiao Tian!"

From the voice, Zhou Mo finally concluded without doubt that the person before him was his sworn brother Hu Xiaotian; after closely examining Hu Xiaotian's eyes, he clicked his tongue in amazement, "Your disguise technique is truly superb, third brother—how did you turn yourself into a blackened lump? Still, this is rather conspicuous."

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile. Since I'm claiming it's a disguise, let it be a disguise—I have no time to explain now. He told Zhou Mo, "Tang Tiehan has met with trouble!"

Zhou Mo blinked in surprise; Hu Xiaotian briefly explained how the Tang siblings had been lured and abducted. Since Zhou Mo shared a deep bond with Tang Tiehan, hearing that he had been seized by the Black Hu, he immediately said, "Second brother is still out on business and hasn't returned—I haven't had a chance to notify him. Let's go rescue them first!" He then had the bear kid summon Liang Yinghao, and the four of them rushed together toward the manor Hu Xiaotian had mentioned.

Before they could reach the site, they saw flames shooting up from the direction of the manor. Hu Xiaotian instantly felt something was wrong and hurried closer. He discovered the entire manor had been set ablaze; naturally no one could remain inside. It appeared that Zha Wan had anticipated their coming for reinforcements and had moved ahead. Gazing at the roaring blaze, Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows, wondering whether Tang Tiehan was alive or dead.

Hu Xiaotian had Liang Yinghao stay nearby to watch for any movement, while the others returned to the city. Hu Xiaotian's sooty black skin naturally attracted considerable attention, with many taking him for a foreign visitor. Zhou Mo thought to himself, "Third brother's disguise is just a disguise," but reflected that the makeup was a bit too conspicuous—fortunately no one recognized him as Hu Xiaotian.

The group returned to the South Wind Inn, hearing that Xiao Tianmu had already gone back to the Baofeng Hall; thus Hu Xiaotian and Zhou Mo went to see him.

Xiao Tianmu couldn't see Hu Xiaotian's current appearance, so he felt no surprise; he was also worried about Hu Xiaotian's mysterious disappearance that night. After all, this is Da Yong—on the surface calm, but undercurrents stir. Moreover, the Black Hu envoy had arrived in Yongdu, and Hu Xiaotian had previously offended the Black Hu's Fourth Prince, Wanyan Chixiong, at the Elder Princess's Manor. Like Hu Xiaotian, the Tang siblings had also gone missing, and that night they sent out many people to search, yet they received not a single clue.

Hu Xiaotian drank a cup of tea, then briefly recounted yesterday's ordeal; hearing it, his two sworn brothers were both gripped by shock and emotion.

Xiao Tianmu asked, "How could there be such a miraculous experience?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded. "Even I find it unbelievable—this sword is the one I found in the Snake Cave." He took down the large sword from his back and first handed it to Zhou Mo. Zhou Mo received it; it felt extremely heavy, at least fifty catties, the blade was dull black with no sheen. Although it had long been buried in the lightless mire, the sword showed not a trace of rust, its edge was not sharp, and the blade bore a fish‑scale‑like pattern. The guard, hilt, and blade were forged as one piece, though the pattern on the guard differed slightly; the hilt was wrapped in black python skin, already worn.

Zhou Mo gripped the sword with one hand and gave a tentative slash in the air, astonished by its weight. He raised the blade, curled his left middle finger and flicked the sword; it emitted a humming vibration. Zhou Mo whispered, "Profound Iron Sword! This sword is forged of profound iron. If I'm not mistaken, this is the weapon once used by the Sword Demon Dongfang Wuwo."

Hu Xiaotian stared in astonishment. "The Sword Demon Dongfang Wuwo?" he thought, surprised—wasn't it supposed to be Dugu Qiubai?

Xiao Tianmu, listening attentively from the side, twitched his ears slightly and said in a low voice, "Big brother, does the blade bear a fish‑scale‑like pattern? Is it four feet five inches long, five inches three tenths wide, and the spine one inch five tenths thick?"

Zhou Mo nodded. "Exactly!"

"Unwrap the python skin covering the hilt and see if any characters are carved inside."

Zhou Mo followed his instructions, using a small knife to pick open the stitching of the python skin wrapped around the hilt, exposing the interior; sure enough, there were characters on the hilt.

Xiao Tianmu asked, "Does it bear the two characters 'Slay Heaven'?"

Hu Xiaotian gazed intently; sure enough, the two characters "Slay Heaven" were engraved on one side, while the opposite side bore a tiny depression shaped like a dried turtle shell. Although Xiao Tianmu was blind and had never touched this sword, he described every detail with such clarity it was as if he had seen it himself. Hu Xiaotian exclaimed in wonder, "Second brother, how do you know?"

Xiao Tianmu replied, "Exactly! This sword is the Slay Heaven once wielded by the Sword Demon Dongfang Wuwo."

Zhou Mo said, "If Dongfang Wuwo has been missing for fifty years, why would his weapon appear here?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "Dongfang Wuwo achieved sword mastery sixty years ago and thus had no need for weapons; he passed this sword to his most beloved disciple, Lin Bautao."

Zhou Mo said, "But Lin Bautao, master of the Sword Palace? A martial genius rarely seen in Da Yong over the past century? The one who ranked among Da Yong's top swordsmen at sixteen and, at twenty, swept the realm with his sword, unbeatable?"

Xiao Tianmu nodded. "Exactly—he was taken in by Dongfang Wuwo as a successor, regarded by Dongfang Wuwo as an heir to his mantle, who transmitted to him both his exclusive sword art, the Seven Slay Heaven Swords, and his cherished Profound Iron Sword."

Hu Xiaotian said, "No wonder Lin Bautao could sweep Da Yong unopposed at twenty."

Xiao Tianmu shook his head. "He swept Da Yong with a three‑foot green blade before ever becoming a disciple of the Sword Demon."

Hu Xiaotian sucked in a breath. "So you're saying Lin Bautao only became Dongfang Wuwo's disciple after twenty, learned the Seven Slay Heaven Swords—doesn't that mean his swordsmanship advanced another level?"

Xiao Tianmu continued, "Lin Bautao founded the Sword Palace at twenty‑three and was honored as its patriarch. He had always maintained good relations with the Da Yong imperial family; commissioned by the Da Yong emperor to assassinate the Black Hu Khan, Wanyan Tiejiang, he undertook the mission at a time when Da Yong's fortunes were wavering. Dakang and the Black Hu had secretly agreed to a pincer attack from north and south, putting Da Yong's two‑front war in dire straits—if this persisted, Da Yong might face extinction. Receiving the emergency order, Lin Bautao infiltrated the Black Hu alone, concealed his identity for half a year, and finally got a chance to assassinate Wanyan Tiejiang. Although Wanyan Tiejiang's treasure armor protected him, the strike did not kill him outright, but the sword qi severely damaged his viscera; three months later, Wanyan Tiejiang died an unnatural death."

Zhou Mo had also heard this anecdote; he clapped his hands in praise, "Lin Bautao truly is a hero!"

Xiao Tianmu nodded. "One could say that without Lin Bautao's earlier feat of turning the tide, Da Yong would not have its century‑long foundation; indeed, Da Yong might have fallen over fifty years ago, and certainly would not enjoy its present strength."

Hu Xiaotian asked, "What became of Lin Bautao afterward?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "After returning to Da Yong, Lin Bautao shut himself away, refusing guests and devoting himself to sword practice. Naturally the Black Hu would not easily relinquish this deep hatred; while they negotiated peace with Da Yong on one hand, on the other they sent agents to slander him before the Da Yong emperor. The emperor, unable to resist the gossip, feared Lin Bautao might turn against him and ordered the disbanding of the Sword Palace. Lin Bautao, having no choice, dissolved the Sword Palace to show loyalty, and thus grew cold‑hearted toward the court. He left Yongdu alone, and no sooner had he departed than someone reported his movements to the Black Hu side. The Black Hu National Teacher, Timoduo, personally led the Black Hu's Eight Great Masters in a revenge campaign, slaughtering hundreds of Sword Palace disciples. Lin Bautao later clashed with Timoduo and company outside Yongdu's walls in a bloody battle, slaying five of the Black Hu's top masters on the spot. After that fight, the Black Hu National Teacher and the other three great masters, together with Lin Bautao himself, all vanished without trace."

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed, "Merit outweighs the ruler—it seems emperors throughout history and across the world are rarely good; the fate of 'when the birds are gone, the bow is stored; when the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked' is certainly a favorite trick of those in power."

Zhou Mo said, "Since ancient times, heroes often end in obscurity; Lin Bautao gave so much to Da Yong, yet ultimately met such a miserable end—truly regrettable." (To be continued~^~)