Chapter 873: Killing to Protect Life

「」

「」

The field was completely silent; many Gods and Demons Walk stared dumbfounded at the white-haired monk (?) who had killed Kongming upon his appearance. Could this person be the legendary demonic monk—the Holy Monk Tang Xuanzang?

He came out and just stabbed the famous Kongming to death! Oh, no, not stabbed to death, but killed by a flying sword.

After stabbing him to death, he even said he could help everyone detach their life formats.

What he said is correct—the life format indeed came out, because the person died!

What's the point of detaching life formats like that? Besides, everyone can just commit suicide.

Lü Jingtian and Shang Wuhuan turned their heads with difficulty, looking at Tang Luo with an incredulous expression.

Even the perpetually stoic Jiang Junren's expression almost collapsed.

Who am I? Where am I? What happened?

Kongming, how did you die? Don't die!

Besides, is your suggestion that everyone slit their throats and commit suicide?

"What are you doing?" Lü Jingtian asked.

"Detaching life formats." Tang Luo said.

"He's dead! Kongming died!" Lü Jingtian really couldn't stay calm.

He still disliked Kongming and the others, and would not hesitate to kill them given the chance.

Lü Jingtian has always believed that this bunch of old-timers are the obstacles blocking the Gods and Demons Walk from growing stronger.

Without them, the Gods and Demons Walk would be even stronger than now.

But that doesn't mean he can accept Kongming being killed for no reason in such a situation.

Such an impact is too great.

For Kongming and those old-timers, the best outcome is to disappear in a mission, by any means.

"Never mind whether someone's dead. I'm just asking: has the life format been detached?" Tang Luo declared righteously.

「」

Lü Jingtian wanted to curse, but didn't dare, for he also feared having his life format detached.

Looking at the several others showing no reaction, Lü Jingtian snapped: "What about you! Just going to watch?"

Zhao Hongmiao and the others treated the scene as if they hadn't seen it.

"Hmm." The Red Essence Daoist stood up, saying, "Now it's my turn."

Tang Luo raised his hand and a sword; a trace of blood appeared, a line of blood emerged on the Red Essence Daoist's throat, he sat back down in his chair, closed his eyes, and quickly lost vitality.

Even his soul was slain by Tang Luo's "One Sword Seals the Throat".

His death was relatively clean.

However, after the Red Essence Daoist died, his life format fragments did not appear.

"Huh?"

This abnormality naturally drew everyone's attention: where are the Red Essence Daoist's life format fragments?

His life format is the "Red Essence" character from the Investiture of the Gods, which everyone knows; the name is right there.

Tang Luo reached out; the Merit Jade Lotus emerged from his forehead, swayed over the two corpses, and their wounds quickly healed.

They opened their eyes again—alive once more!

What kind of operation is this?

Lü Jingtian said nothing, feeling he'd been played.

It's rumored that Tang Xuanzang excels at salvation and delivering beings; it's not false—he truly can resurrect the dead!

That jade lotus—what a powerful piece of equipment!

"Huh..." the revived Kongming exhaled deeply.

"How do you feel?" Tang Luo asked.

"I've weakened." Kongming said, which is unavoidable, "but the degree of weakening is much better than I imagined."

He pointed to his head: "Everything's still there; I just need to regain control and power."

Saying this, Kongming gathered his hands at his side, then extended his right hand as a sword finger.

A blaze burst from his fingertips, the raging flames lifting, sending a wave of heat.

Compared to before, it's somewhat lacking, but Kongming can still execute it smoothly, proving that the loss of his life format hasn't affected him much.

Kongming even has confidence that, before the next mission arrives, he can restore his former strength.

As for the Red Essence Daoist, he said: "I merely felt the great terror between life and death."

With his strength, if he held on a little longer, it wouldn't be an instant, sensationless death—Tang Luo could naturally instant-kill the Red Essence Daoist, making him die without even feeling death's approach.

But dying that way would be ugly, and reviving him would consume more merit.

After being revived, the Red Essence Daoist felt no loss of strength at all, and also asked: "Where is my life format?"

He didn't see his life format.

"None, you didn't produce any life format fragments after death." Tang Luo said.

"Why is that?" Kongming looked at the Red Essence Daoist.

The Red Essence Daoist also shook his head: "I'm certain I received life format fragments back then, which made me a life format holder."

"Don't worry, this should be a good thing." Tang Luo said.

Everyone perked up their ears to listen.

"This means the power of the life format fragments has been fully grasped by you, becoming part of your own strength—equivalent to skills being fully integrated, with no restrictions." Tang Luo analyzed.

"Really?" The Red Essence Daoist couldn't help but feel delighted.

"Hmm." Tang Luo nodded. "But it could also be 'past cure,' completely hopeless."

"……"

"Master, have a look at my life pattern fragment." Kongming shifted the topic to prevent Tang Luo from angering Chi Jing Dao Ren to death here.

In public, with everyone watching, it's improper, a loss of dignity.

Everyone is a person of stature; if not for the demonstration to dispel doubts, they wouldn't put on a show of dying on the spot.

"Oh, okay." Tang Luo reached out, grabbed Kongming's Zhuge Liang life pattern, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.

This action also made Lü Jing Tian and the others a bit unable to sit still.

However, after experiencing the previous subtle slap, he definitely won't speak rashly again.

Tang Luo swallowed the life pattern fragment, completely absorbing its power: "No, your life pattern fragment is fine, non-toxic and harmless."

Kongming nodded, not feeling any regret either.

Tang Luo's test was like striking a match to see if it could light, irreversible in nature.

Finally, even if the life pattern turned out fine after being spat out, Tang Luo couldn't vomit it up and return it to someone else.

It's not a matter of willingness; he simply can't.

"The Holy Monk can indeed sever life patterns, as you've all seen. If anyone wishes, the Holy Monk will sever your life pattern for free." The demonstration was nearly over, and Kongming announced loudly.

This is his suggestion.

It is also the greatest guarantee he can secure for life pattern holders wandering among gods and demons.

With Tang Luo making a move, at least one need not worry that someday, when immensely powerful and full of vigor, they'd suddenly become someone else's food.

Losing a life pattern doesn't mean losing everything; it's merely a weakening, with still a chance to rise again.

It just depends on whether those people have such resolve.

Anyway, Kongming and Chi Jing Dao Ren are decisive enough.

Next, Nie Zheng likewise died under Tang Luo's Mystic Transformation Sword, his life pattern fragment surfaced, and after being revived, his strength also declined somewhat.

But the degree of decline was lower than Kongming's.

His life pattern was also very incomplete, less than one-third.

It seems that after a life pattern (fragment) is severed, the extent of strength loss may relate to how complete the life pattern is, and also to the individual.

Kongming can be said to be not inferior to the "true form," while Sword God Nie Zheng is blue from indigo and surpasses indigo.

His life pattern is exactly "Nie Zheng," sharing the same name as himself.

If it were the historical figure, even a thousand wouldn't be enough for one strike of Sword God Nie Zheng.

Likewise, Nie Zheng's life pattern, after Tang Luo's "taste test," was also confirmed to be harmless.

Of the eight councilors, only Lü Jing Tian and Jiang Junren remain.

They were still thinking, Tang Luo saving others is just a wave of the hand, with no difficulty at all.

But can he save them?

Or will he come out with, "Sorry, I've done my best"?

You see, in the eyes of Lü Jing Tian and the others, Kongming and company are merely a road-blocking tiger, while Tang Luo is a towering mountain ahead with no visible hope, impossible to surmount.

They find it hard to make up their minds to entrust their lives to Tang Luo's hands.

This is, in their imagination, their strongest enemy.

Moreover, the other party would directly take the life pattern, which Lü Jing Tian and the others also find hard to accept.

"Holy Monk, lend a hand! My son's life pattern..." A bald muscular man brought his War God's son over.

This father-son pair consists of the illiterate father Kuotuosi and his War God's son's life pattern.

"Just your son?" Tang Luo asked.

"Hmm." Kuotuosi nodded, cautiously asking, "Wait till his strength recovers a bit, then I'll come again—does that work for you?"

He revealed a difficult, ferocious smile.

"No problem." Tang Luo casually pointed, slaying the War God's son; as soon as his life pattern fragment appeared on the corpse, Tang Luo immediately revived him.

"Hmm?" After swallowing the life pattern fragment for a moment, Tang Luo said, "His life pattern fragment has a problem; it harbors another will."

"Phew!" Kuotuosi exhaled in relief, glanced at the son Tang Luo had rescued, and thanked him repeatedly.

"No need, it's a mutually beneficial exchange." Tang Luo said.

Taking the life pattern fragment also benefits him; don't forget Tang Luo's injuries still linger.

The War God's son Luo Ji's strength dropped significantly, with considerable impact. The father and son first severing one of them, then supporting each other, is indeed a good approach.

Many squads immediately felt moved and took action.

They directly sought out Tang Luo, who then on the spot converted over twenty people, two of whom had the same type of life pattern fragment.

Among them, another six had problematic life patterns—quite a number.

Kongming watched from the side, trying to discern the pattern of which life patterns were problematic.

The platform began to buzz with activity.

Tang Luo sat behind the stone table, receiving each patient who queued up, looking like a doctor.

On his right lay the Mystic Transformation Sword; on his left hovered the Merit Jade Lotus.

His right hand commanded death; his left hand commanded life.

This truly embodied "killing to protect life, cutting karma not people," not merely a jest as before.

"Holy Monk, can you guarantee to bring people back? What if someone isn't saved?"

"Yes, Holy Monk, at least give us a guarantee! Otherwise we won't feel at ease!"

"And you just take the extra life pattern fragments for yourself?"

After reviving another person, the surroundings suddenly erupted in clamor.

Kong Ming immediately turned his head, his gaze sharp, looking toward Lu Jingtian and the others.

Lu Jingtian met Kong Ming's gaze: "What's wrong with asking for a guarantee on a matter of life and death? Others won't say it, I will!"

An appearance of pleading for the people.

Around, a crowd of fate-holders involuntarily looked toward Tang Luo.

"No guarantee." Tang Luo said, "If you don't believe this poor monk, then please leave. I won't force it."

His words made Lu Jingtian and the others' faces instantly turn ugly.

Young man, you're still too young, thinking that with numbers you can kidnap and force Tang Luo into making some promise?

When he's unhappy, he'll just flip the table.