Chapter 598: The Great Sage

In Sunset Manor, there was originally a large pine tree. Standing right in the middle of the main courtyard, it was impossible for anyone to ignore.

That pine tree was enormous; five or six people could not wrap their arms around it. Its trunk was gnarled and twisted, and its pine needles were like a canopy, blotting out the sky and sun.

Wu Shayu had once sat beneath this tree to receive the group of Sword Guests who had come from Changfa Manor to negotiate, and it was under this tree that the three bouts of sword fighting, including those of the Sword Hero Bureau, were decided.

It was just that this was inside Sunset Manor, while the battlefield for the great arena was at the entrance of Sunset Manor; today's guests had no chance to see this sight, nor did they have the chance to praise: "This truly is a pine of longevity."

However, now, this large, long-growing pine tree had been split vertically in two from crown to root.

The trunk parted, revealing an old man sitting cross-legged inside.

It was an acquaintance.

As an outsider Sword Hero, Tang Zhao should not have been very familiar with this person, but unfortunately, Xing Qi was.

Wasn't this the Grand Steward of Changfa Manor, Xing Cang?

That man who claimed to be the invisible Manor Master in control of Changfa Manor—just a moment ago, he was still a participant in the first bout of sword fighting, passing through the first round safely by slacking off.

At the time, although there were all sorts of legends about him, looking at his appearance, he really was just a mediocre and strange old man.

Now, however, Xing Cang's appearance sitting inside the large pine tree was vastly different. He was draped in a crane cloak with Eight Trigrams, wearing a crown made of purple gold with a jade hairpin, and sitting cross-legged on the back of a turtle. Although he still had a thick beard, he now possessed a hint of an immortal's air.

Yet, no matter how ethereal he dressed, it could not hide the horror of suddenly being exposed to the light of day.

Since Tang Zhao confirmed it was him, he did not hold back, and his long sword descended from above:

"Golden Tiger!"

There was no fully formed tiger, only a tiger head carrying brilliant golden light, slashing down with the momentum of a fierce tiger descending a mountain; the Sword Essence and Sword Qi were enough to split mountains and crack rocks!

Golden Tiger was originally a single-target attack developed by Tang Zhao, and it was the sharpest sword in the Jingxing Sword Art. In the form of a tiger head, it could be used for continuous slashing, suitable for daily combat.

At this moment, Tang Zhao came with the momentum of victory, his Sword Essence, aura, and determination all mobilized to the extreme; this sword was not something any Sword Guest could withstand.

Boom!

A pillar of light rose up, and the crowd, who were in a state of chaotic battle before the Turtle Shell Sacrificial Array, could not help but look back.

The Sunset Master, hiding in a corner, could not help but be dumbfounded, followed by trembling in horror, shouting: "Great Sage! Quickly, Xing Qing, push me..."

However, Xing Qing did not make a sound. As he turned his head, he saw that everyone was already fighting for themselves. Many survivors on the field were surrounding them with hostility, hacking at anyone they saw from Sunset Manor. His own Sword Guests were already in a state of total chaos.

He hurriedly pulled a few levers on the wheelchair to send a signal, calling his own Sword Guests to close in on him.

At this time, it was Xing Qing, whom he had always trusted most and who could be called his right-hand man, who was the most loyal. Although his own situation was dire, he still risked injury and rushed forward, arriving at his side.

Seeing someone come to his side, Wu Shayu breathed a sigh of relief—ever since he had become paralyzed, although he was still a Sword Guest, his courage had been lost, and he could no longer walk independently.

He said repeatedly: "Xing Qing, the Great Sage is in trouble; let's go save him."

Xing Qing did not obey immediately, saying quickly: "Master, are we still in a position to worry about others?"

Wu Shayu was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Xing Qing said: "Look at this situation... not to mention the people being sacrificed in the array, everyone left is our enemy. The Great Venerable... Gui Rong is dead, and there is no more deterrent power. That pretentious Xing Qi among his subordinates just tried to run away and was slaughtered by someone, I don't know who. Now we are the most obvious targets. Thinking about protecting others at a time like this, isn't that just adding fuel to the fire?"

Wu Shayu looked at the chaotic situation before him with his old eyes, and gradually came to his senses, saying: "Then we... every man for himself? Let's go, gather our people and follow me to the sculpture side. Open the passage; we don't need Sunset Manor anymore, preserving our lives is what matters most."

The light extinguished, revealing the sunken ground.

It turned out that the large pine tree was gone, evaporated into thin air, leaving only a large pit with some charred, brownish charcoal remaining. The ground had been shaved down by three feet by that sword.

However, Xing Cang was still fine. Although he was in a sorry state, having assumed a posture of scrambling and crawling, he had already reached the edge of the pit, but he was actually unscathed.

On his body, there was still a layer of unspent power shield, wrapping his entire body like a silhouette, chaotic and translucent, extremely similar to that turtle shell on the sacrificial array.

It was just that after that powerful sword strike, the protective shield was left with only a thin layer; that was what had been offset by the previous sword strike.

Good, there was still power surging over continuously, and that layer of protective shield was visibly absorbing power and thickening.

Do not look at how thin that protective shield was; just like the Wangliang Fighter, this power was endless and indestructible. If the Wangliang Fighter had not encountered Gui Rong's death power, it could recover even if shredded into pieces. It was the same inside Xing Cang's protective shield; as long as it could draw power, it would not be destroyed.

And now, the source of this protective power was within the turtle array. Although it was not as inexhaustible as the Wangliang power of Wangliang Mountain, among so many people being sacrificed, there was no lack of Sword Guests with long lifespans; it was probably enough to draw for quite a few hours, right?

There were Abyss Envoys attacking the sacrificial array side; if they broke the turtle shell there, Xing Cang would lose his protection and naturally be in immediate danger. Before that, Xing Cang could be considered invincible.

Likewise, it was not so easy for him to use such power to deal with Tang Zhao; it was not his own power, so it was not as flexible to use, and it was more practical to pile it up for defense.

This was a balance that seemed fragile but was momentarily indestructible.

Tang Zhao looked at him, his long sword hanging down, leaning on it as he said: "As expected of the mastermind who organized so many people, you really are dark enough. It's good to see the light now. It's just that there are few people here to appreciate it, and it doesn't show off your great achievements. How about I take you out so everyone can appreciate it together?"

Xing Cang emerged from his panic, regained his calm, and sat cross-legged on the ground again, lowering his eyes and drooping his head. His expression was increasingly unlike the Xing Cang in Tang Zhao's impression; he truly had a bit of a solemn, dignified air.

He said plainly: "You are free to do as you please. If you are willing to appreciate my downfall alongside a group of the lowliest, filthiest slave owners and merchants, and share in their joy and sorrow and meet the same end, then naturally there is no hindrance."

Hmm?

Tang Zhao was a bit surprised, not because he was moved by these words, but because he heard the standpoint from which Xing Cang spoke: he believed that Tang Zhao and those manor masters were not in the same camp, and that he should loathe them.

How did he judge that? After all, on the surface, Tang Zhao was merely a hired thug invited by Changfa Manor.

The old guy had something to him.

Thinking this, Tang Zhao shook his head with a laugh and said: "Why do you make it sound like you are a martyr becoming a saint? Do you fancy yourself a fighter against slave owners, and that the sacrifice is to eliminate evil and bring peace? Don't you realize what kind of thing you are? Not to mention those manor masters and slave traders, among those wailing in pain under your array, aren't there also those sword slave guests? How are you any different from the slave owners? You wouldn't say that for the sake of your grand plan, it doesn't matter if these people suffer a little, would you?"

Xing Cang sighed: "They will not suffer."

Tang Zhao said "Hmm?" again, and Xing Cang continued: "They are already dead."

Tang Zhao was speechless for a moment, saying: "You certainly say that with righteous indignation."

Xing Cang said: "What I extract is not power, nor life force, but lifespan. Lifespan is originally the will of heaven; losing it will not make one feel pain. The pain these people suffered was instead from being hit by the collapsing stands, causing internal and external injuries. But those still suffering torture now are those wicked slave owners. Only they have remaining long lifespans. The lives of those Sword Guests are as short as morning dew; they passed away peacefully before they could suffer. Not having to suffer in the Human World is also a gift I gave them."

Seeing Tang Zhao's disdainful expression, he did not wait for the other to speak, and said directly: "You are an outsider; you don't understand the pain of a sword slave. Every minute and every second a sword slave lives is pain. In life, they are driven by others like cattle and horses, and in death, they fall into Yingyuan and cannot be reborn. Being able to die of old age is already a luxury. Being able to die like this now is already a very great happiness. I helped them find release. And those slave owners suffer much more. Death is not painful; what is painful is waiting for death, waiting for death while suffering both physically and mentally. Those sinners deserve this retribution."

Tang Zhao sneered: "If they really wanted release, they could commit suicide; they don't need you to 'help' them."

Xing Cang shook his head and said: "They want to die, but they dare not. The terror of death is carved into their marrow; they are used to being oppressed, and they don't even dare to hope for the freedom to die. Now I allow them to die freely, while the slave owners who stripped them of everything are still wailing and waiting for death—isn't this the greatest gift?"

Tang Zhao shook his head: "I truly regret not killing you just now. Killing you just now felt like nothing, but after chatting for a while, I feel like vomiting. You still dare to engage in sophistry here! Do you think others don't know about the so-called Long Life Society you organized? I have heard of it. The members in the society are all the wicked slave owners you speak of; when has there ever been an oppressed sword slave? They support you, listen to your orders, and set up this arena, all with you as the master, just to share in the lifespan you stripped from the sword slaves and their peers. How did you become someone who cares for sword slaves? The slave owners who stripped away everything... the sword slaves had only a few years of life left, and you took it all, then fattened yourself. And then you say you gave them a gift... is there anyone more disgusting than you? And..."

And, if he had done these things half a month ago, then perhaps what was taken from those sword slaves was truly only lifespan, but by acting today, what was actually taken was also something very, very precious.

That was hope.

The hope of freedom.

That was the gift Tang Zhao gave to all the sword slaves of Wangliang Mountain. Yet, it was stripped away along with their lifespans by Xing Cang.

It was only one last step away; if those sword slaves could leave this arena, perhaps they could see a different scenery.

Tang Zhao did not know if they felt regret in their final moments, but Tang Zhao felt quite regretful.

Tang Zhao did not want to think about it anymore and raised his Sword Dao, saying: "Your defense is indeed troublesome, but it is not without a way to break it. It is just that I previously felt it was not worth using a Sword Technique on someone like you. Now, seeing your disgusting appearance, I do not hesitate. Although your dog life is worthless, it is worth it to clear my mind. Go to hell—"

Light condensed at the tip of his sword.

Hearing "break," Xing Cang, who had been full of confidence, felt a flash of panic upon hearing "Sword Technique" and shouted: "Wait!"

Tang Zhao frowned slightly and said: "What, do you still want to leave last words? Those people harmed by you did not even have the chance to say a word before they died."

Xing Cang said hurriedly: "The lifespans I collected did not go to fatten myself; they are here." As he spoke, he held out a Turtle Shell. The shell condensed the same kind of chaotic aura as the one on the Sacrificial Array, only much denser and thicker.

Tang Zhao frowned and said: "What do you mean?"

Xing Cang thought to himself that he was truly asking while knowing the answer, hypocritically refusing to demand it directly, but at this critical moment, he had to speak clearly: "Anyone can use these lifespans. It could also be you!"