Chapter 164: Killing to Protect the Dao?
Xu Yuan frowned and was just about to step forward when Yan Wuguan beside him suddenly stopped him with one hand.
Yan Wuguan’s face darkened as he said in a deep voice, “Why did you kill that man?”
The woman in white shot him a cold glance. “When the Sword-Nurturing Pavilion acts, why should I explain myself to you?”
However, after glancing at the now-empty inn around her, she still added flatly:
“This man once saved a fox. But later, because he dreamed that the fox had become a spirit, he killed its entire family. After waking, he skinned the fox and stripped it to the bone... This was a false accusation forced upon it. It was evil desire.”
There was such a thing?
The group looked at one another. Yan Wuguan’s eyes widened, unable to understand it. “How can the life of a beast be compared with a human life?”
The woman sneered. “That is the view of vulgar mortals like you. Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs.”
“In my eyes, a human life is no different from that fox’s life. When people stray from the proper path and give rise to evil thoughts, they become stained with the karmic taint of the mortal world. To sever karmic obstacles and cleanse sin... that is the Dao followed by my Sword-Nurturing Pavilion!”
Yan Wuguan’s brows knitted tightly. He had never seen someone so utterly heretical and deviant, and for a moment, he did not even know what to say.
“Interesting.”
At that moment, Xu Yuan spoke with a smile. “You keep saying that all beings are equal, that a fox’s life is equal to a human life, but then why did you kill this man?”
“Could it be that you place yourself above human life?”
“Insolence!”
The woman in white’s expression darkened, and her eyes turned shadowy. “Are you a disciple of my Sword Pavilion? Yet you dare speak carelessly and make assumptions?”
“I kill to protect the Dao. By removing the sins from this man’s body, I perform a great act of merit. If you continue speaking nonsense, beware my three-foot blade!”
Xu Yuan was about to speak again when someone beside him cut in. “What do you mean, killing for the sake of protecting life? Then if I kill you today, wouldn’t that also be removing your sins?”
“You bitch, stop spouting this demonic nonsense!”
Hearing that, Xu Yuan shot the man a rather strange look.
That man was tall and lean. It was none other than Cai Kun, the other Extraordinary Meridians martial artist.
He had not expected the man to have such a sharp tongue.
“How noisy!”
A chill flashed through the woman’s eyes as she drew her sword again and said to herself, “You speak blasphemy against the righteous path. Every word you utter is filled with contempt for karmic obstacles. I fear that in your heart, the roots of despising the Great Dao and indulging evil thoughts have long since taken hold.”
“Then let my Pure Yang Sword Intent wash away the filth and wickedness in your heart!”
With that, her body flashed and transformed into a streak of white light charging forward. Her sword turned in her hand and arrived before Cai Kun in an instant.
So fast!
Cai Kun was greatly alarmed and hurriedly exchanged blows with her.
For a time, the two became several blurring shadows weaving through the inn hall, their overflowing force reducing the surrounding tables and chairs to splinters.
Yet before even half an incense stick’s time had passed,
wounds had already opened all over Cai Kun’s body. In the end, he was no match for her and was kicked several meters away.
“To sever the filth from your body—this is my act of repaying hatred with virtue.”
The woman came to his side and pointed her sword at him from afar. Cold light flickered along the blade, and then she was about to bring it down.
“Wait!” Cai Kun cried out in panic.
Smack.
At that moment, Xu Yuan suddenly moved. With lightning speed, he struck the sword aside with a palm before anyone could react.
The moment the woman saw it was him, she let out another cold snort. “And you as well. Your evil karma is just as grave. Do not rush. I will soon help you sever your karmic obstacles too.”
With that, the two of them clashed once more.
A series of explosive bangs rang out without end, force surging everywhere and shaking the surrounding air until it hummed.
Xu Yuan’s expression shifted slightly. He felt an incomparably sharp strand of force land on his body, causing even him to feel a faint stinging pain.
What kind of force was this?
Its power was astonishing.
The woman’s expression also tightened. Her body instinctively leaped backward, landing two meters away in a single bound. Her eyes turned cold and piercing.
She had clearly not expected Xu Yuan’s strength to be so great that he could force her backward.
“As expected of one steeped in karmic evil. You do have some ability. Take another move from me!” The woman’s eyes turned icy as she lunged again, her aura becoming increasingly fierce and her attacks growing even more vicious.
Force seemed to cling to her longsword, making it terrifyingly sharp. She clearly wanted to cripple Xu Yuan.
“Stop!”
At that moment, a sharp feminine shout rang out.
Corrected version:
Shangyang Qingyu walked in. With a flicker of movement, she arrived beside the two of them. She casually extended a hand and gave a light flick, and at once an overwhelming force surged out, sending both of them flying four or five meters backward.
The woman’s expression changed. She immediately turned to Shangyang Qingyu, her features icy and grim.
“So it’s Bai Lu of the Sword-Nurturing Pavilion. What excuse have you found to kill people this time?”
Shangyang Qingyu stood at ease, smiling but not smiling. “Could it be that you’ve been acting so arrogantly lately that you even dare bully people under my protection now?”
Bai Lu let out a cold snort and raised her chin. “Even if your cultivation is higher than mine, if you slander the Dao of the Sword Pavilion, I will still argue the matter with you to the end! However, I truly was rash this time. I did not know this was where you were staying.”
Shangyang Qingyu smiled sweetly. “Then why aren’t you getting lost already?”
Bai Lu’s pretty face darkened. She coldly swept Xu Yuan with a glance and said, “This time, you were fortunate. We will meet again.”
With that, she turned and left, as if Xu Yuan was not worth taking seriously at all.
Xu Yuan’s brows remained tightly furrowed. Looking at Shangyang Qingyu, he asked, “Are all the people from the Sword-Nurturing Pavilion like this?”
Shangyang Qingyu showed a helpless expression. “Yes. The Sword-Nurturing Pavilion prides itself on being the righteous path of the human world, taking it as its duty to slay all evil and sin beneath heaven. Once they identify a target, they will not rest until death.”
“But in my opinion, they’re just a pack of lunatics... You will have to get used to them. Their minds may not be normal, but their strength is truly exceptional.”
Xu Yuan ignored the latter half of that statement and only said, “She said she wanted to sever the karmic obstacles on my body... In that case, has she already set her sights on me?”
Shangyang Qingyu glanced at him and nodded slightly. “Mm, I’m afraid so.”
Xu Yuan’s gaze turned cold.
Whoosh.
In the next instant, he did not hesitate in the slightest. His body suddenly shot out at incredible speed, his skin taking on a layer of red light. Every ounce of strength in his body twisted into one, and his fist smashed violently toward Bai Lu.
Damn it, if she were a Grandmaster, that would be one thing.
But we’re both Extraordinary Meridians, and you still dare put on airs in front of me?
Who here doesn’t have backing behind them?
Die!
Bai Lu felt the hairs all over her body stand on end, her heart seized by alarm. Without even thinking, she hurriedly struck out with a palm behind her, colliding with Xu Yuan’s fist.
Bang!
The violent roar exploded like muffled thunder.
Both of them were at the Extraordinary Meridians level. Bai Lu’s foundation was clearly deeper, and her martial art was no ordinary one either, able to infuse itself into the sword and greatly increase its power.
However, Xu Yuan was no easy target either. Leaving aside the tough defense cultivated through the Golden Bell Shield, the stacked Paralysis and Rebound Shock attributes added when Berserk was activated were already enough to make anyone suffer.
As a result, in that exchange, it was Bai Lu who was forced back several steps.
Bai Lu’s face twisted with shock and fury. She was nearly laughing from anger.
Good. Very good!
She had never expected that this sinner would actually dare take the initiative to attack!