Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi - Chapter 170: Leave Not a Single One Alive

Dugu Bai had left, leaving Zhang Heng with a lingering sense of melancholy.

It was not because of the sorrow lingering in Dugu Bai's tone upon his departure, but rather because Dugu Bai had abandoned him in this desolate mountain wilderness, forcing him to expend precious energy running all the way back to the imperial capital of the Qi Kingdom.

As for what Dugu Bai was going to do, Zhang Heng was neither in a position to care nor possessed the capability to interfere. If even the Sword Saint Dugu Bai found himself troubled by the matter, what qualification did Zhang Heng have to inquire about it?

At this moment, Zhang Heng was sprinting at full speed along the path toward the imperial capital.

Fortunately, his speed was already formidable. He continuously fueled his movement technique, the Minor Aurora Illusion, pushing forward without a pause.

Before long, he entered the imperial capital, crossed into the imperial palace, and finally arrived at the spatial domain where the Spirit Spring had originally been located.

The massive iron cauldron from before had already been shattered beyond repair.

The guards stationed to protect the Spirit Spring stood there completely bewildered. Blocked by the powerful True Origin experts earlier, they had been unable to check if the Spirit Spring had suffered any damage, and now they could only mill about like headless flies.

Ignoring them, Zhang Heng ran straight to the spot where he had just vanished alongside the senior Sword Saint.

Panting heavily when he arrived, he found that not a single person had left; everyone was still waiting right there.

Zhang Heng knew they were certainly not waiting for him. These people were simply afraid that if they left prematurely, the senior Sword Saint might return and hold them accountable.

"Kid Zhang, where is the senior Sword Saint?"

Seeing Zhang Heng run back alone without Dugu Bai in sight, the True Origin experts stepped forward to ask.

"Senior fellows, the Sword Saint Dugu Bai has already departed." Catching his breath, Zhang Heng stood up straight and informed everyone that Dugu Bai had gone.

Naturally, and without exception, Zhang Heng was met with another wave of flattery.

"The senior Sword Saint is truly a divine being."

"He does great deeds without leaving his name; truly, he is the peerless Sword Saint."

"Alas, compared to the senior Sword Saint, our cultivation realms still fall vastly short."

"The senior Sword Saint has long since comprehended the mysteries of creation; naturally, he cares nothing for worldly accolades."

...

Zhang Heng was once again left speechless. These True Origin realm experts usually acted superior to one another, but when it came to buttering someone up, they were equally smooth.

Dugu Bai was truly a supreme figure. He had destroyed countless people's swords and simply walked away, yet these people dared not utter a single complaint and instead wore expressions of profound gratitude.

Since the Demonic Sovereign was now dead, the aftermath had to be handled.

Casting his gaze around, Zhang Heng spoke in a calm tone, "Senior fellows, go and round up all the disciples of the Yin Shen Sect and bring them here."

Everyone nodded. Knowing that Zhang Heng shared a profound relationship with the Sword Saint, they all proceeded to act according to his wishes.

During the fierce battle between the Sword Saint and the Demonic Sovereign earlier, shockwaves had swept across this entire realm. The Yin Shen Sect disciples who had been knocked unconscious were blown away in all directions by the turbulent energy.

Quite some time had passed since then, and no doubt some of those disciples had already regained consciousness and fled.

Yet, vast as the world was, where could they possibly escape?

Present here were over a dozen True Origin realm experts. Most of the Yin Shen Sect disciples were merely at the Qi Sea and Core Formation realms; not a single one of them could escape the pursuit of True Origin experts.

Before long, all the fleeing individuals had been dragged back. As for whether every single remaining disciple of the Yin Shen Sect had been captured, Zhang Heng could not be certain.

The captured disciples were all tossed into a corner, where they began to plead bitterly for mercy.

"Senior fellows, it was Ye Wuji who colluded with the Demonic race and committed heinous crimes, but we truly knew nothing about it! We beg the senior fellows to spare our lives!"

"Please spare us, seniors!" Everyone fell to their knees, kowtowing.

Zhang Heng glanced over them once, then turned around and spoke in an indifferent voice, "Senior fellows, kill them all."

What?

As soon as these words were spoken, the True Origin experts looked at one another in confusion. To be honest, Ye Wuji's collusion with the Demonic race had drawn the wrath of both gods and men, and the entire Yin Shen Sect indeed deserved punishment. But their crimes did not warrant the death penalty for everyone!

Zhang Heng should not have been such a cold-blooded and ruthless person.

Upon hearing this, the Yin Shen Sect disciples fell into absolute despair, knowing full well that these powerful True Origin figures obeyed Zhang Heng's every word.

"We truly knew nothing! If you slaughter us all, how will you ever convince the public?" a Yin Shen Sect disciple shouted loudly in defiance.

Speaking up might lead to death, but remaining silent meant certain doom.

"This... is the will of the senior Sword Saint." Too lazy to even spare them a glance, Zhang Heng directly invoked Dugu Bai's name.

Upon hearing Zhang Heng's words, all the Yin Shen Sect disciples collapsed limply to the ground. If it truly was the command of Dugu Bai, then they were undoubtedly dead beyond a doubt.

"Little friend Zhang, since the senior Sword Saint wishes for them to die, they surely have reason to perish. I only wonder if little friend Zhang might share the reason with us?" Bai Chen chuckled lightly.

They all trusted Dugu Bai's character implicitly. Since Dugu Bai had given the order, they would naturally carry it out; however, having a justifiable reason would at least give them a proper banner under which to act.

They themselves feared nothing—slaughtering everyone from the Yin Shen Sect was a trivial matter to them. But Zhang Heng had yet to fully mature. If any cultivator grew dissatisfied with Zhang Heng's actions and harbored a grudge, it would likely invite endless trouble for him.

Hearing Bai Chen's words, the Yin Shen Sect disciples caught a glimmer of hope and hurriedly cried out.

"If the senior Sword Saint wants us dead, we harbor no grievances! But if you will not give us a reason, we cannot die in peace!"

"That's right, you must give us a reason!"

"Besides, brat, what gives you the right to speak on behalf of the senior Sword Saint?" Some disciples had regained consciousness later than the others and were still unaware of Zhang Heng's connection to the Sword Saint Dugu Bai.

Hearing their protests, Zhang Heng smiled faintly.

Then, he slowly walked toward the group of Yin Shen Sect disciples.

"What are you going to do?"

All the Yin Shen Sect disciples retreated in panic.

Putting everything else aside, Zhang Heng was the champion of the imperial capital grand tournament; if he wished to kill them, they possessed no strength to resist.

Furthermore, they all knew Zhang Heng was a ruthless individual; it was entirely possible that he would strike them down right then and there.

Consumed by fear, they scrambled backward.

Zhang Heng approached them with an expressionless face.

Everyone shifted their gazes toward the powerful True Origin figures standing at the edge of the clearing.

Someone shouted in desperation, "Senior fellows, this Zhang Heng is vicious and merciless! He actually intends to slaughter us in cold blood! We beg the seniors to show mercy and save our lives!"

The Qi Emperor, Bai Chen, and the others also looked at Zhang Heng with perplexed expressions. While they cared nothing for the lives of the Yin Shen Sect members, if Zhang Heng acted so arbitrarily, it might ultimately tarnish his own reputation.

"You want a reason? I'll give you one." Arriving before the crowd, Zhang Heng finally spoke, his voice chillingly eerie, akin to an evil spirit demanding a life from the netherworld.

With a burst of his Minor Aurora Illusion movement technique, Zhang Heng closed the distance to one of the disciples in an instant. Before the man could even react, he found that Zhang Heng had already extended two fingers and pressed them firmly against his chest.

"You wanted a reason? This is the reason." With those words, Zhang Heng casually tossed the Yin Shen Sect disciple aside and turned to walk back.

Seeing this, everyone immediately understood.

The True Origin experts instantly unleashed their power, and in a fraction of a second, every single Yin Shen Sect disciple present was completely annihilated, leaving not a single survivor.

For the moment Zhang Heng pressed his fingers against that man's chest, the man's vital energy had leaked out uncontrollably.

A wisp of demonic Qi had emanated from his body. Though it was merely an insignificant trace, demonic Qi it remained.

Zhang Heng had come here with the explicit purpose of completely eradicating the Yin Shen Sect; how could he possibly allow a single one of them to escape?

Their lives were lives, but were the lives of the hundred thousand ordinary citizens of Xunhuan City not lives as well?