Peak of Mount Tai (Part II)

"Baixiaosheng?!" Fengyun Wuji was genuinely shocked. Of all the people he could've encountered, this one was perhaps the best possible. Martial artists were notoriously stubborn—brute strength alone rarely brought them to heel. But Baixiaosheng was a different story.

"You're still alive? That's impossible. As far as I recall, you didn't even practice martial arts."

The man gave a respectful nod. "Senior is right. The Baixiaosheng you met, the one the Sword Deity encountered, was my grandmaster's grandmaster. Every generation of the Celestial Mechanism Sect designates its leader as 'Baixiaosheng.' Through secret arts, we alter our appearance to match that of our predecessor, thus preserving continuity through the ages. I am the Baixiaosheng of this generation."

"You've never seen me before. How did you recognize I was the Sword Deity?" Fengyun Wuji asked with curiosity.

With trembling hands, Baixiaosheng retrieved a worn scroll from his robe. He unfurled a faded painting and sighed. "When you ascended all those years ago, my grandmaster's grandmaster was there to witness it. He captured your divine presence in this very painting—he was a master of ink and brush, as all leaders of our sect must be. It has been enshrined ever since. I studied it daily, and so I know your face as well as my own."

Their exchange, though appearing like a reunion of old acquaintances, was actually a subtle explanation for the bystanders. Fengyun Wuji silently praised the man's tact and cleverness.

"Greetings, Patriarch!" More people dropped to their knees in reverence. Most here practiced internal arts that originated from the Demon-Slaying Heart Sutra. By that standard, they were all disciples of the same lineage.

"Nonsense! He's clearly using demonic illusions to deceive that old fool Baixiaosheng! And you actually believe him?!" Bai Li Lang roared.

Fengyun Wuji's expression darkened. "Bai Li Lang, four hundred years ago I spared your sect because I was wounded. Who would've thought that in doing so, I raised a tiger that now brings ruin? The conflicts plaguing the martial world today—most of them were orchestrated by you."

"You… you speak lies!" Bai Li Lang's face paled.

"The Celestial Mechanism Sect has long kept records of your actions. You amassed power, cast a shadow over all others, and used your seniority to silence dissent. I turned a blind eye—until now. But provoking bloodshed here on Mount Tai… That crosses the line. Your intentions are far too sinister."

Fengyun Wuji rose higher into the air, his body surrounded by a whirlwind of ten thousand swords. He watched Bai Li Lang struggle and resist, unwilling to confess. With a cold sneer, Fengyun clapped his hands twice.

From the foot of the mountain, thousands of imperial guards marched forward, dragging dozens of martial artists dressed in the garb of various sects. Bound and beaten, they were thrown before the crowd.

"These men are disciples of the Vast Sword Sect. Look closely. You should recognize them."

"Grandmaster! Save me!" A young swordsman, bloodied and bound, looked up in desperation.

"You! You traitorous wretch!" Two elders from rival sword sects stepped forward, recognizing him instantly as the very man who had incited the conflict between their factions.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before. The Vast Sword Sect has no such disciple," Bai Li Lang declared coldly.

"Grandmaster, it's me! You sent me, remember? Disguised as a member of the Snow Moon Sect to assassinate an elder of the Flowing Wind Sect!" the young man cried.

Bai Li Lang snorted and turned away.

One by one, the prisoners were identified by those they had wronged. One by one, the gathered sects erupted in rage. Eyes burning with fury, they surrounded the captives, barely restraining themselves from tearing them limb from limb.

Fengyun Wuji smiled, remaining silent. He simply watched Bai Li Lang.

"Have anything else to say?"

Bai Li Lang, seething with hatred, took a step forward and drew out a strange, spindle-shaped weapon. "Demon," he spat, "today I rid the world of your kind!"

Fengyun Wuji thought he was about to launch a desperate attack—but to his surprise, Bai Li Lang hurled a nearby disciple at him instead, then turned and fled, racing down the mountain at full speed.

With a cold laugh, Fengyun Wuji gave chase, controlling his tens of thousands of swords like a vast metal storm.

"Run, then. Let's see just how fast you really are. Last time, I was careless and let you slip away. This time, you won't be so lucky."

His voice echoed behind him. Bai Li Lang shuddered but said nothing, fleeing with all his might.

"Enough running!" Fengyun Wuji's voice thundered. The Devouring Star Technique surged forth. Since absorbing the demonic essence of the Fifth Demon King, this technique had grown even more fearsome. Bai Li Lang was yanked backward like a kite caught in a storm, helplessly dragged into Fengyun Wuji's waiting hand.

"What did the Demon Clan offer you that made you so willing to serve them?" Fengyun Wuji growled, fingers tightening around Bai Li Lang's throat. With his newly enhanced strength, Bai Li Lang had no hope of escape.

Crack!

Bai Li Lang writhed in fury. Suddenly, a sharp snap came from his back as two bony spikes shot out, screeching toward Fengyun Wuji's heart.

But with a flash of dark light, both spikes shattered midair. Bai Li Lang screamed, "My lord, save me!"

A shadow flitted beneath them. A figure clad in tight black clothes silently emerged—it startled Fengyun Wuji. The Demon Clan's stealth technique was truly formidable; even he hadn't sensed the man's approach.

With a swift palm strike, Fengyun Wuji obliterated the assassin. The man didn't even have time to scream—his body exploded into a rain of blood and flesh before hitting the ground. Fengyun Wuji never even got a glimpse of his face. With four thousand years of cultivation, he had effortlessly dispatched a mere underling of the Fifth Demon King.

"Die!" Bai Li Lang screamed and hurled the strange spindle at Fengyun Wuji. It let out a piercing whistle as it streaked toward his face.

Fengyun Wuji didn't dare underestimate it. In a flash, he retreated hundreds of meters. The weapon exploded where he had stood, releasing crackling arcs of purple lightning in a thirty-meter radius. The air itself sizzled with blue smoke.

Scanning the area, Fengyun Wuji spotted Bai Li Lang taking advantage of the chaos—vanishing underground using that same stealth technique.

"You can't escape!" he roared.

With a screech, tens of thousands of swords shot into the earth, tunneling after Bai Li Lang based on Fengyun's spiritual sense.

He then spat a mouthful of sword essence into the soil, turning the blades into a massive, conical trap. Sword energy surged, each blade now emanating a three-foot aura of light, interlocking into a vast net that sealed off the ground.

"Hah!" Fengyun Wuji exhaled and shouted. Using the Devouring Star Technique, he forcibly pulled a massive cone of earth—hundreds of meters deep—from the ground. Swords swirled around it in a blinding dance.

Through the gaps in the sword net, Fengyun Wuji saw Bai Li Lang's terrified face.

A flash of killing intent crossed his eyes.

The Fifth Sword Core Technique—Sword Courage—was unleashed.

Boom!

The towering cone of earth shattered into dust, and with it, Bai Li Lang was reduced to nothing but a blood mist—no bones, no trace left behind.

"Consider this... my offering to Chi Shang," Fengyun Wuji murmured, gazing at the lingering red mist. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.