Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 254 - 214: Killing Without Hesitation

Killing tens of thousands of people in one go just for some peace and quiet...

Such a simple sentence made Shen Ziyu's skin tighten all over.

Killing people is not something to be taken lightly or dismissed. Nowadays, the Xiangzhou Continent is in an era of peace and prosperity. Many cultivators spend their lives in immortal cultivation, possessing the power to move mountains and overturn seas with a mere gesture, yet never encountering killing all their lives. The most intense situation they experience is a fully protected duel with a pre-arranged opponent. These cultivators don't even kill chickens; those are dealt with by specialized butchers.

As an envoy of the Saint Sect and a member of the warlike Shen Family, one of the Seven Great Noble Families, Shen Ziyu had only a few lives on his hands. Strictly speaking, they were not truly human — in the primordial ruins, there are always humanoid berserk creatures that differ in life nature from Demon Essences but are equally bloodthirsty and violent, to be killed on sight.

Yet coming from this Primordial Divine Sword's mouth, it casually spoke of tens of thousands of lives!

At this time, Shen Ziyu couldn't help but recall his master's previous message.

Such an ancient divine artifact, which awakens after sleeping for millennia, should be treated with respect from a distance.

No need to be paranoid about it being an enemy threatening the Xiangzhou Continent, but also shouldn't be too close, maintaining a distance is best. Hence, the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect didn't extend a fervent invitation to Wang Jiu to visit the

Saint Sect as a guest, as if they had never met.

Now, Shen Ziyu somewhat understood the reasoning behind it.

"... Why kill so many people?"

Wang Jiu said, "Because they came to kill me, and I have no desire to be killed."

"Tens of thousands want to kill you. What on earth did you do to provoke such wrath?"

Wang Jiu explained, "Perhaps because I annihilated the Heaven One Sword Team of Qiaoling City, so the Myriad Immortals Alliance sent their almost ace sword team, the Gonggong Sword Team, in retaliation. Although the Gonggong Sword Array isn't quite intricate, they have superior numbers, which made it rather troublesome to deal with."

Shen Ziyu pinched his brow vigorously, using external force to ease the mental pressure while trying to understand Wang Jiu's meaning.

"Why did you annihilate the Heaven One Sword Team of Qiaoling City?"

"Because they came to kill me, and I have no desire to be killed."

"Why did the Heaven One Sword Team want to kill you?"

"Because I wiped out the three main teams of the Seven-Quartet Sword Array, so the City Lord could only use the Qiao Ling Sword Seal to gather the Heaven One Sword Team."

"Why did you kill the three main teams of the Seven-Quartet Sword Array?"

"Because I annihilated the stationed troop of Hongqiao Town, so the Deputy City Lord gathered the most agile and mobile Qiaoling City Seven-Quartet Sword Array."

"Then why did you kill the stationed troop?"

"Because I eliminated the Red Mountain Sect Leader and his true disciples stationed in the town."

"..." Shen Ziyu felt he was already numb from questioning, so he signaled Wang Jiu with his eyes not to keep pushing the narrative in a shocking way, but to directly state the conclusion.

Wang Jiu, with remarkable comprehensiveness, nodded and said, "To put it directly, it's because the son of the Red Mountain Sect Leader took a fancy to the sword in my hand and attempted to switch it when I was unaware. I cut off the hand he used to switch it."

Shen Ziyu was stunned for a moment before sighing: "So, the origin of all this was merely because an ignorant, evil young master wanted to steal your belonging?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you report it to the authorities?"

"That Young Sect Leader was the first to report it. I deemed there was no need to further increase the workload of the local government office."

"And then?"

"Then, the official who arrived indiscriminately joined forces with the Red Mountain Sect members to use the Heart-Breaking Bone-Tearing Talisman to kill me. I didn't want to be killed, so I had to cut them down. After that, it attracted the Red Mountain Sect Leader and the Guardian Immortal Master of the town, and then the nearby stationed troop."

"During this process, wasn't there any way to avoid the killings?"

Wang Jiu thought for a moment and said, "The Red Mountain Sect Leader claimed that if I were willing to renounce my cultivation and kneel to lick his feet, he wouldn't kill me."

Shen Ziyu weakly covered his forehead with his hand: "Truly idiotic."

"Yes, when he spoke, he used the Whispering Technique to secretly instruct his men to circle behind me and use the Red Mountain Golden Gu to control me. The Whispering Technique was so rudimentary, it was simply contempt for my magical prowess."

"I... understand. Essentially, the ruling class responsible for social order at that time did not treat you justly, but instead attempted to use force to erase you, prompting you to resort to force and swiftly become an unstable element threatening social order, leading to more powerful force suppression, and then you ended up killing tens of thousands of people along the way?"

Wang Jiu praised, "Very accurate, worthy of being Shen Yue'e's brother, quite different from her daughter."

"... So, haven't you considered that besides killing, there could be other ways to resolve the issue? Perhaps in your view, those who came to kill you were courting death themselves, and it seemed justifiable and reasonable for you to defend yourself. However, they were all living people, not livestock in a slaughterhouse."

Wang Jiu couldn't help but furrow his brow, saying, "Why ask me this question? Why didn't those who sent them to their deaths consider this issue? Even from their standpoint, I, being an unstable element, deserved death. However, their soldiers were all living individuals, not livestock in a slaughterhouse. Why must they come here to die at my hands?"

With one sentence, Shen Ziyu was left dumbstruck.

This logic is absolutely flawless, completely beyond his imagination.

Is there really such logic, such reasoning in the world?!

No, this is not about logic, it's purely a result of power.

Under heaven, where could there be a cultivator like Wang Jiu who can slaughter tens of thousands without breaking a sweat? How could the gap between people be so vast that the whole world could not suppress a single individual?

Even the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect today, if he were to mimic Wang Jiu's logic, trying to fight against thousands with the strength of one person, it would be a dead end. Yet Wang Jiu, with extraordinary power, places his reasoning above tens of thousands of others.

Why would heaven create such a person?

Thinking of this, beads of cold sweat appeared continuously on Shen Ziyu's back. No wonder the Sect Leader said to keep a respectful distance from him; a person like this, though gentle-natured usually, would be terrifying if truly offended...

Wang Jiu said, "Ah, don't worry, I won't do such things again."

Shen Ziyu felt a slight ease: "Really? Why?"

"Someone told me that slaughtering thousands like pigs is actually highly inefficient. Considering the structure of human society, you only need to eliminate key figures to turn the tide, and there's no need to waste so much effort on killing so many minions."

"..."

Seeing Shen Ziyu's silence, Wang Jiu patiently explained: "Take Qingyun City for example. If I simultaneously eliminate the patriarchs of the three great noble families, I could basically make any demand I want, make them compliant, without the need to lay waste to the city..."

"Enough, enough, I understand completely." Shen Ziyu waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that Wang Jiu didn't need to continue.

"Fortunately, it's no longer that Dark Era. If I had awakened you in that era, humans might have already been wiped out by you."

Wang Jiu said, "No, I really like humans. Unless it's necessary, I wouldn't harm a single person."

Before his words finished, a laugh came from nearby.

"Ha, just came over and heard your Sword Spirit babbling nonsense! Wouldn't harm a single human? Haven't you harmed me enough?!"

Shen Qingming approached with righteous indignation, gave Wang Jiu a hard look of disdain, then without listening to his explanation, turned to Shen Ziyu and said, "Hey, someone's looking for you."

Shen Ziyu asked in surprise: "Someone's looking for me? Here?"

This was his private haven, completely isolated from the outside world unless permitted, even communications were hard to intrude. So, who could be looking for him at this time?

"It's me."

In the next moment, a faint voice came from afar.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ziyu's expression changed. He reached for a milky white mask and put it on, and as his Primordial Spirit circulated, the entire cave abode shook, the lush bamboo forest and misty waters were replaced by a domain of yellow sand and ruins.

In an instant, the cave abode entered a state of combat readiness. Shen Ziyu shielded Shen Qingming and Wang Jiu behind him, extending his right hand forward with five fingers spread, forming an invisible barrier.

At the same time, the elusive voice rapidly approached without pause, undeterred by the flying sand and labyrinthine ruins within the cave abode.

Within a few breaths, a tall figure appeared before everyone.

Tall and imposing, with disheveled hair and beard, his face etched deeply with the marks of time, only his eyes shone like stars, mesmerizing anyone who beheld them.

Patriarch Li, Li Fengyun.

After appearing, Li Fengyun waved his hand: "No need to be tense, I'm not here to challenge you, just to ask..."

After pausing, Li Fengyun's gaze locked onto Shen Ziyu.

"Are you Yue'e's brother?"

"How dare you mention that name!"

In the next instant, Shen Ziyu erupted completely, his right hand clenched tightly, and the surrounding space transformed into a formless yet substantive transparent cage, imprisoning Li Fengyun within.

Li Fengyun, caught off guard, was enveloped by this invisible force, as if submerged in the depths of the ocean, an incredible pressure emanating from every limb and bone. Even with a True Essence Realm cultivation at the peak stage of the Mountain-Overturning Realm, and a body tempered over countless trials, he couldn't break free, only the incessant sounds of bones being compressed resonated as Li Fengyun's silhouette began to distort.

Shen Qingming was shocked: "What are you doing!?"

Shen Ziyu said coldly: "No need to pity him, compared to what he did to my sister, what I'm inflicting now is merely a fraction! Haha, Li Fengyun, I wasn't planning on targeting you, after all, I'm here as a Holy Sect Immortal Envoy, but since you barged into my cave abode, don't blame me for being hospitable!"

With those words, Shen Ziyu clenched his left hand suddenly, and the yellow sand beneath Li Fengyun's feet surged upward, forming a towering sand pillar that hovered above his head.

"Every grain of sand here weighs one hundred kilograms, so, savor the feeling of eternal doom."

In the following moment, Shen Ziyu unclenched his left hand, and the tower of gathered sand came crashing down.