Chapter 1115: Even You?
Han Fengqiu also felt chills run down his back. He almost blurted out ‘Don’t touch me!’ when he saw the tiger running at him. But he had been a cultivator for many years already, so his will was incredibly tough. He knew it definitely wasn’t the time to panic.
The longsword in his hand turned into a streak of sword ki, flying toward Zu An’s acupoint. If Zu An continued to chase after Hu Xin, he would definitely be severely injured by the attack. If Han Fengqiu managed to save Hu Xin, however, even though the tiger’s front claws had been removed, he was still a cultivator at the peak of the ninth rank. They would still have a good chance if they worked together.
When he saw the incoming sword, Zu An took a step forward. It was almost as if he had warped through spacetime, instantly reappearing in front of Hu Xin. Before the tiger’s disbelieving eyes, Zu An’s sword removed his head.
Zu An looked gloomy as he said, “And that sword was justice for the thirty-six souls who died unjustly.”
Only then did Han Fengqiu’s longsword arrive. Zu An flicked his finger outward, easily deflecting it.
Han Fengqiu called the flying sword back to his side. His complexion was extremely ugly. Never had he expected Zu An’s cultivation to be so ridiculously high. Zu An had actually killed an opponent of the same level before his very eyes!
The other deathsworn soldiers also lost all confidence when they saw what had happened. Even though they didn’t fear death, that applied against opponents who weren’t too far above them. If the difference were as great as heaven and earth, being fearless would be nothing short of suicide. Seeing that Zu An’s attention was completely focused on Han Fengqiu, they all quickly fled for their lives.
Han Fengqiu’s expression was cold. The flying sword in his hand turned into a cold blur, moving through the crowd. Bursts of blood exploded outward, one after another. All of the deathsworn soldiers had been killed, without exception.
Zu An frowned and remarked, “You’d even kill your own people?”
Han Fengqiu sneered. “Fleeing from battle is a crime punishable by death!”
“You don’t seem to be as scared as before, huh?” Zu An commented, surprised. Han Fengqiu was getting bolder and bolder, and he had begun growing bigger at a visible rate.
“What’s there to fear? The reason why you were able to take down Hu Xin was mainly because you were able to restrain his natural talents. You must have been using some mental attack. Together with that strange movement skill of yours, Hu Xin ended up becoming terrified, and that was how you killed him,” Han Fengqiu said analytically.
He was one of King Qi Manor’s guardians, and he had even gone out on a long trip with the heir. King Qi had obviously granted him many treasures. For example, he had the Heart Guard Mirror that had saved him previously, as well as a jade pendant that specialized in dealing with mental attacks. As such, he had calmed down after figuring out how Zu An had won against Hu Xin.
As a powerful swordsman, he had great confidence in his own swordsmanship. Furthermore, his sword was named the Abelios Sword, and it had a demonic nature. He had always subdued that trait because of his misgivings.
But now that it was a matter of life or death, he obviously didn’t care as much anymore. The reason why his flying sword had killed the deathsworn soldiers wasn’t because he really cared about the rules, but rather to feed the sword more blood. The higher the cultivation of those it killed, the more blood it drank, the greater the sword’s power would become.
Zu An clearly realized that the sword was gradually starting to glow red. He said, “I see. To have raised it to this level, you must have fed quite a few lives to it.”
He was no longer a newcomer to this world. He had witnessed all kinds of vile and despicable techniques. As such, he was able to quickly guess the essence of the sword.
Han Fengqiu said proudly, “The strong prey on the weak; that’s always been the law of the world. The fact that they could become nourishment for this sword is their honor.
“And you, your death will mark the 1000th death tribute for the Abelios Sword. Your cultivation, your blood, will be enough for it to evolve. I won’t have to fear even master ranks in the future, hahaha!” He brandished his sword as he spoke, and endless sword ki rushed toward Zu An.
The Abelios Sword’s demonic nature had a confusing effect, distorting one’s sight and judgment. The sword was hidden within endless shining, flashing swords that hid the sky. He was confident that he could severely wound Zu An with his attack.
The strength Zu An had displayed was way too shocking. Han Fengqiu had thought that Zu An merely had tricks, and that it would be no effort at all for him to take care of this youngster.
And yet, just how much time had passed? Now, he couldn't even see through Zu An. If Zu An were given time to grow, his face would be dragged across the ground as soon as they met in the future. Once he realized that, he didn’t hold back at all. He was going to end all his future worries with this one strike.
But his eyes suddenly widened, because he noticed an even more vicious sword ki descending from above, enveloping his entire body within. His own sword ki withered away like snow before a scorching sun, quickly dissipating.
It was at that moment that he saw Zu An swing his own sword at him.
Instead of being afraid, he felt happy. He might be at a disadvantage in terms of sword ki, but if they were to clash head-on, he would have a huge advantage. The Abelios Sword was a heaven-grade treasure! It had just had its fill of blood, reaching its most powerful state. It could slice through steel as if it were mud!
“You refuse to take the easy path and insist on destroying yourself!” Han Fengqiu cried, releasing a malicious smirk. He swung his sword outward.
Crack!
Han Fengqiu’s smile didn’t even have time to disappear yet, but his eyes were filled with shock as he heard a brittle crack.
He looked at the remaining half of the Abelios Sword in his hands, and then at the sword that had pierced through his body. He was in absolute disbelief.
“Even you are worthy of the sword?” Zu An remarked as he slowly withdrew the Tai’e Sword.
Han Fengqiu was furious and panicky. Blood gushed out of his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground in ruin. Even though the sword hadn’t taken his life, it had crippled most of his cultivation. All that was left was only enough to prevent him from dying from such a serious wound.
“But how is this possible? Don’t tell me your sword is immortal-grade?” he exclaimed as he stared at the ordinary-looking longsword in Zu An’s hands. Never could he have expected that his own Abelios Sword would actually be destroyed!
“I’m the one asking the questions, and you only need to answer,” Zu An said, dismissing the question. He asked, “Where is Zhao Zhi?”
Han Fengqiu looked away, expressing his stance with silence. Zu An sneered. “Hm? It seems you’re still being stubborn. Do you think I don’t know how to torture people?”
“I’ve already lost, and my cultivation has been completely crippled. Just kill me already; why is there a need for so many words?” Han Fengqiu retorted. He already knew he was dead, so there was no point in fearing death.
Zu An said indifferently, “You should know that many things in this world are more terrifying than death.” He took out the Tai’e Sword and ran it across his fingers as he spoke.
Han Fengqiu’s eyes twitched, but he still braced himself and asked, “Are you thinking of cutting off my fingers? I’m already a cripple anyway; what difference is there whether I have fingers or not? Just cut them off then! Even if you chop them off one by one, I won’t even frown!”
“Cutting them off one by one? You wish!” Zu An laughed. “In my hometown, there was a story about an evil tyrant. When he passed a child, he would smack them in the ear, and when he saw an earthworm, he would cut it in half lengthwise. I’ve always been curious about his vertical cutting method. HWhy don’t we test it out on your fingers? Don’t worry, after your ten fingers, you still have your ten toes. I can slowly test them out one by one and see how long you’ll last.”
He raised Han Fengqiu’s finger vertically, then lightly dragged the blade along the line where he was going to cut.
Han Fengqiu really was horrified now. He could just endure the momentary pain if his fingers were removed. But if his fingers were to be cut vertically, just the thought alone was painful.
He also knew he could endure the tremendous pain through sheer willpower for a few fingers, but he would definitely break down toward the end. If he still had to talk after all of that, why would he have had to go through all of that pain?
He could only accept his fate and say with a sigh, “You win. I’ll speak.”
Zu An gave him an indifferent look, but didn’t remove the sword. Han Fengqiu could only quickly say, “Since the situation is already over, the young heir has already gone back.”
“He left so early?” Zu An asked. He couldn’t fully believe it.
“Cloudcenter’s bitter cold can’t compare to the capital’s liveliness. Furthermore, this place is full of dangers, so the young heir obviously didn’t wish to stay here much longer,” Han Fengqiu replied.
“Your side felt that things were over just because Jian Taiding died and the Pegasus Merchant Group was investigated?” Zu An exclaimed with a frown. “What are you all really plotting?!”