Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1460 - 780: The Devil Is in the Details

Glancing once more, the swordsman was already clutching his arm, sprawled across the ground, howling in agony.

Without realizing how, the long blade had mysteriously appeared in Zhao Sheng's grip.

"Ah, this guy's tricky, let's all rush him together!" The faces of the remaining swordsmen twisted in shock at the sight. Following a sharp yell from one, seven of them surrounded him from front and rear, gripping their long blades, gradually tightening the encirclement around Zhao Sheng.

"Young Master, please hold off on unsheathing the sword. You've only just recovered from a grave illness and mustn't risk injury again. How about we toss some silver and buy our way out of trouble?" Spotting the dire turn, Chen San broke out in cold sweat and yelled urgently.

With those words, he lunged forward right away, attempting to wrest the long blade from the Young Master's fingers.

No one could have foreseen what happened next; his sight flickered, and he grabbed at nothing but air.

Peering at the unfolding chaos, Zhao Sheng had slipped into the midst of them, his long blade tilted toward one foe, appearing totally at ease, paying no heed to the seven swordsmen at all.

"Damn him, take him down!" One swordsman lost his temper at the taunt, clenching the hilt hard and slashing viciously at Zhao Sheng's skull.

Zhao Sheng dodged nimbly to the side, gliding beside the attacker, then lifted the long blade with ease, positioning its edge flat.

A soft thud echoed as the swordsman threw himself onto the blade, a massive slash ripping open his throat, blood spraying out and drenching his garments in an instant.

Wuwu!

The swordsman let his blade clatter to the ground, hands flying to his throat, his face twisted in horror, groaning helplessly.

He lurched forward two steps before his frame buckled, slumping to the earth, convulsing briefly before his breath ceased entirely.

Aaah!

Witnessing the horror, the other swordsmen lifted their long blades in frenzy and charged with wild cries.

Swish swish swish!

Six long blades hacked down at once, their pale sword light weaving a deadly net around Zhao Sheng in the middle.

Right when it looked like he'd be carved apart by the frenzy of strikes, Zhao Sheng twisted his form leisurely, slipping through an impossible opening to evade the blades without effort.

In the same motion, he swept the long blade casually, its point carving a bizarre path, slicing across the throats of all six in a flash.

Pop pop pop...

Blood erupted from the six as they seized their throats desperately, faces shadowed by utter despair and fright.

Moments later, the six swordsmen crumpled onto the street, their blood staining a wide swath of the pavement.

Chen San stood frozen at the spectacle, suddenly viewing his Young Master as a total stranger, like he'd transformed into someone else completely.

Zhao Sheng shook the blood from the blade, then pivoted sharply to gaze at the alley's mouth, a faint grin on his lips as he declared, "The minions are finished; time for the boss to show himself!"

His words barely ended when a burst of clapping rang out from the alley's entrance.

Moments later, a sturdy man with a powerful frame emerged from the shadows, applauding deliberately as he approached with a grin.

"Fellow Daoist, your abilities are remarkable; I must express my genuine admiration!" The sturdy man halted three zhang distant, eyeing Zhao Sheng with clear respect as he declared.

Zhao Sheng's grin vanished; in a grave tone, he demanded, "Blood has been spilled, so the blade in my grasp won't slip back into its scabbard lightly. If you, sir, fail to offer a fitting account today, don't fault me for wielding it without mercy."

At those words, the sturdy man's tension eased in a heartbeat.

Truth be told, he had no desire to clash recklessly with this powerful and mysterious adversary.

He had to concede his error; he'd never imagined the "young master" harbored such exceptional martial prowess.

Through his keen sight, it was plain the man before him had a frail body, yet with his astounding blade work alone, he'd dispatched eight swordsmen honed over a decade with ease.

This was the essence of skill bordering on the Dao!

Though the sturdy man trusted his own techniques, against this opponent, he wouldn't dare assume triumph lightly.

Likewise, Zhao Sheng remained cautious; he had no wish to tangle with the sturdy man, whose power was unclear and who might hide some deadly, unseen technique.

The sturdy man thought for a moment, then promptly drew an item from his chest and set it down on the ground.

"Fate brought this to you; let it serve as my apology?"

Zhao Sheng peered at it closely upon hearing this, recognizing a fist-sized White Jade Cup standing three inches tall. Its surface bore sixteen ancient, complex runes—undeniably Immortal Seal Dao Patterns.

"Very well, I'll take this gesture of goodwill," Zhao Sheng's gaze flickered as he nodded and replied, "Farewell, no need to linger!"

"Hold on." The sturdy man called out quickly, "I, Su Heihu, seek to build a strong bond with you. Why not ally ourselves, support one another, and push to return to the Lower Realm swiftly? What say you, Fellow Daoist?"

Hmm, what an appealing offer?

Zhao Sheng consented without delay, responding, "Excellent, I am Zhao Gongzhu; may I know your honorable name?"

"I am Su Heihu, Hall Master of the Black Tiger Hall at present." The sturdy man saluted with clasped hands as he introduced himself.

...

In no time, the sturdy man spun around and departed, vanishing swiftly into the alley's depths.

Now, Chen San approached hesitantly, voice quivering softly as he inquired, "Young Master, you... what's with all this 'Fellow Daoist' talk?"

Earlier, his Young Master had addressed the other as Fellow Daoist repeatedly. That Black Tiger Hall Master had done the same in return.

Chen San felt lost, completely baffled by the exchange.

Worse still, the Young Master had altered so profoundly, almost like a spirit had taken hold, rendering him utterly alien!

"Chen San, certain matters are beyond your grasp, so best to erase them from memory. No word of today's chaos to anyone else. For our bond of master and servant, I spare you needless death. Clear?" Zhao Sheng stated coldly, his expression hardening, voice flat.

Chen San eyed the long blade in the Young Master's hold, shuddering violently, then bobbed his head wildly in panic, "Got it! San'er swears to wipe today's events from his mind. Young Master, spare my life, please!"

"No cause exists for me to end you unjustly. Straighten up and trail me back to the estate."

With that, Zhao Sheng hooked the White Jade Cup onto the blade's tip, ripped a strip of cloth, wrapped it securely, and tucked it into his chest.

He added reflectively, "Head back on your own."

Chen San froze, itching to speak but too afraid to utter a sound, reduced to watching the Young Master stride off.

After a dazed pause, Chen San jolted awake, fixating on the bodies littering the ground, his lips quaking with dread:

"Corpses, actual corpses! Slain by the Young Master himself—what do I do?

Right! I need to alert the master at once, right away—" Chen San panicked, babbling to himself, whirling about in terror to dash toward the Zhao Mansion.

...

The river wound lazily, its waters sparkling pure, as a small black-canopied boat eased up to the dock.

Zhao Sheng boarded the deck, directing the boatman to launch toward the Ten Kings Temple beyond the town.

The black-canopied boat drifted steadily from the bank, gliding along the river toward the town's fringes.

Zhao Sheng settled beneath the bamboo canopy, hiding his presence on purpose. He began sorting through his mind.

Fresh from the kills, a chillingly precise realization struck him.

Namely: among the "other Fellow Daoists" he'd encountered before, not all had stepped into the Sky-reaching White Tower lately.

Some could have entered a decade prior, or two decades, or even further back.

"He" or "they" had cycled through hundreds or thousands of rebirths in Mingxi Town, oblivious to the truth all along.

Yet Zhao Sheng stood as the sole outlier!