A large group of disciples approached a sealed chest on an altar in the middle of the Phoenix Manor\u2019s ancestral hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sincerely advise you not to open the chest,\u201d said Zhu Yinghe, his own much smaller group of disciples standing anxiously behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s obviously bluffing,\u201d said Rong Jing to the hesitating disciples. \u201cRemove that seal!\u201d<\/p>\n
The disciples quickly fell in, cutting at the chains wrapped around the chest and tearing away the talismans. A senior disciple, eager to please, lifted the Rong Clan\u2019s ancestral sword from within with both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring it here!\u201d said Rong Jing.<\/p>\n
The eager disciple holding the sword watched as his hands were covered in a noxious, black liquid. He watched in horror as the dark liquid seeped in and burned pieces of his skin away. He screamed, dropping the sword back onto the altar.<\/p>\n
\u201cCut it off!\u201d he yelled, desperate as tendrils of black trailed up the veins in his arm. A fellow disciple quickly cut his hands off, but it was too late.<\/p>\n
The blood from his bleeding arms turned black, spilling over his golden robes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSave\u2014\u201d whimpered the disciple as the black poison sank right into his chest.<\/p>\n
On the altar, a dark aura gathered around the sword, misting and bubbling into the dark liquid. As it flowed and dripped over the altar onto the marble floor, the hall was filled with a sweet, rotting smell.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2026that\u2019s dead spirit aura!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep your spirit aura activated at all times if you don\u2019t want to be poisoned,\u201d instructed Zhu Yinghe to the disciples.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s impossible to keep that up for long,\u201d said one of the Rong Jing\u2019s men. He pushed the juniors in front of him and barked at them, \u201cGet a barrier up for all of us and take turns to keep it up!\u201d<\/p>\n
Tendrils of dark liquid reached the edges of the barrier and began to pool into a puddle. The ancestral hall, built upon a spirit meridian, was now an open channel to dead spirits. The disciples who couldn\u2019t keep up the barrier fell through the cracks, swallowed up by the dead spirit aura bubbling out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Jiutian* sword belongs to me. I\u2019m the legitimate heir and head of this clan,\u201d gritted out Rong Jing, watching in frustration as said sword lay on the altar, mocking his inability to lay his hands on it.<\/p>\n
*Jiutian = Ninth Heaven<\/em><\/p>\n One of Rong Jing\u2019s elite guards picked up a low-level spirit sword from a dead junior, activated it, and threw it at the spot where the liquid seemed darkest. The sword disappeared into it as if swallowed by the hole. Not even a wisp of spirit aura could escape.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a dead spirit aura gate,\u201d said the elite guard.<\/p>\n \u201cA dead spirit gate? Forget the sword, my life is more important,\u201d blurted out a senior disciple, scampering out of the hall. The other seniors in the hall panicked and made for the door.<\/p>\n The junior disciples, seeing their seniors run for their lives, abandoned their formation and ran for it, leaving behind the slower ones to keep up the protective barriers.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2014\u201d snarled Rong Jing, glaring at Zhu Yinghe.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you not to break the seal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t say anything about the Jiutian Sword being cursed with dead spirit aura.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you not receive the report which I passed to your subordinates two weeks ago stating that?\u201d<\/p>\n Rong Jing slapped him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t argue with me, servant! For all I know, you and Rong Zhong are the ones who set this all up,\u201d said Rong Jing.<\/p>\n He jutted his chin at the guards near him and ordered, \u201cBreak his legs and leave him here to die.\u201d<\/p>\n Two guards reached to grab hold of Zhu Yinghe, but he deftly twisted out of their grip. They staggered back from a sharp blast of his aura, and he rapped their legs sharply with his bow, knocking them to their knees.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly the leader of the Rong Clan has the right to command me. You mere guards are not even fit to touch me,\u201d he said to the guards, but Rong Jing felt like the words were meant for him.<\/p>\n \u201cZhu Yinghe\u2014\u201d Rong Jing seethed, and they were interrupted by a thundering crack as the remaining disciples holding the barriers were struck down.<\/p>\n A dead spirit gate now stood in the ancestral hall, summoned by the cursed sword.<\/p>\n Out of the gate came a tall and imposing man. His hair and beard were streaked with grey, but his eyes were dark and sharp. He picked up the ancestral sword and looked at it, his lips curling in disgust.<\/p>\n This was the former patriarch of the Rong Clan\u2014Rong Yaozu.<\/p>\n Rong Jing frowned, and without hesitation, pointed his sword at the gate.<\/p>\n \u201cStop everything that comes out and take the gate down!\u201d<\/p>\n The disciples who remained in the hall trembled; not daring to point their swords at their former patriarch.<\/p>\n Rong Yaozu swung his sword in a wide arc and cut down the disciples in the broken formation. The remaining disciples panicked and began to run from the hall.<\/p>\n \u201cEldest young master, it\u2019s too dangerous. We should leave quickly,\u201d advised his elite guards.<\/p>\n \u201cUseless\u2014!\u201d said Rong Jing, gritting his teeth as his group ushered him out of the hall, leaving Zhu Yinghe\u2019s group behind.<\/p>\n \u201cShall I go to the Du Manor to inform the second master?\u201d asked one of his men.<\/p>\n Zhu Yinghe shook his head and ordered, \u201cMove out to the courtyard and set up barriers. Evacuate the civilians nearby as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Steward!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEldest young master, we need to leave,\u201d insisted Rong Jing\u2019s guards once more, throwing the other disciples into Rong Yaozu\u2019s path to buy them time.<\/p>\n \u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned and stormed out of the hall with his men.<\/p>\n “Out of my way!\u201d yelled a disciple still trying to leave.<\/p>\n \u201cThe door\u2019s locked!\u201d shouted another, pulling at the knobs.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us out!\u201d<\/p>\n The desperate disciples flung themselves at the door, trying to get it to open, but the door was firmly locked and sealed from the other side. There was no leaving this hall.<\/p>\n \u201cSteward Zhu, please save us,\u201d they pleaded to their last hope, falling to his knees and pulling at Zhu Yinghe\u2019s robes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can die on your knees or die fighting,\u201d said Zhu Yinghe, quiet and cold as he notched his bow.<\/p>\n Scores of dead people from street beggars to renowned cultivators slowly emerged from the gate. There were also beasts among those who emerged, but what stood out was a skulk of nine undead foxes, their golden eyes gleaming in the dim room.<\/p>\n \u201cEven the spirit foxes of Huahu Island are here?\u201d said Rong Yaozu when he saw what was summoned and then to the sword in his hand. \u201cI see. Every creature and man that is summoned forth had been slain by this Jiutian sword.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cS-save us!\u201d cried the trapped disciples in the hall, falling one by one to the creatures who dragged them to be consumed by the poison coming out of the dead spirit gate.<\/p>\n Rong Yaozu walked up to the last man standing.<\/p>\n \u201cYinghe.\u201d<\/p>\n Zhu Yinghe stayed silent, his hand tightly gripping his bow.<\/p>\n Two foxes leapt and attacked Rong Yaozu, who swung his sword and flung them off his arm. The dead men behind him pointed their weapons at him, seeking revenge for their deaths.<\/p>\n \u201cOut of my way!\u201d roared Rong Yaozu, unleashing a powerful wave, blasting the doors open and releasing the undead horde into the world.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n Back at the Du Manor, Rong Zhong\u2019s cup cracked when he poured himself another cup of tea.<\/p>\n \u201cThis doesn\u2019t look good,\u201d he said as he watched the tea spill onto the table.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it\u2019s good that you\u2019re not at the Phoenix Manor,\u201d said Di Mie, picking up a fourth cup to add to his juggling.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m worried if Gouzi and Yatou will be all right by themselves,\u201d sighed Qing Lingfeng.<\/p>\n \u201cYou worry too much,\u201d said Di Mie. \u201cYour two brats seem pretty capable of handling themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTruth be told, they\u2019re facing a bit of a block,\u201d said Qing Lingfeng. \u201cThat\u2019s why I brought them along this time. They\u2019re conscientious kids, but they aren\u2019t good at thinking fast on their feet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen stop helping them. They can\u2019t improve if they keep thinking you\u2019ll help them out in dangerous situations,\u201d said Di Mie, drinking his tea.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they still fail the test this year, I\u2019ll seriously consider sending them to the Fallen Leaves Valley for training.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so unorthodox that I\u2019m the last person you should want teaching your precious disciples,\u201d said Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a pretty good teacher despite what you say,\u201d said Qing Lingfeng, taking his cup back from Di Mie\u2019s pile and getting himself a tea refill.<\/p>\n \u201cSo,\u201d said Di Mie, turning to Rong Zhong. \u201cWhat does your older brother want, to the point that he\u2019d get Du Yicheng to keep us out of his way?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s probably after the Jiutian sword, our clan\u2019s ancestral sword,\u201d said Rong Zhong.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s in the manor, even though you didn\u2019t want to mention it to us,\u201d said Di Mie, balancing and juggling a little teacup on his knuckles.<\/p>\n \u201cMn,\u201d admitted Rong Zhong.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s related to the dead aura outbreak not long ago,\u201d said Di Mie, flipping the teacup into the air and catching it.<\/p>\n Rong Zhong looked to Qing Lingfeng, who shook his head, his face saying \u2018I didn\u2019t tell him\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cBrother Di, I can\u2019t hide anything from you, can I?\u201d said Rong Zhong, giving a wry smile. \u201cIt\u2019s as you\u2019ve said\u2014we found the sword and brought it back to the Manor, where it suddenly began to emit dead aura and summon undead creatures. We have it sealed in the ancestral hall for now until we can decide what to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGiven his behaviour lately, it seems he thinks you\u2019re purposely keeping the sword from him,\u201d said Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cSadly, that\u2019s the case,\u201d said Rong Zhong. \u201cHe has been looking for the sword ever since it went missing after our father\u2019s passing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard that whosoever wields the Jiutian sword is the clan leader,\u201d said Di Mie. \u201cCare to explain how it works?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhoever\u2019s physically<\/em> holding it is to be obeyed by the clan,\u201d said Rong Zhong. \u201cMy father, the previous clan patriarch, carried the sword with him at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are your clan rules regarding the sword?\u201d asked Qing Lingfeng.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoever holds the Jiutian sword obtains \u2018Three Powers\u2019 and must abide by \u2018One Rule\u2019. In short, the \u2018Three Powers\u2019 refer to status, strength and obedience. The \u2018One Rule\u2019 means that he who wields the sword must agree to all invitations to a formal cultivation duel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s a fine print to the \u2018One Rule\u2019, or the wielder of the Jiutian sword would be challenged non-stop,\u201d said Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d said Rong Zhong. \u201cThe stipulation is that the challenge fee starts from ten gold coins and every repeated attempt from the same challenger will cost twice the previous fee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo wonder your clan is rich,\u201d said Di Mie. \u201cWhat if a whole bunch of rich people challenge him? Won\u2019t he be busy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat has happened before,\u201d said Rong Zhong. \u201cIn such cases, the wielder of the sword can request to hold an auction to challenge only the highest bidder.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne must never underestimate the Rong Clan\u2019s ability to make money,\u201d said Qing Lingfeng, shaking his head and sounding impressed.<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone from the Rong Clan challenges him, can\u2019t he simply order the challenger to step down?\u201d asked Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018One Rule\u2019 has priority over the \u2018Three Powers\u2019, so he has to accept the challenge first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, legality,\u201d said Qing Lingfeng, sipping tea.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, I get the gist,\u201d said Di Mie. \u201cThat\u2019s why there\u2019s a record of your previous patriarch killing so many high-ranking cultivators, relatives, and even his sons. I suppose the \u2018One Rule\u2019 is mostly kept a secret from outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMn. This information is spread only among higher-ranking cultivators and the Clan\u2019s top disciples,\u201d said Rong Zhong. \u201cFather made sure his challengers were slain in their first attempt so they could not challenge him a second time. So to outsiders, it would look like he simply killed people who insulted the clan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo,\u201d asked Di Mie, getting to the juicy bits. \u201cHypothetically, if an outsider like Sect Leader Qing here or myself happens to pick up your clan\u2019s Jiutian sword, would the same rules apply to us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm, as long as you\u2019re physically wielding it, the Rong Clan will have to obey the \u2018Three Powers\u2019 even if you\u2019re an outsider to the clan, but you will be bound by the \u2018One Rule\u2019 as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens if you refuse to accept a challenge?\u201d said Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you turn down an invitation to a challenge, a bounty of a hundred gold will be placed on you until you accept the challenge. There\u2019s a bunch of fine print regarding this, but that\u2019s the gist,\u201d said Rong Zhong.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, the power of money,\u201d commented Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you allowed to give up the sword?\u201d asked Qing Lingfeng.<\/p>\n Rong Zhong nodded. \u201cYou are allowed to give up the sword to someone else, and that person will be bound by the same rules.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat also means you can send a proxy to fight on your behalf,\u201d said Di Mie. \u201cBut there\u2019s the chance the proxy might just take the sword for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s a bunch of stuff like contracts to keep these things regulated,\u201d said Rong Zhong.<\/p>\n \u201cPaperwork,\u201d said Qing Lingfeng and Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cPaperwork,\u201d said Rong Zhong.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n A while later, Du Yichen came personally, bearing news of a dead aura outbreak at the Phoenix Manor. He gave them back their weapons and with as much decorum and distaste as he could, kicked them all out of his manor, saying he didn\u2019t owe Rong Jing any more favours.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, rather than my disciples, I think I\u2019m more worried about someone else we left behind getting into trouble,\u201d sighed Qing Lingfeng as he checked his tools.<\/p>\n \u201cAh yes,\u201d said Di Mie, adjusting his fingerless gloves.<\/p>\n \u201cHm? Who are you talking about?\u201d asked Rong Zhong.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019d be surprised if he somehow ends up with your family\u2019s cursed sword,\u201d chuckled Di Mie.<\/p>\n \u201cValley Lord Di, please don\u2019t say it out loud like this; you\u2019ll jinx us,\u201d said Qing Lingfeng, a wry smile on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cOops,\u201d said Di Mie, not sorry at all.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n Rong Yaozu cut down one sloppy barrier but there were ten more in its place. He parried arrows and pushed back groups of men with a single slash. But he wasn\u2019t only battling the living.<\/p>\n Undead beasts and men alike who were slain by him in life turned on him, driven by their last desire in life.<\/p>\n Even Rong Yaozu could not contend with an army by himself. Scores of disciples lay dead and dying around him, exhausted and poisoned by the dead aura.<\/p>\n Rong Yaozu growled, his vision blurring as he was covered in cuts and scrapes. The foxes were the most relentless, locking their jaws around his arms and legs. Even if he tore one apart, another would take its place. The dead regenerated as long as there was dead aura around, but at this rate, he could not keep up.<\/p>\n Once he was fairly weakened, Rong Jing\u2019s elite guards encircled him, their swords driven into the ground to form a seal.<\/p>\n \u201cNow!\u201d yelled Rong Jing.<\/p>\n His elite guards swiftly cast a heavenly net over him and covered it in sealing talismans, binding Rong Yaozu to the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cRong Jing, you dare go against me?\u201d roared Rong Yaozu.<\/p>\n As the seal on the ground drained the last of Rong Yaozu\u2019s power from him, a guard shot a sealing arrow through his arm, breaking the revenant\u2019s grip on the sword.<\/p>\n Without the sword in his hand, his regeneration slowed to a crawl.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you getting rid of him?\u201d said Rong Jing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t unless we can cleanse the dead spirit aura.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTsk,\u201d said Rong Jing. \u201cHurry up and do that, then.\u201d<\/p>\n The guards looked at the sword, and then at one another.<\/p>\n None dared to touch the sword, so they erected a barrier to contain it.<\/p>\n Rong Jing looked displeased, seeing how the sword was at his feet yet he could not pick it up.<\/p>\n One of the undead foxes seemed to have picked up a trail and called the others. His cry sounded like a long, high-pitched scream. The other undead foxes followed him; some with a torn leg or even a missing jaw. Shrouded in dead aura, they looked like a demonic procession.<\/p>\n \u201cEldest young master,\u201d said his guard when he realised where the undead beasts were heading. \u201cThe madam and miss Rong Ci are still in the west wing. We should go after them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it,\u201d said Rong Jing, leading his men to chase the foxes, leaving the disciples to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n Hu Tianhong, a senior disciple of the Rong Clan at the tender age of seventeen, led his men into the manor once he heard that there were undead appearing.<\/p>\n He hadn\u2019t been around the first time but thought that Rong Zhong and his steward went a little overboard with the security by evacuating all the civilians and hiring the Border Mountains Sect to put up barriers around the manor.<\/p>\n The Rong Clan, with all their powerful tools and numerous disciples, could surely handle something like this on their own, couldn\u2019t they?<\/p>\n When he arrived, there was a black plume of smoke coming from the east. The ancestral hall was on fire and there were disciples running to go put it out. Most of them were forced to retreat back to the main courtyard by the undead. Dead disciples came back to life to attack their peers, puppeteered by dead aura.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone, hold your ground here!\u201d yelled Hu Tianhong.<\/p>\n The other seniors had to grudgingly obey the young man just because he was Rong Zhong\u2019s cousin.<\/p>\n Their hearts sank when they saw a dead man with a heavy axe teeming with dead aura. These weren\u2019t dead who were brought back to life by dead aura, but those who were summoned and brought from a dead spirit gate. These were the undead who kept their strength and mind. They were creatures never seen before except during the Calamity\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cR-revenant!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTsk, where has cousin Rong Jing and his damned steward gone off to at a time like this?\u201d said Hu Tianhong. \u201cGet into formation, all of you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHelp us, young master Hu!\u201d pleaded the disciples whose barriers were easily torn apart by the revenant\u2019s axe.<\/p>\n The force of the axe knocked away the disciples from their formations. The revenant threw the axe at Hu Tianhong, who dodged it, but the men behind him weren\u2019t so lucky. The axe swerved around and struck them down.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2026\u201d said Hu Tianhong, realising the revenant had the skills comparable to a senior cultivator.<\/p>\n \u201cCome, Rong Clan\u2019s brats. This Elder Black Axe shall take you down to meet your ancestors,\u201d said the man in a rumbling voice, his voice slow and broken. The revenant\u2019s veins were dark, stark against his pale grey skin. He raised his arm, catching the heavy axe flying back to him.<\/p>\n \u201cElder Black Axe? That’s the cultivator whom patriarch Rong killed in a challenge ten years ago,\u201d gasped one of his men.<\/p>\n \u201cThere you are, Rong Yaozu!\u201d cackled another revenant who slashed his way in.<\/p>\n A few more like him made their way in. They looked at the sealed Rong Yaozu and sneered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make you watch us slaughter your descendants!\u201d grinned another one.<\/p>\n Hu Tianhong felt his sword hand trembling, unable to take a step forward from the immense dead aura coming from these revenants. They were not outnumbered, but severely outmatched by these former powerful cultivators.<\/p>\n Maybe\u2026he should escape?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cProtect young master Hu!\u201d yelled his men, surrounding their master.<\/p>\n Shame burned hot on Hu Tianhong\u2019s cheeks as he watched his men get struck down as they shielded him. He gritted his teeth and steeled his sword, charging out and refusing to act like a coward.<\/p>\n He activated a spirit gem, pushed back all the revenants in one explosive spirit wave.<\/p>\n The gem\u2019s glow faded, its charge spent.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of you, form barrier walls to separate them. We\u2019ll take them out one by one,\u201d he commanded, channelling his spirit aura into his sword.<\/p>\n They managed to trap the less powerful revenants, the seniors following his example by using talismans and gems to enhance their barriers.<\/p>\n With only the Elder Black Axe to confront, Hu Tianhong felt like he just might have a chance if he and his men worked together. He dashed forth and attempted to strike the first blow with his sword, but the Elder Black Axe quickly parried him, easily pushing him off with brute strength.<\/p>\n The Elder Black Axe then swung his axe around, bringing down another swathe of disciples.<\/p>\n \u201cRegroup, quick!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have heavenly nets?\u201d came a quiet behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the\u2014\u201d blinked Hu Tianhong, turning around to see a man dressed as a common worker talking to him.<\/p>\n \u201cHeavenly nets?\u201d asked one of Hu Tianhong\u2019s men. \u201cYes, of course, but we can only use them after we weaken the opponent\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUse them,\u201d said Xie Li.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should we listen to a peasant?\u201d said the men.<\/p>\n \u201cJust do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d said Hu Tianhong. Even if the net was useless, he\u2019d take it if it could create a chance for an attack.<\/p>\n He took out a net made of aura-infused cords and aimed it at the elder Black Axe, who raised his axe to cut the net open before it could trap him.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn, he\u2019s too fast\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Xie Li pulled Twig out of its sheath, using the momentum of drawing his sword to spin aura threads. He shot the threads through the split net and wove the cords together, bringing it down on the elder Black Axe.<\/p>\n \u201cPull him down!\u201d said Hu Tianhong to his men.<\/p>\n The elder Black Axe pulled at the net, easily uprooting the men trying to hold the net steady.<\/p>\n \u201cGo down, dammit!\u201d gritted Hu Tianhong, joining in and pulling at the net as well, channelling spirit aura into the heavenly net to burn the dead aura around the revenant.<\/p>\n Xie Li duck into a low position and stabbed his sword through the elder Black Axe\u2019s heel. The revenant raised his foot, trying to get the sword off, but Xie Li kick hard on the flat of his sword and tripped him.<\/p>\n Once the elder Black Axe was down, the men swarmed in with talismans to seal the revenant.<\/p>\n One down, more to go.<\/p>\n Hu Tianhong and his men kept an eye on Xie Li as they fought, seeing how this peasant used a sword technique unlike anything they\u2019d seen before.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way this man moves reminds me of one of the lords of the Border Mountains,\u201d commented one of his men. \u201cIt\u2019s similar, but he looks like he\u2019s making a lot of unnecessary movements.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnnecessary movements?\u201d wondered Hu Tianhong, watching Xie Li spin another round before cutting off a revenant\u2019s sword arm. The sword\u2019s aura ebbed and flowed with precision, but it was as his junior said\u2014he was moving more than should be needed.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t time to find out more. He quickly turned his attention back to the matter at hand, ordering his men to use everything in their arsenal on the revenants and undead creatures without reserve.<\/p>\n If one heavenly net didn\u2019t work, they\u2019d just cast another one on top of the first one, using it as an obstacle rather than a finishing blow. They threw talismans and the juniors even threw their precious swords like spears, getting their hits in unconventionally.<\/p>\n \u201cDammit,\u201d cursed Hu Tianhong as he took a bow and arrows from an injured disciple. \u201cTo think I have to pick up a bow\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He stepped onto the roof and shot at the targets from a distance. As much as he despised Zhu Yinghe, he found himself copying the steward\u2019s tactics, checking on the formation of his men from his position. This wasn\u2019t the time to be picky when people were dying. It didn\u2019t stop him from cursing with every shot he took.<\/p>\n Now that they had the mindset of throwing everything in, the tides turned in their favour and their morale went up.<\/p>\n From his vantage point, he could clearly see how thorough Xie Li was when dealing with a revenant and followed his example.<\/p>\n \u201cSeal anything that moves! Don\u2019t hold back and use everything you have!\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n They used whatever they had\u2014using damaged nets as rope and their spirit weapons in place of talismans when they ran short.<\/p>\n Surveying the injured disciples on the ground once the courtyard was under his control, Hu Tianhong frowned and gave them the order.<\/p>\n \u201cSpare no expenses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The junior disciples were but servants of the manor and allowed only the lower-level tools, but with Hu Tianhong\u2019s orders, even the seniors grudgingly handed over their expensive medicine. To these elites, any one of these pills and charms was worth more than a lowly junior disciple\u2019s life, but Hu Tianhong decided that this was not to be an issue today.<\/p>\n Rong Yaozu was sealed, but the sword next to him thrummed with dead aura.<\/p>\n \u201cHm,\u201d said Xie Li, staring at the sword on the ground within a barrier.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026the Jiutian sword,\u201d said Hu Tianhong. \u201cWhy is it covered in dead aura? The barrier is cracking. I don’t think it can hold much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmmm,\u201d said Xie Li, a finger on his chin as he continued to look at the sword.<\/p>\n \u201cGet more spirit gems and high-level talismans here!\u201d ordered another senior.<\/p>\n Xie Li poked at the barrier.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, stop that, you\u2019ll break the barrier and get us killed!\u201d said one of Hu Tianhong\u2019s men.<\/p>\n Everyone in the courtyard watched in shock as Xie Li reached his hand right into the barrier and picked up the cursed sword. They gasped, expecting the worst, but the dead aura around the sword began to recede.<\/p>\n The dead aura in the courtyard lingered but the undead stopped regenerating.<\/p>\n There was dead silence for a while as Hu Tianhong and his men watched in surprise until a shrill voice jolted them out of their confusion\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cAh-Li!\u201d<\/p>\n Hu Tianhong jumped and saw a middle-aged woman furiously storming towards them, whacking away any undead creature in her path with a bamboo staff. Behind her was a man with crutches and two others dressed in Border Mountains Sect robes.<\/p>\n This \u2018Ah-Li\u2019 turned around at his name being called.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my heavens, Ah-Li! Don\u2019t anyhow pick things off the ground! Look at all this dead aura\u2014it could be dangerous,\u201d said Auntie Ma.<\/p>\n Xie Li stared at the ground, looking like a scolded child as he kept the sword behind his back.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Xie Li, let\u2019s go back to the inn and stop worrying your Auntie Ma,\u201d said Old Niu, as if coaxing a child.<\/p>\n Gouzi turned to Hu Tianhong and greeted him formally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are Border Mountains Sect disciples here with our, uh, our companions. We apologise for our intrusion.\u201d<\/p>\n Hu Tianghong reflexively raised his hands to return the greeting but said nothing, too dumbfounded by the confusing scene in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got the Jiutian sword!\u201d murmured the disciples, not daring to point at Xie Li. Every disciple of the Rong Clan knew not to go against whoever held the Jiutian sword.<\/p>\n Xie Li tucked the sword under his arm and started picking up talismans from the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cAiyo, Ah-Li! What are you doing?\u201d said Auntie Ma, taking the talismans from him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for something to seal this sword with,\u201d said Xie Li, angling the sword away from her. \u201cBe careful not to touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s that dangerous, then just give it back to these cultivator sirs, okay?\u201d said Auntie Ma.<\/p>\n Xie Li shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou shouldn’t be wandering about this dangerous place. Come back with Auntie, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d insisted Xie Li. \u201cI need to finish this first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh fine. I won\u2019t argue with you. What do you need? These pieces of paper off the ground?\u201d said Auntie Ma. She threw her hands up in resignation and then joined him in picking trash off the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, Border Mountains Sect,\u201d said Hu Tianhong to Gouzi. \u201cIs he\u2026off in the head or something?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2026\u201d said Gouzi.<\/p>\n Xie Li then started walking out of the courtyard.<\/p>\n A senior disciple of the Rong Clan, unable to stand it anymore, yelled after Xie Li. \u201cStop right there! You can\u2019t take our clan\u2019s sword with you!\u201d<\/p>\n Gouzi turned to the senior, clasping his hands in an apologetic greeting. \u201cPlease just let my senior be. We\u2019ll return soon with an explanation to the Rong Clan!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUgh,\u201d said Hu Tianhong. Turning to his men, he said, \u201cOne of you, go fetch Steward Zhu.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYoung master Hu,\u201d stuttered one of them who was near the ancestral hall earlier. \u201cSteward Zhu was in the ancestral hall. I don\u2019t think he made it out\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was locked in the ancestral hall with the others,\u201d stammered the disciple. \u201cI saw the doors burst open and all these undead things came out of there. A fire broke out and we were forced to retreat to the courtyard. We didn\u2019t see a single disciple come out alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat sly bastard can\u2019t be dead,\u201d said Hu Tianhong, storming off. The Rong Clan\u2019s ancestral sword be damned, this was no longer important.<\/p>\n \u201cYoung master Hu!\u201d said his men, hastily following him.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n In the Rong Clan\u2019s ancestral hall, Rong Zhong knelt among the burnt bodies and ashes, cradling a spirit bow in his hands.<\/p>\n Translator\u2019s Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n Phew, this long chapter took quite a long time! Hu Tianhong \u80e1\u5929\u9e3f : Hu is a common surname, the same surname used by Rong Zhong in his alias, Hu Xun. His name Tianhong means Sky Crane. He\u2019s Rong Zhong\u2019s cousin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A large group of disciples approached a sealed chest on an altar in the middle of the Phoenix Manor\u2019s ancestral hall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-hermit-master"],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nI hope you aren\u2019t put off by the events getting complicated. The next chapters will be focused more on our main CP and hopefully explain most of the things happening so far~<\/p>\n