49: The Trial of the Sword Tomb: Does a mad dog even deserve to wield a sword?
The stone gate slowly closed, completely cutting off the poisonous miasma and clamor of Ten Thousand Snakes Valley.
The world behind the gate was a realm of deathly silent gloom.
There were no magnificent palaces here, nor were there mountains of Spirit Stones. All that existed was a massive 'Weapon Tomb' piled high with countless broken sabers and shattered swords.
Countless weapons were thrust diagonally into the black rocky soil. Some were rusted, some were only half-broken, but without exception, they all emitted a sharp Evil Qi that made one's skin prickle.
And in the very center of the Weapon Tomb stood a crimson stone tablet three zhang tall.
Only seven dripping characters were carved onto the tablet, each word like blood, exuding a sense of frenzied Killing Intent:
Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
“The seven kills stele...”
Lin Que stood before the tablet; with just a single glance, he felt a stinging pain in his eyes, as if two sharp blades were slicing through his retinas.
The Seven Absolute Blades True Qi within his body seemed to have met its ancestor at this moment, letting out a trembling hum that was almost submissive.
“So that's how it is.”
Lin Que stroked the iron sword on his back (transformed from the myriad treasures pearl), a sharp light flashing in his eyes:
“The Seven Absolute Blades I've been cultivating is actually just an introductory chapter of the Seven Kills Hall Legacy. It seems Old Han's ancestors were no ordinary people.”
“The true Seven Kills Intent is hidden within this tablet.”
“Squeak, squeak...”
The Little Snow Ferret poked its head out from his bosom, shrinking into a ball in fear as it looked at the stone tablet. It could sense a 'vicious soul' hidden within the tablet that would devour anyone it chose; whoever touched it would die.
Lin Que took a deep breath, preparing to step forward and gain enlightenment.
Boom!
A loud explosion suddenly erupted from the stone gate behind him, as if someone were bombarding it with brute force.
Immediately after, an arrogant voice came from the other side of the stone gate:
“Open! Open for me! That damned little rat must be inside!”
Bang!
The stone gate wasn't completely locked, and a gap was forced open by the immense power from outside.
Five or six figures, carrying a thick scent of blood, filed in one after another.
The leader was a bald, burly man with a face full of scars, wearing blood-red leather armor. He held a thick-backed Ghost-head Saber, and Evil Qi swirled around him. His cultivation had surprisingly reached Kaiyuan Realm Perfection, just a step away from the Spirit Sea Realm.
Behind him followed several Disciples also carrying long sabers, each with a fierce gaze and wolf-head totems embroidered on their clothes.
Blood Saber Sect.
A fierce power outside Southern Commandery City that lived by looting; their actions were even more brutal than those of the Iron Sword Sect.
“Oh, there really is someone here?”
The bald man spotted Lin Que standing before the stone tablet at a glance.
By now, Lin Que had long shed his 'Sick Ghost Old Man' disguise, returning to his appearance as a clean-cut youth (to better comprehend Saber Intent). He carried the iron sword on his back, his posture tall and straight.
“Kid, was it you who broke the snake formation outside just now?”
The bald man narrowed his eyes, his greedy gaze sweeping over the iron sword in Lin Que's hand before landing on the 'seven kills stele' that emitted a terrifying aura.
“The seven kills stele... the legendary ancient slaughter Legacy!”
The man's breathing became hurried. “I didn't expect the legends of Ten Thousand Snakes Valley to actually be true! I'm rich! I've hit the jackpot this time!”
He suddenly looked at Lin Que and grinned savagely:
“Kid, although I don't know what kind of dumb luck you used to sneak in here, since you've run into me, Lei Bao, consider it your misfortune.”
“Go, test the Restriction on that stone tablet for me.”
Lei Bao pointed the tip of his saber at Lin Que, his tone like he was ordering a dog:
“If you can break the Restriction, I'll leave your corpse intact; if you can't... hmph, I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to these broken sabers littering the ground!”
Lin Que slowly turned around.
In those calm eyes, there wasn't the slightest ripple, as if he were looking at a group of dead people.
“Blood Saber Sect, Lei Bao?”
Lin Que spoke indifferently, “I've heard that the Blood Fiend Saber Art you Cultivate requires the blood of living people to sacrifice to the blade, which is most atrocious.”
“Atrocious?”
Lei Bao laughed loudly, as if he had heard some joke. “In this world, the biggest fist is the heavenly principle! For me to kill people to practice my saber, that is their honor!”
“Enough talk! Go!”
A Blood Saber Sect Disciple stepped forward impatiently, reaching out to shove Lin Que. “Stop dawdling, believe it or not, I'll right now...”
Clang!
A clear sword chime rang out.
The Disciple's hand was only halfway extended when his movements suddenly froze.
A bloodline as thin as a gossamer thread slowly appeared on his neck.
“You...”
The Disciple's eyes widened; he wanted to speak, but could only make 'he-he' gasping sounds.
Pfft!
Blood spurted, and his head rolled off.
At some point, the iron sword in Lin Que's hand had already left its sheath, its tip pointing diagonally toward the ground as drops of blood slid off.
“What a fast blade.”
Lei Bao's pupils constricted violently. He hadn't even seen how this kid drew his blade!
Moreover, he was clearly holding a sword, yet using saber techniques!
“So you're a tough nut to crack.”
The contempt on Lei Bao's face vanished, replaced by an even more frenzied Killing Intent:
“No wonder you could break in here. However, since you've killed my man, you must die today!”
“Form the formation! Blood Kill Saber Formation!”
At Lei Bao's command, the remaining four Disciples instantly scattered, occupying five positions. The Ghost-head Sabers in their hands glowed with a crimson blood-light, surrounding Lin Que.
The air became filled with a nauseating smell of blood, as if they were in an asura field.
Lin Que stood in the center of the saber formation, his expression still indifferent.
He glanced at the seven kills stele behind him, then at the murderous Lei Bao in front of him.
“Just right.”
The corners of Lin Que's mouth curled slightly. “I was just worried that my comprehension of the Seven Kills Saber Art's Moves was a bit obscure; I happen to be lacking a few 'sparring partners'.”
“Sparring partners? I think you're looking for death!”
Lei Bao roared, his Ghost-head Saber slashing out violently. “Kill!”
Five blood-colored sabers fell simultaneously, blocking all of Lin Que's paths of retreat.
However.
At the very moment the blades were about to reach his body.
Lin Que made a Move that caught everyone off guard.
He actually turned around, completely exposing his back to the enemy, and then reached out, pressing his hand firmly onto the crimson seven kills stele!
“What is he doing? Is he looking for death?!”
Lei Bao was overjoyed, increasing the power in his hands even further.
But in the next second.
Boom!!
A terrifying will that seemed to come from the ancient primordial wilderness surged frantically through Lin Que's palm and into his Sea of Consciousness!
That was the 'Seven Kills Saber Intent'!
Supreme and peerless, yet also extremely vicious and frenzied!
If one's mental fortitude was not strong enough, they would go mad upon contact, their Divine Soul instantly shattered by this Killing Intent, turning them into a walking corpse that knew only slaughter.
[Detection: High-level slaughter will invasion!]
[Attribute: Seven Kills Saber Intent (Legacy-grade).]
[Effect: Forcibly instilling saber dao insights.]
[Backlash Eruption: Divine Soul tearing, slaughter demonization, and Meridian chaos!]
[Target Locked: Blood Saber Sect's Lei Bao and Disciples (Malice: 100%).]
[Transfer initiated! Multiplier: Five-fold Critical Hit (Legacy Backlash)!]
Buzz!
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Lin Que closed his eyes, as if enjoying some kind of enlightenment baptism.
Behind him.
“Aaaaaah!!”
Lei Bao, who was about to kill Lin Que, suddenly let out a scream a hundred times more miserable than a slaughtered pig!
The Ghost-head Saber in his hand hit the ground with a 'clang'.
He clutched his head with both hands, his eyes instantly turning blood-red. His entire body curled up on the ground like a cooked shrimp, twitching violently.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!!”
Lei Bao roared, his voice no longer human but filled with beast-like madness.
He felt as if ten thousand blades had been stuffed into his brain, frantically churning and slicing! The pain of his Divine Soul being torn apart made him want to smash his own head to pieces!
“Sect Leader?! What's wrong?!”
The other four Disciples hadn't even reacted before they too met with disaster.
“My head! It hurts so much!!”
“Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!”
They were also overwhelmed by the 'side effects' that had been transferred to them.
The five-fold critical hit of 'Qi Deviation' was simply not something these Origin Opening Realm minions could endure.
Pfft!
A crazed Disciple suddenly raised his blade and slashed his companion's neck.
“Kill!! Kill you all!!”
“You're a devil! Die!”
The saber formation that had been working in perfect harmony just a moment ago instantly turned into an asura field of mutual slaughter.
The five of them were like five mad dogs, frantically hacking at each other behind Lin Que, blood splattering and limbs flying everywhere.
Meanwhile, Lin Que, at the center of the storm, stood quietly before the stone tablet with his back to it all. A faint yet increasingly pure aura of sharpness emanated from his body.
As the 'side effects' were transferred, those originally violent Saber Intents were filtered by the System and transformed into the most pure saber dao insights, merging into Lin Que's memories.
He seemed to see a black-clothed saber artist on an ancient battlefield facing ten thousand soldiers and horses, only drawing his blade once.
With that single strike, all sounds fell silent.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The screams behind him gradually subsided.
The people from the Blood Saber Sect had all fallen in pools of blood, dying in a horrific manner with almost no intact corpses left. Lei Bao was the last to die; he had literally smashed his own head against a rock to free himself from the agony of his Divine Soul being torn apart.
“Whew...”
Lin Que slowly opened his eyes.
At that instant, all the broken sabers and shattered swords within the Weapon Tomb let out a collective hum.
He released his hand from the stone tablet, turned around, and looked at the corpses littering the ground.
The iron sword (myriad treasures pearl) in his hand transformed into a slender black Tang Saber in a flash of light.
“So, this is the third Move.”
Lin Que lightly swung his blade toward the void.
This strike had no sound of breaking air, no saber light, and didn't even stir a breeze.
But ten zhang away, a hair-thin crack appeared silently on the heavy stone gate.
Crack.
In the next second, the entire stone gate split smoothly in half along that crack and collapsed with a crash.
Seven Kills Saber Art, First Move — Silent Extinction!
Silent and soundless, severing the spark of life.
“Many thanks to you all for risking your lives to help me master this blade.”
Lin Que looked at Lei Bao's mangled corpse and calmly flicked his sleeve.
Several blood-stained Storage Pouches flew into his hand.
“In return, I'll reluctantly accept your inheritance.”
He looked up behind the stone tablet.
As the Seven Kills Saber Intent was absorbed, the stone tablet slowly sank, revealing a hidden compartment leading underground.
Inside the hidden compartment, there were no gold or silver treasures.
There was only an ancient Bronze Sword Case, quietly emitting an aura that even the thousand changes multi-treasure pearl felt a longing for.
“The true treasure is right here.”
A trace of heat flashed in Lin Que's eyes, and he strode over.