Chapter 214: Dharmic Decree of Extermination
Xu Qing’s eyes were bloodshot as he turned and looked at the Captain.
“Life is a unique thing, little Ah Qing. It’s full of both bitter grief and sweet happiness. It never has just one or the other. In fact, it can’t. Not even the god above us in the sky can change that. We’re people, not animals, and therefore… I understand your sorrow, and I understand your rage. I guess what I’m trying to say is, do what you have to do. Follow your heart, and live life the way you want to live it.”
The Captain smiled, and it seemed as bright as the sun.
That light entered Xu Qing’s eyes and illuminated the killing intent within him, provoking an unusual sensation. He didn’t say anything in response. He didn’t hear things like that very often. Only two people had ever talked to him about the principles of life, and they were Sergeant Thunder and Grandmaster Bai. A moment passed, and then Xu Qing looked at the Captain and nodded solemnly. Then he turned back and waited for Master Sixth to finish the soulsearch.
Xu Qing had handed over the Seastar princess, but not the Gruegloom. He had not yet inflicted enough torment on the Gruegloom, nor had he extracted all the information there was to be had from him.
Now that the mastermind had been unmasked, whatever further information was needed would be provided by the Seastar princess.
As Master Sixth performed the soulsearch, he trembled, and veins bulged on his face and neck. He muttered in rage, then suddenly barked an exclamation of surprise. Finally, it seemed he had seen everything he had needed to see, as he let loose a shout of rage. The Seastar princess exploded into a haze of blood as Master Sixth extracted her soul and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed the soul viciously, his eyes turned completely bloodshot.
Without uttering a single word, he performed an incantation gesture and pointed to the sky. In response, the Seven Blood Eyes Formation rumbled, and streams of light shot down from it to a specific section of the capital city. The ground quaked, shaking the city, and screams of agony rang out as numerous figures were dragged up into the air by the beams of light.
There seemed to be around two hundred of them, all Seastar cultivators. Shockingly, three of them were Gold Core experts, and they seemed particularly alarmed and shocked.
They struggled in vain. The Seven Blood Eyes Formation was so powerful that no matter how they fought back, it did nothing. A moment later, Master Sixth clenched his hand into a fist.
The two hundred Seastar cultivators were wrenched through the air in front of Master Sixth. The force was so intense that many of them couldn’t stand up to it, and their bodies were ripped to shreds. Those who survived lurched to a stop in front of him, trembling in terror.
Eyes full of vicious rage, Master Sixth inhaled sharply. Wild colors flashed in heaven and earth, and an intense wind sprang up. All of the cultivators hovering in the air screamed shrilly as their bodies rapidly withered, and their souls were extracted. It was possible to see soul shadow streams emerging from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths, which then streamed to Master Sixth. That included the Gold Core cultivators. It seemed that, to Master Sixth, there was no difference between Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and Gold Core!
Master Sixth began chewing up the roughly two hundred souls as he simultaneously extracted information from them. As he did, his eyes became even more deeply bloodshot. Agonized shrieks rang out until, eventually, all of the souls had been consumed.
Master Sixth closed his eyes for the space of a few breaths worth of time. Then he opened them, revealing towering killing intent. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Xu Qing.
It was a struggle, but Xu Qing managed to stand up to the terrifying pressure of the Nascent Soul level as he looked back at Master Sixth.
“Xu Qing, I owe you for this. If Master Seventh doesn’t take you in, then I want you to be one of my successor apprentices!”
With that, Master Sixth produced a blue jade slip. It was different from any type of jade slip Xu Qing had ever seen before. It didn’t look like it was made from spirit stone, but rather, some material that was even more precious than that. And it pulsed with an aura comparable to the Gold Core level.
Hefting the blue jade slip, Master Sixth quietly said, “Seventh Sib!”
The truth was that he didn’t need to speak the words audibly. He could have projected them via divine will. However, because Xu Qing was responsible for bringing everything to light, he spoke out loud to make sure that Xu Qing could hear.
“I got to the bottom of it,” he said quietly. “Years ago, the Seastar people acquired the first half of the formula for the supreme yin chosen assimilation pill. After that, they secretly started kidnapping chosen disciples from species far and wide. They worked hard to keep the matter top secret. There were many, many victims over the years, and one of them was my son.
“The active ingredient in the drug is already complete, but they were missing the second half of the formula. That’s why they assassinated Grandmaster Bai.
“The Seastars came to Seven Blood Eyes to further this conspiracy of theirs. Every part of the plan, from the kidnapping of the chosen to the murder of Grandmaster Bai, was ordered directly by the Seastar chieftain. On the surface, it seems like a very daring plan.
“But the reality is that the Seastars are weak. They don’t even have a single Nascent Soul expert. Even if it turns out their patriarch was in on it, and helped them cover everything up, it’s not possible that a group like the Seastars could pull off something this incredible without leaking any clues.
“There has to be someone else involved that we don’t know about. What do you suggest we do?”
Off to the side, Xu Qing struggled to breathe steadily. His eyes burned with killing intent, and he radiated a baleful aura. He heard the Seastar chieftain was the ultimate mastermind, and also heard Master Sixth suggest that there was someone else involved in the conspiracy. As for who that mysterious conspirator was, Xu Qing had the feeling they would find out soon. However, at the moment, his biggest desire was to slaughter the Seastar chieftain.
As Xu Qing’s killing intent simmered, he heard Master Seventh’s voice coming from the blue jade slip.
“The Seastar people violated our alliance treaty, and thus deserve to be exterminated. Time is of the essence, but I’m unable to return….”
“You don’t need to return,” Master Sixth replied. “If you don’t mind, confirm with the patriarch that it’s okay for me to handle it. I’ve been keeping this bottled up for years. I’m ready for a slaughter.”
The killing intent in Master Sixth’s eyes was just as intense as Xu Qing’s, to the point where it seemed he might not be able to control it much longer. For the space of about a dozen breaths of time, there was no response from the jade slip. Then, a grim, hoarse voice echoed out from it.𝚘𝚟𝚕．ｔ
“Sixth Apprentice, heed my command!”
“Patriarch!” Master Sixth said respectfully. Xu Qing, the Captain, and the others present all bowed their heads.
“You’ve had it rough all these years…. Make sure that none of the Seastar people survive. Exterminate them all!”
Master Sixth looked up, and his eyes radiated madness. Xu Qing also looked up, and his eyes overflowed with killing intent.
“Your orders shall be followed, Patriarch!” Master Sixth took a deep breath, then threw his head back and laughed long and hard. There was nothing joyous about that laughter. Instead, it contained boundless grief and madness, and toward the end, it almost sounded like weeping. Then he waved his hand, and the distant Sixth Peak started rumbling loudly. After a moment, the entire mountain peak rose up into the air in a massive cloud of dust. Deafening rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions, while an indescribable pressure weighed down.
At the same time, countless mansion grottoes on the Sixth Peak opened up, and disciples poured out, including many Foundation Establishment disciples, and even Gold Core experts as well.
Although most of the Sixth Peak disciples were on the Seazombie battlefield, if there was one thing the Sixth Peak didn’t lack it was magical devices and puppets. Terrifying rumbling sounds echoed out as countless puppets flew out into the air, numbering in the thousands. At the same time, numerous magical devices appeared, all of them designed for warfare.
From a distance, the majestic Sixth Peak, glittering with boundless light, and pulsing with immense pressure and energy, looked like a gigantic floating fortress!
Master Sixth strode forward, and as he neared, the Sixth Peak trembled. The puppets, the Foundation Establishment disciples, and the Gold Core experts all dropped to their knees and kowtowed.
“Our respects, Peaklord!”
The sound of their voices echoed up into heaven.
Xu Qing was deeply shaken.
Even the Captain’s eyes were wide as he murmured, “The old man said he and Sect Uncle Sixth both used to be famous chosen, but that over the years, Sect Uncle Sixth wallowed so much in grief that he got careless with his cultivation… Is this what careless cultivation looks like? He turned the entire Sixth Peak into a freaking fortress. This is unheard-of! We didn’t even see anything like this in the Seazombie war.”
Master Sixth suddenly stopped in midair and looked down coldly at the Captain. The Captain shrank back. Then Master Sixth’s gaze shifted to Xu Qing, and his eyes softened.
“Xu Qing, take this to keep you safe.” He waved his hand, and from within the alcohol gourd that hadn’t left his hand for years, a stream of light appeared and shot toward Xu Qing. Along the way, it transformed into a blue pendant. It stopped in front of Xu Qing, floating in the air and radiating magnificent light. Based on what Xu Qing could sense, it contained a boundless power of protection.
“Nascent Soul shield!!” the Captain breathed, his eyes wide with envy.
“Also, Xu Qing,” Master Sixth continued, “go to that museum of yours in Harbor 176. Get the scroll with the patriarch’s calligraphy. Those four characters each contain a divine ability. With that scroll in hand, plus my shield, you can come with me to slaughter Seastars to your heart’s content! You will have your revenge!! The two of us are going to vent our hearts out today!”
With that, Master Sixth stepped onto the Sixth Peak.
Xu Qing nodded. He was ready for killing. He wanted to cut down any Seastar he saw. He wanted to kill the Seastar chieftain. He wanted to kill until blood flowed like a river. If he didn’t, his frustration couldn’t be dispelled. If he didn’t, his teacher couldn’t rest in peace.
“Orders heard, Master Sixth!” Xu Qing clasped hands, then raced toward the Port District. Upon reaching the museum, he nodded to the two Gold Core elders standing guard, took the patriarch’s calligraphy scroll, and then headed toward the Sixth Peak.
Together with the Captain, he stepped onto the Sixth Peak. After that, intense rumbling sounds echoed out, and heaven and earth seemed to distort as the entire mountain peak pierced through the air toward the Forbidden Sea.
As it moved, the entire mountain suddenly grew blurry, and then it disappeared in a greater teleportation!
Death was coming to the Seastar people!