Just then, Wu Yu really put a fright in Jiang Xie.
But after listening to the Ninth Spirit, he recalled Wu Yu's antics at the Zhongyuan Immortal Mountain. He had been all bark and no bite, barely killing anybody.
He knew that a majority of the Heavenly Sword Sect had their laughable sense of justice, especially this Wu Yu. He was full of righteousness, much like Feng Xueya. How could such a person kill a thousand innocent disciples?
Jiang Xie understood that this was the difference between him and Feng Xueya's Heavenly Sword Sect. For example, he would definitely have killed them with no hesitation if he was in Wu Yu's shoes.
"He definitely would not dare to kill," Jiang Xie asserted to the Zhongyuan Dao Sect elders.
"If you don't believe me, just try me."
In truth, even when he had fought wars in the mortal realm, Wu Yu had not killed soldiers that surrendered, let alone conduct massacres. Perhaps there were also kind-hearted souls amongst these 1,000 people....
When Jiang Xie and the others had backed out from the 10,000 Swords Formation, Wu Yu had breathed a sigh of relief. He had been dripping with cold sweat.
He was not actually prepared to kill a thousand people. That would be a huge moral blow.
But just as soon as he breathed out, his heartstrings tightened again. His gaze narrowed again. Jiang Xie had just left, when the party of 20 stepped in again.
Feng Xueya and the others widened their eyes. After a short rest, they again began to operate the 10,000 Swords Formation!
The air filled with sword qi, again repelling their enemies.
This time around, the enemies were even more decisive, fighting their way in with Jiang Xie as the especially berserk point. He seemed intent on defeating the 10,000 Swords Formation in one attack.
"Jiang Xie!" Seeing this, Wu Yu's anger flared.
"Could it be that you do not care about the lives of your 1,000 disciples!?"
Wu Yu shouted. He again tightened the Stalk of the Clouds, causing the thorns to stab into the disciples' necks. Soon, the disciples were howling and crying again.
Seeing Jiang Xie's resolve, the disciples despaired. Some even dared to scream insults at their sect leader.
Even the Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples outside the 10,000 Swords Formation quailed, aghast.
"Another step forward, and I won't hold back!" Wu Yu bellowed. He again tightened the Stalk of the Clouds, and the entire Bipo Mountain Range rang with their miserable howls.
Jiang Xie raised his head. "Go ahead and kill them. Once we break the 10,000 Swords Formation, we will take revenge for them."
And then he faced the disciples, saying, "As long as we take the Bipo Mountain Range, remember that all of you are heroes of the Zhongyuan Dao Sect. I, Jiang Xie, will lay down the finest monument to all of you, so the future generations of the Zhongyuan Dao Sect will remember your sacrifices!"
This declaration only exacerbated their pain!
Jiang Xie was actually this cruel!
"Jiang Xie, you heartless, spineless bastard! Go to hell! May you languish in the deepest levels of hell!" From within the grasp of the Stalk of the Clouds, many people hurled insults at Jiang Xie.
"Waa, waa!"
Many more bawled and cried out beseechingly, their faces pale.
Outside the 10,000 Swords Formation, many Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples exchanged uneasy glances. They knew that Jiang Xie was a ruthless person, but who would have thought that he would even sacrifice a thousand of his elite disciples!
In that instant, all the pressure returned back to Wu Yu.
Evidently, the deaths of these disciples would not hold their enemy back now. If this continued, the 10,000 Swords Formation would soon fall.
"To kill, or not to kill?"
The enemy was unreasonable, but the dilemma still seized Wu Yu.
He could see all thousand lives before him. They were much like him, entering the Zhongyuan Dao Sect with hopes and dreams. Some among them might even be of good heart, and had never harmed anyone before.
For entering the Bipo Mountain Range, the sin was with Jiang Xie, and the highest echelons of power within the Zhongyuan Dao Sect. These people had done nothing. Why should they die here?
Most crucially, would he become a monster if he killed all of them?
Were these thousand lives not fresh, vital lives? They begged and prayed towards him. Each look held tears and despair. They were not merely a statistic.
In that instant, Wu Yu was really wavering.
He had not expected that the path to immortalhood to have such struggles. This was a struggle between his humanity and his rationality. His humanity told him that he could not do it. This was unnatural, and would ruin his morality! Rationally, if he did not kill them, then how would he keep Jiang Xie and the Zhongyuan Dao Sect at bay?
"If I were you, I would make an example of some of them. That Jiang Xie is clearly calling that you don't dare to kill anybody." Ming Long was bored, and she chipped in with a roll of her eyes.
"Is that so?"
It seemed like Jiang Xie really understood him.
Not just Wu Yu, but which disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect would be able to take a thousand innocent lives? Did they not fear the justice of heaven? Were they not afraid of the nightmares?
These were all sins!
"Hu...." Wu Yu was eventually unable to curb his nature, and he could not deliver the killing blow. This was a dilemma that fate had poised to him. He was clear in his heart that if he had been strong enough, this would have been avoided. He would not have needed to kill others to threaten his opponent!
"Wu Yu." Suddenly, Night Wishes for Snow walked up. He unsheathed his immortal treasure longsword, and with a slash, beheaded one of the Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples who had been shouting most vehemently.
His action shocked the crowd and took their attention. He turned to Wu Yu. "Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect have honor, and we do not commit dishonorable things. To kill one is honorable, to kill a thousand makes one a demon. We brothers will not let you bear this burden. Come!"
Perhaps Night Wishes for Snow had understood Wu Yu. He knew that he could not do it. Not even Feng Xueya could have done it. This was the greatest difference between them and the ghostly cultivators and demons. Which of the Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts did not already have hundreds of thousands of lives on their hands?
Instantly, the thousand Heavenly Sword Sect disciples moved up in an orderly fashion. Each stood beside a Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciple. They gripped their immortal treasure longswords, placing them against the Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples' necks. They prepared to behead them. There was one for each person!
"Each will kill one. If it is a sin, we will share the burden! Wu Yu, leave the matter of killing to us!" Night Wishes for Snow was living up to his role as the eldest senior brother now. His move just now had shocked Wu Yu. And now he lifted his immortal treasure longsword high, and all 1,000 disciples followed suit!
The shining swords flashed in the sky. Who wouldn't be intimidated by this scene?
With the Heavenly Sword Sect in such danger, who would not hate the Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples?
On the battlefield, there was no good and evil. There were only sides!
"Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, on my command, kill!" Following Night Wishes for Snow's command, everyone's immortal treasure longswords slashed down, preparing to cleave a thousand necks!
The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples. Not just Wu Yu alone. Wu Yu might not be able to kill a thousand, but it was extremely easy for them to kill one each. There was nothing strenuous about this!
"Stay your hand! I retreat!" Jiang Xie had called it right that Wu Yu could not do it. But when Night Wishes for Snow came up, he could only fall back. The Zhongyuan Dao Sect elders would not consent either. With a loud shout, he took his elders and left, ending the attack on the 10,000 Swords Formation.
The threat of the thousand disciples was finally online.
On the Heavenly Sword Sect's side, most of the disciples' swords had halted in midair, while others had been too quick, cleaving the neck and putting a fright in the surrounding Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples.
Under Night Wishes for Snow's command, they did not let up immediately, instead continuing to hold their swords to the disciples' necks.
It was like hell on earth. There were screams, and many disciples had swooned from the fright.
Whoosh.... The battlefield was suddenly silent.
Jiang Xie took the Zhongyuan Dao Sect and fell back, moving outside the 10,000 Swords Formation. He too was pale, and struggling with himself.
They had to acknowledge that Wu Yu posed a real threat to them now.
Not even Wu Yu himself had anticipated this turn of events. He asked, "Senior Brother, am I too cowardly?" Night Wishes for Snow shook his head, smiling. "That's not true. We sword cultivators definitely cannot walk the path of murderous demons. Master taught us this. To cultivate dao, one must stick to one's principles. We kill those who must be killed, and not slay blindly. If you had killed them today, I'm afraid we would have spurned you. Wu Yu, follow your sense of justice. You will do no wrong."
With this, Wu Yu finally crossed his own mental hurdle. Before, he had really considered killing the thousand disciples. It had been a difficult struggle.
"It was Master who bid me come to help you. Perhaps he too was worried that your belief was shaken," Night Wishes for Snow said.
No wonder. Wu Yu lifted his head and looked at Feng Xueya's back. He was still controlling the 10,000 Swords Formation. Although Jiang Xie had backed out, the Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts and the demons had not ceased their attack. If the 10,000 Swords Formation was in good condition, Feng Xueya could have made them pay heavily. But now the 10,000 Swords Formation was unstable even with Jiang Xie's backing down. It would not last long.
"The greatest use of this 1,000 people is that Jiang Xie will not act for a while. But given his heart, he will not hold back for too long, and we can't let him do anything else either. Otherwise, he will really sacrifice these 1,000 people," Night Wishes for Snow said.
Wu Yu understood. Of all the people he had ever met, Jiang Xie was the one whose personality differed from his appearance the most. He looked like a saint, but had the heart of the devil.
It seemed like they had survived again. Without Jiang Xie and the Zhongyuan Dao Sect, their attack slowed, and Feng Xueya and the others had recovered quite a bit after resting as well. But if this continued, it still seemed unfavorable for the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Wu Yu handed the Stalk of the Clouds to Night Wishes for Snow.
"Junior Brother, what are you going to do?" Night Wishes for Snow was startled.
"Go into the 10,000 Swords Formation and kill some people."
For now, that was all Wu Yu could do.
