"Ah!"
His last family slave broke the night's silence with an ear-splitting cry. Jin Wangsun finally absorbed his last family slave's energy into his own body. Golden Crow Demon Demolition Technique was originally a method used for punishing traitors, which makes the pain associated with it self-explanatory.
Golden Crow Moon Eater's energy absorption ability was an overpowered skill. The combination of black iron and Jin Wangsun's energy assisting sucked the family slave's energy dry by force. Not even his corpse was recognisable by the time Jin Wangsun was done. That was supposed to be part of the punishment to deter others from harbouring similar ideas. Jin Wangsun, however, used it to massacre his loyal family slaves, which was at odds with what its purpose was when it was invented. Truly ironic.
Jin Wangsun's eyes looked swollen and red. He discharged energy from his body. He devoured the energy of over a dozen of Gold and Silver Sect's adept's energies in one sitting. The family slaves were no match for him as individuals, but the sum of their internal energy was not a laughing matter.
Jin Wangsun couldn't house such potent true qi. Consequently, he expanded his body to squeeze it in. His muscles were bulged, filling out his clothing. In fact, they almost burst out of his clothing. He was a handsome and radiant man, yet he transformed himself into a hideous beast. His head was tiny, while his body was bulky. To put him into perspective, imagine popping a head on top of a fully-filled balloon. Try arguing that didn't look bizarre. Golden Crow Moon Eater was a huge sabre even for him, yet it was a perfect fit with his new size.
As Jin Wangsun slaughtered dozens of people with his sabre and sucked his family slaves who trained Golden Crow Moon Eater dry, he brimmed with blood, and his killing intent intensified.
Jin Wangsun yanked his sabre out from his last family slave. His family slave didn't give any reaction, because he was a dry corpse - minus the blood still pouring out of the hole in his body. The sabre had a velvet feel after he pulled it out.
Jin Wangsun killed dozens of warriors at his abode, trained Golden Crow Demolition Demon mental cultivation and absorbed the internal energy of all his family slaves who ever practiced Golden Crow Moon Eater Manual. The slaves were mentally prepared for it when Jin Wangsun decided to teach it to them of his own volition. They were essentially energy vessels reserved for their young master. It was only a question of when they would need to sacrifice themselves for him. With his skill, he remained invincible.
Golden Crow Demolition Demon's core principle was ruthless, violent and overbearing. Due to Huo Qing'er's actions, Jin Wangsun didn't get to consume Taiyin Pills for months, leading to a severe imbalance between his Yin and Yang qis. To top it off, he mastered Golden Crow Demolition Demon. He was the craziest in all of history ever since the invention of the technique.
Jin Wangsun's head felt as if it'd split. The excess qi began to flow in reverse, altering his appearance into a hideous freak. Like a madman, he kept mumbling to himself: "Damn it… Ming Feizhen… Ming Feizhen…"
A Hu didn't focus on mastering the sabre, and never learnt Golden Crow Moon Eater. For that reason, he managed to avoid sharing the same fate as the other family slaves. The big man calmly said, "Young Master, it is time we got going."
Jin Wangsun panted quietly. His eyes were blood-red, and he was dying for some blood: "Let's go… Let's go… Ming Feizhen… Liu Shan Men…"
========
On a peaceful night at Liu Shan Men.
Su Xiao just had a bath. His white skin had a light pink tinge. His luscious hair was tied into a ponytail behind him. Overall, his appearance was lively and mischievous, yet didn't detract from his adorable side. He was an accomplished young constable and had a bright future ahead. Martial arts' skills aside, he was in the middle of his journey to mastering the mental cultivation for internal strength that Ming Feizhen taught him. His potential and his character made him a splendid constable candidate.
Su Xiao wasn't afraid of hard work; he just had a habit that didn't bode well at the office. He was a clean freak. He couldn't stand going a day without cleaning himself. He was fussier about being clean than the female constables. With that said, he didn't get to be so fussy when he had to work. That wasn't to mention that he was stuck around men at Liu Shan Men's office. It was bearable in winter, but it was intolerable in summer. It stunk to the high heavens. As a consequence, Su Xiao had to have a bath every night regardless of how late it was before he turned in.
Once he finished cleaning and drying himself, he peered at the full moon. He let himself be lost in his own thoughts for a while. Then, he wiped his face with a towel and stood in place for a while. Once he was invigorated, he exclaimed, "Uhm! I'll go with that arrangement! I'll congratulate Big Brother Ming tomorrow!"
Su Xiao then headed back to his room whilst humming a tune.
"It's late, yet you're still not asleep?"
"Eh?" Su Xiao spun around to see a drop-dead gorgeous young woman. She was dressed in a light blue shirt. The fact that she wore a thin shirt despite it being winter was a testament to her profound internal strength. The fact eluded Su Xiao, unfortunately. He, instead, reacted surprised: "Y-You're Big Brother Ming's gugu! Wait, y-you are Miss Juese!"
Ming Suwen once visited Liu Shan Men as Miss Juese to ask for information on Ming Feizhen. Coming and going from Liu Shan Men without a soul noticing was no challenge whatsoever for Ming Suwen with her skills.
"What nonsense, silly child," said Ming Suwen, giggling. "Don't make things up. I am not his gugu. I am… his young shiyi."
Su Xiao hastily nodded: "Ooohh, hello, Shiyi. I am Su Xiao. Wait, we've already met. Please pardon me. I don't have a very good memory, hehehe."
Miss Juese giddily giggled: "Okay now, don't call me that. You make me sound old. You and Ming Feizhen aren't fellow disciples, either, so just call me 'Sister'."
Su Xiao obediently nodded: "Sister Juese."
"Good boy."
"But, Sister, what are you here for? Big Brother Ming isn't in tonight."
"I know. He's at the imperial palace, right?" Ming Suwen's eyes darted around as she surveyed the entire place: "You will have an uninvited guest tonight. I am here to protect you."
"Huh? An uninvited guest? No, we don't have one," replied Su Xiao, baffled. He said, "I am the only one here. Oh, and the tub of water. I just finished my path. Everyone else has gone to bed."
"Silly child, that is because they are not here, yet. I came straight here after receiving intelligence from the imperial palace. I think…"
Ming Suwen cut herself off and moved to Su Xiao's side to protect him as if she smelt someone approaching: "He's here."
The moon was nice. There wasn't a cloud in sight - just a huge golden ball falling from the sky.
A dark silhouette zipped over using an unusual movement art! He was remarkably fast yet light. He used an immense amount of power to propel himself forward. His movement could be compared to a fired cannonball.
Jin Wangsun's true qi radiated from his bulky body. He used Night Steps from Night Net Book. Night Steps was a unique internal strength cultivation manual that helped the weak gradually build up their physical strength. Jin Wangsun's internal energy was topped off. Since he also utilised Night Steps, he had the Eastern wind on bolstering him. He went so fast that he even struggled to stay balanced.
Ming Suwen and Su Xiao were both perplexed by Jin Wangsun's appearance. Ming Suwen grabbed Su Xiao's arm in case he rashly tried to attack.
Jin Wangun had an even larger man behind him, namely A Hu, except Jin Wangsun's appearance stood out. Therefore, they didn't notice. Ming Suwen and Su Xiao nearly froze in place. It took a while before Su Xiao finally blurted, "I-Is he Jin Wangsun? Why does he look, like that?"
"He has lost his mind and turned to the dark side," answered Ming Suwen, keeping watch on Jin Wangsun and A Hu's movements. Voice calm, she added, "I raced here after I received news from A Jiu, who is in the palace. He said Jin Wangsun used an unorthodox style to drain people of their strength. I don't know what the facts are, but it's close enough."
Jin Wangsun ran across the rooftops. His qi radiating from his body was indomitable. Every step he took left his footprints deep in whatever he stepped on. He landed heavily in the courtyard. He took a look to see two beautiful women.
Jin Wangsun's mind was foggy from the influence of the mass of energy, but he vaguely remembered one of them was the woman he saw at Celestial Beauty Boat. She was the one who tricked Huo Qing'er into coming to the capital. The other woman was one of Liu Shan Men's constables. Apparently, she was very important to Ming Feizhen. He smiled evilly and began to laugh. His laughter resembled an owl's stifled hoot; it was comparable to a mournful cry. Jin Wangsun's tone, though, was rage from deep down.
"Die!" Jin Wangsun fastened his grip on Golden Crow Moon Eater and took a swing!
"Let's go!"
Ming Suwen grabbed Su Xiao and evaded the range of the slash in similar manner to a swan goose. As soon as they evaded the slash, they heard things behind them breaking sequentially. Jin Wangsun went on a rampage, slashing the wall behind him, windows and door pillars! The fact that he cut them all with one slash demonstrated the blades matchless sharp edge, but just as frightening was the tremendous might he swung the sabre with.
After missing his initial attack, Jin Wangsun thundered, "Where are you running to, you bitch!" before performing his next swift slash.
Ming Suwen remained absolutely calm. She dodged the slash by a hair's breadth. The blade appeared as though it grazed her, but only the shockwave managed to catch a few strands. She only had to make the smallest mistake to see her body separated from her head. Nevertheless, she remained absolutely calm as she utilised clever footwork similar to butterflies flying between flowers to get away from Jin Wangsun's side.
Su Xiao's skills were notches below the two, and hence, could only do his best to follow along.
"You're not getting away!"
Jin Wangsun unleashed three consecutive slashes in arcing motions. As The King of Sabres of Jiangnan, Jin Wangsun's skills with a sabre were as elite as ever - even when his rationality was downgraded. Each of his three slashes was executed using different techniques from different schools. Thanks to Golden Crow Moon Eater Manual's system, he was able to blend them in to complement each other perfectly. His execution of varying styles was superior to Tang Ye's method of using various styles in succession.
Miss Juese evaded the first two much easier compared to the previous attack; however, A Hu watched closely from the side. She couldn't ensure Su Xiao's safety if she let him go, consequently forcing her to drag him along whilst slipping Jin Wangsun's incoming attacks.
Ming Suwen was frustrated, as she was in such a rush that she didn't have time to grab a weapon. She wasn't familiar with Liu Shan Men's office. Without a proper weapon, she couldn't fight back against Golden Crow Moon Eater.
Suddenly, a bellow from someone with a clear and strong voice reached the battlefield.
"Jin Bastard Wangsun! Back your ass up! How dare you even think about hurting my grand martial aunt!"
"What insolence! Fight me for another three-hundred rounds!"
"Jin Wangsun, we have you surrounded here. Surrender now!"
Three individuals zoomed over and came down from the rooftop. Providing reinforcements was Hongjiu. Hongjiu had no time to inform Ming Feizhen, who was amidst trying to solve a riddle, and bolted back to Liu Shan Men. The other two in the trio were the two who were defeated and had to flee, Long Zaitian and Bai Laimu. The three didn't come together. Lai Baimu and Long Zaitian needed a short respite, thereby arriving later.
Jin Wangsun didn't show a single tinge of fear. Instead, he maniacally laughed and discharged his internal energy, shaking even the rooftops: "Perfect timing. Troublemaking clowns and misfits I defeated already. You're all gathered up for me to destroy. Now isn't that fantastic?!"
Trivia
*Golden Crow - Commonly, this would be the three-legged crow. The reason it shouldn't be a three-legged crow in this scenario is because it has nothing to do with the folklore behind it. To the contrary, it has much more to do with the gold colour it is often depicted as. Now, there's also Jin Wangsun's usage of gold for his weapons and the sect's name. This is why three-legged crow would be nonsense its translation here.
*Darksteel - This is a made up word. It made its first appearance earlier in the volume when Ming Feizhen first spoke about smithing material rarity.
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