Immortalis

Meat Well 8

Just as Zhou Huai had said, the sword cavern in the back mountains of Immeasurable Manor wasn't that difficult to escape.

Zhou Huai shattered the already precarious iron lock with a single palm strike, and when Yang Wujian pushed the door open, he discovered there wasn't even a single guard outside, making him suspicious: "They didn't even make us take any power-dispersing medicine. What have the Immeasurable Seven Swords been doing these days? Could it be that after Green Rain Sword left, the others all lost their minds?"

Zhou Huai had already "borrowed" a disciple sword from an unlit sword forge nearby. He weighed it in his hand and sighed: "This sword is too light. It's only good for killing chickens."

Yang Wujian found this amusing: "How can these disciple swords compare to your White Rainbow Sword? I suspect your sword and my Vajra Ring are currently with the Seven Swords. We'll find a way to retrieve them later."

The back mountains after nightfall were almost completely dark. Fortunately, Yang Wujian possessed Night Eyes, allowing the two of them to avoid getting lost on the intricate mountain paths.

"Young master, are you still afraid of the dark?"

Yang Wujian recalled how the young master had secretly sneaked into Stone Village to light a fire in the middle of the night back at Aconite Kiln. It seemed this old habit hadn't been completely cured.

Zhou Huai's voice indeed sounded somewhat nervous. Unable to see the path, he could only clutch Yang Wujian's sleeve and follow him forward, whispering: "When I was following you earlier, I was alone the whole way. Sometimes the nights were very dark, and the forest was very quiet... I was somewhat afraid. But for some reason, as long as I remembered that you and Miss Shen were always walking ahead of me, even if I couldn't see you, I knew you were there. Thinking of that made me less afraid."

"Young master, you really trust the two of us..."

Yang Wujian smiled bitterly to himself. After all, neither he nor Shen Qingshi were particularly good people. After traveling with Zhou Huai for just this short while, the young master had actually come to regard them as closest friends, being so open and sincere. This was truly unpredictable.

The two followed the mountain path searching. The strange worm in the bottle kept scratching incessantly, indicating they weren't too far from "that thing."

However, there were no patrolling disciples along the way at all. Yang Wujian even checked several sword caverns and found them all empty, completely devoid of any human traces.

He frowned: "When I was brought here, there were many Sword-Wielding Disciples guarding the entrance to the back mountains. Why is there no one in the back mountains now? This feels like..."

Like the back mountains were a cage.

Even someone as bold as Yang Wujian couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

He suddenly realized why the Immeasurable Seven Swords hadn't taken strict precautions against them, nor even made them take any power-dispersing medicine.

This was because that sword cavern wasn't where they were being imprisoned - the back mountains were.

When Yang Wujian shared his conjecture, he immediately felt Zhou Huai's grip on his clothes tighten. Clearly, even with his greatly enhanced skills, Zhou Huai's inherent fear of ghosts remained unchanged. The young master asked tremblingly: "A cage? A cage for what?"

"What else could it be a cage for?"

Yang Wujian sneered.

Earlier in the Sword Nurturing Pavilion, everyone had worms in their hands but no one noticed the worms moving.

But as soon as they reached the back mountains, these worms became restless. This could only mean that this "thing" was imprisoned in the back mountains.

Dong Zhu and Dong Lu were imprisoned in the back mountains. Zhuang Tianyou had been in secluded cultivation in the back mountains since the Famous Sword Conference. Could there be some connection here?Just as Yang Wujian's mind was in complete turmoil, the insect in the bottle suddenly grew even more agitated, and both of them simultaneously sensed someone's presence approaching.

What was going on? Could it be that the object was being carried by someone?

Before they could think further, Zhou Huai had already pulled Yang Wujian up onto a nearby treetop. By the dim moonlight, the two clearly saw the figure approaching—a man with white hair and a white beard, holding a long sword.

Zhou Huai tightly gripped Yang Wujian's wrist. It was obvious he had recognized the other person.

The one approaching was none other than Sword Sect's Zhuang Tianyou.

Yang Wujian gasped sharply.

He had never seen Zhuang Tianyou before, but Zhuang Tianyou's sword, known as the number one sword under heaven, was a broken blade damaged by his sworn brother Gui Sanyan, with a notch on one side. Even three-year-old children practicing swordsmanship at the foot of Boundless Mountain had seen portraits of the Sword Sect carrying his sword. There was no way he could mistake it.

What had happened to Zhuang Tianyou?

Even in the dim light, Yang Wujian could clearly see that Zhuang Tianyou's clothes were filthy, his hair disheveled, and he was even barefoot. It was impossible to tell how long it had been since he had last washed or groomed himself...

With the Sword Sect's reputation so renowned, no matter what, he shouldn't have ended up looking like a madman in his own sword manor.

Could it be that this back mountain... was actually a cage used to imprison Zhuang Tianyou?

Just as the two were staring in shock, the insect in Yang Wujian's bottle grew noisy again. The Sword Sect's hearing was exceptionally sharp—even the faint rustling of the insect in the bottle was instantly detected. In an instant, Yang Wujian met Zhuang Tianyou's wild, turbid eyes, and immediately after, a sharp sword aura slashed down toward them. If not for Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai's superior martial skills, allowing them to leap aside in time, that single strike would have decapitated them both.

What was wrong with him?

Yang Wujian jumped down from the tree that had been split in two, staring at Zhuang Tianyou in the distance, who was wide-eyed and tilting his head as he watched them. A cold sweat broke out on Yang Wujian's back.

Had the Sword Sect... gone mad?

Zhuang Tianyou moved in a bizarre posture, dragging his number one sword under heaven as if it were a wooden stick. Although his martial prowess remained, he no longer seemed like a normal person at all.

Zhou Huai lacked Yang Wujian's Night Eyes, so Zhuang Tianyou's face appeared blurry to him, but he could genuinely feel the icy killing intent emanating from the man. He grabbed Yang Wujian: "We can't stay here."

"Obviously. If only we could escape."

Yang Wujian couldn't help rolling his eyes, thinking, This is the Sword Sect. Rumor has it that in his youth, Zhuang Tianyou could kill ten people in a row even with just a tree branch. Fifteen years ago, four of the five elders who died in the battle at Longevity Palace were killed by Zhuang Tianyou himself—proof of his overwhelming power.

Zhou Huai gritted his teeth: "What do we do? There's no way we can match him."

It was only then that Yang Wujian belatedly realized: the Immeasurable Seven Swords had imprisoned them in the back mountain, essentially sending lambs into a tiger's den. Most likely, they intended for Zhuang Tianyou to finish them off. But what exactly had happened to the Sword Sect?

With their lives on the line, Yang Wujian didn't dare relax for a moment. He stared intently at Zhuang Tianyou and noticed that the man kept muttering something to himself. Though he couldn't make out the words clearly, Yang Wujian could still read his lips.

"Just a little more... just a little more, and it'll be mastered..."Yang Wujian felt the hairs on his back stand on end. He realized that Zhuang Tianyou had likely lost all rationality at this moment, just like Zhou Huai when he was afflicted with Evil Sickness earlier—completely trapped in some kind of hallucination, with his mind fixated solely on killing.

What did he mean by "mastered"... mastered what?

Could Zhuang Tianyou's current state be a case of qi deviation?

There was no time for Yang Wujian to ponder further, as Zhuang Tianyou's next strike was already upon them. Zhou Huai gritted his teeth and went to block it, only to hear a crisp snap—the flawed, worthless sword in his hand instantly shattered into countless pieces. Seeing this, Zhou Huai shouted, "I'll hold him off! You figure something out quickly!"

Though he said this, Zhou Huai was now empty-handed and couldn't last long against Zhuang Tianyou. As he dodged and weaved, growing increasingly disheveled, Yang Wujian's heart leaped into his throat. He scanned their surroundings and noticed that while the back mountain had many sword caves where they could hide, if they ended up in a dead end, they would immediately become casualties under Zhuang Tianyou's blade.

What to do...

Sweat drenched Yang Wujian's back, his mind in complete chaos, when a glint of cold steel suddenly appeared before his eyes. Unnoticed, Zhuang Tianyou had silently closed in and was now attacking him with his sword!

"Yang Wujian!"

Zhou Huai shouted, seeing no other option. He barely managed to shove Yang Wujian aside before Zhuang Tianyou's broken sword pierced straight through his shoulder. Grunting in pain, he clenched his teeth and used both hands to grip the divine weapon that could slice through iron like mud, growling, "At least one of us has to live! Run!"

"Run where? I've got an idea!"

Seeing the young master instantly drenched in blood, a spark of inspiration flashed in Yang Wujian's mind. He immediately pulled out a bottle that had been restless for a long time and dumped its contents out in one go!

Since they grew excited at the sight of Zhuang Tianyou, he'd send them on their way!

With their lives hanging by a thread, Yang Wujian had no time to worry about whether the Meteor Star would turn on him instead. Acting purely on courage, he was relieved to see the black insects, upon hitting the ground, crawl straight toward Zhuang Tianyou like beasts drawn to the scent of blood.

"Annoying."

Zhuang Tianyou seemed to recognize the danger of these creatures and immediately withdrew his sword to retreat. Meanwhile, Zhou Huai, having personally experienced the world's foremost sword with his own body, was already numb with pain. As his vision darkened, Yang Wujian rushed over and hoisted him onto his back, cursing, "Let's go! These bastards have gone too far. Since they've thrown decency out the window, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Though Yang Wujian was a head shorter than Zhou Huai, once he activated the Longevity Heart Sutra, he could carry not just one Zhou Huai but two more burly men without issue.

By now, Zhou Huai's blood was flowing incessantly, soaking half of Yang Wujian's body. Carrying his companion, Yang Wujian sprinted all the way to the back mountain entrance, where he finally spotted several Sword-Wielding Disciples standing guard as if facing a great enemy.

"Daring to come here and seek death!"

Seething with killing intent, Yang Wujian saw that these people still dared to block his path. He immediately channeled his energy, and the vast internal force he unleashed was like an invisible giant palm, sending the several disciples flying backward.

He knew all too well that such reckless expenditure of internal energy would likely trigger his Blood Deficiency Syndrome before long.

However, Zhou Huai, slung over his back, had now completely lost consciousness. The thought of how Zhou Huai had gotten his injury made Yang Wujian's blood boil with rage. He was never one to cower in fear, so he immediately hoisted Zhou Huai up and dashed toward the quarters they had once stayed in!

"Zhuang Tianyou has gone mad! He's killing anyone in sight! How dare you stay here—are you not afraid to die?"Disregarding the late hour and silence, Yang Wujian raised his voice and shouted. At the same time, he reached out and yanked, tearing open the doors of the guest rooms where the Four Seas Alliance members slept. The night watch disciples lit candles, only to see Yang Wujian standing atop the bell tower, covered in blood.

"Zhuang Tianyou has succumbed to Qi deviation! If you keep sleeping, you'll all become ghosts under his sword!"

After roaring these words, Yang Wujian channeled his energy and forcibly uprooted the massive bronze bell beside him, slamming it against the wall three times. Instantly, the deafening toll reverberated in all directions, waking up half the manor.

Since they intended to "feed them to the tigers," they had to be prepared to be bitten back!

Watching the Sword-Wielding Disciples rushing from the rear mountains, their faces ashen, Yang Wujian sneered inwardly. It seemed every time they came to Immeasurable Manor, they had to stage such a scene.

After all, when dealing with the world-renowned top sword manor, tarnishing its reputation was far more cost-effective than outright killing.

"Yang Wujian! Stop spouting nonsense! The manor lord is still in seclusion—how could he have succumbed to Qi deviation?"

At that moment, Shen Mian of the Fangqiong Sword, who had dealt with them before, finally arrived. He glared furiously at Yang Wujian, but the latter unexpectedly descended with Zhou Huai and landed right in front of him.

"You practice the medical arts—whether it's your manor lord's handiwork or not, one look at his sword wound will tell!"

Facing the swarming Immeasurable Manor disciples, Yang Wujian didn't retreat a single step. Instead, he tore open the clothing on Zhou Huai's shoulder, revealing the still-bleeding wound beneath.

"This sword wound—one side is smooth, while the other looks as if it was sawed open. Can anyone else in the entire Immeasurable Manor wield such a broken sword?"

Yang Wujian declared sharply, "Zhuang Tianyou has succumbed to Qi deviation, acting insanely and cutting down anyone he sees! You confined Zhou Huai and me in the rear mountains clearly intending to take our lives! If you dare to kill, you must dare to admit it. Now, if you claim it wasn't your manor lord, then bring Zhuang Tianyou out—I'll confront him face to face!"