NOVPUB
Chapter 72: The Night of Judgment 1
The moon was nearly at its highest point in the sky, casting its pale light over Dual Horns Peak City. Most of the city’s residents carried on with their usual nightly routines, but in one part of the city, there was an unusual movement. Silhouettes darted through the streets, heading swiftly toward a long-abandoned area, devoid of activity.
Dozens of figures moved using advanced movement techniques that silenced their footsteps, making them as quiet as owls in flight. Despite their numbers and the occasional passerby, they remained undetected as they glided through the city.
They continued running until they reached the outskirts of an abandoned building, where another figure was already waiting for them.
"How is it? Any movement?" the newcomer asked.
"No, still nothing, sir. They’re holed up inside that building, like turtles in their shells," the other figure replied.
"Good, now we only need to take the—" he wants to say ’the child’ when he saw someone get out from the abandoned house. He is middle age man which they thought it might a disguise with a sword on his waist.
The man was Xin Haotian in disguise, his sword’s scabbard wrapped in black cloth. The fame of the Illumination Sword had already spread, and he didn’t want to be recognized for now.
Xin Haotian looked around, counting the people who had gathered in the area. Earlier, Aldrian had contacted him, instructing him to be prepared.
"Tonight will be full of action." Aldrian had said.
Xin Haotian shrugged at the memory, his gaze shifting to a particular direction.
"I assume you’re the leader here," he called out calmly.
"I suggest you abort whatever plan you have for this place, or anything involving my group. Consider this a warning—I’d prefer to avoid unnecessary complications."
His voice was steady, his expression serene. To anyone unaware of the situation, it might have seemed like Xin Haotian was speaking to thin air, as if he’d lost his mind. But those who understood the circumstances knew the area surrounding the building had already become a massive trap, leaving little chance for escape.
No response came after his warning. The silence lingered, but suddenly, something small and fast shot toward his forehead. It was so tiny that most wouldn’t have noticed it until it was too late.
Without flinching, Xin Haotian tilted his head slightly, dodging the projectile with ease. He glanced toward the source of the attack and then observing the small, needle like object embedded in the ground. Its tip glistened with liquid, likely poison, he guessed.
"Well, it looks like you don’t want to keep this civilized, then—" Xin Haotian said calmly before vanishing from his spot. In an instant, he appeared behind one of the silhouetted figures, a man clad in black clothing and a mask. Before the man could react, Xin Haotian struck him in the neck, causing him to faint instantly.
He disappeared again, reappearing beside another man, and repeated the process over the next five seconds. By the end of it, a dozen of them had been taken out without a sound.
"Groups 1 and 2, keep that man in check! The rest of you, capture the children and kill everyone else!" the leader barked, realizing the dire situation. From his tone, it was clear he understood they might not make it out in one piece.
The remaining men quickly moved into a battle formation not far from Xin Haotian. In unison, they raised their hands, unleashing a coordinated technique imbued with darkness element.
A massive veil of darkness surged toward Xin Haotian, aiming to entrap him within its void. The combined power of these Earl and Marquess stage cultivators created a veil strong enough to trap even a middle Duke stage expert, more than enough they believed, to hold this man who by all appearances, was at the peak Marquess stage.
What they didn’t know was that Xin Haotian had deliberately masked his cultivation, disguising himself as a peak Marquess. After all, Emperor stage cultivators rarely acted outside their territories, except for the unaffiliated cultivator and he preferred to avoid unnecessary attention.
Xin Haotian watched the incoming darkness with unwavering calm. He raised his hand, channeling his energy and intent, and made a swift slash through the dark veil. The darkness split in two as if it had been cut by a blade. Without missing a beat, he made another slashing motion in a different direction.
The second slash traveled toward the group attempting to breach the house. Most of them were caught off guard, completely unprepared for a peak Marquess to counter their attack from the battle formation so easily.
Several were struck by the powerful slash, their bodies split apart before they could react, leaving them lifeless on the ground. Those fortunate enough to dodge felt their hearts race, the sensation of death still hanging in the air. Their eyes widened as they stared at the remains of their comrades, bodies severed cleanly. They were deader than dead.
"Sword intent with his hand! Be careful, he’s a proficient sword master!" the leader shouted, his voice filled with alarm.
But Xin Haotian showed no sign of stopping. His movements were fluid, each slash a deadly dance as he incapacitated some, killed others. Anyone who dared approach the house was swiftly killed.
Those who tried to obstruct him were crippled. The sound of battle—if it could even be called that—echoed until only five remained, including the leader, the strongest among them with a cultivation at the middle Duke stage.
"I already told you," Xin Haotian said, stepping toward the remaining five, his tone calm. "We didn’t have to walk this path. All of this bloodshed could’ve been avoided if we talked like civilized men."
The five men remained silent. Throughout the battle, they had exchanged few words, only coordinating and shouting warnings when necessary. Now, they stood tense, their eyes trained on Xin Haotian, as they weighed their chances against the formidable sword master before them.
The five men exchanged glances before four of them swiftly swallowed an antidote pill, while the last attempted to hurl a small ball at Xin Haotian. At least, that was the plan. The man who was supposed to throw the ball froze in confusion, feeling an eerie weightlessness in his right hand.
He glanced down and saw that his hand, meant to toss the deadly ball, had already been severed. The ball itself was now in Xin Haotian’s hand.
"Argh!" he screamed in agony, the pain surging only after realizing his hand had been cut off. The other men trembled, their strategy to execute Plan B now in shambles before they could even begin.
Xin Haotian examined the ball in his hand, his energy flowing over it to inspect its contents. He glanced at the group.
"You’re truly brazen to carry something like this. A poison from Black Venom of the Death Valley? So, are you in league with the devils, or are you devils yourselves?"
Death Valley was a notorious place within the devil’s territory, adjacent to the Doria Empire. Its treacherous environment was home to countless dangerous beasts, one of them was the Black Rock Snake. Its venom, known as Black Venom, was a toxin so potent that, in sufficient quantities, it could kill even a King-stage cultivator!
"This is enough proof that you’re connected to the devils."
He recalled Aldrian’s earlier warning about the city lord’s possible connection with the devils and their use of Black Venom became poison ball. Xin Haotian wasn’t about to underestimate the risk. So he snatched the ball before it could be thrown.
The five men, still reeling from Xin Haotian’s impossible speed. His mastery over the sword intent and speed reminded them of the Sword Saint, but they quickly dismissed the thought. None of them had ever crossed paths with Xin Haotian before, and besides, a figure like the Sword Saint would have no interest in this matters.
As they stood, trapped and out of options, the leader sent a hurried transmission to the remaining members.
"Use the devil form!"
"But we’ll jeopardize the entire operation if we do!"
"We have no choice, at this rate, we’ll all die. The man in front of us must be at least at the peak Duke stage."
With no other options left, the group began to gather their devil energy, their bodies slowly starting to morph as they initiated the transformation into their devil forms. The air grew heavy with a dark red, malevolent devil energy, causing Xin Haotian to raise an eyebrow. He stood calmly, watching them undergo the transformation.
Once their devil forms were complete, their bodies now grow big with dark red energy, Xin Haotian’s face remained impassive.
"So, you truly are devils. Then I no longer need to hold back."
Before any of them could even react to his words, Xin Haotian made a subtle motion with his hand, and in an instant, their heads were severed from their bodies. The transformed devils fell to the ground with a lifeless thud, their enormous frames reduced to nothing more than corpses.
As the silence settled over the battlefield, Xin Haotian surveyed his surroundings, ensuring no threats remained.
"Now my part here is done, I wonder how that man is faring over there." his eyes turning toward the distant twin peaks.
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At the foot of the western peak of Dual Horns Peak, many people pass by, gazing in awe at the stairs leading up the mountain to the peak, where the city lord’s manor stands.
At this moment, a young man stands not far from the stairs. From his demeanor, it’s clear he didn’t come to admire the structure but for something else.
Aldrian looks at the stairs for a moment, smiling, before stepping closer, ready to begin his plan for the night.
