Chapter 21: The True Devil

  On June 4th, in the early morning, after the clouds and fog had just dispersed, a ray of morning sunlight rose from the southeast.

  Unlike the past, at this moment, the city gate of Yanjing is probably slowly opening in the sleepy eyes of the soldiers. But today, there are already a large number of men and women, young and old, who cannot wait to leave the city gate.

  There were people who came to do business and were about to enter the city, but as soon as the gate opened, they saw a dark mass inside Yanjing City, surging forward in waves towards them.

  He was from out of town and had never been to the capital before, so he was full of question marks in his mind, unable to distinguish between situations. He thought that even the people inside the Yanjing city were competing with each other, and even when they were in a hurry, they were more efficient than others. Seeing this, he couldn't help but praise in his heart: "This Yanjing city is indeed under the feet of the Son of Heaven, and the footsteps of ordinary people are also so agile, not much different from those who practice martial arts."

  At this moment, a woman happened to pass by him and suddenly shouted: "Get out of the way, you dead thing in front! I'm going to see the elegance of Lord Hou!"

  As soon as the shout came out, the man saw a robust girl in red soft armor with sleeves full of martial arts nails rushing towards him.

  That man took one look and was shocked in his heart. If this hits someone, it will hurt them to death. He immediately dodged to the side, looking at the girl's fiery appearance, and scolded in his heart: "Good grief, is even a young girl in the capital of Yan so fierce? The Great Yan indeed values martial arts. My son was sent to the Wu Zhuang to learn martial arts, it seems he was sent to the right place. At least he's better than Old Zhao's son, who looks like a soybean sprout and is always mumbling nonsense, just looking at him gives me a headache."

  There are those in their group who like excitement and have been to the capital city before, so they know that today will definitely be a big commotion. Otherwise, why would almost all men, women, old and young people in the capital city come out together?

  This is lively, it must be a big event! He thought of this and hurriedly pulled one of the men who looked quite talkative and asked: "Brother, why are you in such a hurry, what are you going to do?"

  That man turned around, seeing that there were still people who didn't understand the truth. He first gave a disdainful glance before saying: "Tianjian Tang An is going to duel with one of the seven absolute swordsmen of Shu Mountain, Chi Jin Sword King Ruitu, at the Biliu Great Gorge. You guys don't even know this? How ignorant can you be?"

  That person, as soon as he saw this, was despised, and his face immediately looked bad. He pulled his neck to argue: "This matter has spread all over the world, of course I know! But there are still several days before June 6th, and this time I came not only to send the goods into the city but also to see the two swords in the world. What I want to ask is, what do you want to watch today?"

  The man's face showed impatience, but his hand was held by someone else and he couldn't escape, so he quickly explained: "Last night, I don't know who spread the news. Tianjian Tang An has gone to Biliu Daxia alone! So, all these people today are here to see Tianjian's skills. I heard that Tianjian Tang Houye hasn't married yet, look ahead, how many big girls are lined up, pulling their hair and rushing forward..."

  The man finished speaking, saw the main force had already killed far away, he suddenly "ah" a sound, hurriedly pulled out his sleeve and ran. "I'm not going to talk to you guys anymore. I've got to go early and grab a good spot. We'll be camping there tonight!"

  After hearing this, the man at the back of the carriage looked bewildered, rubbing his head and asking, "Is it that exaggerated? It's just a competition, what's so important about eating?" As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with collective disdain, even his companions who came with him quietly distanced themselves from him.

  How embarrassing!

  …………

  The Qin's residence was now as quiet as a deserted courtyard, with no signs of life.

  Since Tang An was conferred a marquis by the Emperor, almost all the people who came to the Qin Mansion to offer gifts and pay their respects disappeared overnight. Tang An being conferred a marquis is a weathervane. Everyone knows that Tang An killed those over a hundred disciples of Mount Shu just for Qin Qing's sake. Now, His Majesty doesn't mention Tang An's killing at all, only his meritorious service to the country. People with discerning eyes all know that His Majesty is going to make a big move. At this time, taking sides is a problem. However, no matter how one takes sides, Qin Qing is not a good choice.

  There were even clever people who, with the Tiger and Leopard Army entering the capital, thought of the peerless Tang An being enfeoffed as a marquis, while Yue Wu became a duke. Connecting these events together led to one conclusion: "Your Majesty is winning over the military faction, casting aside Chancellor Qin; this spearhead is pointing at the territories of Shu Mountain and other vassal states - it seems that a major purge will be carried out internally!"

  …………

  Wang Ruitu lived in Qin Qing's backyard, which was almost a secret that everyone knew.

  At this moment, Wang Ruitu sat quietly in the house, closed his eyes and meditated, with thoughts flowing in his mind, the Red Gold Sword's sword mantra continuously condensed in his divine consciousness.

  He had practiced this sword technique for over 40 years, yet he still felt that he didn't understand the meaning behind it. He wanted to ask his master countless times about the true meaning of the "Red Gold" in this technique, whether it was to advance fearlessly and use the ultimate sword energy to destroy all the laws of the world. However, he stood guard outside the secret chamber of Mount Shu countless times, seeking just one answer from his master.

  He only needed his master to answer him with a "yes" or "no", and he would be satisfied. Unfortunately, his master had never answered him a word. Before, he didn't understand why his master wouldn't talk to him. Now, he somewhat understood what his master meant.

  "All things are for the Tao of Heaven. The Tao of Heaven is obscure, how can it be transmitted through words? This sword technique is indeed brilliant, but it's just one person's opinion, and how could it possibly encompass the entirety of the Tao of Heaven? I was wrong... The path of heaven and humanity is long and arduous, my master has led me onto this path, which is already a great kindness. Cultivation is originally an individual matter, if one relies too heavily on others, they will ultimately be unable to walk their own path. But if I were to solely cultivate the secret sword manual of Wang Ruitu, would I be foolishly trying to follow in the exact same footsteps as Shu Shan?"

  Wang Ruitu thought of this and was entangled in his heart: "If it's really like this, I Wang Ruitu, even if called Zhang Ruitu or some other unknown person, what difference does it make?"

  Suddenly a desperate thought surged into Wang Ruitu's mind. "Could it be that I was wrong all these years?"

  "I am neither worthy of being a father nor worthy of being a leader?"

  "Have I spoiled my disciple?"

  These thoughts flashed through Wang Ruitu's mind one by one. But after a moment, Wang Ruitu's face was firm and determined again.

  "No! I taught them martial arts, taught them to respect their teachers and the moral way, taught them the principles of the world, taught them the rules of Jianghu... I was not wrong!"

  "But they're dead. If I'm not mistaken, why did they die?"

  "Was I wrong? Did I really make a mistake?"

  "No!"

  "But they're all dead! They didn't take a wrong turn, how could they be dead?"

  Wang Ruitu's mind was entangled, and the true yuan of his inner energy suddenly became chaotic. Suddenly, Wang Ruitu only felt that his divine sense was bound by a mysterious energy, and that power was so strong that he couldn't resist it!

  He slightly mobilized his divine thoughts, and he felt that his whole body was like being bitten by ants, with a piercing pain. In this biting pain, he gradually felt that his true yuan became more dense, his divine thoughts were restrained, but they became even stronger.

  He has come to realize his situation, his faith is shaken, and a demon is born...

  But this demon in his heart actually made him incredibly powerful.

  "On June 6th that year, I absolutely cannot lose! If I lose, it's equivalent to me being wrong! But was I wrong?"

  "I'm not wrong! I wanted to kill him because I absolutely couldn't bear the shame and humiliation! But he escaped, and ten years later started coming back for revenge, was he wrong?"

  "That's right!"

  "I'm not wrong, he's not wrong either! Who is wrong then?"

  "Ahhhhh!! Regardless of whether he's right or wrong, I'm going to kill him!"

  Wang Ruitu's mouth corners suddenly started twitching, and his eyes also gradually changed.

  He became ferocious, inhuman and terrifying... Every muscle on his face was twitching uncontrollably, his body began to move out of control. His true yuan started to reverse, his complexion turned bright red and turbulent, cold sweat kept pouring out from his forehead. The veins on his neck bulged, he squeezed out two words from between his teeth.

  "Devil in my heart..." As soon as he said this, all his strength suddenly seemed to be drained away.

  With a "thud", he fell backwards onto the ground.

  …………

  "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

  The sound of knocking on the stone gate came from outside. It was Wang Ruitu's disciple.

  They have been taking turns to guard the surroundings for two days, paying close attention to Wang Ruitu. Upon hearing this sound, they felt a sudden tightening in their chests - could it be that Master is in trouble?

  "Master, Master..."

  Just then, the door was suddenly opened from inside with a "bang".

  Wang Ruitu wore a purple-golden robe, slowly emerging from the doorway. Half of his body was still in the doorway, and the sunlight only reached his chest, unable to shine any higher. His face, however, was deeply buried in darkness. The two disciples had already sensed that something was off about this aura. They slowly lifted their heads, looking towards Wang Ruitu's face. Wang Ruitu's face no longer had any of the vitality that a living person should have.

  He slowly curled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a chilling evil smile. "Hmph... In this world, who can kill me? I have become a demon! This world has no gods, who can slay demons?"

  Wang Ruitu finished speaking, stretched out his hand, and instantly the scarlet gold sword on the table began to hum and flew into mid-air.

  Wang Ruitu's mouth let out a short and sharp "Kill"!

  In an instant, a ray of light pierced the eyes!

  A sword shadow flashed by, and two trails of blood shot out from in front of Wang Ruitu - his two disciples!

  The sword has pierced through their chest!

  They fell to the ground, with fresh blood gushing out of their chests. They stared at Wang Ruitu, their eyes bulging out in incredulity as they asked: "Master... Master... why...?" As soon as they finished speaking, their bodies convulsed and their eyes bulged even wider.

  Die with one's eyes open!

  Wang Ruitu's face had completely lost its blood color, as pale as a dead person. He suddenly stretched out his tongue and licked the fresh blood on the sword tip, and a smile slowly spread from the corner of his mouth.

  "I have become a demon, who is right or wrong has nothing to do with me! Everyone in this world should die!"

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