But Li Zhaoye failed to notice that as the meat went down his throat, an eerie green light flashed in his pupils.
Even his canines seemed to lengthen slightly.
A bloodthirsty craving quietly took root in his heart, making him unable to stop himself from wanting more—much more.
"Delicious, truly delicious."
Li Zhaoye swallowed in large gulps, his usual elegance completely vanished as he ate until grease coated his lips.
The surrounding elders were also buried in their food. Only the sounds of chewing and swallowing remained in the hall, creating a disturbing atmosphere.
Halfway through the banquet, everyone had eaten their fill.
Chen Zhou suddenly spoke, "Sect Master, now that we have eaten and drunk our fill, it is time to discuss business."
"I have long looked forward to visiting your sect’s Sword Tomb."
Xu Yunzi put down his chopsticks and wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth. His expression remained unchanged, still wearing a beaming smile.
"Since you have such an interest, let Zhaoye take you for a look."
"Zhaoye."
"Your disciple is here." Li Zhaoye stood up. At this moment, his face was flushed an unnatural red, and his eyes held a hint of excitement.
"Take Fellow Daoist Chen to the Sword Tomb. Let him see those beasts we have imprisoned."
"Yes."
Li Zhaoye turned toward Chen Zhou and spoke politely.
"This way, please, sir. Allow me to show you the wolf demons suppressed by our Heavenly Sword Sect."
Chen Zhou stood up, straightened his robes, and suddenly smiled.
"Very well."
"Let us go and see the human-livestock you have raised."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the hall instantly froze.
Li Zhaoye’s expression changed drastically, and the Azure Peak Sword in his hand rang as it left its scabbard.
"Silence!"
"You may insult my swordsmanship, but you shall not insult my sect."
"We suppress demons—man-eating wolves. Where does this talk of human-livestock come from?"
"You are slandering us!"
Chen Zhou looked at the enraged Li Zhaoye, the pity in his eyes deepening.
"Slander?"
Chen Zhou let out a cold laugh. "I have never deigned to slander dead men."
"Since you want to see the truth so badly, I will show you exactly what it was you just ate."
"Huaishuang."
"Present."
Jian Huaishuang, who had been standing silently behind Chen Zhou, suddenly snapped his eyes open.
"Flip the table."
"Understood!"
Jian Huaishuang took a step forward and slammed his heavy sword into the ground.
The 【Lie Sword Domain】 was activated, and paper snow began to fall within the warm hall.
The power of the 【Delusion】 divinity drifted with the paper snow, landing on every inch of the domain.
In the Lie Sword Domain, all false pretenses were defined as 'lies,' and the master of the domain could force the 'truth' to be revealed.
This was the new ability Jian Huaishuang had gained after merging with the divinity of resentment—Jian Huaishuang had named it Piercing Delusion.
Buzz—
The scene inside the hall distorted.
Under the washing of the sword domain, the delicacies on the table instantly changed their appearance.
What lay on the plates were severed, cooked human arms and slices of hearts, livers, and lungs.
Inside that massive bronze cauldron, several heads with eyes wide open stared from the bubbling broth, bobbing up and down in death.
One of the heads even looked familiar to Li Zhaoye.
Wasn't that the junior brother who had fought the Wolf Court and died in battle two years ago?
"Urgh—!!"
The elders and disciples who had been eating with such relish just moments ago turned pale instantly, collapsing to the floor and vomiting uncontrollably.
"What is this?! What is this?!"
"Gag... what did I just eat... hurrk."
Li Zhaoye felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He froze in place, his stomach churning violently, yet he found himself unable to throw anything up.
Wu Gou, who had looked like best friends with Xu Yunzi moments ago, gave Chen Zhou a reproachful look and smashed his wine jar onto the floor.
"Aiya, you fiend, you flip faces far too quickly."
"I hadn't even finished my wine, and now it’s all gone sour."
Relying on Chen Zhou's presence, he took a large swig of the remaining wine from his flask and pointed mockingly at the motionless Xu Yunzi sitting on the high seat.
"Wearing a human skin but not doing human deeds; eating human flesh while wanting a demon's body."
"Old Taoist, you really put on a hell of a show!"
The truth was ripped open, bloody and bare, laid out before everyone.
Aside from the sounds of vomiting, the hall was deathly silent.
Only Xu Yunzi remained seated calmly at the head of the table.
Facing this hellish scene and the mental breakdown of his disciples, he did not panic. Instead, he let out a soft sigh.
A hint of regret appeared on his face.
"A pity."
Xu Yunzi set down his wine cup, his voice so calm it was hair-raising.
"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?"
Chen Zhou looked at him coldly. "Did I not just say?"
"Wearing a human skin but not doing human deeds; eating human flesh while wanting a demon's body."
"You played your part well, Sect Master. Unfortunately, I’m bored of watching."
"Since you love being a demon so much, I’ll give you a hand."
Xu Yunzi suddenly laughed. His laughter grew louder and louder until it turned into a screeching cackle like a night owl.
"This world is inherently filthy. Who is truly cleaner than anyone else? What is so bad about being a demon?"
"Since it has come to this, then so be it. It’s hot... this skin is simply too hot."
With that, Xu Yunzi suddenly reached up with both hands and grabbed the top of his head.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone present, he pulled with all his might.
Rip.
He actually tore his own human skin off, from head to toe!
Blood splattered everywhere.
The skin fell away, revealing his true form.
It was a ten-meter-tall wolf form, covered in fur as white as snow. Its muscles were knotted, its head was a nightmare of snarling fangs, and its eyes glowed with an eerie green light.
In the center of its furry chest, a large hole had been carved out, and a wolf heart throbbed within.
Surrounding that wolf heart were countless blood vessels, and at the end of those vessels were tiny human hearts hanging like parasites, still beating.
Rate on N.U.
