Seeing that negotiations had failed, a look of ruthlessness flashed in the assassin leader's eyes. He abruptly waved his hand. “Kill!”
At his command, dozens of black shadows lunged at Shen Jue like a pack of starving wolves.
Every strike was intended to take his life.
Atop the high platform, Yun Shu looked down at the assassins, her eyelashes lowered slightly to mask her emotions.
When facing villains, she did not hesitate to kill.
However, through her Eyes of Good and Evil, she could see that some of these assassins had not yet stained their hands with blood. Their crimes did not necessarily warrant death.
If possible...
She didn't want to use the newly drawn Guixu Sword Formation.
The power of that sword formation was immense, much like the Thunder Decree. Once activated, it was lethal, leaving no room for negotiation.
But now, she had no other choice.
The banners at the four corners of the ritual altar flapped loudly in the wind.
Shen Jue was forced to the edge of the altar by the assassins. His robes were soaked in blood, making it impossible to tell if it was his own or his enemies’.
The glint of the blades reflected in his eyes. His breathing became increasingly rapid and hot; he was clearly at the end of his rope.
A blade flashed as it swung toward his side.
His pupils constricted. He had no time to parry.
Just as the assassin's blade was about to strike him...
The Divine Lady suddenly moved.
She formed hand seals, her fingers fluttering like butterflies.
Intertwining, locking, and extending—she completed the sequence in one fluid motion.
“Guixu Sword Formation—”
A voice devoid of emotion drifted down as if from the clouds of the Ninth Heaven, clear and ethereal, echoing between heaven and earth.
“Activate.”
As those two words fell, the world suddenly changed, and a violent wind erupted.
A low hum sounded, like a giant bell being struck, or like ten thousand horses galloping.
On the ground surrounding the ritual altar, numerous silver-white light patterns suddenly appeared. They spread rapidly like vines, sketching out a massive formation that covered a radius of several hundred feet.
Within the light patterns, longswords began to manifest out of thin air.
At first, there were only a few.
In the blink of an eye, they turned into thousands upon thousands, densely suspended in mid-air. Their tips pointed downward, radiating a chilling light, appearing like a river of stars hanging overhead.
The assassins froze, looking up at the sky one after another, the brilliant sword light reflected in their eyes.
“I gave you a chance. Since you did not know how to cherish it, you cannot blame me. Go.”
The Divine Lady gently flicked her finger.
Ten thousand swords launched at once.
Thousands of blades tore through the air simultaneously, accompanied by a sharp, piercing whistle that rent everything apart. They transformed into streaks of silver-white light, weaving into a net of death that covered the sky.
Wherever the sword light passed, the black-clad assassins were silently pierced and annihilated, having no time to even scream.
Three breaths.
It took only three breaths.
All the black-clad assassins lay dead on the ground.
Immediately after.
The sword light in the sky receded like a tide, vanishing into the void before the Divine Lady.
The ground below the ritual altar was clean, with no traces of blood. There were only the lifeless bodies of the assassins.
The entire area fell into a deathly silence.
【Shen Jue's Shock Value +100】
【Shen Yu's Shock Value +100】
【Su Aheng's Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 85,500】
The commoners prostrated themselves on the ground, their bodies trembling and their lips quivering, unable to make a sound.
To the side and behind the ritual altar, Zhao Qian slumped on the ground, his legs as weak as noodles, his eyes wide and round.
Daoist Master Xuan He beside him was in an even more pathetic state. His face was as pale as paper, and he was shaking like a leaf.
On the other side.
Shen Jue was helped up by Shen Yu. He looked up at the figure on the high platform. In his gaze, besides shock, there was a trace of something indescribable.
This was the second time the Divine Lady had stepped in to save him.
For a moment, he actually entertained a delusion—that in the eyes of the Divine Lady, he was special.
Shen Yu was equally shocked.
This wasn't the first time he had seen the Divine Lady display her divine powers.
Furthermore, he had been mentally prepared, yet facing that terrifying sword formation directly, his heart still couldn't settle for a long time.
The wrath of a deity...
It was simply not something mortals could withstand.
The Shock Value on the light screen continued to soar.
However, this time, Yun Shu didn't feel the usual joy of gathering Shock Value.
Even though she told herself in her heart...
That killing these assassins was to save more people, she still couldn't fully convince herself.
Today, she could choose to sacrifice these assassins.
Tomorrow, would she be able to sacrifice ordinary people?
She suddenly began to feel afraid—afraid that one day in the future, she would completely disregard life and human rights. She feared even more that the story of the dragon slayer eventually becoming the dragon would happen to her.
Yun Shu stood there, unresponsive for a long time.
The system sensed that something was wrong.
Thus, using a voice only Yun Shu could hear, it quietly asked, “Host, what's wrong?”
“Don't you still need to use both kindness and authority to win over the people, so the citizens of Xindu City will beg you to stay?”
The system's voice rang in her ear, pulling Yun Shu back from her chaotic thoughts.
She then gave the system a reassuring look.
Indicating that she was fine.
Only then did the system obediently settle back down.
Just then, two believers marched Zhao Qian and Daoist Master Xuan He toward Yun Shu.
“Divine Lady, these two were acting suspiciously just now, as if they wanted to sneak out of the city while no one was looking!”
Daoist Master Xuan He and Zhao Qian were forced to their knees, looking at the woman before them in utter terror.
“Di... Divine Lady, have mercy!”
Zhao Qian crawled forward a few steps, his forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud. “This lowly official failed to recognize your greatness. I deserve to die! I deserve to die!”
“I beg the Divine Lady for mercy! I beg the Divine Lady for mercy!”
Daoist Master Xuan He also lay prostrate on the ground. “Fellow... Fellow Daoist, I was also deluded by Zhao Qian. It was a momentary lapse of judgment!”
“You are a practitioner of the Dao; you should know about karma and that one must not create unnecessary slaughter. If you kill me today, it will surely damage your Dao Heart, which will bring a hundred harms and not a single benefit to your pursuit of the Great Dao!”
He looked up, squeezing out a few tears, trying to find a hint of hesitation on Yun Shu’s expressionless face.
“Fellow Daoist, why don't we both take a step back? We can sit here and discuss the Dao peacefully to resolve this grievance. That is the true path.”
Yun Shu finally spared him a glance.
That look was indifferent, as if she were looking at a fallen leaf, a speck of dust, or something not worth remembering.
“You are not worthy to hear of my Great Dao,” she spoke, her voice as clear and cold as an icy spring hitting stone.
Daoist Master Xuan He hadn't expected Yun Shu to be so arrogant.
“You...”
“Zhang Zhi.”
Yun Shu directly called out Daoist Master Xuan He’s real name. “For years, you have used the identity of Daoist Master Xuan He to travel around swindling people, inducing commoners to use living humans for sacrifices.”
“You have taken three vibrant lives.”
Under the Eyes of Good and Evil, all sins had nowhere to hide.
“Zhao Qian, as a local official, you have neglected your duties while in office, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the people.”
“To amass wealth, you embezzled disaster relief grain, causing refugees to be displaced, starve to death, and have their corpses left in the wilderness.”
“What's more—”
“You also accepted bribes, perverted justice in court, and showed utter disregard for human life, creating countless cases of wrongful imprisonment and false accusations.”
Rate on N.U.
