Chapter Sixty-Seven: Burying the Void, Nine Thousand Strikes

Thousands of golden insects swirled and danced, forming a golden storm that swept slowly yet sharply across the grasslands. Leng Tian's steps were unhurried, strolling leisurely through the boundless sea of green. Whenever he spotted a beast, he would instantly shift his position, leading the Devourer Worm Hive into a frenzied assault.

Whenever a beast was besieged by the hive, Leng Tian would slip into Purgatory, leaving Judas outside to seize the demon core. The reason for this arrangement was entirely Judas’s fault. Whenever he watched the Devourer Worms devour beasts en masse, he was driven to madness, and seeing Leng Tian remain composed and indifferent only fueled his fury. Yet he dared not voice his anger, and after much deliberation, hatched a scheme. If Leng Tian truly didn't care, then he would make him jealous. Every time the swarm consumed a beast, Judas would feign regret and lament, “Such a waste, such a pity for the demon core—an invaluable treasure for warriors and spirit beasts to enhance their cultivation!”

The first time, Leng Tian paid no mind, thinking Judas had misheard. But after two or three times, it started to sting. Judas, addicted to the act, seeing Leng Tian unmoved, purposely leaned close and repeated his lament again and again.

The consequence was that Judas suffered greatly. Leng Tian had seen through Judas’s intentions from the start and responded with deliberate indifference, hoping to irritate him. Leng Tian harbored a lasting grudge against Judas’s appearance, for he despised those licentious, thieving types, and Judas had crafted a visage that disgusted him. If not for Judas’s considerable abilities, Leng Tian would have abandoned him in Purgatory to face the torment of thunder punishment.

Though their lives were shared, unless Judas was killed outright, the bond would not take effect. Hearing Judas constantly extol the virtues of demon cores, Leng Tian finally set aside his annoyance. Since they were so valuable, they should not go to waste.

In the end, Judas was entrusted with the task of plundering demon cores, while Leng Tian retreated into Purgatory, leaving Judas to his bittersweet toil.

Judas deeply regretted his actions—if he had intestines, they would surely be twisted with remorse. Whenever a beast appeared, Leng Tian would flash over, unleashing the swarm, then instruct Judas and laugh as he slipped into Purgatory.

Judas had no choice but to grit his teeth and press on. Though he was not afraid of the Devourer Worms, he gained nothing from this ordeal, which was not his usual style. As the saying goes, even a mighty tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves.

Now Judas was that tiger beset by wolves. Each attempt to seize a demon core saw him besieged by the swarm, forcing him to fight back. Otherwise, even his formless body could not escape being devoured.

Though he could not avoid being eaten, he could retaliate in kind. If they bit him a hundred times, he would consume one of them. Time was short, and the enemy numbered thousands to his one, so he took advantage of every fleeting moment, snatching what he could. Despite the pain and pleasure, Judas’s formless body suffered the bites of a thousand insects, but it did him little harm; consuming one in return quickly restored his losses and even increased his energy.

Reluctant as he was, Judas could not resist the opportunity for benefit. Whenever he obtained a demon core, Leng Tian would sense it, emerge from Purgatory, and have Judas dissolve once more into nothingness, continuing their sweep across the land with the swarm.

In the void, a pair of sharp eyes watched Leng Tian and the swarm as they departed, a cold voice murmuring, “Dragon Warrior, your life belongs to the Shadow Night!”

“But your life belongs to me.”

Shadow Night was startled, his hidden form swiftly turning. Hearing this voice, his eyes flashed with not only chill but also a hint of fear.

“Who are you? Why do you oppose me at every turn?” The tension in his heart made his sword hand tremble ever so slightly.

“Haha…” The voice laughed, calm and clear. “Naturally, because I mean to take your life.”

Hearing this, Shadow Night snorted coldly, disdainful. “There are countless who wish to kill the Shadow Night, but none have ever succeeded. Do you know why?”

“Was it because they were killed by you, or did they choke to death on their own food?” came a mocking reply.

“You court death…”

A pitch-black longsword swept instantly across the void where the voice had sounded, leaving a barely perceptible black line in its wake.

“No wonder you’re the Blood Devourer Alliance’s top assassin, second only to Death itself. Quite the temper, though your skill is lacking.” The voice emanated from the same void, unscathed by Shadow Night’s strike.

“Shifting Shadows!” Shadow Night’s eyes gleamed, his slender, black sword trembling as dozens of illusory sword shadows exploded forth, only to vanish in the span of a breath.

At the source of the voice, dozens of spatial fissures appeared, the terrifying speed of his sword leaving afterimages. In truth, these were not mere afterimages, but the result of three consecutive attacks in the blink of an eye, each leaving its mark.

“Impressive swordsmanship, commendable speed, but it’s not enough. If you wish to force me out, you’ll have to try harder.”

A low hum resounded, as the sword’s dull cry seemed to halt the space within a hundred meters. The pitch-black blade swept through the air along an unfathomable trajectory—an ordinary stroke, yet brimming with mysterious change.

Shadow Night revealed himself, his entire form dancing like a black butterfly. His sword traced myriad paths, disturbing the calm of space like ripples upon a tranquil lake.

Within a hundred meters of the void, Shadow Night’s dreamlike figure dominated, sword shadows weaving intricate patterns. In the blink of an eye, two hundred ninety-one strokes were executed, then he paused and darted out of the area, standing in the void with sword in hand, its tip pointing down, lightly piercing the air.

The sword tip sank into the void as if into something tangible, sending ripples outward. At that moment, the void beneath Shadow Night’s feet resembled the surface of water, and he floated above with sword in hand.

His eyes flashed with disdain and mockery as he parted his lips and uttered softly, “Lotus of the Demon Burial, bloom…”

With those words, the hundred-meter space twisted, strange and irregular black patterns sketching a painting across the void.

At last, a lotus formed of spatial fissures bloomed in the air, a hundred meters in diameter. The black patterns shaped a lifelike flower, its central seed intricately carved and almost real.

“You need not show yourself, for I will send you to meet Death!” Shadow Night’s lips curled into a cold and cruel smile.

“The ultimate bloom is the final destruction. In the name of the demon, I send you to the grave…”

The immense lotus instantly withered and decayed. Its brief, exquisite bloom faded into oblivion. With each petal’s fall, space collapsed; as the next petal withered, the previous gap closed, and so on until the entire hundred-meter space was destroyed.

A white figure emerged from the heart of the lotus, flying out. A jade mask concealed his face, but his youthful voice betrayed his age.

“It seems the rumors are true. You possess the ancient, earth-shattering technique, ‘Nine Thousand Slashes of Void Burial!’”

“Who are you? How do you know I wield the Nine Thousand Slashes of Void Burial?” The mysterious figure’s ability to escape Shadow Night’s fatal blow unscathed had already shocked him, but to name the secret art that was unknown to outsiders was even more astonishing. Shadow Night resolved, no matter the cost, to capture this man.

“Are you surprised?” The mysterious man’s eyes brimmed with smug satisfaction as he spoke slowly and deliberately. “The reason is simple: I also possess the Nine Thousand Slashes of Void Burial!”

The words thundered in Shadow Night’s ears, leaving him speechless, his lips moving silently.

“I suppose you’ve guessed it. I am one of the Gate of Heaven! I have come for you, to eliminate you!” The mysterious man’s tone shifted, becoming chilling and murderous.

Hearing the words “Gate of Heaven,” Shadow Night trembled, recalling a secret event involving the Blood Devourer Alliance’s leader.

The Blood Devourer Alliance, an assassin organization, had been despised by martial artists since its founding. Its leader’s origins were shrouded in mystery, his cultivation profound, the number of strong men slain by him countless. Cold-blooded and ruthless, he cared nothing for courtesy, always placing profit above all.

Yet no one knew that this infamous leader came from a hidden, ancient superpower—the Gate of Heaven.

He himself was not a member of the Gate of Heaven, but had stumbled upon the organization by chance. He entered the Gate of Heaven, but his position was precarious.

He gained entry by inadvertently saving the granddaughter of an elder of the Gate of Heaven, who had been gravely injured. After nursing her back to health, they spent time together, and he grew deeply enamored of her.

Moved by his care, the woman came to reciprocate his feelings. Eventually, she fell in love with him and revealed her origins. Having become husband and wife, she decided to take him home to meet her family.

At that time, the Blood Devourer leader was but a Sky-ranked martial artist, his cultivation inherited from an obscure master. Upon learning of her powerful heritage, he resolved to join the Gate of Heaven, for only then could he fulfill his ambitions.

She brought him home to the Gate of Heaven, but upon explaining their union to her elders, her parents were furious and refused to accept their marriage.

The end.

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Martial Arts Edge 67—Chapter Sixty-Seven: Nine Thousand Slashes of Void Burial, update complete!