Ever since his son died from practicing a toxic Cultivation Technique, Tang Dingbo had developed a bone-deep hatred for it. He loathed it, yet he could not bring himself to destroy it. Instead, he beca obsessed with conquering it personally. He felt he had to master it, no matter the cost.
Now, he had succeeded. A tumultuous mix of grief and joy washed over him, leaving him deeply emotional.
"This Cultivation Technique is truly powerful! As long as I continue to practice thodically, breaking through to Grandmaster is just around the corner!" he exclaid, his spirit soaring. "With this, I will lead the Tang Sect back to the pinnacle of power and beco a world-class super-faction!"
Tang Dingbo leaped down from the cliff, gliding all the way to the Tang Sect headquarters.
CLACK!
With the sound of grinding chanisms, a man-made passageway slowly revealed itself, leading directly into the heart of the mountain.
"Congratulations, Sect Leader!"
The Tang Sect mbers who had remained behind all ca out to greet him, their faces filled with surprise and delight. They hadn't actually expected the stubborn Tang Dingbo to succeed in mastering the forbidden toxic technique. It was nothing short of a miracle.
"Sect Leader, a letter for you!"
"Oh? Is it from my daughter-in-law?" Tang Dingbo asked as he took it.
He opened it, and his eyes instantly lit up. "Good, good, good! The mont I achieve my breakthrough, a divine sword capable of slicing through iron like mud appears in Jiangbei. This must be my destiny! I must have that sword!"
"Jiangbei?" soone muttered, their expression shifting.
"What is it?" Tang Dingbo's sharp gaze swept over to the man.
The man hurriedly reported that the Vice Sect Leader, Tang Dingwu, had suddenly departed for Jiangbei.
"Oh?" Tang Dingbo's eyes flickered.
Despite being cousins and appearing harmonious on the surface, they were secretly wary of each other, and rifts had long ford between them. He suspected that his cousin intended to get the jump on him, seizing the divine sword first to use it as leverage against him.
"Apparently, a young man nad Lin Tang set his sights on your daughter-in-law's company, intending to take it by force," the clan mber continued. "When Shaojie and Ruqing found out, they went to help her but were severely wounded by this Lin Tang. Upon hearing the news, the Vice Sect Leader left imdiately to seek revenge!"
"So that's how it is."
Tang Dingbo looked down at the letter, which clearly stated that the divine sword was now in Lin Tang's hands. It was absolutely certain. Tang Dingwu had gone for the sword. The story about his injured children? It was most likely just an excuse.
Tang Dingbo snorted coldly, his face twisting with murderous intent. "This Lin Tang has so nerve, daring to injure my own nephew and niece! Has the Tang Sect been inactive for so long that we've lost our prestige? Does any Tom, Dick, or Harry now feel they can challenge us? As the Sect Leader of the Tang Sect, I will not stand for this!"
Now that he had made his stance clear, how could anyone present remain idle?
Although… they felt it was unnecessary to make such a fuss over a re junior. Couldn't the Vice Sect Leader handle him alone?
"Those who offend our Tang Sect must die!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" the crowd roared, their collective voice shaking the heavens.
"Not only must we kill him, but everyone associated with him must also die!"
"Better yet, round them all up, bring them back here, and chop them into fertilizer for our poisonous herbs!"
"Where is the Tang Guard? Assemble at once! You will depart with !"
They rubbed their hands together, eager for a massacre.
"Heh heh heh…"
Suddenly, a discordant laugh echoed from within the crowd.
"Huh?"
"What's so funny?"
"Hey, who are you? I don't recognize you," soone said, pointing at a young man in surprise.
Everyone else turned to look.
"?" The young man grinned as he slowly drew his sword. "I'm Lin Tang. Weren't you all looking to kill ? Well, here I am."
"…What? You're Lin Tang?!"
"How did you find our location? And how could you have possibly infiltrated so silently? You…"
"Look out! Get back!" soone shrieked, their face paling as they yanked their companion back.
But it was too late. A dazzling white light flashed, and the image of the sword blood like a peacock spreading its tail. In an instant, several people were sliced into pieces, and more were already falling to the ground.
"Use poison! Quick!"
"Deploy the poison array!"
"AAAHHH! That bastard! Kill him! Kill him!"
PSSH! PSSH! PSSH!
They all sprayed clouds of poison mist, filling the chamber with a rank, pungent odor. They were, of course, immune to their own poisons. Seeing Lin Tang completely enveloped by the toxic fog, they sneered viciously. He was dead for sure this ti. Although his sword was shockingly powerful and had killed many of their clansn, he had been foolish enough to reveal himself inside their headquarters. Out in the open, he might have had a slim chance of escape. But in this small, enclosed space, where could he possibly run?
Unfortunately for them, they were destined to be disappointed.
Lin Tang stood proudly amidst the mist, casually fanning the air in front of his nose. "What a stink," he remarked. "Disgusting."
Then, full of vigor, he began swinging and cutting once more, carving through the n as if they were lons. In the blink of an eye, another group was dead.
"You!" The remaining clansn, their eyes bulging with rage, reached for their hidden weapons. They planned to unleash a volley of ten thousand needles, certain he couldn't possibly dodge them all.
But as they prepared to act, they saw the color of the poison mist shift. Suddenly, they, who were supposed to be immune, felt their bodies go numb and their movents slow. Lin Tang harvested another wave of them.
"Why did our poison change into sothing else? Who did this? It couldn't be him, could it?"
"Is his mastery of poison arts even greater than ours?!"
"Is he even human? This is terrifying…"
"How dare you!" Tang Dingbo roared, so enraged he no longer cared about friendly fire. He blasted out with both fists, unleashing a torrential wave of power. The attack sent the n in front of him flying as it hurtled precisely toward Lin Tang.
Lin Tang didn't even bother to dodge. He t the attack head-on, his sword swinging with irresistible force and cleaving Tang Dingbo's venomous energy in two.
WHOOSH!
He lunged forward again, stabbing directly at Tang Dingbo's throat. Terrified, Tang Dingbo retreated with all his might, but as he fell back, Lin Tang pressed forward. Seeing no escape, Tang Dingbo, in a fit of humiliation and fear, grabbed several nearby clansn and threw them in front of him as human shields.
"Sect Leader, you—"
"No!"
The clansn roared in disbelief, dying with their eyes wide open in betrayal.
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" Tang Dingbo fled like a stray dog, scrambling deeper into the mountain's core. He couldn't fathom it. After all his hard work mastering the toxic technique, which was several tis stronger than before, it had absolutely no effect on Lin Tang. Worse, Lin Tang's sword was simply too sharp, indestructible, and unstoppable. Unard, he had been utterly powerless to fight back. The humiliation was suffocating.
Seeing Lin Tang cut down a few more of his n before resuming the chase, Tang Dingbo frantically slamd a button on the stone wall, activating a chanism. In the next mont, a storm of poisoned needles and arrows shot toward Lin Tang from all directions.
Lin Tang rely twirled his sword, creating a shimring barrier of light that enveloped his entire body. It was a perfect, impenetrable defense. No matter the weapon, every poisoned needle and arrow was shredded to dust, unable to harm him in the slightest.
"What kind of Swordsmanship is this?! How can it be so powerful?!"
Tang Dingbo was truly in despair. Just as it seed he was about to be beheaded, he threw all dignity aside.
THUD!
He dropped to his knees. "I surrender! Don't kill ! I am willing to acknowledge you as my master and beco your slave! I'll even give you the entire Tang Sect! Please, just spare my life!"
Lin Tang's sword tip stopped just milliters from his throat. He scoffed, "You, a spineless wretch, call yourself a martial arts master?"
"Yes, yes, I'm not worthy of the title! I'm just a spineless wretch, a worthless coward," Tang Dingbo stamred, nodding repeatedly with a pathetic expression.
"Take to the Tang Sect's treasury. Don't tell you don't have one."
"We do, we do! This way, please!"
After deactivating no fewer than ten chanisms, Tang Dingbo led Lin Tang to a secret chamber walled with thick tal. Upon entering, Lin Tang was montarily blinded by a mountain of gold. He then spotted another neatly arranged pile of cash. Moving past these, he saw rows of various bottles and jars. It took no imagination to know they were all filled with poison. Next to them were displays of various raw poisonous herbs.
Lin Tang had previously acquired the Seven-Star Begonia, which could be used to refine the Seven Emotions Pill to enhance one's power. Here, he found five of the other poisonous herbs required for the pill.
"Excellent!" Lin Tang declared, unceremoniously sweeping them into his possession first. He then rummaged through the rest of the dicinal ingredients.
"Haha, isn't this the Wood Spirit Fruit? Just what I needed!"
With that, he had found another ingredient for the Five Spirits Pill. He didn't pass up any other appealing Centennial Elixirs either, packing up everything that caught his eye. Finally, amidst a pile of ores, he made a surprising discovery: a spiritual material used for forging flying swords—Copper Essence.
A wide smile spread across Lin Tang's face as he carefully stored it away.
Watching him plunder the treasury like a common bandit, Tang Dingbo felt as if his heart were bleeding drop by drop. But compared to his life, these material possessions were insignificant. Just as he was trying to console himself, the cold edge of Lin Tang's sword was once again on his neck.
"Why don't I see the Millennial Tuber Glossy Ganoderma? Where did you hide it?"
"How did you know I have that here?" Tang Dingbo asked, astonished.
Then, it dawned on him.
There's a traitor in the Tang Sect! Is it Tang Shaojie and his sister? Or is it Zhu Yingning? The fact that he knows the location of our Tang Sect headquarters must also be the traitor's doing. All traitors must die!
A murderous glint flashed in Tang Dingbo's eyes.
"I'm asking the questions here, not you. Hand it over now!" Lin Tang barked.
"Yes…" Tang Dingbo replied ekly, turning to lead the way.
After opening a few more doors, he suddenly triggered a hidden chanism.
WHOOSH!
A powerful spring launched him sideways at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he shot into an opening that had looked like a solid wall but was in fact a hidden passage. By the ti Lin Tang reached it, the opening had rotated, becoming a solid wall once more.
"Hahaha, Lin Tang! I outsmarted you in the end! You fell right into my trap! You thought you were so powerful? Now you can stay here and rot forever!" Tang Dingbo's voice, no longer weak, bood with manic laughter.
The laughter grew more distant, fainter, and then vanished completely.
Lin Tang looked around. All the passages were now sealed. The chanism buttons Tang Dingbo had pressed no longer worked. More terrifyingly, the stone walls on either side began to rumble and slowly close in, threatening to crush him into a at patty.
But the most horrifying thing of all was that the first thing Tang Dingbo did after escaping was to activate the base's main self-destruct sequence, intending to bury Lin Tang alive deep within the mountain.
Lin Tang stood in the dark, silent.
It seed this was the end.
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