Chapter 114: Killing Zhou (First Season, Part One)
Chen Changsheng stood in the courtyard, gazing at the two people inside the house. He had only met Zhou Tong a few times and was not familiar with him, and he did not know the other person at all. But there were not many people who could sit and drink tea with Zhou Tong late at night, so he could roughly guess who that person was. That being the case, there was reason for him to die.
He had come to kill Zhou Tong because he himself was about to die.
Before dying, one always had to do some things, things that followed one's own heart. This could be called a final bout of madness, or it could be said to be setting off a firework before the curtain falls.
He was the successor of the National Religion, and actively or passively, he had gained many enemies and opponents. But truly, there were not many people he wanted to kill. He had no personal enemies. There were no demons in the capital. Liang Xiaoxiao had committed suicide, Zhuang Huanyu had committed suicide, so only Zhou Tong remained.
Zhe Xiu had been imprisoned in Zhou Prison for a very long time, tortured until he was a miserable sight. Back then, when Chen Changsheng saw the wounds on his body in the carriage, he had secretly made up his mind that he must kill Zhou Tong.
The people of the National Academy all knew that Zhe Xiu staying in the capital was also to do this very thing. Chen Changsheng decided to do it for him, because Zhou Tong had tortured Zhe Xiu back then precisely because of his connection to the National Academy. Besides this, there were many other reasons to kill Zhou Tong, but there was no need to list them all. In the end, it all came down to one word: wanting.
Chen Changsheng simply wanted someone like Zhou Tong to die.
In this world, countless people wanted Zhou Tong to die, and had wanted it for many years. But they only thought about it; not many dared to actually do it.
Chen Changsheng dared.
Following the plan Zhe Xiu had prepared in advance, he had hidden under a carriage, smoothly passed through several inspections, used his special constitution to fool those sinister and terrifying three-headed hounds, and avoided triggering the formations in Zhou Prison. Finally, he had successfully arrived at this small courtyard, before Zhou Tong. But could he actually kill him?
Zhou Tong's terror lay not only in his temperament and methods. Over the years, no one knew how many noble mansions he had raided, how many cultivation techniques and secret manuals he had obtained. His realm had long since entered the upper level of Gathering Stars, and there were even rumors that he had already reached the peak of Gathering Stars. His Great Red Robe spiritual secret method was sinister and terrifying to the extreme! In the years before the Saintess Empress had ascended the throne, the experts sent by the imperial clan and those righteous men and women determined to avenge the innocents who had died horribly in Zhou Prison had attempted to assassinate him countless times, yet he still lived on.
The facts of these years had long since proven that no one could kill Zhou Tong. No matter how astonishing Chen Changsheng's cultivation talent was, he was ultimately too young, his realm only at the peak of Penetrating Obscurity. Especially after his failed breakthrough on Cold Mountain, his injuries had not yet healed. What gave him the confidence to break in here and kill him?
Cheng Jun looked at the young man in the courtyard, pondering these things.
Chen Changsheng himself was also thinking about these things.
These were all mental activities, silent, not disturbing the night breeze.
While thinking about these things, Chen Changsheng's movements did not stop. He drew the Stainless Sword and reversed it onto the scabbard.
Back in Xunyang City, when facing Zhu Luo, Wang Po had done this, and he did the same.
The short sword became longer, gaining even more sharpness, like a spear in hand, facing the battlefield.
This showed that he was very cautious, and also very determined.
He looked at Zhou Tong.
He didn't even glance at the person beside Zhou Tong.
He didn't know that person was the commander of the Secret Guard, Cheng Jun, also a strong cultivator at the middle level of Gathering Stars.
This wasn't underestimating the opponent; it was ignoring him.
The person he wanted to kill was Zhou Tong. Anyone who stood in the way of his sword had to die, no matter who they were, no matter how strong.
Cheng Jun felt that killing intent. He had never imagined that on such a young face, still carrying some traces of immaturity, he could see such a calm and resolute will. Even more, he had never imagined that in this small courtyard of the Ministry of Justice, someone would dare to release such a certain killing intent towards Zhou Tong.
This killing intent was not directed at him, but he was right beside Zhou Tong, even closer to Chen Changsheng than Zhou Tong was. So his face instantly turned pale. Not from fear, but from vigilance, from the weight in his heart, and also because he took a deep breath.
He was one of the few strong cultivators at the middle level of Gathering Stars in the capital. At this moment, his true essence surged. Between breaths, the crabapple tree in the courtyard swayed wildly without any wind.
Countless night winds were all sucked into his lungs. His chest and abdomen bulged slightly, as if he were a war drum!
A sharp whistling sound, like an eagle's cry, burst from his lips! This sharp whistle instantly tore through the night sky, spreading throughout the entire Zhou Prison, and perhaps even reaching every corner of the capital!
Cheng Jun felt he shouldn't be afraid of Chen Changsheng, even if he were the future Pope. Because Chen Changsheng was too young, his realm was already incredibly high for his age, but still far inferior to his own, and the injuries in his body probably hadn't healed... But he was very afraid of death.
As the commander of the Great Zhou Dynasty's Secret Guard, he had been in cahoots with Zhou Tong all these years, carrying out the Empress's orders, or perhaps falsely using the Empress's orders. He had killed countless princes and ministers, scholars and priests, wealthy merchants and celebrities, and innocent commoners. He had seen too many dead people, and so he became increasingly afraid of death.
Moreover, he was a very clever man who knew his place. He never underestimated any opponent. Everyone said Chen Changsheng had failed to reach Gathering Stars on Cold Mountain, but he was still the future Pope, a true genius. Cheng Jun felt he couldn't be too careful with this young man. So, at the first moment, he chose to use his sharp whistle to alert the capital.
Amidst the sharp whistle, Chen Changsheng moved!
Before the sound of his footsteps could be heard, it was torn apart by the stone slabs crushed under his boot soles, then pierced by the flying gravel, leaving only a few buzzing sounds.
His figure suddenly blurred, carrying a whistling sound of breaking wind, like an arrow flashing onto the stone steps. The sword in his hand thrust straight forward.
A *swish* sound.
This sword sound was very pure, without any noise, exceptionally clean.
Because his sword thrust out so straight, without any deviation, without any variation.
In other words, this thrust of his had no technique.
Chen Changsheng's swordsmanship came from Su Li, but he had developed his own style. After the stormy battle in Xunyang City, especially after the dozens of sword battles in front of the National Academy last autumn and the battle on the Bridge of No Return against Xu Yourong, the entire continent had to admit that his talent in the way of the sword had reached an astonishing level. If not for his young age, he would even be qualified to be called a grandmaster of the sword.
But tonight, when he came to assassinate Zhou Tong, his first thrust was so simple, with no swordsmanship to speak of. It was just incredibly straight, incredibly fast, as if it had pulled a straight line between the lights of the courtyard and the house, with Zhou Tong at the end of that line.
Cheng Jun was still standing in between at this moment. Chen Changsheng's thrust was very fast, very sharp, but for a strong cultivator at the middle level of Gathering Stars like him, it was not difficult to handle. He could use his movement technique to temporarily avoid its edge and then counterattack. Of course, the simplest method was to use his own star domain to receive it head-on.
But Cheng Jun unhesitatingly chose to dodge.
Because the will behind Chen Changsheng's thrust was too strong, its edge too sharp.
The dim yellow light in the room suddenly dimmed for an instant. Cheng Jun's figure, like a wisp of black smoke, drifted to the right, dodging this thrust. His face was somewhat pale, his expression somewhat flustered.
This was exactly what Chen Changsheng wanted to see most.
He hadn't thought this thrust would kill this man. This thrust of his wasn't even meant for this man. He didn't know this man's name and wouldn't mind killing him as an afterthought, but this was his most spiritually and willfully charged thrust. Using it on this man would be a complete waste.
This thrust of his had to land on Zhou Tong.
Perhaps because the sword light was too bright, the originally dim yellow light in the room suddenly turned several shades whiter.
Facing this thrust coming straight at him, Zhou Tong's face also turned somewhat pale. Not from fear or unease, but from disdain and anger.
He was well aware that Chen Changsheng's seemingly simple thrust was actually not simple at all. Behind it lay countless variations.
Those variations were bound to be extremely exquisite and complex, containing all of Chen Changsheng's insights into the way of the sword. Even he couldn't see through them in advance.
But he was not afraid, not even worried. He remained calm, composed, and confident.
Because the gap in realm between him and Chen Changsheng was too great. No matter how inconceivable Chen Changsheng's swordsmanship cultivation was, it couldn't make up for this.
He would absolutely not compete with Chen Changsheng on the level of swordsmanship. He would absolutely not give Chen Changsheng the chance to unleash the sword momentum hidden within this straight thrust and the subsequent sword techniques. He directly chose to use his unfathomable realm to crush the opponent into a wisp of a ghost in a sea of blood.
A clear *ding* sound rang out in the room.
It was the sound of Zhou Tong's pale finger tapping against the teacup.
The porcelain teacup meeting the fingertip that had gouged out who knows how many eyes produced such a clear sound.
The tea in the cup rippled with layers of ripples.
The tea was a tribute from the south, the finest Da Hong Pao.
This tea had been steeped for too long tonight, becoming overly strong. The color of the liquid was an extremely deep red, like blood.
As the tea rippled slightly, it was as if waves rose in a sea of blood.
The light in the room suddenly turned red.
A bloody ocean appeared in the room. The table, the teapot, the teacups were all swallowed by the blood sea one by one. The pungent smell of blood, along with the churning of the blood sea, spread in all directions. Even the green leaves of the crabapple tree outside the courtyard turned red, as if they had been watered with blood for countless years.
In this bloody world, Zhou Tong's pale cheeks appeared particularly striking, exceptionally terrifying.
In an instant, his divine sense had enveloped the world for hundreds of zhang around, turning the real world into a sea of blood.
This sea of blood continuously soaked into the red official robe on his body, making the robe's color grow deeper and deeper, making one want to vomit just looking at it.
It was as if countless wronged souls were wailing for help and cursing within the blood sea.
Chen Changsheng's sword was still three feet away from Zhou Tong when these sounds entered his ears.
At the same time he heard these agonizing sounds, a powerful, terrifying aura, filled with the meaning of slaughter and pain, directly invaded his sea of consciousness!
This was Zhou Tong's most terrifying spiritual secret method, the Great Red Robe!
...
...
(Everything is already fated, everything is already decided. I never fight a battle I haven't prepared for.)