53. The Day the Blond Lost His Composure

"The Mountain-Guarding Sword Formation... has been breached?"

In the conference room, Master Jade Talisman’s expression was grim. The elders’ faces were equally dark, and silence hung heavily in the air. According to the footage from the frontlines, it wasn’t the Midnight Headsman alone who broke the formation, but rather dozens of Confucian Sect tanks that blasted it apart by sheer force.

“Those bastards! Are the Confucians really joining forces with that murderer against us?” one elder cursed furiously.

“No, we’ve just received word—the Confucian Sect seems to have...” Another elder paused, his voice lowering, “It seems they’ve been wiped out. Only their master escaped in advance; the others’ fates are unknown.”

“So the Midnight Headsman has accomplices, and they’re experts in machinery?” Another master turned pale.

As the elders below exchanged anxious words, Master Jade Talisman’s expression only worsened.

“Silence!” Master Jade Talisman slammed the table, shouting, “Compose yourselves! What sort of panic is this?”

Though he spoke sternly, his own face was ashen. After barely restoring order, he cleared his throat and asked, “Now that the Midnight Headsman has come to our gates, who among you dares to lead disciples into battle?”

The elders glanced at each other, none daring to respond.

Just then, a youth with yellow hair, who had been silently seated in the corner, suddenly stood up.

“What is it, Young Master Xu?” an elder asked in puzzlement.

“I’ll face him,” Xu Qing replied, eyes firm with resolve.

“No, absolutely not!” Master Jade Talisman was startled, rushing to block him. “If anything happens to you, how will I answer to your father?”

Jade Talisman Qiu Xue hurriedly grabbed Xu Qing’s arm, pleading, “Brother Xu Qing, you’re not one of our sect—you don’t have to risk your life for this!”

“No, I just want to confirm a suspicion.” Xu Qing shook off her hand, his voice solemn.

“A suspicion?” Qiu Xue asked, bewildered.

“A few days ago, I was tasked with investigating the Midnight Headsman’s identity, and I became convinced he was within our sect,” Xu Qing said, walking slowly toward the door. “But just as I was about to uncover the truth, you lifted the sect’s lockdown, and all my efforts were wasted.”

At this accusatory statement, Master Jade Talisman’s anger flared, but he could only reply in a measured tone, “But we had no evidence the Midnight Headsman was in our sect. If you’d produced convincing proof at the time, why would we not have listened to you, Young Master?”

“Proof?” Xu Qing snorted coldly. “My intuition tells me the Midnight Headsman is here. That’s enough for me.”

Xu Qing’s confidence was not mere boasting; with a five-point inspiration rating, his intuition was indeed sharper than most.

But to the others, his words sounded like flimsy excuses.

“Young Master Xu, please return. Leave the rest to us,” Master Jade Talisman growled, barely restraining his temper as his hair bristled with anger.

Before he could finish, Xu Qing pushed open the conference room doors and, with a cold smile, snapped his fingers.

A set of high-tech mechanical armor descended from above, blue flames roaring from the iron boots.

Stepping forward, Xu Qing entered the suit, his limbs perfectly aligning with its form.

“This is a custom-made combat suit, forged from starship-grade materials. Not even the Midnight Headsman could break it easily.”

As Qiu Xue rushed toward him, Xu Qing sneered, “I want to see with my own eyes who the Midnight Headsman truly is.”

...

The Midnight Headsman carved a bloody path up the mountain, leaving rivers of blood and corpses in his wake.

“This is as far as you go!” Just as he was about to reach the sect headquarters, a yellow-haired youth descended from the sky, blocking his way.

Xu Qing stood before him, clad in metallic armor that hugged his form, the helmet aglow with a cyan light. In one hand he wielded a nuclear-powered broadsword; in the other, a beautifully crafted energy pistol.

“You... are...” The Midnight Headsman halted, eyeing him intently.

Xu Qing wasted no words. He raised his pistol and fired three shots.

Three swirling bolts of energy erupted from the barrel, hurtling toward the Headsman’s forehead at supersonic speed.

Unhurried, the Headsman tore off his own head, dodging the energy blasts, then reattached it to his neck.

“Madman.” Xu Qing snorted, brandishing his sword and charging forward.

Clang!

Their blades clashed, metal screeching in the air. Against the Headsman’s ordinary iron sword, Xu Qing’s nuclear blade held overwhelming advantage. At the first strike, cracks appeared on the Headsman’s weapon, forcing him to twist his wrist and redirect the blow.

“With that scrap metal, you think you can beat me?” Xu Qing sneered, his chin held high. “Don’t underestimate me.”

Though the Headsman’s abilities were monstrous, Xu Qing had reached the pinnacle of human capability, hardly his inferior. More importantly, their weapons were worlds apart.

“Again!” Xu Qing raised his broadsword, nuclear thrusters boosting his swing as he aimed for the Headsman’s skull.

One exchange was enough for Xu Qing to seize the advantage. The Headsman’s weapon, mere junk compared to Xu Qing’s high-tech gear, could not withstand a direct clash. As long as Xu Qing pressed his attack, his foe would be forced onto the defensive.

Indeed, the Headsman no longer tried to parry, instead stepping aside to avoid the blow.

But Xu Qing pressed a button on his hilt. The sword’s reactor spun faster, the blade falling with blinding speed.

With a hiss, the Headsman failed to dodge. The blade sliced through his metal mask as if it were butter.

Black blood spurted from the Headsman’s face as half his head, mask and all, was cut away.

At the same moment, he kicked Xu Qing in the abdomen, forcing him back a few paces.

Soon, new flesh sprouted from the stump of the Headsman’s neck, rapidly regenerating the lost half of his skull.

At last, everyone beheld the true face of the Midnight Headsman—the ghost that haunted the Kunlun District, the demon who had shaken so many souls.

“As I suspected!” Xu Qing’s gaze grew dazed as he bit out the words through clenched teeth.

“Yes, you’re clever. You nearly uncovered me.” The Midnight Headsman—no, Agni—blinked, his face expressionless.

“So you are the Chou family’s young master?” Xu Qing forced down his frustration and demanded loudly, “You don’t look like the portrait from ten years ago—did you change your face?”

For an immortal, altering one’s appearance was not difficult. Police records were full of such cases: immortals would mutilate their own faces and suppress their regenerative abilities to prevent their features from returning.

“This is our first meeting. My surname is Chou, given name Jianlai, from Gusu Town in the Kunlun District.” Agni introduced himself calmly. “I have come to avenge the massacre of my clan ten years ago.”

Inside the sect, disciples monitoring the battle through surveillance feeds were thrown into chaos. “Isn’t that Brother Agni? Why is it him?”

Known as the sect’s good-natured soul, Agni was well-liked, renowned for his cooking and his friendships. His unmasking as the Midnight Headsman left the disciples stunned and bewildered, rooted to the spot.

The elders, initially confused, were also struck dumb by the disciples’ outcries.

“So... Young Master Xu’s suspicion was correct...” Master Jade Talisman’s face was bleak, his fingers clutching the table as if to crush it. “The Midnight Headsman... is actually one of our outer disciples?”

“Damn it! If the other sects find out, they’ll demand astronomical compensation!” one elder banged the table, wracked with anxiety.

“Now’s not the time to worry about fines!” another reminded them. “The Midnight Headsman is upon us! What should we do?”

An elder thought for a moment and suggested, “Let the outer disciples hold him off, and have the elite disciples and us retreat. We have to survive—Confucian Sect’s Mount Fuzi was blown up, and if we fight to the death, we’ll only die as well!”

The other elders murmured their agreement.

“No! We cannot retreat!” Master Jade Talisman bellowed, voice full of righteous energy. “How can Daoist cultivators abandon our mountain? If the world sees us in such disgrace, what honor would remain?”

“If you’re so noble, you shouldn’t have led us to plunder the engine from Gusu Town!” an elder retorted angrily.

“You told us to slaughter the Chou clan ten years ago, and now you want us to die defending the mountain. Playing both hero and villain, are you?” another snapped.

“You—!” Master Jade Talisman was left speechless, finally shouting, “Are you all rebelling?”

While the elders bickered, Qiu Xue, standing by, suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs, “Enough! All of you, be quiet!”

Startled by the voice that nearly pierced their eardrums, everyone turned to look at her.

“You old cowards hide here arguing while my brother Xu, an outsider, risks his life against the murderer. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Tears welled in her eyes, her brow furrowed with worry and frustration. With that, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her without a backward glance.

“Granddaughter, where are you going?” Master Jade Talisman chased after her, only to see her riding her flying sword down the mountainside.

The elders followed, only to find Master Jade Talisman glaring murderously in the direction she’d gone, saying nothing.

Moments later, veins bulging on his forehead, Master Jade Talisman roared at the sky, “Damn it all! All of you, go! Whoever brings me the head of that Chou wretch, I will make him an elder!”