Chapter 55: Killing to Save Lives

Although Xu Yang wasn't someone who concerned himself with the affairs of the world, he wasn't indifferent to the suffering of others. If he could save a few lives, he'd naturally prefer to prevent further bloodshed.

"Little friend, what exactly is going on?" At that moment, Zhang Tianjun's voice came from behind Xu Yang.

Xu Yang turned around, a smile suddenly appearing on his face. He said, "Sir, there's something I want from you. I think you have it. If you're willing to give it to me, I might consider explaining the situation to you in detail."

Seeing Xu Yang's sly smile, Zhang Tianjun's heart tightened. Instinctively, he asked, "What is it that you want?"

Xu Yang replied, "Your subordinates recently used a spirit ship. As expected of the Spirit Treasure Auction House, your wealth is truly impressive. You must have more of those, right? Could I buy one from you?"

Xu Yang looked at Zhang Tianjun with hopeful eyes. Ever since he saw that spirit ship earlier, he had set his sights on it.

Because of his Qi Refining stage cultivation, Xu Yang couldn't fly. Every time he traveled, it felt like he'd run his legs off.

Hearing Xu Yang's request, Zhang Tianjun chuckled bitterly and said, "Sir, you misunderstand. Our Lingbao Auction House only has one spirit ship, which I lent to Zhao Tianyu."

Xu Yang suddenly understood. He had thought the auction house was wealthy enough to distribute spirit ships to their subordinates.

But...

Since there weren't any other spirit ships, Xu Yang set his sights on the one he had just seen.

"Alright, since you don't have any others, I won't push you. Just give me your only one," Xu Yang said casually.

Zhang Tianjun's face twitched with a bitter smile. He replied, "That spirit ship isn't mine. It was issued by higher-ups. I have no authority to give it away... Besides, your request is a bit unreasonable."

Zhang Tianjun's face convulsed as he spoke. If it weren't for his apprehension about Xu Yang's unfathomable strength, he would've already punched him.

"Unreasonable?" Xu Yang sneered coldly. Suddenly, he raised his fist and swung it down.

The lightning-fast strike hit Zhang Tianjun before he could react, sending him flying like a cannonball.

But before Zhang Tianjun could even land, Xu Yang moved even faster, grabbing him mid-air and slamming him into the ground.

Boom!

The ground cracked like a spiderweb, with a deep trench stretching dozens of meters.

"Now, do you still think it's unreasonable?" Xu Yang pressed Zhang Tianjun against the ground, his expression indifferent.

"Not unreasonable!" Although the scene was utterly devastating, Zhang Tianjun, being a Nascent Soul fifth-level cultivator, didn't suffer any fatal injuries—just a feeling like all his bones were about to break.

But Xu Yang's display of power had completely intimidated Zhang Tianjun.

He knew that if Xu Yang wanted to kill him, it would take but a moment.

"Good. Now, retrieve that spirit ship for me and hand it over," Xu Yang said calmly.

…

Zhao Tianyu, feeling proud of his quick thinking and decision to leave the area of conflict with the spirit ship, suddenly received Zhang Tianjun's order to return as fast as possible.

Although Zhao Tianyu was highly reluctant, the thought of the consequences of disobeying made him comply without hesitation.

Very soon, Xu Yang saw the spirit ship.

When Zhao Tianyu disembarked from the ship, Xu Yang greeted him with a faint smile.

"This spirit ship is mine now," Xu Yang said, smiling.

Zhao Tianyu froze for a moment, glancing at Zhang Tianjun.

What he saw was a disheveled Zhang Tianjun, looking like a battered old man.

"President... this..." Zhao Tianyu didn't need much imagination to figure out what had transpired.

"Let him have it... we... sigh," Zhang Tianjun said with a shake of his head.

Since Zhang Tianjun had given his approval, Zhao Tianyu naturally didn't argue. He could only watch helplessly as Xu Yang boarded the spirit ship, tinkered with it for a moment, and then took off, leaving behind only a streak in the air.

Xu Yang's next destination was the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. He had no special reason for choosing it—only that the sect's people had been to the sealed grounds of the Tianyang Sect, and it was the nearest location to him.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was located at the center of the Great Wilderness Forest in Tianwu County, on a solitary peak piercing into the clouds.

The peak, shaped like a treasured sword, matched the sect's focus on sword cultivation.

As Xu Yang descended near the sect's gates with his spirit ship, he was already being watched.

The moment he stepped off the spirit ship, two individuals approached him with smiles.

"We are Xu Qingyin and Xu Qingying of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. We've come to welcome our esteemed guest."

The two wore long robes of black, white, and blue, with swords strapped to their backs.

Although the swords appeared simple, resembling mundane weapons, faint blue lightning occasionally flickered across their surfaces, proving they were anything but ordinary.

The two men had deep wrinkles on their faces and snow-white hair, yet their energy was vibrant, showing no signs of the frailty typically associated with old age.

As the saying goes, "You don't strike a smiling face." Seeing their courteous demeanor, Xu Yang returned the smile.

"This friend from the Lingbao Auction House, what brings you here?" Xu Qingying asked with a smile, assuming Xu Yang was one of the auction house's members because of the spirit ship.

"I'm not from the Lingbao Auction House. I've come here to ask about the whereabouts of the mad flood dragon."

Xu Yang got straight to the point, not bothering with small talk.

"The mad flood dragon?" The two exchanged glances, clearly surprised that Xu Yang had come to them for this reason.

"This way, friend. Let's talk inside," Xu Qingying said.

As they sized up Xu Yang's cultivation, they were astonished to find that he was merely at the Qi Refining stage.

Xu Qingying shook his head. Only a fool would believe Xu Yang was truly at such a low level—he must be concealing his true power.

Upon entering the inner grounds of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, Xu Yang was immediately struck by a stench of blood, far stronger than that of a slaughterhouse.

"Why is the smell of blood so strong here?" Xu Yang asked, frowning.

Xu Qingying's face turned sorrowful. "Sigh, it's all because of that beast! If it weren't trying to break free from its seal, our sect wouldn't have resorted to such measures."

Hearing this, Xu Yang quickly pieced things together. "Did you capture and kill people with pure Yang bloodlines?"

Xu Qingyin sighed, "We had no choice. If we didn't kill them, even more people would have died!"