Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior

If a Half-Step Sixth Grade might suffice elsewhere in the Three Counties, what nerve does a mere Half-Step Sixth Grade have to enter his Black Mountain Army’s camp alone?

Thinking quickly, Purple Shirt chuckled lightly, "If you wish to seek revenge, I fear you have found the wrong people. It was not my Black Mountain Army that killed your Sect Leader Gongsun Xin, but rather the assassin Li Feiyu from the Cyan Cloud Demon Slayer Bureau. Moreover, a Protector of mine from the Black Mountain Army, along with two Banner Masters, also fell at his hands. We should be allies, not enemies..."

"Enough nonsense. That Li Feiyu, this envoy shall seek him out myself, no matter how you argue. Tonight your Black Mountain Army will not escape blame. I advise you to accept your fate!"

Su Mu stood proudly, directly rebuffing Purple Shirt’s words with such arrogance, causing Wu Lie behind him to shiver with fear, worried that the opposite side might rush forward and tear them to pieces.

"Arrogant!"

The moment Purple Shirt spoke, several Thousand Man Commanders beside him shouted angrily. They were Thousand Man Commanders of the Black Mountain Army, overseeing a thousand men. Normally, they were tyrants in the Three Counties territory, used to oppressing others, but not being insulted without reason.

But today, someone had turned black and white upside down, blaming the murder committed by Li Feiyu on the Black Mountain Army, demanding reparations, even disregarding the authority of Lord Purple Shirt. The five’s eyes widened with rage, eager to tear Su Mu apart.

"Enough, retreat."

Su Mu’s arrogance convinced Purple Shirt further, for it was only madmen like those from Taiping Dao that dared such audacity. She stepped forward, her purple skirt swaying elegantly, but her charming face suddenly turned icy, eyes like those of a bloodthirsty demon beast.

"What a Taiping Dao Envoy you are. If you truly possess such strength, feel free to take my life, Purple Shirt... but if not, do not expect to leave alive tonight!"

Taiping Dao, an evil organization entrenched within Great Yan, naturally worried Purple Shirt. Yet the opponent dared to intrude the camp alone with such audacity, leaving no room for retreat. Tonight, by all means, he must be left behind.

"Guardian sir, forget about whatever Taiping Dao envoy... just order the brothers to charge and slaughter him,"

A Thousand Man Commander suggested beside Purple Shirt. The display of Su Mu’s astonishing strength prompted him to advise that Purple Shirt command the soldiers to attack.

No matter how strong the man might be, he is but one alone; being of flesh and blood, he would exhaust his power and tire. When that moment arrives, they will seize the opportunity to kill him on the spot.

Yet recalling Su Mu’s earlier words about bodies, sensing the still twitching eyelids, Purple Shirt waved a hand.

"No need, those who insult the Black Mountain Army must die; killing him, I am enough."

"Everyone, retreat thirty steps."

Purple Shirt refused to cause further soldier losses; they were valuable for the Celestial King’s plans. Having climbed out from a pile of corpses herself, she wanted to test the strength of this so-called Taiping Dao envoy.

Without waiting for subordinates to speak more, Purple Shirt took a step forward, appearing almost enchantingly blood-red in this moment.

In Su Mu’s eyes, fighting intent flickered, recognizing that while Purple Shirt matched Gao Feng and Yuan Wuming as one of the Black Mountain Army’s Four Protectors, her aura was evidently much stronger with genuine Sixth-Grade Martial Artist prowess.

Years ago, when Su Mu first trained in martial arts, the Black Tiger Gang of Qingshui Town was a formidable power not to be provoked. Yet Su Mu personally destroyed it, followed by the Black Mountain Rebel Army committing massacres in Qingshui Town.

Back then, Su Mu was a nobody in the Three Counties, even in Cyan Cloud, but now, years later, he had wiped out Taiping Dao posts including Sixth-Grade Daoist Cultivator Gongsun Xin, now facing the head of the Black Mountain Rebel Army’s Four Protectors.

Purple Shirt was one above all in the Black Mountain Rebel Army, except for the Black Mountain Celestial King!

The past flew by like the wind; looking back, young Su Mu from Qingshui Town had unconsciously risen to the pinnacle in the Three Counties.

Su Mu disliked trouble, yet he never feared it, especially when involving those he cherished.

"Lord Purple Shirt is about to act, that guy is doomed!"

The Black Mountain Army soldiers were excited, seeing Purple Shirt as the strongest apart from the Celestial King, surely beyond the capability of a Taiping Dao envoy popping out of nowhere.

"Die!"

Purple Shirt smiled sweetly, yet the word spat was chillingly cold. Under the moon, she danced at such speed, creating afterimages too fast for the audience’s eyes to catch.

As those Thousand Man Commanders lingered in one afterimage, Purple Shirt had already crossed several meters, drawing the Nine-Curves Snake Sword from her waist with a ’swish’, silver light glimmering.

One sword became three, three silver snakes lunged from three directions simultaneously targeting Su Mu, sword edges stirred power, the air before him seemed drawn into a vacuum, causing Su Mu slight suffocation.

With merely this sword being stronger than any martial artist Su Mu had faced, martial artists excelled at close combat, not something to compare with Daoist cultivators like Gongsun Xin.

"Here it comes!"

Su Mu’s heart thudded beneath his chest, having reached such strength, defeating Black Mountain Army’s Thousand Man Commanders within a few moves or even the Ten Thousand Man Commander was nothing to Su Mu.

After Gongsun Xin, Purple Shirt re-energized Su Mu once more. Facing the assault of the Silver Snake Sword, Su Mu’s single arm trembled, dominantly thrusting a spear.

Clang!

The seemingly formidable sword clashed with the Red Flame Spear, yet gave Su Mu a strange feeling of stabbing air. Under the spear, the three silver snakes shattered, splitting into six.

Su Mu’s eyes narrowed, then with Fire Sparrow Force infusion, over twenty power currents forged muscular force, unleashing, spear shadows like a net shattered the incoming six silver snakes.

However, Purple Shirt merely raised a brow in surprise, without the slightest panic, as those six shattered snakes transformed instantly into countless tiny sword qi, slicing at Su Mu like a spring breeze.

"Such exquisite swordsmanship, Purple Shirt’s mastery is extremely high!" Wu Lie saw the spectacle, unable to stop his amazement, though also puzzled.

Even with the finest swordsmanship lacking strength, suppressing weaker opponents might be possible, but facing stronger foes, how could it harm others?

Yet sometimes observers may not truly understand, Wu Lie, as one, questioned, while Su Mu confronting the sword felt a flicker of crisis.

The spring breeze met the gun net wrought by the Red Flame Spear.

Among perfect traps, flaws emerge; strands of spring breeze penetrated the Luoluo Celestial Net, breaking through the spear net, bringing sudden change.

The warm spring breeze instantly sharpened like a fierce wind, silver lights shone in the sky, surging terrifying sharpness.

Whizzing!

Su Mu’s face, chest, abdomen, limbs erupted in blood, even Eighth-Grade Treasure Artifact couldn’t harm the flesh torn by the spring breeze’s sharpness, blood splattered from fresh sword wounds.

In the brief crossing of two figures, Su Mu’s upper attire shattered, turning into a blood-streaked man.

As remnants of the spring breeze swept over Su Mu’s form, dust and stones flew across the stage, Wu Lie and the Black Mountain Army soldiers’ pupils contracted sharply.

When the dust settled, the ground revealed a dozen crisscrossing sword gorges, each several feet deep and long.

"So... so powerful!"

Wu Lie was suddenly covered in goosebumps, after thirty years wielding a saber, considered his swordsmanship decent, now witnessing Purple Shirt’s sword felt ashamed, viewing his own as frogs observing the ocean!

This realization caused Wu Lie’s heart to sink, and beholding the mighty figure holding his spear turned bloodied, his pupils further narrowed hopelessness swelling, extinguishing newfound hope, spreading despair.

Purple Shirt’s strength was despair-inducing!

"Lord Purple Shirt’s swordsmanship grows more exquisite; her grasp on sword arts is truly mastery!"

"That guy is simply overestimating himself like an ant trying to stop a cart!"

Several Black Mountain Army Thousand Man Commanders exclaimed seeing the Taiping Dao envoy failing to withstand even one sword, instantly becoming a bloodied man under Lord Purple Shirt’s sword.

Black Mountain Army morale surged, applause reverberating.

Yet oblivious to Purple Shirt’s calm face revealing severity, uneasiness intensified, staring steadfastly at the bloodied man on the stage.