With the Blade

"If we send those servants, they will be trembling with fear, unable to serve properly, and might anger that monster, which could lead to the palace being bathed in blood."

After explaining the situation roughly to the two, the old eunuch sighed.

"So it’s up to you now, and me, after all, none of us could die even if we wanted to. If he truly kills us, maybe it could be considered a relief... Let’s just treat this as loyalty to the Emperor."

Loyalty...?

Shan Bing and Jiang Wenyuan exchanged a glance, growing increasingly confused.

A War Soldier who was imprisoned for killing an officer, awaiting execution, and a constable from Yizhou City who mingled daily with people from all walks of life—if one claimed these two could possess any loyalty to the young emperor, it would be more believable to trust a stray dog on the road. Yet now, at least at this moment, for people who didn’t even know the reason to continue living, there seemed to be no reason to refuse such a task.

Everything crumbled because of them, what else could they do?

"Why are you standing there? Why aren’t you eating?"

The man named Huang Tian was roasting the monster’s heart with the Sword Qi while turning to look at the three of them.

Perhaps this was why there were exceptionally few monsters today, as all three monsters in Jiankang City were slain by Huang Tian at the first opportunity—just like before, the monster’s flesh was shredded to bits, yet all discarded, as if the master merely wanted a slice of something.

The only part spared as an ingredient would be the heart’s meat.

But such picky eating made Shan Bing and Jiang Wenyuan’s eyelids twitch, especially the old eunuch, who had never witnessed this before and knew well what those monsters originally were.

This man, calling himself Huang Tian, actually ate monsters...

Is he still human?

"Come, you eat too."

The sword’s edge turned, pushing the roasted heart’s meat toward the three once again.

"Eat."

"This..."

The three hesitated for a long time, and none dared to take a bite of this food.

After prolonged hesitation, it was Shan Bing, who had learned a move from Huang Tian, who first voiced his concern.

"This stuff, is it human meat?"

"...Is that what you think?"

Huang Tian glanced at Shan Bing, then pointed at the meat on the sword’s edge.

"Does a human’s heart grow this large?"

"...No."

Shan Bing clenched his teeth.

It really doesn’t, a human’s heart couldn’t possibly grow so large; the piece skewered on the sword was nowhere near large enough, yet even this was as big as an adult’s head—it was evident that monsters and humans were entirely different, at least in terms of sheer size.

"So, do you think monsters are human?"

Huang Tian asked again.

And Shan Bing shook his head again.

Monsters might have been born of humans, but they no longer count as humans. While it was pitiful that their will was destroyed by Evil Qi, remembering the havoc caused by these monsters justified the name ’monster.’

So, eating monsters seems acceptable?

At least to this god-like man, it might really be acceptable; these ferocious monsters were treated like livestock, easily slaughtered, so consuming them seemed negligible.

"Thinking this way is good."

Perhaps pleased with Shan Bing’s response, Huang Tian actually wore a slight smile.

"I had wondered if you’d be confused, questioning the difference between a monster and a human... but now it seems you are quite resolute."

"...?"

A strange feeling arose in Shan Bing’s heart.

Why say that suddenly? How was he resolute?

If not resolute...

Instinctively, Shan Bing turned his head.

Where Jiang Wenyuan should have been standing was now replaced by a black-red token, sporting eight legs; it was the black-red Water and Fire Staff, entwined with chains and shackles around what resembled a wooden body, leaving only a massive, lock-like mouth, as if about to devour someone.

And on the other side, where the old eunuch stood, there were only red strands covering the ground; these bloodstained strings crafted a faceless, distorted human shape, with a large "loyalty" character still painted on the chest, and four blind, snake-like limbs crawling, occasionally spitting a crimson tongue, probing everything around.

"How could this be..."

Shan Bing was utterly petrified.

For someone of his courage, he shouldn’t be intimidated by monsters—after all, he had slain many by his own hand. Even facing monsters, he could remain rational, capable of thought—but it was this very ability to think that made him realize the horror before him.

In just an instant, his colleagues and superior transformed into monsters, and the cause was merely the man called Huang Tian speaking a couple of sentences.

"Why? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t kill us?"

Suppressing his fear, Shan Bing’s eyes bulged with anger.

"Or is this your way of humiliating us...?"

"This isn’t my doing, merely their own lack of willpower."

Huang Tian shook his head, subsequently waving his hand.

Jiang Wenyuan and the old eunuch, once turned into monsters, returned to their original forms, though their clothes were tattered, as if they had just fought a great battle.

This should have been a positive outcome, yet Shan Bing found no comfort in it.

With just words, he could transform his colleagues and superior into monsters, and with a wave, revert them—the ability to change things so drastically made cold sweat run down Shan Bing’s back.

Especially when he saw the heart meat skewered on the sword.

"You can actually... turn them back?"

Shan Bing’s voice began to tremble.

"So these, these monsters, why, why didn’t you... they were people! Why didn’t you change them back?"

"That was their own choice, nothing to do with me."

Huang Tian continued eating.

"I told you, I am your heaven."

"..."

Shan Bing was utterly speechless.

The man before him was something more fearsome than any monster, more terrifying than legendary demons, for in his eyes, humans were no longer humans, merely movable flesh, ants, insects.

What had they brought back?

At this thought, Shan Bing lunged once more at the blade before him; he dared not contemplate, dared not face a future with such an entity—yet clearly, he couldn’t die, even though his chest was pierced by the ancient Longsword, he could not die.

The sword’s edge indeed passed through his body, yet there was not a single drop of blood from the wound.

Or perhaps his body, in that moment, had created a path, instinctively avoiding the blade.

Such a resilient physique came not without a cost; even his own body was beyond his control.

"There must be some way, there must be some way..."

In his moment of utter despair, a fierce, burning rage blossomed within Shan Bing.

Yes, there must be a way, this man couldn’t possibly be completely invincible, there must be a way to defeat this loathsome monster, there must be a way...

"Yes, that’s precisely what I want."

Gazing at Shan Bing’s expression, Huang Tian finally nodded.

"Having hostility towards me, that will make you try to defeat me, or search for those capable of defeating me... Go on, use every means you have, find all the masters you can, let them come to me willingly."

"In that way, I won’t have to seek them one by one."