75 Ghost Banner sect. (2/2)
”Alright, let's go and get the mission underway. May we all return to the sect alive.”
The others quickly put their hands on top of Xiang Wuying's, with Li Yang lagging a bit behind since he had never seen a ritual like this before. Once everyone's hands were placed on top of Xiang Wuying's they raised them high and gave a low shout, spreading out and heading down the mountain to reach their designated positions.
Li Yang switched robes before he entered the city, putting on the violet wolf-skin robes that he was more comfortable with. After he casually entered the city, Jinwu started to hop around on his shoulder, sending him pleading glances whenever they walked past any vendors that sold warm food. But rather than buy him any food, Li Yang disappointed him by giving him a mission instead.
”Jinwu, could you fly above the city and keep an eye on everything? Make sure that no one gets to just sneak away during the chaos.”
Members of the sect might be within the city as the array goes up, so by having Jinwu keep an eye on the city from above, Li Yang could make sure that no one escaped, reducing the chance of their reward getting lowered. Jinwu immediately started to caw, letting out both complaints and worried words, but Li Yang quickly calmed him down by giving Shenlong a pat.
”don't worry, I'll keep Shenlong and Huanglong by my side, so there won't be any danger.”
Jinwu was worried that Li Yang would encounter the sect leader or one of the vice-leaders without him, leaving him vulnerable. But as long as Shenlong or Huanglong was around, he could still fuse with them to increase his strength. Jinwu still let out a few complaints, mostly because he was being left out from all the fun, so Li Yang bought him some grilled skewers of meat to soothe him.
Jinwu ate the skewers and then took off, soaring above the city and vigilantly scanning it. Once Jinwu left, Li Yang started to do his part, moving through the city and placing down the three flags he had been given, preparing the array.
A few minutes later, a thick fog started to appear in the midst of the city, surrounding the palace and the area around it. The citizens quickly found themselves unable to reach the palace, pushed away by a strange force in the fog. Li Yang had the pin that was given to them by Xiang Wuying, so he could freely enter the fog, drawing his sword and walking towards the eastern part of the palace, his designated position.
Other than the three leaders of the sect, there was no one in the sect that could give Li Yang a proper fight, allowing him to easily massacre people as he entered the palace. His sword blazed with crimson flames and crackled with azure lightning, an icy cold mist coiling around his left arm. Thanks to his tracking technique, no one was able to escape his notice, burnt and frozen corpses littering his wake.
He killed practically everyone he came across, even those that begged for mercy and swore to never practice their techniques ever again. The only ones he spared were the servants that had been forced to serve the sect. He directed the servants to leave the palace, as the entire place had already started burning from the battles that took place all over the area.
He continued to slowly slaughter his way through the palace, the sound of screams and blazing flames ringing in his ears, the smell of blood and ash tickling his nose. This was the battlefield, this was his second home. After moving through the palace for a few minutes, Li Yang encountered a person dashing towards him, a smile appearing on Li Yang's face as he waved at the person.
”Hey, it seems like my luck is rather good, I managed to encounter one of the vice-leaders. Would you mind just spilling the beans on where your sect treasury is? I can't let you leave, but I can make your death quick and painless.”
The person who was running towards him was one of the vice-leaders of the sect, Gao Gang, a cultivator who had half a foot into the middle stage of the Ascending Heaven realm. If Li Yang could receive not only the reward for this mission but also loot the treasury of this sect, he would be able to increase his strength by quite a bit. Gao Gang stopped in his tracks when he heard Li Yang, quickly pulling out a long and thick gray mace covered in spikes, clicking his tongue and letting out a somewhat insane laughter.
”Tch, Yuan clan scum. Today your 'good' might have beaten our 'evil', but in the future, you too will all be crushed! Everyone will know that you are the same as us, mere murderers!”
Gao Gang was already convinced that their sect would be crushed here today, they might not even be able to escape with their lives. But it didn't matter, as long as they could spread a few lies about the heartless massacre that took place here today, their duty could be considered half-complete. But sadly, he was facing Li Yang, who wouldn't even allow them to hold onto that slim hope of half-completing their mission.
”I guess the five people you had escape the city right as the array was activated are what makes you so confident? Sorry, but they are already dead. But don't worry, all of you will join them shortly.”
Gao Gang immediately turned pale when he heard Li Yang's casual remark. How had he noticed the five members that were spread throughout the city? He didn't doubt his words, as Li Yang had even stated their number and when they started to flee the city. Jinwu had been keeping a vigilant watch, so the moment the five people moved to flee the city, Jinwu gave them a quick scan, and judging that they belonged to the evil sect, he killed them and turned their bodies to ash.
The corner's of Gao Gang's thin mouth twitched repeatedly. The five disciples he had chosen to stand ready in the city were all only around 14 years of age, so young that they were meant to evoke pity in the hearts of those seeking to kill them. But this youth in front of them had gotten them killed, and he didn't even seem to bat an eye as he talked about it. He tightly grasped his mace, slowly stepping forward as he curled his mouth into an ugly sneer.
”Heh, is this how the 'good' side does things, killing fleeing people and those who have given up on the fight?”
The Yuan clan was one of the great powers that ensured the lives of the citizens of this continent, they could indeed be considered to be the 'good' guys. But facing the taunts of Gao Gang, Li Yang simply shrugged his shoulders.
”Good and evil are nothing but perspectives, everyone having their own definition. I am not killing you because you are evil, I am killing you because I don't like you and the way you do things, it's that simple.”
Jing Yimu considered himself to be good, judging Fang Ying to be evil. Li Yang, on the other hand, considered Jing Yimu to be evil, as he had sought to kill Li Yang's wife. Li Yang had long ago stopped bothering with the more widespread definitions of good and evil. If he liked something, it was good, if he didn't like it, it was evil. A very simple, and very selfish definition. Gao Gang didn't respond to Li Yang's words, slowly walking closer. Li Yang raised his sword, his lips curling into a very faint smile.
”And from the very beginning, I have never been someone who could be considered 'good'.”
As he spoke, Shenlong and Huanglong turned into a stream of energy that sank into his body. His hair turned a deep golden in color, while his eyes turned a dark violet, his robe changing and turning into a loose robe that was golden and violet in color, decorated with the image of twin dragons.
He did the fusion without Jinwu this time, so he didn't grow two feathery wings. Instead, his pupils turned into slits, golden and violet scales growing on his neck and spreading up to his chin, a whip-like golden tail growing out behind him, ending in a sharp tip. There was no one else in the surrounding area, so he could freely use as much strength as he wished.