Chapter 652: Blade Demon Xie Chong

Hearing Chen Yuanye’s tone, Lin Yu immediately realized he had an unexpected gain.

“I originally planned to investigate the strangeness of Chen Family Fort, but it seems I accidentally hit the right lead and learned about that mutilated body the escort team was transporting?”

After all, Chen Yuanye sounded like he already knew something.

So Lin Yu calmly asked Chen Yuanye directly.

“That’s right. It’s a torso missing everything but the left arm and most of the chest, and it really seems to be alive,” Lin Yu nodded slightly. “Could it be that you know where that mutilated body came from?”

Chen Yuanye’s expression turned grave as he looked at Lin Yu. “Junior sister, you actually don’t know? …This should be the remains of an unsurpassed expert.”

“My master once told me that it’s rumored above the Twelve-String tier, martial artists who can found their own sects sometimes have such vigorous qi and blood that even after a limb is severed and detached, it still behaves like a living thing.”

“There are even legends that if a martial artist reaches the pinnacle and dies in battle, the corpse can resist decay for a hundred years, its qi and blood continuing to operate like a living person!”

Lin Yu frowned slightly upon hearing this.

“But if they had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, how could they have been killed?”

“Of course they were either surrounded and beaten to death or… killed by another unsurpassed expert,” Chen Yuanye replied seriously. “And since they specially hired an escort team to transport it, and it’s only a left arm… I might be able to guess who it belongs to.”

Lin Yu crossed his arms over his chest. “You know them?”

“Cough, cough, how could I possibly know such a person? I only heard rumors in teahouses and taverns years ago,” Chen Yuanye said in a low voice. “The owner of that left arm is very likely the ‘Blade Demon’ Xie Chong, who died two years ago.”

“Who’s that?” Lin Yu asked directly.

“You don’t know Xie Chong?” Chen Yuanye looked at Lin Yu in astonishment.

“I don’t care about those things, besides… isn’t he dead?” Lin Yu said coolly.

Because Lin Yu’s performance had been so flawless, Chen Yuanye not only did not become suspicious of Lin Yu’s words, he actually revealed an expression of admiration.

“Junior sister truly has the heart of a child… Still, Xie Chong was indeed someone, and it wouldn’t hurt to learn his story.”

“Twenty-five years ago, a blade genius appeared at Xuanjiang Martial Arts School. He swept through the Cold Hell region, challenging the most outstanding young disciples from twelve martial schools, becoming so famous. The next year he slew two demons in Sand Hell, one worth eight strings and one nine strings… At that time, anyone who practiced the blade knew that a prodigy named Xie Chong had burst onto the scene!”

“Everyone envied Xuanjiang Martial Arts School, guessing they might rise to become a top-tier school thanks to that young genius!”

“But no one expected… only a few years later, twenty years ago, Xuanjiang Martial Arts School was wiped out from the head of the school to newly inducted disciples, even the guard dog at the gate was killed. And the one who did all this… turned out to be Xie Chong, the school’s pride!”

“Some said he obtained a mysterious blade technique that required killing to enter the Dao and had thus gone mad; others said he had obtained a demonic blade that needed the blood of those he cherished to be offered; still others claimed he was a demon in human guise, whose ferocity had become uncontrollable…”

“In short, within only a few days, the name Blade Demon Xie Chong spread throughout the Two Mountains, Six Hells — all righteous martial practitioners sought to exterminate him.”

“Indeed, people went to hunt Xie Chong… but ten-string, eleven-string, and finally twelve-string opponents all fell to his hands.”

“Not only that, Xie Chong even initiated killings himself, as if cultivating demonic arts and tempering the demonic blade with slaughter, growing stronger with each kill.”

“Huanglong Martial School, Tianyi Martial School, Qianshan Martial School… many top schools suffered disciple losses,” Chen Yuanye said, his tone a little awed. “Although I didn’t live through it, I heard Master mention that during that period every morning brought news of famous fighters falling to Xie Chong!”

“For a time, Xie Chong’s name became even more hated than demons.”

“So the nine top schools united and ambushed him in a town in Sand Hell.”

“That battle took twelve masters and left three dead… yet the Blade Demon Xie Chong still escaped with grave wounds — although they failed to kill him, they permanently crippled his right hand.”

“After that, Xie Chong vanished for a long time, until five years ago he resurfaced, having trained an even more vicious left-hand blade, seeking revenge against those who had besieged him.”

“In three years’ time, he became like a ghost roaming the mountains, attacking practitioners — the masters who attacked him before had since become pillars of their schools, leaders with disciples and heirs, and Xie Chong targeted their juniors.”

“The nine once-revered masters held their composure at first, but eventually lost patience and began searching for Xie Chong themselves.”

“At that moment, Xie Chong surprisingly sent visiting cards to all nine schools simultaneously — he even challenged them to a duel.”

“The place… was the old site of Xuanjiang Martial School.”

“When the day came, at least nine masters with minimum Twelve-String rank, and three who were Grandmasters, answered the challenge.”

“The former Xuanjiang Martial School had become a ruin occupied by demons, and on that day Xie Chong cleared the school of all demons, built a ring from demon corpses and skeletons, and waited quietly for the nine masters to arrive.”

“Many people from the jianghu watched; even the Four Great Sects sent people. They all assumed Xie Chong had grown tired of running and wanted to settle grudges and receive an honorable death, but no one expected…”

“That battle, Xie Chong won.”

“The nine masters — seven dead, two wounded — the two survivors grievously injured and unconscious.”

“Only then did people realize that Blade Demon Xie Chong had actually reached the pinnacle of martial arts, a condition of utter mastery!”

“Then, blinded by bloodlust, Xie Chong nearly slaughtered everyone present.”

Lin Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this. “I see… So why did he die, and why… did he end up in a mutilated state?”

Chen Yuanye’s tone took on a hint of longing when Lin Yu asked.

“It was because, at the crucial moment, another pinnacle martial artist intervened!”

“That person was said to be the venerated of the Taiqing Sect, a legendary figure who had lived a hundred years, known as the ‘Mountain Guest,’ an unsurpassed master.”

“The Mountain Guest drew upon qi sense and transmitted his voice a thousand li away, luring Blade Demon Xie Chong into a remote wilderness a hundred li from the site. The two Grandmasters unleashed everything and fought for a full six shi! The hills trembled and the earth shook!”

“Only after six shi did the sounds cease!”

“When people arrived at the final site of their battle, they found Xie Chong’s body split into five segments on the ground!”