In the blink of an eye, the entire blade was covered in purple.
It was a strange sight.
At this point, a sound could be heard from the air. Soon after, a figure descended from the sky.
Within an instant, the Traceless Sword began to move, almost as if it had a connection with something in the surroundings. It began to hum...
Then, it flew towards the figure.
"Die!" A low, solemn voice could be heard from the figure. Then, a silver waterfall seemed to link up with the sky.
In the middle of the silver waterfall was a purple glow.
Mountains and rivers.
The deputy had just secured Fang Houde and Qin Xuelian. He paled when he saw what was crashing towards him.
He could feel how sharp that strange purple glow was. It felt as if that purple glow could penetrate anything in the world. He felt a shiver down his spine.
Subconsciously, he wanted to retreat...
However, he felt as if there was something strangling his movements. There was also a terrifying, powerful suppressive force above him, rooting him in place. It was almost as if he was standing underneath a humongous waterfall.
"Oh god!" The deputy screamed. Then, he felt his forehead being pierced by something.
The world around him began to turn blurry.
He seemed to see a youth dressed in hide walk over. The youth was holding a sword in his hand, a completely purple sword.
"Fang... Fang Zhengzhi?!"
Fang Zhengzhi stopped beside the deputy. He ignored the deputy's last words as he fell to his knees.
He faced Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde, "Dad, mom... I have let you down!"
Dawn broke over the Northern Mountain Village. It tinted the entire village gold, but there were splashes of red spread throughout.
That was blood, blood stained mud.
All of the villagers were stunned when they saw Fang Zhengzhi fall to his knees. Everything had happened too quickly.
From the moment the black faced general drew his sword...
To the block, and the waterfall, and a fallen deputy with a deep gash in his forehead.
"He's dead?!"
All of the villagers, including Zhang Yangping, were in disbelief. They had fought with this deputy, and this was the deputy which created the cavity in the ground.
Such a powerful person was dead?
Awe, loss...
The emotions quickly changed to surprise, joy, and anxiety.
They were surprised that Fang Zhengzhi could kill such a powerful person. However, they were anxious to see how much more Fang Zhengzhi could achieve.
They really wanted the best for him.
That was the family spirit within the Northern Mountain Village!
"Zhengzhi, go! They have set up an ambush!"
"There are many soldiers outside! They have surrounded the entire village."
"Zhengzhi, don't bother about us! We are okay with dying! You are immensely outnumbered, run!"
When all of the villagers recovered, they began to holler out their concerns. In their minds, Zhengzhi's return was less favorable.
Wang Anhua's expression darkened.
He still remembered his first meeting with Fang Zhengzhi eight years ago. At that time, Fang Zhengzhi was still a willful child, but Wang Anhua knew that this child had a bright future.
However, he began to see less of Fang Zhengzhi after Fang Zhengzhi was given the boot from the Southern Mountain Village. His loyalties laid there, so he could not leave.
However, he heard about many of Fang Zhengzhi's hunting exploits.
At that time, Wang Anhua sighed to himself. He felt that such a talent was wasted in the woods. It was a pity he would never learn the "Law of Dao".
That was until Fang Zhengzhi stunned the world by topping the Huai An County examinations.
Then, he proceeded to destroy his competition at the River of Trust Province Examinations.
Wang Anhua was stunned and envious. How could a person who spent his time in the woods be so powerful? How talented is this child?
As times changed, Wang Anhua's school was moved to the Northern Mountain Village.
When he was finally reunited with Fang Zhengzhi eight years later, he realized that the youth standing in front of him was a soaring eagle.
He was determined to settle down here and teach. He would be part of the Northern Mountain Village family and spread word about the pride of the village.
Afterwards, news of Fang Zhengzhi's breakthrough into the Heavenly Reflection State reached his ears.
On that day, Wang Anhua was over the moon. He drank a lot that night, stumbling as he walked around the village announcing the news to anyone he saw.
It was a pity...
The Northern Mountain villagers had no idea what a 15 year old Heavenly Reflection State cultivator meant. They looked at him, lost.
"Sensei, what is Heavenly Reflection?"
"Sensei, can you show us what Heavenly Reflection is like?"
Wang Anhua could only smile bitterly. Show you? I have not even entered Dao despite studying all my life. How can I possibly demonstrate Heavenly Reflection to you?
Today, Wang Anhua finally saw what Heavenly Reflection meant.
That powerful waterfall and its aura was like a masterpiece. Even so, Wang Anhua was rather saddened. Fang Zhengzhi had intervened because of him.
"Zhengzhi, run! That black faced general is also in the Heavenly Reflection State!" Wang Anhua lunged himself at the black faced general mid-sentence.
He would be willing to give up his life if it bought Fang Zhengzhi time to save his parents and run.
Wang Anhua thought to himself, Even if Fang Zhengzhi is in the Heavenly Reflection State, he should only be in the nascent stages. How can he possibly match up to a battle hardened general?
The black faced general's expression darkened.
He had never expected Fang Zhengzhi to kill his deputy in such a blatant and swift way.
More importantly, he wasn't running away?
And now...
An academic is trying to challenge his authority? He could not possibly allow himself to be humiliated this way. His grip on his sword tightened and a column of flames shot skyward. It morphed into a lion, its jaw wide open.
"Go to hell!" The black faced general knew that Fang Zhengzhi had managed to kill his deputy because of the difference in their cultivation levels and the element of surprise.
Now, he was going to use his own abilities to teach Fang Zhengzhi a lesson.
The lion made from fire was powerful, its red fangs targeted at Wang Anhua's throat.
At this point, a bright moon appeared in the sky as a silver white blade stopped the lion in its tracks.
There was a strange tint of purple as it penetrated the lion.
It struck first despite being launched later.
It flew straight at the black faced general without losing any momentum.
The general was stunned. His reflexes used the find blade to defend himself.
"Boom!" A huge crash echoed out, accompanied by the whinnying of a horse. Then, a large figure crashed to the ground.
Dismounted with one strike!
The black faced general was in disbelief. He stared at his broken sword, fury building in his chest as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"How... how is this possible?!" The black faced general was in disbelief.
He knew that Fang Zhengzhi was in the Heavenly Reflection State, but he did not know about Fang Zhengzhi's exploits at the imperial examinations. He also did not know that Fang Zhengzhi was wielding the Traceless Sword, Meng Tian's sword.
No matter how talented Fang Zhengzhi was, he was still in the nascent stages of the Heavenly Reflection State. As an advanced Heavenly Reflection State cultivator, he should be able to defeat Fang Zhengzhi easily.
But now...
Everything that was happening seemed to be telling him that this was not just a student. His opponent was a ferocious tiger, with icy sharp fangs.
He had not expected this.
The top scorer of the examinations!
He really does live up to his name!
No one had expected this to happen. The other two deputies and the entire Northern Mountain Village were stunned when they saw the battle unfold.
"What's going on?!"
"Is that man not a general?"
"How can a general be dismounted with a single hit from Fang Zhengzhi? This... this is unbelievable!"
"How powerful!"
All of the villagers struggled to regain their senses. They were happy to see Fang Zhengzhi improve and be powerful. But, isn't this kind of power a little too ridiculous?
How can a kid defeat a battle hardened general?
Wang Anhua was rooted to the ground. He was prepared to die, but what he just saw gave him a sliver of hope.
It was a surprise, but he simply could not understand how this was possible.
"My son!"
"Son, you..."
Fang Houde and Qin Xuelian stared blankly at Fang Zhengzhi. Even as parents, they had no idea that their son was this powerful.
"Dad, mom!" Fang Zhengzhi ignored the black faced general and walked quickly towards Fang Houde and Qin Xuelian. He knelt down and placed the Traceless Sword on the ground. Then, he kowtowed.
He did not use the blade to remove the rope tying them down. He carefully undid each knot with his hand.
At this very moment...
All of the villagers were touched by what they saw.
With a son like that, what more could one ask for?
The black faced general did not disturb Fang Zhengzhi. He quickly glanced at the two remaining deputies. The Star Conglomerate State deputy saw the glance and instantly understood what it meant.
He turned and ran out of the village.
The Heavenly Reflection State deputy strode to the side of the general. He helped him up, tightening the grip on his blade as he did so.
"Son, go quickly! They still have an army, you... you can't beat them. Furthermore, the army is at their back, don't do something stupid!" Qin Xuelian released herself from the ropes. She wanted to hug Fang Zhengzhi, but Fang Houde held her back.
"Mom!" Fang Zhengzhi fell to his knees. He saw the crow feet at the edges of his mom's eyes and the tears in her eyes. For the first time, he could see age catching up with her.
He knew what his parents were thinking. However, if he left today, every achievement of his would mean nothing.
His stellar showing at the exams, the talent he was supposed to have, the Sword Envoy position he was conferred. If he couldn't save his parents, nothing else mattered!
"Today, anyone who has the audacity to step on a blade of grass in my village and harm my people will die!" Fang Zhengzhi raised his sword, glaring at the general as he did so.
The strange purple blood like stain began to spread across the blade. It soon covered the entire blade.
At the same time, there was a subtle purple glow in Fang Zhengzhi's eyes.
It was the same shade of purple.
After leaving the stone house, he had no idea if he had escaped The Vast World. Nonetheless, he rushed in the direction of the Northern Mountain Village.
It was already dawn.
He had no mood to explore Cang Ling Mountain. His biggest worry was his village. He rushed over as quickly as he could.
Even so, he was still greeted by a stunning sight.
The entire village was surrounded by soldiers.
He knew what this meant. He rushed inside without hesitation.
When he entered the village, his fury became uncontainable.
The square was bloody with villagers howling from their wounds. He saw a general bullying his villagers.
More importantly, he saw his parents tied up and Zhang Yangping in a foetal position, his clothes stained with blood.
He could feel Fang Houde's helplessness, Qin Xuelian's fury, and Zhang Yangping's exasperation.
As such...
He had no reason not to kill!
"Kaboom!" A thunderous explosion echoed out.