Chapter 60 Heading to Tianyin Temple
But just as the sword energy touched the axe blade...
"laugh!"
There was no earth-shattering collision, no thunderous explosion of energy.
The colossal, thunderous axe, powerful enough to cleave mountains, melted silently, starting from the axe blade, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.
The sword energy pierced through the giant axe, its speed undiminished, and precisely entered Lei Zhenzi's brow.
Lei Zhenzi's forward-rushing figure suddenly froze in mid-air.
The ferocity on his face and the madness in his eyes froze at that moment.
Then, like a weathered stone sculpture, it began to crumble from the center of the brow, turning into the finest dust that drifted away with the wind.
Not even a scream could be left behind.
Soul and spirit annihilated!
The entire room fell silent.
All the disciples of the Taiqing Sect, including the remaining eight elders, froze on the spot, their faces filled with horror and fear.
Elder Lei Zhenzi...
With a peak Nascent Soul cultivation level and three hundred years of practicing the Heavenly Thunder Orthodox Method, his combat strength ranks among the top five of the nine elders...
Just like that, he was wiped out with a casual flick of his finger?
"Who else wants to try?"
Zhou Tian withdrew his finger and calmly swept his gaze over the remaining eight elders.
His gaze was indifferent, devoid of any killing intent, yet it sent chills down the spines of the eight Nascent Soul stage elders, making them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their hair standing on end.
That's the instinctive fear of prey being targeted by its natural enemy.
"You...you..."
Elder Huang Yuan's lips trembled as she tried to say something, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word.
She gripped the Cold Kite Sword tightly, her knuckles turning white, but she dared not take another step forward.
The death of the Crimson Dragon Immortal caused her immense grief.
But Lei Zhenzi's death made her realize that going forward would only mean certain death.
A pointless suicide.
Zhou Tian's gaze returned to Yin Qingqing.
"You can continue to consider it."
His voice was calm, as if stating a simple fact:
"With every breath, I kill an elder."
"After killing the elders, they kill the disciples."
"Slay them all at the Taiqing Sect... leave no one alive."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Tian raised his hand, his index finger pointing at one of the eight elders once again.
That was Qingmu Zhenren, the weakest of the nine elders, at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and skilled in wood-based techniques.
The moment Zhou Tian pointed at him, Master Qingmu trembled violently, his face turned ashen, and he instinctively took a half step back.
"No...don't..."
Yin Qingqing finally broke down.
She looked into Zhou Tian's terrifyingly calm eyes, at the fear on the faces of the sect elders, and at the despair in the eyes of the disciples around her...
The Nascent Soul Sect Master, who had led the Taiqing Sect for over a hundred years and was known for his aloofness, now had red eyes.
The Taiqing Sect was Yin Qingqing's life's work, and she was truly unwilling to let it be destroyed by Zhou Tian like this.
Yin Qingqing bit her lower lip hard, and blood seeped from between her lips, staining her fair chin red.
Finally, Yin Qingqing loosened her grip on the sword.
Clang.
The Taiyin Sword fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
"I promise you..."
Yin Qingqing's voice was trembling and tearful:
"Just let the Taiqing Sect go... let my disciples go..."
"I can agree to any of your conditions..."
She looked up at Zhou Tian, her eyes blurry with tears, her beautiful face etched with humiliation and despair.
"I'll accept being a slave or a servant..."
"I only beg you... to show mercy..."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Tian's lips slowly curved into a smile.
That smile was faint, yet it sent chills down the spines of all the Taiqing Sect disciples.
"Words are not enough."
Zhou Tian withdrew his finger and said calmly:
"Swear an oath to the heavens."
"I swear on your Dao heart, your cultivation, and your soul."
"For all eternity, there shall be no betrayal."
Yin Qingqing's delicate body trembled violently.
The Heavenly Oath is the most solemn oath in the cultivation world.
Once established, any violation will inevitably result in divine retribution. At best, the foundation of one's Dao will be completely destroyed; at worst, one's soul and spirit will be annihilated, and one will never be able to reincarnate.
This is truly... a dead end.
But she had no choice.
Yin Qingqing slowly closed her eyes, and two lines of tears slid down her cheeks.
She raised her right hand, joined her index and middle fingers together, and touched her brow.
A moonlit aura began to surge violently around her, transforming into mysterious runes that swirled around her.
"Heaven's will prevails..."
Yin Qingqing's voice was very soft, yet it carried clearly throughout the entire square:
"Yin Qingqing, the ninth sect leader of the Taiqing Sect, hereby swears an oath today..."
She paused, her voice filled with endless bitterness:
"From this day forward, I, Yin Qingqing... am willing to be a slave for all eternity, serving Zhou Tian as my master..."
"If you disobey... your foundation will crumble, your soul and spirit will perish, and you will be forever condemned to reincarnation, never to be reborn..."
The words fell.
"Boom!"
A muffled thunderclap boomed from the heavens.
An invisible law of heaven descended, transforming into a golden rune that entered Yin Qingqing's brow.
The vow was fulfilled.
From this moment on, her life and death, her path, and everything about her are in Zhou Tian's hands.
With just a thought from Zhou Tian, he could make her wish she were dead, or even directly trigger a backlash from the Heavenly Dao, causing her to be annihilated.
Seeing this, Zhou Tian's smile deepened.
He slowly sheathed the Immortal Execution Sword, and the suffocating, terrifying pressure emanating from him dissipated.
"very good."
Zhou Tian looked at Yin Qingqing, his tone calm:
"I'll give you three days."
"Dismiss all male disciples of the Taiqing Sect within three days."
"Gather all the female disciples and register them."
"At that time, all female disciples will return with me to the Tai Xuan Sword Sect and officially join our sect."