Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 228 - 221 Aftermath Part 1

Chapter 228: Chapter 221 Aftermath Part 1

Having reclaimed his seat at the main hall of the manor.

Lin Xin looked down at the people of the Spirit Heart Villa.

Taoist Lu Suo’s originally dark green hair had also turned a pale silver-white.

Gongsun Li had even more strands of silver in his hair, looking aged and frail, unable to hide his elderly appearance.

Sanyuan Zen Master still seemed spirited, being the youngest among the elders, even Ou Yinghong faintly possessed a touch of mature charm.

"The current situation of the villa is something big brother must also be aware of," Lin Xinyuan said softly from her seat at the side, "having invited many Daoist masters has indeed boosted our prestige, but it comes with a great burden. Furthermore, the major events that have occurred recently have prevented the disciples from cultivating in peace, so I have transferred most of them to another sub-manor."

"No wonder I haven’t seen many people around lately," Taoist Lu Suo nodded in realization.

"The villa now oversees a large territory, and periodically, suppressors from other territories come to visit. They are received by me and a few of the elders. Accompanied by retainers, it’s not as if we’ve lost their respect," continued Lin Xinyuan, "It’s just you, big brother..."

She turned her head to look at Lin Xin but suddenly stopped speaking, her expression one of shock, unable to continue.

Lin Xin was sitting in the primary seat, his face at this moment contorted with veins protruding in a bright red color as if in extreme pain, his hands tightly gripping the armrests of the chair, a soft cracking sound emanating from it, with dense cracks appearing on the armrests.

"Villa Master...?" Sanyuan Zen Master said with a frown.

"Don’t touch him!"

Lin Xinyuan abruptly cried out. At this moment, everyone in the hall, all high-ranking officials, could see Lin Xin’s eyes had lost focus, along with the painful expressions and red veins bulging on his face.

"Doctor Gongsun!" Lin Xinyuan urgently gazed toward the medically skilled Gongsun Li.

Gongsun Li’s expression was also solemn, as he slowly approached Lin Xin with extreme caution, as if afraid to trigger him.

The others in the hall looked at each other, all feeling uncertain about what had happened.

Only Lin Xinyuan and Gongsun Li were fully aware of Lin Xin’s condition with Soul Detachment Syndrome, as it was Lin Xinyuan who had informed Gongsun Li.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Villa Master is unwell today, let’s postpone our discussion to another day," Lin Xinyuan took the lead and announced loudly.

By now, everyone could tell something was wrong with Lin Xin’s health. Since Lin Xinyuan had spoken up and given that Gongsun Li, who was skilled in medicine, was present, they all nodded in agreement and began to leave one after another.

However, the sight of Lin Xin as the Villa Master in such a state was indeed frightening, and after leaving the hall, they sent their subordinates to gather information, and reports about Lin Xin’s condition began to converge.

Soon, only Lin Xinyuan and Gongsun Li were left in the great hall, with Gongsun Li approaching Lin Xin ever so slowly.

Exchanging glances, Gongsun Li took out a bottle of medicine he had prepared, gently uncorking it, preparing to soothe Lin Xin before anything else.

Bang!

All of a sudden, Lin Xin crushed the armrests and sprang up, shooting out of the hall.

Flurries of wooden debris scattered and sprayed everywhere, the sudden burst of energy knocking Gongsun Li and the others back.

"Big brother!!!" Lin Xinyuan called out urgently.

Lin Xin seemed to become aware, but after a brief pause, he quickly turned into a red streak and flew out of the hall.

"Who’s there!?" Sounds of the guards’ scolding and warnings came continuously from outside.

Hiss...

A flash of red light, followed by a succession of screams from outside. Blood was spilled everywhere.

The two people in the hall suddenly turned pale and rushed out.

"Big brother!" Lin Xinyuan could no longer see Lin Xin’s figure, only the remnants of dismembered bodies and scattered red bloodstains on the ground.

The guards who had called out were all slain in an instant.

"This time, the Villa Master..." Gongsun Li’s expression was gravely serious, "We must find him quickly, or there might be real trouble."

******************

Brilliant red light.

Lin Xin was struggling within the twisting vortex, surrounded entirely by a sea of blood-red fluid, suffocating him as it enveloped him layer by layer.

"I..." he barely opened his mouth before almost choking on a large gulp of the blood-colored liquid.

With full force, he tried to break through the cloak of blood-colored liquid, but despite repeated breakthroughs in the barrier, there was still no sign of escaping.

Within the Spirit Heart Villa, from the white buildings, a streak of red suddenly shot out from the main hall, moving at high speed and crashing into a side hall, not sparing a single guard in its path.

Lin Xin’s mother, Zhao Yu Niang, had just returned from a leisurely outing, chatting and laughing with several close female relatives as they approached the side hall from outside.

The red streak tore through every obstacle with incredible speed, heading straight for where Zhao Yu Niang and the other women were.

"Stop him!!" several Hidden Guards burst out, rushing toward the red streak that was Lin Xin. Their speed was so fast they couldn’t make out who the red streak was. At first, they thought it was Lin Xin, but seeing the indiscriminate killing along the way, they started to rally their forces for an offensive.

Over a dozen Hidden Guards lunged forward, their inner sword lights suddenly shining, turning into several bright dots, surrounding the red streak from all sides.

Bang!

The red streak abruptly broke through the sword lights, shattered the walls, and amidst the flying stones, pounced toward Zhao Yu Niang and the others, who were nearby and engaged in conversation.

Hum!!

The red sword hilt abruptly halted, and Lin Xin suddenly appeared behind Zhao Yu Niang and the others, the sharp tip of his sword perilously

hovering at the nape of Zhao Yu Niang’s neck, nearly able to pierce straight through.

Lin Xin’s pupils constantly dilated and focused as he desperately struggled to break free from the illusion.

"Eh? How did the wall break?" Zhao Yu Niang and the four other women curiously looked toward the side where the surrounding

wall had suddenly exploded open, completely unaware of Lin Xin behind them.

Lin Xin bit his lip hard, blood slowly trickling down the corner of his mouth, forming a line of blood.

Hum!

His entire body suddenly transformed into a red streak and disappeared again, leaving only a faint breeze behind.

The women looked around in confusion, feeling a bit cold but never realizing they had just narrowly skirted the gates of hell.

*****************************

Shi!

Outside the manor’s bamboo forest, a red sword mark suddenly flashed and then disappeared.

The bamboo fell in large swaths, revealing a series of smooth cuts. The tall bamboo slowly broke

in two and fell to the ground.

All the fallen bamboo naturally formed a perfect circle.

Lin Xin stood in the center, his eyes tinged with blood-red, the veins on his face becoming more pronounced.

Huff... huff... huff...

He gasped for air, his head bowed, the Red Flower Sword in his right hand emitting red light continuously, with many

symbols flickering in and out of visibility.

At that moment, Lin Xin was still seeing red shadows flickering before his eyes—things resembling the shadows of a woman in a red dress moving rapidly around him, indistinct and accompanied by light, piercing laughter.

"Who’s there!?" Suddenly, a man in grey clothes slowly emerged from the bamboo forest. At the sight of Lin Xin, a look of surprise

flickered in his eyes.

"Villa Master Lin, what is this...?" He didn’t finish his sentence before he saw Lin Xin disappear abruptly, turning into a red

line and shooting off into the distance.

This man was one of the Golden Core Daoist Masters Lin Xin had invited to help bolster their ranks, who happened to be cultivating in seclusion in the forest, but he did not expect to witness this scene.

"Villa Master Lin?!"

Lin Xin heard only a faint sound in his ears, but in his eyes, the Golden Core Daoist Master looked as though his eyes were cold, and his lips curled into a malicious smile, shooting waves of icy murderous intent that continuously pricked at his nerves.

Now, he couldn’t judge whether anyone he encountered harbored hostile intentions.

Leaping out of the bamboo forest, on a hillside in the mountains ahead, several farmers carrying hoes were preparing to head home when they encountered Lin Xin. At first, they all showed a look of astonishment, and then their faces vaguely revealed a trace

of sneer and malice.

"Kill them..." a voice in the darkness kept urging him. "Kill them... kill kill kill..."

The voice repeated, echoing over and over in Lin Xin’s ears.

Suppressing the urge to draw his sword, he swept past the farmers.

"Kill kill kill kill..."

The voice grew more urgent, each repetition rippling like waves in a lake, agitating Lin Xin’s entire Qi-Blood.

He strived to control himself, his movement technique carrying him swiftly through the forest.

Bang!

Suddenly, as he leaped over a creek, Lin Xin’s inner Qi violently went awry, and he plummeted from mid-air,

rolling to the ground and tumbling down the slope, somersaulting as he went.

With a series of thuds, he continuously struck rocks and trees on the way, his spiritual energy a complete mess,

like boiling water creating bubbles of all sizes, utterly uncontrollable.

His white clothes were stained grey-green in the tumble, tainted with grass and juice, his hair coming loose

from an impact with a rock, now spread over his shoulders.

Not knowing how long he had rolled, he finally came to a stop in a low-lying ditch, with the delicate, clear stream and damp grass right beside his face.

"Is this... the price of the illusion...?" Lin Xin lay immobile, as if all his spiritual energy was out of control, boiled away by the tempestuous power to the point where he couldn’t manipulate even a trace.

Ever since entering the gloomy mansion and learning that slaughter could increase his cultivation practice, he knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Every gain had a corresponding price to pay.

Without exception.

Now, the cost was finally beginning to show.

He lay in the grass, unable to move an inch, his Heart Eye Sword Path was so fast that even the Golden Core Daoist Masters couldn’t react in time, and he burst out of the Spirit Heart Villa’s formation so quickly that he now had no idea where he was.

Nor could he initiate any calls for help, as the roiling red spiritual energy would give him away immediately.

Such an obvious trait of a Demon Path Cultivator could get him killed with one strike if he even tried to ask for help, being mistaken for a demonic cultivator posing as the villa master. That was why he had hurried away from the Golden Core Daoist Master earlier.

Cough cough... cough cough cough...

He couldn’t suppress the coughing in his throat, as if something was constantly grabbing at his windpipe, trying to suffocate him.

Splurt!

A stream of scarlet blood suddenly sprayed from his mouth.

Lin Xin felt as if his chest had been struck head-on by a heavy hammer, turning pale instantly.

He couldn’t tell if it was the illusion or reality, lightly touching his mouth with his hand and looking at it. This time the blood was a startling red, without any distortion.

"Is this... real?" (To be continued. If you like this book, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)