Chapter 50: When the Sword Falls, So Does the Head

“Blazing Vein Formation, arise!”

With a sudden, thunderous shout from one of the elders, they each moved to their designated positions—seemingly chaotic, yet underlined by a hidden order, an invisible connection weaving among them.

The thirty-four elders surrounded Mu Tianhen at the center, layers of immense pressure bearing down on him, surging toward him in relentless waves.

This pressure was no ordinary force; it was the combined might of all thirty-four individuals—a staggering power. The weakest among them was at the third tier of the Heaven-Gazing Realm, while the strongest, the yellow-robed elder who initiated the formation, had reached the seventh tier.

Mu Tianhen needed no confirmation: this must be the Huang family’s patriarch, Huang Kun.

Individually, none could match Mu Tianhen, who had already broken through to the ninth tier of the Heaven-Gazing Realm. Yet, the compounded force of thirty-four elders far surpassed even his might.

Let alone the ninth tier—even if one had advanced to the Thunder Tribulation Realm, unless they had reached at least the sixth tier, they would be no match.

If the full force of the formation were allowed to take shape, Mu Tianhen would have just one fate: death.

Not only would he perish, but so too would Mu Tianxue and the other two—none would survive.

In other words, if these thirty-four elders succeeded in forging their combined might, the Mu family would be utterly annihilated.

But Mu Tianhen, who had just grasped the essence of guarding one’s heart, would never allow such a tragedy to unfold. He must protect his sister’s life, safeguard the patriarch and Lady Tianxiang, and ensure the Mu family’s survival.

Therefore, he had to disrupt the formation before its power could fully manifest.

Fortunately, Mu Tianhen’s studies in formations had reached considerable depth. The moment he heard the name “Blazing Vein Formation,” he discerned the method to dismantle it.

This formation was no ancient relic but a common array—rarely used, for a reason.

Once activated, those within would burn their vein power without limit, feeding the formation until utterly depleted.

The Blazing Vein Formation was a mutually destructive technique—harm the enemy a thousand, but lose eight hundred yourself. No one used it unless absolutely desperate.

The only reason these elders knew of it was because it had been passed down by the first City Lord of Shunan City; every family above the third rank was required to master it.

The purpose was noble: should Shunan City ever face annihilation, the major families could unite and deploy the formation to save the city and its people.

A righteous intent, to be sure.

Yet now, its use was anything but just.

These families, bent on erasing the Mu clan, had bathed their halls in blood overnight. When wounded by Mu Tianhen and his allies, they resorted to the Blazing Vein Formation—a testament to their relentless determination.

Of course, they were forced into this extremity.

Without the Blazing Vein Formation, they had no hope of stopping Mu Tianhen, nor could they escape the fate of their families being wiped out.

In a last bid to preserve their lineage, the elders would sacrifice themselves to destroy Mu Tianhen and his companions, ensuring the Mu family’s utter extinction—just as they had done to another great clan ten years prior.

But what they failed to realize was that Mu Tianhen was no ordinary martial artist—he was a being who defied the heavens and possessed a mastery of formations far beyond any of them.

Thus, even with thirty-four joining forces, they failed to complete the formation instantly; the process took far longer.

To activate the Blazing Vein Formation in an instant, thirty-eight cultivators were required. For each one missing, three extra breaths were needed.

With two short, ten extra breaths. Now, with the Mu, Dai, and the Wen family (destroyed a decade prior) absent, three were missing. Thus, activation time stretched to thirty breaths.

To most, in the chaos of battle, thirty breaths was negligible. But for Mu Tianhen, it was all he needed.

So, as the thirty-four elders finished taking their positions, their vein power just beginning to link as they opened the three empty spots, Mu Tianhen made his move.

“Mountain-Cleaving Sword! Slay!”

With a thunderous roar, Mu Tianhen became a blur of afterimages, launching himself at the Huang patriarch with terrifying speed.

Swish!

His longsword tore through the air, carrying boundless might, arriving before the Huang patriarch in an instant.

“No—!”

Sensing the deadly, razor-sharp killing intent, the Huang patriarch was seized by the certainty of death. Instinctively, he tried to utter a word of protest, but could only cry out in bitter frustration.

It was useless.

Slash!

The sword’s gleam cut through, rending the patriarch’s body in two, blood spraying in a crimson mist.

At that moment, the patriarch was the formation’s core—the keystone. His death shattered the Blazing Vein Formation.

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

The remaining elders, struck by the backlash, coughed blood, faces drained, gasping for breath.

Yet, this was not the end. Tonight, they were doomed to die.

“Wind Sweeps the Clouds!”

Mu Tianhen unleashed the Gale Sword Art again, his movements bolstered by the Water-Stepping Footwork for even greater speed. In just two breaths, he circled the thirty-three remaining elders in a blur.

Swish, swish, swish…

His deadly sword flashed with icy light, slicing across the throats of the strongest warriors. Amid the gushing pillars of blood, heads toppled and rolled, thudding onto heaps of corpses.

In an instant, over thirty bodies fell from midair, adding dozens more headless corpses to the blood-soaked ground.

Witnessing this, those already paralyzed with terror stood motionless, souls seemingly fled, rooted to the spot—living targets.

This only fueled the slaughter; Mu Tianxue and her companions cut down hundreds more, adding to the mountain of corpses and rivers of blood that filled the air with a suffocating stench.

Whoosh!

Mu Tianhen leapt forward, landing before Gu Feng, whose mind had gone utterly blank. Looking down coldly, he declared, “Old dog, I’ll make sure you watch as your Gu family is wiped from existence!”

Gu Feng tried to speak, but only coughed up blood.

He realized that their misjudgment had not only failed to destroy the Mu clan, but instead had brought annihilation upon themselves—a fate none could now escape.

Gu Feng could not bear to watch his family perish; he longed for death, secretly channeling his vein power to rupture his own meridians.

But Mu Tianhen had foreseen this. The moment Gu Feng moved, he was stopped.

With a swift wave of his right hand, Mu Tianhen struck Gu Feng at several vital points, sealing his life force and sending a surge of vein power to protect his heart.

Thus, Gu Feng could neither live nor die of his own will—his fate was now entirely in Mu Tianhen’s hands.

Only now did Gu Feng realize the depth of his error, and curse the heavens for allowing Mu Tianhen to become so terrifying.

But no matter his regret, nothing could change the ending.

With Gu Feng subdued, Mu Tianhen hefted him in one hand, his heavy sword in the other, and strode back into the crowd, unleashing a true massacre.