Chapter 3088 - Garbage

The atmosphere was stifled and oppressive, in stark contrast with the heart devil’s casual demeanor. He sat there, legs crossed, head resting in his hands, as indolent as could be.

The Secluded Ones frowned in mild displeasure. He thinks our rules aren’t even worth a fart, huh? How could he have so little respect for the Mountain of the Secluded Ones?

It was only out of consideration for the Big Boss’s reputation that the Secluded Ones managed to suppress their ire.

Grandmaster Song Lan of Three Purities Temple said coldly, “How glorious an existence was the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City? So why is it that his heart devil has such a glib, biting tongue?”

The heart devil couldn’t even be bothered to look at him. His eyelids just drooped. To him, Song Lan’s words were no more than wind blowing past his ears.

Song Lan couldn’t help but frown in the face of this sheer disregard.

The red-faced, powerfully built old man in purple robes beside him snorted derisively. “Ultimately, he’s just a heart devil. All he can do is bare his teeth and borrow the real Big Boss’s prestige.”

This was a blatant insult. The other Secluded Ones’ eyelids twitched, and they instinctively glanced at the heart devil, afraid that he’d lash out in anger.

But against all expectations, nothing of the sort happened. The heart devil just sat there languidly, head resting in his hands, struggling to keep his eyes open as if he were on the verge of dozing off.

When the purple-robed old man saw this, his sneer intensified. “Am I mistaken, everyone? Were the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City seated before us, what need would he have to demand justice or borrow another’s prestige to intimidate us old-timers?”

Most of the Secluded Ones remained silent, but one of them couldn’t help but laugh. “Ol’ Meng, if the Big Boss were still here, he’d have killed you for those insults already!”

Many of the others chuckled. That was indeed the case. Everyone in the All-Profound Dominion knew that the Big Boss seldom spoke. When he killed, he did so without warning, as if unwilling to waste even a single word.

It didn’t matter if you weren’t convinced. He’d just kill you!

That was why people were so afraid of him. He killed without warning or prior discussion, so there was naturally no opportunity to argue or talk him out of it.

Against all expectations, the old man in purple, Old Ghost Meng, shrugged. “When the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City was around, I naturally wouldn’t have dared to let out so much as a single fart, but... he’s been gone for a long time!”

Old Ghost Meng jeered. “All that remains of him is a pitiful heart devil, a mere wandering ghost, and his reincarnation on the River of Destiny, who might die at any moment. What’s there for me to fear?”

The other Secluded Ones sighed to themselves. His words were grating to the ears, but this was reality.

Had the Big Boss still been here, Sword Sovereign City would never have been destroyed in the first place!

Who’d fear Sword Sovereign City now? And who’d take a mere heart devil’s words to heart?

“Forgive my rudeness, heart devil,” Song Lan said calmly, “But the moment you demanded the Mountain of the Secluded Ones uphold justice, you revealed your own weakness and ineptitude!”

Old Ghost Meng sighed and applauded. “Well said!”

The other Secluded Ones’ gazes were conflicted. As hurtful as these words were, they were the truth. Had the heart devil been as capable as the Big Boss, he’d have drawn his sword and attacked by now.

Yet now, even in the face of Song Lan and Old Ghost Meng’s insults, the heart devil seemed too afraid to even fart. He just sat there, pretending not to hear.

It seemed he had no temper whatsoever!

Some of the Secluded Ones couldn’t help but feel disappointed. They felt as if they’d overestimated the heart devil. Some even considered revising their opinion of him and adjusting their treatment of him accordingly.

Had Su Yi been here, he’d have realized that there was something strange about the heart devil’s behavior.

The heart devil was a lawless chatterbox, yet now, in the face of provocation and insults, he’d suddenly fallen silent.

That wasn’t how the heart devil did things!

There was no doubt about it. This uncharacteristic silence meant that the heart devil was waiting for something.

Unfortunately for them, those present didn’t understand the heart devil, so they naturally had no way of knowing this.

Song Lan didn’t even look at the silent heart devil. All he said was, “Garbage.”

The Secluded Ones’ hearts shook. This insult was a grave affront to the heart devil’s dignity, humiliating to the extreme.

The atmosphere was suddenly stifled and oppressive. Some of the onlookers couldn’t stand to watch any more of this.

One of them said, “Song Lan, this is the Secluded Realm, a place of discussion. Reign it in a little! Especially since it was Three Purities Temple that broke the rules in the first place!”

The speaker was a grandmaster of Confucianism. His name was Wen Xun.

Song Lan glared coldly at him. “Wen Xun, who are you to teach us how to behave?”

The atmosphere was increasingly oppressive. Many of the onlookers’ expressions shifted, and they silently transmitted warnings to Wen Xun. Better to stay out of this mess.

But Wen Xun disregarded them all. His brow furrowed. "The Mountain of the Secluded Ones belongs to all of us, not just to Three Purities Temple. You broke our rules, yet you’re still acting so imperiously? What does Three Purities Temple take the Mountain of the Secluded Ones for?”

Song Lan laughed coldly. “There’s nothing more aggravating than a Confucian trying to argue about right and wrong. Dare you speak directly? Tell us, Wen Xun. Whose side are you on? Are you planning to step forth and argue for justice on that heart devil’s behalf?”

Wen Xun looked utterly enraged, but just as he was about to respond, the heart devil spoke out of nowhere. “I’m glad the Mountain of the Secluded Ones still has someone like you, Wen Xun. Otherwise, I’d be completely disappointed in it.”

The crowd then watched in astonishment as the heart devil stood and stretched languidly.

Practically simultaneously, Song Lan trembled uncontrollably, his face suddenly paling. He barely resisted the urge to cough up blood.

He recovered a moment later, but each of the Secluded Ones was more perceptive than the one before. There was no way they’d miss that something was wrong with Song Lan.

All of them reached the same conclusion: Something bad had happened to Song Lan’s clone and the other Three Purities Temple experts in the Sea of Fate!

Many of the Secluded Ones looked bewildered at the thought of it. Who could possibly have destroyed Song Lan’s clone? Does this mean that the Big Boss’s reincarnation, Su Yi, managed to avert catastrophe?

Old Ghost Meng’s heart sank. He understood Three Purities Temple’s plans far better than most of the Secluded Ones. He knew they’d broken the rules and intervened with two goals in mind.

They wanted the mysterious Untethered Boat, and they wanted to kill Su Yi before he became a Heavenly Sovereign.

But something had obviously gone wrong!

The heart devil turned to face Song Lan, the depths of his gaze surging with vicious ferocity.

Song Lan shot to his feet and said coldly, “What are you planning to do?”

The heart devil grinned, eyes narrowing into slits. “In your eyes, I’m just a heart devil, a pathetic, inept weakling, no more than garbage, so it shouldn’t matter what I’m planning to do. After all, there’s nothing to be afraid of, right?”

His voice had only just rung out when the entire hall vanished as if erased by an invisible enemy or force. The crowd suddenly found themselves exposed to the elements.

Song Lan’s pupils constricted. He waved his sleeve, raised his hand, and formed a hand seal.

Crack!

The sound of crunching bones rang out, and blood splattered the air as Song Lan’s hand shattered before he could form a seal.

A large, fair hand slammed ruthlessly into Song Lan’s face, delivering a crisp, clear slap.

Song Lan spun like a top, spinning several full circles before collapsing to the ground. His hair was disheveled, and his face was as red and swollen as a pig’s. Blood dripped from the corners of his lips, and the impact left him seeing stars.

The Secluded Ones were startled. None of them had anticipated that the heart devil would attack so directly, much less that Grandmaster Song Lan wouldn’t be able to block even a single hit. He couldn’t fight back at all!

Song Lan was startled, too. His hair stood on end.

Earlier, when the heart devil attacked, an indescribably terrifying power of the Grand Dao appeared, like invisible shackles suppressing his cultivation. That was what had prevented him from fighting back.

Before Song Lan could give the matter any further thought, the heart devil furrowed his brow. “Don’t interfere. Let Song Lan kill me himself! Surely he can do it? After all, I’m just garbage, a mere heart devil.”

His voice was full of long-suppressed fury and incontrovertible force.

The terrifying power suppressing Song Lan’s cultivation base vanished without a trace.

The other Secluded Ones’ hearts shook. Is someone helping the heart devil from the shadows? Is he the one who suppressed Song Lan?

Song Lan rose, then roared, “Who’s helping that heart devil? Dare you step forth and show yourself?”

The heart devil burst into laughter, but his smile was utterly icy. He said softly, “See that? He still thinks I need someone else’s help to kill him. How much does he look down on me?”

Boom!

Heaven and earth shook, and terrifying sword force rose into the nine heavens, shaking the entire Secluded Realm.

The nearby Secluded Ones’ eyelids twitched, and all of them moved further away.

Practically simultaneously, a streak of sword qi descended from the heavens.

Song Lan felt a stinging pain in his eyes. His heart shook, and without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed the strongest divine ability he could muster.

As a Secluded One, his true body’s cultivation was naturally endlessly terrifying. He was no ordinary Dao Ancestor.

But in the face of this sword qi, he was like a mantis trying to block a chariot, weak and ineffectual.

A heaven-shaking impact rang out as countless powers of the Laws exploded, scattering into a rain of light.

Song Lan, meanwhile, was sent flying. His defensive Dao Light shattered, and a startling gash tore open on his chest.

Before he could steady himself on his feet, his body split in two, and each half split into pieces. He’d been chopped to bits in a single attack!

It was so tyrannical that the Secluded Ones couldn’t help but gasp.

Only now did they realize just how terrifying the Big Boss’s heart devil really was.