"You?"
Looking at the stranger before him, Shen Lang was shocked, disbelief etched on his face.
The last time they met, the Death Knight was a skeleton with only half a face showing. But this time, the Death Knight had transformed into a living person, his appearance indistinguishable from a normal human.
"Shen Lang, I hope you are well."
The grey-clothed man looked at Shen Lang and smiled gracefully, saying, "I never expected to meet you here. It seems we are truly fated."
"However, I should thank you. Without you, I would have encountered considerable trouble entering the Tang Sect. You have cleared many obstacles for me, saving me a lot of effort."
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tang Wudi."
Shen Lang looked at Shen Lang, his eyes filled with the deep care of an elder for a junior, and even a hint of indulgence, he said with a smile.
"Tang Wudi?"
Upon hearing the name, Shen Lang was bewildered. However, Dugu Jian's eyes widened. "You are Tang Jiutian's half-brother, Tang Wudi, who was once ranked alongside Song Shadao and Shen Tianjun thirty years ago?"
"Shen Tianjun was known as the 'Living Buddha of Ten Thousand Families,' Song Shadao as the 'Mad King of the Way of Slaughter,' and you, Tang Wudi, were called the 'Great Demon God.'"
Dugu Jian spoke in shock, "I heard you died thirty years ago. I never imagined you were still alive in this world. Junior Dugu Jian is honored to meet you, Senior."
With that, Dugu Jian cupped his fists and bowed respectfully to Tang Wudi.
"Dugu Jian, I know of you. You are a once-in-a-millennium peerless genius. You did not wield a sword before the age of eighteen, yet at eighteen, your swordsmanship became unmatched in the world. You are a saint born for the sword."
Tang Wudi cupped his fists and said to Dugu Jian, "Tang Wudi is fortunate to have met a saint."
"I dare not claim such a title. Senior is the true master of the sword."
Dugu Jian replied humbly upon hearing this.
Dugu Jian's reaction greatly surprised Ye Shishi. Ever since she had known Dugu Jian, she knew how proud and confident he was of his swordsmanship. She never expected him to be so humble in this regard.
Ye Shishi did not know that she was not a true martial artist and had never heard of Tang Wudi's past reputation. His sword, once drawn, withered all life and shattered souls – that was Tang Wudi's sword.
At his peak, Tang Wudi's name was listed alongside Shen Tianjun and his fellow disciples on the Dragon Country's Prodigy Ranking. However, a shocking incident later occurred in the Tang Sect, leading to Tang Wudi's disappearance. Dugu Jian had assumed Tang Wudi was dead, but today he appeared here.
"Tang Wudi, I never imagined you were still alive. It seems my death is certain today."
Looking at the person before him, Tang Jiutian said with a bitter smile.
"Second brother, I am alive. Does that disappoint you?"
Tang Wudi looked at Tang Jiutian and said with a cold laugh, "Thirty years ago, while I was in seclusion to break through to the Innate realm, you poisoned me, destroying my meridians, causing my martial cultivation to plummet, and you imprisoned me on the first floor of the Tang Sect's Tongtian Pavilion, to be bitten by countless venomous snakes."
"Unfortunately, you never anticipated that, due to my cultivation of the world's most nefarious technique, the 'Asura Yinsha Art,' I was immune to all poisons. Even the venomous snakes couldn't kill me, and I managed to escape."
"However, even as a cripple, you did not let me go. You, along with eighteen elders of the Tang Sect, pursued me to Hell Rock. I fell off the cliff into Hell Rock, and the lava below burned away seventy percent of my body. After surviving, I was neither human nor ghost, and had to undergo modifications by the Slaughter Society, becoming the Death Knight."
Tang Wudi looked at Tang Jiutian, his smile gentle and refined, yet it sent chills down one's spine and made one's hair stand on end.
"Brother, you have enjoyed thirty years of a good life, but your good days are over. For I have returned, and I will reclaim everything that belongs to me, including your life."
"Bang—"
Upon hearing Tang Wudi's words, Tang Jiutian knelt heavily before Tang Wudi and said, "Big brother, my poisoning you back then was driven by my lust for power. This is my crime, and I deserve death. I can die, but I implore you to spare my two sons, Tang Qiji and Tang Qibing."
"My dear second brother, you never understood what kind of person your elder brother is."
Tang Wudi placed a hand on Tang Jiutian's head and smiled, "Back then, Father passed the position of Tang Sect Master to me, but I had no interest in it. My ambition was to cultivate to the highest realm of martial arts and contend with powerful figures like Shen Tianjun and Song Shadao."
"Therefore, from the moment I inherited the position of Sect Master, I handed over all the affairs of the Tang Sect to you. This was intended as a prelude to passing the sect to you in a few years. I never expected you to betray me for power, not only poisoning and pursuing me at a critical moment of my breakthrough, but also killing my wife and daughter."
"For over thirty years, I have endured inhuman torment, all for the day I would return to the Tang Sect. It is not to show others how great I am, but to reclaim what I have lost, personally."
"So, do you think I would spare you?"
Tang Wudi smiled and said, "You, your wife, and your children will all have but one fate: to die after suffering extreme torture."
As he spoke, Tang Wudi snapped his fingers. The next moment, thousands of black-clad Tang Sect disciples appeared around the ancestral hall. Among them, over a hundred Tang Sect disciples brought sixty to seventy hostages before Tang Wudi.
"Sect Master, the rebel Tang Jiutian's father-in-law, mother-in-law, wife, eighteen lovers, two legitimate sons, and forty-two illegitimate children have all been captured. Please issue your command on how to deal with them."
Over a hundred Tang Sect disciples, holding ghost-head sabers, looked at Tang Wudi and spoke with utmost respect.
"Execute them by a thousand cuts in front of Tang Jiutian!"
Tang Wudi glanced at the men and women present and said expressionlessly, "Control the methods carefully. No more, no less than one thousand cuts for each person, ensuring they all die after enduring ten thousand cuts."
"We obey the Sect Master's command."
Upon hearing Tang Wudi's words, the over a hundred Tang Sect disciples brandished their ghost-head sabers and began the execution. Screams, wails, and pleas for mercy deafened the ears.
"Tang Wudi, you beast, I will take your life!"
Seeing that his pleas for mercy had not earned him leniency from Tang Wudi, and instead led to his relatives being sliced by a thousand cuts, Tang Jiutian flew into a rage. He unleashed his full strength and struck out with a powerful punch towards Tang Wudi.
"Tang Jiutian, my foolish brother, how could you dare to attack me? Do you not know the vast difference in our strength?"
Tang Jiutian unleashed his full power, like a furious beast. Even Shen Lang would have to avoid his锋芒. However, Tang Wudi remained expressionless, unafraid, and calmly threw out a punch that met Tang Jiutian's furious fist.
Yet, this seemingly light punch instantly sent Tang Jiutian flying back over ten meters. He spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground, his bones shattering inch by inch, rendering him a cripple.