Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 585: Skyruler Evil-Slaying Blade!

Under the shroud of darkness, the entire city was a seething cauldron of uproar.

Fueled by outrage, the populace broadcasted the mass murders being committed among the stars of the mortal realm with flying talismans, gathering en masse outside the Skyruler Immortal Manor. They besieged this bastion of celestial law, sealing it off without an avenue for escape.

"Release her! Release her!"

The voices of the commoners, uniform and incensed, battered the walls of the Skyruler Immortal Manor again and again.

Clearly, Liu Mumu's integrity, along with her evidence, had won the approval of the citizens.

Thousands of Arbiters encircled the manor, eyeing the restless crowd with a hint of nerves.

Even they had never witnessed such a scene of complete revolt under the rule of the Celestial Court.

"Free Commander Liu, and report to the divine channels!"

"Root out the true villain, and answer for the chaos in the mortal realm!"

Yet, their demands revealed a lingering shred of hope in the righteousness of the Celestial Court.

There was still salvation to be had!

"Release her!"

The cries kept Sky Soaring City at a boiling point, stirring nearly every inhabitant to converge near the Skyruler Immortal Manor to witness the spectacle.

"If she's not released, we storm the Skyruler Immortal Manor!"

Soon, the public's fury reached a fever pitch beyond control.

If the city's main government office were breached, even the Thunder Department would face utter disgrace.

BOOM! Suddenly, the grand gates of the Skyruler Immortal Manor burst open, and a procession of celestial officials of majestic stature stepped forth.

There were about a dozen figures, their aura overpowering! Their mere appearance, even before a word was spoken, quelled the crowd with a divine authority that pressed down the voices of indignation.

These were the titans of Sky Soaring City!

Liu Zongyu, Lord Zhao, and Lord Chen… these Rank 6 Heavenly Officers of the Celestial Court were all present.

Beside Liu Zongyu stood Madame Lu, clad in a plain white gown that radiated a stark, cold dignity.

Yet, all eyes were instantly drawn to the elder at the center, youthful despite his silver hair.

"Governor Jiang has returned!"

Jiang Taiping, who had cultivated his esteemed reputation in Sky Soaring City for many years, commanded supreme authority. His mere presence, before he even spoke, subdued many with his formidable aura.

"Silence!" Jiang Taiping's command thundered like a storm breaking suddenly over still fields, quelling the bubbling tumult of the scene.

"Bring out the prisoner."

Turning his back, Jiang Taiping's voice was a cold lash.

WOOSH! The Arbiters parted and formed a clear path.

At the end of the corridor stood Liu Chaochao, tall and stern, clutching a disheveled woman by the nape of her neck, dragging her forth to be displayed before the gathered masses.

Liu Chaochao's face was taut, his eyes quivering and teeth clenched; he refused to look at the woman in his grip.

THUD! He pushed Liu Mumu down, forcing her to kneel before the crowd!

"Commander Liu..."

The people of Sky Soaring City felt a piercing sympathy, staring at this woman who hung her head, her face ghostly pale, resembling nothing so much as a walking corpse.

"Release her!"

A few scattered voices cried out, not very loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Jiang Taiping's grave expression commanded silence with a voice that boomed like divine thunder, forcing all eyes upon him.

He then turned to Liu Mumu, shaking his head. "I was but two days at the Thunder Department, and never imagined that Sky Soaring City could breed such a catastrophe! Liu Mumu, tell everyone, how did you fabricate such chilling lies to frame your brother and father?"

"Lies..."

The crowd was stunned, their minds fogged by the depth of his booming voice.

"No, Commander Liu speaks the truth!"

Eyes widened, the crowd watched the woman kneeling submissively, their hearts brimming with pity.

"I, I..."

Amidst the darkness and flashing lights, Liu Mumu raised her head, her gaze scrambled, tongue trembling, lips deathly pale, tears streaking her cheeks.

"Commander Liu, don't be afraid, hundreds of thousands of us are behind you!" a voice heatedly shouted from the crowd.

"Yes!"

"Don't fear them!"

Noise surged once more, every person's blood boiling with fervor.

"Everyone..." Liu Mumu's gaze was soul-shattering, her voice hollow like deadwood, her lips and tongue seemingly no longer her own.

Deep within her throat, dark red vermin gnawed at her flesh, feasting on her blood.

In a fit of spasms, she clutched at her throat, eyes showing the agony she endured. Amidst her struggles, a cry of despair escaped her lips.

"I, was, wrong..."

With these words, tears cascaded from her bloodshot eyes.

"Wrong?"

The people of Sky Soaring City looked like they'd been struck by lightning, their shouts halting abruptly, some staring at her in bewilderment.

Liu Mumu covered her throat, her voice trembling with sorrow as she bowed her head slowly. "I'm sorry to everyone, Lu An is dead—it was my father and brother who killed him. In revenge, I fabricated lies about the mortal realm..."

BUZZ! The crowd erupted, eyes wide, staring dumbfounded at her.

"That can't be right! The evidence in the Projection Orb was irrefutable..." someone murmured in disbelief.

"Think, you fools!" Madame Lu scoffed coldly, "That was an experimental exercise by the Thunder Department in the mortal realm, aimed at aiding beings in transcending tribulations. It was limited to a few mortal realms. Liu Mumu chanced upon some of these recordings and manipulated them, cutting and skewing the truth. A tale spun from a single image, a story fabricated entirely—only fools heated in their minds, like you, would be exploited by her, used as pawns!"

"Uh..." The crowd looked at each other, caught in a web of confusion.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Liu Mumu trembled, as if frozen in an icy cave. She bowed deeply, her forehead touching the cold ground, her voice numb as she repeated those words.

At this moment, a different sentiment finally emerged.

"I've always said, how could such sins as devouring the life spans of beings for cultivation flourish among the high officials of the Celestial Court?"

"Exactly! It's absurd!"

"Aren't they afraid of divine retribution?"

"Exactly, Liu Mumu really thought she could fool everyone!"

"Look at you all, just a moment ago, angry and easily led by the nose like monkeys!"

"Ridiculous! Laughable! A foolish farce!"

"Judgment for those who deserve it, execution for those who warrant it, let's disperse. Don't waste my time for cultivation, don't waste emotions!"

Various condemnations erupted amidst the crowd.

Before the Skyruler Immortal Manor, the faces of the gathered beings, a mix of sympathy and disdain, were vividly displayed.

Witnessing this scene, Jiang Taiping, Madame Lu, Lord Zhao, and Lord Chen couldn't help but curl the corners of their mouths slightly.

Liu Zongyu's face remained impassive.

Liu Chaochao's throat bobbed, his fists clenched tightly.

Facing the scrutinizing eyes of the multitude, his body, initially slightly bent forward, slowly straightened, his chest puffed out. The devout to the deceased, billions of mortal beings, had now a solid foundation of belief...

"You're wrong, you idiots… it's a conspiracy…!!"

A matter in dispute never settled into consensus.

Disputes often devolved into shouting matches between factions, where people only harbored hatred for those with differing opinions, losing any sympathy for the victims of the incident itself.

And so, Jiang Taiping knew this was the moment to strike while the iron was hot.

His expression solemn, his face illuminated by a divine aura!

He looked towards Liu Mumu kneeling in submission and declared in a voice of grand authority. "Liu Mumu has confessed her crimes voluntarily. According to the laws of heaven, she is guilty of spreading falsehoods and defiling the natural order. By the mandate I hold, I decree that she be executed forthwith in public, to serve as a warning to others!"

With that, Jiang Taiping waved his hand commandingly, booming, "Liu Chaochao, fetch the Skyruler Evil-Slaying Blade yourself. In righteousness, exterminate kinship, cleanse the Celestial Court of all wickedness, and protect our supreme heavenly way!"

"Yes..." Liu Chaochao trembled, nodding subconsciously.

All eyes turned to him.

"Yes!" Liu Chaochao bellowed, his expression wild as he dashed into the Skyruler Immortal Manor to retrieve the executioner's blade.

The siblings had grown up under this very blade.

Over the years, they had witnessed countless evils perish by its edge.

Liu Mumu, in those days, could never have imagined that a day would come when her once revered brother would, before hundreds of thousands, sever her head with the very blade she had revered for vanquishing evil!

The clamor of the crowd. The massacre of the mortal realm. The overwhelming control of those in power…

As a pitiable sacrifice, Liu Mumu's struggles under the dark canopy stirred no waves. She knelt, her forehead pressed against the cold ground, her tears moistening the earth.

It turned out, under this dark canopy, amidst their madness and fierce grimaces, she and Lu An were no different.

"Fetch the blade!"

With a thunderous roar, Liu Chaochao held aloft a platinum greatsword with a handle shaped like the head of the mythical beast Suan Ni, striding out of the Skyruler Immortal Manor, a figure of righteousness and light.

In contrast to him, his sister kneeling before the crowd seemed like a mere speck of dirt floating on water, scorned by thousands.

"Execute, execute!"

As the Skyruler Evil-Slaying Blade was unsheathed, some were bewildered, others cheered.

The cheers fully drowned out the calls for her release... People never liked to seek the truth; they only relished unleashing their nature!

THUD! Liu Chaochao stood behind his sister, the Skyruler Evil-Slaying Blade resting on the ground, its weight causing the earth itself to tremble as if divine authority had descended.

His hands grasped the handle adorned with the mythical beast's head.

This handle had once been the object of his dreams!

To wield this blade was to be the foremost authority of the Skyruler Immortal Manor, the Judicial Immortal of Sky Soaring City!

He had succeeded! He was his father's successor! From now on, he was the law in Sky Soaring City! His throat burned; he couldn't speak.

"Morning and evening, Chaochao and Mumu… But only the morning shines forever, reigning supreme through the ages!" Liu Chaochao's eyes reddened.

He bowed his head, gazing at his sister groveling on the ground, pitiful like a beast, and rage burst forth from his chest.

"Liu Mumu, you are cruel. For the sake of an outsider, you would doom our father's and my future; you wish us dead!

"Today, I take up the Skyruler Evil-Slaying Blade for the first time to execute you! When you reach the underworld, do not blame me; all of this is your own doing. You're no longer a child; you must be responsible for your naivety and foolishness!

"You and Lu An are the same, mere laughable specks in the world!

"Now let me tell you, as an Immortal, one must be fearless. All things are under my command; when one attains enlightenment, countless perish. This is the true way of the Immortal!"

He didn't voice these words. These thoughts burned inside him like a fierce blaze. This fire scorched his eyes, his hands, and ignited the Skyruler Evil-Slaying Blade!

"Carry out the execution!!" Liu Zongyu suddenly roared, veins bulging on his neck.