I have been bound in a forbidden place for five hundred years. Why are you crying when I am a casual

"what--!"

"Damn it, watch out, watch out for these mortals!"

"Junior brother, junior brother, how are you!"

"Defend quickly! Defend quickly! Why are these mortals' powers suddenly so terrifying?"

The mortal's self-destruction unfolded too quickly, almost instantaneously. Cultivators on the outermost edge were caught off guard, and many were caught in the blast. Some had half their bodies blown off, some had their arms and legs shattered, and some even had half their heads blown away.

The scene was horrific.

"Damn it...damn it!"

"What's going on? They clearly don't have any cultivation at all, so why were they able to self-destruct, and cause such terrible damage?"

"What kind of Buddhist technique is this?"

"We can't let them get close; we need to keep our distance!"

Everyone's face was extremely grim. They were all caught off guard by this sudden turn of events and couldn't understand why a mortal who shouldn't have cultivation could unleash such terrifying power.

What's even more troubling for everyone is...

As this group of mortals self-destructed, a large crowd surged in from afar. Every one of them had a crazed look in their eyes, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey. Each one was fearless and could self-destruct at any moment.

"Stop them! We can't let them get any closer!"

Jian Si made a swift decision and immediately gave the order. The Sword Sect disciples naturally did not hesitate. What was originally just a method to separate the crowd into one path was now rapidly expanded, forming a long river of sword energy around the entire group that could block everything.

All mortals who approached were abruptly stopped ten feet away from the crowd.

Not an inch!

Even at this point, they still did not intend to slaughter these mortals; they only wanted to use their cultivation to keep these mad mortals at bay on the perimeter as much as possible.

To reiterate, these mortals are innocent.

Can……

"boom--!"

"Bang bang bang-!"

While their choice did temporarily stop the crazed mortals, these mortals seemed completely ungrateful. Seeing that they couldn't get close, they chose to self-destruct the moment they were blocked.

Clusters of blood mist exploded continuously, even transforming into a blood-red miasma that enveloped the crowd, making those who witnessed it look grim.

"Madmen, these are all madmen, they've gone completely insane!"

"What exactly are these Buddhist monks trying to do? They actually mobilized so many mortals to self-destruct. These people are all their followers, and each one is a human life. How could they do such a heinous thing?"

"Damn it, look in the distance, there are even more people approaching. Could it be that they have summoned all the mortals in the entire Buddhist kingdom?"

"..."

Although safety was temporarily guaranteed, everyone's faces were extremely grim.

too crazy!

These mortals were truly insane; they were fearless and their faces were filled with an extreme, fanatical devotion, as if death was not the end for them, but a brand new beginning.

No amount of death could ignite a desire for life in others.

Worse……

"what--!"

"Senior brother, senior brother, what are you doing? Why did you attack me!"

"Stop! Junior sister, wake up! I'm your senior sister! What's wrong with you? Wake up!"

"Beware of this blood mist! There's something wrong with the flesh and blood of these mortals!"

Accompanied by several screams and shouts, everyone was surprised to find that their companions, who had been injured by the self-destruction or tainted by the flesh and blood of those mortals who had self-destructed, had suddenly turned into fanatical believers without a sound.

They then launched an attack on those around them.

If the cultivators of the Tianyuan Sword Sect hadn't been highly trained experts, the losses from this incident alone would have been unimaginable.

But just as they managed to calm these people down, they suddenly realized something.

The mortals who kept self-destructing on the periphery were actually getting closer to them. The sword energy river that was originally ten feet long was now slowly weakening to only five feet wide due to the self-destruction of these mortals.

"Something's not right. These self-destructions seem to be depleting our spiritual energy!"

"It's not just attrition; they seem to be developing resistance to our spiritual energy through continuous self-destruction and contamination. This river of sword energy can't be restored, not even with enough spiritual energy!"

"It's probably the power of the rules brought by this godforsaken place."

"What do we do now? If this continues, they will get close to us again, and with the strange power emanating from their self-destructed flesh and blood, we will likely be in a very passive position!"

"..."

The entire team was completely on the defensive at this moment.

That boundless tide of mortals was no longer just a problem, but a threat, a real danger that could wipe them out.

And right now, the path lies before everyone.

It seems there's only one left.

"Kill them all, show no mercy, and don't be soft-hearted!" Jiang Jiansi gave the order almost through gritted teeth.

"But... so many people... should we kill them all?"

"Kill them all!"

"These are the people of an entire nation, probably numbering in the millions, and you just... killed them all?"

Many people found it hard to believe.

Even a prodigy like Xue Wuyai couldn't help but remind them: "If so many people are killed, everyone present will likely suffer for the rest of their lives from this bloodshed, and it might even affect their own Dao heart."

There are many murderers in this world, and many cultivators think they are superior to mortals, regarding mortal lives as worthless as weeds.

However, sects like the Tianyuan Sword Sect, which take it upon themselves to uphold justice for humanity, are not in this category. On the contrary, most of the people here are chivalrous sword cultivators. If they were to actually do it, at least most of the disciples of the Tianyuan Sword Sect would likely undergo a drastic change in temperament, or even suffer damage to their Dao heart, and be burdened by it for the rest of their lives!

and……

With such a vast number of mortals, even if they were to truly kill those who disregard life, few would likely remain steadfast after such a massacre.

after all.

Killing one person is different from killing ten thousand people.

Not to mention the millions of ordinary people!

Jiang Jiansi naturally understood this principle. At this moment, his expression was equally grim, but he only asked, "Do you have any better ideas?"

"How about... we cancel?" someone suggested, breaking down in despair.

"There aren't many mortals behind us. If we retreat now, perhaps the Buddhist Kingdom... the Buddhist Kingdom wouldn't risk lives to stop us from retreating."

"Yes, let's withdraw our troops and avoid further bloodshed."

"This is clearly a conspiracy by the Buddhist Kingdom. They want to use these mortals to stop us. They are truly capable of sacrificing all these mortals without hesitation. Our retreat may be the best choice."

When the topic of withdrawing troops spread, many people immediately echoed it.

Yes.

They weren't without a choice; they could have chosen to retreat. If they had retreated, at least they wouldn't have had to smear their hands with the blood of ordinary people anymore.

But while some agreed, others naturally disagreed:

"But if we withdraw now, the Buddhist Kingdom, this great threat, will probably be even more vigilant and frantic next time, and may launch an even more terrible counterattack at any time."

"Although we don't know how long it took the Buddhist Kingdom to completely control these mortals, the fact that they can control cultivators with just the flesh and blood of these mortals suggests that every mortal is a potential threat. The longer the Buddhist Kingdom develops, the more difficult it will become to shake, and the more terrifying it will be in the future."

"This time we struck here by surprise. If there is a next time, it will be even more difficult."

Having fought so hard to get here, retreating now might indeed avoid the accusation of slaughtering mortals, but once they really retreat, it will likely become even more difficult to achieve the same results again.

Both sides had concerns and found it difficult to make a decision.

In the end, however, they could only turn their attention to the Sword Saint.

Now only he can make the decision; whether to slaughter all mortals or retreat, the choice rests with the Sword Saint.

Even the usually composed and confident old swordsman couldn't give a quick decision on such a problem.

He simply looked up at the Buddha-shaped city wall at the edge of the skyline, his brows furrowed.

A lot of thoughts.

but……

Just when everyone was in a dilemma, Gu Xiu, who had been observing these mortals from the crowd, suddenly spoke up:

"perhaps……"

"I have a solution."