Having witnessed Lin Yan’s Sword Gang and his silent Body Technique, Zhu Danren knew that with Lin Yan’s strength, uprooting those few Water Stockades would be no difficult task.
Lin Yan didn’t answer. He had no interest in answering a dead man’s questions, let alone satisfying the curiosity of such a vicious Water Bandit.
Dying with an explanation was a gift.
Seeing that Lin Yan didn’t answer, Zhu Danren gave a bitter smile. "Huo Shen does deserve to die, but he is the old Alliance Leader’s only grandson, and I owe the old Alliance Leader my life."
He said this because he could feel Lin Yan lumping him in with Huo Shen. But he wasn’t like Huo Shen; he was repaying a debt of gratitude.
"Repaying a debt?"
Lin Yan made no attempt to hide his scorn. On the boat ride over, he had already learned about the Martial Artists of the Water Bandit Alliance and knew exactly who this man was.
Zhu Danren, Blind Huo’s most trusted subordinate in the Water Bandit Alliance.
"When a man is about to die, he always scrambles for an excuse to justify his past, trying to cover his shame with a fig leaf. In my eyes, there’s no difference between you and Huo Shen."
"I admit that I’m no longer your match now that I’ve lost both my hands, but there’s no need to humiliate me." Zhu Danren’s brow furrowed with displeasure.
"Humiliate you? You think far too highly of yourself."
Lin Yan raised Abyss. "Your so-called ’repaying a debt’ is just an excuse to give your monstrous actions a clear conscience. As Blind Huo’s most trusted man, how do you think you earned that trust? It was because you were utterly loyal to him under the banner of ’repaying a debt.’ And in return, that loyalty got you the Martial Arts Resources you craved—Elixirs, Spiritual Weapons... which one of them isn’t stained with human blood?"
"If you truly had a spine, if you were really just repaying a debt, you would have only carried out Blind Huo’s orders and refused the Elixirs and Spiritual Weapons he offered. Had you done that, I would have found you an auspicious burial ground after your death and respected you as a man of principle. But as it is... your corpse is no different from the other Water Bandits. Feeding it to the river fish would be a waste; I’d feel it’s not even worth it for them."
"You enjoy Martial Arts Resources plundered and stained with blood on one hand, while trying to wash yourself clean on the other. You deserve to die even more than these Water Bandits. You’re worse than a whore in a brothel!"
PTHOO!
Already grievously wounded, Zhu Danren staggered as Lin Yan’s series of taunts ripped away the last fig leaf covering his conscience. He actually spat a mouthful of blood.
Seeing Zhu Danren spit blood, Lin Yan didn’t hesitate for a second. He swung the Abyssal Sword, and the Sword Gang flared to life again.
’His mind is in turmoil. This is the time to kill him!’
Zhu Danren was a Blood Exchange Third-Turn Powerhouse, after all. ’Even without hands, if I attack him head-on, he might still be able to dodge.’
’The main issue was that he had never fought a Blood Exchange Third-Turn Powerhouse before. This Zhu Danren was his first.’
’Deserves to die more than the other Water Bandits!’
’Not even worth feeding to the fish!’
’Worse than a whore in a brothel!’
Zhu Danren’s mind was still reeling from those three phrases. Each of Lin Yan’s words had been a sledgehammer, shattering the web of "repaying a debt" he had spent more than a decade meticulously weaving.
By the time he came to his senses, he saw Lin Yan’s sword descending. His expression changed in an instant, and he tried to dodge.
But it was too late!
The ink-black blade pierced his chest, and the terrifying Sword Gang instantly shredded his heart to pulp.
He didn’t even feel the pain before he was toppling backward onto the ground.
’How hypocritical,’ Lin Yan thought. ’He still didn’t want to die, did he?’
Looming over the body, Lin Yan stabbed down again without hesitation, this time piercing straight through Zhu Danren’s throat.
Now, only one person was left.
Sword in hand, Lin Yan turned his gaze to Huo Shen.
’You’re a real disappointment.’
He had imagined Huo Shen as a frenzied madman who would fight like a cornered beast, even on the brink of death.
He never expected the real Huo Shen to be nothing more than a spoiled waste.
He only knew how to bully the weak. The moment he met someone stronger, he was worse than a stray dog.
Even a terrified dog knows enough to bark a few times to build up its courage.
’And this thing... was supposed to be a Blood Exchange Realm Martial Artist? He doesn’t even have the courage to fight back.’
"Lin Yan, don’t kill me! I can admit I was wrong! Just let me go, and I’ll be your loyal servant. Whoever you want dead, I’ll do it for you."
Huo Shen’s voice trembled. In that moment, he was no longer the Six-fingered Yama who slaughtered women and children on merchant ships or forced people to drink for his amusement in the Water Stockade.
He was just a coward, a waste of a man who, despite having all his limbs, couldn’t even stand up.
Lin Yan watched him without moving.
He remembered the bodies of the women and children on the deck of that merchant ship—their clothes torn, the strangle marks on their necks.
His grip on the hilt of Abyss tightened.
A flash of an ink-black blade reflected in Huo Shen’s terrified pupils.
The left arm!
The right arm!
The left leg!
The right leg!
Each swing of the sword was met with a blood-curdling scream.
Fifteen strikes in total.
On the ground, nothing was left of Huo Shen but pieces. Sword in hand, Lin Yan walked away without a backward glance.
As night fell, the battle cries from the Reed Marsh gradually faded.
By the time Lin Yan reached the main Water Bandit Alliance stockade, many of his clansmen were already waiting.
Lin Shouyan emerged with a Long Halberd in hand, fresh blood still dripping from its blade. His gaze swept over the junior members of the clan in front of the stockade. "Clear the area. Back to the ships."
The extermination of the Water Bandit Alliance had gone smoothly. With three True Gang Realm Powerhouses deployed, along with the numerous Blood Exchange Realm Powerhouses from the Third Branch, the Water Bandits were completely wiped out, save for a few who might have slipped through the net.

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