BXBX NOVEL Chapter 176 Exacting Oaths
"He has gone crazy!"
He Ding muttered, petrified by Ikasa's bold actions.
Nothing could describe Ikasa's actions better than the word insanity!
He had killed Mu Shi and every Cultivator who followed him!
At the moment, Ikasa and his companions were massacring the Su Family, sparing none!
Neither the little beauty of the Su Family, Su Zhi, was spared nor was the other girl in the group. Ikasa looked like an incarnation of the God of Slaughter to the other powers.
Path Finder He Ding gulped his saliva with trepidation.
When he had visited Ikasa, he would've never pegged him to be someone who would kill so decisively. The young man had endured his insults very calmly.
Ikasa was so cool and collected in his presence that He Ding had lost his temper. After the battle with Zhen Ya, He Ding had marked Ikasa as someone timid and cowardly who hides behind women.
He disparaged Ikasa; looked down on him. But he forgot how much courage it takes to face a strongman as a weakling. The mental strength required to endure such pressure is much harder to cultivate than the cultivation of Spiritual Energy.
In his grudge against Ikasa, he poisoned the Young master He Qing's ears and nurtured a prejudice against Ikasa in his mind. He had egged the Young Master to provoke Ikasa earlier, hoping he would get to teach the weakling a lesson.
He Ding regretted his decision now. After seeing Ikasa and his companions' battle prowess, he realized that there was no one here who could compete against them and emerge victorious.
If Ikasa found him unpleasant, he could also kill him! In the face of the profits Ikasa helped earn, the He Family would not begrudge him at all!
He Ding's back was covered with sweat. He desperately wished for the Absolutes to start teleporting them out of the Planar Rift. He did not want to meet Ikasa who had clearly tipped over the brink of sanity.
—--
"Ikasa, that's enough!"
Feng Yan held Ikasa's shoulder as he was about to chop on Su Zhi's head once more. Her light had already started dissipating.
Ikasa breathed heavily. He could not see the carnage he had caused but his body was sticky with blood. Sanity returned to his eyes after he had punished the culprits behind his troubles.
Still, their work was not done yet.
Ikasa looked at the powers standing in the distance. He let out a deep breath and fed Moony a few pieces of Starry Night Berries, replenishing his energy.
With a slow and steady pace, Ikasa led their group to where the other Sense Trainers were gathered. The arrival of their group caused the other Sense Trainers to flinch or shrink back.
Ikasa always tried to nurture a positive image of his Gold Heart Business Group. The fearful fluctuations of energy he saw were like a slap in his face.
'Anyways, I can mend my image anytime. But this fear can help me attain my goal without further bloodshed.'
Ikasa smiled ruefully. He went and stood in the center of the various powers gathered. To get a better response Ikasa decided to portray the Mu Family as the ultimate bad guy.
"Brothers and Sisters, every one of you know that the Mu Family is famed and dreaded for its militancy. They start a war for the smallest of reasons."
He paused and let his words sink into the minds of the people. He started with a well-established fact that all those present agreed with. His words immediately received support from the people.
"The Mu Family really is too much. A few years ago, their young master abducted the young and beautiful daughter-in-law of the Xui Family in broad daylight and killed all who resisted."
"A Merchant Company of Ebony City refused to give goods for free to one of the Elder's sons. The Mu Family killed the merchant and took over his business and ruined it."
"They never pay taxes and demand a 100% concession from the City Lords of whichever city they set up shops in."
"Their members behave like tyrants wherever they go…."
"They are not even the main branch of the Royal Family, just a side branch and yet their descendants are so arrogant…"
People shared numerous rumors and bad experiences they had of the Mu Family amongst themselves. Ikasa didn't even need to fan the flames such was the infamy of the Mu Family.
After the whispers slowly died down, Ikasa slowly brought out the topic of imminent threat.
"If they come to know that their Scion was killed in here while you watched without helping, what do you think will happen? Will they spare you?"
Ikasa saw the energy signatures of Sense Trainers fluctuate. They came to realize what horrible fate awaited them once they stepped outside. Ikasa smiled, seeing things proceed as planned.
Suddenly, an unpleasant opinion surfaced. And the one to propose it was the Young Master of the He Family.
"What does that have to do with us? We can just hand you over to the Mu Family. Maybe the Mu Family will even reward us."
One of the unaffiliated Sense Trainers also voiced the same thought.
"Yes! Why must we share the blame for your sins? We should just report what happened here to the Mu Family and the Su Family truthfully."
He was tempted by the reward He Qing mentioned. As an unaffiliated Cultivator, resources were hard to come by and any opportunity to earn some had to be grabbed with both hands.
Ikasa's smile became chilly. He coldly looked at the Cultivator and sent his Serrated Sun Disc flying in his direction. A breath later, that Sense Trainer was no longer breathing.
The Sense Trainers gasped upon seeing his energy signature disappear. The fear they had suppressed came rushing back up.
"Anyone else shares the same opinion?"
Ikasa asked with a frosty smile, looking specifically in the direction of the He Family and their young master. Though no one could see it, suddenly many of the He Family's people felt that their backs turned cold.
"Young Master, don't spot nonsense!"
Path Finder He Ding scolded He Qing and covered his mouth. He looked at the incarnation of the devil who had killed ten Sense Trainers and one Path Finder.
He Ding was concerned by the fact that there were fewer people capable of combat alive than the amount Ikasa had killed!
The only path to survival was to bootlick Ikasa and concur with everything he says.
"Sense Trainer Ikasa, don't mind the words of the child. I agree that the Mu Family will not let any one of us go."
Though his mouth said 'the Mu Family', He ding meant Ikasa. He was more afraid of what Ikasa might do to all of them if they did not go along with everything he said.
Ikasa's frigid tone thawed a little after receiving the support of He Ding. He looked at the other powerful faction, the Nian Clan, and saw no resistance there.
The rest of the Sense Trainers, either unaffiliated or hailing from small families, also had no power to stand up against Ikasa. They quietly gulped saliva and listened to what Ikasa had to say.
"I propose that all the Sense Trainers take a collective Oath of Secrecy and forever bury the incidents that transpired here deep in our hearts. The penalty for the one breaking the oath shall be instant death!"
Si!
The Sense Trainers sucked in a cold breath at Ikasa's proposal. A penalty of instant death? It was too harsh of an oath for them to bear!
They looked at Ikasa with apprehension but not one single person opened his mouth to protest. Suddenly, one brave heart asked a question that plagued everyone.
"What should we say if they ask about Mu Shi?"
The questioner was none other than Sang Yi, the leader of the Nian Clan's expedition team.
Ikasa had an answer ready. He planned to kill two birds with one stone.
"Mu Shi's followers got into conflict with the Su Family. Mu Shi fought for his people and killed the Su Family's team. While he was recuperating, the Steel Guardian Beasts attracted by the commotion killed him and the rest of his followers."
A perfect story that would pin the blame on the parties who were not alive to vindicate themselves. Nobody found anything wrong with Ikasa's story.
However, there was, in fact, a flaw in the story. With the sword hanging over their neck, no one noticed it.
They were in fact relieved that they did not have to shoulder the blame for anything. With a perfectly believable story, the Sense Trainers did not have much to complain about.
All of the people who had activated their Spiritual Vision and Spiritual Hearing began to repeat the words of the Oath as dictated by Ikasa.
"I …. swear to keep the incidents regarding Mu Shi's death and the real cause of it secret. If I disclose the information, may my blood run cold, and may I be struck to death. May the Absolutes be witness!"