Master Longyue stared at Liang Xiao, smiling faintly. "Seeing you, this old monk sees Liang Anguo in his youth, and a sense of disgust naturally arises in my heart."
"The Shadow Guard found no poison in your mouth; it seems you never thought you'd one day be a prisoner," Liang Xiao replied with a smile.
Master Longyue maintained his smile. "Originally, I planned for Liang Anguo to die in Helan Mountain, merely to vent my anger. Back then, during a debate in the Buddhist temple, he publicly refuted my Zen principles, leaving me no room to maneuver... I never imagined that my revenge would be at the hands of the Great Liang's Northern King. Wonderful, wonderful!"
Liang Xiao understood that Master Longyue intended to provoke him. He simply laughed heartily. "Heaven's will, the cycle of retribution, who can escape it! So today, you have fallen into the hands of Liang Anguo's son. His revenge methods are varied and numerous; there's definitely one that suits you."
Master Longyue faltered for a moment, suddenly recalling the fates of the Left and Right Virtuous Kings. A shiver ran down his spine, but he quickly regained his composure, cast a disdainful glance at Liang Xiao, and remained silent.
Qin Feng, Zhuo Zifang, and the others watched quietly. Yue Hongxi gritted her teeth, her eyes practically spitting fire.
They knew that a fire of anger was suppressed within Liang Xiao, waiting to erupt.
Just then, Luo Qingxue and others, escorted by the Shadow Guards, also arrived at the inn.
Upon seeing Master Longyue, who had killed their father, they too could not hide their anger.
Master Longyue knew he could not escape, so he did not beg for mercy. Instead, he stared at Qin Xun and sneered, "This old monk truly never imagined you could hide so deeply. At such a young age, you could suppress your hatred and smile as you consumed your mother's flesh and blood... It seems the methods my sect uses to cultivate followers still have some flaws, with occasional leaks."
Qin Xun said coldly, "My calmness is also thanks to you. I knew very well that if I resisted, even seeking revenge for my mother would be a distant hope, so I endured in silence. However, I never expected you to be so confident in yourself."
Master Longyue laughed heartily. "Because in this life, I have only stumbled at the hands of Liang Anguo and his son. Whether on the battlefield or behind the scenes, I have never lost to anyone else. Yet, in the end, I lost to my own pride."
Qin Xun couldn't help but chuckle. "Before you depart, I don't mind letting you know that among the thousands of core disciples of the Spring Revival Sect, I am not the only traitor. Each and every one of them will hasten your demise!"
Master Longyue's brow furrowed. He pondered deeply but could not fathom who else might be a "traitor."
Liang Xiao was in no hurry to speak. He listened quietly as Qin Xun and Master Longyue exchanged words.
Since this Master Longyue hailed from Izumo, an island nation far to the east of Great Gan, his complicity in the affairs of the Spring Revival Sect was undeniable.
It made sense that Ito Masamune of Izumo would dare to risk lobbying various nations to conspire against Great Gan!
If Mu Cheng had not confessed to him, he would not have dared to believe that Izumo would risk sowing discord between the once friendly Great Gan and Great Liang.
Only the Spring Revival Sect could make Izumo's bold move seem reasonable.
Perhaps Yu Zao's family in Izumo, the Higashino clan, also met their end because of the Spring Revival Sect!
Zuo Wuji did not possess Liang Xiao's patience. He immediately slapped Master Longyue across the face.
"You beast, you must have been involved in killing our countrymen, as well as my wife and sister-in-law back then, didn't you?!"
"Hmm? That's right, I suggested wiping you all out in one fell swoop to eliminate future trouble," Master Longyue replied calmly.
Zuo Wuji and Zuo Wushang's eyes widened with fury. Each of them slapped Master Longyue.
Zuo Jing, overcome with grief and indignation, also moved to strike but was stopped by Zuo Wuji.
"Such a beast is not worthy of soiling a young lady's hands! Let your father handle this!"
With that, Zuo Wuji rained a barrage of slaps upon Master Longyue, drawing blood from his lips.
The onlookers couldn't help but roll their eyes.
Zuo Wuji's excuse was grand and noble, but in reality, he was just finding an excuse to vent his anger. This man's shamelessness was comparable to his shameless son-in-law…
Watching the enraged Zuo Wuji, Qin Feng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and reminded, "I have already sent word to His Majesty and Sword Master. They will surely come to see."
Liang Xiao smiled and nodded, not rushing to deal with Master Longyue.
He was contemplating a strategy, determined not to let Master Longyue die easily, even if it was only psychologically.
As the Vice Sect Master of the Spring Revival Sect, this man clearly feared no death and found pleasure in harming others.
Therefore, before his death, all his psychological defenses must be shattered to honor his father and uncle, and the innocent soldiers and civilians of both nations who suffered.
However, Liang Xiao was not majoring in psychology and could not deconstruct this man's psyche and beliefs in a short time.
He had initially planned to prevent Master Longyue from sleeping for tens of days before his death, waking him up every time he closed his eyes until his spirit broke. But he suddenly thought of Galileo. Doing so would be no different from the Inquisition that oppressed Galileo.
As for the methods the enemy had used to torture the martyrs of his homeland back then, he absolutely could not employ them!
These methods were the first to be ruled out, making things very difficult.
He had to destroy his faith in a righteous manner first!
Zuo Wuji's method of venting his anger satisfied himself for the moment, but it would only make Master Longyue more self-satisfied.
"Liang Xiao, if you are a true hero, give this old monk a swift end. Don't drag it out," Master Longyue seemed to have lost interest and sneered. "Oh, and you can use torture too. Lingchi is acceptable. I will use my resilience to highlight your incompetence!"
"No matter how incompetent I am, aren't you still my prisoner?" Liang Xiao retorted with a curl of his lip.
Master Longyue was speechless and simply stopped engaging in verbal sparring with Liang Xiao.
It was now late at night when Sword Master and Mu Cheng arrived after hearing the news.
Upon seeing Master Longyue, their expressions darkened, and they sat to the side.
"Anguo can finally rest in peace."
Mu Cheng did not try to steal the spotlight, merely allowing Liang Xiao full authority over Master Longyue's disposal.
"Based on my experiences within the Spring Revival Sect over the years, I have some insight into the inner workings: the Spring Revival Sect was originally a branch of a cult called the 'Sun God Cult.' This cult absorbed the civilizations of various countries, distorted various religious beliefs, and then merged them for their own use to bewitch followers. Through a method akin to raising vipers, they meticulously selected believers with unwavering faith in their doctrines as core disciples. Any hesitation would result in immediate blood sacrifice."
"Among them are also some remnants of the Great Zhou dynasty, holding high positions in the sect, such as Yan Jun and Su Wencheng..."
As Qin Xun spoke, the expressions of the others changed.
Wasn't that Su Wanqing's elder brother?
Only Mu Cheng, Liang Xiao, Qin Feng, and Zhi Rou remained impassive.
Master Longyue, seeing the Great Liang Emperor and Qin Feng present, his eyes darted, and he interrupted Qin Xun. "Liang Xiao, this old monk now understands. Your so-called heavenly lightning, the materials contained sulfur! After that heavenly lightning exploded, there was a smell of burning sulfur!"
Sulfur?
The people of Great Gan's hearts sank.
His sudden outburst was clearly intended for Mu Cheng and Qin Feng, aiming to sow discord between the two nations.
Qin Feng and Mu Cheng pondered thoughtfully.
Sulfur was indeed a flammable substance...
"Oh, really? In that case, I am prepared to send all the sulfur in the country to Liang Xiao, so he can use it to deal with the Spring Revival Sect and the Tianri tribe," Mu Cheng said surprisingly, leaving Master Longyue utterly stunned.
"You are the Great Liang Emperor, how could you..." Master Longyue exclaimed, a mixture of shock and anger.
"The moment I learned of the Xiu family's collusion with the Spring Revival Sect, I resolved to eradicate the Spring Revival Sect and the Tianri tribe behind them, regardless of the cost," Mu Cheng stated calmly.
Having schemed for half his life, how could he not understand Master Longyue's petty trick?
Master Longyue was helpless and urged, "Then hurry and act! The more you torture this old monk, the higher my status will be after I ascend to heaven! In the future, I will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with my sect's Tianri gods! The Tianri gods are omniscient and omnipotent, creators of the world, and one day they will lead their followers to sweep across Great Gan and Great Liang!"
"Omniscient and omnipotent?" Liang Xiao narrowed his eyes and looked at Master Longyue.
This old bald donkey actually had faith in gods, and this faith might have developed after the Tianri tribe destroyed the Western Holy Church?
"Indeed! The more my physical body is tortured by enemies, the higher my divine status will be after death. This is the promise of the omniscient and omnipotent Tianri gods!" Master Longyue replied proudly.
Qin Xun sighed. "Marquis Anguo, the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master of the Spring Revival Sect are the most fervent believers among those dozens of Tianri gods..."
Liang Xiao smiled slyly. "Then let me ask you, if the Tianri gods are omniscient and omnipotent, can they create a stone that they and all the gods cannot lift?"
Silence fell over the entire hall.
Master Longyue, who had been full of fervor, was also stumped by Liang Xiao's question.
Even Liang Xiao himself was somewhat surprised.
This kind of paradox, he never expected, could one day be put to use.
At least, it was enough to confound these fanatical followers of the Spring Revival Sect.