Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 104: Sieging Murong Lin

The ‘Demonic Locust Plague’ swept through the Jiang Hu as the rumours of Murong Lin’s devilish identity spread.

The Blood Bat Locusts, resembling creatures that had crawled forth from the abyss of hell, were unmistakably foreign to this world.

Little did they know that this world was merely a hidden realm, with an incomprehensibly vast universe beyond, teeming with countless experts.

The inhabitants of this realm believed that Murong Lin was a demon, an entity from the underworld sent to unleash havoc upon them all.

The onslaught of the Demonic Locust Plague relentlessly devoured the south as Old Bo and Wan Roc King exterminated the locusts in the city that they guarded.

Despite their cultivations at the peak of the Sky Reaching realm, their strength proved insufficient to stem the full tide of the Demonic Locust Plague.

Rallying experts and influential factions within the Jiang Hu, they prepared themselves for the imminent confrontation with Murong Lin.

The only way to put an end to the crisis was to eliminate Murong Lin, and with this determination, a formidable force surged forward to exterminate the smaller swarms of Blood Bat Locusts while fervently hunting for Murong Lin’s whereabouts.

Finally, they detected traces of Murong Lin in a small town.

Old Bo, Wan Roc King, and a handful of seasoned Jiang Hu experts led a formidable contingent toward the town.

Murong Lin quickly became aware of their presence. In a small town already laid to waste, the arrival of several hundred people couldn’t be missed. He commanded the Blood Bat Locusts to advance, gathering the swarms that obscured the skies above nearby towns.

Most of the experts gathered were second-rate, or more precisely, they were Manifestation realm experts. Without hesitation, they unleashed their Manifestation transformations, launching a full-scale assault on the encroaching Blood Bat Locusts.

Meanwhile, Old Bo and Wan Roc King joined forces in their assault on Murong Lin.

Sun Yu Bo’s complexion was already pale from the injuries sustained during Lu Xiang Chuan’s ambush, and now he fought on, bearing the burden of those previous wounds.

Wan Roc King launched the first assault, bedecked in resplendent armour and wielding a pike. His eyes locked onto Murong Lin, who advanced toward them at a deliberate pace, and he thundered, “You devil, do you know what you have done!?”

His furious voice echoed like a clap of thunder, reverberating through the air. A golden, great roc slowly materialized behind him, its razor-sharp talons poised to strike as its fierce gaze bore down on Murong Lin.

Murong Lin remained still, responding with an air of indifference, “What have I done?

Murder? The daily death toll in the Jiang Hu exceeds the lives I’ve taken throughout my existence.

Raising these Blood Bat Locusts? How many lives has humanity devoured? And now that the tables have turned, do you all suddenly possess the right to be outraged?”

Wan Roc King found himself outmatched in the verbal exchange. In response, Old Bo’s gaze darkened as he interjected, “Do you even comprehend the calamity these locusts will bring upon our world?”

These days, a shadow of anguish clouded his features as he surveyed the desolation inflicted by the Blood Bat Locusts.

No signs of life remained; the once vibrant realm had succumbed to the locusts’ ravenous consumption. The earth, stripped bare by their relentless gnawing, lay sterile—a death sentence for humanity.

“In every apocalyptic movie, the ones who rage are often those devoid of strength. True heroes, on the other hand, choose to act.” Murong Lin remarked.

Suddenly, a silhouette flickered behind him, a dark mist coalescing in that very spot.

It was the Evil of lifelessness, lawlessness and formlessness!

With a swift motion, Murong Lin unsheathed his blade and swung it down toward Wan Roc King and Old Bo.

“Sky Net style!”

Wan Roc King and Old Bo swiftly evaded the attack. Assisted by the might of the golden roc, Wan Roc King’s speed had reached an astonishing level, rendering it nearly impossible to discern his silhouette.

Old Bo, on the other hand, closed his eyes and extended his arm, delivering a casual downward strike toward Murong Lin.

It was an unstoppable palm.

In the Jiang Hu, witnessing Old Bo’s actions was an exceedingly rare occurrence, and witnessing his true strength was even rarer.

This was largely due to the fact that he rarely needed to intervene personally. He had an array of allies ready to act on his behalf, and his strength was so overwhelming that he seldom needed to exert his full might.

The palm struck Murong Lin’s descending blade, instantly dispersing his technique.

Simultaneously, Wan Roc King’s form materialized behind Murong Lin, his pike thrusting toward Murong Lin’s back.

Murong Lin reacted with remarkable swiftness, launching another technique.

“Catastrophe style!”

The space around Wan Roc King’s figure cracked, and numerous wounds manifested instantly across his body. Simultaneously, a blade light materialized.

This single attack inflicted severe injuries upon Wan Roc King.

As if in the blink of an eye, Murong Lin’s form appeared behind Old Bo. Even Wan Roc King himself could not fathom how Murong Lin had executed such an instantaneous manoeuvre.

Old Bo’s expression shifted, a bloody aura suffusing his complexion as he invoked his ultimate technique.

“Sky Ascending Jade Dragon Palm!”

He pivoted his body toward Murong Lin and delivered a palm strike. However, what met his palm was the slender paring knife clutched in Murong Lin’s grip.

The slender blade yielded ever so slightly before piercing through Old Bo’s hand. strengthened by his Manifestation Transformation, Murong Lin’s blade became a weapon that no one in this world could withstand with their flesh alone.

Old Bo’s palm was instantly torn by the blade Qi. Suppressing the pain, he swiftly withdrew his hand and retreated.

“Be cautious of his blade! It’s incredibly sharp!” Old Bo shouted.

“Be cautious of his speed—he’s extraordinarily fast!” Wan Roc King warned.

Once more, the two figures stood side by side, observing as Murong Lin initiated his third blade.

Murong Lin had unveiled this third blade once before in the Jiang Hu, and now, he wielded it anew, having enhanced his strength significantly.

“Dark Sky style!”

Instantaneously, the sky surrounding them darkened.

Old Bo and Wan Roc King quickly exchanged glances, only to realize they couldn’t see each other. The entire battlefield had plunged into darkness.

Wan Roc King’s silhouette flickered as he darted left, but he couldn’t escape the confines of this attack.

He sensed danger, but he couldn’t pinpoint its source.

In this inky abyss, silence reigned supreme. Even the cacophony of death and battle outside, where people fought valiantly against the Blood Bat Locusts, had vanished into nothingness.

Here, sight had abandoned him, and the darkness stretching before him was more ominous than the darkest night.

Gone was the sense of smell; not even Wan Roc King’s acute sense of smell could detect Old Bo’s scent or the faintest trace of blood.

Wan Roc King now understood the peril they were in.

Old Bo, too, sensed the impending danger. He couldn’t ascertain whether he still stood in the same place or if he had slipped into a hidden dimension.

It was akin to a descent into hell.

All five senses had been snatched away, leaving him devoid even of the sensation of his own heartbeat.

For an instant, Old Bo pondered if he had perished and entered the afterlife.

This was Murong Lin’s third blade!

With his blade Qi, he had crafted an environment reminiscent of the confinement room—a space where the victim’s five senses were utterly severed.

It wasn’t that they were unable to see or smell, but that the flow of information from these senses to their brains had been severed by Murong Lin’s blade.

Old Bo stood motionless, closing his eyes as he tried to rely on his inner senses. Yet, at that very moment, a voice reached his ears, “Do you still remember your daughter, Xiao Die?”

It was Murong Lin’s voice.

Sun Yu Bo’s eyes snapped open, disbelief etched across his features as he cried out, “You were responsible for her death?”

Following the outbreak of the Demonic Locust Plague, Old Bo had dispatched his men to search for Xiao Die. All they had discovered, however, was the ruin of her home.

He had presumed she perished in the chaos, never suspecting that Murong Lin had singled her out with intent.

Before him, a figure seemed to materialize, its form slender and elegant.

Draped in a crimson cape, this silhouette moved slowly toward Old Bo.

Old Bo stood stupefied, recognizing this silhouette as that of his own daughter. While another individual could potentially replicate her appearance, none could mimic her compassionate presence.

But it was a pity that Murong Lin could.

His ‘Evil of lifelessness, lawlessness, and formlessness’ had disguised itself as this very silhouette.

Then, within the encompassing darkness, Murong Lin materialized behind Old Bo, thrusting his blade deep into Old Bo’s spine.

Old Bo’s body wavered, Murong Lin’s attack had pierced the wound inflicted by Lu Xiang Chuan’s hidden weapon.

Before it could even begin to heal, it was wounded afresh.

Old Bo’s expression contorted as he collapsed to the ground, and after a few feeble convulsions, he breathed his last.

In his dying moments, his eyes held a mixture of shock and guilt.

His guilt towards Xiao Die.

Old Bo had met his demise, yet Wan Roc King remained unaware.

He witnessed the vanishing of the darkness before him, and with another blink, his vision was restored.

However, what met his gaze was the lifeless form of Sun Yu Bo sprawled out before him.

The man with whom he had locked blades for over half of his life had actually died at the hands of their junior.

Wan Roc King’s expression momentarily wavered, and as he perceived a flicker of impending danger, he hastily sidestepped.

He heard Murong Lin’s roar.

“Turn your head!”

Instinctively, Wan Roc King complied, only to find a blade of light hurtling toward him.

In that moment, a realization struck him, and he cried out in dread,

“Saint of the Blade Dao?”

Translator’s note

I post a minimum of 4 chapters a week on my website, and Ko-fi will have 5 updates minimally each week. If you want to support me, please consider subscribing to gain access to 20 advanced chapters at /puttty

P.S. If you enjoyed the read, please consider leaving a review on NovelUpdates to brighten my day. Thank you.