Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 48: The Eight Desolations and Six Realms Unfold

A thick, pungent smell of blood permeated this slaughterhouse, which spanned over 100 square meters. The weathered iron hooks were laden with slaughtered pigs. A thick layer of bloodstains had already accumulated in the troughs along the walls. The moment the butcher, covered in blood and grease, stepped into this blood-soaked slaughterhouse, a subtle change seemed to come over him. Lu Renjia could sense that, at that moment, the butcher was like a general who had won every battle, inspecting his spoils of war—and those spoils were undoubtedly the pork hanging from the iron hooks. Following behind the butcher, Lu Renjia’s gaze swept over the slaughtered pigs, and he froze as if struck by lightning. Having once possessed the body of Feng Xifan, a master of the art of the blade, Lu Renjia naturally knew the merits and flaws of various cutting techniques through Feng Xifan’s memories. Although the slaughtered pigs varied in size, the incisions on each one were as smooth as a mirror—identical cuts that looked as if they’d been made by a precision machine. What surprised Lu Renjia most was that the wound on every pig formed a single, straight line. It seemed the butcher had made the kill with a single stroke of his knife. Suddenly, Lu Renjia’s eyes narrowed, and he shook his head, dismissing his earlier thought. “That’s not right… I never would have thought that this fat bastard would, through trial and error, master the art of wielding knives with both hands to this level… He really is a fucking genius with a knife…” After careful observation, Lu Renjia realized that while the wounds on each pig appeared to have been inflicted in a single stroke, they were actually the result of the butcher wielding both knives simultaneously. Had it not been for the cuts of varying depths on the pigs’ necks—where they were suspended from the iron hooks—Lu Renjia would never have noticed this. Thinking of this, Lu Renjia couldn’t help but feel even more anticipation for his “Perception” ability. After “Assassin’s Heart” advanced to the “Application” level, it would filter out his strongest innate talents and continuously strengthen them. As the saying goes, “Each to his own craft”—when a person devotes all their energy to a single pursuit, they will undoubtedly become a genius in that specific field. The butcher pressed a switch on the wall, and the sound of gears grinding could be heard. “Clack… clack… clack…” Before long, mechanical gears slid along the crossbeam, and a live pig suspended from an iron hook was transported out. “Oink, oink, oink…” The pig, suspended from the iron hook, struggled frantically, letting out panicked squeals. The suspended pig stood as tall as a grown man. This sound, more piercing than the human voice, rang in the butcher’s ears like the most beautiful music. The butcher looked around at the expectant gazes of the other “Brotherhood” members, then walked slowly toward the desperately struggling pig. “Since everyone wants to see my knife skills… then today is the perfect opportunity to discuss this with our young man from China!” Pointing his finger at the pig’s neck, the Butcher said in a measured tone, “For all mammals… the carotid artery is undoubtedly the most lethal artery! Pigs… it’s the same; humans… it’s the same too! And a knife is undoubtedly the easiest tool to sever the carotid artery—it’s also the easiest to conceal, and it won’t jam like a firearm… so the knife is the most loyal!” After speaking, the butcher shot Lu Renjia a defiant glance, while Fox, standing in the crowd, stepped forward to block Lu Renjia’s path and said pointedly, “Butcher, this is an opportunity for exchange and learning… As his master, shouldn’t we let Lu Renjia demonstrate first?” Lu Renjia’s mouth twitched as he muttered, “Three days ago, when I was fighting with the Repairman, why didn’t I hear you tell me to go first? Damn it…” Fox slowly turned around and smiled at Lu Renjia, saying, “That’s why I’m letting you go first this time…” Anyone capable of advancing “Assassin’s Heart” to the “Application” level couldn’t possibly be a fool. Plus, having known Fox for over a decade, the Butcher naturally understood the intent behind his move. Three days ago, Lu Renjia had managed to break through under the repairman’s fists—proof of just how extraordinary his natural talent was. Faced with such a prodigy, the Butcher couldn’t guarantee that the other man wouldn’t pick up the sword technique he’d spent years mastering after just a single glance. Moreover, if he were to hold back when it was Lu Renjia’s turn after the Butcher had demonstrated his self-created sword technique without reservation, wouldn’t he be the one at a huge disadvantage? The Butcher tilted his chin and chuckled, “Fox is right… Since you’re our guest, you go first… What kind of weapon are you used to? Just pick one yourself…” With that, he walked to the corner of the room and pressed another switch. “Click, click, click, click…” The sound of mechanical gears grinding filled the air as the entire wall slowly rose, revealing thousands of cold, gleaming blades of all shapes and sizes on row upon row of racks. Although the scene before him was nothing compared to the vast arsenal inside the Sacred Tomb on Bright Summit, it still left Lu Renjia utterly stunned. The bladed weapons displayed on those rows of shelves encompassed virtually every type of ancient and modern, Eastern and Western bladed weapon imaginable. Katana, Scottish broadswords, rapiers, two-handed swords, sabers, Turkish scimitars, Mongolian swords, Tang swords—even the Miao swords of China were present. Moreover, some of these weapons were inlaid with rubies and diamonds, suggesting they were part of a European royal collection. Lu Renjia curled his lip and thought to himself, “That fatso… and he claims he’s broke. He could easily make five million just by selling a few of these… He’s clearly trying to renege on the deal…And then there’s Fox—that woman has had her sights set on me from the very beginning… This time, she’s even seized on the excuse of ‘exchange and learning.’ If I don’t show her some real skill, it looks like I won’t be able to learn the Butcher’s sword technique…” With that thought, Lu Renjia walked straight toward the rows of metal racks displaying over a thousand different types of bladed weapons. When he spotted two one-meter-long pudao, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. “That fatso—it seems his collection of bladed weapons has reached fanatical proportions…”He picked up the pair of pudao and weighed them in his hands. The black blades were forged from some unknown metal, adorned with ancient patterns resembling a dragon sucking up water. Thanks to their ingenious design, the two pudao—which appeared identical in length, width, and thickness—actually differed in weight. The one that seemed slightly heavier was likely meant for the left hand, while the slightly lighter one was suited for the more agile right hand. Holding the two pudao in his hands, Lu Renjia felt as if he had stepped back into the world of the film adaptation of *The Deer and the Cauldron*, and casually performed two sword flourishes. As the saying goes, a master’s skill is evident the moment they make a move. This scene brought a look of admiration to the butcher’s eyes as he watched intently. “Wow… this kid’s no ordinary guy. He actually knows how to use a pudao… If he can handle such an ancient weapon, his swordsmanship must be pretty good…” the butcher muttered under his breath. Fox curled his lip. “Pfft… It’s just dual-sword style, right? What’s so great about that?” Sloan, who had been watching everything, shook his head and smiled. “You’re wrong there. This isn’t the Japanese style of dual-sword fighting… The pu dao has been passed down in China, and each blade weighs at least fifteen kilograms—considerably heavier than the light, sharp Japanese katana…” “Moreover, for most people, the pudao is typically wielded with both hands to better harness its slashing power… To be able to use it one-handed—and even wield two at once… His swordsmanship is at least on par with mine…” the Butcher said in a deep voice. Just as Fox was about to retort, Lu Renjia—holding a pair of pudao upside down—had already walked up to the live pig struggling frantically. The *Eight Desolations and Six Heavens Sword Technique* emphasizes an unstoppable, forward-charging momentum; otherwise, none of its forty-eight forms would be purely defensive. Lu Renjia’s aura slowly intensified as he held the pair of pudao aloft. Having advanced to the mid-tier of first-class martial artists, the Nine Yang True Qi of the Hun Yuan Ruyi began to flow ceaselessly through his meridians like mercury pouring from a vessel. He turned his head haughtily and shot the Butcher a glance. “I won’t hold back… I hope you won’t hold anything back either… Step back a bit, lest you get splattered with blood…” “Rest assured, since we agreed this is an exchange and learning opportunity… I certainly won’t back down…” the Butcher said haughtily. With that, he stepped back three to five meters first. The members of the “Brotherhood” who had come to watch the spectacle also retreated one after another. In an instant, a five-meter circle formed around Lu Renjia. Taking a deep breath, Lu Renjia’s eyes flashed with intensity as he bellowed in a deep voice, “Battling the Ghostly Hero in the Desolate Mountains and Wilderness…” His resonant voice proclaimed the name of the first move of the *Eight Desolations and Six Heavens Sword Technique*. Instantly, the two pudao blades swept out in arcs like the horns of a gazelle. A force fifty times greater than that of an ordinary person erupted in an instant; as a mid-tier first-class martial artist, his profound inner energy unleashed two crescent-shaped blade auras. The two blade auras severed the iron hook holding the live pig with pinpoint precision. As the live pig struggled frantically, the second move of the *Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Sword Technique* was unleashed the very moment it began to fall: “Surrounded on All Sides, I Alone Reign Supreme.” Lu Renjia gripped both swords in reverse, spinning them in unison with his body as blade energy as fine as hair splattered out like raindrops, slashing toward the falling pig. “Splatter… splatter… splatter…” Amid the sounds of blades piercing flesh, the snow-white pig’s body was riddled with wounds of varying depths, and blood spattered in all directions. “To kill a man, one need only strike his head against the ground!” “I shall reign supreme as a marquis and chancellor!” “Slay the heavens and earth—let Mount Tai shift!” “Sever the sun and moon, and the sea will flow backward!” “With a blade in hand, what have I to fear?” “Two icy blades—who dares challenge them!” The eight moves of the “Eight Desolations and Six Heavens Sword Technique,” each with six variations, totaled forty-eight forms. In an instant, the entire live pig was transformed into hundreds of palm-sized chunks of meat under the onslaught of the raging sword energy. Watching Lu Renjia’s fierce and fearless sword technique, the Butcher’s eyes lit up. Although he had friends in the “Brotherhood”—such as Fox, the Repairman, and the Gunsmith—all of whom possessed considerable cultivation, when it came to the art of the sword, there wasn’t a single person in the entire “Brotherhood” with whom the Butcher felt he could truly connect. When Lu Renjia sheathed his blade, the Butcher’s gaze toward him changed entirely, as if he were looking at an old friend reunited after a long separation. Standing nearby, Fox was so astonished he was speechless. “That damn guy actually possesses such formidable blade skills? Just how strong is he, then? His fist techniques, speed, strength… and the blade skills he demonstrated today? It seems he’s even more dangerous than ‘The Cross’!” In his mind, Fox had already labeled Lu Renjia as extremely dangerous.