The chiefs of the six sects pointed accusingly at the young man in black. They stared, but the young man was utterly unafraid; he simply smiled at the six formidable chiefs.
The young man's voice was deadly calm. "This is your last warning. Scram or die."
Bai Tao, cheif of Kongdong demanded, his voice strained, "Who are you?"
Yuan Dai, recognizing the young man's uniform and prioritizing the larger battle, shouted, "Right Hand Guard! Don't worry about me! Go help Chief Yuan!"
The six sect chiefs looked at each other, murmuring. "Right Hand Guard?"
Bu Chushen chief of Mangsha spoke slowly, his voice deep with dread. "You are Zan Huangming..."
Xie Zhangke chief of Huangshan recoiled. "What did you say? He is Zan Huangming?"
The six sect chiefs collectively backed away, swallowing hard, their confidence utterly shattered.
Ning Weibang chief leader of Huashan whispered terror in his eyes. "Zan Huangming, the 'Killer Strings Master'!"
Dai Liting chief of Kunlun tried to rally his courage and his allies. "Why are we afraid of him? There is only one of him and many of us!" He sprinted toward Zan Huangming, along with several other martial artists, determined to overwhelm him.
Zan Huangming smirked, his eyes cold. "I guess you choose to die."
With blinding speed, Zan Huangming threw his two golden bells into the air. He then exerted his powerful internal force, causing the bells to snap apart. Next, he directed his inner force to the fingertips of his right middle finger and pulled the guzheng string taut, retracting it back toward his waist. With a final flick of his wrist, he let go of the lethal string.
The powerful energy wave generated by the guzheng string shot forward. Dai Liting and the martial artists charging behind him were caught instantly. The five sects' chiefs, recognizing the immense power, flew up just in time to avoid the blast. The powerful energy wave raged past them, violently destroying the four massive lion statues standing behind the chiefs. More than twenty martial artists who had followed Dai Liting were instantly cut in half, including Dai Liting himself.
Now that the remaining five sector leaders had witnessed the horrifying strength of Zan Huangming, they immediately began to retreat from him, Yuan Dai, and Yuan Zixin.
Zan Huangming grabbed Yuan Dai and Yuan Zixin and flew them toward Yuan Yu, who was locked in a fierce battle with Jia Jin, the leader of the Jinfeng Sect. Zan Huangming kicked violently at Jia Jin. Jia Jin blocked the kick with his powerful Dragon Palms Strikes. Yuan Yu saw his chance and moved to strike, but Jia Jin was faster; he landed his Dragon Palms Strike on Yuan Yu, sending him stumbling backward to crash heavily onto a row of chairs.
Yuan Dai and Yuan Zixin rushed toward Yuan Yu, while Zan Huangming immediately turned and rushed toward Jia Jin. Yuan Dai helped Yuan Yu up and began frantically transferring his internal energy to the Chief.
Yuan Yu coughed, blood gushing from his mouth. "Left Hand Guard, don't waste your energy anymore." His voice was weak. "Jia Jin's Dragon Palms Strikes have already destroyed all twelve major meridians in my body. It's useless at this point to try to heal me." More blood spilled from his mouth. "Take as many members as you can and leave now. As long as there is still one member, one day our sect's name will be known again."
Yuan Dai cried out, distraught, "Chief Yuan..."
Yuan Yu's eyes were fixed on Yuan Dai, giving his final order. "This is the last order I give you."
Yuan Dai straightened, holding back his tears, his voice filled with burning conviction. "Chief Yuan, don't worry... Our sun was shot down today, but one day, our sun will rise again. We will let every martial artist prostrate under our feet!"
Meanwhile, Zan Huangming and Jia Jin faced each other. Jia Jin pointed his sword; his voice laced with wary respect. "Who are you? Your inner strength has surpassed your youth."
Zan Huangming answered plainly, his gaze unwavering. "Zan Huangming, Sunset Sect."
Bai Tao, shouting from the doorway, confirmed the deadly identity. "Leader Jin... that is Zan Huangming... the 'Killer Strings Master'!"
Jia Jin stared at Zan Huangming and said, a hint of respect and awe in his voice, "I thought the Right-Hand Guard of the Demon Yuan Yu was an old man, but I didn't expect it to be a young man."
Zan Huangming scoffed, his gaze unwavering. "Fortunately, you didn't meet my father. If you met my father, you wouldn't have legs to stand." He glanced at Yuan Yu, Yuan Dai, and Yuan Zixin. "Dai da ge, take them out of here now."
Zan Huangming, seizing the initiative, instantly launched a guzheng string directly at Bai Tao, who was still standing near the door. The guzheng string pierced Bai Tao's heart, and the old Taoist leader died where he stood. As Yuan Dai, Yuan Yu, and Yuan Zixin rushed toward the exit, Zan Huangming pivoted, his body swaying quickly, and sent out ten guzheng strings at Jia Jin.
Yuan Yu slammed his back against the door, holding it shut. He shouted at Yuan Dai and Zan Huangming, "Get out of here!" He vomited a torrent of blood.
Then, a sword pierced violently through the door panel, plunging into Yuan Yu's left chest. He looked back at Zan Huangming, his voice raspy. "Huangming, take them away. I can't hold it anymore!" He vomited more blood. "Now!"
Zan Huangming snatched two swords from the ground, tossing one to Yuan Dai. He commanded, his voice resolute, "Protect your son and let me do the killing."
Yuan Zixin, a child of only four, looked back at the horrific scene. He watched Yuan Yu blocking the door, only to be stabbed by Jia Jin. He watched his father and Zan Huangming struggle to escape. Though only four years old that day, he remembered everything as clearly as if it had just happened yesterday.
As the blinding rage and the horrific memory subsided, the hatred finally disappeared from Yuan Zixin's eyes. He closed them, a wave of exhaustion washing over him. "That was seventy years ago, and I still dream about it," he murmured, his voice hollow.
Yuan Chaomei asked quietly, "What happened to Right Guard Zan?"
Yuan Zixin's eyes reopened, focusing again. "We hid. He insisted on revenge, so he left me and my father. He went to seek revenge alone. He did kill all those who participated in the Sunset Battle, but unfortunately, he was seriously injured. We don't know if he is still alive." He looked at Yuan Chaomei. "If he is still alive, he should be over ninety years old."
Yuan Chaomei pressed softly, "Godfather, what happened after that?"
Yuan Zixin sighed. "After the death of Guard Zan, our members died one by one. My father and I hid. It took me fifty years to rebuild my foundation, destroying those so-called martial artists one by one." His voice gained a hard edge. "I helped other sects kill my most difficult opponent. I finally got rid of Mu Jiao Long, then ten years later, I met another difficult opponent."
Yuan Chaomei guessed, "Do you mean Mu Dishi?"
"Yes, Mu Dishi," Yuan Zixin confirmed. "He was even more unreasonable than Mu Jiao Long. He possessed the 'killing string' of Guard Zan but refused to rebuild the Sunset Sect. I wasted three hours trying to convince him, but he simply refused to talk to me and walked away." He let out a long, frustrated breath. "That's why the burden falls on your shoulders."
Yuan Chaomei's face turned serious. "Is this the reason Mu Dishi died?"
Yuan Zixin's smile returned, cold and triumphant. "Yes, Mu Dishi died for that very reason, or rather, because he would stand in my way when I attack Tianshan." He stood tall, his ambition burning in his eyes. "Now my biggest obstacle is gone, I can focus on our return to the martial arts world. Chaomei, soon, the entire martial arts world will hear our name again. We will rise again and become the greatest sect, like when Chief Yuan was our sect leader many years ago. Soon, everyone across the martial arts world will bow before our feet! No martial artist will not know the Sunset Sector. Our sun that was shot down will rise again! Ha... ha... ha... ha..." His maniacal laughter echoed in the night.