dkrc Chapter 1972 ends, but it's also a new beginning; Black Tiger finally appears.
Chapter 1972 ends, but it's also a new beginning; Black Tiger finally appears.
Chapter 1972 ends, but it's also a new beginning; Black Tiger finally appears.
"So what? I am the Black-Hearted Tiger!"
Faced with the overwhelming, seven-colored pillar of light that seemed to destroy the heavens and the earth, Blackheart Tiger, after his initial shock, unleashed a near-mad obsession and determination in his eyes.
It wasn't just ferocity in the face of a powerful enemy; deeper still, there lay an unwavering, paternal obsession.
"Xiao Hu has a divine destiny; all he lacks is time. I must buy him more time!"
Throughout his life, he killed countless people, committed numerous evils, and plotted to seize the world. Yet, in the deepest, softest, and most untouchable corner of his heart, he reserved it only for his son, Hei Xiaohu.
What martial arts overlord, what demonic sect's foundation, all seem insignificant in the face of the identity of a father.
This unexpected "divine opportunity" that Little Tiger obtained was Black-Hearted Tiger's greatest hope, and he would never allow anyone or anything to ruin Little Tiger's destiny.
If he dies here, Xiao Hu's path to immortality may become more uncertain. If he is defeated, Xiao Hu will definitely be the next target of the Seven Swords!
Thinking of his son's bright future, a fleeting hint of tenderness and hope, so incongruous with his demonic identity, appeared in Black Tiger's blood-red eyes.
For Xiaohu's sake, he cannot fall here, at least not so quickly, not so worthlessly.
He must buy enough time for Xiaohu!
"Roar!"
Blackheart Tiger roared to the sky, and the veins under his skin bulged out, turning an ominous purplish-black. His originally burly figure seemed to have hunched over, but the murderous aura he exuded was extremely intense.
The thick, dark aura, as if alive, gathered wildly in front of him, compressing into a black sphere no bigger than a millstone, yet so solid it seemed capable of absorbing all light.
"Dance of the Heavenly Demons"
He pushed forward with both hands, fiercely confronting the seven-colored combined light pillar that descended from the sky with the pitch-black ball of light that embodied everything he had!
"Little Tiger, this is all I can do, Daddy."
In the final moment before light and darkness collided, a trace of tenderness and longing finally lingered in Blackheart Tiger's blood-red eyes.
The next moment, a destructive glow engulfed everything.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Amidst the deafening roar, a ring of destructive ripples, a mixture of seven colors and darkness, suddenly expanded at a speed exceeding the speed of sound.
Huge rocks, grotesque buildings, and the remains of demonic cult members who couldn't escape—everything was as fragile as paper before this power, instantly turning to dust.
The sky was torn apart; a huge hole was ripped open in the thick, dark clouds, revealing the sky behind.
The pitch-black ball of light formed by Black Tiger's final "Dance of the Heavenly Demons" could only withstand the combined light of the seven swords for less than a breath before it shattered under the immense pressure!
"Click".
"Boom!"
On the surface of the pitch-black sphere, the countless distorted ghost faces shattered instantly, but the beam of light only dimmed slightly.
After shattering the dark orb, its momentum remained undiminished, and it slammed into the Black Heart Tiger behind the orb, whose aura had already weakened.
"puff!"
Blackheart Tiger didn't even have time to make any blocking or dodging movements.
In fact, after exhausting all his strength by unleashing "Heavenly Demon Dance," he had no strength left; like a leaf in a storm, he was struck head-on by the dazzling beam of light.
"Boom! Boom boom boom!!"
His body crashed through several towering mountain peaks behind him, the hard rock walls easily penetrated like tofu, leaving behind holes that were clear from front to back.
The smoke and dust mixed with rock powder formed a straight trail.
Finally, after crashing through an unknown number of mountain peaks, that terrifying power was exhausted.
Blackheart Tiger's mangled body, like a broken rag doll, crashed heavily into the pile of rubble on the back of the last mountain peak, embedding itself deeply and stirring up clouds of dust.
"Cough cough. Hehe"
He barely managed to lift his head, his mouth gushing out black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. His once sharp and menacing eyes were now ashen, and his breath was extremely weak.
He could clearly feel that his meridians were shattered, his dantian was destroyed, and his life was rapidly slipping away.
As the dust settled, seven figures floated down from mid-air. Apart from Rainbow Cat, the other six swordsmen were not in good condition either, their auras somewhat unstable.
Clearly, the combined attack of the seven swords had taken a huge toll on them.
But they stood with their swords in hand, their posture still upright.
Seven pairs of eyes all turned to the distant pile of rubble, to the once invincible figure, now on the verge of death.
Jump Jump walked forward, crossed the edge of the giant pit, and came to a place not far from Blackheart Tiger.
Looking at the demon he once hated to the bone, now on the verge of death, his eyes held a complex mix of emotions: the satisfaction of finally getting revenge, the excitement of releasing years of pent-up frustration, and a chilling sense of peace settling down.
He raised the Azure Light Sword, its tip pointing at Blackheart Tiger, his voice somewhat hoarse:
"Black-hearted Tiger, now that things have come to this, do you have any last words?"
"Last words? Cough cough... Hahaha... Cough cough cough."
"I only regret not discovering your identity sooner, Jump Jump, no, the Azure Light Sword Master."
"Otherwise, I would have killed you as soon as possible!"
Black Tiger struggled to twitch the corners of his mouth, letting out a hoarse and intermittent laugh, as more black blood gushed out.
His dejected eyes looked at Jump Jump, then slowly swept over Rainbow Cat and the others. Finally, his gaze seemed to pass through everyone and land in a certain direction, where his last concern lay.
"Stubborn to the end!"
The last trace of complex emotion in Tiaotiao's eyes completely transformed into a cold, resolute determination.
Without further hesitation, and unwilling to listen to any more of this demon's nonsense, he let out a clear cry from his cyan sword, which transformed into a streak of lightning and cold light, and thrust forward without hesitation!
"Pfft!"
The sharp sword tip pierced through Blackheart Tiger's already ravaged chest without any resistance, and pierced his still faintly beating heart.
The sharp sword energy attached to the sword erupted instantly, completely shattering the heart meridian.
Blackheart Tiger's body trembled violently, and his last glimmer of life vanished as quickly as the tide receded; his wide eyes gradually lost all their luster.
The once fearsome leader of the Demonic Sect, who struck fear into the hearts of the entire martial arts world, perished at the foot of Black Tiger Cliff, ending his life.
Jump Jump drew his Azure Light Sword, stared at Black Heart Tiger's lifeless corpse, remained silent for a moment, and then let out a soft breath:
"ended."
The voice was very soft, yet it seemed as if a tremendous burden had been lifted, carrying with it a sense of emptiness after a great revenge had been achieved.
"Yes, it's over."
Blue Rabbit stepped forward, sheathing her Ice Soul Sword. Looking at Black Heart Tiger's corpse on the ground, a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.
Sally, Daben, Doudou, and Dada also sheathed their swords and surrounded them.
There wasn't much elation of victory on the faces of the crowd; instead, there was more of a sense of relief and exhaustion, as well as a feeling of unreality, as if they had just returned from another world.
This past month has been both dreamlike and rushed for each of them.
From hiding and not knowing each other, to being found one by one by Rainbow Cat, learning the truth, exposing the traitor, practicing their combined skills, and finally storming the devil's den and killing the mastermind, everything happened as fast as a storm.
Who could have imagined that the seemingly invincible Black Heart Tiger and the Demonic Sect, which had suffocated the entire martial arts world, would actually be defeated by the seven of them working together in such a short time?
"All of this is thanks to Rainbow Cat."
Sally spoke softly, her gaze shifting to the orange-clad figure who had been standing at the very front, now gazing at the ruins of Black Tiger Cliff. All eyes turned to her.
Yes, all the differences stem from him.
If Rainbow Cat hadn't found them with his foresight, if he hadn't brought them trust and unity, if he hadn't led from the front and planned ahead, they would never have been able to gather the seven swords so smoothly, let alone achieve such a successful integration in such a short time and unleash the unparalleled power of the Seven Swords Combined.
It was he who brought them together from their scattered state.
Sensing the gazes of the crowd, Rainbow Cat turned around. His face did not show much joy at defeating a powerful enemy; instead, it carried a composure and solemnity beyond his years.
He glanced at Black Tiger's corpse, then looked towards Black Tiger Cliff, which was showing signs of collapse in the distance, and the vast rivers and mountains beyond.
"An ending is also a beginning."
Only he knew that the destruction of Blackheart Tiger was far from the end of everything.
The future depicted in that memory copy, the turmoil in the martial arts world has never truly subsided.
Even without Black Tiger, there will be other ambitious people, new conspiracies, and new calamities.
When has this turbulent martial arts world ever truly enjoyed lasting peace?
But this is precisely the meaning of their existence as the Seven Swordsmen, and their responsibility.
They protect the light, purify evil spirits, stand up in times of crisis, and hide in the mountains and rivers during times of peace.
Ending a catastrophe prepares us for the next possible crisis; eliminating a tyrant brings more peace and tranquility to all people.
"Although Blackheart Tiger has been eliminated, remnants of the Demonic Cult still exist, and the undercurrents in the martial world have never ceased."
"But now that the seven swords have come together, we should work together with one heart and one mind."
"Today is an end, but also a new beginning."
"No, your future is over."
Just as Rainbow Cat finished speaking and the Seven Swordsmen were filled with emotion, an indifferent voice came from afar, echoing across the ruins.
Everyone turned around abruptly, looking in the direction of the sound.
A young man dressed in black, with a tall and straight figure and a face that bore a five or six-point resemblance to Black Tiger, but appeared even younger, was seen stepping through the air from the end of the dilapidated mountain path of Black Tiger Cliff.
Yes, walking on air!
It was as if there were invisible steps beneath his feet. Each step he took was light and steady, his clothes fluttering, and a faint and mysterious halo flowed around him. This was completely different from the feeling of martial artists in this world using lightness skills, making him seem even more ethereal.
In just a few breaths, he had crossed the distance and landed on the open ground not far in front of the Seven Swords, standing right next to the corpse of Black Heart Tiger.
The newcomer first lowered his head, his gaze falling on the lifeless corpse of Blackheart Tiger.
His gaze was extremely complex, containing indifference, a hint of barely perceptible regret, but more than anything, a detached calm, as if he were looking at a stranger who was related to him but not a close relative.
He remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly in a voice devoid of much emotion, as if addressing a corpse, or perhaps talking to himself:
"Forgive me for not saving you, Father."
"But you are ultimately the father of the 'previous body,' not the father of 'me.'"
"Black Tiger?!"
Rainbow Cat's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the newcomer as Black Tiger's only son, the young master of the Demonic Sect, Black Little Tiger!
However, the Black Tiger in front of him seemed to have a fundamentally different temperament from the young master of the Demonic Cult that he had learned about in the "memory copy".
Moreover, Black Tiger had not shown himself since the attack on the Demonic Sect's headquarters, and only appeared now that Black Heart Tiger had been killed, which was extremely unusual.
He had initially thought that Hei Xiaohu was in seclusion and was unaware of what had happened in the past month, but now it seemed that things were not as he had imagined.
"Black Tiger? What's your relationship with Black Heart Tiger?"
Da Ben, being the most straightforward, saw that the young man looked so much like Black Heart Tiger, and when Rainbow Cat called out his name, he immediately pointed his Thunder Sword at the other man and demanded an explanation in a gruff voice.
Their speed in gathering the seven swords, practicing their combined attack, and storming the demon's lair was too fast. They didn't have much interaction with Black Tiger as in the original story. Da Ben didn't even know that Black Tiger had such a son.
Jump Jump cautiously looked at this young master, who had once been with him in the Demonic Sect but with whom he had little interaction, and said in a deep voice:
"He is Black Tiger's only son, the young master of the Demonic Sect, Black Tiger."
Hei Xiaohu didn't take Da Ben's questioning and the hostility of the crowd seriously.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the seven swordsmen who were standing ready, and finally landing on Rainbow Cat.
That gaze carried a scrutinizing quality, a condescending indifference as if looking down at ants, yet it also revealed a hint of doubt.
“Rainbow Cat, Master of the Rainbow Sword”.
"And you, Ice Soul, Purple Cloud, Rain Flower, Thunder, Whirlwind, Azure Light. The seven sword successors, you've all arrived in an orderly fashion."
"I should thank you for resolving the last and greatest karmic entanglement of this body for me."
He glanced at Blackheart Tiger's corpse, his tone chillingly indifferent.
"Although the process was a bit rough, the result was acceptable."
He gently raised his hand, as if to brush away non-existent dust from his clothes. This casual gesture carried a composure that seemed out of place with the brutal battlefield around him.
"What do you mean?"
Blue Rabbit frowned slightly.
Since he is the son of Black-Hearted Tiger, why can he speak so coldly after seeing his father die?
That was his biological father!
Even though Black Tiger was utterly wicked and deserved to die, as a son, witnessing his father's tragic death was so calm and even contained a hint of "gratitude," which was beyond common sense and beyond the scope of good versus evil, exuding a chilling aura.
"It means that because of the karmic entanglement between this body and the original owner, I am unable to personally harm him."
“But in my heart, I don’t need a father, especially a father who loves his children but is likely to discover my identity in daily interactions and thus hinder my path.”
"Therefore, his death is the best outcome for me."
Hei Xiaohu said indifferently, as if talking about his biological father's death was like talking about discarding a useless thing.
This not only sent a chill down Lan Tu's spine, but also made the other six swordsmen look astonished and incredulous. The act of patricide is a taboo that is intolerable to heaven and earth, whether in the righteous or the demonic path, yet this person can say it so matter-of-factly.
Furthermore, what does "original owner" mean? And what does it mean to discover his identity?