Suddenly, a little starlight twinkled in the dark night sky. The starlight grew brighter and brighter, dazzling and brilliant, streaking across the night sky like a long rainbow, heading straight towards Qingshi Town.
The glowing object, in its entirety, was a massive sword, ten feet wide and over ten feet long. Mystical runes covered its perimeter, and its entire body glowed with a silvery-white spiritual energy, a breathtaking sight. It was hard to imagine what kind of giant could wield such a massive blade.
The giant sword descended from the sky, causing surging air waves and stirring up vast clouds of dust.
Two monks in flowing white robes stood upon the sword. One was a petite young woman, in her prime, with bright eyes and a vibrant energy. A butterfly perched on her shoulder, emitting a faint purple light that seemed otherworldly. The other woman, a sword slung behind her, was tall and slender, with waist-length hair and a cool aura. Simply being near her made the surrounding temperature drop by several degrees.
Leaping down from the giant sword, the young woman, full of energy, rubbed her hands together and said, "We're finally here. Is this Qingshi Town? Where's that bandit from Hengshan? Let me punish this traitor and teach him a lesson. Let's see if he dares to harm others again!"
The cold woman also stepped down from the sword. With a flick of her hand, the huge sword shrank rapidly until it was only a finger's length and was put into her sleeve. She spoke elegantly:
"E'er, don't be anxious. You've only just entered the early stages of the third level, and that bandit from Hengshan has the strength of a late third level. If you underestimate your opponent, you'll suffer a great loss."
The girl named Mo'er chuckled, "Master, didn't you say I was the reincarnation of an immortal, invincible in my level, and even capable of fighting across vast realms? The Hengshan Bandit will ultimately be defeated by me."
As she spoke, she gave another sweet laugh. "Besides, don't we still have you, Master? Even if I really can't beat him, as long as Master is willing to take action, I'm afraid the bandit Hengshan wouldn't be able to withstand even a single blow. What kind of waves can he cause?"
The cold woman frowned slightly. "This is your training in the world. Everything depends on your own strength. I will only protect your life when you are on the verge of death. This time, flying on a sword is an exception. There will be no such opportunity next time."
E'er argued, "I understand. Master said he wouldn't interfere with my training, but when he heard the people were in trouble, he still rushed over on his sword the first time, not wanting to delay even a moment. Master is clearly the kindest person!"
"You..." The cold woman shook her head slightly, a hint of tenderness in her eyes. "This time is just an exception. From now on, you have to rely on yourself in all future battles. You are the 170th generation descendant of the Xuannv Sect. If you keep relying on my strength, you won't be able to grow."
As she was speaking, she heard uncontrollable crying coming from Qingshi Town. Her expression tightened slightly. "I hope we are not too late. From the distress letter we received, it seems that the strongest commander here, Zhang Yong, is only at the early stage of the third level. He can't hold out for long under the enemy's attack."
The two men walked quickly forward, their steps light and their clothes fluttering, their figures moving as swiftly as the wind, and soon they arrived outside the military camp.
"Oh no...we're late."
From a distance, the cold woman released her perception and detected the tragic situation in the military camp. Her eyes trembled, and an endless coldness surged up.
Moth flew forward, but before she got close, she smelled a strong fishy odor. When she entered the military camp, the tragic scene in front of her shocked her.
But in the center of the military camp, there were hundreds of densely packed spears, and on each spear, there was a head. Those heads had pale faces and dilated pupils, as if they had experienced unspeakable fear in their lives.
Mo'er was horrified by the horrific scene before her and subconsciously took a few steps back, the purple butterfly on her shoulder fluttering off. Having spent her entire life in seclusion practicing, she had never witnessed such a tragic scene. She vomited with a "wow" sound and took a while to recover.
The cold woman's face turned ashen. Even with her fortitude, she couldn't help but feel a dull pain in her heart as she watched this horrific scene, which was like hell on earth. What kind of cruel and violent person could commit such a dehumanizing act?
After a while, Moer finally recovered his breath. Looking at the heads, he couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling. He asked, "Master... aren't you afraid?"
The cold woman shook her head calmly: "I have seen even more tragic situations when I traveled to the West in the past."
Suddenly, the sharp-eyed Moth discovered that in front of the many spears, there were several large bright red words written in human blood.
"summer?"
Mo'er read the contents of the bloody words and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled: "Master, what does this summer mean?"
The cold woman shook her head slightly. "I don't know more than you do. However, since that person committed such a brutal act and left bloody words here, I think the word 'summer' has a deeper meaning. It's definitely not just summer among the four seasons."
Mo'er keenly sensed the question in her master's words: "That man? Isn't it the brutal bandit Hengshan who did all this?"
The cold woman looked around, carefully checking for clues nearby, and had already come to a conclusion in her mind:
"E'er, you still have a lot to learn during this journey into the world. The answer to this question has long been hidden in the various traces around you, and what you lack is the keen eyesight to find the answer."
E'er begged for mercy, "Master, please stop keeping me in suspense and tell me the answer quickly. I want to know who committed such a cruel act. I, Li Fei'e, will uphold justice for those innocent people who died!"
The cold woman pointed at the dried blood in the distance and said, "Do you see those footprints?"
"What's wrong with the footprints?" Li Fei'e was puzzled.
"The size of a footprint can reflect a person's size. Eighty percent of the footprints in the pool of blood nearby are identical, belonging to the same person. That person walked steadily and swiftly, and was the murderer who killed everyone. Judging from the footprints alone, that person should be about the same height as you..."
As she spoke, the cold woman looked around, her gaze landing on the corpse in the distance that had been split in half. "Such a clean and neat cut. The weapon in that person's hand must be much larger than an ordinary sword."
She carefully compared the traces around her, from the angle of the bloodstains, whether it was splashing or dripping, to the slash marks on the corpse. She closed her eyes slightly, and a coherent picture gradually emerged in her mind.
A petite figure, wielding a weapon that was disproportionate to her size, walked with steps as ghostly as a shadow, and completed a massacre as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.
Hot blood splattered on the man's face, but he didn't even blink. Instead, he swung his weapon harder. Every move and every style contained an indomitable momentum. People's wailing and begging for mercy could not shake the man's heart in the slightest.
"Such a powerful force can burst out from such a thin body. That person is definitely not the bandit Hengshan, but a cultivator who is stronger than the bandit Hengshan." The cold woman concluded.
Li Fei'e blinked and soon discovered something. He quickly walked to a collapsed tent. Inside the tent, a headless corpse lay on the ground. Its chest was deeply sunken and branded with bloody palm prints.
"Master, I remember the letter asking for help said that the bandit Hengshan possessed a strange and unnatural skill called the Heart-Destroying Devil Palm, which could leave a pitch-black palm print on a person. Isn't this the mark of the Heart-Destroying Devil Palm?"
The cold woman shook her head and walked to an overturned wooden table. She carefully compared the footprints on the ground and waved her hand, deducing what had happened in her mind:
"It happened so suddenly. He was sitting there, and before he could react, he was ambushed and dealt a heavy blow. If it was the notorious bandit Hengshan, no matter how careless he was, he wouldn't have been completely unprepared. It seems that things are more complicated than we thought..."
The cold woman sighed, "If the souls of these deceased were still there, I could ask them a few questions. Unfortunately, we are still a step too late. Their souls have all been taken away by the ghost messenger, leaving only their broken bodies..."
As she spoke, she suddenly changed the subject: "Ghost Messenger over there, you should have heard enough. How long are you going to hide? Why don't you come out and see me?"
Seeing his figure being exposed, a figure slowly stepped out from the inconspicuous shadows behind the tent. The person was dressed in a black robe, tall and thin. He bowed and said, "Ghost Messenger Ye Jie, I pay my respects to the two immortal masters."
"You evil devil, are you trying to do something bad by eavesdropping like this?"
Seeing Ye Jie appear, Li Fei'e clenched one hand, and a blazing arc of electricity rose in the palm of her hand. The electric light was scorching, and the magnificent power contained in it could cause exponential damage to the soul. She looked Ye Jie up and down, ready to punish him at any time.
"E'er, calm down. Ghost messengers are an important part of keeping the world running. They are not evil ghosts. Without them to summon souls and spirits, the world will soon be overrun by evil spirits. Strictly speaking, your ancestors in the Netherworld Palace can also be considered ghost messengers."
Under the persuasion of the cold woman, Li Fei'e curled his lips in anger and stopped talking.
The cold woman said to Ye Jie, "My name is Shen Qingge. We are from Northern Juluzhou. We heard that the bandit Hengshan was causing chaos here and the people were suffering. Although we hurried here, we were still a step too late. Can you tell me what happened here?"
Ye Jie looked up and saw the tragic scene in the distance. His gaze lingered for a long time on the word "Xia Tian" written in blood. He was full of suspicion and answered:
"To be honest, I just arrived. I didn't send away the souls of the deceased. I don't know what happened here."
After a pause, Ye Jie pointed to the center of the camp: "However, the Hengshan bandit is indeed dead. That's his head stuck there."
Shen Qingge and Li Fei'e exchanged a glance, each noticing the other's surprise. They approached and saw a brutal scar on the head's face, which indeed matched the description in the letter asking for help. They thanked Ye Jie and asked,
"By the way, Mr. Ghost Officer, besides the bandit Hengshan, are there any other villains worth noting in this area? The blood that has flowed like a river in this camp, and the devastation it has inflicted, must be the work of a ruthless, cruel, and bloodthirsty villain. This person is definitely not unknown."
Ye Jie was silent for a long time before shaking his head. "I don't know if there are any other evil thieves around here besides the Hengshan Bandit. But you two, being alone out here, better be careful and pay attention to safety in everything you do."
Facing Ye Jie's reminder, Li Fei'e laughed heartily. Purple butterflies fluttered around her. She said nonchalantly:
"You, ghost messenger, are quite amusing. With my master's peak fourth-order strength, unless he were to besiege the entire Li Tang nation, or face the Tang King head-on, in this vast world, even if he faced an army of thousands, he could come and go freely. Who could stop him?"
Ye Jie was stunned, and there was a serious look in his eyes when he looked at Shen Qingge. Seeing this person's graceful demeanor, profound and immeasurable strength, he realized that this reminder was completely unnecessary.
"Alright, Moth. Didn't I tell you? This is your training. Unless your life is in danger, I won't intervene. Whether you can take down this brutal villain depends on your own strength."
Shen Qingge's tone was cold, and even when facing Ye Jie, a complete stranger, he showed his high self-control. He bowed and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ghost Messenger, for your reminder. Shen Qingge will keep it in mind."
Ye Jie clasped his fists in return and said no more.
Ye Jie didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the two of them walked away, but what followed was a strong sense of uneasiness.
Not far away, the remains of a corpse were vividly depicted. The dark palm print on its chest was undoubtedly left by the Heart-Destroying Devil's Palm. Now that the bandit Hengshan was dead, there was only one person who knew the Heart-Destroying Devil's Palm and happened to be there.
All the tragic conditions in the camp point to one conclusion: everything that happened here was done by Xia Wei.
When Ye Jie took out the ghost order, his arm trembled slightly. After finding out Xia Wei's position, he shrank into an inch and moved away.
Arriving at the beach where bones are buried, in the dark night, the surrounding environment has long been difficult to distinguish. The only sound I can hear is the gurgling water. The river flows without stopping, and all the disputes in the world seem to have gone away.
On the river bank, there was a young girl sitting. Her aura was as sharp as a knife blade, her eyes were like fire, and she warned people not to approach her. There were also spots of blood on her pretty face.
She pulled her long hair back into a long ponytail in front of her left side, scooped up water with her hands, and repeatedly washed the blood stains from her hair. The blood flowed into the river, dyeing a large area of the river red.
Sensing the movement behind her, she turned around abruptly, a chilling light flashing in her eyes, and she picked up the seven-foot Mo Dao beside her.
After confirming the identity of the visitor, her icy face finally softened and she called out softly, "Master..."
Seeing Ye Jie coming, Xia Wei finally found a place to release all the grievances and bitterness hidden in her heart. She ran to Ye Jie without saying anything, threw herself into his arms, and sobbed softly.
