The world had gone eerily silent.
Only the stench of blood lingered in the air—thick, metallic, and suffocating. Bodies lay strewn across the street, their lifeless forms baking under the merciless sun. Waves of heat shimmered through the haze, carrying the pungent odor of death.
A sudden tremor rippled through the atmosphere.
This soul pressure…
Song Yan's pupils contracted as the invisible force pressed down on her. Her breath grew heavy, every nerve on edge. It felt as though a demon was watching her—its gaze cold and blood-soaked.
"I should escape," she muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing at the woman before her.
From the aura alone, Song Yan could tell—Soul Saint Realm.
And judging by her attire and bloodlust, she could only belong to one place—the Corpse Devouring Sect.
The woman stood amidst the corpses, her black robe clinging to her body,
its front carelessly open to reveal her pale cleavage. Her eyes were pitch-black—bottomless, soulless. Two chakrams of dark steel floated beside her, gleaming faintly under the sun.
"This girl…" the woman murmured, tilting her head as she studied Song Yan. "Where have I seen you before?" Her gaze flickered, unfocused. "I can't recall, but I've definitely seen you."
She threw the body in her hand aside, its hollow thud echoing through the desolate street. For a moment, her vision spun; the world tilted and blurred.
"Damn that Blue Lily Spirit Wine," she muttered irritably. "Every time I drink it, I lose control—and now I can't even remember who's in front of me."
Despite her complaint, she raised her gourd again and took another deep gulp.
Song Yan seized the opportunity.
Now!
She darted toward a narrow alley, her robes fluttering like wind-torn petals.
"Hmm?" The woman's voice slurred slightly, yet her fingers moved with deadly precision. "Trying to run?"
One of the hovering chakrams quivered, then shot forward like a bolt of black lightning.
Boom—
The ground before Song Yan exploded, debris scattering as the alley collapsed in on itself. She froze mid-step, the exit sealed by shattered stone.
Her chest tightened. She's locked onto me completely… Is a fight unavoidable?
Her pulse quickened, her gaze hardening on the woman ahead. The air between them seemed to shiver, heavy with killing intent.
Song Yan clenched her fists, her expression grim. The chakram drifted back, its dark aura trailing behind like smoke as it returned to the woman's side.
"Hey, you!" the woman called lazily, eyes narrowing. "Do you know me?"
"Huh?" Song Yan frowned, confused. "What does she mean?"
She studied the woman carefully—her steps slightly unsteady, eyelids half-lowered, expression both ethereal and unfocused.
She's drunk, Song Yan realized.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The woman's voice suddenly echoed like thunder.
A crushing pressure descended upon Song Yan.
"Ugh—!" She gasped, the ground beneath her feet cracking. Her knees buckled, forcing her down on one knee as sweat streamed down her temples.
Saintly soul pressure!
She gritted her teeth, struggling to breathe.
If not for advancing my cultivation to the Nirvana Realm with Ye Kaishan on that boat, she thought grimly, and for the reinforcement of my divine soul, I would have already collapsed under this pressure.
The black-robed woman began walking toward her, slow and steady, each step resonating like a drumbeat.
Do I really have to use my Divine Soul and fight her? Song Yan's eyes glimmered with golden light as energy began to stir within her.
"Halt—!"
The heavens themselves seemed to speak.
A cascade of glowing petals rained down from the sky, swirling like a storm as they shot toward the black-robed woman.
"Tch—" the woman hissed. Her chakrams spun wildly, releasing waves of soul energy. The air howled as thousands of pink petals collided with the whirling blades, filling the sky with blinding light and sound.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire district shook from the shockwaves.As the last petal fell, the suffocating pressure on Song Yan vanished.
She lifted her head weakly, eyes drawn upward.
A lone figure stood in the sky above, descending through the haze of petals.
The woman wore a cyan dress, her hair and eyelashes pure white,
her skin like smooth cream under sunlight.
A faint pink lotus mark adorned her forehead, pulsing with divine glow. Her face was serene—expressionless, yet her presence radiated divine authority.
So they finally sent someone to investigate, Song Yan thought, regaining her footing.
The newcomer's gaze was calm, but beneath that tranquil mask, Song Yan sensed a buried killing intent.
"She's stepping on space…" The black-robed woman's brows lifted. "As I thought—a Saint like me."
Her chakrams vibrated defensively, orbiting her like silent beasts.
The woman in cyan descended gracefully, stopping a short distance from Song Yan.
"My name is Hong Lian," she said softly, her voice as calm as rippling water.
Her sharp eyes lingered on Song Yan. "You don't look like a disciple of Yaochi. And you lack the vile aura of the Corpse Devouring Sect. So, what are you doing here?"
Song Yan bowed slightly, her tone respectful but composed."I'm just a lone cultivator. I heard screams and sensed a bloody stench coming from this area. Out of curiosity, I came to investigate."
Hong Lian's expression didn't change, but her gaze deepened."A lone cultivator?" she repeated quietly. "Strange. No wandering cultivator in the Nirvana Realm could endure a Saint's pressure and remain conscious."
Her eyes flicked toward the black-robed woman.Still, she's not the problem right now.
Hong Lian turned fully toward her opponent, her aura subtly intensifying.
"For the past few weeks, the Corpse Devouring Sect's black-robed disciples have been slaughtering innocents within Heavenreach Citadel. And now…"
Her gaze swept across the bodies strewn along the blood-soaked streets. "Now you've massacred thousands outside the city as well."
Her tone sharpened."Does your sect truly take our Yaochi Holy Land so lightly? What are you scheming?"
The black-robed woman chuckled, lifting her gourd again. "Scheming? Hahaha…" Her laughter was soft yet chilling. "I wonder—what are we conspiring?" Her cheeks flushed red from wine as a sinister smile curved her lips.
Hong Lian sighed faintly. "Still drinking in front of me? As expected, barbarians."
Her calm eyes turned razor-sharp. Soul energy burst from her form, rippling like divine waves through the air.
"Blades of Vajra Lotus!"
Thousands of lotus-shaped petals materialized, spinning in formation as they hurtled toward the black-robed woman with blinding speed.
"Do you think I'll just stand here?"
The woman laughed, her figure vanishing like smoke. The petals struck the ground, detonating in a brilliant flash that tore a massive crater into the street, sending dust and debris skyward.
Her laughter echoed faintly through the dissipating haze."Our mission is complete. We'll meet again—if fate allows."
And with that, her presence vanished into the distance.
Hong Lian floated still for a moment, her expression unreadable as the petals around her dissolved.
"Mission?" she murmured. "What was their goal this time?"
Her brows furrowed slightly. "It's useless to guess now. I'll ask that girl instead."
She turned—
But the street behind her was empty.
"Gone?" Hong Lian's lips parted in faint surprise. "Did she escape too?"
Closing her eyes, she extended her divine sense outward. It swept across the ruins—touching water droplets, drifting dust, whispering wind, even the heartbeat of small insects. But there was nothing.
After a long silence, she sighed."If she truly was a lone cultivator, I would have recruited her into the sect."
Her voice was calm, almost wistful. "Let's return."
With a single step, her form lifted skyward, dissolving into the clouds as the bloodstained city below fell silent once more.
....
Ye Kaishan stood still, his gaze falling upon the two corpses before him.
It was the first time he had taken a life. His eyes were grim, yet there wasn't a single trace of guilt or regret within them—only calm acceptance,
Turning around, he walked toward Shen Yao.
Shen Yao's eyes were wide, his mind blank with disbelief.
They're… dead? Just like that?
Was this really the same Brother Ye I thought was just an ordinary man?
No—he hadn't used a shred of soul energy. How could someone without cultivation strength kill trained fighters so easily? Does he still count as a cultivator… or something else entirely?
His thoughts ran wild. The shock numbed his pain, though his injuries had already begun to heal. The medicinal pill Ye Kaishan had given him earlier was working—his bleeding had stopped, and strength slowly returned to his limbs.
The young boy beside him had also taken the same pill; his wounds had closed, leaving faint blood stains behind.
Ye Kaishan stopped before them. "Are you both alright?" he asked, his tone calm but laced with concern.
Shen Yao blinked and snapped out of his trance. "Ah—yes, we're fine."
He stood up shakily, glancing at Ye Kaishan with a mix of gratitude and awe. "Thank you, Brother Ye. If not for you, we'd already be corpses."
Ye Kaishan smiled faintly and waved it off. "It's nothing. I'm staying at your place after all. And if I hadn't killed them, they would've killed many others."
Shen Yao nodded. He didn't ask any questions—how Ye Kaishan fought, or whether he was truly a cultivator. Everyone had their secrets. Some were better left unspoken.
Turning toward the young boy, Shen Yao asked,
"By the way, where are your friends? And What happened here?"
Author's Note:
If you're reading this, thank you so much for taking the time to read my first novel. It means the world to me.
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