"How is there only this little?"
Wang Wu, who had seemed so reasonable moments before, immediately flew into a rage upon receiving the fruits of their labor over the past year.
"You two useless wastes! Just a few spiritual herbs? If not for this four-jin lump of spiritual iron, it wouldn't even be worth three hundred spirit stones! Was I raising you just for fun?"
The two boys hung their heads, trembling, not daring to offer any verbal defense.
The sound of his cursing carried far, so far that Wang Yu, who had just entered the Wang residence, could hear it. The depth of the fear he inspired was evident.
Continuing his approach, he stopped just below the window ledge. Activating his Lunar Gaze, he looked through the wall. Wang Wu's soul fire bloomed in his vision. The largely formed Profound Origin Demon Embryo, dormant within his body, actually transmitted a desire to devour it, like an instinctual guidance.
Demonic path secret arts were indeed strange. But now was not the time to devour Wang Wu. Suppressing this feeling, Wang Yu's gaze swept the surroundings, especially the guest rooms of the Wang residence.
After checking them one by one and finding no auras of other cultivators, he felt greatly reassured.
*This is the chance!*
*BOOM—*
It was hard to say exactly what happened. Wang Wu, his guard extremely low, was just about to physically discipline these two useless nephews when the wall of the room suddenly shattered. A figure clad in armor, wreathed in sinister black smoke, charged in. Those deep, silent eyes were fixed intently on him.
Wang Wu froze for a moment, completely failing to grasp the situation.
"Wait... who are you?"
The next instant, a long, powerful, pale arm shot out and tightly gripped his neck. Feeling the coldness transmitted through the skin of his throat, he began to panic. "This... this Fellow... Daoist..."
"Heh—"
"Wang Wu, you are truly disappointing."
Wang Yu's low voice carried a hoarse quality. If this were the Demonic Path, encountering such a situation would have prompted him to summon an artifact at the very least. But Wang Wu's reaction was like that of a lamb awaiting slaughter. No resistance, only weak and幼稚 (childish) words.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Wang Wu's life experiences were different from his own. Wang Wu was born into great wealth and privilege, spoiled from childhood into not knowing his own limits, bullying men and women, committing every evil, growing up completely lawless. After the spirit root test results, that sense of superiority as a "superior person" became彻底 (thoroughly) solidified. In the following dozen years, he killed his kin and his father, sold his sister, and slaughtered his clan. The moment he saw Wang Yu's appearance, he should have guessed he was a demonic cultivator.
But due to the "peaceful" transactions of the past, Wang Wu lacked not just combat experience; he even thought this clearly malicious demonic cultivator was a colleague, trying to use words to figure out what was happening.
How laughable! How幼稚 (childish)!
To consider such a person an enemy... was he even worthy?!
Rage flared in Wang Yu's heart. He lifted Wang Wu and slammed him violently into the ground.
As stone fragments flew, Wang Wu, feeling dizzy and seeing stars, heard the whistling of wind by his ears. His eyes widened to see a black, armored palm fiercely sweeping towards his face.
*SMACK!*
It struck squarely on his forehead.
Darkness swallowed him!
Completely unaware of what had happened, he lost consciousness entirely.
Wang Yu's gaze fell upon the two kneeling Wang descendants. He sighed inwardly. *A pity for these two.* If they hadn't been forced, they could have at least stepped onto the path of cultivation. Never mind the distant future, reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining in this lifetime wouldn't have been a problem. A true shame.
"Senior..." The two third-generation Wang boys swallowed hard with difficulty, sensing imminent danger and attempting to plead for mercy.
Wang Yu, however, shook his head.
"You took the wrong path. This cultivation was never truly yours. Consider cultivation again after you turn sixteen."
With that, he formed his fingers into a sword gesture. Spiritual power swirled around his fingertips as he precisely tapped the dantians of the two first-level Qi Refining boys. Wang Yu's icy cold force penetrated their bodies, directly destroying their feeble cultivation. As for their lives, Wang Yu didn't take them, but he used a method to extract their memories.
This night raid focused on Wang Wu. It prioritized speed and settling old scores. It had nothing to do with others. Having achieved his goal, there was no need for further slaughter. This was enough.
As for the Wang family... Wang Yu's mother died in childbirth, his father died sick in bed. They held little connection to him now. He never had strong feelings for his uncles. Perhaps he would visit his aunt in Thousand Autumn City someday. But that was it.
"People often say worldly attachments are hard to sever... Why are mine so fragile..."
A lonely night. Only the whistling north wind remained, circling incessantly. Under the moonlight, Wang Yu, with a black figure slung over his shoulder, sped towards his pre-planned destination.
This journey, there was no turning back, nor any regret.
...
...
Meanwhile, several thousand *li* away from Stone Lake City, in a mountain city named **[Mount-Stead City]**. This city was established on a high-grade second-tier spiritual vein, with the entire mountain situated at the vein's center. Mount-Stead City was territory of the Heavenly Void Sword Sect.
At this moment, a woman wearing a white gauze dress, with a moon-white longsword strapped to her back, was sitting cross-legged in a pavilion on the mountainside. A white goshawk flew from afar, voluntarily landing in front of the woman. Its yellow talons clutched seven or eight jade slips strung together. These contained recent intelligence from the thirty-six cities radiating from Mount-Stead City as the hub—one of the intelligence systems relied upon by Sword Sect Roamers. How could one vanquish demons and uphold justice outside the sect without intelligence?
As she read the jade slips one by one with her spiritual sense, the white-dressed woman's frown deepened the more she read. Anger naturally began to gather, ready to be unleashed.
"Black Mountain Pass, Black Mountain Demon Lands... suspected collusion with the demonic path, selling spirit slaves... smuggling contraband..."
"Stone Lake City, Thousand Autumn City, Spirit Stream City... Yang Spring City..."
The number was large, but that wasn't the most troublesome part.
Seeing a certain word on one of the jade slips, the woman's pupils constricted sharply. Without a second word, she employed the messaging secret art taught by the Hall of Righteous Qi, transmitting the information to the nearest senior from her sect.
"Desire..."
A clear breeze blew through. Looking again at the scenic pavilion on the cliff's edge, it was empty. Only a streak of moon-white sword light could be seen streaking across the distant sky. Judging by her direction, she was heading straight for Stone Lake City.
This place should not have been the eye of the storm. But Wang Yu's unexpected intrusion, triggering the battle three months ago, had created too great a disturbance, especially the one within the city. Alerting the Heavenly Void Sword Sect's intelligence network was normal.
In truth, even without Wang Yu's intervention, discovery was inevitable sooner or later. Their control over this land was too deep, especially within the various cities. Even with the spirit slave trade as cover, the bizarre annual disappearance of a group of young women would eventually be noticed.
Stone Lake City, City Lord's Residence.
The new City Lord, Yuan Qu, was walking hurriedly towards his mansion. Only after entering the concealed formation's range did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Severe unease was etched on his brow.
Third Uncle was gone!
The bamboo hut where the old City Lord retired showed no signs of a struggle. This meant he was either killed by a cultivator far surpassing his own cultivation, or he slipped away secretly without notifying anyone.
**(End of Chapter)**