As Liu Xing lay on the cool ground, he sighed. The area around him looked barren. No white trees, no greenery, and no plants. Yet, he knew this place was once a white bone forest, with the ground now flipped inside out.
"I almost died," Liu Xing muttered.
His breath and heartbeat gradually stabilized, and while fear still lingered in his heart, he also felt relief. It seemed his plan to use that statue of a woman had succeeded.
Liu Xing wanted to lie down and sleep, to regain his strength and qi. Yet, he didn't have time for it. After all, there were threats that could annihilate the Twelve Sun Empire, and he needed to report this to the emperor as well as his sect.
Still invisible, Liu Xing got up and began to run. He didn't dare use his shield, afraid that the spirit beasts were still around. And he ran as fast as he could.
As he ran, he wondered about the Xia clan. For a moment, he thought about visiting them to tell them about their elder's death, but he decided against it. While they deserved to know about Xia Juetian's death, visiting them would be time-consuming. He felt guilty for about five seconds, then he inhaled deeply and steadied his heart. They would find out about their elder's death sooner or later. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too upset, although the chances of that were slim. An elder's death was always a big deal.
***
The Xia clan compound was located far from Second Gray Cloud City. Several green peaks surrounded it, with their main compound situated on the widest peak. The buildings looked old and dignified, as if the clan had existed for a thousand years. And indeed, it had, although comparing it to the mighty Xia clan of the past would be like comparing a mighty tiger to a little rabbit.
On one of the highest peaks, walking to the edge of a cliff, was a girl in a purple robe. She had silky black hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to see through every truth. She wielded a thin black sword in her right hand, and as she walked slowly, the green grass and colorful flowers around her began to freeze.
When she reached the edge of the peak, Yan Yu looked down at the Xia clan compound. Servants were busy tidying the garden, cleaning the roof and floor, and sweeping the stairs that connected to the main gate of the compound as if their lives depended on it.
She stepped off the cliff and began to fall. The peak was quite high, with several white clouds below her. She controlled the air and water vapor around her, gliding through the air right into the main compound.
As she fell, she steadied her heart and readied her blade. This race had actually come at the right time. She remembered this event from her sisters' tales. Although at this time in the past, while she had already been scouted by her master, she was still trying to gather as much qi as possible to take a step into becoming a cultivator. She remembered the tales of the annihilation of several nations and sects because of the conflict caused by this race. But what she remembered most from her sisters' tales was a demonic cultivator who rose to power, controlling a terrifying spirit beast with a thousand arms and a thousand faces.
Soon, she landed right in front of the clan compound. As she touched down, all the servants eyed her before rushing inside. Their reaction was understandable; even though her face was calm, anyone could see the intensity in her eyes, the shadow casting half of her face, and the hostile aura she emitted toward the Xia clan. Yan Yu gripped her black blade so tightly that if it were a normal sword, it would have frozen and shattered.
Several dozen guards quickly surrounded her. They were all weak. While some had reached the sixth stage of the Lock Opening realm, their foundations and cultivation were pitiful. Even if they cultivated for a thousand years, they could never reach the Sun Refining realm.
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She thought they would attack her. After all, she had barged into their clan without invitation. But as they observed her, some of their eyes showed hints of respect and fear, as if they already knew she was a disciple from one of the great sects. It was surprising, considering that while the Purple Moon Sect and this compound weren't geographically far apart, the proper path between them was actually long, circling several hostile mountains and dangerous forests.
She stood aloof in the center of the circling guards. She eyed each of them, thinking about how she would slaughter them all, when a man suddenly rushed from the clan, parting the guards, and stood across from her.
"A Purple Moon Sect disciple," he said, eyeing her with suspicion but not outright hostility. "Are you a friend of Liu Xing?"
Hearing that name, Yan Yu's eyebrow rose a little. So Liu Xing had already arrived here? That guy sure was fast, but what was his connection to the Xia clan?
She decided not to answer. Instead, she asked about the person she needed to kill. "Where is Xia Weiyuan?"
After she asked, the man in front of her suddenly frowned. His eyes sharpened, veins popped up on his temple, and his nostrils flared. "To think that I almost believed the Purple Moon Sect was respectable. I was wrong! No, I was right from the start! You people from the great sects are always despicable, and that bastard Liu Xing is too cunning! He knows the worth of Xia Weiyuan, and now the great sect comes knocking at my door!"
Inwardly, Yan Yu was surprised. He wondered about what Liu Xing knew about Xia Weiyuan. But ultimately, it didn't matter. She had one goal in coming to this place, and she would achieve it.
She noticed some movement at the back of the crowd and found her target. The child wore yellow clothes and hid behind a guard as if he were the shyest person in the world. His complexion was pale and weary, with several bruises on his face.
Seeing him, Yan Yu couldn't hold back her killing intent. The air around her suddenly dropped in temperature, and the ground she stood on started freezing. The ice spread, and the guards began to jolt and prepare for confrontation.
Yan Yu's eyes didn't leave Xia Weiyuan, and he trembled like a newborn deer. Seeing this, Yan Yu compared him to the Xia Weiyuan she knew. That bastard had been tall and muscular, with proud eyes and an arrogant personality and always making sure the world knew he was better than anyone. One of her sisters had been raped and killed by him, and another had died while this man sat on her chest and beat her face relentlessly. All of this already made her blood boil, and this man had chosen to ally himself with that scum, making him one of the people who she hated the most.
This boy looked so innocent now, but she knew the terrible things he would do later. Moreover, his bloodline was so potent, able to pierce the truth and predict the future. Killing him was a sure way to cripple the alliance of the Heavenly Thunder Sect in the future.
"Xia Weiyuan, I have come here to take your life," she declared coldly.
"You're courting death!" shouted a man across from her. As he shouted, Yan Yu suddenly remembered an old man with white hair and skin so wrinkled. He was pitiful and disgusting, always thinking what Xia Weiyuan did was the best thing. He praised him when he raped women. He encouraged him when he annihilated other clans. And he was the one who taught him the deadly technique he used to assert his dominance.
That old man's face overlapped with this youthful and weak cultivator, and Yan Yu realized that this was Xia Yongzhi, the man responsible for raising Xia Weiyuan to become the vile man so hated by both his enemies and allies, except for that scum, since he was cut from the same cloth.
"Xia Yongzhi, prepare to die," she said calmly.
"Guards, attack!" he shouted.
All the guards, some wielding spears, some flashing out talismans, and some with bare hands, lunged at her. Seeing this, she flicked her thin black sword. Instantly, several dozen ice flowers materialized around her, then each flower transformed into an elegant ice arrow, complete with engravings. She seized control of these arrows, infused them with more of her qi, and willed them to attack.
The arrows moved through the air in an instant. Each arrow aimed for the forehead of an enemy. Some widened their eyes and tried to dodge or deflect the arrows, but her arrows were too fast and strong. The spears they used to deflect the arrows were destroyed, and the arrows lodged themselves in their heads. Those who dodged met the same fate, as did the other guards who couldn't react.
A moment ago, dozens of guards had circled her. Now, they all lay on the ground, pools of blood gushing from their heads. Each of these dead men had wide eyes, as if they couldn't believe they were now mere corpses.
Only Xia Yongzhi remained alive, and that was because she hadn't tried to attack him. Xia Yongzhi didn't deserve the mercy of a quick death like these guards. No, he needed to writhe in pain before he died.