Chapter Thirty-Four: Danger Approaches

"Hahahaha!"

Following a brief silence, a burst of raucous laughter erupted. The laughter was varied—some eerie, some chilling, some raspy. The strands of sinister aura intertwined, almost coalescing into a physical presence. Yet, the essence remained the same: mockery of the Fallen Sword Immortal.

"Senior," a young man said, cutting his laughter short. "Why should you concern yourself so much with a mere Qi Refinement cultivator? Any one of us could easily take his life."

"Of course, if he remains holed up in his sect, I would indeed be powerless, but..."

"I imagine you must have a plan to lure him out, Senior."

"Yin Huaizi," the Fallen Sword Immortal called the youth's name, turning his gaze toward him.

Beside Yin Huaizi stood a figure identical to himself, wearing the exact same smile. Yet, anyone could sense that the other figure possessed no life; it was merely a corpse.

"Please, Senior, speak your mind."

"I am aware that you once defeated a Foundation Establishment cultivator while still in the Qi Refinement stage, but you relied on this corpse puppet, crafted from your own sister."

At these words, the expressions of the others shifted. They had assumed the puppet was Yin Huaizi's twin brother, never imagining it was his own sister.

One person muttered under his breath, "No wonder Senior Brother Yin's cultivation improved so rapidly. Female essence is yin, and being blood-related, this is undoubtedly a Heavenly Dao Corpse Puppet, no less formidable than a Heavenly Dao Foundation..."

His words were cut short abruptly. A withered hand had clamped tightly around his throat, stifling even a half-uttered scream. The man’s face flushed a deep red as his hands clawed desperately at the grip, unable to budge a single finger. The strength behind it threatened to kill him right there.

"Yin Huaizi," the Fallen Sword Immortal said calmly.

Yin Huaizi ignored him.

The Fallen Sword Immortal did not speak again. Instead, a surge of black mist rolled forth, causing Yin Huaizi to groan and stumble back several steps before dropping to one knee.

"Xiaorou, release him," Yin Huaizi rasped.

The corpse puppet finally let go, granting the man a reprieve.

"Thank you... Senior..." the man gasped, his voice shredded and ruined; a single wrong word had cost him his vocal cords.

Yin Huaizi was not annoyed; he merely smiled at the Fallen Sword Immortal. "Do not be angry, Senior. I was just playing a joke on my junior brother."

"Once this matter is concluded, I care not what you do to each other," the Fallen Sword Immortal glanced at him. "But while you are working for me, you will not follow your own whims. If there is a next time, I will refine you and your sister into puppets together."

"Understood."

Yin Huaizi finally regained his composure. "I have yet to receive my reward from you, Senior. How could I die so easily?"

The Fallen Sword Immortal was noncommittal. In the world of demonic paths, there were hierarchies. In his eyes, those who toyed with corpses were the lowest of the low. Refining corpses into puppets was a shortcut that sacrificed both potential and talent. Still, he did not care; they were merely a temporary team, to be discarded once used.

The Fallen Sword Immortal continued the previous topic. "You relied on external objects, but that youth... he defeated a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with his own strength."

Even after several days, the mention of Xiao Lin filled him with bone-deep hatred. He had now reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. Having broken free from his seal, the evil thoughts of the world were inexhaustible; raising his cultivation was as easy as breathing.

But that was as far as he could go. To survive, he had absorbed a sliver of Xiao Lin's Shura Righteous Qi. Even Shen Wuya’s Supreme Sword Intent could only shave away his current cultivation, and after repeated clashes, it had only served to make his Dao foundations firmer. But Xiao Lin's Righteous Qi had truly severed his source; it was impossible to recover. No matter what, he would never be able to surpass the limit of Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, he had to take revenge on Xiao Lin, to return everything he had suffered a hundredfold. Yet, deep within, the Fallen Sword Immortal harbored an indescribable emotion toward Xiao Lin—it was unclear whether it was admiration or... fear. At the very least, he was not someone Yin Huaizi and the others could demean or despise. Otherwise, what did that make him, the one who had been ground down by Xiao Lin?

Yin Huaizi remained indifferent and chuckled. "Is that so? But I can also fight above my rank. I am currently in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment; consider me as having the strength of the late stage. It is not impossible for me to battle this person you speak of."

"If you practiced the righteous path, perhaps you could win," the Fallen Sword Immortal said eerily. "But for someone like you, reeking of evil, he would find you the easiest to deal with."

At this, the others grew restless.

"Senior, we simply cultivate different paths. Even among the unorthodox, there is no such thing as being countered by a specific path. Only cultivation level is absolute," one man, thin as a skeleton with bulging eyes, grinned.

"Indeed," another added, looking the most normal and even somewhat handsome among the group. "Senior, do not boost the morale of others while diminishing our own."

The Fallen Sword Immortal could not be bothered to explain further. He gave a cackling laugh. "You will understand when you eventually meet him. Go."

...

Compared to the eerie, disparate personalities and the gloomy atmosphere surrounding the Fallen Sword Immortal, the party led by Qu Ziyao was also weighed down by a heavy tension.

A group of outer sect disciples watched the two women at opposite ends of the flying artifact, not daring to breathe. One was the team leader, the only one at the Foundation Establishment stage, Qu Ziyao. The other, though only in the middle stage of Qi Refinement, was the personal disciple of the sect leader. Neither was someone they could afford to offend. Or rather, it wasn't fear of offense, but the confrontational aura between the two women that naturally silenced them.

Finally, Qu Ziyao broke the silence. "We are approaching our destination. I will say this once more—remember it well."

"Understood." The group, having been stifled for the entire journey, seized the opportunity to respond in unison, nodding eagerly.

"If you treat my words as wind past your ears and find yourselves in danger, do not blame anyone if you cannot call upon me for help..."

The remark was pointed. Tang Qianxue did not bother with subtlety. "I am listening. Must you speak in such cryptic, pointed riddles? Can you not speak plainly?"

Qu Ziyao paused, seemingly surprised by Tang Qianxue’s fiery temper and her immediate hostility. Her expression darkened, but keeping her position as the team leader in mind, she suppressed her anger and continued to explain the precautions to the outer sect disciples.

"...In short, your lives come first. If you truly encounter danger, I will come to rescue you immediately. Is that understood?"

"Understood, Senior Sister!"

"Go."

The dozen or so disciples departed one by one. Qu Ziyao looked for Tang Qianxue, only to find she had jumped off the flying shuttle the moment they arrived.

"Hmph," Qu Ziyao snorted, her spiritual sense tracking Tang Qianxue’s figure. "When you are being chased by spirit beasts, you will realize your mistake."

When that time came, she would intentionally arrive a moment late, just to give Tang Qianxue a good scare.