Another Immortal Cultivator

Qin Sang forced himself to stand, and saw Yanwang emerge, gnawing on Venerable Yuanjue's soul. He glanced at Yanwang, which was much more solidified than before, and seeing no signs of it devouring its master, felt a slight relief. He eagerly began to interrogate Venerable Yuanjue's soul.

He was very curious about the martial arts Sacred Land, Xuanji Temple, and wanted to know if Venerable Yuanjue had encountered any other immortal masters during his travels over the years.

When Venerable Yuanjue's soul dissipated, a look of surprise appeared on Qin Sang's face.

Previously, the souls of those killed by Yanwang had all dissipated in roughly the same amount of time. However, Venerable Yuanjue's soul had only lasted half as long as the others. Qin Sang had never seen anything like it.

Qin Sang was utterly bewildered. He hadn't expected this to happen, and he still had many questions left unanswered.

Even so, the information he had obtained from Venerable Yuanjue made Qin Sang feel that the trip had been worthwhile and that he hadn't encountered this danger in vain.

It turned out that the reason Venerable Yuanjue could tell at a glance that Qin Sang was an Immortal Cultivator was because Xuanji Temple had killed an Immortal Cultivator decades ago!

At that time, the two patriarchs of Xuanji Temple, both Xiantian Masters, had besieged the Immortal Cultivator.

That Immortal Cultivator's methods were similar to Qin Sang's. He held a Bell, and with a gentle shake, one of Xuanji Temple's patriarchs died inexplicably, just like the Reckless Monk, with no visible injuries.

The other patriarch was terrified and fought back desperately, not hesitating to use an Evil Cultivation technique that overdrafted his vital energy.

The Immortal Cultivator hadn't expected mortals to be so fast. With a panicked expression, he hastily pulled out a Talisman Paper from his robes and conjured a water screen, but it was too slow. He was pierced through the heart by a sword's gleam.

Seeing the Reckless Monk's bizarre death, Venerable Yuanjue immediately recalled this old incident. He had been hesitant at first, but after hearing Qin Sang's bluff, he immediately decided to act.

It could only be blamed on Qin Sang's own lack of worldly experience, which had revealed his weakness.

After that battle, Xuanji Temple's only two Xiantian Masters were dead and injured, a severe blow to their strength. It wasn't until Venerable Yuanjue broke through to Xiantian that the situation stabilized.

The gains and losses for Xuanji Temple were completely disproportionate.

The Immortal Cultivator didn't have the cultivation methods they had hoped for. All they found were the purple Bell, two Talisman Papers, and a bare Jade Slip, nothing else.

They tried to infuse True Qi into the Bell and Jade Slip, but there was no reaction. They also destroyed one of the two Talisman Papers.

After achieving Xiantian, Venerable Yuanjue went out to travel, with the most important goal being to find a way to decipher the purple Bell and Jade Slip.

With the Great Sui undergoing major changes, Venerable Yuanjue received a message and returned to his Sect, passing by Hening County.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then bent down and picked up Venerable Yuanjue's corpse. He felt a wave of weakness wash over him. The escape and struggle just now, though brief, had nearly exhausted his stamina.

He quickly circulated the Netherworld Scripture for a full cycle, regaining some strength. Qin Sang then turned back to retrieve the Reckless Monk's corpse. He kicked open the inner chamber door and gasped as he saw the scene outside.

He had killed people with his own hands, more than one.

He had also been on battlefields with opposing armies, witnessing the brutal scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

But seeing dozens of bodies on the ground, all without any fatal wounds, lying or sprawled motionlessly like sculptures, still caused him a sense of physical discomfort.

Qin Sang picked up the Yanluo Banner and examined it. Several holes on the banner had disappeared, and Yanwang was obediently staying to the side.

The Reckless Monk was strict in his discipline, and the curfew in Hening County was very tight. Even with such a commotion, the surrounding residents kept their doors shut, not daring to come out and watch.

Qin Sang looked around, then used his sword to stab each corpse in a vital spot. He piled the bodies near the woodshed, threw in a fire starter, and soon the Zhu residence was engulfed in flames.

These many bodies certainly wouldn't burn completely, but Qin Sang only intended to conceal the Yanluo Banner. Charred corpses would be enough.

Qin Sang recited a scripture, then thought that his hands were already stained with blood. This act felt hypocritical, and he couldn't help but give a wry smile, realizing he was becoming more cold-blooded.

Clerk Ma, wearing only his upper garment, looked anxiously out the window. He was writing official documents when he noticed a fire outside.

Why hadn't Magistrate Li sent anyone to put out the fire yet?

Bang!

Just as Clerk Ma was about to return inside to change into his official robes, he shrieked in terror as two heads were suddenly thrown onto his desk. His hand trembled, and he dropped his brush. He stumbled backward, tipping over with his chair. The back of his head hit the floor, and he cried out again.

"Mercy, brave warrior!"

Clerk Ma, though fifty years old, moved swiftly. He scrambled to the floor and, without lifting his head, began kowtowing to the pair of feet in front of him.

"Brave warrior, whatever your demands, just say the word. This old man will surely comply. I beg you to spare my life!"

It was the heads of Magistrate Li Ji and Zhu Dazhuang. Clerk Ma was almost scared out of his wits.

The Reckless Monk, known as a top expert in the martial arts world, had died under mysterious circumstances. Clerk Ma didn't believe he had the ability to resist.

With another thump, the magistrate's official seal was thrown in front of him.

"Go out and appease the people. Tonight at midnight, bring the seal to open the city gates. If you are late, your entire family's lives will be forfeit!"

Clerk Ma lowered his head and swore, "Brave warrior, rest assured. This old man will absolutely handle this matter properly. Otherwise, you won't need to lift a finger; I'll end it myself!"

Qin Sang chuckled, "Aren't you going to ask why I'm having you open the city gates?"

Clerk Ma's eyes darted, and he said with righteous indignation, "Brave warrior, you may not know this, but this old man has long awaited the Royal Army! The current False Emperor is decadent and tyrannical, incurring the wrath of Heaven, causing Heavenly Calamities. Thirteen prefectures of the Great Sui are now littered with white bones, a situation that enrages both gods and men! Yet Li Ji and other lackeys of the False Emperor remain stubborn and use their power to bully others. I only regret my old age and lowly status, forcing me to feign compliance with these villains, all the while yearning day and night for a wise ruler to save the common people, shedding tears inwardly. Today, my wish is finally granted, and I will do my utmost to serve you and His Highness..."

After Clerk Ma finished his impassioned speech, he realized the pair of feet in front of him had disappeared at some point. He cautiously looked up; no one was there.

With Hening County breached and rebels eyeing the prefectural city, the powerful families of Jiang Prefecture were thrown into a panic, making one foolish decision after another. They forcibly ordered the garrison of Duling County to return and reinforce the prefectural city, but were ambushed en route and routed.

The day after the city fell, Qin Sang left Hening County. He later heard that Wang Liu had flown into a rage, but Qin Sang didn't care.

That year, the people of Jiang Prefecture spent their New Year amidst war.

In less than three months, the prefectural city of Jiang Prefecture fell. After a brief rest, the army split into two routes, one heading for North Ping Prefecture, the other for Hu Prefecture.

By this time, Qin Sang had been in Hunwu County, Jiang Prefecture, for a month.

He had not yet broken through to the third level of the Netherworld Scripture. Now, cultivating for a night yielded little progress, and he was stuck at a bottleneck, a situation that had persisted for a full month.