Exposed Identity

The crowd continued moving forward. Shen Bai and Cheng Shuang exchanged a look, and with an unspoken understanding, kept pace.

Before long, they were nearing the edge of the county.

All along the way, common folk would occasionally join the procession, their faces blank as they trailed behind the group.

The black-robed figure led the way, deliberately giving the yamen (local government office) a wide berth, circling far around it.

Additionally, the yamen had been misled by the Five Hearts Sect, shifting their focus to three days later. As a result, this entire journey, with dozens of commoners in tow, surprisingly didn't alert the yamen's eyes and ears.

Not long after, Shen Bai and Cheng Shuang followed silently from behind, arriving at a desolate, open area outside the county.

This wilderness stretched vast and wide as far as the eye could see, with few trees to obscure the view. It was the kind of place where you could see to the very end.

Shen Bai felt a pang of doubt. He thought if the Five Hearts Sect's main lair was here, it would be easily discovered.

They couldn't be that foolish.

It wasn't just Shen Bai; even Cheng Shuang felt a sense of unease.

Just then, the black-robed figure in front suddenly made a move.

The black-robed figure plunged the long banner in their hand into the muddy ground. The heads on the banner still whispered softly, but the black-robed figure had already turned around, surveying the group of bewildered commoners.

From the corner of his eye, Shen Bai caught a glimpse of the black-robed figure's face.

It was an extremely terrifying face, covered in dense, twisted scars that resembled centipedes, extending from the black-robed figure's forehead all the way down to their chin, making them appear horrifying.

Moreover, there was a string of stitches around the black-robed figure's neck.

If not for the faint white of the stitches, they would have been undetectable in the night.

"These stitches… could it be that this head isn't his own?"

Shen Bai pondered this as he observed the scene.

He already had some understanding of the Five Hearts Sect's cultivation method, which involved separating limbs and the head.

When ordinary people practiced it, if their first 'heart' happened to be the head, they would immediately die, just like Master Qian.

If they were lucky, they would first cultivate an arm or leg, like the scrawny man he encountered not long ago.

The black-robed figure before him, with a head sewn on, was clearly different from what those commoners had described.

"The leader of the Five Hearts Sect also cultivates the Five Hearts Technique, and due to their cultivation, they need to replace their limbs and head periodically."

Shen Bai thought that the black-robed figure before him might be cultivating the same method.

As for the black-robed figure's identity, they certainly wouldn't be the Five Hearts Sect Leader.

After all, the Five Hearts Sect Leader managed to escape from the Five Immortals Sect; their intelligence couldn't possibly be that low.

Sure enough, when Shen Bai instinctively glanced at Cheng Shuang, her expression was calm, clearly indicating that the person was indeed not the Five Hearts Sect Leader.

At this moment, the black-robed figure's lips curled into a faint, sinister smile, and they slowly began to speak.

"Everything the Leader wanted has been acquired. Why hasn't the reception arrived yet?"

Aside from themself, there was only a group of bewildered commoners, yet the black-robed figure still spoke aloud.

As soon as the black-robed figure uttered those words, a crack appeared on the ground.

Once the crack appeared, it immediately collapsed on both sides, and before long, a staircase leading underground emerged.

The staircase was incredibly dark inside, making it impossible for ordinary people to see anything once they entered.

And as this staircase appeared, an old woman's voice drifted up from the eerie, dark passage.

"Well done. The Leader will reward you handsomely."

Along with the voice, an old woman's head flew out from the dark passage.

The head was covered in wrinkles and had no teeth, looking extremely terrifying.

Its disheveled silver hair lay haphazardly, and if it had a body attached, one might even mistake it for an ordinary old woman.

When the old woman's head appeared, a look of revulsion flickered across the black-robed figure's scarred face.

"Old hag, hurry up and get them inside. I don't want to stay out here any longer."

With that, the black-robed figure stepped into the dark passage and quickly disappeared.

Seeing this, Shen Bai inwardly praised the cleverness of it.

The guide and the receiver were different people. The Five Hearts Sect Leader clearly didn't trust these individuals, so they set up different people for each segment of the operation.

As expected, the old woman's head let out a faint, indistinct whisper.

But as the sound emanated, the black banner transformed into black smoke, along with the heads, and was sucked into the old woman's mouth.

A moment later, the old woman's head moved towards the dark passage below.

The bewildered commoners around them shuffled with stiff steps, following behind the head.

Shen Bai didn't make a sound or alert anyone, maintaining his blank expression.

Both he and Cheng Shuang were clever enough to know that revealing themselves now would only scare away their target.

After all, the true mastermind hadn't appeared yet.

The two followed closely behind, entering the dark passage.

As Shen Bai stepped in, his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

If a cultivator couldn't even manage that, their cultivation would be for naught.

Once Shen Bai's eyes adjusted, he noticed the abnormality within the passage.

Inside, it was a bloody mess. The walls were covered in gore, and bones and blood pooled underfoot.

Looking around, there were more than a dozen skeletons buried here.

Shen Bai thought of the recent deaths in Ascending Cloud County and immediately connected them to the Five Hearts Sect's atrocities.

Especially recalling the twisted corpse of the five-year-old girl from not long ago, he suddenly felt as though all the beauty in the world was merely hidden beneath the darkness.

With that thought, he prepared to continue deeper into the passage.

But just then, something unusual suddenly appeared.

A black banner lunged directly at Shen Bai.

Dark energy swirled around the banner, glinting with a frigid light.

Shen Bai sensed the rush of air and the danger. His Rusty Longsword unsheathed, he swept it horizontally towards the banner.

With a surge of vital energy, the banner was pushed aside, allowing Shen Bai to see the situation clearly.

The black-robed figure was no longer a whole person. Its limbs and head floated continuously in the dark passage, one hand clutching the banner.

On the other side, the old woman was in the same state.

Her torso lay on the ground, with only her limbs and head, like terrifying vengeful spirits, constantly floating up and down.

"Do this kid and that little girl really think I'm easy to fool?"

The black-robed figure's head let out a chilling laugh. "I noticed you two before you even came in. It was just inconvenient to act in the county town, so I played along. Today, both of you will die here and be used by us."

As its words fell, the black-robed figure and the old woman launched their attacks.

The old woman attacked Cheng Shuang, while the black-robed figure attacked Shen Bai.

Both the heads and limbs moved with their own distinct patterns, instantly turning it into a one-against-five fight.

Shen Bai gazed at the limbs and head flying towards him, his expression calm. He raised his left fist.

Buddha's Light shimmered on his fist, illuminating the darkness.