Beyond the Secret Passage, a Terrifying Sight

Within the Buddha-light, aside from the Buddha's Voice that made one want to renounce the world upon hearing it, there was also an air of grim slaughter, as though a Wrathful Vajra had stepped into the mortal realm, determined to sweep away all evil and terror.

The fist struck the black-robed man's long banner, colliding with its sharp tip and immediately producing a crisp clang.

In the blink of an eye, the black long banner shattered into fragments scattered across the ground.

At that moment, the black-robed man's other four parts attacked Shen Bai, moving with astonishing speed.

Shen Bai turned his head, his gaze calm. He did not dodge.

An emerald-green radiance surfaced around him, as though flawless jade had covered his entire body.

The instant the attacks landed upon the emerald-green light, it was the black-robed man's head that let out a miserable scream.

The limbs and head attacking the light were instantly covered in bloody marks.

The defenses of the Lustrous Jade Body left the black-robed man no opening to exploit.

Only then did Shen Bai raise his rusty longsword.

As Blood Sword Dance swept out, his blood and qi surged. Two or three strikes took away an arm.

The arm turned into black smoke, releasing a nauseating stench through the dark passage.

Having lost an arm, the black-robed man's remaining parts floated in midair, and terror filled his head's expression.

He had never seen anyone possess so many abilities.

Attack, defense—even barehanded combat.

The black-robed man suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

He had thought he had made a clever decision: lure the other party into their lair, then kill him.

But now, it seemed something was very wrong.

This was no lamb waiting to be slaughtered. This was a wolf brimming with savage ferocity.

They were the prey instead.

"Things are bad—run!"

The black-robed man's head shouted.

The old woman was attacking Cheng Shuang. The short spike in Cheng Shuang's hand danced continuously, black qi swirling around it and condensing into the shape of a fox.

But against the attacks from the old woman's many body parts, blood had already seeped from Cheng Shuang's lips. She had been injured.

Just as the old woman was about to take Cheng Shuang down, she heard the black-robed man's cry. When she turned her head, she saw him fleeing for his life.

"You never cultivate properly in ordinary times, and this is what comes of it. A mere brat whose hair has not even fully grown can send you fleeing in such defeat."

The old woman sneered and prepared to abandon her attack on Cheng Shuang first, intending to take Shen Bai down instead.

But what happened next brought her to a halt.

Shen Bai held his longsword, his face expressionless. His blood and qi roared like dragons and tigers, carrying the sounds of tigers and leopards. Every strike bore a magnificent, righteous force.

In only a short time, the final sword pierced through the black-robed man's head. Shen Bai expressionlessly pulled out the Rusty Longsword.

A piece of cloth from the shattered long banner lay on the ground, and Shen Bai picked it up.

Holding the cloth in his left hand, Shen Bai wiped the blood from his rusty longsword and shook his head.

"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. This sword no longer suits me very well."

The rusty longsword could no longer withstand the vibrations of Shen Bai's qi and blood and qi. Cracks had appeared on it; at best, it could still barely be used.

Shen Bai tossed the rag aside and turned to look at the old woman.

The old woman felt a chill run through her entire body.

In Shen Bai's calm gaze, she saw a rage that inspired terror, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Who exactly are you, sir? Our Five Hearts Sect has never offended you. Could you spare our lives?"

"The Five Hearts Sect will remember your great kindness, sir."

At this moment, a sliver of hope for survival rose within the old woman.

Holding the rusty longsword, Shen Bai slowly walked forward.

The sword dragged along the ground, gouging out a trench.

Along with Shen Bai's voice, that killing intent seemed almost tangible.

"There is no grudge between you and me, but there are some scenes I can never forget."

"What scenes?" the old woman asked with a frown.

Shen Bai replied flatly, "A five-year-old child, quite sensible, yet you broke all four of his limbs. Even when slaughtering an animal, one has the decency to make it quick. I am no hero, but when it is within my power, I am willing to lend a hand."

"Besides, there is a deal to be made."

"A deal?"

The old woman slowly backed away. "Was it this young lady who offered you this deal? Whatever she offers, our Five Hearts Sect will pay you double. As for that child, forgive my bluntness, but why should cultivators like us care about the lives of ordinary people? They are nothing but creatures as lowly as dogs."

"The Five Hearts Sect can give you the fame, wealth, and everything else you desire. Consider it carefully, sir."

Shen Bai curled his lip. "Then in my eyes, you're just as worthless as dogs."

Buddhist light appeared around Shen Bai's hands. This time, he did not use the Rusty Longsword. Instead, with Buddhist light wrapped around both hands, he turned into a gust of wind and closed in on the old woman.

The old woman shouted, "You ungrateful little thing! You're courting death!"

The moment she shouted those words, her limbs and head attacked Shen Bai from every direction.

"With trash like you, you still dare to make demands of me?"

Shen Bai gave a disdainful laugh, raised his fist, seized the nearest arm, and kneaded it between his hands.

Under Shen Bai's Buddhist-light-wreathed hands, the arm was kneaded into a bloody, mangled lump of flesh.

The old woman's scream echoed through the dark passage. Her remaining parts lunged at Shen Bai's emerald-green radiance, yet could not even break through his defenses.

"Looks like you were the first to have your defenses broken."

Shen Bai threw punch after punch.

After only four punches, the old woman's remaining parts turned into black smoke amid the Buddhist light.

After finishing all this, Shen Bai lowered his hands and looked around.

The dull-eyed townsfolk around them suddenly rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious to the ground.

"What's going on?" Shen Bai frowned.

Cheng Shuang, though injured herself, carefully examined several of the townsfolk before saying, "Without the black-robed man and the old woman controlling them, they've fallen unconscious. Their lives are not in danger."

Shen Bai nodded.

"Since their lives aren't in danger, let's get on with proper business."

He turned and continued deeper into the dark passage.

Cheng Shuang gritted her teeth and followed behind Shen Bai.

Shen Bai turned his head. "Are your injuries serious?"

Cheng Shuang was slightly startled, then shook her head. "They're nothing serious. Thank you for your concern."

Shen Bai shook his head. "It's not concern. I just mean that if your injuries are serious, don't follow me. You'd only become dead weight."

Cheng Shuang's face darkened. She felt that the man before her did not understand romance in the slightest.

But this was a special time, so Cheng Shuang said nothing more and continued onward.

The dark passage stretched for roughly a hundred meters. Then, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead.

After Shen Bai and Cheng Shuang carefully approached, they discovered that beyond the light lay an entirely different world.

Inside was an enormous karst cave, breathtakingly magnificent.

All kinds of luminous pearls were embedded in the cave walls above, giving off light.

Under that illumination, when Shen Bai saw the scene below the cave, his eyes widened slightly.