Fighting an Envoy

Liuyun Lake lay clear and bright, its waters without a ripple.

After leaving Huaixi Village, Shen Bai and Wuhua headed straight for Liuyun Lake.

The matters in the village had come to a close. Only the locust tree remained, so Shen Bai turned his attention to Liuyun Lake.

Nothing unusual happened along the way.

When Shen Bai and Wuhua arrived, they stood by the shore and looked toward the center of the lake.

In the middle of the lake was a small island.

Upon that island stood an enormous locust tree.

The locust tree's branches were thick and luxuriant, its leaves swaying in the wind with a rustling whisper.

"Such beautiful scenery, yet filthy deeds are hidden within it. The abbot said calamities are rising on all sides in this world. It truly is so."

Wuhua stood by the lake and sighed.

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes. "At this point, are you still not going to tell me the true purpose of this journey?"

Earlier, Shen Bai had asked Wuhua why Xuanxin Temple had sent only him. Wuhua had said it was inconvenient to reveal.

Now, Shen Bai asked again.

Wuhua pressed his palms together. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Along this journey, this humble monk has seen that although you strike with ruthless hands, you are ultimately a good man. There is no harm in telling you."

A good man?

This was the first time Shen Bai had heard someone describe him that way. He did not refute it, merely gestured for Wuhua to continue while keeping a grip on the sword at his waist.

Wuhua organized his thoughts. "The matter of the locust tree is a stain upon Xuanxin Temple's name. Xuanxin Temple does not wish for unnecessary people to learn of it. If we mobilized on a large scale and the world learned that Xuanxin Temple had raised a bizarre creature, you should know what the consequences would be."

Hearing this, Shen Bai suddenly understood.

Even a temple devoted to vanquishing demons and eliminating evil was, in the end, still a force in the martial world.

If others learned that Xuanxin Temple's locust tree had turned bizarre, it would not only be humiliating—it would deal a tremendous blow to the sect's reputation.

Yet Shen Bai did not understand one thing. Even if reputation was at stake, sending only Wuhua still seemed somewhat improper.

Wuhua seemed to see through Shen Bai's thoughts and took out a round bead from his robes.

The instant Shen Bai saw the bead, his eyes lit up.

This was a Bizarre Item.

Before Shen Bai's eyes, a line of smoke formed into words.

Glowing Buddha Beads

Appraisal progress: 0%

A wisp of Killing Intent can rapidly complete appraisal

It could trigger the Cheat System and form words. Clearly, this was the Bizarre Item Shen Bai had been longing for.

Wuhua nodded. "This Bizarre Item is a treasure of Xuanxin Temple. When activated with full strength, it can emit Buddhist light, equivalent to twice my own power. This is this humble monk's trump card."

At this point, Shen Bai more or less understood the reason.

No wonder Wuhua had dared to come alone. He had brought a Bizarre Item.

Bizarre Items were so precious, yet Xuanxin Temple had been willing to part with one. It seemed they truly wanted to bury the matter of this locust tree.

Shen Bai nodded. "In that case, let's settle this quickly."

Though it was a Bizarre Item, it belonged to Xuanxin Temple and was in Wuhua's hands. Shen Bai had no designs on it.

For now, his focus remained on the enormous locust tree.

The two had said all that needed to be said. Without speaking further, they went together to the lakeshore.

The lake water was crystalline and clear, reflecting light beneath the moon.

Standing on the shore, Shen Bai gazed into the lake and felt a cold wind rise over his body.

After the cold wind passed, Shen Bai saw the scene beneath the lake.

The surface of the lake was breathtakingly beautiful, but that was only the surface.

Within the lake, shadows as black as ink drifted slowly with the current.

Under Shen Bai's gaze, the dark shadows gradually revealed their true forms.

They were corpses—more than a dozen of them.

The corpses lay in the lake with their eyes tightly shut. Their skin had swollen and turned pale from the water, their true features long since unrecognizable.

From each corpse's heart extended a black branch.

Looking closely, one could see that the ends of those black branches came from the island at the center of the lake.

A locust tree stood upon the island in the center of the lake. There was no need to think to know what those branches were.

"Using people as blood feed... this bizarre creature is growing stronger and stronger."

Wuhua's expression turned grave at the sight.

When humans died, they gave birth to resentment.

Then, by soaking their corpses in the lake and driving the locust tree's roots into them, the resentment would be endlessly drawn into the locust tree, making it even more terrifyingly powerful.

Shen Bai rubbed his chin. "End this quickly."

Now that they understood the situation and knew their enemy, the simplest and most effective method was to deal with that enemy directly.

Wuhua was about to speak, but at that moment, something strange suddenly appeared by the lake.

The still waters began to churn, and mist rose from the lake.

Within the mist, a bamboo raft gradually changed from blurry to distinct.

On the raft, a boatman in a straw rain cape pushed with a bamboo pole, slowly approaching the shore.

His eyes were as red as blood, staring fixedly at Shen Bai and Wuhua.

"This is the Guiding Guest Village Chief Yang spoke of."

Shen Bai drew the sword at his waist.

A cold voice drifted from the bamboo raft, as though winter itself had arrived.

"The entire village was my life's work, yet it has all been destroyed. Since that is the case, I'll take the two of you and answer to those above."

As the voice rang out, chill vapor rose from the lake's surface, freezing it beneath a thin layer of ice.

Shen Bai did not know how the other party had found out, but in the current situation, battle could break out at any moment.

After the boatman finished speaking, the hand gripping the bamboo pole suddenly tightened. His five fingers clenched, and the pole shattered in an instant.

A silver spear appeared in the boatman's hand. At the same time, the straw rain cape on his body moved like writhing insects, weaving itself into a suit of soft armor.

More absurdly, his face was caked with rouge, like an opera performer onstage.

Wuhua's expression grew solemn. "Benefactor, be careful. This man is Opera Envoy, one of the Twelve Envoys of the Upper Evil Gate. He excels with the spear. It is said that wherever his spear passes, not a blade of grass survives."

Wuhua did not finish his words, because Shen Bai's sword had already left its sheath.

Righteous energy flowed brilliantly along the sword. The surrounding chill was swept away in an instant, like mist scattered by a fierce gale.

Clang!

With the ring of clashing metal, terrifying waves exploded across the entire lake.

Opera Envoy used his spear to block Shen Bai's sword, and a flicker of astonishment passed through his blood-red eyes.

"A master of the sword. The Five Hearts Sect Master died by swordsmanship—was that your doing?"

Shen Bai said flatly, "Once you go down there, won't you know?"

Opera Envoy sneered. "Attack."

The moment his words fell, a fat figure suddenly emerged from the water, raising a pair of enormous palms as it struck toward Shen Bai's back.