A Baptism of Blood, Exhilarating and Unrestrained

"Sax, spread out again and scout within a one-kilometer radius. Make sure no stragglers slipped through," Ye Lingyuan ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" Sax and the others immediately dispersed.

Except for the only Healing Spirit Master in the group.

"My lord, was His Highness Wushuang injured? Would you require me to treat him?" the Healing Spirit Master asked.

"I'm not injured. There's no need," Ji Wushuang said with a wave and a smile.

The Healing Spirit Master smiled and nodded, then stepped aside to rest.

At this moment, the Heaven Dou Soldiers from earlier walked over, their eyes filled with gratitude as they shouted in unison, "We thank you, my lords, for saving our lives!"

"The matter here is settled. You should leave this place quickly as well," Ye Lingyuan said.

An army of ten thousand had set out to exterminate the Wolf Bandits, yet only this many remained. Once they returned, they likely would not be able to sleep. Even if they did, nightmares would surely plague them.

Ye Lingyuan then had the Healing Spirit Master treat the Heaven Dou Soldiers.

"Thank you, my lord—" Although the many Heaven Dou Soldiers still appeared dispirited, they at least breathed a sigh of relief. They did not want to die if they could live.

Looking toward the direction in which the Heaven Dou Soldiers were leaving, Ye Lingyuan said calmly, "They're all ordinary people without Soul Power. No matter how well-trained they are, they cannot be a match for Spirit Beasts—let alone Wolf Bandits like these, whose intelligence rivals that of humans and who are even more cruel and bloodthirsty than Gale Demonic Wolves."

"If we'd arrived a few days earlier, could we have saved more people?" Ji Wushuang murmured.

"Wushuang, don't think like that," Ye Lingyuan said. "And don't blame yourself for the deaths of those Heaven Dou Soldiers. This isn't a responsibility you should bear."

"If you keep thinking that way, you'll only place a great deal of unnecessary mental pressure on yourself. We've already fulfilled the duty we were supposed to fulfill."

Ji Wushuang nodded, then asked, "Aunt Ye, let me ask you something. If these people complained about us and blamed us for not coming sooner to help them, what would you do?"

Hearing this, Ye Lingyuan sneered. "If they truly acted as you described, I wouldn't show them any mercy. I can let them live, and I can make them die."

"Wushuang, you understand human nature quite thoroughly!"

"Looks like my worries about you were unnecessary. I thought you'd do something foolish!" Ye Lingyuan said with a smile.

"I was just thinking hypothetically," Ji Wushuang said with a smile.

Ye Lingyuan gave him an amused smile and circled him, looking him over. "You've grown up at Your Excellency the Pope's side since childhood. She probably still sees you as a child who understands nothing, never realizing that you've already grown into a child who understands everything."

"..."

"Aunt Ye, can a twelve-year-old still be called a child?" Ji Wushuang asked.

Ye Lingyuan rolled her eyes. "So twelve-year-olds aren't children anymore? At most, you're a big child!"

Ji Wushuang had no response.

Before long, Sax and the others returned and reported, "My lady, there are no traces of Wolf Bandits anywhere within a one-kilometer radius."

"Good. In that case, this mission can be considered half completed. We can withdraw now," Ye Lingyuan said.

"Half?" Ji Wushuang asked in surprise. "Aunt Ye, what's the other half of our mission?"

"Sax, lead the team back to Spirit City first. You don't need to accompany us on the next mission," Ye Lingyuan said.

"Yes, ma'am."

Ji Wushuang watched Sax and the other eleven depart. When he turned back to Ye Lingyuan, his eyes were full of confusion.

Why did they need to act separately?

Had Bibi Dong specifically arranged another trial for him?

Noticing the confusion in Ji Wushuang's eyes, Ye Lingyuan asked with a smile, "Wushuang, how did you feel when you killed those Wolf Bandits?"

"How did I feel?" Ji Wushuang pondered for a long while before answering, "It felt... pretty good. At first, I was shocked by how ugly and vile those Wolf Bandits were. But as I kept killing, I no longer felt much psychological pressure. I even wanted to kill more."

"..."

"Very good. Keep it up," Ye Lingyuan said with a smile.

"Follow me. The place we're going next was specially arranged by Your Excellency the Pope. It's also the primary objective of this trip."

Now that only she and Ji Wushuang remained, Ye Lingyuan moved without restraint. A pair of Fiery Wings emerged from her back as she soared into the air.

Seeing this, Ji Wushuang summoned the Heavenly Slash Sword and used Sword Flight to rapidly follow her.

"Aunt Ye, at this point, stop keeping me in suspense."

"I can't do that," Ye Lingyuan said with a faint smile.

The next day, a dilapidated village, gloomy and steeped in an aura of decay, came into view.

Ji Wushuang swept his gaze over the pedestrians in the village, his sword-like brows knitting as he secretly gathered his strength.

Their arrival also drew the villagers' attention. Madness, greed, vigilance—every pair of eyes made one deeply uncomfortable.

"Wushuang, this is the second mission Your Excellency the Pope arranged for you."

"Kill everyone in this village."

"Everyone in this village is guilty. Now, you are to judge them as a member of the Spirit Hall Enforcement Team."

"Aunt Ye, is this the entrance to the City of Slaughter?" Ji Wushuang asked.

Ye Lingyuan was taken aback, then nodded. "I didn't expect you to know about the City of Slaughter. That's right, this is indeed its entrance, and everyone here is a fugitive who has committed crimes."

Their conversation had been heard loud and clear as well.

For a moment, the villagers all converged on the two of them, killing intent filling their eyes.

"A bunch of Fallen Spirit Masters!"

With a sweep of Ji Wushuang's sleeve, the Peerless Sword Casket and four Spirit Rings appeared in succession. Ten flying swords left their sheaths in an instant, their sword qi shooting into the sky and tearing apart the heavy gray clouds.

Ye Lingyuan watched quietly.

She knew Ji Wushuang's background perfectly well.

And it was precisely because of this.

That Bibi Dong had chosen this place as Ji Wushuang's second training ground.

A baptism of blood was not merely about slaughtering Spirit Beasts.

Some people could hunt Spirit Beasts and Wolf Bandits without any psychological burden, yet when faced with living humans, they might not be able to strike a lethal blow.

Ji Wushuang took a deep breath, his gaze as sharp as a sword.

The day his village had been destroyed remained as vivid as ever.

His First, Second, and Third Spirit Skills lit up in succession.

Cloud Shuttle, Light Frost, Butterfly, Red Leaf! Wind Howl, Absolute Shadow, Calamity Breaker, Life Slayer, Jade Ruyi, and Finger-Twisting Softness—a total of ten flying swords, each carrying fierce sword intent and crackling with lightning. Their piercing whistles were like thunder, their might immense.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The sounds of tearing through the air rang without end. Whenever sword light flashed, it brought up sprays of blood.

Thud—!

Looking at those headless corpses, Ye Lingyuan frowned in thought.

Did he really like beheading people that much?

Thinking back to the Wolf Bandits' deaths, their heads and bodies had also been separated, exactly like these Fallen Spirit Masters.

With a flick of his fingers, Ji Wushuang took dozens of lives.

His expression remained as cold as frost, showing none of the reaction Ye Lingyuan had expected.

While this satisfied Ye Lingyuan, it also made her worry.

"Fourth Spirit Skill, Sky-Rending Sword Wave!"

Ten crescent-shaped sword waves instantly tore the surrounding houses into pieces.

Ye Lingyuan pointed ahead. "There are more up ahead."

Hearing this, Ji Wushuang gripped Calamity Breaker and unleashed his Fourth Spirit Skill once more. A sword wave shot straight toward the tavern at the center of the village.

Rumble—!

The tavern was split in two in an instant. Violent Soul Power mixed with lightning force erupted in a massive explosion, leveling the entire tavern.

From within the dust and smoke, figure after figure darted out.

"Bastard! Who was that?!"

"Which suicidal idiot dared to ambush me?!"

A dozen or so burly men with savage expressions looked around. When they saw the headless corpses scattered throughout the village, their faces immediately changed in horror.

Buzz—

The moment the sword cry rang out, nine flying swords under Ji Wushuang's control shot toward them.

Seeing this, one man sneered. "Where did this brat come from, looking for—"

Suddenly.

He felt the world spin before his eyes, followed immediately by darkness.

Over a hundred Wolf Bandits had been wiped out in an instant by Ji Wushuang's Sword Control Technique.

Let alone these dozen or so Fallen Spirit Masters, whose Soul Power was only at the Soul Elder and Soul Ancestor levels.

Times had changed.

Ji Wushuang was no longer a lamb awaiting slaughter, a fish on the chopping block.

In an instant.

The dozen or so men also became headless corpses, following in the footsteps of those before them.

Drip!

The sudden sound caught Ji Wushuang's attention.

A man dressed as a waiter came into view.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

"I'm not with them!"

Seeing that he had been discovered, the man repeatedly begged for mercy.

Ji Wushuang's flying sword technique was so fast that the man completely lost any thought of fleeing.

Ji Wushuang asked, "Aunt Ye, can this one be killed too?"

Ye Lingyuan nodded. "Of course. As you wish."

Ji Wushuang flicked his sleeve.

"Bastard!" Watching ten streaks of sword light rush toward him, the man roared unwillingly, yet he still could not avoid becoming a human pincushion.

Sizzle!

The power of lightning erupted, erasing the foul, bloody stench from the ten flying swords before they returned to their sheaths.

"This place has no reason to continue existing either."

A flicker of flame ignited at Ye Lingyuan's fingertips. She flung it out, and in an instant, flames shot into the sky, raging fire filling every corner of the village.

Ye Lingyuan and Ji Wushuang rose into the air and stood side by side, looking down at the blazing village below.

Ye Lingyuan fixed her beautiful eyes on Ji Wushuang and asked, "Wushuang, how did killing people feel?"

Hearing this, Ji Wushuang pondered for a moment before asking in return, "Aunt Ye, did they even count as people?"

Ye Lingyuan fell silent and looked away.

Ji Wushuang took a deep breath. "Exhilarating... There was nothing in my heart but exhilaration. It felt even better than killing Wolf Bandits."

"..."

Ye Lingyuan smiled. "That's quite unexpected. I thought you would at least feel upset."

Ji Wushuang said, "Mainly because I never saw these people as human in the first place, and I'd already built up my mental defenses beforehand."

"Aunt Ye, if I'd thrown up just now, would you have told Teacher about it?"

"I would!" Ye Lingyuan said with a smile.

Ji Wushuang let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his handsome face. "Good, good. I didn't throw up, or that would've been embarrassing."

Ye Lingyuan covered her mouth and chuckled.

Once the village had been completely burned to ashes and turned pitch-black, Ye Lingyuan made another move.

This time, the destruction instantly razed the village to the ground, as if it had never existed.

Ye Lingyuan smiled. "We still need to put up a notice here. After that, we can return to Spirit City."

"Why?" Ji Wushuang asked in surprise.

Ye Lingyuan explained, "To give those who want to enter the City of Slaughter a more direct opportunity, so they don't fail to get in and then cause trouble everywhere else."

"And once they enter the City of Slaughter, getting back out will be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Most of them will bring about their own destruction there, making it hard for them to continue harming the outside world."