Steady your heart and wield your saber; strike fear into your enemies with the might of a raging tiger!
The vicious man from the Five Poisons Cult only saw the world blur before him. It was as though he wasn't fighting a young constable, but a striped tiger crouched low, stronger than an elephant and fiercer than a lion.
Its claws and fangs were sharp, its gaze blazed like a torch, its body powerfully built, its strength enough to uproot mountains.
Fear crept into his heart. The short saber in his hand lost its edge, and he forgot the follow-up to the feint he'd only meant to use as a bluff. He met the attack with a mere fraction of his strength.
A flash of steel cut through the air, gleaming silver-white. Agony wracked his whole body. Only then did he realize that he hadn't been fighting a tiger, but just a young man.
He'd let his guard down!
After that, he knew nothing more.
Xiang Yuan brought his saber down. Seeing the corpse on the ground, its eyes wide open, he felt his right hand aching and numb around the hilt. A wave of fear washed over him.
"That's strange. What just happened? All of a sudden, I just..."
It was as if his saber skills had improved.
Thinking of how he'd imitated Liu Jingsheng so convincingly, and how he'd nailed the imposing aura, almost perfectly executing the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber, he couldn't help wondering if he was a martial arts prodigy.
Xiang Yuan had no time to think about it. He'd overexerted himself, and the sight of the corpse's gruesome face had terrified him. His legs gave way, and he staggered down, bracing himself on his saber as he sat.
"Not bad! You've earned merit for killing an enemy. You'll be getting a reward!"
Old Liu hurried over. Seeing Xiang Yuan's pale face, he felt him all over. "You're fine. You were just badly startled. It's like this the first time. You'll get used to it."
Anyone who killed people often knew that you just had to kill a few more and you'd be fine.
Xiang Yuan nodded stiffly. After Old Liu helped him up, a gale roared ahead, sweeping away all the poisonous miasma in the forest. More than a dozen constables dressed like Six Doors officers quickly appeared. When they saw what had happened, their faces darkened.
Despite their tight encirclement, the criminal had still escaped. Six Doors was partly to blame for its carelessness, and the local constables for being too weak.
If anyone investigated, they'd all be held responsible.
This wasn't the time to shirk responsibility. If they caught the vicious man from the Five Poisons Cult, they could make up for everything.
"Where's your Captain Liu?"
"Captain Liu, he..." An old constable stepped forward and explained what had happened.
"Pursue him! All of you, get up and chase!"
Liu Jingsheng had looked after the constables and treated his subordinates well. Six Doors wouldn't do the same. It cared only about solving cases and arresting criminals, not the lives of local constables.
They didn't care about the sayings "Don't enter the forest" or "Don't pursue a desperate enemy." None of that mattered. If the criminal escaped, they'd punish every last one of them!
Of course, Six Doors couldn't go too far. The injured constables were allowed to rest where they were, while every uninjured one received a Spirit-Cleansing Pill.
Placed under the tongue, it could ward off poisonous miasma.
It couldn't neutralize every poison, but it was better than nothing.
Xiang Yuan was uninjured. He and Old Liu, along with the other constables, were placed under Six Doors' command. That was one of Six Doors' privileges: once its token was shown, every government office across Western Chu had to obey its orders and cooperate.
Soon, they spread out in a wide encirclement. More than a hundred torches dotted the surrounding mountains as they searched for traces of the vicious man from the Five Poisons Cult.
They'd found plenty of valuable items at Zhao Family Village: pills from White Cloud Manor, fine weapons from Forget Sword Manor, and martial arts manuals bought from two shops. This was a major case, one affecting the livelihood and public safety of the entire Southern Border region of Western Chu. The bandit leader had to be captured. Only then could they torture him into revealing who the Five Poisons Cult was working for.
Xiang Yuan followed Old Liu, holding up a torch to light the way. The mountain wasn't high, but the path was rugged and choked with shrubs. Poisonous insects and snakes lurked everywhere, making it extremely dangerous. At first, he could still see Old Liu's torch. Later, everything went pitch-black, and there wasn't a living soul around him.
Being alone wasn't a problem. It was ghosts he feared. He'd heard that ghosts and monsters really existed in this wretched world.
Dark clouds thickened on the horizon. The waning moon was nowhere to be seen, and the boundless forest grew even darker.
Xiang Yuan walked for who knew how long. The Spirit-Cleansing Pill under his tongue had dissolved completely, and he was dizzy and lightheaded. He had no idea when he'd been poisoned. The torch in his hand had gone out, and all he wanted was to find somewhere safe to rest.
A familiar mountain path appeared before him. He looked up and saw a dilapidated temple.
The Lesser Morality Temple.
"How far have I walked? How did I end up here?"
Dizzy and barely able to keep going, Xiang Yuan had even forgotten his most important task: seeking his chance to obtain a divine skill. With an umbrella on his back and a saber at his hip, he walked into the Lesser Morality Temple and sat cross-legged in a corner.
To hide himself, he dragged over the Venerable Lord of Morality's offering table and used it to block the corner.
Though the Venerable Lord of Morality's clay statue had long since disappeared.
The Southern Border was vast and boundless, its mountain ranges rising and falling without end.
It was a wilderness of rolling greenery and drifting clouds, mysterious and remote, with few traces of human habitation.
Though it had no peaks that reached the heavens, its terrain was full of deadly hazards. Strange rocks and secluded ravines abounded, while dense trees and ancient vines made the landscape dark and forbidding, striking fear into anyone who beheld it.
There were countless kinds of venomous insects, each with its own form. Some hid in the grass, some lurked in the treetops, and others crept into cracks in the rocks. They were everywhere. A venomous snake's fangs were as sharp as needles, and a single drop of its venom could kill. A poisonous insect's pincers were immensely strong; one strike could tear flesh and skin.
Mosquitoes and flies buzzed everywhere, their bites leaving red, swollen, aching welts that were hard to endure.
Poisonous miasma filled the valleys, drifting like smoke and fog, appearing and disappearing without warning.
The miasma formed from rotting leaves and decayed grass in the mountains, mixed with rising heat and damp. Anyone who breathed it in could suffer anything from dizziness to unconsciousness, or even death.
There were many poisonous insects, and even more fierce beasts.
These were no ordinary beasts. Many possessed extraordinary bloodlines, could take human form, and lured travelers astray.
There were many fierce beasts, and no shortage of vicious ghosts. Demonic Beings also lurked deep within, gathering together all the world's wickedness.
This was why Western Chu had never occupied the Southern Border, yet remained on guard against it at all times.
In a forested valley, two Daoists faced each other from a distance. One had the bearing of an immortal, with white hair, a flowing long beard, and robes untouched by dust. His presence was extraordinary; he truly looked like a celestial being.
The other Daoist wore unremarkable clothes. He wasn't disheveled, but there was nothing noteworthy about him either. One could only call him thoroughly ordinary.
The thoroughly ordinary old Daoist was Old Daoist Quexin. He had come for Xiang Yuan's chance to obtain a divine skill, and also to purge his sect of a traitor.
He spoke slowly. "Senior Brother Lingguang, ten years have passed, and you're still as sanctimonious as ever. At first glance, you almost look human."
"Que Xin, it's been ten years. I thought you wouldn't come."
Daoist Lingguang rested one hand on his horsetail whisk. "Why have you come today? Don't tell me you're here to purge the sect of a traitor. I've been the Left Envoy of the Yellow Springs Dao for ten years now. If you and I fight, it will surely bring about an ominous sign in heaven and earth. The Southern Border's heroes will all come running, and with more allies on my side, you'll be doomed."
He sneered to himself. He hadn't purged the sect of a traitor ten years ago, and after ten years, it was hardly clear who had the rightful claim.
"Senior Brother speaks wisely. That's why I cast a divination before coming here. This trip will be dangerous, but I'll escape unharmed. There's only one calamity."
"What calamity?"
The old Daoist Lingguang furrowed his brows. Though he never admitted it, he was wary of his dim-witted junior brother when it came to divination.
"There's a senior brother at the Sect Gate named Lingguang. Today, he will suffer a Disaster of Bloodlight..."
Old Daoist Quexin looked grief-stricken. "Because I'll be the one to strike, Senior Brother... he... There's no escaping it. He's doomed to die!"
"How dare you, demon Daoist, try to win with your tongue!"
Daoist Lingguang flew into a rage and swept his horsetail whisk through the air. Its three thousand white strands shot skyward, parting the clouds to reveal the moon. They pointed toward three thousand stars, drawing down their boundless radiance.
He yanked on the whisk, pulling down an endless brilliance. The three thousand stars distorted space, and in an instant, a great formation descended.
The formation's secrets were hidden, its workings concealed in the void. Stars flickered, now bright, now dim. Each contained boundless energy. Guided by the formation, a destructive vortex of nebulae swallowed everything.
Even outside the formation, its dreadful pressure sent a shiver deep into the soul. It was as though the weight of ten thousand jun pressed down from above, leaving one unable to breathe.
"Do you recognize this formation?"
Before you continue