Crushing Rot

Outside.

Shen Hui's expression gradually turned cold as he glanced sidelong at the Old Taoist beside him.

The Old Taoist's face was also as heavy as water, his aura restrained and solemn as he said in a low voice:

"These two should be heretics from the Qishan Sect."

"Qishan Sect?" Shen Hui repeated quietly, his tone laced with doubt.

The Old Taoist nodded slowly, his voice icy: "The Qishan Sect's lair is in Longzhou, with disciples spread across several counties. They seem numerous and formidable, but in truth, they're nothing but a rabble."

He paused, his tone dripping with disdain: "Most of their disciples don't cultivate the righteous path. They specialize in yin-stealing and Sha-nurturing, evil arts of driving ghosts to harm people. Their usual trick is to secretly send ghosts to cause trouble, stirring up unrest in people's homes, then show up posing as experts to exorcise the evil, extorting wealth. The more vicious ones directly drive ghosts to kill and seize others' property—they stop at nothing."

Shen Hui frowned slightly and probed:

"I wonder what the cultivation levels of these two inside are?"

The Old Taoist glanced at the thatched hut and sneered: "We've been standing by the wall for so long, and they haven't noticed a thing. That shows their cultivation is shallow—they haven't even established a foundation."

At this, a sharp glint flashed in Shen Hui's eyes.

He immediately cupped his hands and said solemnly to the Old Taoist: "Master, these two are wreaking havoc in the countryside, their crimes heinous. This time, may your disciple take action and eliminate these two scourges?"

Mainly, your disciple wants to snag some experience.

The Old Taoist looked at him, pondered for a moment, and finally gave his instructions:

"These two may not be highly cultivated, but the Qishan Sect's methods are mostly sinister and vile. You must never underestimate the enemy."

"Your disciple understands."

Shen Hui's tone was firm, his gaze clear. "But this disciple came down the mountain this time precisely to train and cultivate. Being able to rid the people of Qu County of this calamity counts as a worthwhile journey."

Seeing his resolute expression, the Old Taoist was silent for a moment before finally nodding.

"You are now at Mid Qi Refining, with all five-element techniques at your command. In terms of skill, you are no longer inferior to your senior brothers and sisters. Since you insist on going, then go."

Shen Hui felt a wave of relief.

Great, no one's stealing the kill.

He stepped forward decisively, his fingers flying through hand seals, his incantation racing like rolling beads.

In an instant, a Fire Ghost over ten feet tall materialized out of thin air.

Then, with a flick of his finger, the Fire Ghost, as if receiving orders, roared and charged headlong into the thatched hut!

"Boom—"

A thunderous crash echoed through the forest.

The dilapidated thatched hut was instantly engulfed in flames, sparks flying everywhere.

Two disheveled figures scrambled out through the window, rolling on the ground twice before barely steadying themselves.

"Who goes there!"

The leading man grabbed Scholar Li by the collar and barked, his eyes darting around in shock and fury.

Shen Hui stood before the blaze, his expression indifferent.

Without a word, he raised his hand and shot out a line of fire.

A crimson streak of flame cut through the dim forest, hurtling straight toward the heretic with lightning speed.

The heretic was startled.

He cursed under his breath, hastily tossed the half-dead Scholar Li to the ground, then pulled out a pitch-black skull and hurled it into the air.

The skull swelled as it flew, quickly growing to the size of a millstone, faint ghostly light swirling in its hollow eye sockets.

It opened its mouth, and a stream of foul green liquid spewed forth, meeting the fire line head-on.

"Sizzle—"

Water and fire clashed, producing a harsh, crackling sound.

The skull barely managed to block the fire line, but a deep, charred scar was left on its surface.

Seeing this, the heretic's face twisted in terror, a mix of pain and fear.

But before he could react, Shen Hui had already formed a hand seal, and a sharp white light shot through the air.

With a crisp "crack," Scholar Li on the ground was instantly decapitated, blood spurting from the severed neck.

"How dare you!"

The heretic, both shocked and enraged, hurriedly activated the skull.

Two balls of ghostly green fire wobbled out from the skull's eye sockets, drifting slowly toward Shen Hui.

Shen Hui remained calm, his hand seal shifting abruptly as he raised his left hand.

Earth Wall!

A thick wall of earth rose from the ground, completely blocking the green flames.

Then, without waiting for the heretic to make another move, he swept his sleeve, and the earth wall collapsed in an instant, surging forward like a storm of debris.

Dust filled the sky, blinding anyone who tried to open their eyes.

The evil cultivator, in his panic, could only sacrifice a bone talisman to block the attack, but who would have thought that several lines of fire would suddenly burst forth from within the dust cloud, their angles vicious and ruthless, aimed straight at his vital points.

For a moment, the heretic felt his soul flee his body; he twisted desperately to dodge, but in the end, he was a step too slow.

A line of fire grazed his left arm, and the flesh and skin instantly turned charred black.

A severed arm flew into the air, wreathed in green smoke.

But this man was also a ruthless character. Gritting his teeth, he pulled a bone spike an inch long from his bosom and hurled it fiercely into the air.

"Whoosh—"

The bone spike transformed into a ghastly white light, carrying a sharp whistling sound as it shot straight toward Shen Hui's face.

Shen Hui saw that the bone spike's white light was mournful and its wail audible, and he knew at a glance that it was also a magical artifact refined through evil arts.

But he neither dodged nor evaded; he simply pressed his right hand's index and middle fingers together and pointed through the air like lightning.

"Chi!"

A burst of Sharp Gold Qi collided precisely with the bone spike.

With a light "crack," the bone spike melted like ice and snow, shattering inch by inch into a puff of white powder that scattered.

The evil cultivator's face suddenly turned ashen.

Yet, despite the blood gushing from his severed arm like a spring, he still stubbornly refused to retreat, using his remaining single arm to form a strange hand seal while muttering incantations under his breath.

The skull that had rolled to the ground earlier began to faintly glow with a layer of black light, spewing out rolling green smoke.

Shen Hui, however, gave him no more chances. A line of fire streaked through the air, and the demonic cultivator's only remaining arm fell with a thud, blood splattering three feet.

"Ah—"

The evil cultivator let out a miserable scream and fell to his knees with a thud.

Shen Hui withdrew his technique, looking at the vile cultivator's pathetic state as he lay collapsed on the ground, and spoke calmly:

"Speak. Do you have any accomplices?"

The evil cultivator trembled all over from the pain, but at these words, he lifted his head, his eyes filled with venom.

A twisted grin crept across his lips, and with a gurgle in his throat, he spat a thick wad of bloody phlegm straight at Shen Hui's face.

Shen Hui didn't even twitch an eyebrow; he merely gave a light flick of his sleeve.

A gentle breeze arose from beneath his sleeve, catching the bloody phlegm without deviation and blowing it back exactly as it came.

The evil cultivator was splattered all over his face with his own bloody phlegm, utterly disheveled, yet he still gritted his teeth and let out a hoarse laugh:

"Accomplices? Hahaha... Every single person up and down Qishan Sect, which one of them isn't my accomplice?"

Shen Hui watched him quietly, his expression unchanged. He neither grew angry nor pressed further, only nodded calmly.

"I see," he said.

The evil cultivator laughed wildly, like a madman: "Even if I die, there are experts within the sect who will avenge me. How many can you kill?"

At this, Shen Hui's expression remained serene as he replied calmly:

"One less is one more."

As his words fell, a burst of crimson flame surged forth instantly, engulfing the heretic cultivator completely in moments.

A short, sharp scream came from within the fire, then fell silent.

The flame burned for only a few breaths before extinguishing on its own.

All that remained on the ground was a pile of gray-white ash, which the night wind blew away, scattering it clean.