Calm! Life and Death! Wailing!

Moonlight like water spilled over this wilderness, which had just endured a life-or-death struggle.

"Old sir, if you feel that a leisurely position like guarding the medicine garden isn't suitable, there are others..."

Seeing the old man before her suddenly freeze, Wen Yueyao assumed he looked down on such an idle job and was about to offer other errands.

"No, no, no!"

Jiang Ye waved his hands repeatedly, a rare smile appearing on his cold, rigid face, causing his wrinkles to bunch together: "An idle job is perfect! At my age, I'm only fit for such things! If you asked me to take on other tasks, these old bones of mine wouldn't be able to handle it!"

"I'm glad you're willing, old sir." Wen Yueyao let out a sigh of relief, a sincere smile appearing on her face.

She continued: "Although these idle positions don't offer much in the way of monthly contribution points, rest assured, old sir. Once you are settled in the sect, I will transfer some of my own points to you so you can save up enough for the Qi Nourishing Method as soon as possible."

"Then this old man thanks you, young lady."

Jiang Ye was all smiles as he bowed solemnly toward her.

"Please, don't say that, old sir." Wen Yueyao's expression turned serious, and she spoke word by word: "Compared to the life-saving grace you showed today, this small matter is nothing at all."

She spoke from the heart, without a shred of pretense.

To her, Jiang Ye was far more than just a savior. If he hadn't intervened in time, she would likely have already become a plaything for Black Old Five to ravage at will.

She dared not think further.

The mere flash of that image in her mind made her entire body turn cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Only now did she truly understand the weight of the words "a fate worse than death."

She steadied herself, took a token crafted from black iron from her bosom, and handed it to Jiang Ye.

The token still carried the girl's body heat, faintly emitting a wisp of a maiden's subtle fragrance.

By the moonlight, one could clearly see a delicate "Wen" character carved on the front, and three vigorous characters on the back—"Azure Sky Sect."

"Old sir, I still have urgent matters to attend to and won't be able to return to the sect for a few days," Wen Yueyao explained. "This is my True Disciple Token; please keep it for now."

"You can head to the prefecture city first. Once you reach the gates of the Azure Sky Sect, show them this True Disciple Token, and someone will arrange your lodging."

"When I return, I will help you arrange a position as a deacon."

Jiang Ye took the token; it felt heavy in his hand, clearly made of extraordinary material.

He examined it carefully before tucking it into his robes, keeping it close to his person.

"Very well, this old man will follow your arrangements and head out first." He raised his head, looked at Wen Yueyao, and said in a deep voice:

"Take care on the road!"

He was not a meddlesome man and did not press her about what business she still had to attend to.

Since this girl insisted on finishing it even in such a disheveled state, it must be of the utmost importance.

Asking would be useless; it was better to hold his tongue.

"You take care on the road as well, old sir." Wen Yueyao nodded slightly at Jiang Ye, a bright, hearty smile blooming on her face: "See you at the Azure Sky Sect!"

Both were decisive people, free of unnecessary pleasantries or small talk.

After bidding farewell, they turned and departed in different directions.

Jiang Ye headed toward the direction of the Su Family caravan.

He had to catch up with that group as quickly as possible to secretly protect Liu Qingshi and his family.

Wen Yueyao headed toward Anxi County.

The moonlight stretched their shadows long; one went east, the other west, eventually disappearing into the vast night.

Inside Anxi County.

Deep within a secluded civilian house.

Candlelight flickered, casting mottled shadows across the room's furnishings.

A man dressed in black robes stood silently by the window, black mist swirling and coiling around him like a living creature.

The black mist obscured his face, revealing only a pair of eyes as deep as an ancient well.

In his hand, he held a crystal ball the size of a fist, inside which a wisp of dark red blood thread floated, swimming slowly as if searching for something.

After a long while, the blood thread stopped and remained motionless.

The man in black shook his head slightly, his voice raspy and calm, as if speaking to himself:

"The blood sacrifice is complete, yet there is still no movement. It seems the secret treasure is not here."

A moment later.

The sound of wind came from afar. The man in black seemed to sense something and put the crystal ball away.

Before long, an old man with half-white hair and a long, narrow scar on his face arrived in the room like a light breeze.

His name was White Old Three, the very man who had snuck into the Zhang Family at night to coerce Zhang He into being an inside agent.

At this moment, blood stained the corners of his mouth, his breathing was ragged, and he gasped for air; clearly, he had suffered significant injuries.

"Envoy, those brats from the Azure Sky Sect have arrived quickly."

White Old Three reported to the figure in the black robe with a respectful expression.

"Since they have arrived, then let us leave."

The black-robed figure spoke with indifference.

"Leave?" White Old Three jerked his head up, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes. "Envoy, are we not going to slaughter all these brats? With your strength..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a cold gaze land upon him.

That gaze was not sharp, yet it made his blood feel as though it had frozen solid.

"Killing these small fry holds no meaning for me."

The black-robed figure let out a sneer of disdain, those deep, dark eyes staring eerily at White Old Three. "And since when is it your place to question my words? You don't actually think of yourself as a member of the Seven Kill Cult, do you?"

"Gulp..."

Facing that eerie gaze, White Old Three, a man who had killed without blinking, felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar in an instant. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he swallowed hard, unable to hide his terror.

He dared not look again, instinctively burying his head low.

A long while later, he finally suppressed his fear and tremblingly raised his head slightly.

However, the figure of the black-robed man was already gone.

Inside the magistrate's residence, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt as if it could drip water.

Magistrate Gao He sat in the guest seat, restless and uneasy, as if needles were pricking him from beneath.

His gaze swept surreptitiously toward the young man in the main seat from time to time, and with every glance, his heart grew more tense.

The man wore the green-robed attire of the sect, his features delicate and handsome, appearing to be in his early twenties.

Yet, the nobility and arrogance radiating from his brow made one dare not show the slightest disrespect.

Even more astonishing was that this person felt like a furnace, a faint heat emanating from his body.

Even from half a meter away, Gao He could feel that scorching aura.

This man was none other than Zheng Feng, a true disciple of Heavenly Sun Peak from the Azure Sky Sect.

"With True Disciple Zheng here, the chaos in Anxi County should be quelled very soon."

Gao He offered a fawning smile, speaking cautiously in an attempt to break the suffocating silence.

However, Zheng Feng merely glanced at him coldly, showing no intention of speaking.

At this moment, two disciples dressed in Azure Sky Sect attire strode into the hall.

One of them was dragging a person by the hand, tossing him onto the floor as if he were a dead dog.

"Senior Brother Zheng, we have investigated why the gates of Anxi County were breached so quickly; it turns out this man acted as an inside agent."

"When we found him, this fellow was packing his things, trying to run away, so we crippled both his legs directly."

The person thrown to the ground was none other than the head of the Zhang Family, Zhang He.

"Hah... hah..."

At this moment, he retained none of the bearing of a prominent family head; his hair was disheveled, his legs were broken, and he gasped in pain, much like a dying stray dog.

"Zhang He, it was actually you who acted as the inside agent?!"

Gao He looked at Zhang He, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, and exclaimed in disbelief.

Though he knew there must be an inside agent in the city, he never imagined it would be the Zhang Family—a clan that had entrenched itself in Anxi County for generations and held intricate ties with every other family.

Zhang He managed to lift his head, looking at Gao He and the young man sitting in the main seat. Aside from fear and resentment, there was a trace of sorrow in his eyes.

From the moment he agreed to be an inside agent, he knew this day would come.

But he had not expected it to arrive so soon.

Recalling his life of countless misdeeds, a terrifying thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Could this truly be retribution?

Otherwise, with so many powerful clans in the city, why would those Seven Kill Cult monsters choose no one else but him?

"Senior Brother Zheng, how shall we deal with this fellow?"

One disciple looked toward Zheng Feng.

"Need you ask!"

Zheng Feng finally spoke.

He stood up, and with a single step, he was already before Zhang He.

That scorching aura surged violently, like a volcano about to erupt.

He raised his hand and struck down with a light, effortless palm.

BOOM!

A scorching, incomparable wave of air erupted suddenly within the hall.

The heat was searing and oppressive, forcing Gao He to stumble backward, nearly falling to the ground.

The two Azure Sky Sect disciples, however, remained motionless, merely narrowing their eyes slightly.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH---!!!"

Accompanied by a shrill, miserable scream, Zhang He turned into a human torch in an instant.

Crimson flames burst forth from every inch of his skin, licking at his flesh, bones, and internal organs.

He struggled frantically, rolling on the ground; unable to use his broken legs, he could only twist and convulse his body like a worm being incinerated by a raging fire.

The screaming grew higher and sharper, until finally, it came to an abrupt halt.

The flames extinguished.

On the ground remained only a charred, curled-up remnant in a grotesque shape, still emitting wisps of blue smoke.

A stench of burnt flesh permeated the air.

Gao He's eye twitched violently; seeing this former acquaintance who had truly become "well-done," he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"His family," Zheng Feng turned around, his voice as indifferent as if he were ordering a trivial matter, "leave none alive!"

"Yes!" Gao He immediately bowed in response, cold sweat beading on his forehead, "Rest assured, True Disciple Zheng, I will certainly handle this matter well and will not let a single fish slip through the net!"

After tonight, there would be no more Zhang Family in Anxi County.

It was not until the first light of dawn.

The chaos within Anxi County gradually returned to calm.

As the sounds of shouting and screaming faded away, the city was filled more with the weeping of common folk.

Although the Azure Sky Sect disciples had provided timely support, the night's turmoil had still left countless families shattered.

Countless people had lost their loved ones forever.

All the weeping seemed to recount the chaos and instability of this world.

A figure came running, stumbling and falling, until he reached the gates of the Bluestone Martial Academy.

This person was none other than Shi Lei.

Last night, he and his mother had hidden in their cellar, listening to the shouting, screaming, and footsteps outside, barely surviving the entire night.

It was only when dawn broke and the noise outside gradually died down that he dared to crawl out.

His first priority was to rush to the academy.

I hope Master Liu and Old Man Jiang are both safe and sound.

Shi Lei's heart tightened as he saw the heavy gates of the academy, usually so imposing, now collapsed on the ground.

One of these men was his mentor, and the other was the elder who had inspired him to revitalize his martial path.

He did not want anything to happen to either of them.

He took a deep breath, stepped over the collapsed gate, and entered the chaotic courtyard.

On the Martial Practice Field, the wooden training dummies were toppled over.

In the corridors, debris was scattered everywhere.

Several room doors stood wide open, the interiors in a state of disarray, clearly having been ransacked.

Fortunately, he did not see any corpses.

The stone that had weighed on his heart all night finally felt a little lighter.

Just then.

"Junior Brother Shi."

A call came from behind him.

Shi Lei turned around to see the academy's senior disciple, Zhao Gang, stumbling as he ran in.

He had several wounds on his body, his clothes stained with blood, but fortunately, none were fatal; his face was merely slightly pale.

"Senior Brother Zhao, you're hurt!"

Shi Lei hurried over to support him.

"Just minor injuries, it's nothing," Zhao Gang grinned, his smile carrying a hint of relief at having survived the ordeal: "Given the situation last night, it's good enough just to be alive."

"Indeed."

Shi Lei nodded heavily.

The two looked at each other, both seeing the same emotion in the other's eyes—it is truly good to be alive.

"Junior Brother Shi, the Master and the others..." Zhao Gang paused, then said in a low voice, "They have gone to the Prefecture City."

"Gone to the Prefecture City?!"

Shi Lei was slightly taken aback.

"Before leaving, the Master told me that if fate allows, we shall meet again."

Zhao Gang cast his gaze toward the distance and said in a deep voice, "Once I break through to Transformation Strength, I will go to the Prefecture City as well!"

Shi Lei followed Zhao Gang's gaze, a look of firm resolve appearing on his face, "Senior Brother Zhao, let us work hard together!"

Meanwhile, in the wilderness.

Jiang Ye finally caught up with the Su Family caravan.