(Monthly ticket requested)
Sword light fell like rain.
In Charnel Forest, white bones shattered, trees toppled, and crow feathers and flesh flew in every direction.
Gloomy black qi surged upward, only to be shredded into wisps by the sword light and swept high into the sky. Under the direct sunlight, it gradually faded away until it vanished...
"It's all right now."
"It should be all right now."
"After a round of slashing like this, all that's left is to cut our way inward while performing rites of deliverance—three years if we're fast, five if we're slow. We'll definitely finish it!"
"The people of Jiankang, the people of the entire South of the Yangtze, are safe!"
A group of disciples from the immortal sect clapped in celebration. Behind them, cheers rose wave after wave and spread outward. The light-black ground gradually brightened. When they stepped on it now, no inexplicable chill crawled up from the soles of their feet—
Shen Le even saw a blade of green grass push through the soil and rustle as it grew, unfurling its top two tender leaves beneath the sunlight.
"Ah Lu, this time it was all thanks to you!" A hand slapped heavily onto his shoulder. Shen Le turned around. Even his senior martial brother's grizzled hair seemed to have darkened considerably.
"When we get back, I'll report your merits. Just wait—an imperial appointment, an official post, rewards, you won't be lacking any of them!"
"...No need." The smile vanished from Shen Le's face. He pressed a hand against the treasured sword at his waist, forcing its ringing back into the scabbard, his gaze distant. "I don't want to keep working for this court. I want to travel around, see this world, and see what it really looks like..."
"Wait!" Senior Martial Brother grabbed