The two standing frozen in place could hardly fail to see that they knew each other. The young cultivator made a snap decision and leaped up, trying to escape on his flying sword.
Yet he had barely traveled ten feet before his movement abruptly stopped.
A black-and-white flying sword pierced him through the back, shredding his Dantian Qi Sea along with it.
Then swordlight flashed, severing his head.
In the space of a single breath, the terror and despair froze on his face. His mutilated corpse pitched forward, its life extinguished.
Thud!
The cultivator surnamed Hu hurriedly dropped to his knees, his body trembling, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Senior! Senior, spare me! Spare my life!"
The cultivator surnamed Hu kowtowed repeatedly, seemingly oblivious even as blood seeped from his forehead. "I had eyes but could not see! I didn't know this demon was under your protection."
"It was all that fellow Xu's doing. He said this little demon possessed a precious treasure, and for a moment, the devil clouded my mind-"
He spoke extremely fast, afraid that a single breath's delay would get him killed on the spot.
He spilled everything in one go, down to the smallest detail: how the young man surnamed Xu had discovered that the little butterfly demon had picked up an Ancient Tally Jade Key, how he had decided to hunt her down, and how the three had agreed to divide the spoils.
"Senior, show mercy and spare this worthless life of mine! I swear I'll leave Luo Abyss immediately and never set foot here again, for all eternity!"
He wept as he spoke, his words heart-rending.
The Song Yan of the past might have spared him.
"A pity."
Now, he could clearly detect a thread of killing intent from this man.