Settling a Grudge

"That's rather interesting."

Watching the Witch Technique come toward him, Su Yao merely patted his shoulder, and the Great Yin Dharma Robe appeared at once.

Yang made all things under heaven manifest; yin concealed all things under heaven. Wherever concealment was involved in the world, yin could not be avoided. And Greater Yin was foremost among all yin, making it the greatest concealment under heaven!

Su Yao was still standing where he had been, yet the Witch Technique's orb of light instantly lost its target.

Wrapped in Greater Yin moonlight, Su Yao seemed to exist in a different world from the present one.

The middle-aged woman gave a bitter laugh, the light in her eyes fading bit by bit.

She gazed at Su Yao's flickering figure, her lips parting as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, all that came out was a soft sigh.

Her gaunt fingers slowly loosened, and the ancient seal fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The witch markings surging around her receded like the tide, revealing a body as withered as dead wood beneath her robes.

She had wanted to use a forbidden technique to open a path to survival for Lu Shang, but now she could not even touch the hem of Su Yao's robe. What use was the forbidden technique?

The two trails of bloody tears at the corners of her eyes had long since dried, leaving dark red marks on her cheeks.

With all the strength she had left, she glanced at the great hall ahead, where she had lived for more than two hundred years, then at the place where the clanspeople she had lived alongside day and night had fallen.

"Shang'er..." she called softly, her voice barely audible. "Run..."

The next moment, her knees gave way, and she fell to the ground.

Her gaunt body slowly pitched forward, her forehead touching the earth.

As she fell, the Witch Technique's orb of light, left without anyone to control it, flew toward the Lu Household's main hall behind Su Yao.

Boom! Even with a formation protecting it, most of the main hall collapsed.

Not far away, Lu Shang stared blankly at the scene, tears bursting from his eyes.

"Mother!"

He screamed hoarsely, but an elder beside him seized him and forcibly dragged him toward the rear mountain.

Su Yao stood quietly where he was, watching the woman sprawled on the ground without giving chase.

He still could not freely control the Great Yin Dharma Robe, a treasure of the spirit treasure grade.

He could only wait for its effect to wear off, after the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

As the Greater Yin moonlight gradually withdrew, his figure reappeared.

He went forward and came to the woman, then bent down and picked up the ancient seal from the ground. It was scorching hot to the touch.

After turning it over in his hand a few times, he realized that the treasure had been refined from a Blazing Fire spirit material and a witch-talisman spirit material.

Even among Law Artifacts, it was a rarity.

He put it into his Storage Bag, swallowed a handful of Essence Recovery Pills, then moved again, flying toward the rear mountain.

To cut the grass, one had to pull out the roots!

If he did not pull out the roots, how could he establish himself in this area?

Even if people called him a butcher, he would not shrink from it. If he was not ruthless, there would be more trouble in the future.

After all, one punch now could ward off a hundred later!

Su Yao soon arrived at the rear mountain. Lu Shang, two Foundation Establishment cultivators, and several late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators were now hiding in a cave.

A formation protected the cave.

Without hesitation, Su Yao unleashed Glow Ashes again.

This formation was even weaker than the Lu Household's mountain-protecting formation from before. It held out for only fifteen minutes before collapsing completely.

Inside the cave, Lu Shang was full of regret. He had received word earlier that they were willing to give him a spiritual item to ask a Purple Mansion cultivator for help, and that he only needed to probe the other party a little. But young and headstrong, he had launched a sneak attack outright.

He had thought that no matter how powerful the other party's background was, the Lu Household had good relations with its neighbors, the lake god's protection, and his grandfather besides, so at most they would have to pay some compensation. Compared with a spiritual item, it would naturally have been a bargain. But now... both his parents were dead, and all the Foundation Establishment cultivators the Lu Household had accumulated over thousands of years were gone.

Looking at the shattered formation, he turned to the old man beside him:

"Clan Uncle, please leave first. I'll stay here. I have a Spirit Artifact my grandfather gave me to protect myself."

The old man shook his head and said sorrowfully:

"I'm just an old bag of bones. Run for your life, Shang'er. You're our Household's hope."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Su Yao unleashed another Golden Palace Morning Clouds outside the cave, sending it toward them as a rain of rosy light.

Lu Shang hurriedly brought out his Spirit Artifact to block it, thinking to himself:

That Law Technique is high-grade at a glance. Does this man have an endless supply of Law Power?

While he was still pondering, Su Yao transformed into a streak of rosy light and mingled with the rain.

He slipped past the Spirit Artifact, Clear Breeze appearing in his hand. With a swing, he unleashed streak after streak of Sword Qi, instantly killing the two Foundation Establishment cultivators and a dozen or so Qi Refinement cultivators.

Lu Shang's eyes were bloodshot:

"I did injure someone, but why are you so vicious?"

Su Yao's tone was calm:

"When you do something wrong, you naturally have to pay the price."

Looking at Lu Shang's hate-filled face, he smiled and said:

"There are some affairs you shouldn't get involved in. Once you do, there's no room for regret."

With that, he put Clear Breeze into his Storage Bag, and Zhengji appeared in his hand again.

"Let's see how long your Law Power can sustain that Spirit Artifact!"

Then Glow Ashes rose once more!

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Shang's Law Power was failing, and the light on the golden round shield gradually dimmed.

But just as Lu Shang could no longer sustain the Spirit Artifact, all of White Sand Mountain shook.

A warning surged in Su Yao's heart. He instantly transformed into rosy light, flew out of the cave, and sped into the distance.

Lu Shang followed close behind. The two steadied themselves and looked up at the same time.

A massive scarlet hand had broken through Lu Shang's Purple Mansion formation and was hovering overhead.

Joy appeared on Lu Shang's face, and he shouted:

"Grandfather, save me!"

Sensing trouble, Su Yao swung Zhengji, sending a rainbow-like streak of rosy light flying toward Lu Shang.

But the scarlet hand did not descend. Instead, it shed a beam of scarlet light that annihilated the rosy light.

It then sent down another beam of scarlet light, intending to snatch Lu Shang away. Seeing this, Su Yao showed no fear of the Purple Mansion cultivator.

He swung Zhengji and pressed two fingers together. Golden Palace Morning Clouds appeared again.

In the sky, the massive scarlet hand flew into a rage at the sight. The scarlet light that had been about to sweep Lu Shang away changed direction and flew at Su Yao.

Su Yao's heart and mind shook violently. Under a casual strike from a Purple Mansion cultivator, he could not move.

Just as the scarlet light came within a hundred zhang of Su Yao, a crow's cry suddenly rang out.

A giant crow a hundred meters long, its black feathers shimmering with color, appeared between Su Yao and the scarlet light.

He merely gave a gentle flap of his wings, and the scarlet light dispersed. The massive scarlet hand in the sky vanished as well.

The crow looked back at Su Yao, his humanlike eyes seeming to tease him.

Su Yao smiled at the sight, waved slightly, and cursed:

"You damned crow, only getting here now!"

The crow's eyes showed a trace of helplessness, mixed with a hint of amusement.

Then he turned back, beat his wings again, and disappeared into the Great Void.

Lu Shang's face was ashen. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Su Yao looked at the ashen-faced Lu Shang and said indifferently:

"It seems even your grandfather can't save you."

Before the words had faded, he transformed into rosy light and rushed straight at Lu Shang.

Lu Shang instinctively raised his Spirit Artifact, and the golden round shield lit up again. But its light was already like a spent crossbow bolt, on the verge of collapse.

Just one sword strike!

The Spirit Artifact wailed and flew from his hand.

Then came another sword strike!

Blood sprayed from Lu Shang's chest, and he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the rocks, blood gushing from his mouth.

Su Yao walked over with his sword and looked down at him:

"If you have another life, don't carelessly get caught up in other people's schemes."

Zhengji rose.

Lu Shang closed his eyes.

The sword fell.

Blood splashed three feet.

Blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, Lu Shang stared fixedly at Su Yao and rasped with the last of his strength:

"Today... you slaughtered my whole family... someday... someone will... slaughter you!"

With those words, he turned into crimson ashes that scattered on the wind.

Su Yao paid him no heed. He put away his sword, turned, and looked toward the horizon. The giant crow had long since vanished.

He muttered "damned crow" under his breath, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.