Zhou Yan’s head hung limply, his life hanging in the balance. Blood streamed down his face, dripping from his chin to stain the ground with crimson flowers. “Esteemed cultivators, we beg you, spare us.”
Yu Da pleaded desperately, but the figures hidden in the shadows remained unmoved. The Lion Roar Beast was close. Today, they were determined to capture one to claim merit with the elders. Lion Roar Beasts were difficult to catch primarily due to their cunning. However, they were excellent mounts, favored by disciples of the Seven Great Sects, which was why they had volunteered for this hunt.
Lion Roar Beasts were particularly drawn to the scent of Octagonal Star Grass. Yet, the grass alone wasn’t enough to lure them; they also required the fresh blood of living humans. Thus, they had captured two unknown individuals to serve as bait. In the eyes of the Seven Great Sects’ disciples, the lives of anyone outside their sects were as cheap as ants.
The Lion Roar Beast moved with great speed. The hidden figures’ faces lit up with surprise. They waited for the beast to fall into their trap, with the captured pair as the bait above it. Once the Lion Roar Beast descended, Zhou Yan and the other would perish by its jaws.
Zhu Qing watched as the Lion Roar Beast appeared before them, while Xiao Man was nowhere to be seen. Distressed and helpless, just as the beast was about to strike the two, Zhu Qing transformed into its original form and charged forward, knocking the Lion Roar Beast away.
The Lion Roar Beast, having seen its meal about to slip away, roared and lunged at Zhu Qing. The serpent and the beast became locked in a struggle.
“Where did this snake come from, ruining our good deed!” The hidden figures could no longer remain concealed and swarmed Zhu Qing. While Zhu Qing was a king in Yangming Valley, it was merely a mid-tier demonic beast in the Roland Mountains. It struggled to fight the equally mid-tier Lion Roar Beast, let alone contend with attackers.
Yu Da had believed his end was near, but Zhu Qing’s sudden appearance had temporarily saved them from being devoured. Hope flickered. His eyes scanned the surroundings for Xiao Man’s trace. Seeing Zhu Qing falter under the assault, and with Xiao Man still absent, he despaired.
“Help! Help!” Yu Da cried out with all his might. Zhu Qing was here, so their leader must be nearby. “Leader, help! Leader!”
Zhu Qing was struck by a sneak attack and its massive body crashed to the ground. The Lion Roar Beast, sensing the shift in the situation, attempted to flee. However, the attackers’ target had been it all along, and they wouldn’t let it escape.
Soon, the Lion Roar Beast was also captured under the onslaught, unable to move within the Immortal Binding Net.
“It’s all this damned snake’s fault! If not for it, the Lion Roar Beast would have fallen into the trap, and we wouldn’t have had to expend so much effort!” A man, sword in hand, approached Zhu Qing and placed a foot on its body. “Just my luck, I’ll take its gall for medicine as compensation.”
Zhu Qing struggled, but couldn’t move. As the enemy’s sword neared its vital point, it closed its eyes, never expecting to perish here, the esteemed Serpent King of Bamboo!
Suddenly, a dagger flashed like lightning, piercing the man’s throat. His eyes widened in disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend his death.
Zhu Qing’s eyes snapped open. It looked forward as a figure rushed towards it. Zhu Qing was almost overcome with joy, nearly weeping with relief. If its master had arrived any later, it would only have been there to collect its remains!
Before the man’s body could fall, Xiao Man arrived. Zhu Qing transformed into a small snake and burrowed into Xiao Man’s clothes. Xiao Man pulled the dagger from the man’s throat, severed the ropes, and caught Zhou Yan and Yu Da as they fell.
“Leader, Zhou Yan is gravely wounded.” Seeing Xiao Man’s arrival, Yu Da cried tears of joy. They were finally safe from death.
“You should tend to your wounds first,” Xiao Man handed Yu Da a bottle of medicine and then checked Zhou Yan’s injuries. However, upon examination, her heart sank. Zhou Yan had no breath of life left.
His body was still warm, but his pulse was gone. She had come too late, after all.
“Leader, Zhou Yan…” Seeing Xiao Man’s somber expression and the intense killing intent emanating from her, Yu Da swallowed hard. He had never seen Xiao Man look so terrifying.
“Kid, who are you to dare kill a disciple of our Azure Wolf Sect? Today, you leave your life behind as well!”
The leader, a man, surrounded Xiao Man with his men. They had clearly seen that Xiao Man was with the two they had captured. But so what? In this Wuji City, there was no one they dared or could not kill. Even the eldest daughter of Wuji City would be at their mercy if she fell into their hands.
“It was you… you killed my people?” Xiao Man asked softly.
“So what if it was? We’ll kill you too!” The man thrust his sword forward. He expected to hit his mark, but Xiao Man caught his sword bare-handed and, with a slight exertion, snapped the man’s sword. She then plunged the broken tip into his chest.
“Kill him!” In such a short time, the Azure Wolf Sect had lost two disciples, a grave blow to their pride and an infuriated the Azure Wolf Sect disciples.
“Leader.”
“Guard Zhou Yan, and stay clear.” Xiao Man signaled Yu Da to stay back. Today, all these people would die. They would pay for Zhou Yan’s life!
Several disciples swarmed them, but Xiao Man showed no fear. Even with disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage among them, Xiao Man didn’t regard them. By the time she arrived, poison had already been administered. She intended not only to kill them but also to use them as stepping stones!
“Die!” Xiao Man’s dagger accurately pierced a man’s chest. Having struck true, Xiao Man did not retreat. She drew the dagger and plunged it again into the man’s dantian. “You will all die!”
The disciples of the Azure Wolf Sect never imagined they would turn from hunters to prey, nor did they expect this sudden arrival to be so terrifying. She was merely a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet she could so easily kill cultivators of the same level.
When Yan Yu caught up, Xiao Man was covered in blood, it was unclear if it was her own or others’. The dagger in her hand gleamed sharply, blood dripping from its tip. Xiao Man, step by step, advanced on the Azure Wolf Sect disciples who had fallen to the ground. On the ground lay over ten people, all clad in the Azure Wolf Sect’s robes.
“Esteemed cultivator, spare us! Spare us!” the man, kneeling, begged, kowtowing incessantly.
Xiao Man remained unmoved. “Spare you? When my people begged for mercy, did you spare them?”
The man was utterly terrified. He cared nothing for pride now, only for survival. They had captured these two as bait because they believed they had no background or influence. Who could have imagined they had a Foundation Establishment expert backing them? But how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator dare to oppose the Azure Wolf Sect?