In Fuquan Town, Su Zhuyi finished a cup of tea.

She tapped her fingers on the table a few times, then said, “You’re not too far from Sufang City here either. How come there’s no movement from the cultivators of Suyue Sect?”

From Changning Village, crossing Qilian Mountain and passing two more towns, we would reach Sufang City. Fuquan Town wasn’t on that route, but it wasn’t far either. Within several thousand li, ordinary mortals felt it was unreachably distant, but for cultivators flying, it wouldn’t take long. Therefore, this entire area could be considered within Sufang City’s jurisdiction.

The middle-aged man said tremblingly, “This lowly one doesn’t know either. It’s just that Sufang City is too far away, and the journey involves crossing mountains and ridges, with many fierce beasts in the mountains. Even if we wanted to go there for help, it wouldn’t work. We can only ask the Taoist priests from Qingfeng Temple.”

The female cultivators of Suyue Sect weren’t righteous path to begin with, so it made sense that they wouldn’t interfere with such matters. Since she had come, she wanted to go see the situation, at least to confirm whether it was related to Zhang Enning. Su Zhuyi left the tea pavilion and walked toward Yongan Town. After traveling for another day, she reached Yongan Town, where she had lived as a child.

On Qinggang Slope outside Yongan Town, Su Zhuyi discovered some clues.

It was now noon with a blazing sun overhead, yet Yongan Town under the scorching sun still appeared gloomy and sinister. The city was silent, without even a trace of cicada chirping or dog barking. The soil under her feet was blackish, with not a single blade of grass growing on it. Su Zhuyi dug up a bit of mud with her finger and brought it to her nose to smell – she detected a corpse aura.

And it wasn’t just corpse aura – there was also baleful energy mixed in, and this baleful energy felt somewhat familiar, even similar to the Longquan Sword.

Su Zhuyi frowned deeply. She didn’t rush into the city but instead circled halfway around the town’s outskirts. After this round of observation, Su Zhuyi understood that someone had altered Yongan Town’s feng shui layout. This place had become a corpse and an evil-nurturing ground. No wonder even at bright noon, Yongan Town could still be so gloomy and sinister, with even the sunlight appearing pale and sickly.

This was clearly Ji Wuxin’s methods, which meant her guess was correct – Zhang Enning was really alive and had embarked on Ji Wuxin’s path to becoming a demon.

However, Zhang Enning really was good material, actually able to achieve such results in just ten short years.

She had the cultivation resources of the entire Luoxue Peak, plus her previous life’s experience, which was why she could condense a Golden Core at sixteen after being reborn. For Zhang Enning to accomplish this step, his cultivation was probably quite impressive too. Could subduing that old tree make him this powerful? Even if Zhang Enning took all the spirit stones wrapped in the old tree’s roots, could he become so formidable in just ten years? And even destroy the Feihong Sect? It was truly puzzling.

Could it be that he had some other fortuitous encounter?

When things are abnormal, there must be something strange. If strength improved too quickly, there would be serious consequences. Since Zhang Enning was replacing the family-exterminating maniac, he probably wouldn’t live long. Combined with the aura in the soil just now that was similar to the Longquan Sword…

Su Zhuyi immediately thought of soul stones.

Qin Chuan said they didn’t see any Feihong Sect cultivator corpses when they returned, which could now be confirmed as having been collected by Zhang Enning. And after Qinghe killed people, he only took one storage pouch and didn’t touch anything else, meaning all those things fell into Zhang Enning’s hands.

Soul stones were stones condensed from vengeful spirits inside the Longquan Sword. Though their spiritual energy appeared far denser than spirit stones, they couldn’t be used.

If used, one would become deeply murderous and gradually lose sanity, eventually sacrificing oneself to the Longquan Sword. If her speculation was true, the current Zhang Enning might be very terrifying, whether in personality or strength, just like Qinghe, who went around exterminating families in her previous life. Zhang Enning had also become a humanoid weapon puppet. And his final fate would inevitably be death. Thinking of this, Su Zhuyi glanced once more at Yongan Town, then planned to leave and wander elsewhere.

Her purpose in coming here was to confirm whether the Su family had been exterminated and whether Zhang Enning was still alive and had inherited Ji Wuxin’s techniques. Now that both had been verified, she naturally had to leave. She couldn’t stay behind to exorcise demons for the villagers, could she?

Whether the people in Yongan Town lived or died had nothing to do with her – she couldn’t be bothered to care.

She turned to leave, but just as she was preparing to depart from this corpse-nurturing ground, two black shadows pounced from left and right directions. Su Zhuyi’s eyelids twitched – they were two flying corpses.

…

The entire Yongan Town was under Zhang Enning’s control.

He knew immediately when a cultivator arrived outside Yongan Town.

He wanted to refine a fire demon to slaughter the Xueluo Sect, so he had arranged the entire Yongan Town as a corpse-nurturing ground to refine a fire demon. Now that someone had stumbled upon it, he had to kill and silence them. Originally, only the Su family in Yongan Town was a cultivation family, but they had no real foundation. After the Su family’s extermination, there were no cultivators left in town.

Except for merchant caravans that passed through in March and April each year, it was impossible for cultivators to appear at other times. So he started his arrangements after the caravans left, but unexpectedly encountered a cultivator at this time.

And a Golden Core stage one at that!

Originally, if she had entered the city, Zhang Enning would have found it easier to deal with her. But unexpectedly, she only observed from outside the town for a while before planning to leave. And when she was observing, she even dug up soil with her hands. Looking at her expression, she was knowledgeable and had discovered his purpose, yet didn’t dare act rashly.

Therefore, Zhang Enning absolutely couldn’t let her leave, lest she return with reinforcements! He could currently subdue Golden Core cultivators, but if a Nascent Soul stage cultivator came, he could only abandon this corpse-nurturing ground and flee. So he definitely couldn’t let her leave.

Zhang Enning controlled two flying corpses, planning to strike first.

He shook the bell in his hand, driving the two flying corpses to attack the yellow-robed female cultivator on Qinggang Slope from left and right!

…

Seeing the two flying corpses attacking, Su Zhuyi felt her molars aching. Damn it, I wasn’t planning to ruin your business, yet you dare ambush me! These two flying corpses were hidden so stealthily – it seemed Zhang Enning’s methods were even higher than she had imagined. However, Su Zhuyi was completely unafraid.

She dodged the attacks while having space to carefully examine the two flying corpses.

The two flying corpses were one male and one female. She recognized the female – it was Liu Zhen from Feihong Sect, the one who originally had a storage pouch full of soul stones. She had now been refined into a living corpse with a pale face and sharp fingernails, possessing considerable attack power. Seeing Liu Zhen, Su Zhuyi was even more certain that Zhang Enning had used soul stones. She wondered how many more days that boy Zhang Enning could remain lucid.

The male was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat familiar. Su Zhuyi couldn’t recall for the moment. She struck out with Blazing Palm, hitting the female flying corpse, then used Shadowless Steps to avoid the male flying corpse’s attack. At the same time, she released her pressure aura and shouted angrily, “You think two flying corpses can subdue me? What a joke!”

The flames in Su Zhuyi’s hands were like fire dragons, burning the approaching flying corpses until they howled. Then she stared at a hidden spot outside the walls of distant Yongan Town and said coldly, “I was too lazy to meddle, but you came to provoke me instead.”

Zhang Enning wore a black robe with his entire body shrouded in a hood. He stood in the shadows without coming out, only saying, “A Golden Core cultivator? Since you’ve come, don’t leave. I’m just short of a good catalyst.”

So Zhang Enning planned to kill her and refine her into a living corpse. Su Zhuyi was amused by anger – this boy simply didn’t know his limits, thinking that learning a bit of superficial knowledge made him qualified to show off before an expert!

“Zhang Enning, with your meager skills, wanting to show off before me is simply laughable.” Su Zhuyi touched her toe and leaped into the air. When she landed, she heavily stepped on the female flying corpse’s head, breaking her neck. Then Su Zhuyi bit her fingertip and drew talismans in the void, shooting a red beam from her fingertip into the muddy ground below. Qinggang Slope seemed to crack open, and some fierce baleful energy surged out from the slope, turning into blue smoke that dispersed when hit by the noon sunlight.

“Believe it or not, I can immediately break your corpse-nurturing ground?” After displaying this move, Su Zhuyi looked at Zhang Enning and said coldly.

Zhang Enning looked at that yellow-robed figure and suddenly took a deep breath, as if sniffing the bloody scent in the air.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly grinned.

“No wonder it said you felt very familiar.” This “it” naturally referred to the divine tree of Changning Village.

“Su Zhuyi of Changning Village.” Zhang Enning called Su Zhuyi’s name, then walked out of the shadows and stood in the sunlight.

Only then did Su Zhuyi see his face.

He was thin and gaunt with a pale complexion. The lightning-shaped scar on his brow bone was very obvious, seeming to still be bleeding, looking rather eerie. His entire person appeared abnormally weak, as if he could be blown down by a gust of wind.

Zhang Enning looked at Su Zhuyi and said word by word, “Little Master, last night I was still thinking of you in Changning Village. I didn’t expect we would meet again today.”

Only in these recent days had he learned that Su Zhuyi was still alive, had entered the Gujian Sect, and obtained an immortal sword.

Su Zhuyi was the little monk from back then, the one who carved words on the old tree.

She had secretly left Changning Village one night, and before leaving, she told the old tree that in a year and a half, evil people would attack Changning Village and burn it to the ground with fire. She knew something, but she wasn’t willing to tell anyone – instead, she told a tree.

Her departure without notice had saddened him for a while, and during that time, he practiced every day in the small temple where Su Zhuyi used to stay. It was also during that period that the old tree recognized him as master. But at that time, the old tree’s intelligence was very low – it never mentioned what would happen a year later, and he only knew that Little Master had left a line of words on the old tree and signed the name Su Zhuyi.

He wasn’t there when the Xueluo Sect massacred the village. Following the cultivation method’s instructions, he had found a very hidden yin-gathering place to refine the cultivator corpses he had collected. When he successfully finished refining and came out of seclusion, returning home with great joy, he discovered his home was gone.

The village where he had lived since childhood was gone.

His mother was gone too.

From a very young age, Zhang Enning had been protecting his mother. He wanted to grow up quickly and become more capable so that no one would dare bully his mother or them anymore. But just when he had finally learned some skills and would no longer be bullied, and could give his mother a good life, his mother was gone.

Later, he kept investigating, and after many years, finally traced that the sect that destroyed Changning Village was called Xueluo Sect. He wanted to slaughter the Xueluo Sect to avenge his mother, but the strongest in Xueluo Sect had Nascent Soul strength – he couldn’t do it yet.

All these years, he had desperately cultivated and refined stronger living corpses just for revenge.

Originally, his only enemies were the Xueluo Sect.

But ever since hearing Su Zhuyi’s name appear in the world again, the murderous aura in his heart suddenly increased. So she was still there, she had even obtained an immortal sword, she lived so well and was praised by all under heaven, while he was like a maggot in a graveyard, only able to deal with corpses, living neither human nor ghost.

She knew everything – why didn’t she say anything, why didn’t she say!

If she had spoken, he could have taken his mother into hiding!

Others’ lives and deaths had nothing to do with him – he only wanted his mother, the mother he had depended on for so many years. He thought that if his mother were still alive, he definitely wouldn’t have walked this path. Originally, he had only wanted to raise a living corpse to protect himself and his mother.

But mother was gone…

Anger burned like fire, nearly consuming his rationality. If not for the old tree’s companionship, he might have already gone mad or suffered cultivation deviation. Zhang Enning was also clearly aware that his body was becoming increasingly strange, so he couldn’t delay any longer.

He looked at Su Zhuyi with tears seeming to well up in his eyes, crying and laughing at the same time, his emotions appearing abnormally agitated.

“Little Master, where have you been all these years?”

Su Zhuyi: “…”

This Zhang Enning was cut from the same cloth as her.

When a person likes someone or hates someone, no matter how well they disguise it, their eyes or actions will reveal something.

And Zhang Enning was ultimately still young, and due to the soul stones’ baleful energy, the killing intent and hatred on him weren’t well concealed either. Therefore, even though he was now smiling, with tears in his eyes, looking very happy to meet again and wanting to hold hands and reminisce, Su Zhuyi knew that Zhang Enning hated her.

When he looked at her, his eyes held undisguised killing intent.

“Little Master, do you know? Changning Village was destroyed.” His voice was low as he walked forward several steps. “Do you want to come with me to see the ruins?”

Su Zhuyi remained constantly vigilant toward him.

Therefore, when tree roots suddenly emerged from the ground trying to entangle her legs, she didn’t panic. She flew into the air like a great roc spreading its wings, then directly used the Tiangang Five Thunder Technique, striking lightning down on the old tree, saying, “Ten years no see, and you really grew legs and ran away. I was rare enough to show kindness once, only to encounter ungrateful creatures like you. You’ve brought this upon yourselves!”

When she spoke, she was also looking at Zhang Enning, so it was unclear whether she was talking about the old tree or Zhang Enning.