Chapter 124: The Path of Black and White (Part Three)
Twenty-ninth, light rain.
Such weather was somewhat rare.
In Changping, overcast skies were common, but rainy days were actually few.
The cultivators in the city went about their business as usual.
Leaving Yangwu Courtyard, Song Yan followed his assignment and headed toward the area outside the city.
Today, the area Song Yan was to patrol was Cheng Family Village.
However, before leaving the city, he still stopped before the Spirit Display Stele outside Lianheng Tower to confirm once more Cheng Yu’s movements for the day.
Cheng Yu’s name remained at its original position on the Spirit Display Stele.
No changes.
As it should be.
Today, all the elders should already know about the operation to ambush the Demon Seed Sect and Yellow Spring Path cultivators.
Cheng Family Village was the center of the battlefield, while Cao Yuan Township was the farthest point from it.
Cheng Yu’s parents would naturally not waste any more effort trying to send their child elsewhere.
His expression indifferent, he glanced at the names of several people around Cheng Yu.
Birds of a feather.
“If you survive, it means your sins don’t warrant death.”
“If you die, it means you’ve committed too many evil deeds—it’s better to go early and atone.”
He turned and left the city.
Cheng Family Village, all was as usual.
Song Yan sat cross-legged on the hillside outside the village, beneath an old pine at the fork in the mountain path.
Today, he did not need to do anything.
He only needed to wait.
This day, many others were also waiting for a certain moment to arrive.
Changping fell into night quickly.
A crescent moon hung like a hook. In the cold wind and light rain, the dead trees around the outer perimeter of the Corpse Bone Abyss rustled.
Lü Qin concealed himself in the night, walking slowly toward Cheng Family Village.
At this moment, the six sects’ disciples were changing shifts—the weakest point of patrol.
Of course, these fools from the six sects could never have detected his identity in the first place.
Otherwise, they would not have let the Yellow Spring Path hide Jin Tianya here for over half a year without notice.
Three li away, Cheng Family Village flickered with sparse lamplight.
“If the Asura Path intends to make their move, it will likely be within the span of a single cup of tea.”
“Otherwise, drawing the attention of the six sects’ disciples would be more trouble than it’s worth.”
Lü Qin considered himself perfectly safe—his only concern was whether he could find an opportunity to claim the lion’s share.
The thought of witnessing the mutual destruction of the Asura Path and the Yellow Spring Path with his own eyes in moments brought a savage grin to his face.
Thinking this, he used the cover of night to inch closer, his eyes fixed upon a certain low house.
Hoo…
The night was silent, with only the heavy rain hitting the ground, each drop reaching his ears.
The rain grew heavier.
When Lü Qin realized something was wrong, it was not because Cheng Family Village remained quiet.
It was because he suddenly discovered that the heavy rain had penetrated his protective spiritual robe and struck the clothes beneath.
Creak—
The wooden door of the lit low house swung slowly open.
A young female cultivator in a blue-and-white dao robe stepped out, her gaze directed straight at Lü Qin’s position.
“Not good!”
In the shadows, Lü Qin transformed into blood light, attempting to flee.
Clang—
A bell chimed softly, and a massive wave of water erupted with a boom!
Spiritual energy transformed into a tide, like rain retaining a guest.
In the downpour, Lü Qin’s figure was forcibly dragged back.
By now, how could he not realize that he had fallen into a trap set by the six sects?
But…
What had he done to warrant a Foundation Establishment cultivator personally subduing him?
In truth, Cong Yuzhen was also somewhat bewildered.
Based on the intelligence provided by that Song Yan, along with the elders’ deductions, tonight was supposed to be when the Yellow Spring Path and Demon Seed Sect cultivators met.
They had even prepared for the possibility of a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator being present.
That was why she, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had been dispatched to oversee the situation.
But after waiting until now, only a single person had appeared.
“Could the Yellow Spring Path cultivators have detected the six sects’ movements?”
Seeing that the other party had been waiting for so long with no sign of the second group, she finally made her move.
Spiritual energy merged with raindrops, condensing into countless fine chains that wrapped around Lü Qin’s body.
“Sheng… Nian…”
“You damned bastard!!!”
Could he be an informant for the six sects?!
Looking back now, every move that scoundrel had made was riddled with flaws.
How could he have fallen for this!
Cong Yuzhen formed a dao incantation, and all the spiritual rain chains began to constrict.
Since the opponent was only one person, and at the ninth level of Qi Refining at that, there was naturally nothing to worry about.
Taking him alive would be ideal.
But just as the spiritual rain chains were about to bind him, a sudden change occurred.
Lü Qin abruptly burst into a mist of blood, transforming once more into blood light and fleeing toward the northeast.
Cong Yuzhen’s eyes narrowed.
The Guest-Retaining Rain, as a trapping formation, did indeed have several weak points during the contraction of the spiritual rain chains. The direction the man fled toward was one of them.
“This demonic cultivator is proficient in formations?”
Cong Yuzhen paused briefly, then let out a soft sigh.
She did not know what she was lamenting.
She gradually withdrew all her spiritual energy.
Lü Qin fled at full speed, discovering that the spiritual energy behind him was gradually receding as the female cultivator withdrew.
Joy surged in his heart.
Had he just escaped from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!
The disciples of the six sects were truly all useless fools with no combat ability.
Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator…
Swish.
A streak of water-blue sword qi cut across the sky.
The blood mist fleeing through the night sky was like a fragile bird.
Pierced and scattered instantly by the sword light without the slightest resistance.
The divine sense in his mind came to an abrupt halt.
…
Under the same crescent moon.
Cao Yuan Township.
Several six sects cultivators gathered in a courtyard.
The owner of the courtyard was merely a mortal.
They had naturally been expelled.
The cultivator sitting at the center was Cheng Yu.
Even with strengthened precautions, the tasks they were given were still the simplest.
For a patrol like today’s, it was already the most troublesome assignment they had to deal with.
Cheng Yu snorted coldly. “People like him always think they’re some kind of hero just because they’ve killed a few demonic cultivators.”
The enhanced vigilance at Changping had made many well-connected young masters from the cultivation sects extremely hostile toward the name Song Yan.
They cursed.
“Exactly. Who doesn’t know that Changping is crawling with demonic cultivators? But he just had to show off…”
The others around him chimed in.
“Now look—he’s got the entire six sects’ disciples playing his patrol game.”
Cheng Yu was quite satisfied with the flattery of the other disciples.
In truth, with his parents backing him, he still did not need to expend much thought on the affairs of Changping.
He was simply targeting Song Yan out of pure spite.
Thinking of the trip to Northern Ridge Mountain, of Sheng Yun, and even of Cong Yuzhen’s rebuke…
Cheng Yu’s gaze turned dark.
Just two peasants who crawled out of the wilderness…
“Hmph…”
Never mind. It didn’t matter.
That bitch Sheng Yun couldn’t leave the Sun-Shooting Sect no matter what.
Later, once he established his own Foundation, he would definitely find an opportunity to torment and humiliate her in front of her loved ones.
The dark desires in his heart grew ever stronger.
“Heh…”
Thinking this, Cheng Yu’s tongue unconsciously licked his lips.
Something fell from the eave above the courtyard.
“Hm?”
In his field of vision, a shadow seemed to be growing larger.
At the same time, the eyes of several cultivators nearby seemed to glaze over.
He turned his head.
At some point, a figure had appeared beside him.
A handsome face filled his entire vision.
“What—”
But Sheng Nian gave Cheng Yu no time to think.
Almost in the same instant, his hand had already risen sharply, the horizontal blade thrusting forward in a swift arc.
There was no resistance.
The black blade pierced through Cheng Yu’s slightly raised throat from the left front without the slightest hesitation.
The once-dull blade turned vivid red in an instant, as though painted with color.
Pfft.
Beneath Cheng Yu’s stunned, pained, and disbelieving gaze, Sheng Nian gently rotated the hilt of the horizontal blade.
The edge ground through flesh and blood with a slow twist.
“Ugh…”
That chilling sound rang with eerie clarity through the now deathly silent courtyard.
…
“Take a deep breath.”
Sheng Nian gently patted Cheng Yu’s back, like a human mother coaxing an infant to sleep.
“Dizziness is normal.”