The gravedigger was in the Brahman Sea realm cultivator, after all. Before Yu Shangrong, he could not find it in himself to resist. He had only heard about the Sword Devil whose name shocked the heavens. However, he had no idea the person before him now was the Sword Devil himself. He was paralyzed with fear. He had thought a monster had appeared to take their lives. Humans would lose the ability to move their limbs under extreme fear. This was what the gravedigger was currently experiencing.
He wanted to open his mouth to beg for mercy, but under the pressure of Yu Shangrong’s cold expression and aura, he could not speak at all. When he looked up, he noticed Yu Shangrong was not looking at him at all. Instead, Yu Shangrong was looking outside. He wondered what was going through Yu Shangrong’s mind. At this moment, he realized the person before him was no ghost. It was a person hiding in the Melilot Graveyard.
At this moment, the howl of wolves traveled through the forest and across the pure white landscape.
The sound of the wild wolves pulled the gravedigger’s thoughts back to the present.
Yu Shangrong finally turned to look at the gravedigger. He remained silent as he walked toward the gravedigger.
The gravedigger finally managed to stammer out, “You… you… who are you?”
Yu Shangrong glanced at the four corpses on the ground as he made his way to the exit. His attention was focused on the sunlight outside. It was a scenic view. The sun was as warm as spring.
“Three loud kowtows,” Yu Shangrong said. His voice was as sharp as a knife. It was starkly different from his cultured and refined character in the past.
The gravedigger dared not dally. He kowtowed loudly thrice at the piles of bones inside the Melilot Graveyard. He felt his forehead turned numb after kowtowing. When he finally straightened his back, the Longevity Sword that was hovering inside the graveyard flashed.
Swish!
The Longevity Sword slashed the gravedigger’s throat before it returned to Yu Shangrong’s scabbard.
The gravedigger’s body was riveted to the spot. His eyes widened as a scarlet line bloomed across his neck. Blood oozed down and joined the pool of blood from his comrades. The pool of blood resembled a blooming melilot. When he fell to the ground, the stone door of the Melilot Graveyard slid shut.
Everything was plunged into darkness.
…
Yu Shangrong looked up at the pack of wolves that sat atop the mound.
The pack of wolves howled. Their voices shook the branches nearby, and snow was dislodged.
Facing the sunlight, Yu Shangrong smiled and said, “It’s you guys again.”
Aurr!
“I’m fine.”
Aurr!
“I’ll leave the rest to you guys.”
Aurr!
“I’ll take that as an okay.” Yu Shangrong turned around slowly and walked in the southeastern direction.
Perhaps, Yu Shangrong had not enjoyed the feeling of walking in the snow for a long time, he did not fly. He continued walking across the snowy field through the forest before he arrived in front of a mountain.
Yu Shangrong raised his right hand and held it up. His avatar appeared.
A Hundred Tribulations Insight avatar hovered above his palm. There was no Golden Lotus, merely three plump leaves spinning around it. A Sword Devil with a Three-leaf Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm cultivation base. For the longest time, he would not even deign to look at cultivators at this level. They were weak, very weak, so weak that he did not think them worthy of his attention. Was he the weakest Sword Devil in history now?
He recalled his avatar. Then, he flew into the skies and looked down at the area around Wuxian Mountain. The sea of snow extended in all directions. It seemed to stretch on forever.
Yu Shangrong looked toward the southeast. He flew at top speed from the Green Jade Altar, and it took him five days to reach here. If he wanted to return, with his Three-leaf cultivation base, he would need ten days, at least.
This was the same path Yu Shangrong took in his youth. He was without a cultivation base back. However, he managed to pull through with just his willpower and physical strength alone. It took him several months to reach his destination.
A faint smile flashed on his face as he looked down at the lands. Then, he flew in the southeastern direction.
…
The sun set, and night came.
Inside the Cave of Reflection, Si Wuya tossed the question paper to the side. Then, he rubbed his eyes without an air of pretense. He sighed and shook his head. “There are all kinds of strange things in the world. Where did master find these peculiar questions?”
Up until today, the first two questions were the only ones he managed to solve. He could not seem to work out the answers for the other questions. This made him dejected and irritable.
The moonlight shone into the Cave of Reflection. A rustling noise rang in the air, alerting Si Wuya.
“Who’s there?” SI Wuya walked toward the cave’s entrance and searched with his gaze.
The sound was greatly muffled, but it did not escape Si Wuya’s detection.
“Inner breath technique?”
Many cultivators would cultivate methods similar to the inner breath technique to facilitate their espionage missions. As the name suggested, the cultivator would breathe into his internal organs and pull back his energy. In all appearances, he would appear dead. However, this state could not be maintained for too long for it was possible to suffer internal injuries. The main objective was to avoid detection from elites.
Hence, the major sects formulated their own Formations and barriers to guard against spies.
A cultivator who cast an inner breath technique activated would be like a mortal. Firstly, they would not be able to pass through barriers. If they encountered any Formation, they would also be captured.
Golden Court Mountain’s barrier was long gone. However, due to its reputation, the average cultivator would not dare come close to the Evil Sky Pavilion. Who was this bold?
Fuh!
A figure leaped out from the forest to the right of the Cave of Reflection. The moment the figure revealed itself, it fell to one knee in front of the cave and cried out, “Sect master!”
Si Wuya exclaimed in shock when he saw the person before him, “Ye Zhixing… What are you doing here?”
“Shh!” Ye Zhixing looked around himself. He hurried toward the Cave of Reflection and took out a dagger. “I’m bailing you out.”
“Wait.” Si Wuya raised a hand. “Who sent you?”
“Sect master… Time is of the essence. The seven great sects have formed an alliance. When the time comes, there will be a bloodbath on Golden Court Mountain. It’s dangerous for you to remain here.”
Ye Zhixing surveyed his surroundings. When he discovered that Si Wuya’s cultivation base had been sealed, he grew even more determined to rescue Si Wuya.
Si Wuya shook his head and said, “You’ve arrived just in time. Tell me about the seven great sects.”
“Sect master!” Ye Zhixing raised his dagger anxiously.
“Hm?” Si Wuya frowned slightly. His voice was low and imposing as he said, “Ye Zhixing.”
Ye Zhixing was stunned.
Si Wuya continued to say, “Heed my command!”
“Understood.” Ye Zhixing shuddered. He did not dare to oppose Si Wuya’s command.
“When you leave, contact our sources in the seven great sects. Find out about their trump cards,” Si Wuya said.
“Understood… However, how should I keep you updated, sect master?” Ye Zhixing turned to look at the cliff against the night sky. He shuddered at the thought of having to overcome this hurdle every single time.
“Just send a letter to the Evil Sky Pavilion,” Si Wuya replied.
“Sect master?” Ye Zhixing was baffled.
“I’ve made up my mind,” Si Wuya said, “Go and do as you’re told.”
When he saw how serious Si Wuya was, Ye Zhixing dared not spend a moment longer here. He turned around and ventured into the darkness.
Meanwhile, Duanmu Sheng stood atop a huge tree outside the northern pavilion. He swept his gaze across the Cave of Reflection and mumbled to himself, “I’ll spare you this once out of consideration for Old Fourth and Old Eighth. I hope that you can be of help.” After that. He dove toward a boulder halfway up the mountain. He stabbed his Overlord Spear into a crack and stood there like a mountain deity.
