Wen Wen and the other two advanced through the bizarre black forest, engaging in banter.
The surrounding trees, adorned with eyes, ears, and mouths, relayed their conversation to Aegel.
Upon hearing they were three martial artists, Aegel's vigilance lessened.
However, for caution's sake, Aegel found a relatively lucid person and inquired about the trio.
From him, he learned that these three were legendary figures in the martial world, their tales whispered across the land, though few had ever seen their true forms.
The Palace Eunuch, the菊花神监 (Ju Hua Shen Jian) Wen Changgong; the Valiant Hero Qi Feikui of Dangyang; and the Sliding Style Goddess Long Qiao Xuanxin.
Rumor had it that their martial arts cultivation had reached the pinnacle of mastery, making them unrivaled in their respective eras. They had lived in seclusion, detached from worldly affairs. It was said that the current crisis threatened the entire martial world with annihilation, prompting these three great heroes to emerge and vanquish the demonic forces.
Despite the martial world legends painting these three as almost divine, Aegel scoffed at the notion.
In the Federation, there was a fellow named Liu Zunrong who also possessed exaggerated legends, but his true skill was likely laughable.
No matter how formidable these martial artists were, what could they truly achieve? Even if they could unleash a forty-meter saber with a casual swing, could they move mountains and fill seas?
Throughout the entire Great Song Jianghu, the only entity that gave Aegel slight pause was the Gou Family Sword Manor, possibly corresponding to the Xun family of Huafu.
Beyond that, the martial arts world of Huafu was no more than Aegel's "small bread."
The so-called martial legends who struggled to deal with wolf or tiger demons, Aegel could crush dozens of them with a single finger.
Now that the identities of these three were clear, Aegel paid them little mind.
However, these three, though not worthy of significant attention, did possess some strength. Perhaps they could overcome the monsters and miasma of the black forest and reach the Shi Family Village.
Let them indulge in their illusion of power for now. When they truly found the Shi Family Village, they would then understand true despair.
These three exceptional martial artists, if they practiced the new "Lying Corpse Divine Skill" and underwent some "insignificant" modifications, would become three decent fighters.
After advancing some distance, the surrounding trees began to exert their influence. Vile curses spewed forth, enraging Wen Wen.
Unable to perceive the thoughts of Wen Wen's group, these trees resorted to the vulgarity of shrewish scolding, spewing whatever foul language they could muster.
It was said that a true gentleman possessed great tolerance, but even a clay figurine had a measure of temper. Wen Wen was not one to accept insults without retort.
However, the trees were exceptionally resilient. To maintain his persona, Wen Wen found himself truly at a loss for how to deal with them.
Thus, Wen Wen stood with his hands on his hips and unleashed a torrent of abuse upon the cluster of trees, abandoning his urgency to travel.
Wen Wen had specifically studied how to curse to out-argue Iyetta. How could these unsophisticated ancient demonic trees possibly defeat Wen Wen in a verbal spar?
Yet, after a few minutes of exchanging insults, the situation reversed. These strange trees had actually learned Wen Wen's curses and began to retort using his own words. Wen Wen, with only one mouth, was quickly rendered speechless and dazed by their tirades.
The Night Knight and Qiao Feiya, unwilling to waste time here, each took an arm of Wen Wen and attempted to pull him away. This, however, caused some trees to turn their attacks upon them.
"You with the beard, why are you like a wild boar? Oh, apologies, I shouldn't insult pigs."
"You woman, why don't you remove your hat? Are you too ugly? Don't worry about not getting married; even a pile of dung will eventually meet its dung beetle..."
The two flanking Wen Wen froze. The Night Knight brandished his axe and roared, "Just you wait! Within three days, I will kill you all, leaving not a single leaf! These are my words."
Qiao Feiya had already drawn her sword, preparing to strike.
In the end, it was Wen Wen who forcibly dragged the two away. All three exuded an astonishing killing intent, completely ignoring the foul language of the trees.
The demons lurking in the shadows were so intimidated by this killing intent that they did not dare to launch any attacks along their path.
As the trio neared the Shi Family Village, a monster that resembled a car accident quietly emerged from behind them, preparing to launch a surprise attack.
The moment it extended its claws, the three turned with lightning speed, their gazes fixing ferociously upon the monster.
Wen Wen held a foot-long 'steel needle' in each hand, and with a few swift thrusts, he exploded all of the monster's spherical organs, including its eyes.
Qiao Feiya drew her sword and swung it a few times, reducing the monster into three pieces.
The Night Knight wielded two great axes, hacking at the monster as if mincing meat. Sudan Novel Network
"Damn it all, you've made me so angry!"
Only when the monster was beyond any recognizable form did the three exhale a sigh of relief. The pent-up anger from their encounter with the cursing trees had finally found some release.
Following this, their path was clear. No monster dared to emerge and incur their wrath.
Upon reaching the Shi Family Village, the three exchanged glances and gasped in unison.
To ordinary people, the Shi Family Village was merely a strange village.
But to these three, the place was a colossal living entity. The dispersed resentment in the air seemed to congeal into substance, making it impossible to fathom how many lives had been lost here.
Wen Wen stepped onto the soil of the Shi Family Village and found the ground soft and yielding, as if it were saturated with water. He poked the ground with his steel needle, and a stream of dark crimson blood spurted out.
From the tiny opening, a dark crimson tentacle emerged, topped with a miniature human palm. This small hand clawed about for a moment, and finding nothing, retracted back into the ground.
This sight caused Wen Wen's expression to darken. He withdrew his foot from the Shi Family Village soil and retreated several paces, exchanging a look with the Night Knight and Qiao Feiya.
"This time, we must completely eliminate Aegel. Leaving him alive is far too dangerous!"
Qiao Feiya agreed wholeheartedly, and the Night Knight had always intended to do just that.
He had consistently dedicated himself to eradicating monsters or superpowered individuals who posed a significant threat to the Federation. Originally, the greatest threat within the "Blood of Blasphemy" was the previous Divine Blood User, Galax.
However, Aegel's threat level after his advancement far surpassed that of Galax, which was why the Night Knight was so insistent on hunting Aegel.
Generally, Cataclysm-level powerhouses in covert organizations disdained large-scale slaughter of ordinary people.
It was like how people wouldn't bother to kill ants en masse if the ants didn't interfere with them, other than perhaps crushing a few they happened to see.
But Aegel was different. His ability was to warp flesh and blood, and slaughtering ordinary people enhanced his power. Therefore, Aegel's existence was a disaster in itself, making it imperative for the Night Knight to eliminate him.