“Haha…”
The third elder burst into laughter, pointing at Zhou Ruoxi. He turned to the second elder and said, “This little girl is quite naive. She’s probably still a virgin, right?”
“Heh heh…”
The lecherous Lai Chengkun shone his flashlight at Zhou Ruoxi. He saw her wearing an ancient-style white dress and a white cape, but it couldn’t conceal her graceful figure. The tenth elder licked his lips, his lustful eyes unreservedly appraising the celestial beauty, Zhou Ruoxi, with her cold demeanor. He grinned wickedly, “Third Brother, if I could have my way with this chick, I’d be willing to die.”
“Look at you.”
Liu Hongwei glanced at him sideways but, seeing the stunning Zhou Ruoxi, who seemed like a fairy stepping out of a painting with her distinguished aura, he too felt a surge of desire. He grinned wickedly, “You heard me. I’ll have her first later.”
Lai Chengkun rolled his eyes and smirked, “Third Brother, Second Brother is still here. If anyone, it should be him first.”
Liu Hongwei tilted his head towards Second Brother Ma Sai beside him and said, “Your second brother isn’t interested in women.”
“Alright, you two.”
Ma Sai turned and shot a glare at the two lustful fellows, admonishing them, “Don’t forget why we’re here.”
“Heh heh, I was just livening things up with Tenth Elder.”
Liu Hongwei chuckled, then turned back to Zhou Ruoxi ahead and shouted sternly, “Speak up! Where are the disciples of the Wuliang Daoist Temple? Is that kid Wan Yunting with you? Did you deliberately use the location to lure us here?”
Wan Yunting, who was crouching on a tree branch in front of them, stared intently at the three men. He didn’t know their identities yet, but he was certain they were sent by Sima Boyong. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have mentioned his name. Clearly, he was the first person they wanted to kill!
“Quick, call that kid out! I want to avenge Fifth and Sixth Elders. And Ninth Elder was imprisoned because of him. Tonight, I’ll tear him to pieces and feed him to the wild dogs!” Liu Hongwei yelled.
Wan Yunting, who was still crouching on the branch, was slightly startled. His gaze fixed on the three men, he mused in surprise: So they’re from the Heavenly Eye Divine Master Cult! Hmm, could Sima Boyong have a connection with the Heavenly Eye Divine Master Cult?
He had suspected the two people he encountered in the disaster area cave were sent by Sima Wentang to kill him.
Now, the people Sima Boyong had sent to stop them from collecting herbs to treat their sect leader uncle were actually villains from the Heavenly Eye Divine Master Cult. This surprised and confused Wan Yunting. What was Sima Boyong’s relationship with the Heavenly Eye Divine Master Cult?
Zhou Ruoxi’s face was cold, her beautiful eyes staring icily at Ma Sai and Liu Hongwei. Her right hand gripped the hilt of her sword, and she said coldly, “As I said, I am the only one here.”
“Hmph, do you think we’d believe that?”
Ma Sai snorted, his sharp, cautious eyes scanning the surroundings. He said to Liu Hongwei and the tenth elder, “Be careful. They might be ambushed nearby.”
“Don’t worry, Second Brother. As long as Wúwéi Zǐ isn’t here, those kids are no match for us two.”
Liu Hongwei said dismissively. He then called to the tenth elder, “Let’s go. First, capture this little girl. Then, the kid hiding in the dark will surely come out…”
“You two go ahead.”
Ma Sai nodded, letting Liu Hongwei and the tenth elder go first. He followed cautiously, his eyes scanning the pitch-black snow forest, knowing that the disciples of the Wuliang Daoist Temple were surely nearby…
Swish!
The sound of a sword being unsheathed. Seeing them approach, Zhou Ruoxi immediately drew her long sword and pointed it at them. She felt nervous, not knowing where Wan Yunting was…
“Heh heh…”
Liu Hongwei grinned wickedly and drew his long saber from the sheath at the bottom of his backpack. He said to Lai Chengkun following him, “Tenth Elder, you don’t need to make a move. Let me have some fun with this little girl alone.”
“Alright, Third Brother.”
Lai Chengkun stopped, right under the tree where Wan Yunting was crouching!
The next second, Wan Yunting, crouching on the branch, his eyes widened. He immediately drew his long sword and leaped down fiercely towards Lai Chengkun on the ground, his sword slashing without hesitation towards the unsuspecting tenth elder’s head…
“Watch out, Tenth Elder, dodge!”
Ma Sai, five meters behind Lai Chengkun, saw a figure leap from the tree. The Eight-faced Han Sword flashed with cold light, instantly causing his heart to pound. He shouted.
Lai Chengkun seemed to sense something, freezing in place. He looked up and saw a cold glint, like the grim reaper’s scythe, hacking towards his head…
Ching!
Instantly, a scream. Wan Yunting gripped his sword tightly and swung it down towards Lai Chengkun’s head. The blade split his skull open from the middle, and the blade stopped below his nose…
With a clatter, Lai Chengkun’s flashlight fell onto the snow. His eyes widened in terror as he looked at Wan Yunting, who was chopping at his head with a cold expression. With a swish, he pulled out his sword, leaving a trail of blood…
With a thud, Lai Chengkun fell backward, not quite dead. His body twitched violently, and blood spurted from the wound on his head, splashing onto the snow-covered ground, turning it into a bloody mess…
The blood on Wan Yunting’s Eight-faced Han Sword dripped from the tip. Yet, his face showed no emotion. For villains like those from the Heavenly Eye Divine Master Cult, killing them was no different from dealing with drug traffickers. Wan Yunting felt no hesitation or guilt.
Instead, he felt the righteousness of acting on behalf of heaven.
“Tenth Elder…”
Ma Sai, unable to intervene, and Liu Hongwei, who turned around and witnessed the scene, both roared in anger. Their fury surged into their brains, their enraged eyes fixed on the killer, Wan Yunting. They recognized him instantly.
Having previously investigated Wan Yunting after the tragic deaths of Fifth and Sixth Elders, they had seen his photo. Thus, both Second and Third Elders recognized Wan Yunting immediately and gritted their teeth, roaring, “Wan Yunting, you damned brat, ah, die…”
The third elder, snapping back to reality, swung his saber. He stopped attacking Zhou Ruoxi, turned, and hacked at Wan Yunting. At the same time, Ma Sai attacked. He drew two sharp hooked blades from behind him. These weapons resembled sickles used for harvesting rice. With a fierce cry, he lunged at Wan Yunting…
Clang…
Wan Yunting first raised his long sword horizontally over his head, blocking Liu Hongwei’s saber strike. The collision of blade and sword sent sparks flying, accompanied by immense force that made Wan Yunting’s right hand, gripping the sword, ache. His brows furrowed.
From the power of Liu Hongwei’s strike, Wan Yunting guessed that his martial arts realm was at the middle stage of Dan Jin.
After pushing Wan Yunting back two steps with his strike, he glared. Sensing danger from his back, Wan Yunting saw Ma Sai, holding two hooked blades in his hands, lunging at him like a mantis stalking a cicada. The hooked blades from both hands clawed towards his neck, intending to hook Wan Yunting’s neck and kill the scoundrel who had just killed Tenth Elder…
At this critical moment, Wan Yunting reacted in time. Using the momentum of his retreat, he bent ninety degrees at the waist, thrusting his long sword directly at Ma Sai, who was lunging at his back…
Ma Sai’s eyes widened. He quickly hooked Wan Yunting’s attacking sword with his hooked blades. With a sudden pull, the hooked blades and the sword blade made a crisp clang, emitting sparks that shone dazzlingly in the dark night…
Wan Yunting, caught by Ma Sai’s force, spun twice. He slammed his left hand onto the snow and leaped up, using the momentum to retreat. He created distance between himself and Liu Hongwei and Ma Sai. Wan Yunting’s brows were tightly knit, and his gaze warily fixed on the two men. He inwardly marveled, surprised that both Liu Hongwei and Ma Sai were at the middle stage of Dan Jin martial arts strength!
“Junior Brother Wan, are you alright?”
Zhou Ruoxi, finally reacting, rushed towards Wan Yunting. Standing close together, she pointed her long sword at Liu Hongwei and Ma Sai. Perhaps she hadn’t recovered from the shock of Wan Yunting’s sudden appearance and his swift sword strike that killed a man. Thus, Zhou Ruoxi’s pretty face was somewhat pale with nervousness.
She finally understood how perilous her situation was.
Although Zhou Ruoxi had lived on Mount Emei for many years and believed martial arts practice was merely sparring with fellow disciples or participating in events like the Huashan Sword Contest, she had never imagined using force to fight, let alone kill someone. Therefore, seeing Wan Yunting kill a person with a single sword strike had a profound impact on her.
“Don’t be nervous!”
Wan Yunting saw Zhou Ruoxi’s right hand holding the sword tremble slightly and knew she was very panicked. He said softly, “Later, you deal with the one on the left, and I’ll deal with the one on the right. Remember, don’t get into a prolonged fight with them. If you get a chance, escape, understand?”
“Mmm…”
Zhou Ruoxi’s pretty face was tense. Hearing this, she nodded heavily, then forced herself to calm her agitated emotions. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the one on the left, who was none other than the third elder, Liu Hongwei.