Xin Wei and Fang Zheng looked bitter. They had been looking out for the evil beings, but when the evil beings struck, they struck silently.
“Evil beings? How could it be evil beings?!” Zhao Donghan got so angry that his eyes were covered in bloody veins. Even his body was shaking.
He had heard of the evil beings lurking outside the county. The horrible scene that happened in the stockade painted a picture of Luo Hong’s horrible death in his mind.
If it really was an evil being, there would be no survivors for sure. After all, those evil cultivators were psychopaths and were incapable of being reasoned with.
The trio jumped off the roof of the dwelling and ventured deeper into the stockade. The pungent smell of blood stung their noses, but they were not bothered.
“The chief of the stockade, Di Shan, is an Eighth Grade Steel Bone martial cultivator. Even if it is an evil being, it couldn’t have taken out the entire stockade without a sound,” Fang Zheng said as he started to analyze the situation.
Xin Wei and Zhao Donghan did not even respond, which embarrassed Fang Zhang slightly.
The trio shuttled across the dead bodies and sprinted towards the center of the stockade. The increasing number of dead bodies were like dead weights that weighed their hearts down.
The creator of the evil beings was a merciless one.
Zhao Donghan was on the brink of going out of control. Every step he took was torture to him.
“If something happens to the young lord, what am I supposed to tell Butler Chen? I have failed him! I’m a failure of Luo Residence!” Zhao Donghan started to blame himself for what happened.
He should have taken the Violent Blood Pill and leveled the entire stockade to the ground. If he had, the evil being hiding among the bandits would have been exposed and the young lord might be safe.
Smack!
Zhao Donghan slapped himself strongly.
The moon was bright while the night was quiet. The breeze was whistling throughout the entire stockade.
The fire in the middle was put out by the ghostly wind, thus only a bone-chilling cold remained in the air.
The moon was reflected in the puddles of blood, adding an extra layer of eeriness to the already bleak scene.
The trio soon arrived at the spot where the bandits gathered to feast.
Bodies were piled up into a tiny mountain whereas the pungent smell of blood assaulted their noses.
Zhao Donghan widened his eyes in shock when he saw Di Shan’s body sitting on the throne covered in the tiger pelt with his hand still holding the giant saber.
Even though Di Shan’s head had been chopped off, the energy of an Eighth Grade Steel Bone martial cultivation lingered.
“The Eighth Grade Steel Bone Di Shan is dead…”
“He died without a sound, which means that there are two possibilities for the creator of this evil being. One being an Eighth Grade evil cultivator as a result of a long-planned scheme whilst the other possibility is a Seventh Grade evil cultivator. Regardless of which, things don’t look good for the young lord.”
“The massacre of the neighboring village of Anping County might also be the handiwork of this evil being.”
Fang Zheng and Xin Wei gasped when they saw Di Shan’s body on the throne.
The two of them sighed. Despite finding leads about the massacre of the villages, they were not happy at all.
“Young lord!” Zhao Donghan shouted all of a sudden.
The yell pulled Xin Wei and Fang Zheng away from Di Shan’s headless body. They turned to Zhao Donghan and what they saw stunned them.
The death of an Eighth Grade martial cultivator drew their attention, causing them to neglect the figure sitting in the sea of bodies and blood with an amulet in his hand. The figure’s white robe was dyed red by the blood and he looked extremely pale.
Under the moon’s brilliance, the bold yang energy from the person rose, appearing to resonate with the moonlight, which added a layer of glow around him.
The figure was holding a black amulet, and when he heard the shout, he turned around.
A familiar yet exhausted face entered the sights of Zhao Donghan, Xin Wei, and Fang Zheng.
It was none other than Luo Hong.
Luo Hong put on a smile on his pale face when he saw the familiar faces.
With the rising yang energy in his body, his relieving smile felt like a spring breeze or the warm sun that melted the snow, dispelling the eeriness in the stockade.
Xin Wei and Fang Zheng were astonished.
‘Young Lord ‘Long Hoe’ is still…alive!’
As Zhao Donghan grew teary, he quickly dashed forward to his young lord.
Thud!
He slid his way to Luo Hong and knelt on one knee.
“My young lord, I’m sorry that I’m late!”
Zhao Donghan noticed the injuries on Luo Hong. The scar on his face was twitching. While he blamed himself for being late, he was also grateful, regretful, and scared at the same time.
If the young lord did not make it, what should he do?
At the same time, he was astonished.
He looked around and noticed the sword marks on the ground. He even sensed a strong but fading presence of sword qi in the air. His imagination kicked in and started to paint a picture of the fearsome battle that happened.
Luo Hong endured the pain and held onto his fading consciousness. He knew he was safe when he saw the trio, so he could finally relax.
Xin Wei covered her mouth with her hands, and even Fang Zheng’s dull face looked shocked.
They saw the body of the evil being, but the head had been smashed to bits, and judging from the heavily distorted body, it was a woman.
The battle was fearsome. They were also painting a picture of the said battle in their heads.
Luo Hong must have fought the evil being with his life and was able to make a comeback at the critical moment, killing the evil being in the end.
“What dominant sword qi…”
Fang Zheng took out his coin-sword, gasping when he felt the lingering sword qi in the air.
“No wonder the young lord is still alive! He has the senior’s teachings and he inherited the technique…
“No wonder he was that bold to venture into the Heiyun Stockade alone. He’s really courageous and righteous, as expected of the representative of justice from Anping County.
Fang Zheng was deeply impressed as he sheathed his coin-sword. His dull face was all respect when he cupped his fists at Luo Hong.
Luo Hong was exhausted after the battle. He was only conscious because of his formidable willpower.
Although he heard Fang Zheng speaking, he was only able to make out some of the words such as ‘courageous’, ‘righteous’, and whatnot. The words gave him an ominous feeling.
He glared at Fang Zhang. “You…”
Luo Hong tried to speak but he could not, he was both physically and mentally injured. Everything before his eyes suddenly turned black and he passed out on the spot.
The fearsome battle with the wicked woman did not knock him out, yet he passed out at this very moment.
Luo Hong passed out cold, shocking the trio.
Xin Wei glared at Fang Zheng, and even Zhao Donghan looked rather hostile towards him.
Fang Zheng responded with a dull look, starting to doubt his own existence. ‘What…did I do? Did I not just praise the young lord? What’s wrong? I can’t praise him now?’
Zhao Donghan was anxious and his eyes were red. He ignored Fang Zhang and carried Luo Hong on his back before he sprinted back towards Anping County.
…
Zhao Donghan sprinted all the way from the Heiyun Stockade to Anping County without pause. As an Eighth Grade martial cultivator, his strong vital energy and stamina allowed him to sprint all the way tirelessly.
The soldiers on-duty at the gates were shocked by Zhao Donghan’s anxious expression, and they stopped him from entering the county.
Xin Wei and Fang Zheng were only a few steps behind Zhao Donghan. They showed their commanding tablet to prove their identities and told the soldiers to open the gate.
The two soldiers noticed the unconscious Luo Hong in Zhao Donghan’s arm. Glancing at the cuts and wounds and the blood-stained white robes, they gasped.
The dull-looking Fang Zheng appeared behind the two soldiers silently and whispered, “Neither of you shall speak of what you see tonight.”
The two soldiers were shocked. They waved anxiously and promised they would not talk.
Fang Zheng was an emissary from the Court of Judicial Review, so mere soldiers dared not disobey his orders.
“My lord, what happened?” One of the soldiers could not hold back his curiosity.
Judging from the injuries, they suspected that Luo Hong had endured some inhumane torture in the Heiyun Stockade.
Did Young Lord ‘Long Hoe’ get humiliated?!
The ember of gossip in their hearts burned strongly.
Fang Zheng did not want to reveal anything, but he was afraid that rumors might taint the young lord’s positive image. Therefore, on second thought, he solemnly looked at the two soldiers.
“The Heiyun Stockade is no more from this night onwards.”
He put his hands behind his back as he looked at the eastern sky. The sky was getting bright and his dull face contained a hint of emotion.
“Young lord ‘Long Hoe’…is powerful.”
As his words subsided, Fang Zheng left like the wind, leaving the two soldiers looking at each other in confusion. They were trying to figure out what he meant by those words.
The more they thought about it, the more astonished they were.
Had Young Lord ‘Long Hoe’ annihilated the bandits single-handedly?!