The terrain of Tiantu Mountain is perilous, with three sheer cliffs and one side facing the river.

On the steep peaks and amidst dense forests, a sizable mountain stronghold is hidden.

On the morning of July 3rd in the lunar calendar, the sunlight was exceptionally bright.

A man and a woman dressed in dark clothing were patrolling the stronghold, laughing and talking as they went.

Shortly after, the pair arrived at the entrance of a cave.

The cave was dark, humid, and unusually deep, without any lighting tools.

Using the dim light at the entrance, they could faintly make out a wooden prison deep inside, where an elderly blind man knelt.

The old man appeared pitiful—not blind in the traditional sense, but with hollow eye sockets, entirely devoid of eyeballs.

He wore ragged grass clothes, his long white hair strewn messily down his back, and his emaciated face was crisscrossed with deep-set wrinkles.

Judging by his looks, he must have been seventy or eighty years old.

"Old Bai, report the situation," the pair approached the prison, and the woman covered her nose to inquire.

A hint of disgust flashed in her eyes; evidently, the air around the prison was not pleasant.

Inside the prison, the blind old man remained knelt in silence, head lowered.

"Hey! Old blind man!" cursed the man angrily when he saw the old man remain unmoving, kicking one of the wooden posts of the prison. "I'm talking to you! Are you dead?"

Still silent, the old man slowly extended his aged hand and formed a strange seal with his fingers.

Seeing the old man obey, the man snorted derisively and urged impatiently:

"Hurry up. Stop dawdling!"

"Hoo~"

With a surge of energy, an ethereal "Heart" character expanded from the blind old man's body.

Caster Divine Skill·Heart Sense Spell!

This skill could predict danger.

Instantly, the old man's heart was gripped by a heavy tremor!

Yet, his emaciated face betrayed not a trace of change.

The man glanced at the woman, noticing her disdainful expression as she covered her nose. "Hurry up!" he urged again, kicking the prison's wooden post once more.

The woman smiled at the man and playfully chided, "Don't rush. Old Bai's casting a spell."

The man smiled back at the woman, eager to please. But when he turned back to the prison, his impatience visibly grew.

"Nothing to report today." The old man finally spoke, his voice hoarse as sandpaper.

"What a waste of time coming here!" The man motioned for the woman to leave.

"Let's go." The woman took one last glance at the filthy, foul-smelling old man, her face filled with disdain as she turned to leave.

The cave was damp and dark, and the old man reeked. Unless strictly necessary for routine questioning, who would willingly step foot here?

"That decrepit bastard—it's like he's doing it intentionally to disgust us," the man mumbled complaints under his breath.

Such remarks did seem to bear some truth.

After all, the Believers' Water Flow Armor possessed a cleansing capability.

More importantly, River Realm Believers didn't need to eat, relying entirely on energy to survive—meaning their cleanliness came from within.

And yet, the old man stubbornly refused to activate his Water Flow Armor, as though he intended to rot away here...

"Enough." The woman stepped outside the cave, finally drawing a breath of fresh air. She smiled at the man and said, "Why get mad at some half-dead old guy..."

Before she could finish, a sudden, deafening explosion echoed.

The pair whirled around and looked to the east.

Before either could figure out what had happened, an overwhelming pressure swept forth, crashing into them fiercely.

"Sss—"

A sound like the surge of Immortal Fog!

The man's pupils contracted sharply as he looked behind the woman. Immediately, he summoned a blood-red robe.

The woman reacted quickly as well, turning her body with lightning speed, eight radiant Golden Jade Stone Plates spreading from her waist.

But the shadow arrived faster!

Wearing a wide bamboo hat that concealed the upper half of her face, the figure darted through the air, her bamboo clothes fluttering wildly in the slipstream.

In her hand was a broken blade, already tearing through the air to leave long Sword Trace wounds as it slashed across the two's necks!

Night Charm Evil Technique·Night Shadow Charm Trace!

"N—" The woman's expression changed drastically; she only managed to spit out a syllable.

The autonomous defensive Golden Jade Stone Plates, in the blink of an eye, shattered two pieces!

The blood-red robe's hem that the man had whipped out was similarly shredded by the Sword Trace left behind by the broken blade!

Jade Talisman Divine Skill·Golden Jade Eight Talismans.

Prisoner Demon Divine Skill·Blood Sha Robe.

These two techniques were both renowned defensive techniques, with formidable effectiveness!

But before the figure cloaked in green bamboo clothes and wide-brim hat, their famed defense was nothing more than fragile papier-mâché!

"Whoosh!"

The Sword Trace streaked through, and the woman's head flew high into the air.

Her headless body stood still, the cut at her neck unnervingly smooth, blood spurting outward in gushes.

The scene wasn't just terrifying; it sent chills into one's very soul!

A River Realm Jade Talisman Believer… utterly obliterated in an instant?

Crisp and clean!

"Who are you?" The man had lost all semblance of composure, crouching instinctively to dodge—a move that saved his life.

"Ssss—"

The cloaked assailant's movements flowed seamlessly; Immortal Fog surged beneath her feet as she sprang forward, her knee smashing into the Prisoner Demon Believer's face.

"Ahhh!!" The man screamed in agony, flying backward.

The flying knee seemed vicious, but it wasn't empowered by Divine or Evil Techniques.

Thus, the man suffered a collapsed nose bridge and severe facial injuries, yet his Water Flow Armor remained intact.

"You! Why attack our Tiantu... Wait, let's talk...!" The man struggled through the pain, frantically waving his blood-red robe.

"Screeeech!"

The supposed impenetrable Blood Sha Robe still failed to perform miracles, getting torn apart effortlessly by the broken blade.

"Ahhh!!" Another blood-curdling scream erupted from the man, agonizingly loud.

The Blood Sha Robe and Water Flow Armor proved utterly incapable of protection; his chest was ripped open by a long, gaping Sword Trace.

Deng Yuxiang's attacks were precise, her gaze sharp.

She was akin to a god of slaughter!

The so-called "vast river" was nothing more than ants before her...

The once-deep cave tunnel now seemed absurdly short; in a mere flash, the Prisoner Demon Disciple had flown backward, smashing hard against the stone wall.

And what was even more terrifying was Deng Yuxiang's extraordinary speed!

Sea Grade·Immortal Hoof, in essence a high-speed movement skill, performed akin to Instantaneous Movement when executed...

Before the Prisoner Demon Disciple even hit the wall, Deng Yuxiang's broken blade had already been driven viciously into his heart!

"Bang!!"

The man was embedded into the rock wall, his chest speared by the broken blade, his face twisted in terror.

Deng Yuxiang turned her gaze to the prison not far away.

The oppressive aura she exuded swept across the small prison, enough to make the hearts of all living beings tremble.

And yet, the blind old man remained silently knelt, his deeply wrinkled face still void of any emotion.

"Buzz~"

Deng Yuxiang activated the Rebirth Money on her wrist, harvesting the man's soul, her voice cold and calm: "A slave?"

The old man said nothing.

Deng Yuxiang furrowed her brow slightly. As the Rebirth Money vibrated softly, she remarked casually, "If you wish to live, stay here."

With that, she flicked her wide bamboo garment and left briskly.

The old man finally showed a reaction, lifting his head slowly and "looking" with his hollow eye sockets at the departing mysterious woman.

"Hoo~"

Once again, a "Heart" character expanded from his body.

Deng Yuxiang paused her steps, glanced slightly over her shoulder to gaze at the prison behind her.

She did not intend to linger here!

Upon realizing the old man was merely a harmless Spellcaster Believer who had only released the Heart Sense Spell, Deng Yuxiang resumed walking toward the cave entrance.

When she reached the entrance, the headless woman's corpse was still standing there, diligently "standing guard."

Deng Yuxiang activated the Rebirth Money once again.

At that moment, a hoarse voice echoed from the depths of the cave, "I've been waiting here for you."

Deng Yuxiang raised an eyebrow slightly.

If the old man spoke the truth, then it sounded like a spoiler.

When a powerful Spellcaster Believer explicitly states he's waiting for you...

Chances are, he'll wait for you!

Without responding, Deng Yuxiang followed Rebirth Money's guidance and dashed off.

"Boom, Boom, Boom!!"

Explosions erupted far into the east, thunderous and relentless.

Clearly, the Mad Immortal Guardian had gone berserk.

Deng Yuxiang suddenly closed her eyes, listening intently. She adjusted her direction slightly, traversing dozens of meters through the forest before coming to an abrupt halt.

Panic-stricken footsteps drew closer and closer.

Two black-clad men fled in disarray, glancing backward as they ran, but suddenly realizing something amiss.

"Ah!" One of them turned his head and was startled out of his wits.

A mysterious figure in a bamboo hat and bamboo clothes stood not far away, blocking their path.

The overwhelming killing intent bursting forth and the terrifying aura froze them in their tracks, filling their hearts with despair.

Where had this terrifying accursed group come from?

Since when had Tiantu Mountain provoked so many Sea Realm Great Powers?

"Thud!"

One of the men's knees gave out, collapsing to the ground as he begged relentlessly, "My lord! Please, spare me! I am willing to serve as your slave… for life..."

The other man, seeing this, hurriedly knelt as well, his face pale as death.

Extreme circumstances create extreme measures.

And in this realm, even groveling was practiced to perfection as if by the teachings of Holy Spirit Mountain.

Deng Yuxiang said not a word, her gaze icy cold.

Serve me.

Heh,

Your kind joining the Ran Sect? I wouldn't defile myself.

Seeing the men quake with terror, Deng Yuxiang casually waved her hand.

"Sss!"

Two sharp Night Charm Blades shot out, one piercing straight through one man's skull.

"Damn!" The other man, quicker to react, cursed furiously as his expression darkened.

With the aid of Nuosha Divine Technique·God and Ghost Entanglement, his movements became lightning-fast. As Deng Yuxiang initiated her attack, he abruptly retreated backward.

"Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh!"

Countless Sha Blades shot from his body, densely packed, an all-encompassing output with no safe angles!

Nuosha Sect River Realm Technique·Sha Blade Thousand Blades!

Deng Yuxiang sharply raised her hand.

Sea Grade·Night Wind Assault!

In an instant, a gale swept through!

The Nuosha Disciple, blades and all, was forcibly flung backward.

Meanwhile, as Deng Yuxiang raised her hand, a series of Night Charm Blades flew out.

Sea Grade·Night Charm Blade—32 blades in total!

With overwhelming force and speed, they tore through the Sha Blade Thousand Blades, piercing the Nuosha Disciple's heart.

Deng Yuxiang stepped leisurely forward to the man pinned helplessly in place, summoning Rebirth Money. A voice echoed in her mind: [Rebirth Money is full.]

[No problem. Souls ascend on their own; I'll capture them myself.] Lu Ran's voice sounded in her consciousness.

[There's a Spellcaster Believer here—likely just a slave.]

[Clear out the west first. Focus on wiping out the bandits; everything else can wait!]

[Understood.] Deng Yuxiang acknowledged crisply, her gaze sweeping across the surrounding forest.

"Boom, Boom, Boom!!"

Explosions rang out again.

Amid the Mad Immortal Guardian's devastating bombardment, the forest fire raged, and flames devoured the stronghold, their glow illuminating the night sky.

Murderous intent burned even fiercer in Deng Yuxiang's eyes, outstripping the relentless blaze by far!

What a pity.

The captured guards had informed her that Village Chief Luo and Lady Kong had led their team out on a mission seven or eight days ago.

Hmm... no matter.

Deng Yuxiang's striking eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly Immortal Fog surged beneath her feet, and the broken blade in her hand emitted a low, ominous hum.

Then I'll slaughter your stronghold first.

Stand at your doorstep,

And wait for your return!

...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.