(Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)
(Castmere Beach)
ραпdα Й?νê|(сòm) Another loud piercing scream echoed through the beach. Xu Lu gripped her sword and kept looking in the direction of the noises.
The fire that was raging in the distance had somehow gotten even bigger and orange sparks of flame were now providing light in the darkness.
Heavy clouds of smoke wafted upwards, and Xu Lu was pretty sure that if left unattended, that fire would definitely become a large-scale forest fire.
"ARGHH!!!! HAVE MERCY I BEG..."
The last scream was cut off unnaturally and Xu Lu could hear the faint sound of gurgling as if the person making the noise had swallowed some water.
No... it was most likely blood.
Xu Lu gripped her sword with her feet frozen in place. Should she go over there and investigate the situation?
She didn't know the disciples... they were random strangers. But she had rescued strangers in her previous lives... didn't she?
For a brief moment Xu Lu had a flashback of riding on a horse while dressed in medieval armour.
The memory surfaced for just a quick second but the emotions contained in the memory influenced her thoughts.
She would go.
Of course she did not plan to rescue the disciples if the situation looked too dangerous but she wanted to investigate to see what was going on.
Xu Lu lowered her stance slowly crept towards the source of the screams and the large flames that were burning the forest.
She made sure to keep her footsteps light.
Not a single sound could be heard when her feet touched the ground.
The saintess even regulated her breathing so that only a faint wisp of breath could be seen whenever she exhaled.
It was much slower than simply walking or flying to the scene but Xu Lu was not going to take any chances.
She wasn't sure what would happen if she failed a mission and besides that...
The original Xu Lu had given up her body in exchange for her wish being granted. If she failed to hold up her end of the bargain... then her sacrifice would be in vain.
It took around seven minutes but Xu Lu eventually arrived at the edge of a clearing and witnessed a sight that was so horrific that she could not even move.
Half of the disciples that she had encountered earlier were now lifeless corpses.
Their arms, legs and other parts of their bodies had been separated by clean cuts.
Judging from the pained and terrified expressions on their faces, this process had been done while they had been still alive.
Elder Wei's head had been planted on a spike in the middle of the clearing and his eyes were cloudy and unfocused.
A roaring fire surrounded the entire southern part of the clearing and its flames grew larger and larger by the minute.
An extremely handsome man with pale-skin, red eyes and wearing long black robes stood quietly and observed the frightened disciples that were still alive.
Xu Lu could sense the demonic aura surrounding his body even from a distance.
It was possible that he was hiding some of his strength but even then... she estimated that he was in the upper echelon of the qi tide stage.
Maybe even the void...
The demon cultivator flicked his sword casually and one of the female disciples gasped in shock as a hole appeared in her chest.
She spat out a mouthful of blood and then collapsed. Only the faint rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was still somehow clinging to life.
"Boring..." the demon cultivator muttered as he flicked his sword again and the female cultivator's head was separated from her body.
Now only eight disciples remained.
"How about we make this interesting," the demon cultivator whispered in a seductive tone as he unfastened his robe and exposed his muscular chest.
"Kill each other and I will let the last person left... live."
(How original...)
Xu Lu scoffed silently as she watched the demon cultivator play the most obvious torture tactic.
Turn his victims against each other and watch the ensuing chaos.
She didn't like this.
Those disciples were simply rude to her. It was not a crime that warranted death and she was sure that this demon cultivator's victims were not limited to cultivators.
No one could possess such a heavy aura of killing intent without committing several massacres.
He needed to be punished.
The guilty must be judged.
The saintess did not notice it at the time but for a brief moment her eyes shone with a golden luster.
A faint echo of the vows that she had made during her life as a paladin of righteousness.
Xu Lu unsheathed her blade and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.
The disciples heard the demon cultivator's words and conflicted looks appeared on their faces.
"Are you crazy? We won't... argh..." a brave male cultivator who spoke up was immediately interrupted as his neck was sliced apart.
"Let me make this very simple for you," the demon cultivator spoke in a sing-song voice as he mocked the terrified disciples.
"Kill each other and one person lives. Don't follow my instructions and I will kill all of you."
One of the female cultivators hung her head and her long black hair draped over her face. Her hand clutched a dagger that was hidden in her robes and her fingers trembled slightly.
She rushed forward and attempted to stab the disciple directly in front of her.
That was the move that signalled the beginning of the end. The remaining disciples pulled out their weapons and attacked each other viciously.
They just wanted to survive.
The demon cultivator staring at them was a mountain that none of them could hope to face. Even if his words were simply lies... they had no other choice.
One of the male disciples cried out in pain as a heavy chain wrapped around his neck.
A female disciple coughed violently as a fist was driven into her stomach.
All the bonds and ties of belonging to the same sect seemed to disappear as the disciples fought to survive.
Friend against friend.
Companion against companion.
And the entire time, the demon cultivator watched with a sadistic smile on his face. He enjoyed the sight of hypocrisy.
These so-called 'righteous' cultivators may spit out pretty words and ideals but on the verge of death their true natures would always be revealed.
Humans were inherently petty, selfish, and cruel.
And he enjoyed punishing them.
The demon cultivator opened his mouth to mock the disciples when a cold tingle ran down his spine.
Wait... danger?
He moved to the side just as a sword grazed the top of his head and cut off a few loose strands of hair.
The attack was immediately followed up by something being thrown in his direction. The demon cultivator jumped away, but a tiny pill landed on the ground near his feet.
The pill exploded and a toxin gas burst out of its shell. The gas brought tears to the demon cultivator's eyes, and he found it difficult to breath.
Xu Lu did not waste this opportunity.
Slash!
The demon cultivator's left arm was sliced completely off.
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