Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 684 The Real Traitor

icy!

Deep within this palace, every breath of air exudes a chill that seems to seep into one's very bones.

Wu Ling, Feng Wu, and Sui Yan clung tightly to the wall, like three tiny insects burrowing into the cavity of a giant beast.

The three of them passed through the corridor and soon entered the palace hall.

This place, which was originally a solemn venue where the King of Yue met with his ministers and handled state affairs, was now filled with a suffocating silence.

The three concealed themselves against the thick pillars, each step landing on the thick carpet that resonated with swallowing sounds.

The carpet had a sticky, thick texture and a dark reddish-black color, exuding a faint, stale smell of blood.

A deathly silence, like a heavy layer of ice, enveloped their hearts.

The flame on the bronze lampstand flickered, casting distorted shadows on the wall, as if countless invisible eyes were watching the intruder.

After a long while, the three of them finally relaxed completely and came out from behind the pillar.

Because they discovered that there were no living people in the hall.

It's not that there are no people, but rather that there are no living people.

There were quite a few dead people.

The open space in the center of the main hall was filled with people!

They stood in two neat rows, like loyal guards being inspected by the supreme monarch!

Each one...

No breath! No heartbeat! Death has settled beneath the skin! The blood has long since congealed into mud in the veins!

But what's scary is!
They... stood ramrod straight, their limbs maintaining a kind of stiff humility!
His neck and back were pulled by invisible puppet strings to maintain his slightly forward-leaning posture during the audience!
All the empty faces were turned toward the deepest part of the hall, toward the throne shrouded in heavy shadow!
The three approached the dead bodies with wary expressions, their brows furrowed.

“That’s an elder from the Yueyi Kingdom…that’s General Kamon, the Protector of the Nation…”

Feng Wu's voice was so low it was almost faint, carrying a trace of uncontrollable grief and indignation.

She pointed to a corpse dressed in a half-rotten, gold-patterned leather robe:

"And several high priests... their corpses..."

She recognized these people and had even chatted with them.

These nobles, who should have been buried in grand style, now had their bodies clearly treated specially; they did not appear to be stiff and still retained sufficient moisture and elasticity.

These dead courtiers were now before the empty throne.

This makes the hall look less like a human palace and more like a gloomy underground tomb.

"Damn it! Even in death they can't find peace!"

Suiyan spat angrily, the spittle landing silently on the dark red carpet, as if greedily absorbed by the carpet.

The three seemed to be drawn in by an invisible force, venturing deeper and deeper.

Until the very front of the horde of corpses—

The three of them finally saw something different.

Three skeletons were displayed incongruously beneath the throne of bones!
One of them had lost half of its head, its nose and above were completely gone, its arms seemed to have been smashed, and even its chest had a large hole pierced through it.

The other body was much better preserved; it was a robust man with prominent temples and gray hair and beard.

The last body was that of an old woman. Her face was full of wrinkles, and although her hair was disheveled, she seemed to have a sinister aura.

The clothes of these three people were basically torn to shreds by tree branches, but it was still possible to roughly see that their clothing style was completely different from that of the mountain people of Nanzhou.

Their attire and the few remaining ornaments on their bodies also indicate that they do not belong to this endless mountain and rainforest.

"These people are dressed so strangely."

Feng Wu's delicate eyebrows furrowed like sharp knives:

"Among the hundred tribes of the Southern Continent, there is no such tribe."

"Legend has it that the Demon Lord of Wuxu brought back demons from the ends of the world. Could these be those demons?"

Suiyan walked around for a couple of steps, his rough fingers rubbing the texture of the tattered brocade robe on one of the corpses, his thick brows furrowing into a knot:

"Strange. This fabric, this cutting style... it's definitely not the style of dress passed down by the various tribes of the Southern Continent! It feels a bit like the style of the Northern Continent..."

The witch spirit gave a mocking laugh.

She reached out her small hand and tapped Suiyan's shoulder:

"The Suidong barbarian ox is a bit smarter than its eyes."

"What a pity, the heir to the divine power of the Wuli Xuanfeng..."

She abruptly turned her head, the vortex on the bark mask seeming to suck in Fengwu's soul:

"You know the names of all the plants in this mountain forest, the medicinal value of all the insects, and the habits of all the wild animals."

"He appears to be a knowledgeable person, but in reality, he has a narrow and shallow perspective."

"It's both pathetic and laughable that we know absolutely nothing about the world beyond these mountains."

In the end, Wu Ling covered her red lips with her delicate, fair hands and laughed incessantly, her body trembling with laughter.

The cold light on the Phoenix Feather Sword suddenly intensified:
"What did you say?!"

The witch suddenly raised her voice, her sharp tone piercing the stagnant air:
"They're just three Great Qian people!"

Suiyan slapped his forehead, which was as hot as rock, and the magma patterns on it flashed brightly for a moment!
"That's right! They're from the Great Qian Dynasty!"

“My father once traveled to the Southern Regions and met people from the Great Qian Dynasty. He also told me about them!”

Feng Wu was quite surprised by this answer.

For them, the Great Qian Dynasty was a completely different world.

Feng Wu immediately said sternly:
"The people of Daqian feared poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, and had no idea how to survive in the dense forests and poisonous miasma."

"I heard that the people of Daqian only dare to settle in the northern part of Nanzhou, where the forests are sparse, and they don't dare to go deep into the central and southern parts of Nanzhou at all."

"How could these people from the Great Qian Dynasty have ended up here and lost their lives?"

Although Feng Wu had never met anyone from the Great Qian Dynasty or ever been there, she had heard some things about it.

The witch spirit did not answer, but merely chuckled:

"Our saintess, why don't you take a guess?"

Feng Wu snorted coldly, otherwise she wouldn't have granted Wu Ling's wish.

Suddenly, Suiyan cried out in alarm, his enormous, bell-like eyes flashing fiercely towards the entrance of the main hall:

"The great teacher who followed us all the way... he also dressed like this!"

Feng Wu gasped!
The Way of Peace...The Great and Virtuous Teacher!
The pale, sickly figure, who even needed to be carried to walk, instantly overlapped with the three strange corpses!
A bone-chilling cold instantly froze from the depths of her phoenix eyes and spread to her limbs and bones!

Indeed, the Great Teacher's clothes and attire are exactly the same as those of these three corpses in front of us.

Although they had previously thought the Great Teacher's attire was indeed strange, they hadn't given it much thought.

Firstly, they believed in the Queen of Yaoshui and naturally had more trust in the people she arranged.

Secondly, they believed that the Great Teacher was a sorcerer from the Beast Gu Cave. In the Southern Continent, those involved with witchcraft and sorcery often dressed in rather strange ways.

Wizards need to communicate with heaven, earth, gods, and humans; they are the representatives of the gods on earth, and their attire is completely different from that of ordinary people.

While Gu Masters were once respected, they were also feared in ancient times. When respected, they could walk among humans and enjoy power. But when feared, they could only hide in deep mountains and forests to avoid being besieged.

This makes the attire of Gu Masters often out of touch with the world and appear particularly strange.

As witchcraft and sorcery became increasingly integrated in later generations, the status of those who used sorcery rose continuously, but their strange and unusual attire was still preserved.

Therefore, as long as the Great Teacher of Virtue is considered a Beast Gu Cave Witch, it is normal for him to dress strangely.

But now, compared with the three corpses of the Great Qian Dynasty in front of them, they realized with shock that the Great Teacher of Virtue was not wearing strange clothes at all, but was dressed in the clothing of the Great Qian people!

Who exactly is this Great Teacher of Virtue? Why did he infiltrate? What is his purpose?

The witch spirit chuckled disdainfully:
"You've only realized it now? You're really stupid."

Feng Wu's voice was like the coldest ice in the netherworld:
"Witch Spirit!"

"You knew all along! You knew all along?!"

"The Queen of Yaoshui wouldn't send a Daqian person here, so who is he?!"

A strange, gurgling laugh escaped Wu Ling's throat, her shoulders shrugging as she watched Feng Wu's pale face with interest, deliberately drawing out her words:

"It's better than..."

"Guess?!"

Suiyan was impatient and couldn't wait.

"I'll go and capture that Daqian man and interrogate him, then I'll find out!"

As he spoke, his massive body, accompanied by a strong sulfurous wind, suddenly turned around, intending to leave the main hall and go to the corridor to arrest people.

Just as the giant feet of the Firefly were crushing the sticky carpet!
A sinister laugh, as if the person had just crawled out of an ancient grave and filled with thick phlegm, rang out without warning:
"You men have come to visit in the dead of night, barging into the palace and taking the initiative. Do you think that my king has no one to rely on?"

The old man's voice seemed to come from all directions, making it difficult to discern its exact location.

"Not good! I've been discovered!"

Feng Wu's heart nearly stopped, and she shouted sharply:
"Retreat quickly!"

Without further hesitation, she prepared to leave immediately with Suiyan and Wuling.

But it was too late.

"Swish! Click!"

Those two rows of dead nobles, who had been standing motionless like decaying wax figures in an audience posture, actually moved!
They moved in neat rows and with lightning speed, like a group of marionettes suddenly pulled by the same string, their necks making a crisp "crackling" sound like rotten wood breaking!
The corpse's arms creaked and twisted with a sickeningly sharp sound as they were raised, their withered claws plunging straight in, and their feet moved stiffly as if they were sitting on solid rock!

In an instant, the three were trapped in the narrow space below the throne!
"Roar!!!"

With a roar, Suiyan smashed the corpse of a sword-wielding nobleman who was lunging at him with his huge wooden shield!
The wooden shield smashed the nobleman's face off, even tearing off his nose.

"They are controlled by Gu worms!"

Suiyan cried out in alarm, pointing to the back of the nobleman's corpse where the nasal bone had been smashed.

Two tentacles covered in dark red, worm-like soft tissues were thrashing wildly in the slime!

Even though the nobleman's corpse had suffered severe injuries, it seemed completely oblivious to the pain of its shattered facial bones, and it still managed to get up from the ground and approach the crowd.

A tidal wave surged within Feng Wu's heart. She forced herself to stay calm, and her feather-shaped bronze sword unleashed a burst of cold, autumn-water-like light!
Her sword pointed straight in all directions, and her fierce shouts stopped the clouds in their tracks:
"I am acting on the orders of the Queen of Yaoshui to question the Demon Lord!"

"Queen Yilu has been wise and virtuous for generations! What crime has the thousand chariots of Xiong Kingdom committed? What wrong have the Yue barbarians, Guantong... and all the people of the hundred tribes done?!"

"So much so that the Demon Lord slaughtered cities and destroyed kingdoms, leaving corpses strewn across the fields!"

Her voice reverberated throughout the hall, each word infused with powerful inner strength, aiming to shake the opponent's mind!

The old man's nauseating echo reverberated through the empty corpses, sticky and cloying:
"The Southern Continent is unclaimed; whoever has the strength can take it. There is no need for the Holy Maiden to inquire further."

Feng Wu's heart skipped a beat. The other party actually knew that she was the Holy Maiden?
Could it be that the other side has a grasp on the whereabouts of our group?

Was it really that great and wise teacher who betrayed them?

Feng Wu suppressed her surprise and continued speaking in a cold voice:
"The Demon Lord has taken this upon himself; where will he place my Wuli and the hundred tribes of Nanzhou?"

"Wu Li is a descendant of the Xuanfeng. All the tribes have already formed an alliance to resist her, in accordance with the orders of the Yaoshui Queen. How can we allow the Demon Lord to act so recklessly?"

Upon hearing this, the old man burst into laughter, his voice shifting from left to right:

"Is the Holy Maiden threatening my king?"

"Please reply to Queen Yaoshui, Holy Maiden. My king will hold the Great Demon Sacrifice in Heaven in January, sweep away all the southern tribes in February, and lead his army north in March to meet Queen Yaoshui for a hunt on the right bank of the Mekong River."

"Of course, that's assuming the Holy Maiden can go back!"

His laughter echoed throughout the hall.

Upon hearing this, Feng Wu snorted coldly:
"Insanity!"

In the gaps between the old man's arrogant laughter, she desperately tried to convey a message to Suiyan with her eyes—to pinpoint the old man's true location!
Suiyan's eyes were bloodshot, as if molten lava was burning, and his ears were almost standing up as he frantically searched for the source of the elusive, ghostly sound!

As people of Suidong, they have their own unique ability to locate objects by sound.

In a quiet environment, if you want to hear even a fainter sound, Suiyan is not even one ten-thousandth as good as Fengwu.

However, if one can accurately pinpoint the source of a sound in a noisy and chaotic environment, then Suiyan is far superior to Fengwu.

however……

The laughter was like a slippery, serpentine snake drilling into his skull; he couldn't lock onto it at all!

Clearly, the old man possessed profound skills and was extremely adept at concealing his abilities.

Suiyan could only shake his head slightly at Fengwu helplessly.

"Never mind! Since we can't pinpoint their location, we'll just have to find a random spot to break through!"

As Feng Wu spoke, her gaze swept towards the wall to the side:
"Suiyan, you're the one who breaks through the wall!"

If one rushes out the way one came, there is a high chance of encountering that great and wise teacher.

Now that Feng Wu has become suspicious of the Great Teacher, she naturally doesn't want to believe him.

Especially in that corridor, there are still many ferocious beasts controlled by Gu worms. Who knows if they will attack them like these corpses?
Therefore, smashing down the palace walls and carving out an escape route was the most appropriate choice.

The Flint Flame possesses immense strength, making it ideal for breaking through walls.

hum-

The bronze feathered sword rang out clearly!

Feng Wu took the lead, her figure exploding like a rapidly spinning colorful lotus!

The golden sword beams, sharp as a physical object and carrying a keen cutting intent, instantly unleashed a torrential downpour!

"Pfft! Pfft! Snap!"

The heads of the three most recent noble corpses have been severed!
The sticky, dark red "thread" worms in the headless neck danced wildly and fell down!

They hadn't even touched the pungent carpet yet—

Hiss! ! !

Feng Wu twisted her wrist rapidly, and the second layer of golden sword energy swept out like a hurricane!
In an instant, it sliced the dark red threadworms that had fallen to the ground and were struggling wildly into countless pieces.

After losing the control of the Gu worms, the corpses could no longer move.

"Attack its head!"

"Eliminate the parasitic worms in the brain!"

She roared like a phoenix, her feathered sword poised to strike in the same manner.

This time, however, the remaining corpses changed their strategy! They raised their withered arms strangely, firmly protecting their heads.

When the Phoenix Dance sword energy struck the corpse, it produced a series of dull thuds.

To everyone's surprise, these corpses were wearing rattan armor underneath their clothes.

These rattan armors offer extremely high defensive capabilities. Compared to iron armor, they are lightweight and breathable, allowing the wearer to remain submerged in rainwater and providing exceptional mobility.

"Flint! Burn them all!"

Phoenix cried out urgently!

"Roar!!!"

Suiyan roared like a colossus splitting mountains!
He gripped the huge, rough wooden axe with both hands, which resembled the fangs of a savage beast, and the crimson magma patterns around it lit up wildly!
The entire wooden axe burst into blazing white flames from the inside out, instantly drying up the air and distorting everything in sight due to the high temperature!
He leaped ten feet high, and his flaming giant axe, with a roaring momentum that could burn mountains and boil seas, slammed wildly!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Each blow was like the sun falling to earth, and for a moment the stench of burning filled the air!
The withered yellow rattan armor that enveloped the decaying nobles burst into flames, expanding and exploding like dry straw exposed to fire!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

The corpses of nobles, engulfed in raging flames and constantly spewing out charred grease and dark red worm-like corpse oil, were smashed and shattered by the violent force!
The pale, twisted skeletons emitted a mournful cracking sound in the flames!
The air was filled with a strong, strange smell, a mixture of burnt skin, charred fat, and scorched grease!

The passage... cracked open in the fiery hell!

"Don't linger! Let's go!"

With a flick of her phoenix-wing-shaped boots, the colorful figure was about to burst through the last gap in the wall of fire!
At this moment, the old man's voice rang out again:
"Want to leave? Not so easy!"

A figure, as withered as a thousand-year-old tree root spirit, appeared without warning in front of the passage where the flames had not yet been extinguished, blocking the only way out!

The old man's messy white hair resembled grass on a grave, and huge, crude animal bone rings hung from his ears!
His murky, muddy eyes stared intently at Feng Wu through the burning embers, with a cruel mockery as if he were toying with a dying cricket!

The old man's hands were withered like eagle claws, with dry skin covered with age spots and protruding blue veins!
His five fingernails were long and curved, as if they were coated with black poison!
The claw silently pressed down on the several burning corpses at the forefront, which were tearing through them with all their might!
Om-!
An invisible yet heavy, viscous deathly pressure, like a collapsing mountain, instantly pressed down on Suiyan's entire body, like a huge, invisible black coffin!

"Roar!!! Divine Flame Resists the Heavens!!!"

Suiyan's blood was burning to its limit! Crimson tattoos covered his entire body, seemingly about to burst forth!

He frantically lifted the massive dry shield with both arms, his muscles bulging and bulging to their maximum!

"Watch out! Get back quickly!!"

Phoenix Dance's chilling warning!

The moment the massive body of the Flame Blaze completed its defensive stance—

"Bang!!!"

The enormous, invisible black coffin crashed down with a deafening roar.

In fact, it's unmatched!

The giant shield, which Suiyan had been supporting with all his might, crumbled into billions of burning charcoal fragments in an instant, like rotten wood struck by a meteorite!

That heavy, terrifying force slammed into Suiyan's chest without any resistance!

"Crack! Click!"

A sickening, rapid cracking sound filled the air!

"puff--!"

Suiyan's enormous body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, the blood that exploded from his mouth drawing a thick, scarlet arc in the air!

His body crashed down on several thick pillars, instantly engulfed by the falling rocks and dust, leaving only painful, suppressed groans!

"Flintfire!"

Feng Wu couldn't help but let out a sorrowful cry.

Suiyan was a fourth-rank cultivator, yet he couldn't even withstand a single move from this old man.

This old man has definitely... reached the third rank!!!
She abruptly turned her head, her feathered sword pointing directly at the terrifying old man, its murderous aura blazing like a rainbow:

"There's an old monster like you in the demon army?! You're not the Demon Lord of Wuxu!"

"Could it be... that mysterious imperial advisor beside the Demon Lord of Wuxu?"

When the Demon Lord of Wuxu first rose to power, everyone regarded him as just a barbarian leader. Such barbarians were numerous in the Southern Continent and were not surprising at all.

But to everyone's surprise, he was able to gain the support of many experts and great shamans in the Southern Continent in a very short time.

The most mysterious of them all was one who was known as the Imperial Advisor.

Legend has it that this imperial advisor was skilled in Gu poison and witchcraft, and was able to summon an army of immortal evil spirits to fight for the Demon Lord of Wuxu.

Seeing these moving corpses and sensing the old man's strength, Feng Wu had a general idea of what was going on.

The hunched old corpse merely gave a chilling smile:
"If the Holy Maiden wants to know, she will find out after I capture her."

His withered claws flashed like ghostly shadows once more, heading straight for Feng Wu's heart!
It was more than twice as fast as before, tearing through the air with a ghostly howl!
"It's better to surrender than to become food for the Gu worms!"

Death... like a cold spider web covered Feng Wu's soul!

There is no way to retreat! There is no way to avoid it!

Only... burning blood!

She suddenly closed her eyes!
hum!
A clear and melodious phoenix cry, seemingly piercing through the barriers of time and space, suddenly resonated deep within her bloodline!
Beneath the fair skin, countless fine, winding, and sacred feather patterns instantly emerged.

These lines, like ignited golden veins, instantly spread and crawled all over her exposed neck, cheeks, and arms!
It exudes a pure, ancient, yet powerful and mysterious aura that overwhelms all things!

The bronze feather-shaped ancient sword in her hand seemed to come alive instantly, with countless fine, feather-like golden lights flowing across its blade. The golden light even dyed the entire hall into a magnificent yet cold golden kingdom!

"Black Bird... grant me the blade to slay evil!"

Feng Wu's narrow eyes widened suddenly!

Her pupils had transformed into two burning golden suns, within which flowed a burning galaxy!
A terrifying wave capable of cutting through space and banishing the void... suddenly erupted!
The sword comes out!

No wind! No sound!
Only a single, scorching white line, condensing the ultimate killing intent!

The old man's withered claws were almost piercing through her colorful clothes—

The old man's smug expression instantly froze into the most primal, icy chill!
That exquisite white line swept across his raised fingertips, arm, shoulder... in a flash!

It's like slicing tofu—it's done silently and without a sound.

It swept across half of the white-haired head and finally slowly dissipated into the depths of the void.

silence!

The golden light that filled the sky dissipated.

The entire space and time seemed to darken as well.

Feng Wu was breathing heavily, like a fish out of water!
An uncontrollable metallic sweetness welled up in her throat, and the golden feather patterns rapidly dimmed and disappeared beneath her skin, leaving countless fine, bleeding cracks!
The feather sword in her hand felt heavy and about to fall, and she slammed one knee heavily onto the foul-smelling, dark red carpet!

He only managed to stay upright by bracing himself against the ground with the sword, and a thin line of crimson blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth!

That sword strike she just unleashed... exhausted her divine power! Her meridians feel like they're burning!

Right now!

The old man's body, pierced by those ultra-white lines...

"Wow..."

It actually split in two along the white line!
The cut surface is smooth, and even the broken blood vessels are clearly visible!

Blood, shattered entrails, ruptured intestines... slowly slid out along the perfectly smooth cut surface and crashed onto the carpet!
That third-rank elder was actually cleaved in two by a single sword strike!
Feng Wu, with her fourth-rank body, actually managed to kill a third-rank expert!
Suiyan struggled to peek his blood-stained head out from the pile of rocks, just in time to witness the sword strike!
This kind of kill, which transcends a vast realm, deeply shocked Suiyan:

"No wonder...she is revered as a saint and regarded as the future hope of Wuli!"

"No wonder she likes to give orders to the first unit; it turns out it's her...confidence! She has inherited the power of the Black Phoenix!"

In his heart, Suiyan couldn't help but feel a bit more awe for Fengwu.

at this time.

Feng Wu turned her head slightly:

"Let's go! I... can no longer use the power of the Black Phoenix."

Using power beyond one's capacity often results in a severe backlash.

Feng Wu was still injured at this time.

She supported herself and managed to stand up.

Suiyan also struggled to his feet, enduring the excruciating pain as he gathered around.

Just as they were about to leave, Feng Wu's phoenix eyes suddenly turned cold as she stared intently at the old man's corpse, which she had cleaved in two:
"This is……"

In the center of the old man's grayish-white brain, which had been cut in two, there was a ball of nematodes, about the size of a fist, perfectly divided in two, densely packed and wriggling, covered in mucus and brain matter!

Each severed nematode was twisting wildly, radiating an intense, insane evil aura!
His eyes, like flint and lava, almost popped out of their sockets!

Feng Wu felt as if her breath was about to stop!
"This is... a puppet?!"

Feng Wu leaned on her sword, her heart sinking into the coldest abyss!
It turns out that the old man was not the one controlling the corpses, but just a puppet controlled by Gu worms!
The real mastermind... is still around!
Without eliminating such a formidable enemy, trying to escape from here is nothing short of a pipe dream.

"Hehehehe...heheha ...

A burst of completely out-of-control, manic laughter, like a needle scraping the depths of the brain, suddenly erupted!

The voice... it's so familiar!
From——

Witch spirit!

Her petite body trembled violently, and veins bulged on her neck beneath the twisted bark mask!
She laughed so hard she almost fell over when she saw the terrified looks on Feng Wu and Sui Yan's faces!
"Haha! Wow... Amazing! Truly amazing! Our Holy Maiden!"

She straightened up, clapped her hands, and laughed until she was breathless:

"I thought that with a third-rank puppet, I could pluck all the feathers off this little phoenix."

"I didn't expect the Holy Maiden to be so worthy of her title; she really does have some skill."

"What a waste of such a fine puppet..."

She drew out each word, each one filled with a morbid regret and...undisguised mockery!

Feng Wu's vision blurred due to blood loss and excruciating pain. She raised her head, staring intently at the figure, her voice hoarse and broken from extreme hatred:
"Witch... Spirit!!!"

Suiyan finally understood!

He gripped the wooden axe tightly in his huge fist and let out a beastly howl!
Feng Wu's voice was a mournful cry, like that of a dying phoenix:
"You betrayed us?! You betrayed the Queen?!"

She glared at the witch spirit, but with her left hand behind her back, she made a gesture to the fire flame at an extremely subtle angle!
The fingertips even turned white from the force!
The witch's grating, morbid laughter abruptly stopped!

It was as if a string had been snapped in an instant.

She turned around slowly, extremely slowly, her eerie black feathered robe hanging silently.

The twisted bark mask was facing Feng Wu.

A chilling cold that could freeze the soul emanated from the depths of the mask's vortex.

"betray?"

Her voice was no longer that distorted, sharp edge, but rather low, hoarse, carrying a coldness that seemed to emanate from a high place, looking down upon the dust.

"You bunch of trash, about to be crushed into bait for raising Gu poison? You dare to challenge me?!"

Her small hand suddenly touched the terrifying vortex mask on her face, her fingertips gently tracing the wood grain:
"As for... Queen Yaoshui!"

The witch's voice suddenly rose, each word imbued with boundless resentment and madness:
"That bitch, I'll nail her snake-like waist to the city wall with iron nails one day!"

"At that time, everyone from all the tribes of Nanzhou will be able to appreciate it—"

Before she could finish speaking, an overwhelming killing intent erupted like a toxic flame that had been accumulating in the earth's core for millennia!

It's now!

Feng Wu roared inwardly! Her golden eyes blazed with fighting spirit!

"kill--!"

A fierce cry rang out from the phoenix!

Her delicate body transformed into a lightning arc of do-or-die energy, the sharpness of the bronze feather sword tearing through the air with a ghostly wail, piercing straight for the witch spirit's brow and heart!

This is a desperate attack fueled by all the hatred and anger!
Upon receiving the signal, Suiyan, like a dying beast, disregarded the terrible collapse and fractures in his chest.

He swung his wooden axe, carrying the last of its crimson flames, and smashed it fiercely and relentlessly towards the back of the witch spirit from the other side!

His immense power caused the entire ground to shatter!
The two attacked from both sides! A swift, ruthless, and decisive attack, resulting in mutual destruction!
Faced with such a decisive and fierce combined attack!

The witch spirit, however, was merely...

Her hand, which had been stroking the mask, remained on the swirling pattern.

With his other hand, however, he was nonchalant, his fingers slightly spread as if he were brushing away a drifting catkin with an extremely light and freehand motion...
Boom——! ! !
An indescribable, terrifying force, like a tangible black wall of sea, suddenly exploded outwards from the center of her hunched body, spreading in all directions in a 360-degree arc!
Wherever that incredibly violent shockwave passed, the air was directly crushed into a viscous paste!

The floor tiles of the main hall shattered instantly, like thin paper!
"Pfft—! Pfft—!"

Fengwu and Suiyan were struck head-on by a massive mountain!
Their bodies, all their bones, their internal organs... seemed to be crushed and burst apart by that invisible, viscous, enormous wall of darkness in that instant of the sound!
The two were sent flying backward, crashing hard into the wall. The fountains of blood they spat out bloomed in the air into two enormous, tragically beautiful, and despairing flowers of death!
"Bang! Boom!"

A heavy thud was heard!

Feng Wu's colorful dress was completely stained with blood!
The bones in Suiyan's entire body emitted a dense and terrifying cracking and crushing sound!
The two of them slumped against the wall like rotten sacks of flesh with all their bones removed.

Only blood foam mixed with bits of internal organs kept gushing out of their mouths and noses.

Dead!

A deathly silence a hundred times more intense than before!

"Whee!"

Wu Ling's slender white fingers finally left the vortex mask, and she twirled them as if she was still somewhat unsatisfied.

She slowly lowered her head and looked at Feng Wu, who had completely lost the ability to resist and was like a lamb to the slaughter.

A soft, slow voice came from beneath the bark mask:

"Mere fireflies..."

"You dare to shine your light?"

Feng Wu can kill a third-rank expert with a single sword strike.

However, faced with the terrifying attack from the witch spirit, it was powerless to even retaliate.

Her bones are now completely shattered, and she can't even move a single finger.