Unfilial disciple, do not ruin your master's dream of ascension and peaceful life.

"Old He and I originally planned to meet up with Sister Ellen, but when we arrived, she was already dead? No way, no way, this won't do, we still want to make a comeback with Sister Ellen."

The corpse Liu Rui and another corpse pressed down on Xin Wenyue's shoulders from left and right, while Qiao Xi grabbed her hair and forced her to look up.

"It's really troublesome to erase Lin Zhiyu's presence. Fortunately, Lao He and I are both good at finding enemies. It's just that I don't have his patience. I found a subtle causal thread that connects to you, so I came to find you~"

Boom! !

Josie kicked Xin Wenyue hard in the stomach, causing Xin Wenyue to gag and her beautiful features to contort in pain.

"You're not even an Ascended One, so you definitely don't have the ability to kill Ellen. It must have been someone with a causal connection to you who did it. Tell me, you must know something."

"I...cough cough...I don't know anything...ah!!!!"

The two corpses suddenly twisted her shoulder joints, causing her to scream in agony.

"I got these corpses from Old He. They don't know their own strength when they attack people, so tell me quickly, or else..."

Josie picked up the knife on the table; the not-so-sharp edge reflected a cold light.

"The feeling of being cut with a dull knife is never pleasant. My request is simple: tell me everything about the people around you—especially the two people in this photo. If you do, I'll take you hostage and let you live. Otherwise, things might not be so simple."

"I...I..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"You ask me how to deal with 'traitors'?"

He thought for a moment and said:

"According to the rules of the Sword Inquiry Sect, the punishment is to be killed by piercing the heart with ten thousand swords."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Make me speak...? Know your place, you lowly servant!"

A sudden surge of inexplicable anger filled her mind. While being held down, she leaped up, her shoulders snapping with two sharp cracks as she dislocated them herself!

She deliberately dislocated her shoulder, flipping her body to an incredible angle, and kicked the unsuspecting Josie hard, knocking the knife out of her hand. Just as she was about to land, she used her toes (she was wearing sandals) to catch the knife, stabbing the dead zombie holding her with her foot like a contortionist!

"What—!?"

Caught off guard by the sudden kick, Josie staggered backward, a red footprint appearing on her chin. The impact to her chin caused her head to sway violently! When she finally managed to steady herself by holding onto the table and looked at Xin Wenyue, she discovered that Xin Wenyue had somehow broken free from the zombie's grasp!

She held the dinner knife in her mouth, braced her elbows on the table at a unique angle, and used her full body weight to press down and twist! With two clicks, her dislocated arms were put back in place! Three zombies surrounded her from behind, trying to grab her, but she instantly grabbed three dinner knives from the table and threw them, hitting them precisely in the eye sockets!

"What's going on? You shouldn't be an ascendant!?"

Josie was shocked. Was this a physical enhancement ability? It didn't seem like it; it was more like pure martial arts! And the kind with extremely high purity!

Xin Wenyue was even more shocked than Qiao Xi! She didn't know how they could skillfully endure the pain to perform these difficult moves, nor did she understand why these zombies could still move even with throwing knives piercing their eyes and brains! Just as she was at a loss, a familiar yet strange memory suddenly flashed through her mind—

"When fighting in a confined space, the worst thing you can do is get surrounded by the enemy."

It was a very familiar male voice, and an unprecedented sense of "skill" spread through her entire body! She dodged the attacks of the new zombies, leaped up, and stomped on their faces as she rushed toward the window of the private room!

Crash!!

She smashed the glass to pieces and disappeared outside the window in the blink of an eye!

"stop!"

Josie was both shocked and angry. Her superpower was not suitable for combat. She had only borrowed a group of zombies from her companions before launching her attack after confirming that Xin Wenyue was not an ascendant!

She rushed towards the broken window, she couldn't let her get away! But there was no one outside except for bushes, had she really run away in just a few seconds?

No, it's on top!

Xin Wenyue was hanging upside down above the outside window, clinging to the drainpipe like a giant spider!

"When the enemy is eager to pursue, they are most likely to expose weaknesses. At this time, a surprise attack can be very effective."

Driven by instincts etched into her soul long, long ago, she swooped down like a spider pouncing on its prey, gripping Liu Rui's sharp Swiss Army knife, and thrust it at Qiao Xi's head as he peered out the window!

At the last moment, Josie caught a glimpse of the causal line pointing upwards and jerked her head back, but her shoulder was still deeply pierced! The zombies roared and rushed out of the window, stopping Xin Wenyue from launching further attacks!

As soon as Xin Wenyue landed, five fat zombies pounced on her like a mountain crashing down, but to her surprise, she didn't panic! She grabbed the asphalt road beneath her bare hands and forcefully lifted it up. The hard road surface deformed like soft cloth, blocking the zombies' attack!

"You're an Ascended Being!!!"

Qiao Xi saw this scene clearly. Xin Wenyue seized the opportunity to dart out from behind the twisted asphalt road and into the shadow of the bushes next to her. The shadow wrapped her body like a piece of clothing, and she disappeared!

"...Damn!"

Josie immediately chose to retreat. She covered her bleeding shoulder with her clothes, left the private room and went to the corridor. She stared wide-eyed, looking for Xin Wenyue's causal thread—but found that the thread was darting around everywhere, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, sometimes above, sometimes below, indicating that Xin Wenyue was moving around her at high speed and the distance was gradually decreasing, but she could not find her figure in the real field of vision!

"Protect me!!"

Josie immediately ordered the zombies to surround her to avoid a surprise attack.

Snap!

The Swiss Army knife, from a blind spot, pierced her neck like a paintbrush, following the lines of her skin.

Josie opened her mouth wide in an instant, but Xin Wenyue immediately pinched her throat with her index and middle fingers, using just the right amount of force to prevent her from making a sound.

These dull-witted zombies were borrowed after all, and they only obeyed "commands." Since Josie couldn't make a sound, they naturally wouldn't take any action.

Josie struggled silently in Xin Wenyue's arms, but Xin Wenyue's grip tightened and the knife went deeper.

"Huff, huff, huff, huff... huff... huff."

Xin Wenyue's previously disordered breathing gradually calmed down.

Even the heart rate dropped from 180 per minute to 170, 160... until it was below 60, as calm as sleep.

In the past 19 years, she never imagined that she would kill someone.

I never imagined that murder would be such a mundane, ordinary, and unexciting thing.

No, it's not that I didn't expect it.

Haven't we already gotten used to it?

A door deep within my mind slowly opened.

Something gushed out.

Overwhelm her, cover her, merge with her, and become one with her.

Josie was still sobbing in her arms; it wasn't over yet.

"If you're going to make a move, make it a fatal one; don't give the opponent a chance to struggle."

It is essential to destroy vital organs; the carotid artery is an excellent target.

—"To avoid the hassle of cleaning up the scene, don't dirty the ground when you start working."—

Blood vessels, yes, cover the wound with clothing to prevent too much blood from splattering.

—"Some spells can recreate what the deceased saw with their own eyes; don't leave any evidence."—

Eyes, that's right, gouge her eyes out.

"Hiding a body is an art; even if it's thrown into a river, it might be retrieved. One must be careful."

Where is it hidden...?

After a moment's thought, as if some instinct was driving her, she placed her hand on the wall and gently lifted it. The solid wall was lifted like a soft cloth, and she stuffed Josie's body inside and covered it up like throwing away garbage. She could hear the sound of the dead flesh being flattened, which was very relaxing.

It feels refreshing like never before.

It's like... being lost in a dream for too long, and finally waking up today.

I wondered what kind of person I was before I fell asleep.

He remembered everything he had forgotten amidst the turbulent currents of the dimensional world.

"Nineteen years... no, if you include the ten months of pregnancy, twenty years have already passed...?"

There once existed a realm called Cangxuan.

There was once a statue named Qianjing.

Qian Jing dominated the world, reigning supreme over Cangxuan, subduing the demon race, fighting against otherworldly demons, repairing the path of cultivation, and saving all living beings. His great achievements are countless, and the world respects him by bestowing upon him the title of Holy Venerable.

Who could possibly be worthy of such a great man?

That is of course--

"Only me, Xi Qinxue."