Huanglong Prefecture. The City God Temple.

"Damn it!"

You Shengnan cursed under her breath, her face grim as she stared at the mountain of white bones beneath the City God Temple.

She and Xiongshan had been tasked with investigating the disappearances in Huanglong Prefecture.

They never could have imagined that the case was somehow connected to the Wang Family. The very bones at their feet belonged to people the Wangs had murdered.

And the patriarch of the Wang Family was none other than an Elder in the Divine Mansion Sect’s Wooden Man Alley.

Xiongshan took a deep breath, a rare look of anger appearing on his normally stolid face.

Unlike the other Noble Family Disciples in the Divine Mansion Sect, both he and You Shengnan were Martial Artists from humble, background-less origins. As such, they found this wanton slaughter of innocents particularly detestable.

"We must report this to Master."

Xiongshan, though furious, still spoke calmly.

An Elder of the Divine Mansion Sect was not someone he and You Shengnan could handle. Only Old Dong himself could eliminate him. If they acted rashly now, they would only alert their target.

They already had sufficient reason for Old Dong to act, as the Wang Family was very likely connected to the Demon Sect.

This scene was clearly a sacrifice to a Demon God.

Only the Demon Sect’s Ten Thousand Spirits Ritual could produce such a depraved and monstrous act.

Legend claimed this Ten Thousand Spirits Ritual had existed for a millennium. The Demon Sect’s purpose was to summon a Demon God—who was, in fact, their very first Sect Master.

You Shengnan found the idea laughable.

To slaughter so many innocent people for some ethereal figure who had died a thousand years ago.

The first Sect Master of the Demon Sect had lived even before the Grand Ancestor Emperor. He would have long since died of old age; his bones had probably turned to fossils by now.

"Let’s get out of here."

Xiongshan suddenly spoke, an inexplicable sense of dread washing over him.

You Shengnan nodded.

But just as the two were about to leave the City God Temple, a dozen or so figures suddenly emerged from the darkness.

They were surrounded!

"Now that you’re here, you won’t be leaving."

An old man in a green robe stared coldly at the two of them.

It was Wang Changsheng from the Wooden Man Alley.

You Shengnan’s eyes narrowed slightly, her right hand already resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist, ready to strike.

She hadn’t expected Wang Changsheng to be so audacious. They were barely ten li from Huanglong Prefecture City, yet he dared to openly surround two Inner Sect Disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect.

"Elder Wang, what is the meaning of this?"

You Shengnan spoke coldly.

Of course, she knew he was trying to kill them to stop them from revealing the truth. She was merely stalling for time, searching for an opening.

A cruel smile touched Wang Changsheng’s lips. He had no intention of giving them any chance to escape.

"Once I kill you both, not even Dong Wanjun will be able to figure out who was responsible."

"You..."

You Shengnan was about to speak again.

But Elder Wang gave her no further chance to speak, lunging at You Shengnan like a hawk swooping down on a rabbit.

This time, to avoid attracting the Divine Mansion Sect’s attention, he hadn’t brought his own Wang Family Members or hired Assassins from the Soul-Chasing Tower. Instead, he had paid a hefty price for Ghostwriters.

The Divine Mansion Sect would never focus its attention on a group as scattered and disorganized as the Ghostwriters.

This was why he dared to ambush You Shengnan and her partner so brazenly.

As a Blood Refining Martial Master, he should have been more than enough on his own. But to leave nothing to chance, he had mobilized a full team: one Blood Refining Martial Master, five Strong Internal Martial Artists, and ten Yijin Martial Masters.

A force of this terrifying magnitude was enough to annihilate a minor power, let alone ambush two Inner Sect Disciples.

Among the group of black-clad figures, one man’s expression turned strange upon seeing You Shengnan and her companion.

This man was Dao Ji.

He was suddenly grateful that Bai Yuan hadn’t accepted his invitation; otherwise, he’d have to put on a show of turning against an ally.

Indeed, the "big job" he had mentioned to Bai Yuan was this very business with Elder Wang.

Because Elder Wang hadn’t given him many details, even he hadn’t known the targets were fellow disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect.

’But as long as the pay is good enough, killing a fellow disciple is no problem, of course.’

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t killed people from the Divine Mansion Sect before joining it.

As long as You Shengnan and her partner were killed and it was done cleanly, not even Dong Wanjun could trace it back to him. With Wang Changsheng, a master at the Blood Refining stage, making a move personally, backed by so many Ghostwriters, he couldn’t imagine how the two of them could possibly survive.

"Ugh..."

In the very first exchange, You Shengnan was already at a disadvantage.

A single slash from Wang Changsheng drove her back several steps, nearly making her lose her grip on her Long Sword.

This was the difference between Blood Refining and Strong Internal!

You Shengnan gritted her teeth and charged again, sword in hand. She and Xiongshan were surrounded by Wang Changsheng and the Ghostwriters; there was no way out.

After exchanging just a few blows with Wang Changsheng, her body was already covered in several new cuts.

For a Strong Internal Martial Artist to hold her own against a Blood Refining master to such an extent was already a feat to be proud of.

But a real battle between Martial Artists was nothing like a sect-sanctioned spar. No one cared about the strong preying on the weak. Countless members of the younger generation had been crushed to death by old monsters.

Meanwhile.

Xiongshan was fighting fiercely with the Ghostwriters.

He held his own against three opponents, his strength terrifying.

Dao Ji didn’t make his move at the first opportunity. As a seasoned Ghostwriter, he knew that a true killing blow was all about timing—a single strike. He was waiting for an opening to appear in You Shengnan’s or Xiongshan’s defense.

He lurked on the periphery, waiting for the right moment to act, ready to extinguish their last sliver of hope for escape.

"As expected of Dong Wanjun’s disciples."

He was inwardly surprised as he watched the battle unfold.

You Shengnan and Xiongshan had held out far longer than he’d anticipated.

’It’s time...’

The long blade at Dao Ji’s waist flashed from its sheath. Wang Changsheng had finally forced an opening from You Shengnan—her footing faltered, and she nearly slipped.

Strike while your enemy is vulnerable!

The opening would vanish in an instant. He had to seize this moment to kill You Shengnan.

But just as Dao Ji was about to make his move—

An almost imperceptible sound came from behind him.

An ordinary Martial Artist would never have noticed, but Dao Ji had been a Ghostwriter for five years. His freakishly sharp combat instincts screamed of danger.

’A throwing needle!’

Dao Ji dodged, watching the hair-thin silver needle fly past his waist.

He managed to dodge, but the Ghostwriter behind him wasn’t so lucky. The throwing needle struck him squarely in the thigh.

The Ghostwriter didn’t even have time to scream before he collapsed with a THUD, his body dissolving into a pool of blood.

’What terrifying poison!’

Dao Ji’s heart seized with terror at the sight.

He had never seen such a frighteningly potent venom. It had killed a Yijin Martial Master in the blink of an eye. A wave of relief washed over him.

Almost instantly, Dao Ji dropped and rolled, charging straight into the forest.

He vowed to kill the coward who had ambushed him from the shadows.

Anyone with such a terrifying hidden weapon automatically moved to the top of his kill list.

The very thought of having to watch their backs for those venomous needles while fighting sent a shiver down his spine.

But just as he rushed into the forest, he suddenly smelled an extremely familiar scent.

It was Dong Wanjun’s third disciple—Bai Yuan!