Chapter 1421: Slaughtering the Innocent

Seeing Granny Xue looking at him, Bai Wuya hurriedly added, “Best guard against a trick.”

Granny Xue lowered her gaze to the letter. “She wants to meet me in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands. Why there? A trick? Even if it is, what can happen just from meeting once?”

Bai Wuya tried to persuade her. “Mother, there may be some hidden scheme. Why not let your son make the trip in your place?”

Granny Xue looked back at him. “Do you know Yin Ji?”

“...” Bai Wuya froze, thought for a moment, then shook his head. “By the time I began traveling and handling affairs, news of that woman’s death had already spread. I never met her.”

Granny Xue asked, “Then how would you tell whether she is genuine?”

Bai Wuya said, “We could have one of the older people in the Sacred Land who met her go instead.”

Granny Xue shook her head. “No need. The letter says to keep this secret. If it truly is her, then suddenly seeking me out after all these years must have a purpose. There may be things another person could not discuss clearly in my place. Better that I go myself. Even if there really is a trap, if I want to leave, no one can stop me.”

...

Inside Tianmo Palace, Wu Chang stood drenched in sweat, letter in hand, uncertainty and suspicion in his eyes. He murmured, “Yin Ji...”

Hei Shi, standing nearby, asked in confusion, “Sacred Venerable, wasn’t she dead?”

Wu Chang slowly shook his head. “There was indeed something suspicious about the news of her death back then. Her relationship with Luo Qiu was anything but ordinary. Supposedly she was suddenly killed by villains, yet Luo Qiu made no great move afterward. That alone was highly abnormal. Judging from all the signs, my conclusion at the time should have been correct: Luo Qiu personally killed her. Now someone claiming to be her has suddenly appeared and asked to meet me. It seems what happened back then truly did conceal something.”

Hei Shi asked, “Could the letter be a trap?”

“Yin Ji was my sworn elder sister. Even now, she remains the woman I have liked most. Unfortunately, fate brought us together but never let us be. I remember her handwriting very clearly. I know it well. Handwriting can be imitated, but the spirit within it is much harder to fake. This should indeed be her hand. Besides, even if someone wanted to set a trap, why conjure up a person who has been dead for so many years?”

Hei Shi said, “But suddenly appearing and asking to meet is suspicious in itself.”

“True or false, I’ll know once I see her. Nothing serious will happen. If some petty trap were enough to kill me, I would never have survived until today.”

...

At Dayuan Sacred Land, Yuan Se tossed aside the melon in his hand. Holding the letter in one hand, he repeatedly waved the other. “Out. All of you, out!”

The music and dancing stopped. A group of alluring women withdrew one after another, leaving only Consort Yuan beside him.

With both eyes now restored to normal, Yuan Se looked greatly surprised. “Yin Ji? Could that woman actually still be alive?”

A pink leather patch covered Consort Yuan’s left eye. Her remaining eye flickered. “Sacred Venerable, are you certain it is Luo Qiu’s wife?”

Yuan Se shook his head. “How am I supposed to be certain?” He clicked his tongue and shook his head again. “Still, that woman truly was beautiful, like a celestial maiden. Add in her Nascent Soul cultivation and that gentle, lovable temperament—when Luo Qiu got his hands on her, I was honestly so envious I could have drooled. Forget Luo Qiu. If Wu Chang had offered her to me back then and let a woman like that speak on his behalf, even I might not have been able to withstand such gentle persuasion. I might have found it hard to move against her younger brother.”

At this point, he seemed to realize something. He glanced sideways and, sure enough, found Consort Yuan looking displeased. He immediately changed tack. “Of course, that being said, I would never have been as impulsive as Luo Qiu. That woman’s origins were unclear. Luo Qiu lost his head and fell straight into Wu Chang’s beauty trap. If it had been me, I certainly wouldn’t have let Wu Chang succeed.”

“Because of that woman’s cultivation, all the factions were wary of her back then. Luo Qiu endured tremendous pressure for her. If Wu Chang had not later risen to power and joined hands with Luo Qiu in resistance, everyone would probably have killed that woman long ago.”

Consort Yuan asked, “Rumor says Luo Qiu killed her. Does Sacred Venerable think she could have come back from the dead?”

Yuan Se replied, “She suddenly disappeared, and Luo Qiu’s side claimed she had been murdered. What truly happened is probably known only to those involved. Heh. Real or fake, I’ll know once I meet her. I’d like to see what sort of trick this is.”

Consort Yuan said sourly, “You know it is suspicious and still want to go see her. It seems Sacred Venerable has never forgotten her. Understandable, I suppose. I was still young back then and only a lowly follower, but I saw her too. She really was as beautiful as a celestial maiden. Even I, another woman, envied her. Beautiful, and doted upon by Luo Qiu to the point that he was willing to oppose everyone beneath Heaven for her—what woman wouldn’t envy that? With beauty like hers, it is understandable that Sacred Venerable would risk danger.”

The jealousy in her words was unmistakable.

Yuan Se laughed loudly, stretched out an arm and wrapped it around her bare, slender waist. “Madam, that is where you are wrong. These days, you are the only woman in my heart.”

Perhaps she would once have swallowed those words as sweet talk. Now, whenever she remembered having her eye gouged out, it felt as though a thorn had lodged in her heart. With a trace of mockery, she said, “Is that so? Which one of the singers and dancers here have you not favored? I think what you enjoy is having a flock of women around you fighting for your favor. If I truly am the only woman in your heart, do you dare publicly acknowledge that you and I are husband and wife before everyone beneath Heaven?”

Yuan Se patted her backside and sighed. “Why don’t you understand? Keeping it private is also for your protection. Are you still angry about the eye? You should know that losing one eye itself is a small matter, but it affects my reactions in battle. The situation is changing constantly now, and both Mu Lianze and Zhangsun Mi are dead. If I cannot protect myself, how can I protect you? Don’t worry. The Ghost Doctor will certainly find you a suitable replacement.”

...

“Yin Ji?” In Wuxu Sacred Hall, Du Wuxu held the letter and pondered in silence for a long time.

...

“That woman is still alive?” In Tianlan Sacred Hall, Lan Daolin likewise stared at the letter in astonishment and uncertainty.

...

A figure shot into the valley. Niu Youdao and Yun Ji immediately became alert.

Yuan Gang was not here. He was at another location guarding Lü Wushuang. It was also inappropriate for the person meeting them here to be seen by Lü Wushuang.

The newcomer announced, “It’s me.”

It was Xi Haitang’s voice.

Niu Youdao replied, “It’s us.”

They too were disguised.

Once both sides had met and confirmed each other’s identities, Niu Youdao wasted no time. “We just reached the Lu County seat where the Holy Rakshasa caused trouble. She had already left and no one knows where she went. Your people have been tracking her all along, so I asked you here to find out what you know.”

Xi Haitang asked, “You came personally. What are you planning to do?”

“Take the Holy Rakshasa away before the Six Sacred Venerables arrive.”

Xi Haitang was slightly shocked. “Take the Holy Rakshasa away? We both know how strong she is. Even if we join hands, I’m afraid we still couldn’t take her away.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I have a way to subdue her, and I won’t ask you to take the risk. What matters is finding her as quickly as possible. Myriad Beasts Sect has been following her movements, so there should be a trail.”

Hearing that Niu Youdao had a way, Xi Haitang did not waste words. He pulled a folded map from his sleeve. “There is. Every point marked here is a place where she has appeared. She hasn’t been wandering aimlessly. Look. She has been moving in one direction the entire time. She left the Lu County seat not long ago. If she continues straight, the next place should be the Huashan County seat.”

Niu Youdao carefully studied the marks on the map and gave a slight nod. “She flies fast. Can we reach Huashan County in time to intercept her?”

Xi Haitang sighed. “We definitely can. She is traveling in a straight line, yes, but whenever she encounters people, villages, or towns along the way, she stops and attacks, asking everyone where the people who broke into her city are. That delays her considerably. We can definitely reach Huashan County before she does.”

“Other than the people who personally witnessed what happened at Shang Song’s Traveling Palace, who would know what she means by that question? When she fails to get a clear answer, she becomes enraged. She doesn’t seem capable of reasoning things through. She has practically killed her way along the route. At least a thousand people have already died at her hands. She truly is little different from a demon now. Cultivators no longer dare attack her. Almost everyone dying at her hands is an ordinary mortal—men, women, old people, and children. Wherever she goes, cries and screams fill the air. Everyone is terrified. Ah... what a sin.”

Then Xi Haitang added, “This monster has already committed terrible slaughter and earned the wrath of Heaven and men. Are you really still going to protect her?”

Niu Youdao gave a slight nod. “Her coming out to cause this chaos is inseparable from what we did last time. She had lived without contending with the world. We were the ones who harmed her. She deserves credit for helping eliminate Zhangsun Mi and Mu Lianze. We cannot escape responsibility for the bloodshed she is causing now either.”

Xi Haitang said heavily, “You cannot afford to expose yourself right now. If you act rashly, the consequences are impossible to predict. Niu Youdao, this is no time for softheartedness. The best course now is to stand aside and do nothing!”

“If she can be saved, then I’ll do my utmost to save her. Keeping her alive may still be enormously useful in the future.”

“She can’t be reasoned with. What use can she possibly be?”

There were matters Niu Youdao did not want to explain yet. He raised a hand to stop the question and said gravely, “Since you’ve already determined her direction, haven’t the settlements ahead been evacuated in time?”

The Holy Rakshasa had slaughtered so many innocents that he too felt deeply uneasy.

Xi Haitang said, “Orders to evacuate have already gone out everywhere, but how could every place be notified in such a short time? Before this, no one knew where she was headed. Only recently did we determine that she was moving continuously in a straight line, so orders to relocate people were issued at the last minute.”

Niu Youdao asked, “Are many cultivators tracking her?”

“How could there not be? All three major sects of the State of Song have been alarmed. They’re like a swarm of flies around a pile of stinking dogshit. Cultivators from the various sects, cultivators stationed in the different regions, Myriad Beasts Sect included, and Misty Pavilion personnel from all the affected areas are all tracking her movements. None dare approach her, but they are all following where she goes.”

“As things stand, no one dares face the Holy Rakshasa before the Sacred Venerables arrive. Judging by the timing, the report my sect sent to Misty Pavilion was probably only just received. Misty Pavilion still has to relay it into the Sacred Realm, across this vast land and then the boundless sea. The news definitely won’t reach the Sacred Realm before tomorrow. By the time the Sacred Venerables arrive, who knows how many more people will have died?”

“Right, we’ve already discovered that the Holy Rakshasa sometimes eats and drinks. Misty Pavilion personnel in the surrounding regions are now organizing the various sects to watch what she consumes along the way. From what Misty Pavilion is saying, they’re already considering whether they can poison her to death.”

“Niu Youdao, you know those Sacred Venerables understand the Holy Rakshasa’s strength. If there is a chance to poison her, then even after they arrive, they’ll probably choose poison. The Holy Rakshasa is simple-minded. Running around alone and defenseless like this, she has no way to guard against every vicious method. She won’t be able to escape them.”

[End of Chapter 1421]