The flame flickered faintly.
Just as the Taiyi Sword was about to pierce Luo Luo’s eyeball and impale her skull, nailing her lifeless to the stone wall, she gasped painfully, her lips parted, unable to breathe. Her delicate neck veins struggled weakly under the crushing grip of his fingers.
He knew she had once again raised her fingers in a sword stance, but he no longer cared.
Gripping the blade, he swung it toward her, already envisioning the spray of hot blood that would soon drench him.
"Clang—ding, ding."
A sudden surge of spiritual energy deflected the sword’s tip.
Li Zhaoye froze.
Luo Luo froze as well.
A new figure had appeared in the cave, his silhouette cast onto the stone wall by the firelight—cloaked, hooded, distorted and elongated.
Li Zhaoye turned his head to study the intruder, his brow furrowing in displeasure.
He tried to seize the sword and strike again, but the opportunity was gone—Luo Luo had taken advantage of his distraction to wrench free and shift away.
Pressing her back against the wall, she eyed the newcomer warily.
The figure was entirely concealed beneath a black cloak, his form indiscernible, his face hidden behind a massive black-and-silver demon mask. Not a single strand of hair was visible.
With another wave of his hand, without any visible disturbance of spiritual energy, an invisible barrier seemed to materialize between Li Zhaoye and Luo Luo, separating them.
—Such unfathomable, terrifying power!
Li Zhaoye glared at the uninvited guest, his expression dark. "You won’t let me kill her?"
Clearly, they were allies.
Seizing the moment, Luo Luo rasped, "First you pushed Gu Meng off the cliff, and now if I die, everyone will know you’re the murderer!"
"Such a flimsy excuse?" Li Zhaoye frowned. "Gu Meng won’t testify against me. Toss the body into the River of Resentment, and it’ll never be found."
The last sentence was directed at the cloaked figure.
His murderous intent had been interrupted, and he was deeply displeased.
"If you hadn’t come, I’d already have dealt with this nuisance," he said coldly.
The cloaked man sighed and raised a gloved finger, pointing behind Li Zhaoye.
Li Zhaoye stiffened, whirling around—only to discover a sword lurking in the shadows. Had the cloaked man not deflected it, it would have already pierced his dantian.
No wonder he’d heard those two sharp "ding" sounds earlier.
A chill ran down his spine—she had a backup plan!
"Changtian," Luo Luo called softly. The sword wobbled as it flew toward her, dissolving into a streak of light that vanished into her sword repository. Changtian had once been Li Zhaoye’s lifebound sword, and his instincts had blinded him to its threat.
She had set this trap while changing out of her tattered clothes.
While he’d left the cave to gather poisoned firewood, she’d been busy laying a sword formation inside. One could say they’d been quite coordinated.
Luo Luo had done this deliberately—allowed herself to fall into his "grasp," risking life and limb to trick him into revealing his true thoughts when he thought victory was assured. And she’d succeeded. She was now certain: this was not the real Li Zhaoye.
The imposter’s eyes darkened with murderous intent. "She cannot be allowed to live!"
Both her existence and the Heartbond Oath tied to her wrist were nothing but obstacles.
The cloaked man hesitated briefly before speaking. "Focus on the mission. Don’t complicate things. No one will believe her."
His voice was hoarse and unnatural—clearly disguised. Not a single clue betrayed his identity.
A hand emerged from the cloak, seizing Li Zhaoye. In a flicker of shadow, the two vanished from the cave entrance.
A long silence followed, broken only by a crackle from the fire.
Once certain they were gone, Luo Luo staggered forward, picking up Qiu Shui and wiping the mud from its blade with trembling fingers.
She sheathed the sword, leaned against the wall, and stumbled out of the cave. The fresh air rushed into her lungs, and she coughed violently—she’d been holding her breath ever since he lit the fire.
Ahead, a trail cut through the thick gray-black mist, leading straight to the Twelve Sealed Halls across the river.
The cloaked man and "Li Zhaoye" had gone there.
—Where is Li Zhaoye? Tell me, please.
—After you go down,
—find him yourself.
Luo Luo clenched the hilt of her sword, her knuckles whitening, fingers numb from the force.
Her heart ached dully, and the metallic tang of blood rose in her throat.
She didn’t know what "great matter" those two were attending to, but she knew they could change their minds at any moment and return to silence her.
To eradicate the root of trouble, they’d toss her corpse into this cursed black river, ensuring she’d never be found—not in this life, nor the next.
Taking a deep breath, Luo Luo fled swiftly, erasing her tracks as she went. Traces and scents were nearly impossible to completely erase, but she was gambling on the fact that the mysterious powerhouse wouldn’t waste time and effort hunting her down.
She focused on the task at hand, forcing her mind blank.
Yet a voice echoed relentlessly in her skull.
He’s dead. He’s dead. He’s dead he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead…
Like a festering wound.
The Heartbond Seal on her left wrist burned. Gritting her teeth, Luo Luo ran.
"Li Zhaoye, I’m hungry."
"I want a pancake."
The "haunting" incident no longer required investigation—Master Hao from the Enforcement Hall had seen enough with his own eyes.
Beneath the seal at the entrance to the Netherworld lay scattered corpses—countless insects and birds.
Master Hao lounged in a rattan chair nearby, fanning himself with a straw fan, sipping hot tea, watching the spectacle with fascination.
"Master," Zhao Yu reported, returning with Gu Meng to conclude their mission, "I’ve confirmed the situation. Those fish—they were desperate to swim east, even in death. They bit me and charged straight for our sect!"
Master Hao rolled his eyes. "By the time you report, the show’s already over!" He jabbed his fan toward the scene. "See for yourself! They weren’t heading for our Tai Xuan Sect—they were trying to break into the Netherworld! Look, even with broken wings or legs, they crawled here. It’s been over for ages, and you’re just now telling me?"
Zhao Yu: "..."
Zhao Yu persisted. "What about the ten spirit stones?"
Master Hao glared. "You giving them to me?"
Zhao Yu: "..."
What a rip-off!
Leaving the back mountain, seeing Gu Meng’s dejected expression, he reluctantly dug out ten spirit stones from his own pouch. "Junior Sister Gu, how about I compensate you?"
Honestly, before the money left his hands, it hadn’t felt like his.
But taking it out of his own pocket? That stung.
Gu Meng accepted it gratefully. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Zhao Yu: "Mhm."
It stung even more.
For days, Luo Luo avoided the demons and spirits lurking in the Netherworld, fighting only when necessary and leaving no traces behind.
Without her spirit talismans, she could only wait.
Survive a hundred days—wait for her master to retrieve her.
She couldn’t die here. She had confirmed Li Zhaoye had been possessed. She needed to tell her master, uncover the truth, and avenge him.
This "Li Zhaoye" had used Gu Meng to sever the troublesome Heartbond Oath.
Luo Luo gently touched the throbbing soul mark on her left wrist.
As long as it existed, all her longing for Li Zhaoye had a place to rest.
Suppressing the storm in her heart, she gripped her sword and continued her escape.
Days of relentless tension had left her exhausted. She dared not relax, not even to close her eyes for a moment—terrified that the moment she did, that unfathomably powerful cloaked man would appear before her.
The ceaseless strain wore her down to the bone.
Aside from guarding against formidable enemies, the demons that occasionally emerged from the mist also caused Luo Luo considerable trouble.
Her spiritual energy was nearly depleted, her breathing grew heavier, and her body felt as heavy as mud.
Suddenly, she caught the thick scent of blood.
Faint metallic clinks echoed through the fog. After listening carefully, she realized the sound came from a nearby cave.
The relentless tearing of flesh followed.
It was the sound of demons stripping skin and meat from their prey.
A thought flashed through Luo Luo’s mind—someone was still alive, being torn apart by the demons.
Despite her dire condition, she didn’t hesitate for even a second before darting toward the source.
The metallic clinking persisted. The person seemed delirious from the pain, hacking at the rocks instead of the demons.
Luo Luo leaped into the cavern, where shadows of demons writhed and blood splattered everywhere.
Five or six demons were feasting on a man.
He could no longer stand, slumped against the cave wall, letting them gnaw at his left arm, back, and legs while shielding his right arm—still gripping a knife as he carved into the stone with slow, deliberate strokes.
Luo Luo swiftly dispatched the demons with her sword.
Panting heavily, she turned to the man.
His face had been mauled beyond recognition, blood streaming from his wounds. He was on the verge of death, yet instead of fighting back, he used his last strength to etch words into the rock.
Luo Luo glanced at the carvings—messy and illegible.
"Wronged… wronged…" The dying man strained, his voice ragged as he gasped at her, "I… was… wronged…"
Luo Luo sighed and crouched beside him. "Tell me."
"Yue Wugou… of the Heavenly Dao Sect… killed my wife." His throat gurgled, his bloodshot eyes burning with hatred. "Framed… me!"
His words were fragmented, but Luo Luo pieced together the story.
This man’s junior sister had been murdered, and he was the last person seen with her. The crime scene bore only two traces—his and that of her husband, Yue Wugou.
Yue Wugou’s clothes were stained with blood because he had cradled his wife’s corpse, weeping in grief.
Thus, the blame fell on this unfortunate man.
His golden core had been shattered, and he was thrown into this hellish abyss.
"Wronged… wronged…"
His eyes remained wide open, unseeing.
Luo Luo sighed. "If I survive, I’ll look into it for you."
Right now, she was barely staying alive herself.
After burying him hastily, Luo Luo was utterly spent.
She set up defensive arrays on both sides of the mountain hollow to ward off demons.
By the time she finished and crawled into a shallow recess for shelter, she collapsed into unconsciousness.
She slept for hours.
Several times, she stirred, fighting to wake, but exhaustion dragged her back under.
"The arrays haven’t been triggered… it should be safe…"
Darkness. Warmth. Surrender.
When Luo Luo finally jolted awake, her soul nearly fled her body in terror.
She had slept far too long!
That was alarming, but even worse—her arrays hadn’t been disturbed once.
Impossible.
This abyss teemed with demons. How could none have passed through in all those hours?
Since that was unthinkable, only one explanation remained.
…Her enemy had found her.
She’d heard of a last meal before execution, but never a last nap.
Luo Luo closed her eyes briefly, tightened her grip on her sword, and stepped out of the hollow.
Come on, then!
What cultivation level would that cloaked figure be? Nascent Soul? No—higher. Divine Transformation.
If there was no escape, then so be it—
Come! Let’s fight to the death!
As she advanced, faint noises reached her ears.
"Hm?"
Outside the hollow, her arrays remained intact.
But beyond them, a mountain of demon corpses had piled up.
A single demon was slaughtering the rest.
It stood with its back to her, guarding the area as if claiming it as its territory.
Any demon that trespassed was immediately torn apart.
One after another, it killed them all, drenched in blood.
When it moved, its claws dragged with chilling arrogance—like the apex predator it was.
Luo Luo: "…"
She must be hallucinating. A demon killing demons?
Even stranger, she must be so desperate for companionship that this demon looked… almost handsome.
…As wild and untamed as Li Zhaoye.
