Chapter 629: All Directions Annihilated

With clear intelligence in hand, the sentries' hiding spots were easy to locate.

In this white, snow-blanketed world, the Black Lotus stood out starkly, black and massive; the sentries lurking near the lotus were one by one dragged out by Lu Ran and the other.

An accident occurred with the ninth sentry.

That too was a mountain peak, where a woman lay prone in the snow, her body covered by a thick layer of snow.

She seemed well hidden, but under the deliberate search by Lu Ran and the other, the human silhouette in the snow was still found.

Lu Ran did the same, flashing directly behind the enemy and swiftly deploying the Thread of Control.

The Northern Wind faction indeed reacted quickly, even faster.

However, facing the sudden ambush by a Sea Realm grandmaster, the female sentry was still struck.

Next should have been Yan Yan Shuangzi's moment of slaughter, but this time, she did not strike directly.

"Evil Shadow?" Lu Ran, somewhat puzzled, looked at Yan Yan Shuangzi kneeling halfway on the ground.

He saw Yan Yan Shuangzi reach down with one hand, cupping the woman's chin and slowly lifting her face.

"Deng Deng Shijie Yan, junior sister?" the woman said, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The woman remained prone on the ground, unable to move, yet her head was held high.

Thus, her slender neck was "exposed," perfectly suited for a slash at the throat.

"Vmm~"

The Xiaoling Blade in Yan Yan Shuangzi's hand trembled lightly, as if begging its master to act quickly.

The past sentries had all died miserably under the blade; the Xiaoling Blade loved this mission immensely!

And it loved its new master immensely too!

Ruthless killing, swift retribution!

A person lives once, a soldier serves one master; this is how it should be!

But this time, the master delayed striking, and the killing intent in her heart dissipated somewhat.

Yan Yan Shuangzi lowered her head, looking at this face filled with shock and fear, and spoke softly:

"Deng Deng Shijie He."

"S-senior sister, d-don't, d-don't..." the woman surnamed He stammered, her eyes full of pleading.

Yan Yan Shuangzi's fingers gently brushed Deng Deng Shijie He's cheek, her expression dark and unreadable: "Tell me, if I had listened to your advice back then, what would the outcome have been?"

He Jing's expression darkened.

For this junior sister who shone so brilliantly, He Jing had once spoken words of warning.

But Yan Yan Shuangzi was too proud.

This outstanding youth from the Ancient City of Northern Wind was proud to the point of arrogance.

Or perhaps Yan Yan Shuangzi was simply by nature unable to close her eyes, plug her ears, and continue worshipping that ugly deity.

In the end, this shining star still fell.

She, once high above, had scorned to mix with the mud.

Later, she was trampled underfoot by the "mud," her dignity crushed.

"You were the only kindness I felt on Blade Ridge Shanfeng," Yan Yan Shuangzi said softly, feeling the trembling head she held in her hand.

Lu Ran had been quietly waiting and now understood the reason.

In Yan Yan Shuangzi's eyes, the woman surnamed He was not merely a life, but more so a kindness received during those cold and cruel years.

Yan Yan Shuangzi raised her head, looking at Lu Ran: "Master, may I..."

"Yes." Lu Ran nodded lightly.

Yan Yan Shuangzi paused, then said: "I haven't said yet..."

"Anything is fine." Lu Ran interrupted the other again, nodding lightly.

Yan Yan Shuangzi gazed at the young man in the imperial robe with a gentle smile, and slowly, she lowered her head.

Looking at the woman's face for a long while, Yan Yan Shuangzi finally spoke: "I will give you a chance to live."

Hearing this, He Jing's eyes gradually brightened.

It was the desire for life.

Back then, He Jing, unable to bear seeing a destined star fall, had meddled and offered advice.

She never expected this act would one day in the future save her own life.

Recalling the various things Yan Yan Shuangzi had encountered inside Blade Ridge Shanfeng...

He Jing truly never thought she would still be alive.

She was indeed not a direct perpetrator of violence, but she was a member of the vast entity that was Blade Ridge Shanfeng.

She was also a member of the vested interest group.

Anyone who had experienced everything Yan Yan Shuangzi went through, when they gained the power to take revenge, would likely flay every single snowflake in that avalanche with a thousand cuts.

"Let us return to the cave," Yan Yan Shuangzi said, looking at Lu Ran again.

Lu Ran obeyed immediately, activating the Transmission Mirror, lifting the woman with the Thread of Control, and walking into the mirror.

Inside the pitch-black cave, all was silent.

Yan Yan Shuangzi's faint voice rang out: "Tear up the contract with the deity."

He Jing's face instantly stiffened!

Immediately, she realized her body could move freely again, and the divine power within her no longer raged chaotically.

Clearly, the young man in the imperial robe had retracted the Thread of Control.

But He Jing still dared not act rashly; though she was at the peak of Jiang Jing, before a grandmaster of the Sea Realm, she had no ability to resist.

Not to mention, the young man in the imperial robe wielded the Thread of Control Xie Fa in his left hand and the Sinful Mirror Xie Fa in his right, having thoroughly confused her mind.

Compared to shock, fear dominated her heart.

"You know what to do. You were there the day I was forced to tear up the contract."

In the darkness, Yan Yan Shuangzi's voice came again.

He Jing's expression was wretched as she pleaded, "Junior sister, I had no choice. I cannot change it."

Yan Yan Shuangzi's voice turned cold: "I have no time to listen to this."

Those who benefit from the status quo do not deserve to say anything.

He Jing accepted the protection of Dao Ridge Shanfeng, enjoyed the service of lowly slaves, and maintained the operation of the sect system through her own abilities.

What more is there to say?

He Jing's mouth opened and closed, but then she heard Yan Yan Shuangzi's countdown:

"3."

He Jing painfully closed her eyes, recalling the day Yan Yan Shuangzi was tortured and displayed for all to see.

Will my arms be cut off after I am forced to tear up the contract?

Will my eyes be gouged out?

"2."

The cold countdown hung over He Jing like a sharp sword. She could no longer care about anything else; she mobilized the divine power within her body, which surged madly into her mind.

"1."

"Ahhh!" A piercing scream echoed through the cave. He Jing clutched her head with both hands, her brain roaring like thunder.

Extreme pain,

was the punishment of the supreme deity against the lowly human race for daring to resist.

"Thump!" He Jing collapsed to the ground.

She trembled uncontrollably, her face twisted, her eyes wide open yet utterly empty.

In her daze, she seemed to hear her junior sister's words, faint and distant, as if coming from the sky:

"Stay here."

And then, the pitch-black cave fell into silence.

Lu Ran and Yan Yan Shuangzi returned to the mountain peak.

Yan Yan Shuangzi's expression was solemn as she looked at Lu Ran: "I spared her life as a kind warning. I will discipline her well, make her serve the Ran Gate, and use the rest of her life to atone."

Lu Ran said nothing more, simply nodding: "There are still seven sentries. Let's go."

Another purpose of this journey was to help Yan Yan Shuangzi advance to the Sea Realm.

Therefore, naturally, whatever made her mind clear and her path smooth would be the way forward.

"Yes." Yan Yan Shuangzi replied softly, then followed Lu Ran and vanished in a blink.

Facing the remaining sentries, Yan Yan Shuangzi killed them with exceptional decisiveness!

Near dusk, the two finally cleared out all the sentries.

At Yan Yan Shuangzi's suggestion, the two returned once more to the pitch-black cave and lifted the collapsed He Jing to her feet.

Lu Ran showed great mercy and gave the woman a Life-Returning Carp.

Yan Yan Shuangzi, holding the blood-stained Xiaoling Blade, radiating killing intent, stated her purpose: "I heard your hiding place is very concealed. Take us there."

"Yes, yes." He Jing stammered.

The two brought her back to the previous mountain peak so He Jing could identify the direction.

Having lost the master-servant contract with the deity, He Jing could no longer use the North Wind Divine Art. She could only rely on her remaining Water Armor, trembling as she followed the group forward.

Of the thirty-five North Wind disciples, sixteen were now gone, leaving only nineteen.

Six were in the Sea Realm, and thirteen in the Named River Estuary Realm.

"My lord." During their march, He Jing suddenly called out.

Lu Ran remained vigilant, scanning the vast snow mountains, and paid no attention.

Yan Yan Shuangzi turned her head to look at her former senior sister.

He Jing spoke with a trembling voice: "Two Ice Butterfly disciples are guarding near the hiding place."

Although the Ice Butterfly faction was not strong in combat power, they possessed a highly effective supportive divine art: Ice Sense!

With this art, Ice Butterfly disciples could establish a connection with frost and snow, perceiving all things within a certain range that had been soaked by frost and snow.

As the saying goes, no gain, no effort!

Elder Xing and the others still had the energy to capture Ice Butterfly disciples during their escape precisely because the followers of this sect were so useful!

To avoid the pursuit of the Shanfeng Masters and to sense the enemy's arrival a step ahead, Elder Xing had indeed gone to great lengths.

"I thought you would not remind me." Yan Yan Shuangzi stared directly at He Jing.

Clearly, Yan Yan Shuangzi already knew this information.

Lu Ran and Yan Yan Shuangzi had killed a full fifteen sentries, naturally acquiring a large amount of intelligence.

He Jing's heart trembled. She lowered her head slightly, adopting a submissive posture, and continued to relay other intelligence.

Regardless of whether Yan Yan Shuangzi knew or not, He Jing had already recognized reality and was striving to secure a path to survival for herself.

Until the young man in the imperial robe spoke up to interrupt: "It's that snow mountain in the middle, right?"

He Jing hurriedly raised her head and gazed into the distance. Through the thin frost mist, she saw the rolling mountain ranges.

The direction Lu Ran pointed was a nondescript, low mountain peak nestled among the mountains.

"Yes." He Jing replied.

"Swish~" Lu Ran's outstretched hand suddenly opened. An ancient bronze mirror rapidly materialized, then transformed into a full-length standing mirror.

A long leg stepped out. Dressed in a green straw rain cape and a bamboo hat, she looked exactly like Yan Yan Shuangzi.

Deng Deng Yuxiang, Xiang Xiang Luoying, Wu Xiao, Yu Fish Changsheng, He He Yingcai, Gao Gao Yunyan, Xue Xue Fengchen, Shangguan Hongfu, Si Si Xianxian

And the last to fly out was Lady Jiangjiang Ruyi of the Ran Gate, her white skirt fluttering.

Uh, did a strange thing get mixed in there?

Figures radiating overwhelming momentum made He Jing stare in shock, his body trembling even more violently.

After all, within the hiding place of the Northern Wind Sect, there were only six Ming Hai Jing cultivators in total!

This group... this?

Looking out, all one could see was a vast, boundless sea!

What kind of organization did Jiang Jiang Shimei Yan actually join?

Can the remnants of the Blade Ridge Shanfeng really be enough for this group of world-destroying experts to divide up?

"Snap!"

Lu Ran casually clenched his hand, and the Ba Huang Dao automatically unsheathed, its hilt falling into the master's palm.

He slowly raised the blade, pointing it remotely at that mountain peak.

Without the master of the divine weapon needing to speak, the Ba Huang Dao trembled violently.

"Voom!!"

Split the earth! Shatter the mountain!

Exterminate all eight directions, cut down and kill without mercy!

(End of this chapter)