Chapter 79: Jade-Faced Bright Venerable Bai Wuchen!

Fang Yi headed out of the city, his heart heavy, constantly observing the surroundings.

Unexpectedly, nothing tumultuous happened in the outside world.

The area outside the city was completely peaceful.

Thin mist twined about, the official road stretched long.

The villages on both sides of the road showed no abnormality whatsoever, giving no hint of the impending chaos.

"Could it be that the old Daoist was wrong?"

Fang Yi furrowed his brows.

But for such matters, it's better to believe they exist than to believe they don't.

He still decided to believe it.

Moreover, the City Lord now suspects them, so staying longer in Azure Sun City is out of the question.

Fang Yi sped up, heading toward Sifang Cun.

All the way he ran, everything was unusually peaceful.

After several dozen li of mountain road, he soon arrived.

However, upon arriving at Sifang Cun, his pupils contracted and his heart was shocked.

All he saw was a scene of utter devastation.

Everywhere lay collapsed buildings and corpses long dead,

many corpses were rotted, and numerous bodies had been mauled by wild beasts beyond recognition.

In the chaotic village there were also many huge claw marks.

He walked all the way to the medicine shop's location and found the entire shop had collapsed.

Various medicinal herbs were scattered all over the ground.

There were also many wild beasts that could be distinguished.

Some bloody, flesh-blurred corpses lay here.

Among them was a corpse missing its head, its clothing tattered; judging by its sash and hands, it was none other than Xu Lao Yishi.

"Sifang Cun has been wiped out—who did this?"

Fang Yi's complexion shifted, his heart surging.

He carefully examined the various traces on the ground.

Judging by the time of death of these corpses, it seemed to be seven or eight days ago.

"Seven or eight days ago—precisely when the city gates were sealed. Could it be the City Lord's mansion?"

Fang Yi's face looked grim.

"Could it be that Fan Dongyang, unable to find Ouyang Feng, poured his wrath onto the village associated with Ouyang Feng?"

His fist clenched unconsciously, and he drew a long breath.

The life or death of the other villagers had nothing to do with him.

Xu Lao Yishi's kindness to him was as weighty as a mountain.

And yet he too met such an end.

He crouched down, gazing at Xu Lao Yishi's headless corpse, heart silent, eventually dug a deep pit, began burying Xu Lao Yishi, then took a wooden plank, carved it into a tombstone, and set it upright on the ground.

"This is how the world is: good people don't live long, while calamities linger for a thousand years."

He muttered to himself, quietly gazing at the tombstone, his thoughts drifting.

After a moment, his eyes suddenly turned cold, he caught a faint stir, and abruptly turned his head.

"Who?"

In the chaotic village, a figure stained with bloodstains, clothes in disarray, slowly emerged from a collapsed house, shoulders draped, hair disheveled like a beggar, a pair of icy, deep eyes like a venomous snake, fixed on him.

Upon seeing the opponent's face clearly, Fang Yi's pupils narrowed slightly.

【Jade Face Venerable】 Bai Wuchen!

"It's actually him!"

"This Helmsman of the Heavenly Principle Sect has come to such a pass?"

"What has happened to the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

"Cough cough."

Bai Wuchen coughed up blood as he walked forward, speaking indifferently: "Do you know how they died? They were killed by your City Lord Fan Dongyang—truly laughable, that City Lord Fan Dongyang is not even human."

"I had been supremely confident, thinking everything was under my control. Little did I know, in Fan Dongyang's eyes all of this was a joke; my Heavenly Principle Sect was crushed by him in a single day, all its followers died miserably, and even I was forced by him to flee."

"Yet what surprised him was, how could he have attacked this village?"

His gaze fell on Fang Yi.

"Precisely because Fan Dongyang had previously massacred the village, he dared to hide within it."

"For the most dangerous places are often the safest."

"Since the village was blood‑washed by Fan Dongyang, he will certainly not come a second time."

"At the same time, by hiding here he also wanted to secretly search the village, to see what secrets it held."

"That Fan Dongyang, with his status, could move against this village shows the place is anything but simple."

"Perhaps it hides some precious treasure!"

Fang Yi's face was expressionless, he quietly watched him.

Bai Wuchen coughed up another mouthful of fresh blood and said: "Little brother, I don't know how you want to die—do you want me to split your belly and tear out your entrails? Or to crush your bones bit by bit? Or to cooperate obediently and tell me the village's secrets?"

"You want to know the village's secrets?"

Fang Yi's voice rang out: "But this village has no secrets."

"No secrets?"

Bai Wuchen suddenly laughed and said, "I don't believe it."

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you; I'm now thinking about something else—why are you so confident that you think you can kill me?"

Fang Yi slowly rose from the ground.

"Oh?"

Bai Wuchen frowned and looked at Fang Yi.

But suddenly his expression changed, as if he had sensed something, he let out a fierce roar; with a Boom—, his blood energy exploded, radiant and fierce, like a small sun appearing inside his body.

But the next moment, he coughed blood, staggered backward, his body unsteady, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief, and said, "Did you poison me? No, who are you?"

"Does who you are matter?"

Fang Yi's eyes turned icy, and he said, "The magnificent Jade-Faced Bright Venerable actually ended up in such a state—truly pitiful."

He walked forward step by step, as if his soles contained a unique rhythm, causing the earth's veins to resonate; each step forward triggered a tremor in the ground.

The ground's tremor sounded thudding, surprisingly matching the rhythm of a human heartbeat; as he stepped forward, this sound grew ever closer.

Bai Wuchen felt as if his heart were being pressed by a massive stone, the stone tightening and growing heavier, making his face flush and his body feel as if bearing a tremendous force.

He instinctively retreated backward, his face flushed with shock and anger, beyond his control.

At this moment, he felt as if he had fallen into Fang Yi's rhythm.

He had no doubt that if this continued, his heart would surely burst and he would die.

How could this be possible?

An unknown village commoner actually possesses such power?

"Boundless Blood Sea!"

Bai Wuchen suddenly let out an earth-shaking roar.

With a Boom—, a sheet of scorching blood-colored radiance burst from his body, containing a unique fluctuation that forcibly severed this earth-pulse vibration, causing the tremor to detach from his body.

His body blazed with blood light, his eyes icy cold, he looked at Fang Yi and said, "Well, an insignificant village commoner also has this kind of strength—truly not simple; I misjudged you."

"Clang!"

Sharp, piercing sounds suddenly rang out; Bai Wuchen's pupils contracted as he looked at Fang Yi.

Only then did one see that on Fang Yi's side, a layer of blood-red armor suddenly appeared on his body surface without any sign, blazing fiercely and covering his entire form, as if forged from pure metal.

It exuded a mighty, domineering aura yet retained beauty, transmitting resonant metallic clangs.

"This is."

Bai Wuchen felt shocked and incredulous.

"I've long wanted to test your strength, Jade-Faced Bright Venerable; I hope you don't disappoint me!"

Fang Yi was enveloped in Vajra Armor, his voice icy cold, his gaze like the Underworld's Soul-Hooking Devil's Hook.

"Swish!"

His body shot forward in an instant, without hesitation, launching a palm strike straight at Bai Wuchen.

The entire palm was instantly covered in blazing blood-colored poison fire.

Beneath the bloody poison lay a compound toxin combining metal and earth elements.

"Impudent!"

Bai Wuchen shouted sternly, blood light erupting from his body; the power of the Yijin Realm surged forth, as if a giant elephant awakened within him, and he thrust a palm toward Fang Yi.

"Boom!"

With an explosive bang, both bodies were flung backward, crashing into the distance.

As Fang Yi stood up as if unharmed, his eyes icy cold, he rose from the ground once more.

The Poison Fire Vajra Armor tightly protected his body, shielding him from most of the damage.

Any minor injuries that entered his body were instantly healed by the Spiritual Medicine within him.

(End of Chapter)