Xu Chui quickly regained his composure. With the Sect Master present, what danger could truly threaten them? He rose to his feet and followed Lu Sheng out of the courtyard.
A sharp night wind swept along the carriage road outside Northern Court, its howl threading through the quiet compound. From the opposite courtyard, the remaining Crimson Whale Sect disciples emerged. Upon seeing Lu Sheng, they hurried over and bowed.
“Sect Master, something’s wrong. Earlier this afternoon, we could still see White River Sect disciples patrolling outside. But now, there’s no sight of them at all. We asked for some dishes to be brought over, but it’s been more than two hours and not a single servant has appeared. Our brothers who went out searching said there’s no one outside at all!” an elderly Elder reported grimly.
“Stay here and wait. I’ll go ask Brother Bai,” Lu Sheng said, a faint crease forming between his brows. He, too, sensed that something was off.
“Let this old man accompany Sect Master.”
“Your subordinate is willing to go as well.”
Several stepped forward, but Lu Sheng lifted a hand to stop them.
“Just assemble in the courtyard and wait for me. If I’m not back after a long time, leave the White River Sect headquarters first. Find a safe place and wait for me.”
The Intent Proficiency experts exchanged grave looks and nodded.
Taking no one with him—not even Xu Chui—Lu Sheng left Northern Court and made his way alone toward the Central Court.
Tall black walls loomed on either side, their shadows merging with the cold, deserted passageways. Rows of pale yellow lanterns swung in the wind, stretching endlessly into the distance.
The canteen—nobody.
The back hall—nobody.
The discipline hall—nobody.
Even the family quarters behind them were completely vacant.
As he moved through each area, Lu Sheng found every space that should have been bustling with life now utterly abandoned. The entire White River Sect felt like a hollow, silent shell.
He arrived at Bai Zhenming’s courtyard. Inside, all was pitch black; even the lanterns had been extinguished. A faint, metallic scent of fresh blood drifted through the cracks of the closed doors.
Lu Sheng halted at the entrance, his gaze narrowing as he listened to the stillness pressing in from all sides.
Without stepping inside, he already understood the answer he had come for. The scent of blood drifting from the courtyard belonged unmistakably to Bai Zhenming, the man he had spent the past few days speaking with. Beneath it, he could even detect the faint undertone of decay.
‘It’s unwise to stay here any longer.’ Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed. He cast one last look at the lanterns swaying before the courtyard doors, then turned sharply and slipped away into the empty passage.
White River Sect had nothing to do with him. As an outsider, there was no reason to risk himself for matters unrelated to his sect. As long as no one provoked him, he had no intention of meddling in affairs that were not his.
For a force to quietly erase the entire White River Sect overnight, without raising the slightest alarm, its strength had to be extraordinary.
Lu Sheng withdrew without hesitation. He had not come alone—several dozen elite Crimson Whale Sect experts were waiting under his command. Their safety, and the consequences of any misstep, could not be taken lightly.
Quickening his pace, he slipped around a deserted corner and vanished into the distance.
Barely ten breaths after his departure, two figures appeared before the courtyard—one clad in black, the other in red.
“Why’s he here?” The black-robed figure stared toward the direction Lu Sheng had gone, a trace of surprise flickering in his eyes.
“Heheh… Lu Sheng… could it be… that he knows about the evil jade?” murmured the red-clad woman. She held a crimson paper umbrella that concealed her face.
Had Lu Sheng still been present, he would have recognized her instantly as the umbrella girl from Scarlet District—the very one he had fought before.
“Impossible. He’s just a sect leader from the Northern Lands. How could he know about the evil jade?” the black figure said solemnly.
“So… what do you… intend to do? He’s Shangyang Family’s…” the umbrella girl asked in her broken cadence.
“A mere lackey of the Shangyang Family. Do you expect this old man to avoid him?” the black-robed figure replied coldly. “Since he’s here, we might as well get rid of him as well.”
“My Lord is impressive indeed… hehehehe.” The umbrella girl’s laughter fluttered beneath her red umbrella, soft and unsettling.
“The evil jade will fully activate soon. Move our men away from the center, lest they be injured by accident. The evil Qi won’t care whether you mean to help or harm it. Go now. Don’t delay. The sooner it’s done, the better.” The black figure’s tone was flat, unreadable.
“Yes…” the umbrella girl replied sweetly. She drifted away into the distance, her silhouette swallowed by the shadows. The black-robed figure then turned, hands clasped behind his back, and slipped toward the corner of the street until he, too, vanished from sight.
Another ten breaths passed.
A third group arrived before the courtyard gates—Li Shunxi, steady but pale, and Bai Qiuling, breathless and anxious.
“Dad!” Bai Qiuling cried as she pushed the doors open.
Creak…
The wooden doors swung inward.
Blood.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkYxZJNUw8
Blood soaked the courtyard floor in every direction.
In the dim, oppressive gloom, Bai Zhenming sat rigidly in a circle with more than ten senior members of the White River Sect, arranged as though in the midst of a meeting. Yet each face was ghastly white, and none moved even the slightest inch.
Bai Qiuling’s gaze locked onto the gaping hole carved into her father’s chest. Blood still trickled down the torn edges, following the legs of the chair before pooling on the ground.
The others were the same—every chest pierced, every body drained. Their blood had flowed together, converging on the center of the courtyard to form a massive, grotesque face on the ground.
It resembled a human face. Or perhaps a cat’s. Or something in between.
“Dad…!” Bai Qiuling’s tears burst forth as she clamped a trembling hand over her mouth, struggling to contain her sobs, her body quivering uncontrollably.
Li Shunxi stepped through the doorway and stopped beside her. His expression darkened with sorrow.
He had hoped they might arrive in time. But Bai Zhenming had met his end. And with the evil jade on the verge of unsealing, lingering here meant forfeiting any chance of escape.
“This is the work of Ashoka Manor,” Li Shunxi said softly.
In the suffocating silence of the dead courtyard, even a whisper carried clearly.
“Ashoka Manor??! What’s that?” Bai Qiuling spun toward him, her eyes blazing red. “How do you know!?”
Li Shunxi let out a helpless sigh.
“Because…”
“Because he’s far too familiar with our methods.”
A low, aged voice drifted in from beyond the courtyard.
Both Bai Qiuling and Li Shunxi whirled around. An old man in black robes now stood behind them. His robes were long and loose, draping over his frame and making him appear unnaturally tall and slender. A faint green shimmer flickered in his eyes as he fixed his gaze upon them.
“Spirit Giant Blood and Jade of Secrets. Both appearing on the same day… how fortunate.”
Li Shunxi’s expression tightened. He lunged to the side, grabbing Bai Qiuling and yanking her with him.
SWISH!
A single strand of black hair shot past, piercing the earth where he had been standing just a heartbeat earlier.
…………
Northern Court.
Lu Sheng strode into the courtyard, where the men of the Crimson Whale Sect had already gathered in full force. Every gaze was fixed on him, waiting for his command.
“Sect Master, everyone is ready. We can depart at any time,” Xu Chui reported.
Lu Sheng’s eyes swept across the assembled group. Not a single weakling stood among them. Several were Intent Proficiency experts, and dozens more had reached the pinnacle of Strength Proficiency. This was the elite of the Crimson Whale Sect—its sharpest blade. Among them were inner force practitioners with Yang-attribute Qi strong enough to confront an ordinary ghost, even if not without difficulty.
“Form up. We leave now.”
At once, the experts shielded the ordinary disciples. Teams moved efficiently, fetching horses, harnessing carriages, and loading supplies. Before long, the courtyard entrance was lined with vehicles—some even drawn from the luxurious carriages of the White River Sect’s upper echelon to accommodate their load.
Under Lu Sheng’s direction, the company filed out of Northern Court and entered the main carriage road of the headquarters.
The street lay utterly barren, steeped in a chilling stillness.
Unease rippled through the ordinary sect members. White River Sect was a sprawling organization, staffed by hundreds. Even a large-scale attack should have shaken the night with noise. Yet in the span of a few hours, the entire sect had transformed into a graveyard—silent, empty, unnervingly clean.
Lu Sheng sensed it too, but he pressed forward atop his horse, leading from the front.
As they neared the exit of the headquarters, dim gray shapes began to appear along the sides of the street.
The shadows crept and shifted. Only when some drew close did their forms become clear—skinny humanoid figures, their bodies entirely blackened.
“They’re just Corpse Slaves.” From the information he had received from Senior Apprentice Brother and Li Shunxi, Lu Sheng recognized them instantly.
Corpse Slaves—zombie-like beings born when human corpses were tainted by a sinister energy. They were similar to the undead that crawled from graves, but unlike mindless zombies, these creatures moved under the control of another.
These twisted creatures were grotesquely malformed. Their bodies existed in uneven states of decay, parts of them faintly translucent, and disturbingly, none cast a shadow.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RnFv6jhS2
Yet their faces—pale, stiff, and drained of life—still resembled the people they had once been.
Strangely, despite more and more Corpse Slaves emerging from alleyways and corners of buildings, none moved to attack the Crimson Whale Sect convoy. They merely watched, drifting silently along the edges of the street.
Piecing together everything he had seen, Lu Sheng formed a clear suspicion. Whoever was responsible for the calamity at White River Sect could only be from Scarlet District… or Ashoka Manor.
But he had no desire to meddle in another sect’s doom. Tragedies like this were commonplace in the world they inhabited. Death, anomalies, sinister spirits, and shadows—such things lurked at every turn. So long as they did not disturb him, he would not seek them out.
Still, anxiety rippled through the ranks. Ordinary disciples, unaccustomed to such horrors, trembled at the silent press of the Corpse Slaves. Even those experienced in supernatural matters were growing tense under the gathering gloom.
Seeing this, Lu Sheng raised his voice, steady and firm.
“Everyone, remain calm. They know their boundaries and will not harm you. Just walk straight ahead and leave this place as quickly as possible. Once we—”
“AHH!!”
A piercing scream tore through the air, cutting him off.
Startled, Lu Sheng swept his gaze over the company—only to spot a sect member lying on his back several paces away, blood spreading across his chest.
“YOU COURT DEATH!!”
Lu Sheng roared, erupting forward like a thunderbolt.
BOOM!!!
The wooden exit doors shattered into flying splinters as he burst through. In the next heartbeat, his figure vanished beyond the threshold.
“Sect Master!!” Xu Chui and the others finally reacted, sprinting after him—but the moment they crossed the broken doors, he was nowhere to be seen.
----49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0X71XzhVz
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