Chapter Fourteen: Burial Companion

As the copper coin whistled past his back, Gu Xian sprang to his feet.

Spiritual energy surged within him, traversing several meridians in an instant. With a backhanded strike, his sword slashed through the black braided pigtail. A layer of golden spiritual light coated the blade, severing the braid clean. He moved with fluid grace, closing the distance to the dark-skinned man in a heartbeat. His swordsmanship was agile and elegant, yet masked a lethal intent. The dark-skinned man did his best to evade, but it was in vain. The sword pierced his chest. He collapsed heavily to the ground, his life force extinguished.

A tremor rippled through the Wuwang Immortal Mirror in Gu Xian’s mind.

"Cultivator of the evil path slain. Reward: one point of Dao merit."

Relieved, Gu Xian turned his attention to the fierce man wielding the spiked club. His strikes were swift as a streak of light. Though his opponent possessed terrifying strength, he lacked agility. After a dozen exchanges, several deep sword wounds already marred the man’s body. The man in the green shirt pressed his advantage, quickening the pace of his blade; amidst the flickering light, a murderous aura wove through the air. Within moments, the fierce man lay dead.

Nearby, the battle between Xia Qinghe and the two female evil cultivators was drawing to a close. Xia Qinghe’s swordsmanship was far more murderous than Gu Xian’s, his strikes domineering and ruthless. The woman in the purple dress had already been cut in two, and the other could hold out no longer. As Xia Qinghe’s sword aura swirled, the woman in the green dress struggled desperately, but he seized an opening, stabbing her through the shoulder and leaving a gruesome, mangled wound. The woman in the black robe then swept her sword in a wide arc. The opponent was decapitated instantly.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The old crone in the center of the square had not even reacted before seeing Gu Xian and Xia Qinghe each dispatch two opponents with effortless ease, leaving her four capable lieutenants dead. Consumed by fury, the old crone roared a spell, "Kill them!"

As the words left her lips, a manic glint appeared in the eyes of the villagers gathered around the square. They turned in unison and began to close in on Gu Xian and Xia Qinghe. The two cultivators’ hearts tightened. The previous four had been wicked wretches whose deaths were deserved, but these people were innocent, unarmed commoners, driven to attack only by the crone’s dark arts. The two could not bring themselves to strike them down.

Gu Xian made a swift decision. "Master Xia, hold these villagers back! Try not to take their lives. I will deal with that old hag."

Xia Qinghe nodded firmly.

Gu Xian’s spiritual energy surged. He leapt onto the heads of the oncoming crowd and, with a few agile bounds, reached the side of the sacrificial altar. "Old hag," he said coldly, "your time has come."

He focused his intent, and the sword in his hand trembled, transforming into a streak of light that traced mysterious arcs through the air, piercing toward the crone’s heart. Seeing this, the crone’s face twisted in panic as she shrieked at the remaining four guards, "Quick! Stop him!"

On the other side, Xia Qinghe’s spiritual energy erupted. The vibrant red silk ribbon on her wrist detached, suspended in mid-air. As she channeled her energy into it, the silk unfurled like a sea of blood, forming an impenetrable barrier that held the tide of villagers at bay. They were mere mortals and could not breach it.

Meanwhile, Gu Xian commanded his blade with his mind, launching a relentless assault. One of the crone’s lieutenants lunged forward, throwing a jade-green spike that collided with the flying sword. A crisp *clang* rang out. The spike shattered, but the sword was knocked off course, missing the crone. The group breathed a sigh of relief, but Gu Xian immediately commanded the sword to strike again, its fierce aura radiating a desolate, lethal chill. The blade moved like a flash of light, reaching within six or seven paces of the crone in an instant. A man in black jumped onto the altar, his expression one of grim determination, throwing himself in the sword’s path. The light cut through him, buying the crone a precious moment to dodge. The sword grazed her scalp.

Gu Xian’s expression darkened. He tossed several talismans into the air, which erupted in brilliant light and burned, transforming into several hideous fire snakes that lunged at the crone’s remaining defenders. Faced with the scorching, void-searing flames, the men could only struggle to survive.

Gu Xian vaulted onto the altar. "Use whatever tricks you have left, for you shall have no other chance."

This was merely to rattle her, for his mental command of the sword never faltered; rather, the assault intensified. The crone’s eyes were bloodshot, her voice a low, ghostly rasp. "Then we shall all die together!"

She slammed her staff onto the ground. The runes carved into the altar began to vibrate as if coming to life, peeling away from the stone to circle her like a ring of black stars. She chanted a final curse, and the black characters linked together, transforming into a massive, pitch-black python with a flicking red tongue that lunged at Gu Xian.

The man in the green shirt simultaneously controlled his flying sword to harass the crone while dodging the python’s strikes. He then pulled a tiny, golden bell from his storage pouch and channeled his energy into it. A clear, ringing sound, like a monk chanting sutras, filled the air, emitting ripples of golden light. Upon hearing the bell, the python’s rampaging form froze for a fleeting moment.

*Now.*

Gu Xian’s eyes blazed. He seized the opening, pulling several more talismans from his sleeve. As he threw them, each merged into a golden rope, weaving together into a vast, sky-covering net crackling with golden lightning. It descended upon the python. Sensing the mortal danger, the beast tried to retreat, but it was too late. The net fell, and the explosive power of the lightning caused the creature to writhe in agony. It was futile. The lightning surged to its peak, and in an instant, the python was reduced to ash. Simultaneously, the fire snakes incinerated the remaining guards.

Gu Xian’s gaze fixed on the crone, his eyes cold as if looking at a corpse. The old woman broke into a manic laugh. "Since you will not let me live, you shall all be buried with me!"

With that, she drove her staff violently toward the heavily rounded belly of the beautiful woman bound upon the altar.