Chapter 8: The Slaughter Ends

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dozen masked figures cloaked in black robes erupted simultaneously from the rooms surrounding the courtyard. The leader’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, piercing light. Among them, four or five individuals possessed auras of immense power, clearly far beyond the reach of ordinary men.

Gu Xian stared at the leader, instantly recognizing his identity. He said softly, "Master Secretary Hu, long time no see."

A tremor ran through everyone present. The leader’s face, hidden beneath his black hood, twisted in shock. He deliberately deepened his voice to a raspy growl. "What nonsense are you spouting? There is no Secretary Hu here."

With that, the leader lunged forward. He brandished a long blade, its edge as cold and biting as frost. A sharp glint flashed as he swung it with all his might toward Gu Xian’s skull. Gu Xian tilted his body slightly, dodging the blow, and immediately brought his sword back in a swift motion before thrusting it forward, aiming directly for his opponent’s heart.

The Secretary’s expression beneath his mask shifted violently. Feeling the hair on his arms stand on end, he frantically maneuvered his blade to parry. Fortunately, the middle-aged Taoist intervened, manipulating his strand of bone prayer beads to strike at Gu Xian, blocking the lethal thrust. Had he not, the Secretary would have surely lost his head.

Retreating several steps, the man in black no longer held that gleam of sharpness in his eyes; instead, they were filled with shock and bewilderment. That Gu Xian had guessed his identity was terrifying enough, but he realized that even though he had overestimated his opponent, he had still underestimated him.

Thinking of this, he roared, "Don't give him a chance! Everyone, attack together!"

As the words left his lips, the gray-robed men and the Taoist moved in unison, forming a large circle in the courtyard and trapping Gu Xian firmly within. Suddenly, the Taoist cried out in alarm, "Wait, Liu Suiyi is gone!"

An instant later, a gray-robed man vomited blood and collapsed to the ground.

"Over there!" The Taoist pointed. As everyone turned to look, they saw a young woman holding a sword. Two talismans were affixed to her legs; in the blink of an eye, she had traveled several yards away.

The Taoist said in a low voice, "Qingzhu, go handle Liu Suiyi. The rest of you, follow me to slay Gu Xian."

One of the figures beside the Secretary turned and rushed toward Liu Suiyi. Seeing the crowd closing in on him, Gu Xian’s expression hardened. He flicked his wrist, casting six talismans into the air. They ignited, each transforming into a serpent of fire that coiled and swirled as they lunged toward the Secretary and the others.

Each fire snake entangled a target, while Gu Xian danced his sword like a swift breeze, engaging the rest in combat. His blade was cold and ruthless; every touch left a grievous wound. In a matter of seconds, three or four of the gray-robed men were bleeding, and Gu Xian found himself locked in a fierce, balanced struggle against the remaining attackers.

The crowd looked at the man in the cyan robe with growing dread. Seeing this, the middle-aged Taoist’s eyes turned blood-red. He pulled out of the fray and stomped heavily on the ground, causing a corner of the courtyard to collapse. A circular hole, a yard wide, was revealed, roiling with black mist and malevolent yin energy.

The Taoist shrieked at Gu Xian, "You brought this death upon yourselves!"

As he spoke, he formed a series of hand seals. The surrounding black mist gathered, and a series of howls erupted from the hole. A moment later, a black shadow flew out, moving with ghostly agility, and appeared before Gu Xian in a heartbeat. A pitch-black palm pressed down fiercely toward Gu Xian’s chest.

The cyan-robed man, who had been charging forward with his sword, stopped abruptly and retreated with unnatural speed, raising his sword tip. The black palm stopped a hair’s breadth from his chest, unable to advance any further. Feeling the thick, sinister aura emanating from the shadow, Gu Xian’s face grew somber. He shouted, "To raise ghosts using living people—you truly deserve to die!"

He exerted force through his sword-wielding hand and tapped his toes, pushing himself backward. In the process, he flicked his sleeve, launching a brilliant, golden talisman. As it hit the ground, the paper burned to ash, and from the dust emerged a figure just as sinister: feet hovering, skin pale as paper, eyes shooting forth cold light, and draped in a large black robe that fluttered without wind. It was the water ghost Gu Xian had captured the night before by the banks of the Qingliu River.

Gu Xian had used a secret technique to empower the spirit, though due to the ghost's limited innate potential, it could only be used once before dissipating forever. The water ghost clashed with the creature raised by the Taoist. For a time, the onlookers could only see two black shadows moving like lightning, darting and weaving through the courtyard, leaving trails of afterimages. Meanwhile, black yin energy splashed like a stream through the air.

At that moment, Gu Xian shouted, "Senior Sister, now!"

Liu Suiyi, who had been locked in combat with the Lady Qingzhu, saw her eyes brighten. She looked at her opponent and said with a hint of pity, "I cannot continue playing with you any longer."

Lady Qingzhu, sensing the rapidly rising aura of her opponent, was overcome by a storm of shock and stood frozen. According to the intelligence provided by Chen Xun, this Liu Suiyi was merely a mediocre practitioner; how could she possess such terrifying power?

In the split second she hesitated, a flash of silver-white light streaked past her eyes. She felt a slight prick between her brows, and then blood began to flow. Lady Qingzhu’s eyes widened, and she gasped as if she had seen a ghost: "Flying sword!"

Having spent her remaining strength on those two words, she collapsed heavily to the ground.

All of this occurred in a heartbeat. Having dispatched Lady Qingzhu, Liu Suiyi directed her flying sword toward the middle-aged Taoist, who was still focused on controlling his spirit. Only when the blade was a foot from his back did he realize the danger. Cold sweat drenched his body, and his hair stood on end. Just as the sword was about to pierce his heart, he twisted his body in an unnatural maneuver.

"Ah!" A scream tore through the air. Although he had avoided a heart-piercing blow, the sword, moving like a beam of light, struck his shoulder. The Taoist turned pale, sweat pouring down his forehead like rain. He thought to himself, *What formidable sword energy.*

The residual energy from that strike was currently creeping through his flesh and meridians, spreading toward his vital points. He took a deep breath, frantically mobilizing his own internal energy to block the invasive force. But Liu Suiyi would not grant him the luxury of healing.

She launched her sword once more. The silver-white blade moved with such breathtaking speed that the Taoist could only see streaks of silver light swirling around him, unable to track its path.

Nearby, Gu Xian had already finished off Secretary Hu and the experts from the Nanyang County Magistrate's office. He turned to watch the battle between his Senior Sister and the Taoist, knowing clearly that the slaughter had reached its end.