Having made up his mind, Ling Yun wandered around the area like a street prowler, exploring his surroundings.
Suddenly, he heard shouting. "Hu Ying! Let's see where you run off to now!"
By the riverside, three female cultivators were chasing a ponytailed woman.
"Fellow Daoists, I don't know how I offended you, but there's no need to pursue me like this," pleaded Hu Ying, visibly exhausted with one of her arms broken. If it hadn't been for a fireball talisman she threw to escape, she'd already be dead.
"Enough talk! Taste this artifact!" The leader threw out a red silk ribbon that wrapped around Hu Ying, binding her tightly.
"Kill her—no loose ends," the leader ordered, raising her sword to strike down Hu Ying.
"Nine Dragons Flame Art!"
A fiery dragon roared toward the group, catching them off guard. The leader managed to dodge with a strange, agile movement, but her two companions weren't as lucky and turned to ashes without even a scream.
"Ling Yun!" Both women gasped upon recognizing him.
"You know me?" Ling Yun looked at the leader in surprise.
"Of course, the famed elite disciple of Spirit Grass Peak and the Sword Sect's most handsome cultivator," she chuckled. "Who wouldn't?"
"In that case, as a favor, could you spare her?" he asked politely.
The woman's lips curled into a smirk. "Not a chance. What, didn't your master tell you?"
Ling Yun's brows furrowed. "Tell me what?"
The woman paused, then laughed. "Guess your master doesn't care much about you after all," she sneered.
"Well, in that case, both of you can go to hell. Wild Dragon Rampage!"
"Cave Heaven, seventh level!" Ling Yun's expression tightened. How had Hu Ying managed to anger someone like this?
The woman moved with astonishing speed, as fluid as a dragon.
"Divine Mountain Unyielding Body!" Ling Yun held his ground.
Boom!
Both retreated a few steps, though the woman had the upper hand. Even with his Jade Silk Gloves, Ling Yun felt a dull ache in his fists.
'She's strong!'
Ling Yun realized she was a formidable opponent, possibly even stronger than Xie Leyao and Lu Ruo.
"Impressive, elite disciple. You withstood my punch. Let's see how you handle this!"
"Nine Dragons Flame Art, go!" Ling Yun dodged her attack and retaliated.
"Dragon's Roar!" she screamed, sending a powerful, piercing sound wave that shattered the fire dragon in mid-air.
"Is that all you've got?" she taunted.
"Sun Devouring Sword!"
"Dragon Scales!" Her body glistened as her skin turned as hard as dragon scales, deflecting Ling Yun's attack.
"My turn. Dragon Twist Kill!" She swung her blade, accompanied by a resonant dragon cry.
Ling Yun shot out silk threads from his gloves, tangling her blade mid-air and preventing her from moving it further.
"Damn it!"
She cursed, then leapt into the air, aiming a massive energy-fueled punch down at Ling Yun.
Ling Yun swallowed a few Spirit Restoring Pills, gripped his Golden Crow Sword, and focused. A cold, desolate aura surged through him.
"Sword of Solitude!"
The sword light glided silently, filled with life yet tinged with decay.
Her pupils dilated in shock. "A Heaven-level sword technique!"
The sword light pierced her defenses, crashing into her body, and she let out a cry of agony as she fell to the ground.
Ling Yun, drained, felt his energy ebbing away. His dantian was parched, his meridians shriveled like a barren desert. Thankfully, the pills in his mouth kept him from fainting outright.
"Now, care to tell me who you are?" he asked, his pale face still exuding calmness.
"Curse you, you... little slut!" she spat.
"You're from Fengdu," Hu Ying said, limping over.
"Perceptive. Now release me, or Empress Huang herself will raze your Sword Sect to the ground," the woman hissed.
"Fengdu…" Ling Yun muttered.
The capital of the Phoenix Sky Empire was a place of unmatched strength. The saying went, "Cave Heaven cultivators were like dogs, and Divine Soul cultivators were everywhere," which hinted at the empire's sheer power.
"Empress Huang Wushuang's strength is unrivaled across the land," Ling Yun mused.
"If you're from Fengdu, then you work for the imperial family. How about I report you for desertion? What do you think the imperial court would do to your family?" he said, stepping on her face for emphasis.
The woman's face paled. Such a report would bring unthinkable suffering upon her family; they would be reduced to slaves, condemned to a life of endless toil.
"Fine, I'll answer your questions," she replied, her voice trembling.
Satisfied, Ling Yun stepped back. There was a certain thrill he felt in asserting his dominance over such a strong female cultivator.
"First question, who are you, and why are you trying to kill Hu Ying?" Ling Yun asked.
She hesitated, then answered, "My name is Pu Yanfu. I'm a soldier in the Fengdu military. I returned home on leave five months ago."
"Three months ago, someone approached me with an offer of 500,000 low-grade spirit stones to kill a few people."
"Who hired you?" Ling Yun pressed.
"A Sword Sect elder—Mo Litian."
"What?!" Ling Yun's eyes widened, a sense of dread settling over him.
"Who were your targets?"
"Hu Ying, Cui Huahua, Jian Mei…"
The list continued, each name familiar. Ling Yun sighed, beginning to understand.
They had been silenced.
Feeling guilty, Ling Yun stood up. 'Everyone on that list was killed because of me,' he realized.
"I've told you everything. Can I go now? I have children," Pu Yanfu pleaded.
"Go on. Enjoy your life," he replied, leading the bewildered Hu Ying away.
Relieved, Pu Yanfu stood up and quickly fled. But as she ran, her skin began to wrinkle, and within seconds, she aged rapidly, crumbling into dust.
...
That evening, Hu Ying struggled to reattach her broken arm but found it was useless. Noticing Ling Yun's curious gaze, she offered him an embarrassed smile.
"Here, use this." He handed her a plant.
"This is… a ten-thousand-year-old Reviving Bone Blossom!" she gasped, astonished.
This rare healing herb could regenerate bones, restore limbs, and heal the gravest wounds. Its worth was immeasurable, often unavailable even for millions of spirit stones.
"This… it's too valuable. I can't accept it," Hu Ying protested, returning it to him.
Ling Yun chuckled and took out two more Reviving Bone Blossoms. "Don't you know these grow in clusters? Take it. If you wait any longer, you won't be able to reattach your arm."
Hu Ying, overwhelmed, relented. "Thank you, Daoist Ling. I owe you my life. If you ever need anything, I'm yours to command."
Ling Yun simply smiled, knowing she was unaware that Pu Yanfu had pursued her on his behalf. That truth was best left unspoken.