The five newcomers, three men and two women, all wore different clothing. They clearly weren't from the same sect, yet every one of them radiated a fierce aura. They were all cultivators in the Golden Core stage.
The one in the lead was an old man in a black robe. He had a hooked nose and cold predatory eyes, and his cultivation had already reached late Golden Core. The other four consisted of two in mid Golden Core and two in early Golden Core.
They had obviously been drawn over by the killing intent that Xie Zhaolin released a moment earlier and by the faint ripple of spiritual power triggered when Elder Chou made her oath.
The black robed old man swept his gaze around, and when he sensed the lingering traces of spiritual power on the two women, along with the fading baleful qi and thin veil of multicolored light in the air, greed and calculation flashed in his eyes.
He let out a low chuckle. "I was wondering which Daoyou was making such a fuss here. So it's Elder Chou of the Qingxi Sect. A pleasure to meet you. As for this Daoyou, I don't believe we've met. How should I address you?"
The smile on Elder Chou's face vanished in an instant. Cold displeasure and helplessness flickered in her eyes.
She stepped forward and stood beside Xie Zhaolin. "I was just wondering who'd shown up. Turns out it's the five Daoyou of Heisha Valley. Shouldn't you all be hunting for treasure? Why come meddle in Qingxi Sect affairs?"
Heisha Valley was a loose cultivator faction with a terrible reputation in the area. They survived on robbery and murder, and no one found them easy to deal with.
"Elder Chou's joking." The black robed old man gave a creepy smile. "Everyone looks for treasure in this secret realm based on their own fate. But we sensed a strong fluctuation of spiritual power here. It even felt like a treasure had emerged. We happened to pass by, so we got curious and came to take a look. You two Daoyou didn't find anything good and plan to keep it for yourselves, right?"
His words were naked provocation. His gaze roamed over them repeatedly, searching for any trace of a treasure.
Elder Chou naturally understood the ugly intent behind his words. If they actually had a treasure, he'd kill them for it. If they didn't, then two Golden Core cultivators were treasures enough.
She sighed inwardly. Trouble really had arrived fast.
She glanced at the icy aura surrounding Xie Zhaolin and let out a self mocking breath. She spoke through voice transmission. "We just swore to fight side by side, and here we are already."
Her thought hadn't even finished forming.
A sharp "whoosh" split the air.
Xie Zhaolin shot forward like a streak of shadow. She had absolutely no interest in talking. Since the enemy had revealed killing intent, only one of the two sides would live. End this fast, so they wouldn't draw even more trouble.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared before the Golden Core mid stage cultivator who had summoned a ghost headed saber and rushed toward her. Her speed outstripped everyone's reaction.
"You…" The man felt his vision blur. A chill of death wrapped around him. Panic flooded his heart. He wanted to change his move and defend himself, but it was far too late.
"Jingxiao."
The dark purple Jingxiao Ribbon shot forward without a sound. It wrapped around his neck and sword arm from an impossible angle.
A bone cracking snap exploded through the air, followed by the wet twist of flesh being torn apart.
The man couldn't even scream. His head left his shoulders with his eyes still full of disbelief.
His body and the ghost headed saber were flung by the Jingxiao Ribbon toward another Golden Core early stage cultivator who had been rushing Elder Chou.
A complete instant kill.
Everything happened faster than lightning.
Only when the headless corpse hit the ground did the rest react.
"Third Brother!" The remaining Golden Core mid stage cultivator's eyes went blood red. He roared and waved both hands, unleashing a storm of emerald green poison needles that shot toward Xie Zhaolin. At the same time, he shot backward to widen the distance. The other two early stage cultivators froze in terror, their attacks faltering.
"What a vicious move." The black robed old man was shocked and enraged.
He hadn't expected someone so fierce. She killed one of his trusted men in an instant. He didn't dare hold back anymore. He wildly shook his black banner.
"Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Soul!" he shouted.
Black smoke surged out. Countless twisted ghost shadows flickered within it. Their screams pierced the air as they rushed toward Xie Zhaolin and Elder Chou.
Faced with the poison needles and ghost tide, Xie Zhaolin's expression stayed cold, though something flickered in her eyes.
Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Soul? This banner was a vicious ghost path artifact, and judging by its power, it wasn't low grade.
Heisha Valley really did have evil cultivators among them.
A faint spark of interest rose inside her.
Evil cultivators were rare. They always hid deep, moved strangely, and kept many forbidden things on them.
Once she left this secret realm, maybe she should pay Heisha Valley a visit.
She might find something interesting.
After all, killing evil cultivators didn't bother her in the slightest. It often paid quite well.
The thought barely formed when she stepped forward instead of retreating. The Jingxiao Ribbon curved through the air and shot straight toward the man who had released the poison needles.
She shifted her thoughts slightly. Dian Diao released another wave of faint violet lightning that rippled outward from her body.
The ghosts screamed wildly when they hit the lightning. The ripples contained thunder that countered evil, so their power weakened drastically.
"What?!" The poison cultivator froze in terror when Xie Zhaolin ignored everything and closed in on him.
But she was too fast. The Jingxiao Ribbon flashed out and wrapped around his throat.
"No…" His scream shattered into despair.
Another crisp crack rang through the air.
The second headless corpse fell.
On the other side, Elder Chou finally unleashed the power befitting an elder of Qingxi Sect.
The array plate above her head shone brightly. The formation expanded again and instantly trapped the two Golden Core early stage cultivators on the flank.
Xie Zhaolin caught this with the corner of her eye and snorted inwardly. She didn't want to waste even a heartbeat in this place. The smell of blood could draw more enemies at any moment.
She didn't pause. After killing the second mid stage cultivator, she used the recoil to spin back. The Jingxiao Ribbon sliced through the air and swept cleanly across the necks of the two trapped early stage cultivators.
Two clean slashes.
Both heads flew up, faces still frozen with panic and confusion.
Fast, clean, merciless.
Elder Chou's eyes flashed with something strange, but she said nothing and quietly put away her array.
From the moment Xie Zhaolin struck to the moment the four subordinates died, barely two or three breaths passed.
The black robed old man didn't even have time to unleash a second wave of attacks before watching every one of his men collapse into corpses.
His cruel grin froze. Terror and disbelief swallowed his expression.
"No… impossible."
They had five people. They should have completely outmatched their opponents. How could a single Golden Core mid stage cultivator wipe out his team in seconds?
Fear acted faster than thought. His body instinctively tried to retreat.
But it was already too late.
A figure stood before him. Xie Zhaolin.
He barely registered the blur before his chest felt like a mountain had smashed into it. A heavy bang shook the air as he shot backward like a cut kite. Blood sprayed from his mouth and the black banner flew from his hand.
Before he even hit the ground, Xie Zhaolin's figure followed him like his shadow. Her icy palm pressed against the crown of his head with unstoppable force.
Soul search.