Wu Tong had initially intended to show mercy, but in a flash of thought, he realized—these men had wreaked havoc in the frontier, leaving the tribesfolk in endless torment. If left unchecked, they would continue to commit evil.
"Since that is so," he thought, "then only thunderous action can reflect a bodhisattva's heart."
Without hesitation, he drew his blade—the Wolong Sabre.Steel gleamed. Blades flashed.Each strike was swift and ruthless—clean, efficient.In mere moments, the band of henchmen lay lifeless on the sand.
Seeing this, "Invincible Palm" Long Fei was terrified.Wu Tong's sabre swept toward him; Long Fei raised his own to parry, but Wu Tong deflected and countered in one motion—his sabre slashed across Long Fei's chest.
"To die beneath the Wolong Sabre is no shame—even in the afterlife," Wu Tong said coldly.
The Tribe Rejoices
The tribespeople, young and old, arrived bearing scimitars, only to see the battlefield strewn with corpses. They gasped in shock.
Chieftain Luoge cried,
"A divine being walks among us!"
The villagers all knelt in reverence.
"Thank you, savior!"
An old woman cried out,
"Please, kind sir—save my daughter!"
Wu Tong stepped forward and said,
"Please rise. We will do all we can. Let us hope we're not too late."
He turned to his companions:
"Yun-mei, Xian'er—check on the two captured hall masters. Perhaps we can extract some information."
Soon after, Liu Yun returned.
"Tong-ge, 'Black Vajra' Jin Bupa... he's dead."
Ling Xian'er kicked "Hellfiend Yama" Gan Lu forward.
"On your knees!"
Bound and bloodied, Gan Lu had lost all trace of arrogance. Wu Tong pressed his blade to the man's throat.
"You are Gan Lu, 'Hellfiend Yama'—but I am Yama on Earth. Why did you return to the tribe?"
Gan Lu sneered defiantly.
"Kill me or spare me—it's your choice!"
Wu Tong frowned.
"If he won't talk… then what?"
Ling Xian'er stepped in.
"Leave it to me."
If pain meant nothing to him, perhaps pressure point techniques would do.
She jabbed at a specific acupoint—Gan Lu convulsed in agony.
"Speak or suffer," she demanded.
Still, he refused. She jabbed another point—he began to tremble with hot and cold waves, his teeth chattering, his skin drenched in sweat—yet still silent.
Liu Yun, ever clever, picked up a fallen scimitar and made a clean slash across his thigh. Blood gushed.
Gan Lu gritted his teeth.
"Kill me if you dare!"
Liu Yun smirked.
"That would be too easy."
She turned to the chieftain.
"Luoge, bring me salt."
Soon a bag of salt was handed over. Liu Yun sprinkled it over the open wound. Gan Lu screamed, his face twisted in unbearable pain.
Raising the blade again, she smiled sweetly.
"Speak. Or do I make another cut?"
Finally, Gan Lu nodded weakly, unable to even form words. After his wounds were bound, Wu Tong asked sternly:
"Why were you here again today?"
Gan Lu replied through clenched teeth:
"The Central Plains buyers said the last batch of women wasn't enough. The two Holy Kings—Fenglei Saint King Lai Budé and Shanze Saint King Xie Xian—ordered us three hall masters to fetch more to meet the quota."
Ling Xian'er asked,
"When and where is the handoff?"
"Tomorrow… at noon… in Windsand Gorge."
Wu Tong nodded.
"Fine. We spare your life—for now. You'll lead us there."
Windsand Gorge
Beneath the boundless blue sky, the northern wind howled across the dunes.Windsand Gorge, lying between desert and grassland, was a harsh valley where two factions now waited to strike a dark bargain.
The Western Holy Sect's Saint Kings, Lai Budé (Wind & Thunder) and Xie Xian (Mountain & Marsh), were preparing to trade with human traffickers from the Central Plains.
A large, burly woman in her forties, with a square, dark face and masculine demeanor, strode forward.
"Saint King, are the goods all here?" she asked.
This was none other than Nangong Yan, the formidable Matriarch of the Fairy Empress Palace—now revealed to be trafficking women.
Each captured girl would be graded by beauty and build, then sold accordingly—some to brothels, others to wealthy households as servants.
Lai Budé replied,
"You wanted a large number—we had to send our hall masters to gather more. They should be on the way."
Nangong Yan stepped toward the trembling girls and scrutinized them coldly.
"The stock is uneven. We price by grade."
She began to divide them into three groups. Then she said,
"Yu Xian, Wei Hong—bring out the silver. Four thousand taels as down payment."
Her second and third disciples, Yu Xian and Wei Hong, ordered their men to carry forward four chests of silver.
An Unholy Gathering
At that moment, Xie Xian noticed two strange men nearby.
"Aren't you the Yinshan Ghosts? Ghost Right Envoy Cui Ming and Ghost Left Envoy Duan Hun? How did you end up under Nangong Yan?"
Cui Ming sighed bitterly.
"Don't ask. A few months back, Yinshan Sect was wiped out. We had to seek refuge."
It was true—six martial sects had joined forces, led by Kunlun Sect Master He Jun and Tianshan Sect Master Deng Tian, to eradicate the Yinshan Sect during the great "Ghost Purge Assembly."It was Wu Tong's strategy to split the demonic alliance and isolate Yinshan Heavenly Venerable—and it had succeeded.
Now that their sect was destroyed, the demons had scattered to survive.
Lai Budé said,
"Many Yinshan disciples have joined our sect. You two are strong—why not consider joining us? The Western Holy Sect rewards talent."
The Ghosts exchanged glances.
Duan Hun replied,
"We're grateful for the offer. But the Fairy Empress has treated us well. We cannot betray her just for a better offer."
Lai Budé laughed.
"I admire your loyalty. But the invitation stands—should the tides turn, we'd welcome you."
Nangong Yan's face darkened.
"Saint King, please—stop recruiting my people. We're here to do business, not steal personnel. Where are your men?"
Just then, a sandstorm rose along the distant horizon.
In its wake, came the thunder of galloping hooves...