As the longsword pierced through, agonizing screams echoed endlessly throughout the grotto.
Shen Bai's longsword gleamed with righteous power. Searing Qi surged through the blade and into the Five Heart Sect Leader's forehead.
The Five Heart Sect Leader shrieked ceaselessly, "You'll die! You'll die a horrible death! I am an important pawn of the Upper Evil Sect in Shengyun County! If I die, they will definitely investigate! You won't escape!"
"We'll see about that later."
Shen Bai said coolly, "For now, you can die."
A plume of black smoke appeared in the grotto.
The headless body of the Five Heart Sect Leader twitched once, then fell still.
Witnessing this, Cheng Shuang felt a chill run down her spine.
The man before her was not only incredibly powerful, but also utterly ruthless. He killed without the slightest hesitation.
Even the geniuses Cheng Shuang had met in Fenglin State couldn't compare to his mindset.
In Cheng Shuang's mind, those geniuses had mostly grown up sheltered within their Sects.
They hadn't experienced enough hardship.
But Shen Bai had emerged from a small county town. At times, he could truly be described as unscrupulous.
"I..."
Cheng Shuang opened her mouth, about to speak.
But before she could get a word out, Shen Bai looked at the headless corpse on the ground, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"It's not over yet."
With that, he swung his sword again, slicing at the corpse's left arm.
The terrifying Qi tore the left arm to shreds.
Just then, the remaining right arm and two legs suddenly detached from the torso and shot off in different directions.
"Your Five-Heart Sect's Five Heart Technique is all about detaching your head and limbs. Did you really think playing dead would work?"
Shen Bai's left fist lashed out with a brilliant golden light, instantly shattering the three remaining limbs.
He backhanded his sword into the torso. This time, pierced through by his longsword, the torso was completely reduced to ash.
"Now it's truly over."
Shen Bai yawned and picked up his rusted longsword.
Just then, the longsword finally gave out from the successive battles and shattered into pieces on the ground.
"What a pity. It's been with me for so long, I'm actually a little sad to see it go."
Though his words expressed regret, his expression showed none. He turned and ran straight to the pile of coffin fragments and began rummaging through them.
This scene left Cheng Shuang completely dumbfounded.
'Where did your dignified masterly demeanor go?'
'You're a powerful expert, for goodness' sake! What are you doing rummaging through a pile of coffin splinters?'
Cheng Shuang felt that the image of Shen Bai as a dignified master had instantly collapsed in her mind.
But soon, a new persona was established in her mind.
'That's right. A true master is supposed to be unconventional. If he were the same as us ordinary people, how could he be called a master?'
So Cheng Shuang thought to herself.
By this time, Shen Bai had found what he was looking for in the pile of coffins.
[Ancient True Scripture]
[Appraisal Progress: 0%]
[One strand of Evil Qi can be used for rapid appraisal.]
Shen Bai looked as if he had obtained a precious treasure. He tucked the Ancient True Scripture into his robes, then turned to look at Cheng Shuang.
"All done. What are your plans for the rest?"
Now, the Five Heart Sect Leader had been executed.
The entire Five-Heart Sect was gone.
The deal between Shen Bai and Cheng Shuang had come to a close.
Cheng Shuang came back to her senses and said, "I'll leave the rest to them. I'll contact the Government Office, explain the situation, and then make arrangements for these common people. Do you want to come with me?"
Shen Bai shook his head. "Don't tell the Government Office about me. I don't want to get involved in this stuff. Remember, what's between us is strictly a transaction."
Having said his piece, Shen Bai turned and walked toward the grotto's exit.
The transaction was complete, and he wasted no more words.
Under Cheng Shuang's gaze, who seemed to want to say something but held back, Shen Bai quickly departed.
Cheng Shuang looked at the ruins all around, thought for a moment, and then followed Shen Bai out of the grotto.
...
「County Magistrate's Office.」
Cheng Shuang entered alone.
After watching Cheng Shuang disappear, Shen Bai returned home.
Too much had happened tonight; for Shen Bai, it was an unforgettable experience.
The fight with that stitched-together monster, in particular, had been exhilarating.
But now he had to get down to business.
'Tonight, I'll start with the Liver Blood Sword Dance,' Shen Bai thought.
Right now, his Blood Sword Dance and Vajra Demon Subduing Fist were both at Level 3.
However, he had already ground out over 1400 Skill Level points for Blood Sword Dance, bringing it one step closer to Level 4.
The Vajra Demon Subduing Fist hadn't gained any points, so grinding Demon Subduing Fist was not worth his while.
As for his Bright Jade Body, it was currently stuck at Level 2 and required Evil Qi to advance.
Shen Bai had no Evil Qi right now, so it was useless to grind it.
Most importantly, the Ancient True Scripture also needed Evil Qi for its appraisal.
Shen Bai was currently short two strands of Evil Qi, so he could only focus all his attention on the Blood Sword Dance for now.
The broken longsword wasn't a big deal; he had a few more at his pawnshop.
The night passed quickly.
...
By the time day broke, Shen Bai had ground out another 200 points for his Blood Sword Dance, bringing the total to 1600.
When Shen Bai sensed it was dawn, he drank another bowl of Qi Blood Medicine.
'The consumption of Qi and blood is increasing, and it seems my supply of Qi Blood Medicine is running low,' Shen Bai thought.
The further he progressed, the more Qi and blood he consumed. On top of that, the Blood Sword Dance itself required the Vibration of his Qi and blood, so he was facing another shortage.
'But it's fine. I can just about manage.'
With that thought, Shen Bai opened the door, went out for breakfast, and then returned to the pawnshop to wait for Zhang Chaofeng to arrive.
After waiting for nearly an hour, Zhang Chaofeng arrived at the pawnshop.
With him was Zhou Qing.
"Old Zhou, aren't you busy at the Government Office today? What brings you here all of a sudden?" Shen Bai asked with a smile as he brewed a pot of tea for Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing and Shen Bai were already on good terms, so he didn't stand on ceremony. He drank the tea before speaking.
"Lao Shen, the Five-Heart Sect business is settled. It's safe for you all to go out for a stroll at night now."
As Shen Bai's good friend, he had naturally come to deliver the news at the first opportunity.
Shen Bai, of course, knew the full story, having been personally involved. Still, he put on an act and asked for the details.
Zhou Qing didn't answer, but Zhang Chaofeng jumped in first.
"I heard that a great master and a rookie from the Five Immortals Sect took down the Five-Heart Sect's lair. It's truly amazing."
"But it seems the master has no intention of revealing himself. The disciple from the Five Immortals Sect is keeping his identity a secret."
Shen Bai didn't need to ask to know that Zhang Chaofeng must have gotten this information from Zhou Qing beforehand.
Shen Bai nodded and said, "That's wonderful news for Shengyun County."
Zhou Qing clenched his fists in excitement. "I wonder who this master is. If I ever get the chance, I must pay him a visit. After all, he's rid Shengyun County of a great menace."
Shen Bai sipped his tea, expressionless, thinking, 'The master is right beside you.' But he didn't say it out loud, simply refilling Zhou Qing's cup.
Zhou Qing gulped it down like an ox drinking water. Then, as if remembering something, he slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, right, Lao Shen! If anyone comes to your shop asking about public safety in Shengyun County recently, just tell them it's excellent."