The curtain of night enveloped the dark wasteland as a massacre quietly began.

Different groups of cultivators were huddled toward the same area by the cracking ground within a short time. The repeated encounters led to fierce battles. The density of humans became increasingly high while the Five Main Tribes of the Demon Race gradually acted upon the cultivators.

Some were so terrified that they began hiding while some disguised themselves as demons and killed their opponents in the confusion. There were also those who quietly prepared to hunt demons as a way of gaining notoriety.

Soon, countless silhouettes began engaging in a confused battle.

The dead fell to the ground, battered and bloodied.

The living fought back even more fiercely.

Gradually, the earth absorbed more and more blood, some belonging to the human cultivators and some belonging to the cultivators from the Demon Race.

Even if those from the Cultivation World were divided into their own sects, they understood the severity of their situation in regards to the righteousness of their own race. They might not be able to communicate in the cover of the night but they surely would be able to find a way after daybreak.

The strength of both sides slowly reached equilibrium.

However, the price they had to pay was too great. Over ten treasure-hunting teams from different sects were wiped out in a single night and that was a modest estimation. There were also too many casualties to count. To make things worse, it wasn’t the official statistics.

There was certainly over a thousand cultivators who entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum but one-tenth were dead before anyone even saw a shadow of the Divine Tool.

The shadow of death began to creep over everyone’s hearts.

“Urgh!”

The dark of the night obscured many scenes of the battle. When daylight finally arrived, many female disciples couldn’t stomach such bloody aftermath and vomited.

The group Ye Que was following had likely become immune to the bloody scene after experiencing several vicious battles. They chose to conceal themselves as much as possible while moving and change campsites the moment they heard any sound of movement.

In order not to fight, all changes should be made.

Though it was tedious, it was great in that it was safe.

Currently, one of the strongest powers in the dark wasteland was the Five Main Tribes of the Demon Race. The other was the allied forces of the Judicature of the Tang Empire and the cultivators who commanded Mount Shu.

Due to the cracks on the ground, the dark wasteland had become increasingly narrow and the encounters between different groups became increasingly frequent.

Perhaps out of rapport, the two powers chose not to battle it out during this time. They avoided each other as much as possible and rooted out other opponents around them.

Right now, Feng Xingmo’s talent appeared incomparably precious. No amount of people could outnumber the wolves in the dark wasteland. With these wolves as his eyes, he essentially knew everything that was happening inside the wasteland.

“Kill!”

Once again, they besieged a group of cultivators from a small sect. Feng Xingmo waved his hand and more than ten people subsequently charged forth with a bellow. Such wanton massacre was exactly what these warriors from the Demon Race liked and enjoyed. It was as if they were born to battle.

“Barbarians!”

The ninth disciple of Mount Shu, Chen Qing, watched the distant battle from the back of a red-crowned crane with the cool eye of a bystander.

“Aren’t we saving them?”

Zhuo Bufan frowned at his Senior Brother.

“The only reason we’re here is the Divine Tool, the River Soldiers. Everything else is secondary. Besides, even if you make it there in time, do you think you’ll be able to save them? Even if you manage to save them, there’s a chance that they’ll return your kindness with evil when the Divine Tool is born. We might as well let them perish on their own. It’s also a way of exhausting the strength of the Demon Race,” Chen Qing said coolly.

He glanced at the troop of the black-armored soldiers nearby. “Don’t forget that our cooperation with the Judicature is temporary. The Judicature has always been a supporter of the Crown Prince while we’re in favor of the Second Prince. This is a distinction you must make.”

After hearing Chen Qing’s words, Zhuo Bufan nodded and said no more. He had only one final question to ask. “What is Eldest Senior Brother doing? Why can’t I see him anywhere?”

Before he could finish his question, he earned himself a vicious glare from Chen Qing. “Don’t ask questions you’re not supposed to. Do you think Eldest Senior Brother has to report his whereabouts to you?!”

After the massacre came to an end, Feng Xingmo led his troops even closer to the center as usual. The situation couldn’t get any clearer by now. The Divine Tool would certainly be born in the heart of the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Since theirs was the strongest power in the area, there was no reason for him not to check it out.

Of course, they didn’t stop weakening other forces along the way. It wouldn’t do to forget reaping the lives of the human cultivators. He mustn’t allow those from the Cultivation World to unite. It would be best that they would continue fighting among themselves.

“Ouuu!”

Suddenly, a grey wolf with silver fur covering its head howled at him. It seemed that the wolf had discovered people.

Feng Xingmo stared at the wolf and asked, “How many?”

“Ouuu!”

“One?” He smirked in apparent distaste. He bent down to caress the wolf with silver fur, went close to its ear, and said something. The wolf subsequently turned around and ran frantically, disappearing out of sight.

Soon, a pack of wolves gathered at the rear of the troops of the Five Main Tribes. From the looks of it, Feng Xingmo wanted the wolves to act independently. Since the opponent alone, he saw no need to use his large forces.

However, these wolves left quickly and returned even quicker.

When the wolves departed, they were baring their fangs with exceptional viciousness. When they returned, all of them looked like they had encountered something incredibly terrifying. The pack of wolves crouched on the ground, shivering. They only returned to their senses after Feng Xingmo spent some time placating them.

No matter how he asked, the wolves stubbornly refused to respond to what they had gone through. It was as if they would feel afraid just by thinking about it.

On the dark wasteland, a woman walked past at this moment.

She held a silk umbrella with a plum blossom painting and a bamboo stem for the handle. Her clothing was entirely white save for strange cloud patterns on the sleeves. Her face was as delicate as cotton roses and her brows were as straight as willow. Her skin was exquisitely smooth and tender. Her head full of black hair was casually tied with a silver ribbon and she wore no hair accessories. The two strands of hair that cascaded down her cheeks swayed gently with the wind, fluttering along with her silver ribbon. It made her look rather elegant, adding to her grace.

Considering the timing and direction, the one that pack of hungry wolves encountered earlier ought to be this woman. For some reason, the encounter alone had sent the wolves scattering and running in an instant. It was like a mouse running from a cat.

Could this woman be a predator of these wolves?

That was unimaginable!

Peace once again returned after the ground shook.

The feast of blood continued.

A teen who was obviously from the Wind Tribe approached Feng Xingmo and said quietly, “Young Master, we found another group of human cultivators in front. They’re not from the allied forces of Mount Shu and the Glorious Tang Empire. I think they’re the people we released yesterday. There are about 30 of them. Judging from their apparel, they ought to be disciples from Qingqiu. They’re rather strong so if we want to kill them all, we’ll have to spare some energy.”

“Opponents that we’ve previously defeated? I suppose most of them have lost all courage by now. What does it matter if there are more or less of them? I’m sure those from Mount Shu share our plan to eliminate all these unrelated people and fight for the Divine Tool later,” Feng Xingmo said.

Five Main Tribes weren’t the only ones from the Demon Race that entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Some smaller tribes had also sent their disciples but most of them were betrayed to Mount Shu. Several small teams were also tacitly betrayed by the allied forces of Mount Shu and the Tang Empire to the Demon Race.

“Surround them. Don’t let even one go.”

With a wave of his large hand, tens of silhouettes followed the pack of wolves to head toward Ye Que’s location. Soon, those from Mount Shu had a good guess of what was going on. They tacitly retreated to the side, giving the Demon Race a small space while putting in distance between them and Ye Que’s group.

Due to their disadvantageous size and their frightened state of mind, the group Ye Que was in didn’t send anyone to check their surroundings. They merely placed themselves on high alert.

This could be considered an achievement for a group made up of disciples from different sects.

The group once again struck camp. Ye Que and Li Jianqi sat at the rear.

He looked at the girl who was covered head-to-toe in filth. “Do you know how silly your actions were last night?”

“My master once said that decisiveness and courage are crucial in the face of trouble. Whatever idea you have, you should act upon it immediately. Being indecisive is often an omen of defeat,” Li Jianqi said self-righteously. “When you’re acting against a large pack of wolves, all you have to do is find the Wolf King and behead it. This is the most effective and wisest choice.”

Glancing at the group that was once again decamping to continue their journey, Li Jianqi said in distaste, “Such evasive behavior doesn’t solve anything at all when the root cause isn’t eliminated. Some danger is necessary.”

Li Jianqi didn’t keep her voice down. She believed those in front must have heard her but no one responded. Everyone acted as if they didn’t hear her.

Ye Que shrugged. “See that? No one agrees with your idea. Furthermore, there’s a distinction between being decisive and dogmatic. In particular, courage and rashness are two different things. You need to be clear about this.”

After interacting with this girl for more than a day, it was clear to him that this Sword Fanatic was a naive girl without malice. He didn’t want to see a tragedy happen in this dog-eat-dog environment.

He was determined to help as much as possible, knowing that Li Jianqi and Nalan Rongruo would undergo a life-and-death trial. Since his presence here had already caused some changes, he didn’t mind making a few more.

“Are you calling me silly?” Li Jianqi asked angrily after digesting Ye Que’s words.

“Regardless of your understanding, I hope you’ll use your brain before you act in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Being rash won’t solve any problem,” Ye Que said earnestly, “It’s for your own good. No one wants to harm you here!”

“Who needs your concern?” Li Jianqi curled her lips.

“There’s something else. Your Sword Qi yesterday was very sharp but too dispersed. Even you’re free to use Sword Qi as you like due to your innate affinity for swords, you need to understand how to conserve it,” Ye Que said.

“Are you going to interfere with my cultivation as well? Not even my master has commented on it before.” The curl in Li Jianqi’s lips deepened. Since young, she had always had the final say. No one would dare to tell her otherwise or command her, much less on matters about cultivation. After all, she was the famous Sword Fanatic gifted with an innate affinity with swords. She was typically the one instructing others and not the other way around.

“Didn’t you say you want to win against me and eat my Spirit Sword?” Ye Que asked.

“Does your recommendation work?” Li Jianqi retorted with dissatisfaction.

“Never mind if it works. Either way, you’ll be able to kill. A method that can kill is a good method in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum.” Ye Que pointed to their surroundings. “Don’t assume it’ll be peaceful forever. I’m willing to bet that we’re already in grave danger. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that danger is lurking on every side.”

It seemed that Ye Que was right on the mark.

The two greatest powers in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum tacitly declared death sentence for Ye Que and the rest.

Those who knew the truth would certainly curse out loud at this moment. “Two shameless factions! Are you working together to exterminate every cultivator who entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum?!”