The Empress's No.1 Lackey

It's not only because this group of Evil God followers resort to any means, harming the living, but also because once this "demonic path" forsakes the baseline of humanity, they grow extraordinarily powerful very quickly.

Therefore, they must be nipped in the bud early, otherwise once they grow up, they will be extremely dangerous.

Yu Xiu wiped the blackened blood from the corner of her mouth with her pristine sleeve and suddenly said, "Aren't you going to try to kill me?"

Shi Luoyi instantly became alert, forced a smile unnaturally, and stepped back to let himself be protected by the seven dried corpses, saying seriously, "Although it's true that I am quite tempted, as a disciple of Zhang Yan Yi, wouldn't you have some life-saving trump card? But I advise you to leave now; otherwise, if you drag on, the curse will seep deep into your bones, and I'm afraid I will really be unable to help but finish you off."

Leave? As a "Sword Cultivator" known for speed and attack, even if you're handling a tiny flying sword, there's no problem if you want to leave.

But Yu Xiu just took a few breaths, wiped her mouth again, straightened up, and smiled, "If you're not coming, then I, the humble Taoist, will go over. So many people are watching; if I drag on too long, it would indeed disgrace us at the Heavenly Master Mansion."

Shi Luoyi laughed in extreme anger, "What are you going to use to kill me?"

Yu Xiu sighed, said no more, and just reached out with her fingers to gently wipe the jade green small sword floating in front of her.

Suddenly, the gusts of wind surrounding her split into twenty-four streams, howling as they crazily poured into the sword body, and a strong sense of unease surged in everyone's hearts.

The tiny flying sword, augmented by twenty-four streams of Qingfeng, drew a circle under the agile hand of the female Taoist, thus generating twenty-four more flying swords.

Every Zhu Dian youth, upon advancing to the world, is ordered to travel and emulate the sages in walking all about, thus gaining fame in the Martial World.

The nickname "Jade Green Sword" came about this way.

But very few know that Yu Xiu's flying sword is not called "Jade Green"; its real name is "Jingzhe."

A year has four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, divided into twenty-four solar terms.

The "Earth God" acts according to the solar terms; when the time is Jingzhe, the yang qi rises, the temperature warms, and all things are revived.

The earth would emit earthy qi, which the ancient practitioners collected, and what they gathered was just this. Yu Xiu traveled for years, gathering two sleeves worth of pure qi.

"February festival... all things originate from Zhen, Zhen is thunder, hence it is called Jingzhe, which means the hibernating insects are startled and come out." Yu Xiu softly murmured, "In mid-spring, the timely rain falls, the first thunder strikes the eastern corner."

The female Taoist suddenly raised her head, held her fingers like a sword, "Sword Seven, Thunderbolt."

All heard a clap of dry thunder explode over the Song Family Manor!

"Crack——"

The seven dried corpses melted away like snowmen under the blazing sun, the mourning energy burrowed into the ground madly, the ghostly wind no more.

Shi Luoyi turned pale with fright, raised his hand and grabbed, four White-clothed Mages were pushed forward by him, pierced by the Jingzhe Sword!

The sword momentum did not diminish!

"Puff!"

Shi Luoyi spewed fresh blood, falling far away like a kite with a broken string.

"He's trying to run!" Zhao Douan reacted quickly, the Chasing Saber suddenly cleaved through the air, the flying sword and sword energy struck Shi Luoyi successively as if two bolts of lightning, yet pitch-black feathers manifested out of thin air, blocking most of the qi mechanism, a black crow with scarlet claws hooked onto Shi Luoyi's shoulder, flapping its wings with all its might.

"Whoosh whoosh——"

The ground cracked open a large gap, with an illusory river rushing within, and the crow grabbed Shi Luoyi and fell into the gap, the earth closed up, the person vanished without a trace.

A dozen miles away.

The grave mound beneath the Netherworld Sect Leader shook, and he sighed deeply, stood up, watching as a crow emerged from within the grave mound, alongside a critically wounded unconscious Shi Luoyi.

"Pfft pfft..." The crow spat out a mouthful of yellow clay, cursing, "Scared me to death, such a fierce young one."

In a haphazard appearance, carrying a copper coin sword, the Netherworld Sect Leader confirmed Shi Luoyi was not dead, shook his head, hating him for his incompetence, "If I weren't here, you'd be a goner."

The crow's eyes rolled, goading, "Aren't you going to avenge him? The Netherworld Sect and White Clothes Sect share a bond, if you avenge him, his mother will surely look favorably upon you. Perhaps at the time of their spirit marriage, you could save on a bride price."

The Netherworld Sect Leader sneered, drew his sword without warning, decapitating the crow; however, the headless black crow quickly pieced its broken body back together, mocking, "He's mad, he's mad..."

The Netherworld Sect Leader sheathed his sword, maintained his usual expression, bent to lift Shi Luoyi, and proceeded into the distant wild grass, "Even with dear brothers, accounts must be clear, saving his life could fetch a good price."

He took a few more steps, his figure gradually fading, disappearing without a trace.

...

...

"No need to pursue further, a strong figure from the Netherworld Sect intervened, continuing the pursuit won't bring any advantage." Seeing Zhao Douan's displeased expression, Yu Xiu reminded.

Zhao Douan slowly sheathed his saber, glanced at the four mage corpses on the ground, furrowed his brows, "Netherworld Sect?"

Previously, the real reason he did not intervene was because Pei Niannu suddenly "awoke" and gave him a danger warning within his body, only then did Zhao Douan realize a strong figure was around.

Yu Xiu took a pure white pill from her sleeve, fed it into her mouth, swallowed it, and her complexion visibly improved as she turned to look at him, explaining: "The Netherworld Sect and White Clothes Sect worship similar deities, one presiding over death, the other over funerals, both sects' cultivation requires absorbing the 'qi' left after a person's death, where there ever is warfare, these two sects' magicians seek opportunity on the battlefield, yet typically, these two are frowned upon by the righteous, staying quite low-key, this time White Clothes Sect teamed up with Mu Prince Manor, probably gained confidence, thus showing themselves, although White Clothes Sect does not have many, today they've suffered heavy casualties, won't emerge anytime soon, as for the Netherworld Sect... their people are very sneaky, digging graves and desecrating tombs all day, not good at combat, only exceptionally skilled at self-preservation."