Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 179 - 129: Destroy the Corpse and Erase the Traces

Chapter 179: Chapter 129: Destroy the Corpse and Erase the Traces

At the foot of the mountain, the two men who were walking towards the Red Flower Taoist Temple were both male cultivators, and both possessed considerable strength.

Both were at the Core Formation Stage, one Mid Grade and the other Lower Grade, their abilities ranking them among the top echelons in this border city.

Being located at the intersection of Fengzhou and the Southern Border, only a hundred miles from the border, the duo assigned to guard the area was naturally quite formidable.

However, by the tone of their conversation, they held considerable apprehension, even fear, towards Yu Ying.

The matter of Gu Poison was not unknown to them; rather, it seemed they were intentionally letting the situation escalate, letting the entire Fengzhou know that people from the Southern Border were committing mass killings upon the Fengzhou citizens, acting with reckless abandon.

Just as Jiang Feng had thought.

The war was about to begin.

Sometimes the start of a war only needs a pretext, and this applied to both friend and foe alike. How could Hou Zhongxiao, with his mere Lower Grade of Core Formation strength, have possibly deceived so many experts at the border over these years?

Could it be that no one was truly aware of this bizarre Immortal Elixir incident?

The answer was on the verge of revealing itself.

The two quickly made their way towards a distant mountain peak. Their mission was accomplished — to allow the people from the Southern Border to spread the Gu Poison locally, stir up the issue, and give their own sect sufficient reason to move south and redistribute the cake.

The objective of their visit today was to deal with the principal culprit spreading Gu Poison. Playing dumb could indeed solve many problems, but it also depended on whether Yu Ying believed it – that is, if they could kill the principal culprit before others discovered it.

Even if Yu Ying herself were to come, they would at least have fulfilled their duty and at worst be scolded.

They were not from Purple Cloud Palace. Within the entire territory of Fengzhou, various sects had their agents in place. After all, such a big piece of the cake could not be monopolized by Purple Cloud Palace alone.

Despite this, Purple Cloud Palace still maintained absolute dominance within the region of Fengzhou, as well as in neighboring East Continent.

Although they were not from Purple Cloud Palace, Yu Ying still had the authority to supervise them, especially since that madwoman was utterly insane.

Thinking of that madwoman, the two exchanged glances and involuntarily shivered.

She wouldn’t care whose Sect Disciple you were – she would kill you on the spot and then notify your sect to come pick up the corpse.

They remembered an incident where a Joyful Sect Disciple suffered at Yu Ying’s hands, holding a grudge in his heart. Out of spite towards that woman and wanting to trouble her, he deliberately allowed refugees and Evil Cultivators to rampage and massacre at the border. After some time, Yu Ying came to know of it.

And then...

That very night, the madwoman rushed over.

You think she came to kill that Evil Cultivator?

No, she didn’t even glance his way as she passed by but went straight to the area Steward, and without saying a word, executed the Joyful Sect Disciple on the spot.

After finishing the execution, on her way back to Shuangfeng City, she still did not bother with the still-rampaging Evil Cultivator.

Instead, she carried the body back, had someone hang it on the city wall, and let the Joyful Sect come to claim it.

Subsequently, of course, the Joyful Sect sent representatives to demand an explanation. But with that woman’s fearlessness, she always responded with a smile:

"My intention was simply to kindly remind them that they were not fulfilling their responsibilities, after all."

"It had never occurred to me that these individuals would not only neglect the duties entrusted to them by their sect, but also allow an Evil Cultivator to wreak havoc. Such negligence! If we do not set an example, all the cultivators within Fengzhou might end up behaving similarly, creating a chaotic and murky atmosphere."

"Or is it that... you wish for me to repay blood with blood?"

To be honest.

The thought alone of Yu Ying, that madwoman, saying such words with a smile made both of them break out in goosebumps.

The key point is that from beginning to end, Yu Ying never took the life of the Evil Cultivator, who continued to wreak havoc. However, after that day, all the high-level experts stationed nearby took the initiative to strike out, scouring the hills and fields to hunt down the Evil Cultivator.

In the end, with the siege of several dozen people, the Evil Cultivator was brutally dismembered and completely obliterated, soul and body.

Everyone was afraid.

Afraid of drawing fire upon themselves, afraid that one day that Evil Cultivator would invade their territories, afraid that he would kill a few people and then summon the madwoman Yu Ying.

Rather than living in fear every day, it was better to take the initiative and eliminate the threat once and for all. This was Yu Ying’s method of governing Shuangfeng City.

It was also why she reigned like an empress within the confines of Shuangfeng City.

The two men hastened their steps and soon reached the mountain peak.

What awaited them was a ghastly scene.

Shattered red walls, collapsed houses, corpses strewn everywhere, Gu Worms oozing, and from time to time, one could still see flickering flames.

Especially within the destroyed Taoist Temple, there were many people who had completely lost their senses, gnawing on fresh flesh while greedily licking at the wriggling Gu Worms on the ground, staining the earth red, indistinguishable whether it was blood or Gu Worms.

And it wasn’t just human corpses; there were also a pile of grotesquely shaped animal carcasses, some with nothing left but a head, still gnawing on human bodies without letting go.

It was a scene like purgatory on earth.

The original three to four hundred people had plummeted to just a few dozen. Some had died in the chaos, some in infighting, pushed off cliffs, and some had seized the Immortal Elixir they’d coveted and then immediately fled down the mountain...

Clutching their noses at the nauseating stench from the Gu Worms and the surrounding horrific scene, even though they knew the Gu Worms could bring such terrible consequences, witnessing this sight still filled them with dread.

"May I ask which high-level expert is present? We request the honor of your appearance!"

There was no movement within the ruined rear hall.

The two exchanged glances, swiftly scanning the distant hall with their Divine Sense, finding no traces or figures.

They took a few steps forward, kicked open the wooden door, and found it indeed empty. It seemed that the expert had already left.

But still on high alert, they scanned their surroundings, shouting loudly.

"I am a Steward from Fulong Pavilion, sent from afar. Thank you, Daoist friend, for your assistance, for helping us brothers subdue demons and vanquish evil!"

"This villain has committed many atrocities. Only recently did we learn of someone here spreading Gu Poison, under the guise of healing, an utterly conscienceless act."

"If the Daoist friend is willing, please visit us at Shuangfeng City below, where we brothers can offer our hospitality as hosts."

They shouted out loud, but the young girl in the distant mountaintop seemed to stir slightly, looking like she wanted to approach and find out what happened, but her slender wrist was immediately seized!

"Don’t move, you watch."

"Oh."

Cen Yueyue quietly assented, not understanding why she instinctively obeyed this youngster’s words, but she still patiently crouched on the mountaintop not far from there, concealed behind dense branches.

The two Core Formation Stage experts from Red Flower Temple shouted a couple more times, but Jiang Feng remained indifferent, silently observing from afar.

It was strange too, these two seemed to have no intention of rescuing the survivors at the scene, just roamed around nearby, as if making sure there were no eyes around.

Finally, after about half an hour, they stopped their motions, exchanging glances. One of them shook his head, signaling that no one was around.

Therefore, the Lower Grade of Core Formation expert wasted no more words, and lifted his hand, as a Fire Dragon flew out from his sleeve, instantly setting Red Flower Temple ablaze!

Afterward, the two positioned themselves in opposite corners, guarding against anyone’s approach.

"Hmph, what a way to obliterate any traces."