Chapter 745 - 355: The Dead Cannot Be Revived, but the Living Can Still Be Saved (2)

He furrowed his sword-like brows tightly, a constant unsettling premonition lingering in his heart.

"Is anyone there?"

You Su knocked on the door, trying to make his voice sound as amiable as possible.

"Who is it?!"

The man inside impatiently opened the door. His appearance was the quintessential image of a robust and rugged man from Beiao Continent.

"Who are you?!" Seeing the oddly dressed person outside the door, the man’s tone became more hostile.

You Su quietly observed the scene inside the courtyard through the opened door, finally finding the source of the bloody smell—it was a slaughtered sheep.

The sheep was hung under a horizontal wooden stick, a vivid cut on its neck, with fresh sheep blood flowing into the basin below its head.

"Oh, slaughtering sheep, brother..." You Su accompanied with a smile.

The man seemed to realize something and replied impatiently:

"This sheep was about to die of old age. I slaughtered it before it died so the meat would still be good. Damn sheep doesn’t even know to hold on until daylight to die, making me get up at night to slaughter it, bringing me bad luck."

There are many taboos when slaughtering sheep, and one of them is forbidding to do it at night.

"What business is it of yours when I slaughter sheep? I didn’t bring you any bad luck, now scram!"

The man thought You Su was there to stop him from slaughtering the sheep, so his attitude became even worse. Before You Su could explain, he prepared to shut the door and send him away.

But just as the door was closing, a cold gleam inserted itself through the gap, and You Su dashed inside with lightning speed.

The man also reacted swiftly, grabbing the boning knife at his side and slashing toward You Su. A hint of ruthlessness flashed across his rugged face, no longer hiding his true strength—he was indeed not an average butcher!

The blade cut through the air with piercing killing intent, accurately aiming for You Su’s throat.

Fortunately, You Su was exceptionally agile, sidestepping and using the ’Lantern Picks the Lotus’ move from the Lotus Swordsmanship to defuse the man’s fierce strike.

The Mo Song Sword clashed with the boning knife, sparks flying everywhere. Profound Qi formed invisible ripples around, and the sound of metal clashing was particularly shrill in the silent night.

You Su knew his identity was sensitive and didn’t want to make any large conspicuous moves to draw attention. However, this man swung every strike with the force of splitting mountains and stones, his boning knife whirling with aggressive momentum, as if eager for others to know there was a fight here.

You Su almost confirmed that this man had done something nefarious. Where did his confidence come from, not fearing exposure in the slightest?

You Su was perplexed but also determined, resolved to end the fight swiftly before being discovered!

The two engaged in fierce combat within the narrow courtyard, blades and swords clashing, fierce winds howling, and falling snowflakes being swept up and down.

Sword lights and shadows intertwined continuously, another clash erupted, raising a large flurry of snow. The man felt a powerful force penetrate his chest and back, his entire body being propelled backward by immense force, crashing through an entire wall.

"You... who are you?"

The man lay among the rubble, staring at the sword tip inches from him in terror. This youth’s voice sounded young, yet how could his combat power be so formidable? He originally thought that the opponent was of the same Condensed Water Upper Realm cultivation as himself and that he could use his age advantage to prevail, but he didn’t expect he was entirely outmatched?!

"I also want to ask you."

You Su pushed the Mo Song Sword forward, planting it right at the man’s carotid artery, even able to sense the man’s heart pounding like a drum through the Mo Song Sword.

Unexpectedly, the man didn’t show much fear in the face of death. He curled his lips disdainfully:

"Do you think you can still survive after this? Couldn’t you have just stayed safely beyond the storm and snow? Why must you come out?!"

You Su’s sword brows fiercely furrowed; indeed, the person beneath his sword had a connection with Chen Yi!

"Where is Chen Yi?!" You Su gritted his teeth, the sword tip already drawing blood.

But the man remained scornful, unafraid of what would happen next, his tone more sinister.

"If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this! You all must die!"

But in the next moment, the indomitable man was stunned, looking at the young man’s jet-black eyes before him. The faint eerie green within them giving him an inexplicable impulse.

In that brief moment of confusion, he instinctively wanted to run toward the inner room. But soon, he discovered he was still standing in the same place. He sensed something, his eyes widening, wanting to look back at the boy’s strange eyes one more time, but couldn’t even turn his head.

Because he was already beheaded.

"You... are..."

The man moved his lips but couldn’t make a sound. Those eyes seemed to have witnessed the most terrifying demon before dying, but soon, the piercing cold froze his body stiff.

This was the power bestowed to You Su’s eyes by the hidden soil; he was slowly mastering the use of that eerie green hue. When faced with a strong opponent, it could halt the other briefly, and when dealing with weaker or unguarded individuals, it could arouse their deepest desire.

The man’s first instinct after being beguiled was to return to the room, indicating the most important things were inside.

You Su cleaved the door open with a strike, and upon lighting a small fire, he immediately witnessed a shocking scene: Clan Leader Chen Yi was hung on the beam like the slaughtered, bled sheep outside, his dripping blood staining the cold ground, rising in mist.

You Su once read in a book about this blood-dripping punishment unique to the Beiao Continent. The extreme coldness of Beiao Continent would slow the flow of blood, but the warmth of the living blood would never allow the wound to freeze. When someone is hung, the blood flows downward, pressing on the wound, so the cut on the neck never stops bleeding, but keeps dripping.

You Su hurriedly rescued the old man, anxious to retrieve some pills to feed him, but the old man couldn’t swallow at all. He had to infuse some Profound Qi to stabilize the state, only to find the elder was already on the verge of death.

"Immortal Master You... you’re here..."

The elder’s hoarse voice rang; You Su was filled with self-reproach. If it weren’t for him asking the elder to gather information, how could the elder have met with such a sudden misfortune?

"Don’t speak! I can save you!" You Su immediately went to slit his own wrist.

The elder, however, trembled as he extended his hand to grasp You Su’s wrist, gently squeezing, as if advising the young man to give up.

"This is my due... the dead cannot be resurrected, but those to come can be saved..."

Seeing the elder’s sorrowful smile, You Su clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking audibly.

"He is the City Lord of Beiji City... following orders to remain in Beiji City all along... no matter what... I am a man doomed to die... don’t blame yourself, Immortal Master..."

The elder patted the back of You Su’s hand, and You Su felt the elderly man’s body heat slowly fading, feeling a profound grief within.

"Immortal Master, flee quickly... you’ve killed the City Lord, it’s not safe to linger here..."

Upon hearing this, You Su became dejected, as if muttering to himself:

"Where can I even go..."

The elder observed the youth’s confusion, smiling gently:

"Your Master and Senior Sister are very safe... without worries, boldly do what you wish..."

You Su slowly lifted his head, a look of astonishment on his face, the brows that had been furrowed all day finally relaxing somewhat.

He gazed at the dying elder, a newfound determination growing in his heart.

"I will go in your place to the Dragon Palace! I will surely restore the Divine Radiance Stone to that coastline!"

You Su’s words were as firm as falling stones, not forgetting his mission to eradicate evil. However, since he couldn’t currently kill those sinister beings, he would first eliminate something more insidiously evil!

Upon hearing this, two lines of murky tears flowed from the elder’s aged eyes.

At this moment, the young man’s greatest desire wasn’t to clear his own name, but to atone for him instead.

"I always said... you’re not the heinous demon..."

The elder gradually closed his eyes, his last burst of energy waning. He tugged on You Su’s clothes, and You Su quickly understood, leaning down to listen to the elder’s whispers.

The name the elder had held in his heart for thirty years, the secret he’d never shared to protect his clan, was now passed like a torch to an outsider.

"Please... take care of them for me... thank you..."

With these final words, the elder completely became a corpse resting in You Su’s embrace.

Yet unlike the Snow Mastiff Sect’s Elder buried in the blizzard, Chen Yi died with his eyes gently closed.

His wish was not fulfilled, but he knew the day of fulfillment would surely come.