Chapter 71 Tie Ruonan

Southern Border, Chiyang Mountain.

“Iron Rust Flower Gu was activated here. This should be the battlefield where that Blood Path Gu Master fought our Tie Clan members. Ba Xiu, search the area and see whether any clues remain.”

The voice belonged to a tall Gu Master with a straight back and an imposing presence. Most striking of all was the bronze mask covering his face. He was none other than the renowned Divine Investigator of the Southern Border, Tie Xue Leng.

Soul Lamp Gu and Life Tablet Gu were directly connected to a Gu Master’s life. Once both were destroyed, it meant that the corresponding Gu Master had died and their soul had returned to the Door of Life and Death. Thus, when the Soul Lamp Gu and Life Tablet Gu belonging to Tie Ju’s squad shattered within the Tie Clan Ancestral Hall, the clan immediately learned of their deaths.

The Tie Clan leader was furious upon receiving the news. It had been many years since a demonic Gu Master had dared to openly kill members of the Tie Clan. Such a matter could not be ignored. The Blood Path Gu Master responsible had to be captured and brought back to Tie Clan City for public execution, both to avenge the dead and preserve the Tie Clan’s prestige.

Tie Baxiu had originally been dispatched to investigate the matter. However, Tie Xue Leng happened to learn of the incident, while his daughter Tie Ruo nan was equally determined to avenge her clansmen and uncover the truth behind their deaths. In the end, the three traveled to Chiyang Mountain together. They first visited Chijia Village to learn the details of the incident before making their way to the battlefield.

“Understood.” Tie Baxiu readily agreed. He was a burly man with broad shoulders and a square face. His firm expression and composed bearing made him appear dependable at first glance.

Tie Baxiu possessed Rank Four cultivation and was already renowned throughout the Southern Border. In his youth, however, he had been ostracized within the clan and eventually forced to wander outside alone. During those difficult years, he encountered a Rank Five righteous path Gu Master and obtained an opportunity that allowed him to abandon Metal Path and switch to Strength Path. From then on, his cultivation advanced rapidly, and his reputation spread throughout the Southern Border.

By now, Tie Baxiu had firmly established himself among the renowned experts of the righteous path. He possessed the Rank Five Earth Overlord Gu and was known as the “Mountain Overlord,” with combat strength surpassing ordinary Rank Four peak stage Gu Masters. Earth Overlord Gu allowed him to continuously draw strength from the earth as long as his feet remained firmly planted on the ground. With this advantage, even renowned Rank Four peak stage experts such as the demonic path’s Long Qingtian and Kong Ritian, or the righteous path’s Yi Chong and Shang Buli, would find it extremely difficult to defeat him.

“Father, I don’t understand. Why are there so many damned criminals in this world? When will this world finally return to order?” Beside Tie Xue Leng stood a youthful figure with straight, sword-like brows and bright, clear eyes. Her sharp gaze continuously swept across the surroundings, while her bearing carried the fierceness of a young eagle. Although dressed much like a young man, the subtle features of her face and figure clearly revealed that she was a girl.

She was Tie Xue Leng’s daughter, Tie Ruonan.

“Where righteousness exists, evil will inevitably exist as well. Evil can never be completely eradicated, Ruonan. You must learn to accept that.” Tie Xue Leng’s voice remained calm. “When we encounter evil, we need only pursue the truth, punish those responsible, and do everything within our power. If we can accomplish that, our conscience will be clear.”

Tie Ruonan was obviously dissatisfied with this answer. She shook her head firmly. “Father, I don’t agree. White is white, and black is black. If someone commits a crime, they should be punished, and the evil they caused should be eradicated completely. If we simply accept that evil will always exist, then where is justice? Where is fairness? How can righteousness ever prevail?”

“This is simply the nature of the world. Where there are people, there will be interests, and where interests clash, crimes will inevitably follow. As long as people and their desires continue to exist, crime will never disappear completely.” Tie Xue Leng’s voice carried a trace of coldness and weariness. “Ruonan, one day you will understand that the strength of a single person is far too limited.”

Once, Tie Xue Leng had also been a passionate young man filled with ambition, believing that every injustice could be corrected and every criminal brought to justice. After experiencing countless cases and witnessing the darker side of human nature, however, that youthful passion had gradually cooled. He had not abandoned justice, but he had long since understood how difficult it was to impose justice upon the entire world.

“Enough. It’s still too early for you to worry about such things. You haven’t even awakened your aperture for a full year, and you’re only a Rank Two Gu Master. Matters like these are still far beyond you.”

“Yes, Father.” Tie Ruonan pursed her lips, clearly unconvinced by her father’s words.

When people were young, they often believed themselves capable of anything. They dreamed of changing the world and regarded those middle-aged people whose edges had been worn smooth by life as weak or cowardly. They believed that they themselves were different, that no matter how much time passed or how many hardships they encountered, they would never change. Only after growing older would most gradually discover that very few people could truly remain unchanged beneath the passage of time, and they themselves were rarely the exception.

“Brother Xue Leng, I’ve found something.” Tie Baxiu rose from the ground and spoke solemnly. “A fierce battle indeed took place here. Brother Tie Ju and the others most likely died at this very location. Judging from the remaining traces, their opponent was a young male Gu Master in his twenties who cultivated Blood Path and possessed Rank Three middle stage cultivation. His methods were extremely varied, and he possessed several unusual Blood Path Gu. However, although he managed to wipe out Brother Tie Ju’s entire team, he also suffered extremely severe injuries and should have been close to death afterward.”

Tie Baxiu respectfully reported everything he had discovered. With the assistance of the Tie Clan’s investigative Gu, he had reconstructed much of the battle from the traces remaining at the scene. His respect toward Tie Xue Leng was not merely due to the latter’s reputation. During Tie Baxiu’s difficult years, Tie Xue Leng had once helped him greatly, and Tie Baxiu had never forgotten that favor.

“It appears the culprit really is that traitorous Gu Master from Xu Village.” Tie Xue Leng considered the clues briefly before turning away. “Let’s follow the trail left by Iron Rust Flower Gu. As long as he’s still alive, we should be able to find him.”

Iron Rust Flower Gu directly affected the soul, leaving behind an invisible fragrance that was extremely difficult to remove. Even a Rank Five expert would find it troublesome to eliminate, which was precisely why Tie Xue Leng had such confidence in this tracking method.

The three followed the invisible fragrance through Chiyang Mountain, but after traveling for some distance, the trail abruptly vanished.

Tie Baxiu immediately stopped. “Strange. The fragrance left by Iron Rust Flower Gu shouldn’t simply disappear. Unless…” His brows furrowed as an unpleasant possibility occurred to him. “Could that Blood Path Gu Master already be dead? But how could that be?”

Tie Ruo nan immediately frowned. If Yang Kang had truly died, then this was the worst possible conclusion in her eyes. After committing such heinous crimes and slaughtering members of the Tie Clan, he had simply died before they could bring him to justice.

That was far too lenient!

A criminal like him should have been captured alive, judged for his crimes, and imprisoned within the Demon Suppression Tower, forced to spend the rest of his life paying for everything he had done.

“Let me see exactly what happened here.” Tie Xue Leng took out a Time Path Gu borrowed from the Chijia Village clan leader and infused it with primeval essence. Images of what had happened in the area gradually appeared before him, allowing him to reconstruct part of the scene.

After observing for a while, his attention suddenly fell upon one particular figure.

“Gu Yue… This person intentionally claimed to be from the Gu Yue Clan. Is he trying to mislead us, or is he really a Gu Yue clansman?”