Xiao Fuxuan: "..."

He blocked him with an arm, tucking the person behind his back with a deadpan expression. He then reached out himself to probe his spirit again.

Yi Wusheng was different from Ah Yao.

His body was thick with malevolent energy, which was completely repelled by the Immortal Sense on Xiao Fuxuan, causing an extremely violent reaction.

He suddenly erupted, rolling over on the spot in an attempt to escape from under Xiao Fuxuan's palm, but he failed, ending up pressed face-down on the ground instead.

Xiao Fuxuan merely pressed a few fingers against his back, yet it felt like the weight of a thousand mountains.

Yi Wusheng's struggles were utterly wretched; his hair was disheveled, his clothes were twisted and wrinkled, and his personal sword had fallen to the ground.

Xiao Fuxuan was worried he might draw his sword and rise again. Just as he was about to kick the sword away, he heard Wu Xingxue ask, "Xiao Fuxuan, what's that on the back of his neck?"

Though he constantly claimed to be "a mere mortal," his courage was quite immense. Right now, he was half-squatting in front of Yi Wusheng, pulling at the back of his collar.

Xiao Fuxuan frowned. Just as he was about to tell him to move aside, he saw the thing on the back of Yi Wusheng's neck.

At first glance, it looked like a scar, as if he had been torn by something and it had then healed.

It was perfectly normal for disciples of the Immortal Sects, who often battled Evil Demons, to have some tears and scratches on their bodies. What was abnormal was the edge of this scar, where a faint inky color could be seen.

It was as if there had originally been some kind of seal here, but it was obscured by the scar.

"Is this a Puppet Seal?" Wu Xingxue asked.

It seemed he only knew of the Puppet Seal, so that was all he could guess.

"No." Xiao Fuxuan took a closer look. "But it's not far off."

The back of the neck is one of a living person's vital points, so seals in this place are usually very special. The most common is the Puppet Seal. But other seals are also more or less related to controlling spirits and souls.

Could it be... that this Yi Wusheng was originally being controlled by someone, which is why he walked the evil path and became like this?

As Xiao Fuxuan lowered his head to examine the seal, the ceaselessly struggling Yi Wusheng suddenly paused. His neck twitched a few times, and he lifted his head with great difficulty.

His eyes, with their whites showing, darted about randomly before slowly focusing on Wu Xingxue, who was in front of him.

He became lucid for a very brief moment, grabbing the hem of Wu Xingxue's robe. His blood-stained lips moved a few times.

Looking at Wu Xingxue, he mouthed, "Save me..."

"Kill me..."

Wu Xingxue looked down at him.

Another, similar scene suddenly flashed through his mind.

Also a deep, lamp-lit room, also a person twitching and struggling, also saying such words with a mouth full of blood—

I've devoured so many people...

Save me...

Kill me...

I'm begging you...

"Xiao Fuxuan," Wu Xingxue suddenly said.

Xiao Fuxuan looked up and saw his pupils were as dark as ink.

"That young Hua Family disciple said Yi Wuqi was also buried in the Peach Blossom Forest? Is he outside the door right now?" Wu Xingxue asked.

Before he could say anything, Xiao Fuxuan thought of something.

The next instant, he had already swept into the courtyard.

The crowd of Hua Family disciples was in an uproar; the Family Head, Hua Zhaoting, had also arrived. They summoned their longswords and were about to charge forward when a fierce wind suddenly rose out of nowhere in the courtyard. Wrapped in snow powder from an unknown source, it formed an impenetrable screen, blocking them outside.

Xiao Fuxuan paid no heed to the nearly one thousand miscellaneous people.

His sword remained sheathed; he only struck the ground with the tip of its scabbard.

The ground trembled violently, and the things that had been buried deep underground were instantly turned up. Severed limbs, broken torsos, and empty skins filled the entire courtyard. They were all the Evil Demons that had once invaded Peach Blossom Isle, as well as the people who had been killed by them.

Yi Wusheng's older brother, Yi Wuqi, who was rumored to have been killed by Wu Xingxue, was also among them.

If Yi Wusheng had a seal on the back of his neck, it proved he had been controlled by someone and turned into an Evil Demon.

Then... could Yi Wuqi have one on the back of his neck as well?

If Yi Wuqi's condition was similar to Yi Wusheng's, would that not prove that the rumors from back then were questionable?

With almost no effort, Xiao Fuxuan found Yi Wuqi's empty skin.

These people had originally cultivated immortal arts, and after being devoured by Evil Demons, they were tainted with demonic energy. With the combination of both, they wouldn't rot even after being buried for a hundred years.

The face was still the same as when it had fallen into a pool of blood, wearing an eerie smile that looked frightening and terrifying.

Xiao Fuxuan had seen much worse; he was as unshakable as a mountain.

He turned Yi Wuqi's head and saw the exact same mark on the back of his neck.

"As expected..."

he said in a low voice.

He was about to disperse the wind and snow to let the Hua Family members see for themselves when he suddenly heard a clear, metallic ring from the room behind him, like a longsword being unsheathed.

Xiao Fuxuan froze.

He whipped his head around to look inside the house, but from his angle, he could only see the flickering lamplight.

Wrapped in a cold wind, he swept back into the house.

In just a flash, Yi Wusheng, who had been under his pressure moments before, was now lying in a pool of blood.

His face wore the same smile as his older brother's, and the ground was pooled with dark red blood.

The killer was Yi Wusheng's own sword, which was now held in the hands of the madman, Ah Yao.

At first glance, the whole scene looked as if a dazed Ah Yao had suddenly scrambled up from the ground, drawn the sword, and finished Yi Wusheng off.

But Ah Yao's expression was one of bewilderment.

His eyes were wide open as he panted heavily, staring blankly at Yi Wusheng's face on the ground. The sword in his hand was covered in a layer of cold mist, dripping with blood.

Xiao Fuxuan's gaze swept over Ah Yao's blank face, then suddenly turned to the other person in the room.

He saw Wu Xingxue standing tall beside a red pillar, the lamplight at his side casting a warm glow upon him. His hands were empty, hanging by his sides. Because of his wide robes, he appeared tall and slender.

His eyes were set under the shadows of his brow bone and nose. When lowered, they were like ink; when raised, they were as bright as the morning star.