Chapter 106 — Ancient Temple
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 6 of 7
In these deep mountains and wild ridges—someone was lying in ambush!
The moonlight was cold, and seemed all the more laden with an uncanny hue.
Beyond the old temple, behind a hill in the distance.
A streak of purple brilliance burst suddenly forth in the night, shot up into midair, and then came slashing down.
Even at a distance of some tens of yards, Ming Li could feel that thread of piercing, murderous aura. His pupils contracted, and in an instant he had recognized the magic treasure.
The two men from the Fenzia Valley arrived swift as flight, but the old man's cultivation was plainly far above Sun Tu's; in a moment he had left Sun Tu several yards behind, and a dark red immortal sword had already appeared in his hand as he flew swiftly toward where the purple brilliance had flashed.
But before he could reach the far side of the hill, a great roar rang out, full of despair, echoing through the dark night. The old man's face changed drastically; he redoubled his pace, and with a whistling sound flew over—and Ming Li, silent as a shadow, followed from another direction and circled round behind the hill.
A reek of blood struck him full in the face. The cloak, cleft in two, drifted slowly down from midair; dark red blood was spattered everywhere. The mysterious figure, now revealed in his true form, was indeed a fish-man with a fish's head and a human body—but now he had been split clean in two from head to crotch by a single blade, and his corpse lay upon the ground. The killer, however, was nowhere to be seen.
The old man was torn between shock and fury. The killer had struck and slain in an instant, then vanished without a trace—such cultivation was truly no small matter. Loathsome as he found these fish-men, he knew that the Valley Master had grave matters to discuss with these savage tribes. Now, with a murder done under his very nose, should the other side demand an accounting, he would have no way to explain himself.
By then Sun Tu had arrived on the scene; seeing that bloody tableau before him, he stood gaping, dumbstruck.
The old man's face was hideous to behold. Of a sudden he sprang up, the dark red radiance bearing him aloft, and flew into midair, gazing all around—but he saw only pitch-black on every side, a boundless forest sea; where was the killer's shadow to be found?
Then of a sudden he shouted aloud: "Which master is here? Pray come forth and show yourself—Lü Shun of the Fenzia Valley begs your instruction!"
His voice carried far away, and after a moment echoes came drifting back faintly through the forest and hills: "Lü Shun begs your instruction... Lü Shun begs your instruction..."
Yet beyond that, there was no further sound at all.
Lü Shun's eyes seemed ready to spit fire. After a moment he dropped back to the ground and said hurriedly to Sun Tu: "Gather up the clan chief's corpse and carry it back to the valley. The killer struck not long ago—he must still be nearby. I will dig three feet into the earth if I must, but I will find him."
Sun Tu nodded hastily. "Take care, Martial Uncle."
Scarce had the words left his mouth when Lü Shun had already sprung up and vanished into the darkness of the woods. Sun Tu turned, looked at the corpse beneath him cleft in two, and as the stench of blood rushed at his nose, could not help but show his disgust. He spat.
Ming Li slowly withdrew. He pondered a moment in the shadows, then cast a careful glance over the surrounding terrain, and his gaze came to rest at last upon the old temple from which he had just emerged. At once he flitted toward it, silent as a ghost.
The night was cold; black clouds hid the moon.
Though but a short while had passed, within this old temple it suddenly seemed darker and more gloom-ridden than before. Only when the moon occasionally thrust its head from the black clouds did some few places catch its light, and a moment later they were swallowed in darkness again.