Chapter 3: Fighting the Venerable Envoy

Liu Yun Lake. Its waters were clear, the surface calm and undisturbed.

After leaving Huaxi Village, Shen Bai and Wuhua headed straight for Liu Yun Lake.

The matters in the village had come to a close. With only the Locust Tree affair remaining, Shen Bai focused his attention on Liu Yun Lake.

The journey was uneventful.

When Shen Bai and Wuhua arrived, they stood by the shore and gazed out at the center of the lake.

In the middle of the lake was a small island.

And on that island stood an enormous Locust Tree.

The Locust Tree’s branches were dense, its leaves rustling as they swayed in the wind.

"Such a beautiful sight, yet it hides such filth," Wuhua lamented, standing by the water’s edge. "The Abbot said the world is rife with disaster. It is truly so."

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes. "We’re here. Are you still not going to tell me the true purpose of this trip?"

Shen Bai had asked Wuhua before why Xuanxin Temple had sent him alone, but Wuhua had said it was inconvenient to say.

Now, Shen Bai was asking again.

Wuhua brought his palms together. After a moment’s thought, he said, "On our journey here, this humble monk has come to know that although you can be ruthless, sir, you are ultimately a good person. There is no harm in telling you."

’A good person?’

It was the first time Shen Bai had heard someone describe him that way. He didn’t refute it, however, instead gesturing for Wuhua to continue while keeping his hand on the hilt of his Longsword.

Wuhua organized his thoughts before speaking. "The matter of the Locust Tree is a stain on Xuanxin Temple’s name. The temple does not want outsiders to know. If we dispatched a large force and the world found out that Xuanxin Temple had cultivated an abomination, you should know what the result would be, sir."

Hearing this, Shen Bai understood.

Even a temple dedicated to Exorcising Demons was, in the end, a Jianghu Influence.

If others learned that Xuanxin Temple’s Locust Tree had become an abomination, it wouldn’t just be a disgrace; it would be a devastating blow to the faction’s reputation.

But what Shen Bai didn’t understand was why, even if it concerned their reputation, they would only send Wuhua alone. It still seemed improper.

Wuhua seemed to have read Shen Bai’s mind and took out a round bead from his robes.

The moment Shen Bai saw the bead, his eyes lit up.

’This is a Deceitful Object.’

Before his eyes, a line of text formed from smoke appeared.

Since it could be triggered by his Golden Finger and generate text, it was clearly the Deceitful Object Shen Bai had been longing for.

Wuhua nodded and explained, "This Deceitful Object is one of Xuanxin Temple’s treasures. When fully activated, it can emit Buddha’s Light with a strength equivalent to twice my own. So, this is my trump card."

At this point, Shen Bai roughly understood the reason.

No wonder Wuhua dared to come alone; he had brought a Deceitful Object with him.

Deceitful Objects were so precious, yet Xuanxin Temple was willing to part with one. It seemed they were truly desperate to cover up this business with the Locust Tree.

Shen Bai nodded. "In that case, let’s get this over with."

Although it was a Deceitful Object, it belonged to Xuanxin Temple and was in Wuhua’s possession. Shen Bai had no designs on it.

For now, his focus was still on the giant Locust Tree.

Having said all that needed to be said, they spoke no more and walked together to the lakeshore.

The lake water was translucent and clear, its surface reflecting the moonlight.

Standing on the bank, Shen Bai looked into the lake and felt a cold wind rise around him.

As the chill passed, Shen Bai saw the scene within the lake.

The surface of the lake was breathtakingly beautiful, but that was only on the surface.

In the water, dark shadows drifted slowly with the current.

Under Shen Bai’s gaze, the dark shadows gradually revealed their true form.

They were corpses, more than a dozen of them.

The bodies floated in the water with their eyes shut. Their skin was swollen and pale from the immersion, their original features long since unrecognizable.

And from the heart of each corpse extended a black branch.

Looking closely, one could see that the ends of the black branches led back to the island in the center of the lake.

A Locust Tree stood on the island. One didn’t need to guess what those branches were.

"It’s using humans as food. This abomination is getting stronger and stronger."

Seeing this, a grave expression appeared on Wuhua’s face.

By feeding on humans, resentful energy is born after they die.

Soaking the corpses in the lake and piercing them with the Locust Tree’s roots allows the tree to continuously absorb their resentful energy, making it even more terrifyingly powerful.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "Let’s make this quick."

Now that they understood the situation and knew their enemy, the most direct and effective method was to eliminate it.

Wuhua was about to speak, but just then, something strange happened at the lakeside.

The calm water began to churn, and a mist rose from its surface.

Within the mist, a bamboo raft slowly came into focus.

On the raft, a boatman in a straw raincoat poled his way slowly toward the shore.

His eyes, as red as blood, were fixed on Shen Bai and Wuhua.

"This must be the Guide Village Chief Yang mentioned."

Shen Bai drew the Longsword from his waist.

A chilling voice, like the harbinger of a harsh winter, drifted from the raft.

"That entire village was the fruit of my labor, and now it’s all gone. In that case, I’ll just have to take the two of you to answer to my superiors."

As the voice faded, a cold mist rose from the lake, freezing its surface into a thin layer of ice.

Shen Bai didn’t know how the man had found out, but in this situation, a fight could break out at any moment.

After the boatman finished speaking, his grip on the bamboo pole tightened. His five fingers contracted, and the pole instantly shattered.

A Silver Spear appeared in his hand. At the same time, the straw raincoat on his body began to writhe like squirming worms, weaving itself into a suit of Soft Armor.

Even more bizarrely, the boatman’s face was caked in thick rouge, just like a stage Actor.

Seeing this, Wuhua’s expression grew solemn. "Sir, be careful! This is the Xiqu Venerable Envoy, one of the Twelve Venerable Envoys of the Upper Evil Sect. He is a master of the spear, and it is said that wherever his spear passes, nothing is left standing."

Wuhua didn’t get to finish his warning, because he saw that the Longsword in Shen Bai’s hand was already unsheathed.

A righteous, brilliant aura flowed over the Longsword. In an instant, the surrounding chill was swept away as if by a gale.

"CLANG!"

With the sound of metal clashing against metal, a terrifying splash erupted across the lake’s surface.

Venerable Xi blocked Shen Bai’s Longsword with his spear, a flash of astonishment in his blood-red eyes.

"A master of Swordsmanship... The Five-Heart Sect Leader was killed by a sword. Was that your doing?"

Shen Bai said coolly, "Go down and join him, and you’ll know, won’t you?"

The Xiqu Venerable Envoy sneered. "Attack."

The moment the words left his mouth, a portly figure burst from the water, raising a pair of giant palms to strike at Shen Bai’s back.