Pathway

Zhang Xiu Ying left the villager's side and walked towards the center where the chieftain was still addressing the crowd. She understood the enormity of the task on the head of a chieftain. Especially, keeping the village safe from dangers. Any cultivator indulging in the killing of innocents people must face the consequences, blood cultivator or not. Yet, wrong person shouldn't die wrongly for the acts of another.

"We've found her guilty of these crimes. As with the laws of the land, she would have to be put to death inside the infernal chamber."

"Greetings, chieftain Xu Xinyi."

"Who is that?"

Chieftain Xu Xinyi turned towards the voice in anger. Nobody in the village could interrupt the chieftain without consequencies. Not at the time when the whole village was on edge after the recent happenings.

"Please forgive me, chieftain Xu. I'm sect elder Cao Wang Xiu."

Elder Cao Wang Xiu replied with a raised cupped fist. The village chieftain was a peak-stage copper core, but elder Cao Wang Xiu knew the importance of honour accorded the chieftains. She continued raising her cupped fist until the chieftain recovered from the slight shock of having a sect elder in the village. 

"We welcome you, sect elder Cao."

"Thank you, chieftan Xu. Forgive me for intruding. But I think you should thoroughly investigate the matter before making that decision. Don't you think?"

"We have checked and confirmed it, sect elder Cao. There's no doubt about our findings."

"Please, allow me."

As she said that elder Wang Xiu dropped the Light-Caller seal she was holding in her hand, and the light from the seal covered the whole area.

"Into the light and let it be revealed."

The shield surrounding the grim-faced man shimmered and quickly faded, revealing the true sickening aura of the man. Aura which had been moulded by blood and karmic sins.

"You?"

Chieftain Xu Xinyi asked in shock. He couldn't believe the man acting as a trusted ally was a shifer. Was he the one killing the children? But the village diviner confirmed it was the girl. Then, what about this shifter?

"Yes, me. So what? Can you can be quiet now? Thank you."

The grim faced man replied, as he turned his attention towards elder Cao Wang Xiu with a smile that resembled a scowl. He had been hoping to carry out his task silently and leave the people to their confrontations. But things had changed after the sect elder used the truth-revealing seal.

"Now, you have my attention, silver core Cao Wang Xiu. I've been watching you since you arrived."

The grim-faced man shook his head slightly before giving a mocking bow.

"Please, forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Blood Blade."

The grey-robed man, still smiling, stared fixedly at elder Wang Xiu.

"Shall we?"

Since the revelation of Blood Blade, the village center had gone distinctly quiet. All the gathered villagers had since disappeared from the vicinity of the area. Some, in their little understanding, had barricaded themselves in their homes while the most discerning had simply left the village in high speed and were watching from afar. Only high level blood cultivators could shape-shift conveniently and avoid any detection from lower levelled cultivators. 

Unless, through a shape-shifting seal? Ah, the dream and illusion cultivators could easily create such illusions too. The crazy world of cultivation.

Looking at the villagers who were watching from afar, elder Cao Wang Xiu shook her head. Why wouldn't they run for their lives? The situation was already beyond the height of mere mortals. The man in black robe was already an immortal cultivator beyond ordinary comprehension. He was one of the cultivators who could easily cause the destruction of the whole place in seconds. That would certainly result in the death of hundreds or thousands of innocent mortals. Any bystander would simply be a part of the casualties.

That was the major reason why only the avatars, and not the true physical bodies, of the heavenly gods were permitted by the universe to enter the mortal plane. The utter destruction that could occur from exposure to their conflicting powers would be too devastating for any mortal worlds. The avatars of the heavenly entities contained lesser powers which the mortal plane could still handle.

Blood Blade keenly observed elder Wang Xiu for few seconds before smiling bitterly.

"Cao Wang Xiu. I've been patiently waiting for you for some time. I knew you'll come eventually."

Elder Wang Xiu trembled slightly when she heard those words. Why in heavens tears would an extremely dangerous being, a murderer of innocent children, be waiting for her here? Oh, why her at all? She knew from the records of The Dominants, what the name of this black robed man meant. Peril and death. That's what. And she was now staring into his very eyes. At that time, she realised she took a mortal risk with the talisman. It wasn't even the power of the truth revealing seal that exposed the identity of the black-robed man. The man intentionally revealed himself. 

The legendary Blood Blade.

An Immortal at the peak of cultivation on the mortal plane. Named Blood-Blade after his luminous red sword, his level of power could only be imagined. A sword made from the mythical red primitium and the core of an ancient Spada-beast. Only extremely powerful martial artists who had left great marks on any planes could take the name of their swords. And Blood-Blade was one of them.

He was a double elements affiliate, representing the dream and illusion, and lightning. He had already reached the gates of the heavenly precinct of mystical arts. Without holding his legendary sword, he could manifest a higher degree of dreams and illusions or lightning than before. The most terrifying was the web of red lightning of his mystical arts, produced through his sword. It was almost compressed into a single streak of stroke, but packed with more devastating power.

Those were the traits of the gods and celestials.