Clan Extermination

 Night deepened gradually.

Bai Qingxue and Little Snow had not gone far from Stonia.

She found a temporary cave in a secluded mountain forest to meditate and heal her wounds.

Yesterday's battle with Immortal Lady Yuxia had been won, but it had aggravated her old injuries. She needed time to stabilize.

Little Snow lay quietly beside her, licking its front paws, its amber eyes occasionally watching the cave entrance with vigilance.

Bai Qingxue's heart was far from calm.

She knew well Immortal Lady Yuxia's vindictive nature. Had Daoist Master Qingsong not suddenly appeared and vouched for them, she would never have let her leave so easily.

Though Daoist Master Qingsong seemed impartial, his attitude was ambiguous—there seemed to be more going on behind the scenes.

And the "Purple Sky Jade Family" behind Immortal Lady Yuxia held considerable power among the hidden clans, known for their domineering ways.

"The Wang family..." Bai Qingxue thought of those mortals trembling under the female cultivator's tyranny and sighed inwardly.

She had intervened partly for Little Snow, but also because she couldn't stand watching the mother and son slaughter innocents.

But saving them once—could she save them forever? She herself was beset by troubles, surrounded by powerful enemies.

She took out the wound medicine Dustin had given her and swallowed another pill.

The medicine's power spread, nourishing her damaged meridians.

Dustin... that young man who had lost all his cultivation yet possessed extraordinary medical skills. The jade pendant he'd given her was still with her, warm to the touch.

He'd said if she ever needed anything, she could use it to find him.

A mortal—what could he possibly do in Stonia now, with its treacherous undercurrents?

Bai Qingxue shook her head, banishing stray thoughts to focus on circulating her energy.

She had not expected the revenge to come so swiftly, so brutally.

Meanwhile, at the Wang family residence.

The entire Wang household was like a flock of startled birds.

Old Master Wang Mingde seemed to have aged ten years overnight. Forcing himself to stay composed, he directed the family in cleaning up the aftermath and treating the wounded.

Wang Yurou, whose hands had been severed, had been saved from death due to blood loss, but she was now crippled, her mind on the verge of collapse.

Wang Jing, bearing wounds on her face, and the other injured family members were all immersed in fear and grief.

Wang Mingde had brought out several pieces of ancient jade and gold artifacts treasured by the family, preparing to sell off the estate and relocate the entire family to distant relatives in the south, far from this place of trouble.

However, before they could act, doom had already descended.

Immortal Lady Yuxia, accompanied by her three guards, had returned—appearing directly at the Wang family's front gate.

The wounds on her face were barely concealed by powder, but the venom and killing intent in her eyes seemed ready to overflow.

"You... why have you returned?" The Wang family servant guarding the gate saw them and was scared out of his wits, turning to run inside and sound the alarm.

"Hmph!" The sinister man raised a finger, and a burst of energy shot out. The servant's back was pierced through, and he collapsed to the ground without a sound.

Immortal Lady Yuxia didn't even glance at the corpse as she strode into the residence. The Wang family members who heard the commotion came rushing out, and upon seeing the returning calamity, immediately fell into despair.

"Im... Immortal Lady, please spare us!" Wang Mingde dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his aged face. "Our Wang family meant no offense. Yesterday was purely an accident! We're willing to offer all our wealth—we only beg the Immortal Lady to show mercy and spare us!"

"All your wealth?" Immortal Lady Yuxia sneered, her gaze sweeping over the trembling crowd like she was looking at lambs awaiting slaughter. "Do you ants think your possessions are worthy of my notice? I've come today to collect a debt. The debt for watching a spectacle you shouldn't have seen, for my humiliation!"

"No... please no!" Wang Jing screamed in terror, clinging tightly to her equally trembling mother.

"Who shall I start with?" Immortal Lady Yuxia smiled cruelly, her gaze falling on Wang Mingde. "Old thing, you're the patriarch. I'll start with you."

She flicked her finger, and a bolt of purple lightning shot out, striking Wang Mingde directly in the chest.

"Father!"

"Grandfather!"

The Wang family cried out in anguish.

"Kill them! Leave no one alive!" Immortal Lady Yuxia's icy voice issued the order for massacre.

The sinister man charged into the crowd first, his curved blade like the Grim Reaper's scythe—each swing bringing a spray of blood and shrill screams.

The other two guards showed no mercy either, sword energy sweeping and fists dealing death.

Wang Mingde tried to resist but was struck by Immortal Lady Yuxia's purple lightning palm print to the forehead, dying on the spot, his eyes wide open, dying with grievances unresolved.

Wang Jing and her mother clung to each other, only to be cut in half by a sweep of sword energy.

Wang Yurou, lying handless on her sickbed, heard the screams outside and struggled in terror, only to have her chest crushed by a guard who burst into the room.

Servants, maids, children, elders... regardless of age or gender, pleas for mercy, wails, and screams rose in chorus, only to be swiftly swallowed by death.

Blood stained the courtyard, corridors, and rooms. The thick stench of blood filled the air.

Immortal Lady Yuxia stood in the center of the courtyard, coldly watching the slaughter, a hint of satisfaction on her face. She deliberately didn't kill everyone immediately, instead having her guards slow their pace so she could savor the fear and agony of the Wang family in their final moments.

About a quarter of an hour later, aside from Immortal Lady Yuxia and her three companions, not a single soul remained alive in the Wang residence.

Bodies lay everywhere. The scene was too gruesome to behold.

– Marinien