Looking at the pure light in Su Xue's eyes, Chen Zhou smiled.
"Go on."
Chen Zhou waved his hand with a casual tone, as if he were simply asking her to go buy groceries.
"Have some confidence. In this world, there might be those stronger than you at killing."
"But when it comes to saving lives and the path of medicine, no one is more skilled than you."
"You are a Heavenly Doctor, a spirit herb brimming with life. If you want to do it, then go."
Upon hearing this, a brilliant smile appeared in Su Xue's eyes.
"Yes, my Lord!"
She gave a deep bow, then turned and transformed into a streak of emerald light, rushing toward the devastated city.
To the side, Poison-Wing flapped his wings. Watching Su Xue's departing figure, he felt a bit restless. "My Lord, then I should also..."
"Why are you trying to join the fun?" Chen Zhou shot him a glance. "Can you treat illnesses? Or can you plant trees?"
Poison-Wing choked on his words, saying sheepishly, "Well... I can spray poison."
"Exactly." Chen Zhou pointed toward the distant frozen plains.
"Though the Wolf Court has fallen, there are surely many remnants scattered throughout the Northern Region."
"There are also many monsters that relied on the Wolf Court to act like tyrants. They're likely thinking about how to carve up the territory right now."
"Plague Rat, Poison-Wing, the two of you go."
"Wipe out the remnants. Leave none alive."
Plague Rat grabbed Poison-Wing's neck in a tight headlock and chuckled. "Don't worry, my Lord. Old Rat is most familiar with this kind of battlefield cleanup."
Poison-Wing was a bit disappointed he couldn't go with Big Sis Su Xue.
However, having fought side-by-side through all these battles, they had walked past the gates of hell together several times. Recognizing this guy as his boss wasn't exactly shameful.
After all, this boss actually dared to step up during critical moments.
"Let's go, Rat Bro!" With a flutter of his wings, Poison-Wing took to the air, his voice booming.
Plague Rat was momentarily stunned, then his tail curled up to the sky in delight.
"Heh, let's go, Little Ten! Lord Rat will take you for another wild ride across these Northern Region ice fields!"
Transforming into streaks of black and purple light, the two charged into the distant wind and snow, trailing a thick murderous aura.
As Chen Zhou watched the group disperse, the once-boisterous battlefield finally grew completely silent.
He deactivated his Bone Incarnation state, and Jian Huaishuang regained control of his body.
"Is it over?"
"More or less."
Chen Zhou turned to look at the perennially taciturn swordsman.
Jian Huaishuang looked down and caressed the blade of his sword, a flash of realization appearing in his eyes. "My Lord, at the moment you bestowed the divine seal to sever the umbilical cord... I sensed a certain sword intent."
"It was very sad, very desperate, yet very sharp."
"It feels as though I can use this sword intent to touch a higher realm of the sword dao."
"But that sword intent dissipated quickly. I wasn't able to fully comprehend it in time."
"Since you've had a realization, don't let it go to waste." Chen Zhou pondered for a moment before pointing toward the south. "Our business here is done. You should go seek your own fortune now."
"Where to?" Jian Huaishuang asked.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect."
Jian Huaishuang was startled, but he didn't say anything more. He never questioned his Lord's words.
"Understood."
The wind and snow had just begun to settle as Jian Huaishuang departed in the opposite direction of Plague Rat and Poison-Wing.
Meanwhile, Plague Rat and Poison-Wing had already found a hidden snow valley.
The icy rocks at the entrance of the valley shattered as a massive snow wolf demon flew backward with a scream. Its body was covered in human-face sores, and the wounds oozed an eerie purple-black fluid—a power born from the mixture of lethal poison and plague.
"You... who exactly are you?!"
The snow wolf demon looked at the two omens of death before it in terror.
The main force of the Wolf Court had been destroyed. These peripheral monsters thought they could take advantage of the chaos to become kings of their own mountains. They hadn't even been happy for half an hour before these two harbingers of pestilence arrived.
One was covered in purple downy feathers with a face like a vicious ghost; the other wore a mask and had blood-red eyes.
They were simply more terrifying than the Wolf Court's disciplinary squads.
Poison-Wing flapped his wings, hovering in mid-air. He looked down at the dying snow wolf demon and mimicked Plague Rat's usual expression, flashing a flamboyant smile.
"Who are we?"
"Listen well. I am the one here to claim the lives of those responsible for the countless bones on these frozen plains."
Smack!
Before he could finish his sentence, a claw condensed from fiendish qi struck Poison-Wing's bald forehead.
"Have some dignity, will you!"
Plague Rat emerged from the shadows and scolded him irritably. "We are now officially registered Auspicious Ones."
Plague Rat cleared his throat and stepped on the snow wolf demon's head.
"Listen clearly, little wolf cub."
"The one standing before you is the Walking Divine Messenger under the Bone God, the head of the Auspicious Ones, the number one ranked—Lord Rat who is here for your life!"
Poison-Wing rubbed his forehead and didn't get angry. Instead, he chuckled.
"Right, right, Rat Bro is right."
"We are all Auspicious Ones—Auspicious Ones specifically sent to send you to the afterlife!"
The snow wolf demon: "..."
Before it could even beg for mercy, Plague Rat exerted force with his foot. A burst of plague power instantly snuffed out its life.
"That's the seventeenth outpost."
Plague Rat withdrew his foot, expertly bundled the wolf demon's corpse, and tossed it to Poison-Wing. "Catch. Bring them all back; the Lord needs these."
"Using their flesh and blood to pay their debts can be considered building merit for their next lives."
Poison-Wing caught the demon corpse and tossed it casually onto his back. His form expanded dozens of times as he rose with the wind.
"Rat Bro, these remnants of the Wolf Court can't take a hit at all."
"Each one looks fierce and malicious, but they turn out to be nothing but weaklings."
"Don't be careless." Plague Rat narrowed his crimson eyes and looked deep into the wind and snow. "Do you see what that place ahead is?"
Plague Rat pointed toward a massive fortress veiled by the blizzard. It was towering and magnificent, yet incredibly cold.
"Shall we take a look?"
The two followed the tracks all the way to the fortress gates.
They felt that the atmosphere here was entirely different from the demon-infested outposts they had seen before.
There was no scent of blood, no air of slaughter.
Poison-Wing retracted his wings and landed on the frost-covered city wall, looking into the fortress with surprise.
Looking across the courtyard of Frost-Snow Fortress, they saw countless frozen graves standing there.
In front of every grave was either a broken sword or a simple wooden plaque. Though humble, they were kept immaculately clean.
Among these graves, a few snow demons were silently sweeping away the accumulated snow.
Even as they saw these two omens of death descend, they continued their work with gentle movements.
Poison-Wing's brow furrowed. "This place is impossibly clean. What are they doing?"
Poison-Wing possessed a baleful star destiny and was highly sensitive to murderous intent. If even he couldn't sense any, then there truly was none.
Plague Rat was also bewildered. He even saw a small snow demon holding an ice flower, carefully placing it before an anonymous solitary grave.
The two walked through the courtyard. The snow demons merely watched them quietly, even proactively making a path for them.
Deep within Frost-Snow Fortress was a simple forge.
The fire had long since been extinguished, leaving only a sword furnace made of stacked ice.
Upon that sword furnace, Plague Rat saw a line of crooked words.
They had been carved into the ice with the tip of a sword; the strokes were deep, and the edges were stained with dark red blood.
Plague Rat moved closer and gently brushed away the thin frost.
The words were revealed, consisting of only two couplets:
'This body is defiled, but this heart has not grown cold. Where the blade points, it is only to settle a blood debt for the dead and ask for justice.'
'If you see my words, successor... trust not in immortals or Buddhas; trust the sword in your hand and the person in your heart.'
Poison-Wing leaned in to take a look. Although he was mostly illiterate, he could still sense a trace of sorrow.
It made even a rough fellow like him feel a weight in his chest.
Plague Rat remained silent for a long time before letting out a sigh.
"He was a pitiable person."
"Let's go."
Poison-Wing was startled. "Huh? We aren't killing these snow demons? They're remnants of the Wolf Court..."
"Remnants my ass."
Plague Rat shot him a look.
"Do they look like they would harm people to you?"
"They were raised and tamed by someone specifically to comfort the dead."
"Though we are killers, we aren't butchers who slaughter the innocent."
Plague Rat turned around and walked out with his hands behind his back.
"Just let these snow demons stay here. This place is quite suitable for resting in peace."
Poison-Wing stood frozen on the spot. Looking at Plague Rat's back and then at those words, he suddenly felt his Rat Bro's image had grown much taller.
"Wait for me, Rat Bro!"
Poison-Wing flapped his wings and chased after him.
Behind them, the gales of the Northern Region howled into the forge, once again gently burying the words written in blood.
Rate on N.U.
