Chapter 32: Kill on Sight

Cross's hands were tougher than others, calloused from years of drawing bowstrings. On the day they encountered the Blackscale Wolf pack, after a day and night of intense fighting, his hands hadn't trembled like this. It was clear what a brutal battle he had endured before Xu Qing's return. Such trembling, coupled with the fact that he was severely wounded, indicated he had faced an insurmountable opponent. The exhaustion evident in Luan Ya's weakness also clearly showed she had fought with everything she had.

The reaction of the crowd when he entered the camp, the many unfamiliar faces, the large number of camp master's men outside his dwelling, and the sinister gaze of Three-Beard – all of this allowed Xu Qing to already know who the enemy was. The more he understood, the stronger his unease grew. Under his questioning, Cross and Luan Ya quietly revealed the reason.

In his early years, Captain Lei was not a scavenger but an ordinary person from a city far from here. Due to his aptitude, he had served as a guard in his city, gaining his cultivation methods then. He was highly regarded by the city lord and had a childhood sweetheart fiancée. Everything was perfect, but it all changed with the arrival of a convoy.

Cross and Luan Ya didn't know the exact details; they only heard Captain Lei mumble once when he was drunk years later that "everything was gone." His fiancée had died, and his cultivation was crippled after he took revenge. He barely survived, fled his hometown, struggled to cultivate again, and became a scavenger. Decades passed, and he became an old man, worn by time. Captain Lei, who had intended to retire and put everything behind him, had done so until...

...he saw the arriving convoy in the camp, and a person within it. The one who had destroyed everything for him, the person he thought he had killed, was still alive. However, Captain Lei didn't choose to continue his revenge, seemingly worried about implicating others. So, he bitterly chose to escape, rushing to Songtao City. But he didn't know that his enemy was aware of his existence. Thus, a few days ago, the camp master arranged for people to capture Captain Lei from Songtao City and present him as a gift to his collaborator, who was Captain Lei's old foe.

"Someone at the camp master's place whose life I saved secretly informed us when Luan Ya and I returned two days ago," Cross said, gritting his teeth. "That's how we found out. We immediately went to try and rescue him, but we failed... But at the camp master's, I saw Captain Lei's enemy. Their foundation had also collapsed, and they had cultivated again, just like Captain Lei. Although they are stronger than Captain Lei, it's not by much."

"We've also gathered some information about this convoy," Luan Ya whispered. "They are backed by a mysterious organization called 'Night Raven.' This organization is vast, with countless convoys spread across the entire South Phoenix Continent, traveling between various scavenger camps and small cities. They trade with camp masters and city lords, buying people to turn them into... 'treasure nurturers'."

"The camp master, the convoy..." Xu Qing's breathing quickened, and his eyes blazed with intense killing intent. He felt a raging fire burning within him, causing his eyes to become bloodshot. Overwhelmed by towering fury, he turned and walked directly towards the door. Behind him, Cross and Luan Ya were anxious. Luan Ya spoke urgently.

"Kid, we need to plan this carefully. We must unite with other scavengers. This involves disappearances spanning many years, we..."

"No need!" Xu Qing's words cut her off. The moment he spoke, he raised his right hand, grabbed the long sword from his back, and swung it forcefully. Instantly, the long sword transformed into a cold flash, streaking like a rainbow towards the courtyard gate. It plunged through in an instant, its immense power erupting. The courtyard gate shattered into pieces, revealing a camp master's guard who had been eavesdropping behind it. The man, clutching a dagger, his eyes wide with horror, fell to the ground, the sword having pierced directly through his chest. Blood gushed out. The sword, imbued with immense power, pierced through the guard's body and continued its trajectory towards the alley entrance in the distance. With a shriek from Three-Beard, it swiftly plunged into his thigh, pinning him firmly to the ground.

The casualties of the two men caused a brief silence outside, followed by an immediate outburst of shouts and low roars. Seven or eight camp master's guards surrounding the area quickly closed in. As Cross and Luan Ya's expressions changed, Xu Qing shot out like a bolt of lightning. The moment he stepped out the gate, he snatched the dead guard's dagger with his right hand and, in a single stride, was before another man. Without even a glance, as he passed by, the dagger flashed, slitting the man's throat. Blood erupted and splattered, but it was no match for the scarlet intensity of Xu Qing's eyes at that moment.

In his blood-red eyes, it was as if he saw Captain Lei in the camp, witnessing his old enemy with his own eyes, enduring the bitterness and grief he had to suppress despite his inner turmoil. This intensified Xu Qing's killing intent. He spun around abruptly and delivered a punch directly to the chest of a guard who had leaped at him from behind. With a muffled thud, the man bled from all seven orifices, his internal organs instantly collapsing. His body spun backward like a broken kite, falling to the ground.

At the same time, three more men charged at him with killing intent. Of these three, two were at the fifth level and one at the sixth. But just as they approached, Xu Qing waved his right hand, and a black iron skewer instantly flew out. It directly pierced one man's skull. With a low crouch, the dagger in his hand flashed coldly. He appeared before the sixth-level cultivator and swung it fiercely at his neck. *Crack.* The sixth-level cultivator reacted swiftly, instantly conjuring a spiritual energy barrier to block Xu Qing's dagger, but it couldn't stop his power. With a fierce push from Xu Qing, his eyes blazing red, the man was forced to retreat, crashing against the wall with a thud as Xu Qing pressed him hard. To the sixth-level guard's horror, the dagger sliced through his spiritual energy barrier and plunged into his neck, piercing it instantly. The force was so great that the wall behind the sixth-level corpse also collapsed with a roar.

Standing there, Xu Qing turned his head, his killing intent seemingly solidifying in his gaze. This made the remaining three to five camp master's guards tremble, their eyes contracting. Even though they were all at the sixth level of cultivation, they still quivered and retreated. Even Three-Beard's screams paused for a moment, his face uncontrollably turning pale and anxious.

But the slaughter was far from over. Xu Qing lunged forward. The three to five guards' minds buzzed; they tried to retreat faster, but it was too late. Xu Qing was too fast. After closing the distance in an instant, his left hand landed directly on one guard's head, crushing it with a bang. His body, like a phantom, appeared strangely beside another person, his dagger flashing. He then moved again, appearing before the third man. This man trembled, letting out a desperate roar, opening his arms as if to embrace Xu Qing, seemingly aiming for mutual destruction. But what awaited him was a brutal headbutt from Xu Qing. The roar ceased abruptly. The guard's forehead caved in, and he died instantly. At the same time, Xu Qing abruptly retreated, bumping into another person. The dagger in his hand relentlessly stabbed behind him, once, twice, thrice... He didn't look up until he had slammed the man against yet another wall. Thudding sounds echoed as all the guards present fell to the ground, dead, their bodies mangled.

After killing multiple people, blood splattered on the ground. Under the late afternoon sun, the bloodstains on the ground glowed horrifyingly. The reflections on Xu Qing made him appear infused with bloodlust. Combined with his own powerful aura, he looked like a demonic god. Because of the slaughter here, many scavengers living nearby immediately emerged, gasping as they looked on.

"It's the kid!!""He... how is he so strong!""All the dead are the camp master's men. He's confronting the camp master!"

Cross and Luan Ya, supporting each other, also walked out. Seeing the bodies strewn across the ground, and Xu Qing's figure bathed in sunlight amidst the pooling blood, their hearts trembled violently. Amidst the clamor, Xu Qing walked towards the trembling Three-Beard. Along the way, he retrieved his dagger and iron skewer. He stopped directly in front of Three-Beard.

Three-Beard shivered, cold sweat continuously pouring down. The physical pain seemed unable to surpass his inner terror. He tried to struggle, but the long sword pinning his thigh rendered him utterly immobile. With despair in his eyes, he shrieked. "Kid, you're revol..."

Xu Qing grabbed the long sword in his thigh and forcefully slit upward. The sharp blade moved from Three-Beard's thigh, across his stomach and chin. As blood gushed out, Three-Beard, disemboweled alive, convulsed violently, let out a ghastly scream, and died.

Having done this, Xu Qing remained expressionless, his only emotion rising killing intent. Amidst the bloody reflections on the ground from the sunlight, he walked forward, step by step. The scavengers watching from ahead trembled in their hearts. Seeing Xu Qing approach, they immediately retreated and made way. They had seen ruthless individuals, but most were adults and desperadoes. It was extremely rare to see a fourteen or fifteen-year-old like Xu Qing kill so calmly, and seemingly without stopping.

"The direction he's heading... it's the camp master's mansion!"

Heavy breathing, as everyone realized Xu Qing's destination, turned into a mental roar, causing all scavengers to follow him in unison. From a distance, Xu Qing walked alone at the forefront, rushing swiftly towards the camp master's mansion. Behind him, a large group of scavengers followed quickly, and even more scavengers, hearing of the incident, gathered. Additionally, guards from the camp master's mansion and unfamiliar individuals from the convoy suddenly approached Xu Qing. Among them were powerful cultivators, seemingly intending to kill him.

Meanwhile, at the camp master's mansion, the camp master was sipping tea, chatting and laughing with a cold, arrogant-looking old man in a brocade robe beside him.

"No need to worry, Mr. Sun," the camp master said. "The matter will be resolved within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. No matter how capable a scavenger is, they are no match for our sect's cultivators. I originally intended to cultivate this kid properly and, if he was useful, recommend him to the sect. But since he's so foolish, he can just be killed."

"Alive would be better," the old man in the brocade robe murmured, taking a sip from his teacup. He then put it down and spoke calmly.