Chapter 12: The Identity of the Black-Robed Figures

Lin Feng continued searching for traces of the Bianhua Flower.

To him, nothing was more important than this.

As for rescuing Li Luoyi and the others from Qingyun Sect — that had been done in passing, and he had already forgotten about it.

The matter of the black-robed figures left Lin Feng slightly on guard, yet he didn't dwell on it much.

Outside, he wouldn't dare say such a thing.

But here, in this place, however many black-robed figures came, he could kill them all.

At that moment, in a certain corner of the Nine Nethers Secret Realm, a battle had just come to an end.

Lying on the ground, devoid of any signs of life, were three black-robed figures.

Standing before their corpses and examining them was a woman of peerless, breathtaking beauty.

It was none other than Leng Hanshuang — Master of the Bingpo Sword, one of the Seven Swords of Shenxiao.

Even before entering the Nine Nethers Secret Realm, while mingling among the independent cultivators, she had already sensed the presence of many powerful individuals.

Now she was certain — they were the black-robed figures standing before her, who had simply changed their attire.

Though she didn't know what they had come here to do, it was certainly nothing good.

After a thorough search, she found nothing of value.

Leng Hanshuang furrowed her brow.

These black-robed figures had clearly undergone professional training, and every one of them was ruthless and fearless in the face of death.

Had she not possessed the overwhelming strength to crush them outright — had the gap between them been smaller — the outcome of today's battle would have been hard to predict.

Finding no clues on their persons, Leng Hanshuang refused to give up. She stripped off the black robes to expose their upper bodies, though she left the trousers below untouched.

Even if they were corpses, she had no desire to soil her eyes with the sight.

She examined them carefully.

Their arms, chests, and necks revealed nothing. So she flipped one of the black-robed figures over — face down, back up.

What met her eyes was a large, blood-red character — "Kill" — carved so deeply it consumed nearly half the man's back.

This character had not been written on; it had been carved in, fused with the very flesh and bone of the body.

At a single glance, Leng Hanshuang felt a wave of murderous intent wash over her.

Clearly, whoever had carved this character was no ordinary person.

Otherwise, such an overwhelming killing intent could never have been left behind.

Leng Hanshuang stood frozen in place, lost in thought for a long while — then her eyes suddenly narrowed.

Could they be…?

The moment that possibility crossed her mind, Leng Hanshuang's expression shifted to one of deep concern.

Things were becoming more and more troublesome.

It seemed the search for the Bianhua Flower would have to be set aside for now.

She had to kill as many of these black-robed figures as possible, and at the same time find her Core Disciple Ye Qingxuan along with the other disciples of Shenxiao Sword Sect, and warn them of the gravity of the situation.

Otherwise, Shenxiao Sword Sect's expedition into the Nine Nethers Secret Realm this time would surely end in devastating losses.

Days passed, one after another.

In the blink of an eye, ten days had gone by.

Within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm, battles erupted at nearly every moment, and lives were lost without end.

Some fell to the jaws of beasts, some were slain by the black-robed figures, and others died fighting over treasures.

Even so, compared to the first two days after everyone had entered, the death toll had dropped considerably.

And the slaughter carried out by the black-robed figures within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm had finally drawn the serious attention of both Shenxiao Sword Sect and Qingyun Sect.

Members of both sects, who had originally come to seek treasures and Fortuitous Encounters, began gathering in large numbers by following the secret signals their respective sects had left behind.

After all, no matter how precious a Fortuitous Encounter or treasure might be, how could it compare to one's life?

Both Shenxiao Sword Sect and Qingyun Sect had assembled several groups, banding together for mutual protection — some with just a few people, others with a dozen or more, and the largest reaching fifty or sixty members.

As time went on, the numbers gathering together would only continue to grow.

Ye Qingxuan was among the largest of these groups.

Alongside her was Yang Fan, another Core Disciple of Shenxiao Sword Sect.

As the Core Disciple of Leng Hanshuang — one of the Seven Swords of Shenxiao — Ye Qingxuan's talent, strength, and standing within Shenxiao Sword Sect were all exceptionally high.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, once she grew into her full potential, she would become the next wielder of one of the Seven Swords of Shenxiao.

In moments like this, when none of the sect's core leadership was present, Core Disciples held absolute authority.

Thus, she had naturally become the backbone of the group — even the other Core Disciple, Yang Fan, deferred to her in all things.

The group led by Ye Qingxuan and Yang Fan was currently resting and recovering. Not long ago, they had encountered a squad of six black-robed figures.

After a grueling battle, they had finally managed to kill them all.

Yet even in victory, their own sect had lost eight members.

This was something Ye Qingxuan found difficult to accept.

Fifty or sixty people against six — a tenfold numerical advantage — and they had still paid the price of eight dead and over a dozen wounded before achieving victory. There was simply nothing to feel good about.

The black-robed figures fought in a manner that was utterly bizarre, with complete disregard for their own lives. Ye Qingxuan felt as though she had been fighting a group of corpses — things that felt no pain and harbored no emotion.

That style of combat — trading a thousand of the enemy's losses for eight hundred of one's own — gave Ye Qingxuan a splitting headache.

"Everyone, share your thoughts on these black-robed figures who appeared out of nowhere."

The members of Shenxiao Sword Sect fell silent, one by one.

The battle just now had shaken them to their core.

Among cultivators of the same realm, Sword Cultivators possessed the strongest offensive power — but correspondingly weaker defenses. Faced with black-robed figures who fought without fear of death, they felt utterly at a loss.

Sword Cultivators were still human, after all. But their opponents seemed like corpses — things that felt no pain and feared no death.

"Senior Sister Qingxuan! These black-robed figures are clearly no ordinary people. They're ruthless and merciless, and in battle they trade wound for wound without hesitation. Even at the moment of death, they drag someone down with them. No ordinary faction could produce fighters like this. I believe their purpose in entering the Nine Nethers Secret Realm is far from simple." Yang Fan spoke with an expression that still bore the lingering shadow of fear.

His cultivation was clearly a good deal stronger than the black-robed figures', yet he had been unable to finish them off quickly — precisely because their complete disregard for their own safety had left Yang Fan unable to adapt in time.

When ordinary people fight, the weaker side will always look for a way to escape — keeping the green hills intact so there will always be firewood to burn, retreating to train harder and return for revenge another day.

But these black-robed figures were different. What they thought about was how to make their opponents pay as dearly as possible before they died. Sword Cultivators, with their weaker defenses, feared this kind of enemy the most.

Today, Shenxiao Sword Sect had held an overwhelming numerical advantage — and yet they had still lost over a dozen people before wiping out the enemy.

"Senior Brother Yang Fan is right. These black-robed figures may not have come to the Nine Nethers Secret Realm to seek treasures or Fortuitous Encounters. Before we joined up with our Senior Brothers and Sisters, we saw many corpses — some from our Shenxiao Sword Sect, others from different factions and independent cultivators — all killed by humans. At first we assumed it was over treasure disputes, but now it seems highly likely that the black-robed figures were responsible." An Inner Disciple added.

"We saw many similar situations along our way as well!"

"So did we!"

"Same here!"

The other Inner Disciples and Stewards chimed in one after another.

"These people don't loot treasures, they don't compete for Fortuitous Encounters — they just kill. What is their purpose?" Ye Qingxuan said, puzzled.

Not a single person could answer that question.

The appearance of the black-robed figures had cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.

They had come to the Nine Nethers Secret Realm hoping to find their own Fortuitous Encounters, and now they could only stay close to the larger group.

"Regardless of their purpose — we must change our plans. No one can act alone anymore. We must stay together if we want to walk out of here alive. You've all seen the combat strength of these black-robed figures. If only a third of us had been here today, who would have lived and who would have died is anyone's guess!"

Ye Qingxuan's words settled the matter decisively, establishing the survival strategy for Shenxiao Sword Sect's disciples within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

She had originally intended to split into groups to search for treasures, Fortuitous Encounters, and the Bianhua Flower — but now, for the sake of safety, they could only move together as one.