Chapter 135

Chapter 135: The Phoenix Temple and the Cries of Ten Thousand (Part 3)

Blood, despair.

The villagers were all crying out in anguish, some from shock, others because the dead rebels were their own 

relatives. The restless crowd was barely held back by the soldiers' desperate efforts.

Looking at the twisted and deformed corpses everywhere, Si Cang Qing unleashed a powerful chill. He suddenly 

spoke, "Silence!"

His icy voice pierced the entire scene, sending shivers down everyone's spines. The villagers froze, and the ghostly 

voice of the woman in their ears was suddenly drowned out by the rising sound of a flute. The person secretly 

controlling it seemed to have suddenly exhausted their strength; the sharp flute sound seemed to generate a 

powerful force that collided directly with the woman's voice.

It stopped abruptly.

The countryside returned to its pristine tranquility, save for the gentle whisper of the wind.

However, the pungent, repulsive stench of blood was impossible to ignore. Si Cang Qing ignored the others, 

simply bending down to check the breaths of those people…

In the end, they were all dead.

This was a blood sacrifice, but also a conspiracy. The faint blue totems on the arms of these rioters revealed they 

were controlled by the mastermind behind the Phoenix Temple, driven mad like puppets, slaughtering their own 

family and friends. Their gruesome deaths were likely due to their inability to withstand the power of the curse.

What a vicious method! Regardless of the conspiracy's success or failure, it is the people of Canghuan who suffer.

"Waaah—"

The cry of a child suddenly shattered the thick, deathly silence. The villagers, their faces filled with panic, cried 

and screamed, and chaos erupted once more. So many people died before their very eyes, in such a swift and 

devastating way. Who could bear the fear and terror, or the grief of losing loved ones?

“Fellow villagers!” With Feng Xiang’s help, Liu Yi struggled through the crowd to the soldiers standing guard, 

and cried out, “Please calm down!”

His pale face indicated he was in no better shape than the others, but he was the Prime Minister of Canghuan. 

Faced with such a catastrophe, he had to remain calm and comfort these people who had barely escaped a disaster.

“Today’s riot was a conspiracy by the Phoenix Temple, and many of my fellow villagers died tragically from 

the curses of these villains; this pain must not be forgotten; this hatred must not be tolerated! However, Luyang 

Village has only just escaped the plague. The dead are gone, but the living must continue to live!”

Liu Yi spoke these words of comfort with grief and indignation, calming the villagers somewhat. Having endured 

so much calamity these past days, the villagers had regained some composure, and each silently wiped away their 

tears.

"I hereby swear that I will annihilate the Phoenix Temple, avenge the blood debt of my unjustly killed people, and 

eliminate future threats to the living!" Scanning the villagers who were either already unconscious or nearly 

unconscious, Liu Yi continued, "Please, villagers, take heart. Do not give the Phoenix Temple another chance to

launch a sneak attack. Everyone, return to your temporary shelters with the soldiers."

Looking back at the piled-up corpses, Liu Yi quickly looked away and said with difficulty, "If... you have 

relatives, please take them back and give them a proper burial!"

Despite their panic and grief, the villagers heeded Liu Yi's words. They followed the Seventeen Feng ying Guards 

and some soldiers, supporting each other as they walked towards the shelter area. Many others remained where 

they were, their faces filled with sorrow as they gazed at the corpses lying in the woods, hesitant to approach.

A riot that had lasted for several hours ended in such a bloody manner. 

Liu Yi followed the departing crowd, comforting each person. Cheng Tian Bi led the healers to treat the 

unconscious villagers.

After assessing the situation, Si Cang Qing ordered the remaining elite soldiers to immediately move and bury 

the bodies. Some villagers, despite their grief, helped with the burial.

Si Cang Qing stood there silently, gazing at the blood-soaked earth, his eyes cold—this casualty was even more 

devastating than battlefield carnage, and the dead were innocent civilians, exploited and manipulated.

The Phoenix Temple!

Si Cang Qing suddenly leaped into the air, traversing the forest. The earlier flute music likely originated from this 

direction, and he vaguely guessed who had intervened. If not for that strange flute music, the dead and wounded 

would probably be far more numerous than these rioters.

His toes touched the bushes, and after flying for an unknown amount of time, Si Cang Qing suddenly stopped. 

The trees rustled in his ears as he stood there with his hands behind his back.

With a sharp crack of a branch breaking, Si Cang Qing spoke coldly, "Come out."

A soft laugh echoed in the air, and then a figure in lake-green robes floated down from an ancient tree. The 

newcomer held a long flute in his hand and said calmly, "We meet again."

The person appeared gentle and harmless, unless one ignored the traces of black blood at the corner of his lips and 

the darker markings on his cheeks than before. Those markings seemed to possess a life of their own, almost 

imperceptibly spreading towards his forehead.

Si Cang Qing remained silent, his eyes filled with murderous intent!

Mo Qingjue blinked, then smiled gleefully, tilting her head slightly to scrutinize Si Cang Qing. She said softly, 

"I know you want to kill me, but if you do, no one will be able to help you eliminate the Phoenix Temple, okay?"

Before Si Cang Qing could even respond, his face grew paler. He hunched over slightly, abruptly closing his 

eyes as if enduring intense pain. His hand, gripping the flute, trembled and clenched into a fist.

◇Cang◇Huan◇Seven◇Palaces◇

The change was astonishing. The decay on his face abruptly halted, while the totem spreading across his forehead 

gradually faded until it vanished completely.

All of this happened in a fleeting moment. One side of the man's face was deathly pale, the other a patch of 

crimson pus.

His eyes swept over the man, Mo Qingjue raising an eyebrow, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. He looked 

at Si Cang Qing, his tone arrogant, "It's you?" Turning his gaze, he seemed to understand the situation immediately, 

letting out a scoff, a sound that was both accusatory and disdainful. He muttered to himself, "Is it necessary to 

cooperate with this person?"

Si Cang Qing simply looked at him coldly. The man earlier was right; he couldn't kill him yet, because he needed 

to figure out what this so-called curse was all about!

Judging from the recent turn of events, everything behind this was being secretly planned by someone else, and 

Mo Qingjue was nothing more than a pawn, a puppet, like those dead rebels.

—A puppet waiting for its chance to retaliate.

Therefore, he might be able to use this person to uncover the identity and conspiracy of the mastermind behind 

it all.

Glancing sideways at the silent Si Cang Qing, Mo Qingjue spoke arrogantly, "Although I don't want to talk to you, 

since it's 'his' wish, I'll reluctantly tell you. Prepare yourselves these next few days. That bitch is far more powerful 

than you imagine. The trap diagram I gave you last time can help you storm the Phoenix Temple!"

"That bitch's witchcraft is very powerful, so we must act quickly." Mo Qingjue's eyes were filled with undisguised 

hatred as he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll tell you how to deal with her, but you must agree to one condition!"

Si Cang Qing remained noncommittal, continuing to watch coldly.

Receiving no response, the man's eyes turned icy, and he spoke with extreme displeasure, "Si Cang Qing, don't 

think you're so great! Without my help, this Canghuan Kingdom would have fallen into that vile woman's hands 

sooner or later!" As he spoke, he looked Si Cang Qing up and down, just as before, then tilted his head and 

snorted, "'His' taste is truly terrible; how could he have chosen you!"

There was a hint of awkwardness in his words.

Ignoring Si Cang Qing's silence, Mo Qingjue spoke directly, "When this vile woman uses witchcraft, she can't 

do without the Five-Colored Ice Platform. Before your people storm the main hall of the Phoenix Temple, you 

must destroy that Five-Colored Ice Platform, otherwise, everyone who gets close will die! Riots like today's will 

never stop..."

Before he could say anything more, Mo Qingjue's expression changed. A purplish-black totem quickly appeared 

on his forehead, its intricate veins flowing across his eyes to his brow. He only managed to utter, "Si Cang Qing, 

I will come back for you..."

"Ah—"

Suddenly clutching his head, Mo Qingjue screamed in agony. His body convulsed, his already contorted face 

now completely distorted. His legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground, tearing at his hair as he continued to 

wail.

...Just like the reactions of the earlier rioters.

The screaming sound abruptly ceased, and the convulsions gradually subsided. The man knelt motionless on the 

ground, his head drooping weakly.

With a slight frown, Si Cang Qing sorted through his thoughts—judging from the man's reaction, the person he 

first met was the previous personality; the one who had just spoken to him was the one he had encountered in the 

Tianwei Tian; and now…

Mo Qingjue slowly raised his head, suddenly seeing Si Cang Qing. His eyes widened slightly, but he remained 

silent. His stiff, wooden expression and empty eyes indicated that he was no longer the same person.

Si Cang Qing suddenly remembered the person he had encountered on the battlefield of Luomen Pass. Although 

the face was different, the aura was exactly the same… both were so deathly still, so filled with despair.

Almost instantly, Si Cang Qing leaped aside, dodging the man's attack. His feet touched the trees, but the man 

pursued relentlessly, each move aimed at killing.

Using the strength of a tree trunk, Si Cang Qing turned to face his opponent, unleashing a palm strike without 

hesitation. Mo Qingjue reacted swiftly, his figure flashing as he retreated several feet to the left. Within a two-foot 

radius of Si Cang Qing, all trees were destroyed.

His feet touched the ground, and before he could even catch his breath, the man attacked again. The ferocity and 

power of his attack caught Si Cang Qing almost off guard, leaving him only able to parry with his bare hands.

The instant their palms collided, scattered branches and twigs flew through the air, and both fighters were 

uncontrollably thrown back several feet in opposite directions.

"Cough..." Unable to suppress the surge of blood, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Si Cang Qing's lips. 

He casually wiped it away, his eyes fixed fiercely on the man opposite him, only to see that his opponent was also 

severely injured.

Compared to Si Cang Qing, Mo Qingjue's injuries were more severe; the skin on his face was beginning to rot 

again. He clutched his chest, looking up at Si Cang Qing. Having just endured this life-or-death struggle, there 

was not a trace of emotion in the man's eyes.

The two stared at each other, neither moving for a moment.

Supporting himself to his feet, Mo Qingjue abruptly turned and flew away swiftly.

His lake-green figure disappeared into the dense thicket of trees.

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