Fulóng Town.
The town was now deserted, the lively scenes of before gone.
It had become a dead city.
However, along with the souls of the townsfolk, the lingering resentment and deathly aura in the sky had also vanished.
Everything had become empty.
Though the place had fallen silent, it no longer felt oppressive. Instead, it exuded a strange sense of peace.
Xu Xiaoqing followed Ye Ling, her mind heavy, her brows furrowed.
From Fulóng Mountain to Fulóng Town, she had been questioning Ye Ling all the way, wanting to know when and how the mysterious swordsman would appear.
But Ye Ling had consistently evaded her questions, leaving her feeling restless.
With the matter here unresolved, she couldn't return to her sect to report, so she could only follow Ye Ling and get to the bottom of this affair first.
Moreover, the epic described in the murals was too grand. Xu Xiaoqing also wished to see the conclusion of this story that spanned three thousand years.
However, she knew that with her cultivation at the fourth rank, she was no match for either the black dragon or the mysterious swordsman.
All she could do now was to be an observer, trying her best not to cause any trouble.
Ye Ling returned to Xu Tianling's house and saw two sets of clothes scattered outside: one belonging to the innkeeper, and the other to Xu Tianling.
It was clear that the two intended to take advantage of the drug's effects to harm Feng Ke. However, before they could even enter the house, they had inadvertently touched Ye Ling's barrier.
They had turned to ashes.
Ye Ling glanced at the two sets of clothes, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. With a gentle wave of his hand, he made them disappear as well.
Xu Xiaoqing, seeing Ye Ling's action, was puzzled by the presence of two sets of clothes outside the house, but she didn't ask further and followed Ye Ling into the house.
Feng Ke was still asleep on the bed, her breathing steady, appearing to be in a deep and peaceful slumber.
Seeing someone sleeping in the room, Xu Xiaoqing couldn't help but tread lightly, afraid of waking her.
Ye Ling checked Feng Ke's condition, and after confirming she was out of danger, he said to Xu Xiaoqing, "She will wake up in some time. Before nightfall, you should rest well here. Nothing will happen for a while."
"Alright."
Xu Xiaoqing nodded, found a room for herself, and lay down on the bed.
Having encountered so much in such a short period, Xu Xiaoqing was utterly exhausted.
The moment she touched the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing Xu Xiaoqing also asleep, Ye Ling casually set up a barrier around her room. Then, he instantly appeared on the rooftop, with his back to Fulóng Mountain, and sat down in meditation, waiting quietly.
Fulóng Town was completely silent.
Time ticked by, and the sun gradually set.
At this moment, a cold wind blew, and a disturbance in the air was felt.
Ye Ling slowly opened his eyes and looked up, seeing a badly wounded, buxom beauty falling from the sky, flying towards him with a look of panic on her face.
"Is that the black dragon?" Ye Ling asked, his eyes flashing with surprise as he looked at the woman with two horns on her forehead and black scales on her hands.
Although he had predicted that the mysterious swordsman would attack the black dragon, the timing of the attack was much earlier than he had anticipated.
The woman saw Ye Ling on the rooftop, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. She quickly shouted to Ye Ling, "Lord, save me!"
Behind her, a dark red long sword pierced through the air, heading straight for her heart.
If she were to be struck by that sword, she would likely die instantly!
"He intends to take her life directly?"
Ye Ling frowned upon seeing this and flicked his finger. A demonic blade flew out, passing through the woman's body and shattering the long sword behind her.
Although the situation was somewhat different from his prediction, saving her was the priority.
As Ye Ling destroyed the sword, the woman fell directly into his arms.
The moment Ye Ling held the woman, he felt an extremely rich and exotic fragrance wafting towards him, refreshing his mind. Her soft, boneless body easily evoked impure thoughts.
"Save, save my child..."
The woman coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood in Ye Ling's arms, then fainted directly, her life force plummeting to its lowest, like a candle in the wind.
"You..."
Seeing the woman in such a state, Ye Ling was taken aback and somewhat speechless.
He knew that the swordsman in the mural had orchestrated all of this. After taking the divine stone and destroying Fulóng Town, he would surely attack the black dragon.
But what was happening now was causing the situation to spiral out of control!
They were strangers to each other, and Ye Ling had no intention of helping this mother and daughter. Saving her life just now was already the utmost he could do.
He hadn't expected the black dragon to immediately ask for his help in saving her daughter, and then faint without giving him a chance to negotiate...
Now, the black dragon was barely breathing, and her unborn child was nowhere to be found. Ye Ling found it difficult to heartlessly abandon her to her fate.
After all, his reason for staying here was partly to await the opening of Xueyin Valley, and partly to uncover the truth of Fulóng Town.
All the information he possessed came from the murals of the Fulóng Town villagers.
And those murals were only one side of the story from the Fulóng clan, with content that would inevitably favor their clan. The truth might not be as depicted in the murals.
Although this black dragon was a great demon, and had slaughtered Fulóng Town, even absorbing the resentment of many vengeful souls from the townsfolk, Ye Ling still didn't sense much malevolence from her.
This black dragon did not seem like a demon who would risk offending the Queen Mother of the West to slaughter the Fulóng clan for a divine stone.
"Your Excellency, that is my prey. May I have it back?"
At this moment, a long-haired man in dark ancient robes landed from the sky on a flying sword and asked Ye Ling.
Behind him, a golden gourd floated, surrounded by wisps of black energy. It was clear that the soul of the black dragon cub was sealed within it.
Ye Ling gently placed the woman in his arms aside, stabilized her meridians with spiritual energy, and then carefully observed the long-haired man. "Who are you?"
Above the eighth rank, below the ninth rank. Half-step to the Red Dust Immortal.
If the black dragon had not been sealed for over two thousand years, and if she hadn't forcibly depleted her cultivation to revive her child, this long-haired man would not have been her match.
"I am but a rogue cultivator, Wu Shuyi. I happened to pass by and encountered a demonic evil. I intended to take the gall of this demon dragon for medicine."
"This demon was wounded by me. I ask for your convenience, Your Excellency."
If it were an ordinary cultivator, Wu Shuyi would have attacked him with his sword without a second word.
However, Ye Ling had been able to nullify his sword technique with a single move, and he couldn't discern the depth of Ye Ling's cultivation, so he dared not act rashly.
The longer one cultivated, the more one understood how weak they were in this world.
Wu Shuyi was from the Qing Dynasty. His talent was not exceptional, and his cultivation to this day was entirely due to his usual caution and prudence.
Although he was now a half-step Red Dust Immortal, he had seen true immortals and knew that there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers everywhere in the world, and one could easily offend a powerful figure.
And the current Ye Ling fit all his perceptions of a strong individual!
In all matters, caution was paramount.