chapter 39 Dark Moon Murderous Night ===

The night was dark, with thick clouds covering the sky. There was no moon or stars tonight, and the entire sky was pitch black. Silently, before the corpses hit the ground, they transformed into human skins and gently fell to the ground, making no sound. The human skins were thrown into the bushes, like ghosts, continuing to approach the camp. The number of outer patrol disciples decreased one after another, but the camp remained unaware. The only sounds were the cracking of wood burning fiercely in the fire. "Three!" "Five!" "Nine!" After half an hour, the shadow had eliminated nine patrolling disciples, leaving the surroundings clear. At this moment! A disciple emerged from a tent, getting up to relieve himself. With sleepy eyes, he looked around. "Barkus Tian, Roselian Tian, where have you two gone?" The voice was loud, echoing through the entire camp, waking up everyone. Two accompanying elders walked out of the tent, their gaze sweeping around, with a slight frown. After calling for a long time, there was no response. The situation was too strange. "Elders, where did they go? Could it be that some mystical beasts entered this area and ate them?" The man in the middle of relieving himself quickly pulled up his pants and ran back. The surroundings were pitch black, and where his gaze reached, some trees made rustling sounds as if evil spirits were swaying in the wind, sending shivers down his spine. "No signs of the presence of mystical beasts." The elder of the Tian family spoke. Large mystical beasts would make noise passing through this area. "There's a scent of blood!" The elder of the Wan family quickly gathered everyone. A faint scent of blood permeated the air, and when the wind blew, it reached them. "Someone is attacking!" A stern shout, and everyone, still not fully dressed, drew their weapons, forming a circle. The surroundings were still silent, and the killer had left. Twenty-something people rushed towards the surroundings, but it was an empty attack. There wasn't a trace, not even a ghostly shadow. The nine dead disciples seemed to have disappeared into thin air, leaving no bones behind. If someone were killed, there would surely be signs of a struggle. Everyone's hair stood on end. After searching once, they had to return to the camp helplessly. "Elders, could they have been eaten by evil spirits?" Hearing the words "evil spirits," the ordinary disciples shivered, a cold chill running through their bodies, involuntarily trembling. "Don't talk nonsense; there must be an expert nearby." The elder of the Tian family remained calm and immediately stopped any rumors. Once rumors spread, it would surely lead to chaos. With the elder's words, everyone's nervousness eased a bit. They put on their clothes, dared not sleep again, and planned to stay up until dawn. "Any esteemed expert passing through this place, if we have offended in any way, please show yourself. We apologize to you face to face." The elder of the Wan family bowed to the surroundings, uncertain if they had violated the territory of some expert, leading to this situation. It was better to be polite before resorting to force. "Apologize?" Two cold words floated from all directions, making it impossible to discern the specific location. Everyone's expressions became serious. "Sneaking around won't work on me. Starting now, every time a stick of incense burns, I will kill one of you, until you are all dead." As the words fell, silence engulfed them. No matter how they shouted, there was no response, only occasional gusts of cold wind. The campfire on the ground, lacking firewood, flickered in and out, casting an eerie atmosphere. "Elder, we're out of firewood." Without the campfire, they were in total darkness, becoming live targets, vulnerable to slaughter. "You two, go over there and find some firewood." The elder of the Tian family ordered, and two Tian family disciples reluctantly went out. Although they were at the peak of the acquired realm, they were unwilling to go too far from the camp. Twenty-some individuals gathered together, weapons in hand, scanning their surroundings. "Petalian Tian, who do you think would be opposing us?" Elder Wan approached, furrowing his brows. They had spent over a day in the mountains and encountered no formidable opponents. It was unlikely that anyone from Canglan City would declare war on them. The situation was too mysterious. "I can't figure it out either. We've been cautious on this journey and haven't offended anyone," Petalian Tian said with a distressed expression. The loss of six Tian family disciples weighed heavily on him. "Ah..." While they were conversing, two miserable screams echoed from a distance. Two Tian family disciples who had gone to gather firewood suddenly disappeared from everyone's sight. "Swoosh, swoosh..." Petalian Tian and Elder Wan vanished from their original positions, rushing straight to the scene of the incident. However, there were no signs of a struggle, and the bodies were nowhere to be found. The two exchanged a glance, sensing a chilling horror in each other's eyes. The situation exceeded their understanding. Someone had the ability to kill without leaving a trace. Killing was simple! After the killing, even the bodies disappeared, which defied logic. They, both in their fifties, had never experienced such mysterious events. "Show yourself! If you have the guts, come face us in a battle!" Petalian Tian roared with anger, frustrated by the loss of two elite Tian family members who had a great chance of entering the Imperial Academy for cultivation. This expedition was meant to help them grow through valuable experiences. "No rush, we'll have the chance to meet face to face," a voice echoed mysteriously, making it impossible to determine its origin. Returning to the camp, the campfire diminished, almost invisible. As the last flicker of the campfire disappeared, the surroundings plunged into complete darkness. The rustling of leaves and branches sounded like countless palms rubbing against each other. Each person's heart was at their throat, fearing the next one to die would be them. "Form a defensive formation! Hold hands, and I don't believe they can break through our formation to kill," Petalian Tian ordered. The remaining twenty individuals formed a circle, holding hands. If an attack occurred, they would immediately counter, the most foolish yet effective method. As they held hands, their courage grew. They just needed to endure until dawn, and they would be able to see who was lurking in the shadows, attacking them. Time passed, minutes away from a cup of tea. The anticipation only they understood. No one knew when the reaper would suddenly descend. Waiting for death was the most terrifying part. Verdantius Liu intended to keep them in a constant state of fear, killing them easily. It was too easy for them. A gentle breeze passed by. A pitch-black figure, perfectly blending with the night, moved with the grace of a cat walking on the ground, stepping on the Seven Stars. It glided along the ground. "Sneak attack!" Without warning, a cold blade swept through, leaving no time for even a tenth of a breath. The body disappeared from its original position. "Juniphar Wan, why did you let go of my hand?" shouted a Wan family disciple suddenly. The hand he was holding had vanished, thinking Juniphar Wan had let go, prompting the question. No one answered. In the middle, inexplicably, one person was missing. The person known as Juniphar Wan had already turned into a piece of human skin. Chaos erupted among the crowd. Holding hands, the opponent could calmly kill. It was beyond human limits, something only a devil could achieve. "It's impossible. Even a Soul-washing Realm cultivator can't do this," Petalian Tian shouted in frustration. No one answered him. Each person's heart sank, a cold spreading from their soles to their entire bodies. A cup of tea's time passed! Another person mysteriously died. From fear to numbness, they couldn't feel the dread anymore, waiting for the next death to occur. Who would disappear next? "Devil, are you a human or a devil? Show yourself, I'm not afraid of you," a Wan family disciple went mad, rushing out with a sword in hand, slashing wildly. The person entered a state of frenzy, losing all reason. "Maplorian Wan, come back!" Elder Wan shouted loudly, urging him to return. With dawn approaching, they could endure until then. Unfortunately! Just as Maplorian Wan was about to speak, a spray of blood erupted, and his body, in front of everyone, slowly disappeared, turning into a piece of human skin. The wind blew, and it landed far away. At this moment, they finally understood why there were no remains of the deceased. "Devil, you must be a devil climbing up from hell. I want to go home!" Another Wan family disciple ran out, crazily rushing into the woods, trying to escape the Sunset Mountains. Nighttime in the Sunset Mountains was the most dangerous. Monsters roamed everywhere. In this area near the mountain wall, where no monsters approached, practitioners who came for training liked to set up camps. "Come back!" The words had barely left his mouth when the running Wan family disciple fell to the ground, gradually withering away. They saw a black shadow flash before their eyes. Petalian Tian swiftly chased after, but still, he missed. The black shadow mysteriously disappeared, its speed incredibly elusive, and even those in the Innate Realm had no chance of getting close. Time quietly slipped away, about an hour until dawn. The group, originally over thirty people, now only had ten left. Fear was written on each person's face. "Elder, I can't hold on any longer," one Wan family disciple suddenly pulled out a weapon, placed it against his neck, and with a sweep of his longsword, committed suicide. Blood sprayed high, choosing death over the agony of being hunted. It was a psychological tactic, and Verdantius Liu executed it to perfection. Several others were on the verge of madness and could go insane at any moment. Watching their family members commit suicide in front of them, Elder Wan roared with anger. "I don't care who you are. Killing my Wan family disciples, I'll tear you into a thousand pieces!" Elder Wan rushed forward with a single stride, his Innate Spirit sweeping the surroundings, toppling trees. Petalian Tian followed suit, standing back to back with him. "You allow yourselves to kill us, but you won't allow us to kill you. Both your families are truly overbearing," a voice was finally audible this time, standing on a tree trunk ten meters away. A figure dressed in black emitted faint light from a blade, revealing its position using the glint of the blade. "Who are you? The voice sounds familiar; do we know each other?" Petalian Tian made a judgment from the voice. He was certain he had heard this voice before but couldn't recall it in a moment. A cold laugh echoed from a distance, "Of course, we know each other. You've been chasing me so hard. Even the one killing you doesn't know. It's quite amusing." The black figure suddenly descended, heading straight for the two of them.