"What... are they trying to do?"
At that moment, countless eyes turned toward the city gates. Just days ago, a large number of officials had begun sweeping the streets, rounding up the old, the weak, and the vagrant masses. Now, under the lead of a few Body Refining stage demon cultivators, a ragged group of captives was being herded into the nearby forests.
"This is..."The steward of the merchant guild furrowed his brows, his face paling.
Though chaos ruled the Southern Frontier City, it had at least managed to survive—barely—as one of the few remaining hubs of order. Yet today's spectacle sent a chill through everyone's hearts. Not just the steward—all throughout the city, people had their gazes fixed upon the scene unfolding at the edge of the wilderness.
In the distant depths of the forest—
Su Min had spent the past several days in silent meditation, but on this day, her eyes suddenly snapped open.
"What is that?"
Blinking in slight confusion, Su Min sensed three Qi Refining stage cultivators approaching. They even brought along several Body Refining stage minions. Yet something about today felt... wrong.
"So many faint life signs... what are they doing?"
Su Min frowned. Although she had long since awakened the surrounding forests with her vines, her influence only extended across a few neighboring peaks. Thanks to the treacherous terrain, ordinary folk found it nearly impossible to approach, but the actual distance wasn't so great. With her current spiritual sense, she could just barely cover the entire region.
Yet tiny, insignificant presences—like a rabbit walking alongside a tiger—could easily escape her notice. Sensing something amiss, Su Min immediately soared into action. Almost the very next breath, the entire forest trembled with an eerie, mournful wail.
Sickly green flames, laced with an aura of evil and misfortune, erupted across the land. Though called "flames," this fire did not consume wood into ash. Instead, anything it touched would slowly wither—as if the very vitality of life itself was being devoured.
Soul-Devouring Evil Fire.
Narrowing her eyes, Su Min recognized it at once. This was no natural phenomenon, nor any treasure of Heaven and Earth. It was a wicked sorcery: a foul flame ignited by sacrificing human souls as kindling. The fire wasn't even hot. Anyone touching it would instead feel an unbearable, bone-chilling cold. That was because the flame didn't burn flesh—it consumed blood, marrow, even the soul itself. To fuel such an inferno, one required an enormous offering of lives.
"Three groups... one in each direction. You dare divide yourselves before me? Then none of you shall leave here alive."
Feeling out the auras, Su Min swiftly pinpointed the three intruders' locations. And since they dared to set fire to her mountains once again, this time, she would take the initiative. As for the so-called 'Soul-Devouring Evil Fire'... with the Nanming Lihuo protecting her body, Su Min had nothing to fear. Compared to Nanming Lihuo, this wretched witch flame was no more than a flickering candle beneath the brilliance of a full moon.
At the foot of the mountains—
"Aaagh!!""Wuuhhh..."
Screams echoed across the hills. The captives—those who had been dragged here by force—twisted in agony. Their bodies were wreathed in greenish flames, yet they felt no heat, suffered no burns. Instead, their flesh and blood withered before the watching crowd's very eyes. In less than a minute, they would crumble into ash.
Meanwhile, the Body Refining cultivators, faces expressionless, tossed fresh victims into the blaze. As long as the original fire source remained, the Soul-Devouring Evil Fire would continue to spread endlessly.
"Please, no—!"
"Grandfather!!"
Behind the executioners, waves of terror and grief surged among the crowd. Most of the victims were the elderly—their families wept and pleaded, powerless to intervene. Only days ago, these same elders had been busy struggling to survive in the city. Now, they were dragged here to serve as living sacrifices.
"My lord, shall we start with the refugees first?"
The local magistrate spoke with a forced calm, addressing the Demon Slayer Division commander who sat nearby, aloof and indifferent. Though the magistrate was far from a good man, these were still his people—his foundation of power. To him, sacrificing the refugees, the unstable elements, was the only option he could stomach. If the fire needed fuel, better them than the townsfolk. After that... even he might not be able to stop the slaughter.
"Is this the so-called 'immortal' you all speak so highly of?"
The Demon Slayer commander, sitting at the head of the table, snorted. Though Su Min's name was barely known within the Great Wei Imperial Capital, in these borderlands she was revered. It was said a divine fairy resided in these mountains—kind-hearted, breathtakingly beautiful, capable of curing any ailment.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
Indeed, countless desperate folk had once sought her out. If she was in good spirits, she would heal even those without a spirit bamboo token. Especially later, as she strove to further her own path of universal salvation, her reputation only grew. Thus, when these newcomers heard the tales, they dared not invade the monster-infested forests directly.
Instead, they chose to attack indirectly—setting fires from three directions, intending to flush her out. All the while, they jeered cruelly at the weeping masses.
"What kind of 'immortal fairy' hides in fear like a coward?"
"Nothing but a fraud!"
BOOM!!
Suddenly, a crimson orb of fire hurtled down from the heavens. It slammed into the heart of the Soul-Devouring Fire, snuffing it out instantly. Without the source to sustain it, the green flames rapidly flickered and died. This was no ordinary fire—and thus its destruction followed no ordinary rules. As for Su Min's method... simple, direct, overwhelming.
"Save us, Fairy Immortal!"
"Please, save us!!"
The bound captives, seeing hope at last, cried out with all their strength. It didn't matter whether they were refugees, beggars, or commoners—at this moment, all saw Su Min as their only salvation.
"You—!"
The Demon Slayer commander's expression twisted. Originally only a Body Refining stage cultivator, he had forcibly broken through to Qi Refining stage with the Queen's assistance before coming here. But though his cultivation now stood at Qi Refining, it was unstable, hollow—like a man given a wooden leg. Su Min, in contrast, was a genuine Qi Refining stage cultivator. And worse, she had broken through by her own power! To think that even among their most talented, it would take ten years at least to reach Qi Refining...
Yet here stood this woman—young, serene, terrifying.
"The wails of the people... I hear them."
Su Min did not spare the commander a glance. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke calmly. In that moment, a spectral tiger spirit surged into her body—White Tiger Possession. It brought no visible change to her appearance, but her strength and speed surged dramatically.
In the blink of an eye—
Boom—!
A deafening sonic boom cracked through the air. Su Min had already closed the distance, standing before the stunned commander. Her sword gleamed coldly as it swung down without hesitation. Most women wielded swords with thrusts, strikes requiring precision. But Su Min fought differently—her strikes were vast, overwhelming, an unstoppable tide. The commander barely had time to raise his weapon in defense.
CRACK—!
The blade, along with his neck, snapped clean in two.