Wang Anfeng chanted the Rebirth Mantra continuously until the last traces of the Great Wilderness Stronghold turned into ashes under the high temperature of the Qilin Fire. Only then did he mount the red slender horse, urging it forward in the direction the caravan should have taken. According to common sense, he had separated from the caravan twice consecutively; returning now felt extremely uncomfortable. However, there was still Zhou Chao, whose hands had already been stained with the blood of an entire stronghold, and such a culprit should not be let go. The slender horse sped swiftly, ignoring the rugged terrain, dashing like a flame across the slightly gloomy broad plains, quickly disappearing from sight. At the original site of the stronghold, after the flames had burned out, the remaining white ashes were blown by the wind, covering the area for several miles, enveloping it in white mist. The leaden clouds in the sky were ominously low, and the fine white ashes fell slowly, seeming as if winter had suddenly arrived. Deathly stillness and silence. This content belongs to nοvelfire.net This quiet lasted for about an hour, then from the distant sky, a sound like flapping wings approached. Two figures shot towards the area, their broad sleeves fluttering, landing at the base of the Great Wilderness Stronghold in the blink of an eye. The scene of the flames covering the mountain was too conspicuous, visible from a hundred miles around. The man in front was handsome, dressed in a blue scholarly robe with broad sleeves. As he landed at the foot of the mountain, he raised his neck, squinting at the nearly pale mountain top. The lingering high temperatures made the air atop the mountain inflate, causing the sight to appear distorted, driving away the approaching winter chill and filling the breath with waves of summer heat. His eyes flickered, and he involuntarily took a light breath, saying: "Who did this? Such ruthless and accomplished means!" Behind him was a broad-shouldered man, holding two short spears, about thirty years old, who frowned and looked around this place, saying with some certainty: "This should be one of the Great Wilderness Stronghold's outposts, but it was long abandoned. We sent people to ambush here, but it was a futile effort." "Could it be that those fearless bandits dared to return?" His brows tightened, revealing a hint of menace. The scholar in front rubbed his nose and said: "No need for such idle talk. Since both of us happened to be nearby, we might as well go up and take a look. Whether those bandits returned or they burned their own camp, this is no small matter and requires updating the records in the Heaven Capital City." The spear-armed man nodded slightly, taking the initiative to move up, his spear tips subtly forming a stance, his back taut like a leopard moving slowly, with his weapons ready to strike at any time. The scholar followed leisurely, hands behind his back, looking around as if strolling on a scenic tour. Upon reaching halfway up the mountain, he suddenly uttered a light exclamation and moved forward. In front lay two armed men. Wang Anfeng had only burned the bandits in the stronghold along with the bloody village cleanly, without dealing with the two he encountered upon ascending the mountain, leaving them there as they were. The scholar went forward, examining the corpses, then seemed more interested, rubbing his eyes, with fragments of starlight flickering in his gaze. He bent down, carefully observing the ground, then cupped his chin, whispering softly while his companion stood aside without interrupting. After a while, the scholar straightened up, pinching his forehead, saying: "These are subordinates of the Great Wilderness Stronghold, with waist plaques showing names. It seems the ones who burned the stronghold were not their own people." "Though there are no external wounds, their life force was shattered by a single blade strike, even immortals couldn't save them. At least a Fifth Rank expert climbed the mountain; yes, one person and one horse, using a Heavy Blade, with extraordinary material, the blade style heavy and fierce." "Perhaps having an obsession with cleanliness, or carrying some treasure that mustn't see blood, controlling the blade style where blood was splattered, it wouldn't splatter on the person. Judging by this control angle, they should be wearing a cloak or wide garment." The spear-armed man fully trusted his companion's words, nodding and asking: The scholar shrugged helplessly and said: "When that person came here, there was no concealment, nor did they stop. With just two strikes, they went up. How am I supposed to see anything else?" "Well, let's go up and take a look." The two immediately set off again, quickening their steps without using Qinggong to hasten, fearing they might miss some clues. So they took some time before reaching the summit, the ground bearing deep blade marks, straight and fierce. The blade marks seemed to divide life and death. On one side, the pine trees remained evergreen, with a slightly chilly hue yet full of vitality, while the other was entirely white and scorching, the heat constantly rising, nearly erasing the village from this world completely, leaving no traces at all. The spear-armed man's face lost its previous calm. The scholar furrowed his brow, looking at the distorted air ahead, grimaced but still stepped forward. In an instant, it felt like being thrown into the midst of summer, his temples quickly dampened by fine sweat. The scholar wandered inside for about an hour before coming out. Even with his profound martial arts skills, the soles of his shoes had a faint scorched smell, his face slightly flushed. After stepping beyond the blade mark's limit, he exhaled deeply, raising his hand to wipe the continuously seeping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.