RMWDS -Chapter 257 When in Doubt, Trust in Mysticism!

The voice was hoarse and icy, echoing through the deathly silent mountain forest.

There was no visible source.

No one could tell where it was coming from.

The eerie voice seemed to emerge from every direction at once, chilling everyone to the bone.

The disciples of the Han Yue Sword Sect, who had still been struggling to resist moments earlier, instantly felt their scalps go numb.

Every hair on their bodies stood on end.

Their movements stiffened as they looked around frantically, their pale faces filled with terror.

“Who is it?!”

“Who’s talking?!”

Panic spread through the group like a plague.

Their morale had already been crumbling. Now, faced with this ghostly disembodied voice, their last psychological defenses shattered completely.

They threw away their weapons and fled screaming in all directions.

Some stumbled blindly into the forest.

Others collapsed to the ground, hugging their heads and trembling.

Not a trace of a swordsman’s dignity remained.

Princess Ningyu’s men cut them down with ease.

The Vice Sect Master stood frozen in place.

His lone eye stared fixedly at the strange black metal object hovering overhead.

His ears rang continuously.

An icy chill raced up his spine to the top of his head.

His blood seemed to freeze.

“W-Wei… Wei Zhuoshan… you’re still alive…”

“No… that’s not right…”

“Are you a ghost?!”

The memories he had buried long ago suddenly burst forth.

His voice trembled as he shook his head in disbelief.

“And you… you’re that Wei family brat?”

“You’re alive?”

“Wasn’t your eyesight ruined?”

“Heaven took pity on me.”

Wei Zijun raised his head.

His gaze was as sharp as a blade as it pierced the Vice Sect Master’s battered face.

“Now, I can see your bloodstained, ugly face perfectly clearly.”

The successive shocks finally crushed the last remnants of the Vice Sect Master’s mental defenses.

His mind was on the verge of collapse.

His voice became hysterical with fear.

“What are you people?!”

“Humans or ghosts?!”

High above, the drone’s speaker transmitted another sound.

A deep, sinister chuckle.

Filled with endless resentment and murderous intent, it echoed repeatedly through the valley.

“We are the evil ghosts that crawled back from hell.”

“We are the mountain gods blessed by heaven.”

“And we are the ones who have come to take your life.”

(A brief side note: Wei Zijun wasn’t wearing his usual glasses today. He had deliberately put on contact lenses.

After the competition finals, a contact lens company had approached him and offered to custom-make lenses for him free of charge. They gave him fifty pairs of monthly disposable lenses and even invited him to become their spokesperson.

He ended up filming a small advertisement and earned several hundred thousand yuan in endorsement fees.

Hehe.)

Elsewhere on the Battlefield

At the same time, one of the Han Yue Sword Sect disciples who had been driving a carriage attempted to take advantage of the chaos and escape.

Suddenly—

A cold gleam flashed through the forest.

An arrow shot from deep within the woods.

Its tip was aimed directly at his shoulder.

The speed was so great that it left only a faint afterimage.

Just as the arrow was about to pierce flesh—

A black-clad figure suddenly leaped into the air.

The Nameless Swordsman lightly tapped a tree trunk with his foot and borrowed the force to propel himself upward.

His standard-issue sword swept casually through the air.

Clang!

A crisp metallic sound rang out.

The powerful arrow was deflected with perfect precision and veered into the dirt nearby.

Its shaft continued trembling violently after impact.

The disciple was terrified out of his mind.

He tumbled from the carriage and scrambled away.

Only to have Mu Zigui’s whip lash out.

The whip wrapped around his neck and dragged him back like a captured chicken.

From the shadows of the forest, Shen Yan slowly emerged.

A longbow rested across his back.

His fingertips still carried the faint numbness left by the vibrating bowstring.

His dark eyes settled on the Nameless Swordsman.

“You’re the one who injured Lin Zhao back then.”

The Nameless Swordsman landed lightly on the ground.

His sword hung casually at his side.

His expression remained indifferent.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of hostility.

“The mission I accepted at the time was only to spar with General Lin and assess his abilities.”

“I knew nothing about the sneak attack that happened afterward.”

He admitted it openly.

His tone was calm and straightforward.

“If you insist on holding me responsible for that matter, I will accept it without complaint.”

He paused before adding:

“But let me offer one piece of advice.”

“Your archery is exceptional. At long range, your suppression is nearly flawless.”

“However, in close combat…”

“You cannot defeat me.”

Shen Yan fell silent and nodded.

The casual sword strike from earlier had been clean, efficient, and perfectly controlled.

There had not been a single unnecessary movement.

He knew the man was telling the truth.

His own specialty was ranged combat.

Close-quarters fighting was his weakness.

If they engaged head-on, his chances of victory were slim.

Not far away, the battle between Wei Zijun and the Vice Sect Master had already become one-sided.

Wei Zijun’s palm techniques were fierce and overbearing.

Every strike carried the weight of years of blood-deep hatred.

His palm winds howled through the air.

Each attack was heavy, ruthless, and aimed directly at vital points.

The Vice Sect Master had never been as strong as him to begin with.

Now, with his mind in complete turmoil, he was utterly incapable of resisting.

Another heavy palm strike slammed into his chest.

Bang!

A dull impact echoed across the battlefield.

The Vice Sect Master’s body folded inward.

A mouthful of hot blood burst from his lips and splattered across the fallen leaves.

Clutching his chest in agony, he collapsed to the ground.

His breathing was ragged and chaotic.

In a hoarse voice, he shouted desperately toward the Nameless Swordsman:

“Nameless!”

“Why aren’t you helping me?!”

“Come save me!”

The Nameless Swordsman stood where he was.

His posture remained straight and upright.

His feet did not move even half a step.

His expression was cold and indifferent.

“I already made myself very clear.”

“I would repay only two debts of gratitude.”

“My duel with General Lin was the first.”

“Later, for the second, you asked me to do two things: protect Liang Chen’s life and assassinate Princess Ningyu.”

“I chose the former.”

“As for everything else, it has nothing to do with me.”

“What did you say?!”

The Vice Sect Master’s eyes nearly split with rage.

He roared furiously.

The movement pulled at the wounds in his chest, triggering another violent coughing fit.

Blood continuously seeped from the corners of his mouth.

“What do you mean you chose the former?!”

“So from the very beginning, you never intended to help us assassinate the Princess?”

“Now I’m about to die, and you’re just standing there watching?”

“You ungrateful wretch!”

“Have you forgotten that we saved your life?!”

A faint, cold smile appeared on the Nameless Swordsman’s lips.

“I remember.”

“And because I remember, I agreed to do two things in repayment.”

“Am I not fulfilling that promise right now?”

His gaze remained calm.

“Besides, the fact that you dared ask me to assassinate a princess tells me you never valued my life very much either.”

“So why should I care about yours?”

“I only lost my memory.”

“Did you really mistake me for an idiot?”

Watching the sudden internal conflict unfold, Shen Yan couldn’t help showing a trace of confusion.

He studied the extraordinarily skilled and unpredictable swordsman again and again.

The more he observed, the more puzzled he became.

He simply could not figure out the man’s true background.

He looks only a little over thirty years old…

With skills like these, he should already be famous throughout the martial world…

A voice came through the miniature earpiece.

It was Hua Ying.

“Need help?”

Shen Yan alone might genuinely be unable to defeat the swordsman.

But if Hua Ying joined the fight, victory would be almost certain.

Shen Yan lowered his voice.

“Not for now.”

“Just protect Elder Su and Master Wei.”

Considering how chaotic the battlefield was and how many allies they already had present, the comparatively weaker Su Wangkui and Wei Zhuoshan had not been stationed nearby.

Instead, they were waiting inside a carriage over a li away.

The entire time, they had been monitoring the situation through the drone’s live feed.

To be honest, even if a fight broke out, Shen Yan wasn’t particularly worried.

If things truly went badly, he still had the modern firearm that Lei Lingyin had provided.

After all—

Who said an archer must always lose to a swordsman?

As the Cult Leader liked to say:

“Sir, the times have changed!”

The Nameless Swordsman’s hearing was exceptionally sharp.

He caught the nearly inaudible whisper.

A slight frown appeared on his face.

His dark eyes locked directly onto Shen Yan.

“Who were you talking to?”

“And what was that voice earlier?”

Shen Yan smiled.

His tone carried an air of mystery.

He offered no further explanation.

“When the Mountain God handles matters, you don’t need to know the details.”

One of Cult Leader Miao’s life lessons was:

In the modern world, when you can’t explain something—blame quantum mechanics.

In ancient times, when you can’t explain something—blame mysticism and the supernatural.

Works every time.

Never fails.

The Cult Leader is truly wise! 😆