Afterlife Department

Chapter 468 – Cultivator

"For us to not notice that there is something strange… tch." Yi Bing clicked his tongue in displeasure as he leapt back when the mist tried to reach him.

"What's with the mist?" Huo Ling asked.

"I have a bad feeling." Yi Bing muttered and jumped on the roof of the car.

Huo Ling followed. "You can't control the mist?" he asked.

"This isn't made from water." Yi Bing told him.

"Then I won't burn it." Huo Ling said as he lowered his hand. "This could be…" he muttered and turned to look at Yi Bing who at the same time looked at him. Then, they teleported on top of the trees, only to be shocked when they saw something. "A mountain?!" he exclaimed when he saw it.

"So, the mist is made up of a spell." Yi Bing spoke. "It is to prevent outsiders from finding them." He explained.

Huo Ling turned to him. "Could there be… cultivators in the north that are hiding, so Xiao Ru's master told her to go north?" he asked.

"Dunno." Yi Bing answered. "But, since they showed themselves to us now, let's accept their invitation." He told him.

"Oh." Huo Ling muttered as they returned outside the cars and knocked.

"How is it? Is the mist dangerous?" Xi Kai asked as he opened the car.

"If it is, then we shouldn't have returned." Huo Ling said. "It isn't. You can go out now." He told them.

Xi Kai nodded and told the others to go out.

"Xiao Ru." Yi Bing called when he saw the girl. "It seems that your master is right. The mist was created by the cultivators. They are up there." He said and pointed above.

Everyone looked up and their jaws dropped when they saw that a mountain has appeared. "What… what the…?!" they exclaimed.

"Since they revealed themselves to us, then let's go and see them." Yi Bing told them as he started to walk towards the mist. Then, he placed the two cars inside his space.

The others looked hesitant, but then they followed in the end.

"Master… master once said that the north is the most prosperous because of the brightest star in the sky." Xiao Ru spoke as they climbed up the stairs.

They all looked at her. Jenny has already told them about Xiao Ru being a cultivator.

"Then, why is your master not with them?" Lan asked.

Xiao Ru shook her head as she held the two children in her arms tight. "Master didn't say. But, I feel that, like my parents and theirs – " she looked at the sleeping children. " – master must have also longed to integrate with the society and leave the mountains." She said. "But, in the end, he felt reluctant since the Dao have them cut off all of their relationships with others, especially the mortals so they can focus on the Dao. Yet, master, feeling that he has betrayed the Dao, he lived in that temple, never returning to his sect nor integrating into the society." She explained.

Everyone sighed at her master's life. A moment of indecisiveness brought a lifetime of regret. They don't know when, but suddenly they saw that they have arrived on top of the mountain. This must be one of the cultivators' skills.

Yi Bing and Huo Ling looked at each other and knew that it was a teleportation skill. "So, you've come." They heard a voice suddenly spoke.

Everyone immediately became vigilant. Xiao Ru held the children in her arms tight. "Senior… could you be my master's – " she spoke.

The voice cut her off. "It's not you, but those two." The voice spoke.

'two'? Everyone thought when suddenly, wind blades flew towards Yi Bing and Huo Ling. Everyone was shocked. So the cultivator appeared because of them?! They thought.

"Go to the side! He is targeting only us!" Yi Bing told them as he and Huo Ling immediately evaded the wind blades.

"Amazing…!" they exclaimed as they watched on the side.

"Even those big budget movies isn't comparable to them!" Lu Lu said when she remembered the xianxia movies that she sometimes casted.

The others nodded in agreement as they watched Yi Bing and Huo Ling constantly dodge the wind blades with inhumane speed.

"Where is he?!" the cultivator asked, enraged. "Where is shixiong?! Where is that demon?!" he asked.

"'shixiong'? 'demon'?" they muttered.

"We don't know." Yi Bing answered as he froze the wind blades, done playing with the cultivator. "We aren't demons. You should see it clearly." He said.

The others looked at him and Huo Ling and can't understand what they are saying, but they know that there must be some misunderstanding.

"I remember now!" Xiao Ru spoke. "Master once said that he once has a shixiong that was a traitor and was expelled from the sect." she said.

"A traitor? What did he do?" they asked her.

Xiao Ru shook her head. "I don't know. Master didn't tell me, and he looked very said when I asked him about it, so I didn't ask him again." She told them.

Silence fell.

"Hahaha…" the cultivator suddenly laughed. But, it wasn't a sinister laugh, but full of sadness instead. "Shixiong… just why…?" the cultivator asked.

"Are you the only one left here?" Yi Bing asked.

There was silence, but then was followed by something flapping. They turned and held their breath when they saw a handsome and elegant man appeared and was flying towards them. His face, though, looked cold but his eyes are filled with grief.

"I am Luo Ye." The man spoke. He turned to Xiao Ru. "Your master is one of my shixiongs, Luo Xu." He told her.

Xiao Ru blushed. "I… my master never told me his name…" she said, sounding aggrieved.

"Because cultivators have to detach themselves from the others, not even leaving their name, erasing their existence." Luo Ye explained.

Huo Ling nodded. "Even memories would fade over time, making one's existence completely disappear." He said.

Luo Ye turned to him. "I thought that you are my shixiong, Luo Ming's…" his voice trailed off. "You aren't." he frowned as his eyes narrowed. Suddenly, his eyes widened as if he recalled something. "Could it be that you two… of that visitor's…" he muttered.

The others felt puzzled of what he is saying but Yi Bing and Huo Ling felt that something, a major secret, is about to be revealed to them.

"A visitor?" Yi Bing spoke as he suppressed the emotion in his heart. Huo Ling was also silent, but his hands are trembling.

Luo Ye nodded. "There was once a visitor of our sect and he and my shixiong, Luo Ming, had a discussion." He spoke.

"Luo Ming, this person…" Xi Kai spoke.

"He is the traitor of the sect." Luo Ye said.

They all fell silent.

"But, you aren't bad people." Luo Ye looked at Yi Bing and Huo Ling. "Let's all go inside for a talk. I'll tell you everything I know." He told them.

They all looked at each other before they nodded and followed Luo Ye inside the mansion made of bamboos.

Northern Military Base.

"Huh? Why are they still not back yet?" Hu Feng asked when they didn't see any cars approaching from afar.

"Dunno… I just hope they didn't encounter a trouble." Qi Ming sighed.

Jin Wu and Mo Shi who are hiding heard what they said. They didn't speak and are reading Yi Bing's message.

0001: a cultivator appeared. The apocalypse is related to them. Currently looking for more information. 

"Heh… this is really a xianxia world." Mo Shi said and looked at the vast land before them. But, this land is now divided by a tall and thick wall which is the humanity's hope for survival.

…

"Our sect adopts the 'Luo' surname in respect for the sect's founder." Luo Ye started. "Our sect has existed for hundreds of years, but… it finally meets its fall five years ago." He sighed.

"Five years ago… that's when the apocalypse started!" Xi Kai exclaimed.

Luo Ye nodded. "It is because of Luo Ming-shixiong." He said.

"Just what did he do?" Qi Ying asked.

"Luo Ming-shixiong started behaving strangely five years ago." Luo Ye spoke. "I don't know what is happening to him nor can't read his mind. The next thing that I knew is that everyone… everyone has already died." He said as he gripped his cup tight.

No one spoke as they all held their breath. Luo Ye didn't say anything either as he raised his hand and waved. Then, their eyes widened when the beautiful mansion that is made of bamboos in the middle of the tranquil mountaintop suddenly became blood-stained and is littered with corpses. They suddenly heard footsteps and they turned, only to see a young man with his hair tied in a bun appeared in the entrance while catching his breath. Then, the next second, his eyes widened and is filled with horror when he looked in a certain direction.

They all turned again, only to feel their hearts be gripped by horror when they saw a man stood and is bathed in blood. His eyes are glowing red.