The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 150 - 135 Cruel Scene_1

Chapter 150: Chapter 135 Cruel Scene_1

The bitterly cold Ice Rock Island.

Having left Cloud Sail, Pang Jian stood on the icy rock ground, motionless like a statue.

He stared blankly at the pile of broken stones where the bodies were laid.

Wu Yi and Meng Qiulan, both with their breastbones deeply sunken in, had foul blood in their mouths, apparently having died from severe internal blows.

Zhao Ling’s body had many parts sliced open by sharp weapons, and her long, beautiful legs were covered with shockingly deep wounds, as if she had been tortured harshly with blades before her death.

Bai Wei and Bai Zhi, sisters, had purple lips edged with distinctive trails of blood.

They seemed to have died from poisoning.

In Bai Wei’s clutched left hand, a small piece of a fish-skin bag peeked through her fingers, clearly a piece of the storage bag Pang Jian had given her.

Someone had clearly tried to snatch the storage bag, but she refused to let go even in death, ripping the bag during the struggle and leaving only a small fragment in her hand.

In death, she still clung tightly to that piece.

That object must have been extremely important to her.

Several corpses of the Individual Cultivator Marrow Cleaning Stewards of Meridians Channeling Realm lay fragmented and incomplete.

Among the numerous bodies, those from the Lower Realm who belonged to the Dark Ghosts seemed unremarkable.

Yet Pang Jian remained rooted to the spot, staring intently.

The fierce cold wind was biting to the bone, causing a faint pain on the face, and Pang Jian, standing on the rocky ground, felt the chill seeping into his body from the soles of his feet.

The severe cold of Ice Rock Island matched his current mood exactly.

"Yuan!"

Gao Yuan, who stayed on Cloud Sail, leaned over the side and saw the siblings below, who, unlike the rest, did not enter the Great Stone Hall but were fixated on the pile of bones. He called out in a raised voice.

Dozens of zhang away.

Another person on a Cloud Sail abruptly popped their head out, speaking coldly, "What are you shouting for!"

"What’s with those two girls?"

Gao Yuan pointed towards the pile of bodies, to where Pang Jian’s gaze was fixed, and asked in confusion, "They’re clearly a pair of strikingly beautiful sisters."

"You and I both know the relationship between Individual Cultivator Cloud Ascetics and Blood Moon Elder Jiuyuan. Such an outstanding pair of sisters, being seen by Cloud Ascetics, he would have surely found a way to send them to Jiuyuan’s hands."

"How did they end up dead on his territory?"

Gao Yuan couldn’t figure it out.

"Fei Zheng of Blood Moon originally thought so too," said Yuan Fei, an Individual Cultivator who was an old acquaintance of Gao Yuan. He snorted coldly before explaining, "Here’s what happened..."

He summarized briefly.

It was about a group of people who arrived at Ice Rock Island on a Cloud Sail and participated in a gathering hosted by Cloud Ascetics.

Among them, some intended to exchange a few items for a batch of Marrow Cleaning materials.

In those items, Cloud Ascetics recognized something he had once sold to a member of the Blood Moon Gate.

Not long ago, Cloud Ascetics heard that this person, along with Fei Zheng on a Beast-Catching Ship, accidentally died in Sky Fortune Fragment Land in the Lower Realm.

Curious about the coincidence, Cloud Ascetics used a secret skill to discuss the matter with his good friend, Elder Jiuyuan, and also mentioned the characteristics of the pair of sisters.

Soon after.

Zhu Yuanxi from Blood Moon, under the orders of Elder Jiuyuan, arrived on an "Unstable Ferry."

They immediately confirmed that the group was from the Dark Ghosts organization of the Lower Realm.

With the tacit approval from Cloud Ascetics, Zhu Yuanxi acted directly, causing the deaths of the Dark Ghosts with his Innate Realm powers.

"When the sisters heard they were to be sent to Jiuyuan, they poisoned themselves first. The others were interrogated by Zhu Yuanxi about how they escaped Sky Fortune Fragment Land and how they managed to reach the Third Realm."

"They were tight-lipped, reportedly refusing to reveal a word until their deaths, and then they all died."

Yuan Fei, who remained on his Cloud Sail and didn’t enter the Great Stone Hall, described the situation based on the information he had received.

"It’s really strange, the Hall Master of the Dark Ghosts from the Lower Realm dared to strike at the Beast-Catching Ship of Blood Moon. To this day, Zhu Yuanxi hasn’t figured out how they got from the Lower Realm to the Three Immortal Islands."

"Up until now, only forces like Blood Moon, Raging Sun Sect, and Yin Spirit Temple had the flying vehicles to bring people up from the Lower Realm."

Yuan Fei shook his head with puzzlement.

Gao Yuan listened with great surprise.

"Gao Yuan, you’re really lucky; it’s been smooth sailing all the way," Yuan Fei remarked before suddenly changing the subject, "You don’t know that a while ago, that Dong Tianze from Yin Spirit Temple, using a Heavenly Spirit Tower, was looting Cloud Sails around the vicinity. When I was on my way here, I was constantly frightened, terrified of being targeted by that mad dog."

Gao Yuan exclaimed, "What is Yin Spirit Temple thinking? Even if they’re unsociable, they can’t afford to offend all Individual Cultivators, right? Provoking universal condemnation doesn’t do them any good, does it?"

"It was only Dong Tianze who came up from the Lower Realm who acted. That guy’s insane; he would do anything," Yuan Fei explained.

The two Individual Cultivators, each owning a Cloud Sail, chatted casually while watching their vessels.

"Let’s go."

Pang Jian retracted his gaze, murmured a notice to Luo Hongyan, and headed toward the Great Stone Hall first.

"Remember to board my Cloud Sail after the gathering is over! As for you two... I can give you a discount," Gao Yuan hastily shouted as they started moving towards the Great Stone Hall.

"Hmm."

Luo Hongyan responded indifferently.

Gao Yuan’s face immediately lit up with a smile, "I’ll wait for you two!"

Once Pang Jian and the other had disappeared into the Great Stone Hall, Yuan Fei suddenly left his Cloud Sail and, after a few quick movements, arrived on Gao Yuan’s Cloud Sail.

"What’s the story with those two?"

Yuan Fei frowned and asked, "That guy, staring at the pile of bones and the pair of sisters, only took a few extra glances, yet you intentionally asked me about them. What, have you befriended some new important people?"

"I knew I couldn’t hide it from you."

Gao Yuan grinned, pointing at the sky, and said, "A brother and sister who have come down from above for a tour. I’m still in the middle of ingratiating myself with them, and it’s not certain I’ll succeed. You know how it is, the people who come down from above, each one has a serious background, and I feel incredibly honored if they even deign to glance at me."

"The Upper Realm?"

Yuan Fei’s eyes showed a different color, and then he cursed, "Dammit, Gao Yuan, why didn’t you hint at me earlier so I could suck up to them too! If I had known they were from the Upper Realm, I would have given a much more detailed introduction when I saw that kid looking at the sisters!"

"Have you heard about the massacre in the Lower Realm?" Gao Yuan quickly changed the subject.

Hearing this, Yuan Fei immediately stopped cursing, his face turned solemn, and he nodded: "This matter can’t be hidden for long. Zhu Yuanxi from Blood Moon, after dealing with those Dark Ghosts, took the Unstable Ferry to Cloud Island. I’ve heard that Blood Moon plans to take over Cloud Island to give a base to the loyal Shangguan Family and Ouyang Family."

Gao Yuan smiled wryly, "The world is getting more chaotic by the day. If the Lower Realm’s disaster continues to spread, people from the seven major families will enter the Third Realm and come over to snatch our resources."

Yuan Fei sighed, "We should do more runs recently and try to earn more Spirit Stones, who knows what will happen in the future?"

...

Great Stone Hall.

Pang Jian and another passed underneath the shattered colossal city wall and saw nothing but ruins inside.

"First, let’s find a place. I’ll create a new face for you."

Luo Hongyan looked around and quickly selected a secluded corner, and without caring whether Pang Jian was willing or not, she pulled him over and started to change his face with dye.

Pang Jian said nothing, his expression wooden, and let her go ahead with her work.

A moment later.

A face emerged with dark red skin and a slightly plump appearance, replacing Pang Jian’s real visage.

"That should do it."

Luo Hongyan, satisfied, put the dye back into her storage ring and said, "Anyone who has seen you, whether from Blood Moon or Dong Tianze, wouldn’t recognize this face."

After a long silence, Pang Jian said, "We shouldn’t have brought them to the Third Realm."

Luo Hongyan sighed softly.

She could tell that the tragic deaths of the Dark Ghosts had made Pang Jian somewhat depressed and self-reproachful.

Even though Pang Jian was not particularly close with Zhao Ling, Meng Qiulan, and the others, he had spent time with them and fought side by side a few times.

When Pang Jian handed over his storage bag to Bai Wei, it indicated that he actually had a fairly good impression of the sisters, Bai Wei and Bai Zhi.

Arriving at the Great Stone Hall and seeing the bodies of those people who had died in agony, it was normal for him to feel oppressed.

"They attacked Blood Moon’s Beast-Catching Ship because of my proposal."

Pang Jian said emotionlessly.

"You don’t have to blame yourself."

Luo Hongyan tried to console him.

"It’s not self-reproach."

Shaking his head, Pang Jian said, "The incident started because Blood Moon’s Beast-Catching Ship docked at the Dark Ghosts’ base in Cloud Marsh. Fei Zheng, after seeing the Bai sisters, forcefully abducted the two of them."

"He wanted to please Elder Jiuyuan, who has a fondness for sisters; Fei Zheng, who came from the Upper Realm, didn’t hesitate to forcefully ’buy’ them when he saw the Bai sisters."

Pang Jian paused briefly and continued, "Fei Zheng’s death was his own fault."

Luo Hongyan nodded slightly, whispering, "So, what do you want to do?"

"The Individual Cultivator Cloud Ascetics is the true master of the Great Stone Hall, and all who come to trade must pay him Spirit Stones. In theory, he should give protection to every trader, yet he betrayed Zhao Ling and the others to Jiuyuan," said Pang Jian with a heavy tone.

"Often, rules are made to restrain others, while those who make the rules are not bound by them," said Luo Hongyan with a hint of scorn.

"Individual Cultivator Cloud Ascetics, the commanding Jiuyuan, the hands-on Zhu Yuanxi..."

Pang Jian looked at Luo Hongyan, serious, "I want them dead."

In his mind.

The image of Bai Wei’s lifeless body, clutching fragments of the storage bag, constantly haunted him, fueling his anger.

Without venting this anger, he felt as if he had an unresolved knot in his heart, one that would depress and trouble him for a long time.

"Alright, I’ll help you."

Luo Hongyan immediately nodded her head.

After a moment of silence, she added, "I and a few of the Dark Ghosts have always deliberately kept a distance, also because I didn’t want to have any emotional entanglements. When you start to care about them, you’ll feel sad and hurt when you see them die."

"Over the years, I’ve been avoiding such things."

"I know well how cruel the world of cultivation can be, and I understand that with their cultivation realms, it’ll be very difficult for them to establish themselves in the Third Realm."

"I just didn’t expect it to happen so fast, and I could have done better."

"At least, I shouldn’t have let you see such a cruel scene of their death so soon..." Luo Hongyan quietly blamed herself.

She was subconsciously protecting Pang Jian, wanting him to focus on cultivation and not be disturbed by too many trivial matters. Knowing Pang Jian’s cold exterior but warm heart, she did not want him to be too distracted by the Dark Ghosts, so they parted ways soon after arriving in the Third Realm.

The death of the Dark Ghosts only stirred a few ripples in her heart, but it did not affect her much.

She blamed herself for... letting Pang Jian see the scene, disturbing the peace within his heart.

"It’s good that I saw it."

Pang Jian’s voice was low, matching his current mood, "I have to go through these things eventually. Their deaths are a warning to me, telling me how cruel this world is."

"You’ve grown up so fast."

Luo Hongyan praised softly.

...