Chapter 4: The Resolve of a Killer

Xingxi was indeed even more powerful than Su Ziye had imagined. Her claim that she had grown stronger than she was two years ago was not a lie in the slightest. Even though the man she had just dispatched was already severely wounded, he was still a genuine Heavenly Realm practitioner; once a domain is deployed, there is a chasm between those within it and those below the Heavenly Realm. Yet, even with the opponent having already deployed his domain for defense, Xingxi was still able to forcefully break through and crush it, executing him in what was effectively a single strike. She was truly a magnificent creation, capable of defeating and even killing Heavenly Realm existences before she had even stepped into that realm herself. Now that she had attained the Heavenly Realm, ordinary experts were nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs before her.

Although Su Ziye often mocked himself for living in a world teeming with monsters, even among such company, Xingxi could be counted as one of the most formidable. Furthermore, the reason Su Ziye had chosen not to engage those who were hunting him was due to his consideration of the rules Xingxi had set. While it was true that Xingxi had once intended to kill him, and even now, if she were to truly act against him, Su Ziye would have no room to resist, the problem was that she had not received any orders to kill him. Under such circumstances, she was effectively harmless. Moreover, by manipulating these hunters into killing each other, he could fully test the extent of Xingxi’s control over her territory.

She had sensed their actions the moment they began to kill and had arrived almost immediately, but it was still too late to prevent the act; she could only remedy the situation by carrying out her own judgment. That was why Su Ziye had remarked, "It seems you truly execute other violators on the spot." But for Su Ziye, the fate she had decreed was merely expulsion. Perhaps it was because her premise was a prohibition on conflict, and since this hunter had chosen to kill a companion directly, Xingxi had repaid him in kind. Or perhaps, even for the current Su Ziye, she still harbored a faint vestige of their past relationship, and thus held him to a slightly different standard.

Xingxi did not turn her head as she replied quietly, "He killed someone." As she spoke, she shifted her gaze to the last survivor. "You need to leave this place. I will give you ten minutes."

The survivor froze for a moment before realizing what was happening. He turned and sprinted away, disappearing from their sight almost instantly. Xingxi then knelt down and gently touched the corpse of the first hunter killed. His body was instantly frozen, then shattered, the cleanup completed in a heartbeat.

"Even if he leaves your territory, in his current state, he won't be able to survive in the Forest of Fading Glory," Su Ziye said quietly from behind her.

"That is the choice you forced him to make," Xingxi replied calmly. "I do not like you."

"It is a pity to be disliked by you," Su Ziye said lightly. He was not surprised that Xingxi knew he had orchestrated the infighting; they were not far apart, and this was her territory. The hegemon of the Forest of Fading Glory possessed immense control over her domain and could sense the slightest stirrings within it. However, since she knew he was the mastermind yet still chose not to attack him, it meant she did not view this indirect killing as a crime. She placed all the sin upon the one who had actually committed the murder.

"Then I want to know, since the rule of your territory is that one cannot kill one another, why were you allowed to kill him?" Su Ziye asked.

"Because I am the one who set the rules, and I am the one who executes the punishment," Xingxi explained calmly.

"Then have I violated the rules?" Su Ziye asked with a smile. Xingxi shook her head.

"Are magical beasts also forbidden from killing each other in your territory?" Su Ziye continued.

"Of course," Xingxi replied as if it were obvious.

"Do you have a way to communicate with them?"

"The hegemons above the Heavenly Realm can, but ordinary beasts cannot; they have no means of communication between different species," Xingxi explained. "However, I can issue simple commands to the beasts within my territory and impose rules upon them."

"Then I am curious. Carnivorous beasts cannot hunt in your territory, so they must leave to feed and return to hide from enemies. But can herbivorous beasts eat grass within your territory?" Su Ziye continued to probe for loopholes in her rules.

"Of course they can," Xingxi said calmly.

"Why? Does the life of a blade of grass not count as life?" Su Ziye asked, feigning indignation.

"The air you breathe is filled with countless tiny lives in the form of dust. Every breath you take kills tens of thousands of sentient beings. Should I kill you for that, too?" Xingxi said flatly, devoid of emotion or inflection.

"Your interpretation of the rules is truly flexible. Let me ask one last question." Su Ziye didn't care whether Xingxi was annoyed; as long as she answered, he didn't mind asking more. "If I kill another beast outside your territory, can I roast and eat it inside your territory?"

"Some of the more intelligent beasts do that. My answer is yes." Xingxi’s responses were becoming almost fluid.

"Understood. I plan to stay here for a while. Is that alright?" Su Ziye asked with a smile.

"You may, but I will not be staying here all the time," Xingxi replied, showing no opposition.

"Not all the time?" Su Ziye looked at her curiously. "Will you be going out?"

"If a mission is assigned, I will go out to complete it. The Forest of Fading Glory lies at the intersection of worlds; tearing through the barrier here makes it very convenient to reach many other places," Xingxi explained quietly.

"Those missions are all assassination tasks, aren't they?" Su Ziye said calmly.

"Yes," Xingxi did not deny it.

"Why would a killer with hands stained in blood like you pretend to stay here and set such saintly rules for your territory?" Su Ziye said with no shortage of sarcasm. "If we followed your rules, you, being a killer yourself, would be the least qualified to live here."

"Because if I do not kill, I am of no use to those people. And if I am of no use, there is no necessity for me to exist in this world," Xingxi said calmly. "And I need to live, even if it means killing others to do so. I must live on this way."

Just then, a black tombstone appeared before Xingxi without warning.

"Weapon."

"You have a new mission."