Chapter 122 Thorough Cleanup

With Zhulong defeated, the evil aura within the cave dissipated rapidly, like the receding tide.

Upon seeing their leader dead, the remaining black-robed cultists lost all will to fight. Some tried to escape, while others went mad and were quickly wiped out by Ye Xunyang, Ye Xunqin, and others.

The out-of-control corpse puppets also stood frozen, like real dead things.

The battle was over, and the cave was a mess, filled with the stench of blood mixed with the lingering stench of evil magic, making one want to vomit.

Those who remained standing were all wounded and exhausted, but their eyes were filled with the relief and excitement of victory.

"Quickly, go check on those who are imprisoned!" Ye Xunyang, without taking a break, immediately led his men to the stone chamber where they had been imprisoned.

The door to the stone chamber was cleaved open, and the dozens of people imprisoned inside were mostly on the verge of death, their eyes numb. When they saw someone enter, they first cowered in fear, but after realizing that the newcomer was not a member of the Black Robe Cult, they burst into cries and sobs of relief at surviving their ordeal.

Among them were members of the Black Stone Village clan, mountain people from other villages, and even a few captured border soldiers.

"It's alright, you're saved!" Ye Xunyang reassured everyone, and quickly instructed the less seriously injured guards and people from Black Stone Village to help them up and distribute food and water.

Despite his exhaustion, Arno carefully examined the prisoners and prepared some detoxifying and calming herbs for them to take.

"This place is not suitable for lingering. Although the evil spirits have dissipated, it is still an ominous place."

Lou Jin paused to recover, suppressing the intense weakness brought on by the Blood Burning Pill, and then gave the order.

"Gather all the evidence of Shadow Serpent's crimes that can be found, including those sorcery notes, magical artifacts, and containers for cultivating corpse puppets, at the edge of the blood pool. Take the rescued people out of the cave immediately."

The people obeyed the order. Soon, a small mountain made up of all sorts of evil things rose up in the center of the cave.

Lou Jin took the torch, looked at the pool of blood that was churning dark red and seemed to be still writhing in resentment, and at the corpse of Elder Wumeng beside it. His eyes were cold, and he threw the torch over without hesitation!

Flames erupted instantly! The sinister items and herbs acted as excellent fuel, and the fire spread rapidly, quickly engulfing the blood pool and the surrounding evil statues.

The blazing fire dispelled the chill and evil spirits in the cave, illuminating the tired yet resolute faces of everyone present.

"Let's go!"

The team, carrying the rescued people, quickly evacuated this hell on earth along the route they had come from.

When they finally left the Poison Dragon Pool and returned to the outskirts of the Blackwater Marsh, everyone felt as if they had seen the light of day again.

We found a relatively safe place with clean water on the edge of the Blackwater Marsh and set up camp to rest.

That night, the unattended person slept very soundly, finally able to relax for a moment after being tense for many days.

The following morning, the team underwent a simple reorganization and division of labor.

Ye Xunqin was concerned about the people of Kapok Village, especially Anar.

"Your Highness, the main force of the Shadow Serpent has been eliminated. I would like to take a few people to search for Anar and the surviving members of the Kapok Village." He was still injured, but his eyes were urgent.

Lou Jin nodded in agreement: "General Ye, please be careful. After you find the person, you can either head towards Black Stone Village to meet up with us, or go directly to the border garrison for help."

Ye Xunqin solemnly clasped his hands in greeting, and led two of his less seriously injured bodyguards on a journey to find the missing person.

On the other side, Shi Long and the men of Black Stone Village under his command were eager to return home and reclaim their homeland.

"Your Highness King Jin! Please allow us to lead the way back to Blackstone Village and wipe out the remnants of the Shadow Serpents who have occupied our homeland!"

“That suits me perfectly,” Lou Jin said.

“The Shadow Serpent is a powerful and deeply rooted organization. Although its leader has been killed, its remaining forces in various places still need to be wiped out. Black Stone Village is the first step.”

He looked at the group, who were exhausted but full of fighting spirit, and said, "Once we've rested, let's set off immediately. Our destination is Black Stone Village!"

At the same time, Lou Jin did not forget the bigger picture.

He personally wrote two letters, one to his elder brother Lou Yan, detailing the outcome of the Blackwater Marsh Battle, the execution of Zhulong, and the destruction of the Shadow Serpent organization's core.

He also requested that Lou Yan immediately inform his father, the Emperor, and issue an urgent decree to mobilize the troops stationed on the southwestern border to completely wipe out the remaining strongholds of the Shadow Serpents in various parts of the southwest, appease the affected people of all ethnic groups, and rebuild order.

The other letter was addressed to Yu Beichen, describing the various strange poisonous miasma, corpse puppets, and evil magic encountered in the Blackwater Marsh. It hoped that Yu Beichen could use this information to develop more targeted antidotes and countermeasures in case of emergency, and assist the Southwest Garrison in dealing with possible subsequent poisoning.

The two letters were carried by Qingshan and sent to the capital as quickly as possible.

"Set off!"

The journey to Black Stone Village is much easier than going deep into Black Water Marsh.

With Shi Long and the others leading the way, the team avoided many dangers. In addition, news of the destruction of the Shadow Serpent core seemed to have begun to spread, and they did not encounter any decent resistance along the way. There were only a few panicked Shadow Serpent scouts, who were easily dealt with.

Several days later, an outline made of black boulders appeared before them.

The black flag of the Shadow Serpent fluttered on the stockade wall, but the defenses were clearly much lax.

"It seems those inside already know things are going to turn bad." Shi Long rubbed his hands together, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge.

Lou Jin observed the situation in the village and ordered, "Wu Shan, take your men to find out the distribution of the guards inside the village. Shan Lan, prepare the signal. The rest of you, rest where you are. In a quarter of an hour, on my command, launch the general attack!"

"yes!"

The guards, like ghosts, slipped into the mountains and forests, silently approaching Black Stone Village.

Fifteen minutes later, a whistling arrow shot into the sky.

"Kill!" Shi Long roared and charged out first, followed by his fellow villagers who shouted slogans of revenge and rushed toward the village gate.

Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang led their guards and secret agents to launch an attack from the flanks, like two sharp knives piercing straight into the heart of the village.

The remaining Shadow Serpent rebels in the stronghold were indeed demoralized and lacked the will to resist.

Seeing the enemies rushing towards them like wolves and tigers, and especially seeing that Shi Long and the others had actually returned alive, they were terrified.

The battle was almost entirely one-sided.

Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang had a clear goal and headed straight for the largest stone building in the village.

That place was originally the residence of the old chief of Black Stone Village, but it was later occupied by Elder Wumeng.

Rushing into the stone building, they saw several Shadow Serpent cultists, who appeared to be leaders, frantically packing their belongings in preparation for escape.

"Where do you think you're going!" Ye Xunyang brandished his longsword, blocking the way.

Lou Jin's gaze was icy, and without even asking any further questions, he made his move directly.

With a whooshing sound and crisscrossing sword energy, the few leaders who stubbornly resisted quickly fell into pools of blood.

The operation to clear out the enemy lasted for less than an hour before it was basically over.

Black Stone Village, the fortress that had been occupied by Shadow Serpent for a long time, has finally returned to its true owner.

The original inhabitants who had been forced into enslavement in the village were released and embraced Shi Long and others, weeping and recounting their suffering during this period.

After recapturing Blackstone Village, Lou Jin immediately dispatched men to contact the surrounding villages that had been persecuted by the Shadow Serpents, announcing the news of the Shadow Serpent leader's execution, and organizing forces to wipe out the remaining forces in the vicinity.

At the same time, he anxiously awaited news from Ye Xunqin and the imperial decree.

A few days later, good news kept coming.

First, Ye Xunqin returned with a team!

He not only found some of the surviving members of the Kapok Village, but also brought Anar with him.

Although Kapok Village suffered heavy losses, Anar and some of her people managed to escape and hid in the deep mountains and forests until Ye Xunqin found them.

Immediately afterwards, the imperial court's urgent military order arrived at the southwestern border.

Upon receiving Lou Jin's report of victory and request, the Emperor was overjoyed. He not only issued an edict praising Lou Jin, Ye Xunyang, and others, but also strictly ordered the commander of the Southwest Garrison to immediately dispatch elite troops to completely wipe out the remaining Shadow Serpent forces, pacify the local area, and reorganize the border defenses!

With the intervention of the imperial army, the suppression operation immediately became efficient and thorough.

The Shadow Serpent strongholds that stubbornly resisted were eliminated one by one, the rescued people of various ethnic groups were resettled, and the chaotic order began to be restored rapidly.

After months of fighting, traversing thousands of miles, and facing life and death, the long battle against the Shadow Serpent has finally seen the dawn of victory.

"Finally... it's over." Ye Xunyang let out a long sigh of relief and grasped Lou Jin's hand. His palm was warm and firm.

Lou Jinhui grasped his hand, his gaze softening as he looked towards the distant horizon where the sun broke through the clouds, casting countless golden rays.

“Yes, it’s over.” He said softly, then shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of heaviness and relief. “At least, the trouble here is over.”