Chapter 236: Wandu Town, Old Enemy

The Listening Wind Pavilion seemed to list all known Pill-Forming and Foundation Establishment cultivators. While claiming to be information on powerful cultivators, it felt more like a record of those active in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest region.

The intelligence on Liu Yidao was quite detailed. Although the illusory image imprinted by spiritual energy had been disguised, Wang Yu would never forget those eyes.

His bone structure, height, arrival time in Ten Thousand Poisons Town, preferred techniques, and cultivation level—all the characteristics matched. This was his old enemy from when he was weak.

—Steward Liu!

Back then, this person was Wei Zhong's confidant, one of the three stewards of the Blood-Cold Peak's Spirit Slave District, and the very individual who severed Wang Yu's arm.

Thinking about it now, he was so naive and ignorant back then.

Yet, he had grasped the core issue. Based on his understanding of spirit slaves over the years, the so-called promotion to outer discipleship was practically an unattainable dream.

This was true for everyone except him, who gambled and was promoted by Su Yulong.

The last spirit slave to be promoted to an outer disciple was over six hundred years ago. Since Wang Yu, not a single spirit slave from the Nine Peaks had advanced to the outer sect.

This wasn't a matter of probability; it was a matter of destiny.

It all depended on whether a benefactor would elevate you. His smooth progress was also thanks to the prevailing circumstances; otherwise, he would have already died among the spirit slaves.

He used to believe spirit slaves could live for twenty years, only to later learn that most only survived for three or four. They were driven to desperately exhaust their lifespans, misled by certain qi-replenishing tonics.

Their output far exceeded expectations, and the techniques and supplemental tonics that could be exchanged were all layers of temptation.

Now, besides feeling fortunate,

he would also ensure he would never again fall into such a precarious existence!

Encountering Steward Liu in Ten Thousand Poisons Town was also a good thing.

The fact that he could break through to Foundation Establishment suggested he had dealt with the inner disciple who took the pursuit mission, and perhaps he even gained some benefits from it.

After finishing the information in the jade slip, Wang Yu decisively purchased more intelligence from the Listening Wind Pavilion.

"I want all the information on this Liu Yidao!"

"Please wait... Five thousand spirit stones."

This time, the information could be taken away. After reading it, Wang Yu's figure quickly vanished.

Butcher's Aromatic Stew and Wine.

This was a bustling eatery. Every table in the two-story pavilion was fully occupied, indicating the owner's extraordinary capabilities.

At one table, four people were conversing within a small sound-proofing barrier.

"Mmm, Butcher Wang's cooking is truly excellent. This demon dog meat is so fragrant!"

"You skinny fellow, be careful not to over-nourish your weak constitution, or you'll be burning with excessive desires tonight."

"Hey, I don't like hearing that. I'll pull out my massive member and scare you senseless."

"Go scare young girls, why scare me? What good is your 'bird' for? You can't even soak it in wine."

"Hahahaha—"

Three of the four hat-wearing fellows burst into laughter, much to the skinny fellow's indignation.

"Enough, stop joking about this. Let's talk about our target this time, Brother Liu?"

At these words, the atmosphere immediately quieted.

It was clear that the one called Brother Liu was their true leader, with the highest cultivation, reaching the second level of Foundation Establishment!

The other three were all in the late stage of Qi Condensation.

Such small groups were common on the Scarlet Kite lands. Rogue cultivators banded together to survive, but betrayal was most likely to occur when rare opportunities arose.

"Half a month ago, Miss Ruan of Scorpion Poison City entered the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest with a team, searching for a second-tier spirit herb called Black Hemp White Fruit.

"It's said to be one of the main ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Pill used by poison cultivators. By now, they should be emerging. Big Dog?"

This was the "business" they were eyeing. Regardless of whether the other party found the spirit herb, being from the Ruan family inherently meant a large sum of spirit stones.

As for the Ruan family's strength, it was merely a declining Foundation Establishment family. Only two Foundation Establishment cultivators remained in the clan: one needed to guard the ancestral land, and the other accompanied the young lady into the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest.

Such an opportunity was rare; they might even make a fortune by entering Scorpion Poison City.

The cultivator named Big Dog performed a hand seal.

A palm-sized hummingbird flew in from outside the window, its wings beating almost invisibly. Big Dog closed his eyes to communicate, and after a few breaths, he exclaimed in surprise:

"Brother Liu, they're out! They'll be out of the forest in three hours at most, and the old man at the early Foundation Establishment stage seems to be injured."

The other three's eyes lit up, and they acted decisively.

"Let's go!"

Casually dropping over a hundred spirit stones, the skinny fellow carried away the clay pot of stew, clearly reluctant to part with the delicious food.

Butcher Wang, who had been sharpening his knife, glanced at the spirit stones on the table, then finally reined in his murderous aura. The other patrons looked at the brightly shimmering small stones.

All silently turned their heads back. Just then, a strange cultivator walked in from outside, wearing a dark mask, his eyes like black holes, appearing to devour souls.

The newcomer was Wang Yu.

According to the intelligence, Liu Yidao preferred to rest at this eatery, so Wang Yu came to try his luck.

Seeing only one empty table available, he took a seat.

Casually fiddling with the spirit stones on the table, he waved at Butcher Wang.

The surrounding patrons collectively shuddered.

"What an arrogant fellow."

Butcher Wang approached, carrying his bone-chopping cleaver and emanating a fierce aura. His massive body and the bloody stench were truly off-putting.

Wang Yu used his true essence to expand the sound-proofing barrier and asked,

"Did Liu Yidao come here today?"

"Bang—"

The bone-chopping cleaver violently smashed the table to pieces. The butcher looked down at Wang Yu, perceiving his extremely youthful life aura as the source of his arrogance.

"Where did this little bastard come from? Why should I tell you?!" (Foundation Establishment, sixth level.)

The other party unleashed his aura without reservation. In Ten Thousand Poisons Town, he was indeed a formidable figure, but Wang Yu had always had a short temper.

"Since you refuse a toast and choose to drink a forfeit, don't blame me for finding out myself."

His divine sense power, already at the peak of the third tier (third level), surged out furiously. Waves of Soul-Shattering Fingers almost stunned the butcher.

Immediately after,

"—Soul-Excavating Evil Boats Curse!"

Black paper boats, two fingers long, drifted out from the void behind Wang Yu, a mighty fleet of over six hundred vessels. They crashed into the butcher's Niwan Palace one after another.

They smashed his divine sense to pieces, targeting the soul hidden deep within his physical body. Each black paper boat that passed carried away a wisp of soul essence and memory.

Under the repeated onslaught of over six hundred black paper boats, the butcher's soul essence quickly became tattered, constantly emitting agonizing screams. This was soul excavation!

Once the evil boats had plundered his memories, the butcher's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ground in a daze, drooling like an imbecile.

The surrounding patrons watched this transformation in stunned silence.

All the small sound-proofing barriers dissipated.

"That's... that's a Soul-Searching Secret Art that only Pill-Forming cultivators can practice! Butcher Wang is finished!"

A rumbling sound erupted—

Without any hesitation or thought of continuing to watch the spectacle, everyone scattered in a rush, some crashing directly through walls, others burrowing into the ground.

Within three breaths, everyone in sight had completely vanished.

Wang Yu was still somewhat bewildered by the sight.

After all, the amiable rogue cultivators of Gui Ling City loved nothing more than watching a spectacle, which was quite different from the situation here in Ten Thousand Poisons Town.

"Order..."

"Second Elder, just hold on a little longer. Once we're out of the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest, your poison can be cured."

While Wang Yu was examining Butcher Wang's memories,

Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest,

A scattered group of eight or nine people, almost all injured, their lips dark purple, lacked even the strength to wield their flying swords with spiritual energy. They had to use all their might to suppress the poison in their bodies.

"Young Miss, whatever you do, don't enter Ten Thousand Poisons Town. Return to Scorpion Poison City..."

The old man at the early Foundation Establishment stage was being carried on the back of a muscular male cultivator, his consciousness already blurry, constantly mumbling warnings not to enter Ten Thousand Poisons Town.

The young girl following closely was already teary-eyed.

"But your injuries are critical now! It's all my fault; I shouldn't have insisted on pressing forward. The detoxifying pills we brought also turned out to be ineffective."

This team consisted entirely of Ruan family members. At this point, they lacked the energy to blame anyone. Over twenty people had entered, but only seven or eight emerged, suffering heavy casualties.

"Young Miss, this isn't your fault. The problem with the detoxifying pills must have been caused by someone in the clan responsible for procuring supplies, perhaps even in collusion with outsiders..."

"Cough, cough—

"Ruan Wenlang, what's the point of saying all this now? Perhaps Fifth Elder was also deceived? Hurry up."

The forest was deep and the fog thick, with low visibility.

But on nearby treetops, small birds quietly watched the slowly advancing group, constantly providing coordinates to those outside.

A moment later,

Array flags shot out from all directions, almost instantly forming a small array to conceal movement. This was an essential method for cunning rogue cultivators.

Such simple arrays were set up for every ambush to prevent the commotion of a fight from attracting other cultivators.

Four figures descended from the air, completely surrounding the Ruan family's team.

Miss Ruan's heart trembled. She immediately realized they had encountered bandits and quickly looked at the accompanying Second Elder, only to find he had completely lost consciousness due to his severe injuries.

—Oh no!

She was about to step forward to negotiate, but saw the four villains remain silent, wielding their magic tools and charging directly at them.

The oppressive feeling from the Foundation Establishment cultivation of the leading hat-wearing assailant, who wielded a blade, filled her with despair.

"Thunk!"

"Thunk!!"

They barely put up any decent resistance. The Ruan family cultivators held on for less than ten breaths, and then everyone, including Miss Ruan, was dead.

Seeing this, the skinny fellow breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Liu, only this Foundation Establishment old man is left. Should we save him?"

"Idiot! Give him a detoxifying pill and use the Seven-Finger Meridian Severing Method I taught you to seal his Qi Sea meridians. Do I still need to tell you how valuable a living Foundation Establishment cultivator is?"

"Yes, yes, yes—"

The skinny fellow gave an awkward smile, and seeing the wound where Miss Ruan's heart had been pierced, he said with some regret.

"She was quite pretty; what a real shame. Big Dog! You're utterly merciless, too brutal!"

Big Dog was rummaging through the corpses, even stripping their clothes.

Hearing this, he rolled his eyes.

"I'm risking my life here, how could I hold back?! Even if she were a fairy, I'd kill her first and talk later. It seems you haven't listened to a single word of Brother Liu's teachings."

"Ha... how could I? Just give me this corpse."

"As you wish."

A moment of silence passed as the four began to gather their spoils of war.

Just then,

An ethereal, faint voice echoed from within the forest.

"You certainly have a peculiar taste~"