Chapter 288: Black Snake

Crimson flames blazed in the fields. Piles of straw crackled loudly in the fire, their blood-red glow illuminating the pitch-black night. The deserted village was eerily silent, with dark blood flowing silently across the ground.

At the center stood a dark stone altar, covered in dark red incantations. Numerous men and women, all cloaked in Daoist robes, lay sprawled upon it, their throats pierced by sharp ritual implements.

A chilling wind whistled. Around him, nine neatly arranged piles of bones lay scattered, varying in size and mostly fragmented. In the very center, a black-robed cultivator sat cross-legged, eyes closed in concentration.

The man suddenly opened his eyes, a mystical glow swirling within them. With slightly tanned skin and unbound hair, he was, surprisingly, a Shan Yue tribesman. He stood up, humming a tune, picked up an ink-black gourd, and gazing at the moonlight, softly declared:

“The moon is at its zenith, the Yin energy is strongest. Excellent.”

He then gently raised the ink-black gourd. The numerous runes carved on its surface lit up one by one with a blood-red glow. With a slight shake, circulating his spiritual power, he cried out:

“Gather!”

From the surrounding bones, wisps of black qi and surges of bloody qi immediately rose, emitting shrill, mournful cries. They intertwined in the air like threads of silk, then, like homing swallows, flew towards the altar and burrowed into the gourd’s small opening.

“Excellent, excellent.”

The black-robed cultivator waited for half an hour until all the resentment and bloody qi were gradually absorbed. The surrounding bones withered and dried, emitting brittle cracking sounds, while the blood-red glow on the gourd grew increasingly intense. Only then did he quietly withdraw his hand and say contentedly:

“Over three thousand people, including six Qi-refining cultivators. This haul should certainly satisfy the Sect Master!”

The black-robed cultivator smiled in satisfaction. He glanced at the ground, pondered for a moment, then conjured a spell. The blood on the ground immediately stirred, rapidly coalescing into large characters:

“The killer is Jiang Yan.”

He meticulously examined his handiwork, a chuckle escaping his throat. His black robe billowed without wind as he clicked his tongue, saying:

“The Sect Master’s method is truly seamless!”

As the cultivator marveled, a faint voice unexpectedly emerged beside him:

“Indeed, it is a good method!”

“Who’s there!”

He abruptly looked up and saw a young boy’s face appear beside him. The boy had an enigmatic smile, staring fixedly at him with crimson lips, and chuckled:

“Chi Zhiyun truly plays a clever game. Your Green Pool Sect collects the resentment and bloody qi, while I, Jiang Yan, bear the blame?”

“Jiang Yan!”

The man was utterly terrified, his soul nearly leaping out of his body, as he blurted out:

“You... weren’t you in Linghai Commandery?”

He reacted instantly, spiritual light flowing in his eyes as bloody qi erupted from his body. He rose on the wind, turning to flee.

“I wondered why there were so many demonic cultivators around. It turns out your Azure Chi Demonic Sect is behind these schemes!”

Jiang Yan sneered. With a pull of his hand, the man, who had just stepped into the air, plunged back down with a thud. But he was, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He stamped heavily on the ground and reached for the long whip at his waist.

Jiang Yan formed a hand seal with his left hand and pointed with his right. The man’s robes twisted and distorted, and the long whip at his waist stiffened. The runes on the whip transformed into hideous, raised scales, bringing the entire whip to life. It became a dark, ugly serpent, flicking its tongue and lunging to bite his hand.

“What kind of spell is this!”

The man was greatly alarmed. He quickly formed a hand seal and sent the serpent flying with a palm strike. Before he could react further, the nine piles of bones around him stirred restlessly, linking together to form a giant bony hand that swept down from the sky to grab him.

“You’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet you’re still using a Qi-refining magic tool!”

Jiang Yan sneered coldly. The black-robed cultivator condensed a blood-red spell, blasting two large holes in the giant hand. He then leaped up through the falling bones, which scattered like rain, and lunged head-on towards Jiang Yan’s face.

The young boy raised his head and exhaled a deep plume of black mist, which caught the black-robed cultivator’s spell. He even had time to say with a smile:

“Master, what kind of immortal foundation does this person have?”

From within the black mist, the hideous black serpent slithered out, flicking its tongue and speaking with an ancient, weathered voice:

“Drinking mortal blood... He should originally be from Duanku Kui’s Wushan, but he defected to the Green Pool Sect.”

Seeing Jiang Yan address the black serpent, transformed from a magic tool, as “Master,” the black-robed cultivator’s heart instantly turned cold. He mumbled:

“Jiang... Jiang Boqing... How is this possible! You weren’t captured by the Underworld Envoys... How is that possible!”

The black serpent chuckled sinisterly. The surrounding flesh and bones swirled like a whirlwind, suddenly surging and splitting into numerous small hands that grabbed towards the black-robed cultivator’s face. The black serpent roared and laughed:

“I don’t cultivate the Purple Mansion Golden Core, so my name isn’t on their list. What do they have to capture me with!”

The black-robed cultivator was speechless. As Jiang Yan below chanted spells, the attacks from the flesh and bones grew increasingly fierce, leaving him overwhelmed and disheveled. Yet, he secretly rejoiced:

“Fortunately, I collected the bloody qi and resentment beforehand, otherwise this spell would likely be much stronger!”

He looked up again to find the black serpent gone. The black-robed cultivator’s heart skipped a beat. His spiritual sense swept around as he respectfully said:

“Lord Jiang, our cultivation paths are similar, both originating from the methods of immortal talismans and incantations... This humble one has long admired you...”

The black-robed cultivator was still pleading when a sinister voice whispered in his ear:

“Where is *Reply to the Beggar Boy’s Question Under the Mulberry Tree*!”

“This humble one... this humble one does not know!”

When the black-robed cultivator heard the name of the secret technique, *Reply to the Beggar Boy’s Question Under the Mulberry Tree*, the terror on his face seemed to spill over. He stammered tremblingly:

“Not only the Purple Mansions of the Three Sects and Seven Gates... even Lushu...”

“Silence!”

The black serpent’s scales bristled, and its two snake eyes widened as it cursed:

“You dare utter that name? Are you mad? This isn’t Duanku Kui’s Wushan... How dare you utter that person’s name in the Azure Chi Demonic Sect’s territory?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

The black-robed cultivator stammered a reply and continued:

“Even... even True Monarchs personally visited Wushan, and it truly wasn’t there! If this humble one utters a single falsehood, may I be struck by five bolts of thunder and never reincarnate!”

“Hahahahahahaha... you are quite clever.”

The black serpent’s voice carried a serpentine hiss as it said sinisterly:

“In this day and age, what good is an oath! Since True Monarchs all arrived, couldn’t they have used fate calculations, or soul-searching and spirit-snatching?”

The black-robed cultivator’s immortal foundation circulated as he desperately resisted the attacks from the bones. His eyes were bloodshot, with every vein clearly visible, as he stammered:

“Senior, don’t try to trick me... Duanku Kui has seen immortals; his fate is a chaotic mess. Even if there was a way to calculate it, who would dare! Immortal grace is like the ocean, immortal might is like a prison. Even True Monarchs wouldn’t dare probe!”

“As for soul-searching and spirit-snatching... Duanku Kui failed in his breakthrough and has already turned into a Huaiyin Ghost. Where could one even search for his soul!”

The black serpent fell silent, its voice filled with unwillingness as it hissed:

“You cultivated on Wushan for many years; have you ever seen this secret technique?”

“Never...”

The black serpent then fell silent. The black-robed cultivator inwardly cursed, realizing the gravity of the situation. He knew that Jiang Boqing had murderous intent, but he was entangled by Jiang Yan’s bone spell and unable to escape. He could only grit his teeth and shout:

“I pray to the High Xuanming True Register. There are evil ghosts and demonic beings here, corrupting the law with flesh and blood, obstructing my path... I respectfully invite the Xuanming Righteous Law...”

The shamanic incantation was not yet finished when the black serpent already laughed heartily and bit at his neck like lightning. Its voice still echoed in the air:

“Where will you invite them from!”