Chapter 71: Qingchi Demon Sect

The old Daoist's spiritual perception and reaction speed, honed by his Qi cultivation, saved his life. A mere subconscious sidestep meant the Profound Lunar Light only vaporized his left arm and entire left hand, leaving his upper body covered in frost and his face purple with cold.

"Cough, cough."

The old Daoist coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood, which solidified into frost in mid-air before splattering onto the soft earth.

"Good, good," he muttered.

A stiff smile appeared on his ancient face. With his remaining right hand, he summoned a faint white shield, deflecting all of Li Xiangping's incoming attacks. This small effort made him cough up another mouthful of frozen, dark blood. Feeling the chilling, bone-piercing aura coursing through his body, the old Daoist quickly formed a hand seal to protect his heart meridian and preserve his life.

Seeing that his barrage of attacks couldn't even shake the old Daoist's shield, and knowing that the talismans Li Chijing had given him were primarily for escape, Li Xiangping gritted his teeth and abandoned the old Daoist. He slapped a talisman onto his leg, harnessed the wind, and continued fleeing north. The Li family's territory lay to the west, so that direction was out of the question. To the east, ten Qi cultivators were still besieging the Wan family, which would be walking into a trap. To the south was the rugged Dali Mountain, where climbing would surely be slower than flying. His only option was to continue north.

Ji Dengqi gazed coldly at Wan Xiaohua, who lay on the ground, his upper body still propped up despite being cut in half at the waist. The long blade in Ji Dengqi's hand pinned Wan Xiaohua's lower body to the earth as he spoke indifferently: "Your Wan family should have been prepared for this outcome when you attacked Mount Huazhong."

Wan Xiaohua's peak Embryonic Breath vitality kept him from dying quickly. The intense pain made his eyes bulge, and guttural groans escaped his throat as he spat out a few words mixed with blood: "Wh... ah... why..."

A vision of the proud, richly dressed youth from years ago slowly appeared before Ji Dengqi's eyes. He quietly bent down and whispered: "What do you think we are? We are merely the pigs and dogs raised by these two families, small weights cast onto the scales of their transactions. They don't even care about your stance or the annual tributes you paid. They were just waiting for us to grow fat with flesh and blood. We are the pigs and cattle, fattened for slaughter and exchange."

Ji Dengqi watched Wan Xiaohua struggle to close his eyes, then quietly shed a tear. He closed his own eyes, lifted his head, and said in a deep voice: "Now, I will drive your entire Wan clan, blood descendants and the eight thousand mortals under your rule, to be sacrificed to that esteemed one's blade. Afterwards, that esteemed one will proceed to Mushroom Forest Plain, where the Green Pond Sect has no one stationed, and sacrifice 50% to 70% of the mortals and cultivators there to collect resentment and blood energy."

A sarcastic smile touched Ji Dengqi's lips. Gazing at Wan Xiaohua's cooling corpse, he continued to whisper: "And the Green Pond Sect, whom you dearly wished would come to your aid, is currently mobilizing troops to invade the Bladegold Gate's borders, engaging in the same disgusting deeds."

"Pigs and cattle have grown smart, so they must be slaughtered in exchange."

Gently closing Wan Xiaohua's eyes, Ji Dengqi let out a series of hoarse laughs from deep within his throat. He coldly raised his head, looking at the high-spirited figure of the golden-robed man in the sky.

"Senior Xiao!"

Li Tongya respectfully cupped his hands. Seeing Xiao Chuting, the Xiao family's Ancestor and a Foundation Establishment cultivator, narrowing his eyes while sipping tea, Li Tongya said softly: "Little friend Tongya, why not stay a few more days with my Xiao family?"

Li Tongya was momentarily stunned, a cloud of doubt rising in his mind. He lowered his gaze and remained silent for a breath before respectfully asking: "I wonder..."

Xiao Chuting waved a hand, interrupting Li Tongya, and whispered: "The Wan family hasn't shown up this year. It seems the Bladegold Gate has descended south as agreed, and by now, they should have reached Mushroom Forest Plain. Your Li family is currently isolated in the mountains, and Mushroom Forest Plain is a place of blood and gore. It would be better to delay your return for a few days until the Bladegold Gate withdraws."

Xiao Chuting's words revealed a lot of information. Li Tongya was taken aback, his mind racing for a few breaths. He cupped his hands and thanked him: "Thank you, Senior Xiao!"

Xiao Chuting nodded slightly, then closed his eyes in contemplation. Li Tongya immediately understood the hint and bid farewell.

Watching Li Tongya leave the courtyard, a brocade-robed youth emerged from behind the spirit-gauze screen within the courtyard. It was Xiao Yongling, whom Wan Yuankai and Li Tongya had encountered in a tavern years ago. He respectfully took a seat and asked with confusion: "Grandfather, is the Li family truly worth such an alliance for our family?"

Xiao Chuting silently took a sip of tea, then looked at his most favored direct descendant and whispered: "Li Chijing broke through his cultivation and mastered the Moon Lake Reflecting Autumn Art. The sect is quite shaken."

Xiao Yongling's eyes widened in shock for a moment, and he blurted out: "Moon Lake Reflecting Autumn Art? Where did he get the Lunar Moonlight from?!"

"Don't concern yourself with how he got it." Xiao Chuting waved his hand and said softly: "Cultivate a good relationship with the Li family, but don't be overly eager; that would be counterproductive."

Seeing Xiao Yongling's thoughtful expression, Xiao Chuting changed his tone and said coldly: "Do you know why the Three Sects and Seven Gates never stop the families under their rule from fighting and annexing each other? Why they even encourage mutual feuds between border families?"

Xiao Yongling pondered for a few breaths and replied: "The Green Pond Sect has never needed just a few spirit stones as tribute. What they need is to cultivate great aristocratic families like our Xiao family, capable of organizing large numbers of mortals and cultivators, to nurture spiritual resources that can assist Foundation Establishment or even Purple Mansion cultivators..."

"Can't the Green Pond Sect themselves spare some Qi and Foundation Establishment cultivators for this? Why must they rely on our family's hands, and then still share some of the gains with us? Look at how many spiritual items and artifacts our Xiao family has accumulated in Lixia County over these hundreds of years. Does the Green Pond Sect not know about this?" Xiao Chuting took a sip of tea and slowly countered with a question.

Xiao Yongling immediately paused, his mind grasping something, but he dared not speak it aloud.

"I'll say it for you: We aristocratic families are merely medicinal herbs planted by the Green Pond Sect." Xiao Chuting scoffed and said in a deep voice: "They spend hundreds of years cultivating a great aristocratic family, then devour it, bones and all. After that, they enlighten and promote dozens of small families, allowing them to fight, annex, and develop, raising the next crop of aristocratic families."

Xiao Yongling lowered his head, shivering, and spoke with a slight tremor: "How can this be... the conduct of immortals..."

"The war between immortals and demons ended thousands of years ago. Who still plays those old games? Which of the Three Sects and Seven Gates isn't merely whitewashing their mountain gate, standing upon flesh and bone?" Xiao Chuting chuckled and then retorted: "How do you think the Moonlight Glazed Tree on Green Pond Peak was cultivated? It was planted in Li Jiangqun's flesh and blood, watered with his fresh blood. Which corner of your Green Pond Sect, from top to bottom, isn't stained with blood?"

"The 'Green Pond Immortal Sect,' 'Green Pond Immortal Sect' – it sounds so grand!" Xiao Chuting scoffed as he stood up, asking Xiao Yongling: "Do you know what the Green Pond Immortal Sect was called five or six hundred years ago, before it joined the Three Sects?"

"I do not know."

Seeing Xiao Yongling shake his head, Xiao Chuting slowly leaned close to his ear and said coldly: "The Green Late Demonic Sect."

"The Green Late Demonic Sect?!"