Chapter 70: Escape for Life

At the headquarters of the Immortal Cult, a lush white mist flowed within an ancient bronze cauldron, holding the consciousnesses of rogue demonic cultivators. The Immortal Eye opened, projecting a light screen that displayed scrolling rankings.

The Cult Master and Deputy Cult Master were observing the excellent performances of the top-ranked individuals.

"Look, this person from Kunlun City is quite good," said the Cult Master. "They recite a Rebirth Incantation before killing, which is quite ritualistic."

"I heard he was once a monk from a temple. He advocated for achieving Buddhahood through killing and secretly murdered many people. After the abbot discovered his actions, he intended to beat him to death with a staff. Seeing his deeds exposed, he smashed the Buddha statues and fled. He came to our Immortal Cult to see if the Immortal supports his doctrine."

"That little fellow from Quhe Prefecture is also quite creative," the Cult Master continued. "He makes relatives turn on each other, controlling children to kill their fathers and grandchildren to kill their grandfathers. After their deaths, he refines them into puppets."

"Oh, this one's interesting," the Deputy Cult Master remarked. "He smashed load-bearing walls, causing buildings to collapse and killing many people."

Both commented enthusiastically on the top-ranked cultivators. Those who could rank at the top were all ruthless individuals who, if they grew stronger, had a high probability of being promoted to high-ranking positions in the future.

"What about the three little fellows who performed excellently in the first two rounds?"

The two scrolled on the light screen for a long time before finally finding Lu Yang and his two companions, who were discussing whether to go to a brothel.

The Deputy Cult Master was very displeased with their ranking. "So far down the list," he muttered, "could they be righteous sect infiltrators who aren't committing any evil deeds?"

The Cult Master, with much experience, shook his head. "You can't think that way. I see this Lu Yang as someone with great ideas. He probably has a plan to astonish everyone. You must know that committing evil deeds doesn't always require immediate action; long-term planning is the superior choice."

Seeing that Lu Yang showed no activity, they scrolled the light screen to the top to see what evil deeds the top-ranked individual had committed.

"The top-ranked is a poison user," the Cult Master exclaimed. "He poisoned a well, killing an entire street of people. He also poisoned cattle, causing them to go mad and rampage through the streets, trampling many to death. Very good, very good; that's how poison should be used!"

"What strange method is this?" the Deputy Cult Master wondered. "Buying a large number of shops and then firing all the staff."

"The one below him is similar," the Deputy Cult Master continued. "After taking over the shops, he made the staff work overtime without pay? Is that also considered an evil deed?" The Deputy Cult Master felt he was falling behind the times.

Suddenly, an incredibly powerful divine soul descended from the sky, breaking through all the formations laid out by the headquarters and charging straight towards the ancient bronze cauldron, which emanated a chaotic aura! The ancient bronze cauldron seemed unable to withstand such a brutal impact, and a tiny crack appeared on its surface!

"No, my cauldron!" the Cult Master cried out.

The ancient bronze cauldron, named the Mountain River Cauldron, could contain all things. It was his Natal Artifact, refined with half his life's efforts, and was only a hair's breadth away from becoming an Immortal Treasure!

"It's a divine soul descent; a powerful righteous cultivator has discovered this place!" The Cult Master was in disbelief. "What happened? How were we discovered by a powerful righteous cultivator in the blink of an eye?!"

"This aura... is it Yunzhi of the Dao-Seeking Sect?!" The Cult Master felt a familiar aura, and a chill ran down his spine as he recalled certain terrifying past events.

The Deputy Cult Master's expression turned fierce; he drew his weapon, ready to slay her. "Yunzhi?" he scoffed. "She's just a disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect. It's just one person, after all. If we call everyone and swarm her, can't we take her down?"

Yunzhi rarely made a move, and her reputation was not prominent in the Central Continent. The Dao-Seeking Sect's Sect Master, its eight elders, and even Dai Bufan were all much more famous than her. But obscurity did not mean a lack of strength. Anyone who had witnessed her actions felt their understanding of cultivation overturned! The Cult Master happened to have witnessed Yunzhi in action, plucking stars, seizing the moon, reversing yin and yang, and effortlessly suppressing powerful enemies. He truly felt as if his three thousand years of cultivation had been for naught.

The Cult Master kicked the Deputy Cult Master over. "Is this the time to fight to the death?" he roared. "You haven't seen her make a move, so you don't know how terrifying she is! Listen to me, run now! If you're too late, not even the Immortal will be able to save you!"

He became the Immortal Cult Master not just because he was the most devout to the Immortal and had the highest cultivation, but more importantly, because he was cautious enough. He knew when to fight to the death, when to flee for his life, and when to accept his fate. Going head-to-head with Yunzhi wasn't fighting to the death; it was accepting one's fate!

The Cult Master launched ancient and mystical seals into the Mountain River Cauldron to prevent Yunzhi from bursting out. The Deputy Cult Master had never seen the Cult Master so flustered. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he transmitted a voice message to all high-ranking members, issuing a death order to flee immediately to the alternate headquarters.

The Immortal Cult had detailed contingency plans and escape routes prepared for righteous sect sneak attacks, and they had also conducted numerous drills. The high-ranking members were quite familiar with these procedures. In the blink of an eye, the Immortal Cult's high-ranking members had fled without a trace.

The Cult Master unleashed the great divine ability of Three Heads and Six Arms. Two of his hands continued to reinforce the Mountain River Cauldron's seal, while his four other hands guided the consciousnesses of others within the cauldron back to their original positions. The Mountain River Cauldron developed more and more cracks, and the sealing speed could not keep up with the rate at which they appeared.

Seeing that everyone had successfully escaped, the Cult Master breathed a sigh of relief. He then severed his connection with the Mountain River Cauldron and immediately vomited a mouthful of vital blood—a backlash from his Natal Artifact. His aura rapidly plummeted, and his face turned ashen white. The Cult Master ignored everything else and turned to flee!

Boom— The Mountain River Cauldron shattered, shaking the entire headquarters violently.

Yunzhi stepped out from the shattered Mountain River Cauldron, her face expressionless, like an ancient legendary Valkyrie, sacred and inviolable! She bent down, her fingertip touching the vital blood left by the Cult Master. As she made a calculation, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

"In that direction."

A searing white light condensed in her hand, like a brilliant heavenly thunderbolt designed to eradicate all evil. The white heavenly thunderbolt shot towards the Cult Master with a whoosh. The Cult Master had not expected Yunzhi to still find him even after all that; he tried to dodge but was too late, and a bloom of blood spurted from his shoulder.

"Cicada Sheds its Shell!" he cried. The Cult Master had many life-saving techniques. When Yunzhi caught up, only a remnant of the Cult Master's body remained.

The Cult Master staggered back to the alternate headquarters, shoveling life-prolonging elixirs into his mouth without regard for cost. After forcibly severing his connection with the Mountain River Cauldron and employing the Cicada Sheds its Shell secret technique, he knew he would not recover without several centuries of secluded cultivation following these two rounds of attacks. All that was manageable, but the most important thing was the Mountain River Cauldron! That was a treasured cauldron refined with the entire cult's power, and the heavenly materials and earthly treasures consumed were equivalent to ten years of the Great Xia Dynasty's tax revenue! Such a supreme treasure had fallen into the hands of the Dao-Seeking Sect!

"How do you feel?" the Deputy Cult Master asked with concern. He had just witnessed Yunzhi in action and was filled with lingering fear, knowing that if it had been him, he would have been long dead. Only the Cult Master's great abilities had allowed him to survive.

"I won't die," the Cult Master replied, still unsettled. "Fortunately, we had contingency plans and prepared hiding places in advance, severing karmic ties so Yunzhi couldn't find us. Otherwise, the Four Demonic Cults would have become the Three Demonic Cults."

"With the Mountain River Cauldron shattered, let's just end the third trial here," the Cult Master decided. "Let's see who is in first place now."

The Immortal Eye projected a light screen. On it, a name was prominently displayed.

First place, Lu Yang.

"Hmm?"