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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
It normally takes only half a day to rush from the Snow Mountain to Herb Valley. If one walks without stopping, they can definitely arrive by dawn.
However, everyone had been on the road for quite some time, so many set up tents in the snow or found a cave to stay in after nightfall.
Among them was a black-clad youth ranked seventh, named Li Zhe. He had just entered the sect two years ago, with dark skin. Aside from being defeated by the third-ranked Qing Shi of the Outer Sect, he had been making rapid progress and was known as the dark horse of the Outer Sect.
As a member of the Outer Sect Top Ten, Li Zhe was unruly and surrounded by a large group of Outer Sect Disciples. During his time in the sect, he had taken in numerous disciples; anyone who sought his help would receive it, but only if they paid him in Silver Coins or elixirs according to the task's difficulty.
Along the way, I had slain over a dozen Outer Sect Disciples who followed him, yet some still chose to stay by his side. Most were terrified and fled in all directions. When I finally killed the last of his followers, Li Zhe roared in fury, “Who are you? Don’t you know we are disciples of Azure Cloud Sect? If an elder from Azure Cloud Sect finds out, you will be torn to pieces! Your soul will be extinguished!”
As Li Zhe spoke, he kicked up a flurry of snow that obscured my vision. I thrust my blade backward, piercing through him. Li Zhe's eyes widened in disbelief; he couldn't fathom how I had known his position immediately.
When I consumed the Seven-Colored Elixir and refined my Qi Sea, I could sense my surroundings without needing my eyes. Moreover, when he kicked up the snow, he had already begun to run sideways rather than directly toward me. Even if his movements were elusive, he could not hide his Dao Qi fluctuations.
I did not answer Li Zhe's question but swiftly severed his head and then vanished into the darkness.
This was one of the paths leading down from the Snow Mountain. Naturally, some thickets grew around Herb Valley that were impassable; I could only find a way into Herb Valley by following along these thickets.
I retreated and hid behind a thicket at the foot of the mountain. Soon after, a group approached—about fifty or sixty people—and at their forefront was Xiong Wanjun.
Xiong Wanjun was the first to notice the headless corpse lying in the snow. He looked around warily and then examined the body before him, saying, “This person is Li Zhe.”
“Li Zhe? Isn’t he one of the top ten figures in the Outer Sect? How could he possibly die here? Xiong Shixiong, are you sure?” a young man asked.
Xiong Wanjun replied firmly, “I am absolutely certain. As we traveled here, we found several corpses belonging to Li Zhe’s followers. He had conflicts with me before and is extremely skilled in movement techniques; even if he couldn’t win, he wouldn’t be easily killed.”
"Could it be that the top of the Outer Sect, Xiao Yan, wants to kill him?" a young man asked.
Xiong Wanjun shook his head and replied, "In the Outer Sect, aside from the poisonous snake Nangong Xie, who doesn't associate with anyone, the other person is the first-ranked Xiao Yan. He has been in the Outer Sect for a full ten years. Ten years ago, he was an extraordinary talent who reached the Purple Qi Coming from the East Realm in just a few months. However, strangely enough, his cultivation has been stuck at the late stage of the Purple Qi Coming from the East Realm for ten years. Many elders have examined him, even the sect master personally checked his fate chart, but no one could determine the cause. For ten years, any disciple entering the Outer Sect has been reluctant to mention his name because he is so reclusive. Those who challenge him must sign a life-and-death contract; if they lose to him, they can only die. Thus, while the rankings in the Outer Sect fluctuate, his name has remained at the top."
"No wonder," everyone nodded in understanding upon hearing about Xiao Yan.
Xiong Wanjun sighed and said, "But Li Zhe was not killed by Xiao Yan because Xiao Yan never uses weapons."
"Whoever killed him doesn't matter as long as it doesn't come after us. With over fifty of us here, even Xiao Yan wouldn't dare to kill us, right?" Fat Boy Zhang Zhao said.
Xiong Wanjun looked at a pair of footprints leading toward Herb Valley next to Li Zhe and took a torch soaked in oil from a young man, throwing it into the darkness where a shadow flickered past.
"I just saw that person's face. It was black and white; it didn't look human!" a timid boy exclaimed.
"Stop scaring yourself," Zhang Zhao scolded. "There are so many of us, each possessing Dao Qi; even ghosts would only flee. Someone is just trying to play tricks."
Zhang Zhao drew his Iron Sword and stepped into Herb Valley first. Everyone held their breath as they watched him, while behind them in the snowdrift, a flying knife known as Black Blade silently struck, piercing Xiong Wanjun's neck without him noticing anything unusual.
Xiong Wanjun touched his neck and felt a surge of warmth gushing out. He knelt on the ground, pain etched on his face as he uttered, "Why?"
The others saw Xiong Wanjun fall silently before them. Hearing movement in the snow behind them, they turned to see a flurry of flying knives dancing among them like swallows in flight. Screams erupted as one by one they fell to the ground, their bodies riddled with gaping wounds.
Zhang Zhao, who had entered Herb Valley, turned back to witness this scene and was so frightened that he nearly dropped his Iron Sword.
A massive scroll floated out from the snow; the flying knives circled around it before transforming into splattered Scimitars that froze within its confines. The scroll then flew toward Herb Valley as Zhang Zhao clutched his Iron Sword and began to retreat.
I stepped out from the darkness; as soon as the scroll reached my hand, it vanished without a trace. Zhang Zhao swallowed hard and asked, "Who are you? Why are you killing us?"
I saw Mianmian take off her mask, and with an expressionless face, she looked at Zhang Zhao and asked, "Why should I kill you?"
Zhang Zhao stared at the bodies of Xiong Wanjun and Li Zhe, shaking his head. "Impossible, you can't have such high skills."
"You once swore that I possessed Exotic Treasure, and now you say I can't have such high skills. Let me tell you honestly. I do have quite a few rare medicines, but what I don't want to give away cannot be taken by others."
I walked toward Zhang Zhao, his sword was inches from my neck, yet he dared not stab me. He dropped the sword to the ground, his voice trembling. "Actually, I never wanted to oppose you. My home is in Ancheng, and we are quite wealthy. Whatever compensation you want, I can give it to you as long as you name a price I can afford."
While Zhang Zhao spoke, he didn't even dare to look at me. I said, "Some people's lives are worth only a few coins, but for some, money can't buy their lives. But just now you said that as long as I name a price you can afford, right?"
Zhang Zhao nodded. I continued, "Ten trillion."
"Are you joking? There isn't that much money in the world," Zhang Zhao asked.
I replied, "You just said that as long as I name a price you can afford; are you going back on your word?"
Zhang Zhao's spirit was already breaking down. His legs trembled uncontrollably, and his pants were soaked. I put my arm around his shoulder and said, "If you're afraid of dying, then when offending others, leave A Ray of Hope. In the end, if you're scared enough to wet yourself, isn't that just slapping your own face?"
Hearing my words, Zhang Zhao was about to kneel down when I quickly supported him. "Don't kneel! You're a man; it's shameful to kneel before others. I'm not someone who enjoys killing. I'll give you a chance to live. Just follow this path to Herb Valley and keep running straight ahead. I'll count to ten; if you manage to escape by then, I'll let you go. How about that?"
Zhang Zhao nodded, and I smiled at him before starting to count: "Ten, nine."
Zhang Zhao took off running, glancing back occasionally to see if I was chasing him. He had never run so fast before. He didn't stop until he could no longer hear my voice and was utterly exhausted, leaning against a large tree with pale lips.
Suddenly, a vine lifted him up. He struggled to grab onto the vine to climb up but had no strength left due to his weight. The vine quickly tightened around his neck.
I dropped down from the tree and donned a mask with a yin-yang face in front of him while he looked at me with desperate eyes as I walked further away from him.
In Herb Valley, spring lasts all year round, making the plants and animals here much larger than those outside. As I walked along, I discovered many medicinal herbs I needed and picked them one by one.
Last time, I found a secret book called "Taoist Sacred Body Forging Technique" in the Outer Sect's Scripture Repository. I've been thinking about gathering the necessary herbs mentioned in it.
I continued walking until daylight broke. At this point, I had lost track of the positions of the top ten experts in the Outer Sect, unable to pinpoint their locations. In the distance, I could vaguely see a group of disciples dressed in Daoist robes from the Azure Cloud Sect traveling together. I tucked my mask away and approached them to greet them. As a few of them noticed me coming quickly, they looked on guard. I said, "Fellow brothers and sisters, please don't be alarmed. I'm also a new disciple, and this is my first time attending the Azure Cloud Disciple's herb gathering event. I'm curious about what makes Herb Valley special."
One of the young men replied, "The Outer Sect holds a herb gathering event every month. The only difference is that before the New Year each year, Outer Sect disciples will cross the snow-capped mountains and venture deep into Herb Valley once. It is rumored that there exists Holy Medicine within Herb Valley that can extend one's life by thirty years. If someone finds Holy Medicine and hands it over to the sect's Elder, not only will they become an Inner Sect Disciple with endless cultivation resources, but they will also receive personal guidance from the Elder in refining their body and mastering unique skills."
"I see. Since we know there is Holy Medicine in Herb Valley, why don’t the sect Elders come here themselves?" I asked.
The young man hesitated for a moment before responding, "Holy Medicine is mostly found deep within Herb Valley. The deepest parts are filled with treacherous peaks and often inhabited by fierce beasts. Few dare to venture in; even highly skilled Elders may not survive if they enter."
"Thank you for the information," I said gratefully to the young man before heading deeper into Herb Valley.
After a while, I retrieved the Zhou Compass from my Qi Sea. The Zhou Compass had already shown signs of activity within my Qi Sea; it is a treasure capable of locating spiritual items and is much more advanced than the Spirit Seeking Mouse. Right now, the Zhou Compass pointed toward where treasure was likely to appear, so I rushed forward. If I could inform others about this treasure's location, it would surely attract the top experts from the Outer Sect.
If I could capture all the experts from the Outer Sect at once, the higher-ups would naturally blame Elder Hong for it. At that point, with no one left in the Outer Sect, it would severely harm the sect's future development. Instead of waiting for those experts to trouble me one by one, it would be better for me to take the initiative to find trouble with them.
Moreover, Elder Hong's two Dao Children had also entered Herb Valley; I would make sure they understood the price of forcing Grandma Wu to look down on others.
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