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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
Above Yaochi Mountain, the entire hall was blown apart.
Over twenty years ago, the Underworld Sect besieged Yaochi due to the Death and Life Register Incident. The leader of the Yaochi Sect had no choice but to activate the Mountain Guardian Formation surrounding Yaochi. Before anyone could breach the Yaochi Great Hall, they were forced to retreat.
Now, with the Mountain Guardian Formation gone, the barrier protecting Yaochi Palace was rendered ineffective. Many from various Daoist sects showed no reverence; instead, they surged in like a mob raiding a supermarket, eager to seize the numerous secret arts and treasures within the Yaochi Great Hall.
Some individuals wielded colorful ancient butterfly-shaped artifacts, others brandished radiant swords, while some even stripped the magnificent wall decorations from the hall, intent on leaving nothing behind.
Although there were many treasures within Yaochi Palace, with tens of thousands fighting over them, even a royal palace in the secular world would not suffice. By the time I arrived, all that remained in the palace were ruins and corpses. With so many people unrestrained by any moral code, their scramble for treasures inevitably led to conflict, with most casualties being low-level cultivators. Some young cultivators even gifted their plundered treasures to their beloved women in hopes of earning a smile.
"I heard someone got their hands on a Sacred Artifact-level item; what luck!" one person remarked.
"Must be a disciple from a Supreme Sect or perhaps the female swordsman from Arched Eyebrows or Wudang's Gemini?" another asked.
"I heard they aren't disciples from major sects," came the reply.
"If someone who isn't from a major sect can obtain a Sacred Artifact-level treasure, then wouldn't it mean that ordinary disciples could also get Holy Medicine?"
Excitement surged among the crowd as they finished looting Yaochi Palace and moved toward the back of the palace, where the Herb Growth and Blossoming Flowers awaited.
Many disciples carried Medicine Baskets on their backs or at their waists. Upon spotting some precious herbs, they began to pick them. One remarked, "Only cowardly disciples would dare to pick trash herbs at the edge of the Holy Herb Garden. Within the Holy Land, Holy Medicines and Medicine Kings are everywhere. Let's hurry over!"
Some disciples felt pricked by such disdainful words; they were indeed disciples of sects, mostly young ones at Entry-Level Realm and Purple Qi Eastward Boundary. When entering the mountain, they had followed their elders' advice to gather only necessary herbs around the Holy Land and avoid venturing too deep—doing so could cost them their lives.
Now being mocked by their peers was unbearable for anyone.
A few young disciples immediately dropped their tools and angrily marched into the Holy Land. Others followed suit out of peer pressure into the Herb Garden, while a few with calmer temperaments remained squatting in place, quietly digging for herbs.
I wore a black robe as I passed by one of the young disciples. Beneath my black hat's brim, no one could see my face.
"There's a root of the Medicine King beneath your feet; don't let anyone see it," I said, not pausing for a moment.
The young man looked up at my retreating figure, his expression filled with suspicion as he lifted his foot. He discovered a thick root of the herb and cautiously began to dig it out, revealing a vibrant green root emanating Spirit Energy.
"It's the Serenity Herb, truly a century-old Medicine King!" The young man took a deep breath, pretending to dig for ordinary herbs as he slowly extracted the Medicine King root, wrapping it in oil paper to insulate it from temperature changes before placing it into his Medicine Basket.
As we continued on our way, many others stumbled upon century-old Medicine Kings, even some that were four or five hundred years old. The medicinal value of these herbs was extraordinarily high; just a few could support the future development of an entire sect. If these ancient herbs were handed over to a major sect, one could even gain their endorsement and protection.
However, every time a Medicine King was discovered, chaos ensued. It was common for three to five people to die in the struggle over a single herb. In this era of scarce medicine and abundant cultivators, some viewed cultivation resources as more valuable than human life.
Throughout this ordeal, I had yet to see any disciples from the Three Supreme Sects or any important figures from Wudang or Arched Eyebrows. With so many people from the Five Major Sects around, had they already entered the Holy Land to seize the Holy Medicine?
"Hurry! Someone has found a Holy Medicine ahead; we need to move quickly!" someone shouted suddenly.
Upon hearing the news of the Holy Medicine, everyone surged forward. After such a long journey, many still returned empty-handed, leading them to doubt the existence of Holy Medicines scattered throughout the Holy Land. Now that they finally heard about one, they were willing to risk everything for it.
I followed the crowd forward. Moments later, we rounded a bend and came upon a cliffside where a stream as thick as a wrist flowed down from the mountain. Below lay a Cold Pool emanating chilling air. Above the Cold Pool, behind the stream, stood an oddly shaped plant. Its roots were slender, but its fruit was as large as a fist, bending the stem under its weight.
The shape of the fruit resembled that of a human, complete with limbs and a face—though its features were indistinct and its limbs appeared underdeveloped.
"Could this be a Ginseng Fruit?" someone speculated.
"Ginseng Fruits don't look like that; ginseng doesn't resemble that either. This fruit seems to emit some kind of wave that affects one's Soul!"
At that moment, a White-Clad Youth approached and said, "This is the Soul Nourishing Fruit; it specifically nourishes souls and nurtures the Primordial Spirit, allowing one's Primordial Spirit and Soul Power to far exceed others. It is extremely beneficial for cultivators in the Divine Transformation Realm."
According to the Taoist Medical Canon, Soul Nourishing Fruits typically grow in cold and dark places where sunlight cannot reach and cannot thrive in dry soil. The conditions here were perfect for its growth. Having read numerous medical texts myself, I knew of over thirty types of humanoid fruits; thus I couldn't immediately identify which type this was. However, with this White-Clad Youth's confirmation, I was certain that this was indeed the Soul Nourishing Fruit.
The Soul Nourishing Fruit can nourish a cultivator's Primordial Spirit and significantly enhance their Soul Power. Only those with strong Soul Power can condense powerful Golden Pills; when these pills shatter, they transform into Nascent Souls. Therefore, if one's Soul is strong, so too will their Nascent Soul be robust. A powerful Soul forms the foundation for a future strong Nascent Soul; thus this Soul Nourishing Fruit is also useful for those in the Nascent Soul Realm and is sometimes referred to as Nascent Soul Fruit.
If the Sect Leader and Elders outside knew that there was a Soul Nourishing Fruit here, many would disregard the rules and rush in to seize it.
"Everyone, since no one seems inclined to act, I shall make the first move!" The White-Clad Youth declared, leaping towards the Cold Pool. However, before he could grasp the root of the Soul Nourishing Fruit, a pair of tentacles intercepted him, severing him at the waist. The boy let out a terrified scream.
It was then that everyone realized the Soul Nourishing Fruit did not grow on the stones behind the stream but rather atop a massive spider's head!
The Giant Spider stood four to five meters tall, having clearly transformed into a formidable creature. Its color shifted with the surrounding environment, and despite the presence of so many Cultivators, including myself, none had noticed its existence!
The Giant Spider killed the White-Clad Youth, its tentacles manipulating the boy as a layer of spider silk quickly wrapped around him, swallowing him alive.
Before long, the head of the Giant Spider began to change shape, revealing a distorted human face.
"It's a Human-Faced Spider!" someone exclaimed in shock.
The Human-Faced Spider is a legendary creature known for feeding on humans. After consuming a person, it would temporarily gain their face, often hiding in bushes and calling out for help in a muffled voice to lure unsuspecting villagers closer before devouring them. It was unclear how this Human-Faced Spider had acquired a Soul Nourishing Fruit and dared to consume Cultivators in plain sight.
"Kill this Human-Faced Spider and avenge my senior brother!" shouted a Thirteen or Fourteen-Year-Old Boy as he charged at the Human-Faced Spider. The spider's eyes narrowed at the boy; its tentacles suddenly shot up with incredible speed, impaling him from head to waist before quickly spinning silk to wrap him up for consumption.
Hearing the sound of blood and bones being swallowed sent chills through everyone’s hearts; they dared not approach.
While everyone had heard of the Human-Faced Spider, few understood just how powerful it was. Having cultivated within their sect for years, who among them had ever encountered such a creature in the mountains?
At that moment, several young men stepped forward from the crowd, each holding a red Seal. They chanted incantations in unison before pointing their fingers at the Human-Faced Spider. Flames erupted and surged toward it.
The Human-Faced Spider activated its eight legs and leaped into the air, propelling itself toward the cliff top. The mountains trembled as its eight iron-like tentacles moved with great agility.
A few young men attempted to hook the Human-Faced Spider down with their claws; even when their ropes snapped, it did nothing to hinder it.
Just then, a sharp cry rang out from above, followed by a thunderous crash as the Human-Faced Spider fell to the ground. It glared fiercely upward where a Brute Man stood on the cliff, wielding a massive hammer on his back.
The burly man laughed heartily and said, "There are so many strange beasts in Kunlun. I really didn't come here for nothing. I saw a giant centipede about eight or nine meters long before, and now there's this massive spider. What a thrill!"
With that, the man leaped off the cliff, raising his large hammer to smash down at the Human-Faced Spider. The spider hissed as it jumped up, shaking the ground as it charged toward him.
With a loud crash, the hammer struck the back of the Human-Faced Spider, sending it crashing back to the ground. Just before it landed, one of its tentacles jabbed at the man, but his metal wrist guard blocked it, sending him crashing into the mountainside.
Clutching his chest, he exclaimed, "Damn it! With such strength, I'll make sure to take you down!"
He ran sideways along the mountainside, and suddenly, a crimson light flared from his powerful arms. In an instant, it struck the ground, causing cracks to spread outwards and sending nearby disciples flying. The Human-Faced Spider was also knocked over.
The spider lay on its back for a moment before quickly flipping over. The man shouted, "Why aren't any of you helping out with so many of you here?"
The crowd exchanged glances but ignored him. The man roared and charged at the Human-Faced Spider. Two tentacles like adamantine shot toward him, but he nimbly flipped in mid-air and landed on the spider's back.
"Heh heh, this thing is mine now!" He reached out and grabbed the Soul Nourishing Fruit from atop the spider's head, pulling it out completely.
The Human-Faced Spider thrashed in anger, jumping around wildly. At that moment, numerous darts suddenly shot out from all directions at high speed. The man had no time to dodge and was hit in the chest.
"Damn it! Who dares to ambush me?" he bellowed as he swept his foot, getting knocked away by the Human-Faced Spider's thrust. A spear flew toward him; he dodged just in time, but the spider took advantage of this opportunity to spit silk and stick him to the mountainside.
He struggled to break free but found himself unable to exert any strength. Looking at the black blood oozing from his chest, he said, "The darts are poisoned. Who did this?"
A group stepped forward from the crowd, led by a young man dressed in black. The young man said, "The Soul Nourishing Fruit is not yours to take. Hand it over obediently, and I can give you the antidote."
"Not a chance! Once I break free, I'll turn you into mush!" the burly man shouted.
The young man laughed heartily and shook a bell in his hand. The Human-Faced Spider trembled and began to retreat.
"Those are people from Beast Tamer Hall," I thought to myself. Beast Tamer Hall is a hidden sect that rarely shows itself in the world but is extremely famous. Its disciples are skilled in mechanisms and adept at taming beasts; even spirit beasts raised by major sects become restless upon seeing them and obey their commands. I never expected that the opening of Yaochi Sacred Land would attract this hidden sect as well.
The people around recognized the bell in the young man's hand as belonging to someone from the Beast Tamer Hall. The young man waved his hand, signaling everyone to take action. Several disciples of the Beast Tamer Hall raised their crossbows and aimed at the burly man, whose face turned pale with anger, yet he was unable to muster any strength.
Just as the bolts were about to pierce the burly man, they suddenly veered off course, missing him entirely. I said, "If you want to take the medicine, then do so; there's no need to kill someone who has no enmity with you."
The young man turned to look at me, narrowing his eyes as he asked, "Who do you think you are?"
I replied, "I am Yang Hao, a wandering cultivator."
"Hmph, a traveling Taoist thinks he can stand up for others? You must be tired of living!" The young man sneered and raised his hand, coldly uttering one word: "Kill."
Dozens of crossbow bolts shot toward me simultaneously. I lowered my head and concealed myself beneath my black robe, abruptly vanishing from sight.
Moments later, screams filled the air as the disciples of the Beast Tamer Hall clutched their necks, blood pouring from their hands.
The young man was startled and swallowed hard, glancing sideways. He saw a shadow extending from behind him.
"Who... who are you?"
Before he could finish his sentence, a choking sound came from his throat. My Fish Intestine Sword slid out from the side of his neck.
I coldly said, "As I mentioned before, my name is Yang Hao."
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