Villains Die Because They Talk Too Much
[After hearing your words, the middle-aged man raised his right hand, and the lead crow hopped from his shoulder onto his wrist.]
[It pecked at his flesh.]
[The middle-aged man let it peck until he bled.]
["The Qingyang Central Region? That's an even worse place where people are eaten bones and all!"]
["The major sects monopolize Pill Formulas, Spirit Blanks, and cave abodes."]
["Once a Rogue Cultivator struggles all the way to Foundation Establishment Perfection, he has to beg for a Yellow Fang Pill to break through. But there's no getting one, so he can only wait for death."]
[You asked, puzzled,]
["Life in the Qingyang Central Region may be hard, but if you stay here in the Qingling Border Region, is there any hope of advancing?"]
[The middle-aged man fed the blood from his wrist to the fire crow.]
["Hmph. How would sect disciples like you know how long and arduous the Great Dao is?"]
["With you four added in, I've finally gathered enough for my Blood-Congealing Five-Elements Pill."]
["With that pill, I can form a False Core."]
["Although a False Core is inferior to a Golden Core and locks me at that realm, it can extend my life by fifty years."]
[He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two of you.]
["And that lord has already promised that as long as I form a False Core, he can use the Bloodline Reversal Great Art to turn me into a Demon Cultivator."]
["I won't have to buy Spirit Blanks or be a dog for a sect anymore!"]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Keep fishing for information and ask who that lord was.]
[B: Immediately detonate the Spirit-Eroding Powder and strike first.]
[C: Suggest he run a background check before changing professions, so he doesn't fall for a Demon Cultivator training loan.]
Lu Ping hadn't expected to get so much information out of a Rogue Cultivator like this.
He felt that he really did need to get out more often.
In the previous five-year simulation, he hadn't even left the Greenwood Sect. How could he have encountered a plot like this?
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You spoke in a low voice.]
["That lord can turn you into a Demon Cultivator, senior. His origins must be extraordinary."]
[The middle-aged man raised a hand and pressed it down.]
[The remaining fire crows stopped in midair, and the lead crow let out a short, low cry from his wrist.]
[He enjoyed being held in such high regard.]
["A little insect from the border region thinks he's worthy of asking that lord's name?"]
["But you're about to die. A dead man can hear a little more."]
["That lord comes from the south. Once the Azure Dragon Upper Domain falls into chaos, sect disciples like you will all become meat."]
[Your heart sank.]
[The south? That was the Myriad Demon Domain.]
[The Azure Dragon Upper Domain falling into chaos?]
[You sensed a massive conspiracy unfolding.]
[The middle-aged man finally raised the fire ring.]
[The lead crow spread its wings and rose from his wrist, hovering in midair once more.]
[The remaining fire crows gathered behind it again. Though fewer in number, their formation held.]
["You two, it's time to enter the furnace."]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Detonate the Spirit-Eroding Powder and attack with everything you've got.]
[B: Pass the trouble to the monk and let him take the attack head-on.]
[C: Kneel and apply for the position of pill-refining assistant, demanding five insurances, a housing fund, and room and board.]
If he passed the buck now, he really would become an ingredient.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You sent out several bursts of spiritual power, and the Spirit-Eroding Powder in the cave exploded all at once.]
[Heavy Tomato User took effect.]
[Even Han Changqing at Foundation Establishment Perfection couldn't withstand the Spirit-Eroding Powder, so naturally, neither could the humans and demons in the cavern.]
[The fire crows' spiritual power was partially eroded, and they all sank lower in the air.]
[The lead crow shrieked as it tried to steady the formation, but even the flames on its own wings dimmed somewhat.]
[Even the monk was poisoned.]
[He had just raised his golden alms bowl when his spiritual power faltered.]
[First, he cursed.]
[Then he saw the fire crows sinking in unison and forcibly swallowed his second curse.]
["Fellow Daoist, why did you poison this poor monk too?"]
[Without explaining, you flicked him a low-grade Detoxification Pill with a backhanded toss.]
["It's cheap. Make do with it."]
[The monk caught the pill, glanced at it, and swallowed it on the spot.]
[The monk sent his golden alms bowl flying and charged at the middle-aged man.]
[Anger appeared on the middle-aged man's face, and he shouted,]
["When did you lay the poison?"]
[You ignored him. Villains died because they talked too much. You weren't a villain.]
[With the Spirit-Eroding Powder in the air, everyone's cultivation realm had dropped, while you remained unaffected.]
[Thousand-Hand Guanyin, activate. Forty-eight flying knives shot out at once.]
[Forty-eight knives were certainly not a thousand hands.]
[But in this cave, they were enough.]
[Carrying spiritual power and poison, the flying knives blocked the middle-aged man's escape routes on both sides.]
[The lead crow suddenly swooped in from the side, striking repeatedly with both claws and blocking four flying knives for the middle-aged man.]
[The flying knives lodged in its body, and it shrieked shrilly, stubbornly refusing to retreat.]
[The monk smashed the golden alms bowl down from the front.]
[The middle-aged man roared, and the fire rings all exploded, shaking the entire cavern.]
[The monk was pushed back by the fireballs and slammed into the stone wall, losing consciousness on the spot.]
[Most of your flying knives were blasted away; most of them were even shattered.]
[The lead crow was caught in the red flames and sent spinning into the cavern wall, the fire on its wings nearly extinguished.]
[A force of fire struck you in the chest, and the taste of blood immediately welled up in your throat. You took out a handful of Rejuvenation Pills and swallowed them.]
[The medicinal power burst through your body. Facing the fire rings, you raised your hand and struck with Red Fire Finger.]
[The finger strike hit the lead crow.]
[Panic appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes. He reached out to protect it, but it was already too late.]
[Half the lead crow's body exploded, and it fell to the ground.]
[The middle-aged man's Crow-Control Technique was completely severed.]
[The few remaining fire crows, bereft of direction, flew aimlessly around the cave. Some even crashed headfirst into the stone walls.]
[The middle-aged man finally panicked.]
[He tried to use the fire rings to forcibly gather the fire crows.]
[But the flock had first been suppressed by the Spirit-Eroding Powder and then lost its lead crow. They gave no response to the fire rings' commands.]
[You sent out the last six flying knives at once.]
[Two pierced his throat, two entered his chest, and two lodged in the middle-aged man's Dantian.]
[The middle-aged man fell to his knees, poisonous gas rising from his entire body.]
[You walked over and finished him off with another Red Fire Finger. Firelight engulfed his corpse.]
[You easily killed the remaining fire crows.]
[The monk lay by the stone wall, still breathing.]
[After confirming he wouldn't die anytime soon, you paid him no further attention.]
[The cave suddenly fell quiet, the corpses of fire crows carpeting the floor.]
[You sat down cross-legged and used the Method Formula in the Fire Crow Technique to begin refining the lead crow's soul on the spot.]
[Tame the soul, erase its spirit, and bring it into the Dantian.]
[Half an hour later, the first Fire Crow Seed had barely taken shape.]
[You finally confirmed that the Fire Crow Technique really was a fragment from High Antiquity.]
[But it was one hell of a trap.]
[Fire Crow Seeds needed constant feeding.]
[Sun True Fire, Nine Netherworld Fire, Earth Core Fire—all kinds of spirit fire would do.]
[Only one thought remained in your mind.]
[This isn't raising a bird. It's dealing with a client.]
[When the monk woke up, you were searching the middle-aged man's Storage Ring.]
[He first looked at his two companions on the ground.]
[Then he pushed himself to his feet, walked over, and performed rites to deliver their souls.]
[He chanted quickly, as though he were in a hurry.]
[When he finished, he looked at you.]
["Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving my life."]
[You divided the contents of the Storage Ring into two piles, then said calmly,]
["There's no need to thank me for saving your life. Isn't it time you told me about the secret realm?"]