Blood Fiend Cult

Night receded, and dawn glimmered faintly.

Qingshi Market awakened beneath the thin autumn mist, but today's atmosphere was somewhat different from usual.

Having finished a night of cultivation, Li Chengjie pushed open the wooden door of the side room and took a deep breath of the slightly cool air.

After breaking through to Qi Refining Level 5, he felt Spiritual Energy brimming throughout his body. The range and clarity of his Spiritual Sense Perception had also improved somewhat, and even his five senses had become much sharper.

Beyond the familiar dampness and the mingled scents of herbs and beast blood, the air over the marketplace seemed to carry an additional trace of... restlessness.

As usual, Li Chengjie headed toward the pill room, preparing to begin a new day of pill refinement.

As he passed through the small courtyard, he saw Chen Xing standing at the gate, speaking in low tones with the owner of a neighboring stall that sold low-grade Dharma Artifacts. Both men had tightly furrowed brows and grave expressions.

"...Is the news certain? What did Flowing Cloud Sect say?" Chen Xing's voice was very low, carrying a thread of barely perceptible tension.

"Absolutely true!"

The stall owner was a dark, skinny man, his face full of worry. "I have a distant relative working in the outer sect of Flowing Cloud Sect. He sent word back the day before yesterday! Several small affiliated cities near the Far North have already been hit, with many dead and injured! Flowing Cloud Sect has ordered all marketplaces to strengthen their vigilance. I heard they've even doubled the cultivators in the patrol teams!"

Flowing Cloud Sect? The Far North?

Li Chengjie's steps paused slightly, and something stirred in his heart.

Most of Li Chengjie's understanding of this world came from the former owner's vague memories and Old Man Li's scattered mentions.

He only knew that Qingshi Market, along with the surrounding territory stretching hundreds of thousands of li, nominally fell under the jurisdiction of a massive cultivation sect called Flowing Cloud Sect.

Flowing Cloud Sect's mountain gate lay at the center of this region, where Spiritual Energy was most abundant. Fringe areas such as Qingshi Market were merely the outermost reaches of its Sphere of Influence.

As for the Far North, it was an even more distant and unfamiliar concept. It was said to be bitterly cold and barren, with a harsh environment.

What could make Flowing Cloud Sect so nervous, even affecting remote Qingshi Market?

"What troubled times..." Chen Xing sighed, the worry on his face deepening. "How long have peaceful days lasted? Why did it have to happen at a time like this...?"

The dark, skinny stall owner leaned closer, lowering his voice until it was nearly a whisper. "Brother Chen, you're well informed. Do you know... exactly which fiend would dare stroke Flowing Cloud Sect's tiger whiskers? Could it truly be... those from a thousand years ago..."

Chen Xing's face changed abruptly. He hurriedly made a silencing gesture, warily glanced around, then snapped in a low voice, "Watch your words! Do you want to die?! Are those names something you can mention so casually?"

Though he did not state it outright, the terror in his eyes and his deeply guarded manner already explained everything.

The dark, skinny stall owner knew he had misspoken, and his face went pale. He quickly changed the subject, chatted a little more about the possible rise in marketplace prices, then hurriedly took his leave.

Chen Xing remained where he was, staring blankly at the cultivators on the marketplace streets, who were clearly moving more hurriedly than usual. He did not even notice Li Chengjie approach from behind.

"Furnace Master," Li Chengjie called softly.

Chen Xing jolted and came back to himself. Seeing Li Chengjie, he forced out a faint smile. "Oh, Chengjie. You're up so early today?"

"This junior has just finished cultivating," Li Chengjie replied. His gaze swept over Chen Xing's still-knitted brows as he asked casually, "Furnace Master, I heard you speaking with that senior about Flowing Cloud Sect and the Far North. Has something major happened? Everyone in the marketplace seems somewhat... nervous today."

Chen Xing looked at Li Chengjie and hesitated.

Under normal circumstances, he might not have said much about such matters to an apprentice. But now, unease filled his heart, and he also desperately needed someone to talk to.

Chen Xing sighed, motioned for Li Chengjie to follow him into the pill room, and casually set up a simple Soundproofing Restriction. Though crude, it would prevent ordinary cultivators from eavesdropping.

"Chengjie, now that you have stepped through the gate of cultivation, there are some things you should know, lest you suffer losses in the future without even understanding why." Chen Xing found a stool beside the Alchemical Furnace and sat down, his expression grave.

"Do you know who the true ruler of our Qingshi Market, and indeed this entire region spanning tens of thousands of li, is?"

"Flowing Cloud Sect," Li Chengjie answered.

"Correct."

Chen Xing nodded. "Flowing Cloud Sect is the hegemon of the Chu Kingdom. A Golden Core Ancestor sits within the sect, and it has countless disciples and followers. Its might is formidable. For Rogue Cultivators like us to make a living in the marketplace beneath its protection is already an immense blessing. But a tall tree catches the wind; this place has not always been peaceful."

Chen Xing paused, a complex expression of recollection and fear flashing through his eyes. "According to ancient records and the oral accounts passed down by our predecessors, roughly a thousand years ago, the Chu Kingdom once had a massive Demonic Cult capable of standing toe-to-toe with Flowing Cloud Sect—the Blood Fiend Cult!"

"Blood Fiend Cult?" Li Chengjie raised an eyebrow. The name carried a heavy stench of blood and misfortune.

"Yes, the Blood Fiend Cult!" Chen Xing unconsciously lowered his voice, as though afraid of disturbing something. "Their cultivation arts were bizarre. They excelled in controlling Fresh Blood and Sha Qi, and their followers were ruthless and vicious. They slaughtered cities and wiped out strongholds at the drop of a hat, using the Essence Blood and souls of living beings to cultivate evil arts. Wherever they passed, the land lay red for a thousand li and Vengeful Souls covered the wilderness! Back then, the entire northern region lay beneath the shadow of the Blood Fiend Cult, and all living things suffered devastation."

"Later, Flowing Cloud Sect joined forces with several major sects of the Chu Kingdom. Only after paying an unimaginably heavy price did they finally crush the Blood Fiend Cult's main force, execute its cult leader and many core Elders, and scatter the remnants into the bitter cold lands of the Far North. It was said that... they had long ceased to pose a threat."

As Chen Xing spoke, his tone shifted, and worry returned to his face. "But recently, news has arrived that strange disturbances have frequently occurred in the Far North! Scattered villages and towns have been massacred, and the methods... were exceptionally cruel. It is suspected that the remnants of the Blood Fiend Cult have risen from the ashes! Worse, they no longer seem content to barely survive in the Far North. They have begun infiltrating southward, seeking revenge! Flowing Cloud Sect has already designated them its foremost enemy and strictly ordered every region to strengthen its defenses."

Li Chengjie felt a chill run through him.

A Demonic Cult from a thousand years ago had risen from the ashes?

This was no small matter!

No wonder the marketplace was so tense.

Once the flames of war reached this place, Rogue Cultivators at the bottom like them would likely be the first to bear the brunt.

"Furnace Master, if that is the case, why does Flowing Cloud Sect not directly send experts to the Far North and wipe them out completely?" Li Chengjie asked.

Chen Xing gave a bitter smile. "How could it be so easy? The Far North is vast and boundless, its environment harsh, filled with deadly regions and perilous places, as well as countless secrets unknown to others. The remnants of the Blood Fiend Cult have operated there for a thousand years and have long become local snakes, intimately familiar with the terrain. Flowing Cloud Sect is large and powerful; move one hair and the whole body follows. Venturing in rashly would be far too risky. Besides..."

Chen Xing lowered his voice, with a hint of mockery. "The struggles between sects are exceedingly complicated. Who knows whether the other sects might take advantage of the fire to loot? Flowing Cloud Sect is likely focusing on stabilizing its defensive lines and clearing out internal infiltration. For border marketplaces such as ours in the north, having some additional patrol cultivators sent here is already not bad."

Just then, hurried footsteps and noisy commotion came from outside the Pill Hut.

"Did you hear? That small Rogue Cultivator gathering place at Black Mountain Hollow to the west was wiped out the night before last! Corpses everywhere, dried up, every drop of blood drained!" a terrified voice shouted.

"Is that true? Heavens! Isn't that only a few hundred li from here?"

"Absolutely true! My cousin just escaped from there! He said he saw several shadows in blood-red cloaks flash past, and it scared him out of his wits!"

"The Blood Fiend Cult! It must be those demonic brats from the Blood Fiend Cult!"

"Where was Flowing Cloud Sect's patrol team? How did they fail to stop them?"

"What use is a patrol team? I heard the Steward leading it was at the late Qi Refining stage, and even he nearly died there!"

"It's over, it's over! Qingshi Market isn't safe either! If I'd known, I should have gone to Falling Cloud City after saving enough Spirit Stones two years ago!"

"Falling Cloud City? Prices there are sky-high. Is it a place Rogue Cultivators like us can afford to stay?"

The discussions, complaints, and fearful speculation passed through the far-from-soundproof wall, making the atmosphere in the pill room even more oppressive.

Chen Xing's face turned somewhat pale. He abruptly rose to his feet and paced back and forth. "Black Mountain Hollow... only a few hundred li away... Has it spread here so quickly?"

Li Chengjie listened in silence, his heart churning with waves.

Black Mountain Hollow had been wiped out?

With methods so cruel?

The threat of the Blood Fiend Cult appeared far closer, and far more terrifying, than he had imagined.

"No!" Chen Xing suddenly stopped, resolve flashing in his eyes. "Chengjie, from today onward, the Pill Hut will close one shichen earlier each day! Unless you and Douzi have something urgent, do not go out if possible! The marketplace is a mixed bag right now. Who knows whether Demonic Cult spies have slipped in!"

Li Chengjie seemed to recall something and added, "Also, prices for all kinds of supplies in the marketplace will certainly soar soon, especially Healing Pills, restorative pills, and Talismans. Though our Qi Condensation Pills are mainly used to aid cultivation, they can quickly restore some Spiritual Energy at critical moments. Demand will definitely rise greatly. You... work a little harder these next few days and refine as many as possible."

Within crisis lay business opportunities. Chen Xing was, after all, an old hand who had spent years scraping through the marketplace. Even amid his fear, he instinctively began calculating the gains and losses.

"This junior understands." Li Chengjie nodded in agreement. He had realized the same thing.

With Chaotic World approaching, strength and resources were the foundation for preserving one's life.

Li Chengjie had to accumulate Spirit Stones faster and raise his strength.

Over the next few days, Qingshi Market indeed became as anxious and unsettled as Chen Xing had predicted.

The cultivators on the streets moved even more hurriedly, and their gazes toward one another carried several more degrees of vigilance.

The number of patrolling Flowing Cloud Sect cultivators visibly increased. Dressed in uniform azure robes, their expressions were cold as their sharp eyes swept over passersby.

The prices of all kinds of supplies began to soar, especially Healing Pills, defensive Talismans, and offensive Dharma Artifacts. Prices changed almost daily.

Chen's Pill Hut's Qi Condensation Pills also became highly sought after. They were often bought out by Rogue Cultivators who came rushing over as soon as a batch was refined. Though the worry had not faded from Chen Xing's face, the sight of his increasingly full bag of Spirit Stones finally eased his furrowed brows somewhat.

Li Chengjie, meanwhile, focused even more intensely on pill refinement and cultivation.

Li Chengjie could clearly feel that after breaking through to Qi Refining Level 5, his Cultivation level had entered a period of rapid growth.

And as he refined large quantities of Qi Condensation Pills, his understanding and use of the Mysterious Flame Art and Basic Fire Control Art grew ever deeper.