Blood Pool Reincarnation

Seeing Great King West Rat looking as though it wanted to speak but held back, Lu Qingshan could not help but grow curious.

Turning to glance at Daoist Bai Piao, who stood uneasily to one side, Lu Qingshan said, "I'll settle this matter for you. I'll take one Peachwood Sword as payment, and then we'll be even."

Daoist Bai Piao nodded in hurried agreement.

Lu Qingshan stroked the sword with satisfaction. A sword cultivator needed a sword to cultivate with—at long last, he had his first Sword Weapon.

After giving Daoist Bai Piao his instructions, Lu Qingshan turned to Great King West Rat again. "Lead the way. I want to see just what sort of oddity has left you unable to describe it."

Great King West Rat had been thoroughly beaten into submission by Lu Qingshan. The moment Lu Qingshan spoke, it obediently rose to its feet. Ignoring the wounds Lu Qingshan had just slashed into it, it kicked off with its hind legs and leaped onto the courtyard wall.

Lu Qingshan followed close behind.

One rat and one man soon vanished from the courtyard.

Only after Lu Qingshan's figure disappeared did Daoist Bai Piao finally let out a long breath.

When he had seen Lu Qingshan casually swing his sword and unleash a bolt of lightning, he had been so frightened he barely dared breathe, terrified that this young cultivator True Person might turn around and give him a sword stroke the moment he became displeased.

He was no Rat Demon. He could not take two sword strikes and still be hopping about alive.

"Without the Peachwood Sword, I probably won't be able to keep doing this exorcism work. No, this time I need to make a big score and make up for my losses."

Looking at the somewhat wrecked scene before him, Daoist Bai Piao's thoughts stirred. His gaze flickered, and after pondering briefly, a plan sprang to mind.

Daoist Bai Piao took some ash from the incense burner and scattered it by the corner of the wall that Lu Qingshan's Lightning Sword Beam had struck. Then he took out the cinnabar he used for drawing talismans and smeared it over the corner of his mouth.

Once he had arranged his appearance to look injured, Daoist Bai Piao opened the tightly shut gates and staggered outside. Pale-faced, he said weakly to the gathered villagers, "What a formidable Hegemon of Western Chu! This old Daoist nearly failed to kill the ghost and was devoured by it instead."

Having heard the sounds coming from inside the courtyard, the villagers had long been on edge. Seeing Daoist Bai Piao in such a weakened state, they hurried forward to support him.

Li the Second, the owner of the house, was even more unsettled. Rubbing his hands together, he stepped forward and asked tentatively, "Daoist, how is that Hegemon of Western Chu now?"

Daoist Bai Piao glanced at Li the Second, a tragic expression rising on his face. "This Hegemon of Western Chu was an extraordinary vicious ghost, with methods fearsome beyond measure. Ordinary means could not subdue it.

"Left with no choice, this old Daoist had to sacrifice his lifespan and use my sect's forbidden lightning art. Only then was I able to destroy it!

"This time, this old Daoist has suffered great loss of vital essence and blood and needs a proper period of recuperation. From this day onward, I will no longer accept any exorcism work!"

Daoist Bai Piao lifted his eyes toward the villagers and continued, "Though I have suffered no small loss this time, slaying demons is the duty of those of us who cultivate the Dao. This old Daoist has fortunately not failed his mission.

"The Hegemon of Western Chu has already been scattered in soul and spirit, reduced to ashes. Go inside, gather up the Hegemon of Western Chu's ashes, and seal them in a jar.

"From this day onward, no strange evil will occur again. You may rest assured."

Hearing the old Daoist say this, the villagers could no longer suppress their curiosity. They crowded into Li the Second's home, all wanting to see the ashes left behind by that formidable Hegemon of Western Chu.

Hiss—

When they entered the rear courtyard and saw the blackened ground beneath its wall, the villagers could not help sucking in a cold breath.

Good heavens, this Daoist's methods were terrifying. He had split the ground into such a state. No matter how ferocious the Hegemon of Western Chu had been, it surely could not have withstood that.

Seeing the villagers' astonished expressions, Daoist Bai Piao felt smug.

That brat had gotten my family-inherited Peachwood Sword for free. How could I, Daoist Bai Piao, possibly take a loss? I had to claim his credit for free in return.

The villagers were both frightened and amazed.

After seeing this scene, Li the Second hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward and loudly addressing the villagers. "The Daoist has sacrificed so much to rid our village of this ghost. We have received such great kindness and have no way to repay it. I say every household should contribute some more silver as payment for the Daoist's ritual, to show our gratitude. What do you all think?"

The surrounding villagers immediately voiced their agreement.

The "weakened" Daoist Bai Piao finally nodded in satisfaction at the sight.

Li the Second, not bad. You understand the way of the world. This old Daoist did not misjudge you!

Lu Qingshan followed Great King West Rat along the mountain road into the city for nearly an hour.

At last, beneath a small hill, Great King West Rat stopped and led Lu Qingshan around a bend.

They walked a little farther.

An open expanse filled with jagged boulders appeared before them.

Lu Qingshan looked at Great King West Rat and waited for its explanation.

"That Li the Second does business with a restaurant in Yuanshan City, so every so often, he transports a cartload of wine to Yuanshan City."

"That day, I got greedy and stole a little wine to drink. In my muddled state, I climbed onto the cart.

"I followed the cart until it was halfway there, when I suddenly caught the scent of a strange fragrance. Acting on instinct, I jumped off the cart and traced the source of the scent all the way here.

"Then I found this place. At the time, there was a blood pool here, and it was filled with scarlet blood.

"When I went closer to look, I saw that the blood in the pool was thick and fishy, with many red bead-like objects rolling around inside.

"Strangely, that unusual fragrance came from those red beads, and I could not resist eating one.

"Oddly enough, though the bead did not look large, after eating one, I felt completely stuffed.

"Afterward, I left in a daze. Then I gradually began to develop intelligence, and I could even speak human words, becoming what I am now."

"Later, I followed my memories back along the road, wanting to find that blood pool again, but it had turned into the Boulder Forest before us.

"It was as if everything had been a dream. Yet the changes that appeared in me clearly told me that none of it had been an illusion."

Great King West Rat cautiously glanced at Lu Qingshan with its tiny eyes, afraid Lu Qingshan would not believe its words.

Lu Qingshan did not move. His face dark as still water, he stared at the Boulder Forest before him.

Not only had Lu Qingshan seen the scene Great King West Rat described, he understood it extremely well.

Blood Pool Reincarnation!

Gather the essence and blood of countless humans, collect it in a blood pool, then use that blood pool to reincarnate devilspawn carrying the bloodline of the Devil Race!

This was also the ultimate purpose behind the Demon Cultivators' Corpse Puppet Uprising.

But wasn't this something that only began appearing after the Corpse Puppet Uprising had gained momentum?

Lu Qingshan's heart sank sharply.

What was going on?

Lu Qingshan understood that the Boulder Forest before him was actually an illusion manifested by a high-grade illusion formation.

But with his current cultivation, he had no way to see through the formation and enter it.

For some unknown reason, the illusion formation must have malfunctioned that day and temporarily lost its effect. That was how Great King West Rat had discovered the blood pool and stolen a Blood Spirit Bead, awakening the Phantom Rat Bloodline within its body.

"We're leaving first."

Lu Qingshan spoke to Great King West Rat.

Though he did not know why something as important as the blood pool had suddenly been left unguarded, allowing a giant rat to make a round trip without losing a single hair,

no one could say whether a Demon Cultivator might suddenly return.

With Lu Qingshan's current cultivation, if he ran into the Demon Cultivator who had built this blood pool, he would have no chance of survival.

He did not dare take the risk, so he did not dare linger here any longer.