Making a Quick Escape

After sending off the last mountain villager, who had thanked him profusely, the little old man invited Luo Hong into the small courtyard, where a table of rustic food and wine had already been laid out.

The rich, greasy dishes gave off an intense aroma, whetting Luo Hong's appetite after months of bland meals.

He wolfed down several pieces of meat and took a sip of rice wine. It was utterly delightful!

It felt as though he were floating in gentle spiritual qi.

Huh? Wait, there really was spiritual qi!

Luo Hong looked at his empty wine cup and licked his lips. The little old man's daughter-in-law perceptively refilled it for him.

Spiritual qi rose from the wine. Though it did not compare to the authentic spirit wine sold in the market, it was not far off.

"Sir, what is this wine made from?"

Luo Hong had not expected to receive protagonist treatment, with a chance to find a spiritual item in an ordinary mortal village. Was this what they meant by good deeds being rewarded?

"It's just ordinary rice, but after the rice wine was brewed, this old man tossed in a pearl produced by a Dan Zhu."

The little old man was quite pleased by Luo Hong's astonished expression. It made him feel especially proud.

"What is a Dan Zhu?"

"A Dan Zhu is a giant spider that lives near Demon Spider Peak. Those beasts possess immense strength and thick hides. If they were not so slow, we would never dare hunt them."

"I had only heard that old clams produced pearls. I did not know spiders could do so as well."

"High Immortal, don't doubt it. Dan Zhu can not only produce pearls, but their pearls are exceedingly valuable! The last time this old man brought one into the city, those wealthy people nearly came to blows over it."

"So the village lives by hunting Dan Zhu? But you do not seem particularly well-off."

"Alas, Dan Zhu are no ordinary beasts. If we could survive otherwise, we would never set our sights on them. And Demon Spider Peak is no good place either. Poison mist and miasma are common there, and Earthly Sha erupts once every year! Making a living by hunting pearls—no number of lives would be enough!"

The little old man spoke with deep feeling, as if he had suffered greatly on Demon Spider Peak.

"An Earthly Sha eruption? What does it look like?" Luo Hong stopped using his chopsticks, unease faintly stirring in his heart.

"This old man cannot describe it either. Endless black qi gushes out of cracks in the ground. Anyone in the village who gets even a little on them has to stay bedridden for over a month!

"But it is strange. In past years, the Earthly Sha should have erupted several days ago. It has never been off by even a single day. Yet this year, who knows what happened? There is still no sign of it."

The little old man shook his head worriedly. As long as the Earthly Sha did not erupt, the villagers would not dare enter the mountains. That could not go on forever.

"Sir, thank you for your hospitality. I have urgent business to attend to, so I will not impose any longer!"

Without even wiping his mouth, Luo Hong rose, took out the Green Leaf Magic Tool, and leaped onto it. When he had flown into the air, he seemed to remember something and paused.

"There will be an unusual change in the mountains soon. Do not leave your homes before the Earthly Sha appears. You may see a Fire Bird in the sky. It is an Auspicious Beast, so there is no need to worry."

With that, Luo Hong sped toward the mountains' outskirts.

"Oh my, he really is a true immortal! He just flew away like that!" The little old man hurriedly put away the bowls and chopsticks Luo Hong had used.

"Dad, why did the High Immortal leave in such a rush? It was like his backside was on fire."

"You fool, what nonsense are you spouting now? The High Immortal must be rushing off to slay demons and eliminate evil! Why are you sitting down? Did I tell you that you could eat? Hurry up and spread the word to everyone! You bastard, put down the immortal wine!"

Luo Hong had no time to care about the farce unfolding in the little old man's home. Alarm bells were ringing wildly in his heart, and he wished he could sprout a pair of Wind-Thunder Wings and fly straight back to Yellow Maple Valley.

The moment we arrived, the Earthly Sha, which had erupted normally for decades, was delayed. How could there be such a coincidence in the world?

Someone must have sealed the Earthly Sha at Demon Spider Peak. Among us, the only one worth such an elaborate setup was Liu Jing, a Foundation Establishment Mid-stage cultivator.

Luo Hong was not worried about Liu Jing's safety. That big brother had a True Treasure; at worst, he would be forced to kill in self-defense.

What Luo Hong worried about was that since the other party dared lay hands on Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators of Yellow Maple Valley, they would most likely silence small fry at the Qi Refining Stage like them as well.

So, making a quick escape was the respectful thing to do.

Now, let us turn to another matter.

After parting from Luo Hong, Liu Jing concealed his aura and flew close to the treetops, quickly arriving at the foot of Demon Spider Peak.

The moment he arrived, the dense Earth Fiend Turbid Qi made Liu Jing's mind swim. He hurriedly stuck a Fiend Aversion Talisman to his shoulder.

Looking around, he saw that everything here, from rocks to plants, was shrouded in dense Earth Fiend Turbid Qi. There was barely any spiritual qi between heaven and earth, greatly suppressing the combat strength of orthodox Cultivators.

"Hmph! As expected of an evil cultivator's lair—devoid of life and no different from a ghost domain!"

Liu Jing was utterly fearless. With his Foundation Establishment Mid-stage cultivation, dealing with a few Qi Refining Stage evil cultivators would be as easy as slaughtering bandits.

"Hmm? The Soul Tablet has sensed Junior Disciple Li's location. Good! You actually captured a disciple of Yellow Maple Valley for a blood sacrifice. None of you will escape calamity today!"

Noticing the change in the Soul Tablet hanging at his waist, Liu Jing was immediately consumed by fury and accelerated up the mountain.

At that moment, atop Demon Spider Peak, the Qi Refining Great Perfection Evil Cultivator Leader was kneeling before the entrance to a Stone Room.

"The bird has entered the cage. Act according to the plan." An incomparably cold voice came from within the Stone Room.

"Yes, Master."

After responding, the Evil Cultivator Leader rose and flew to the blood sacrifice altar halfway up the mountain. The six evil cultivator disciples stationed there immediately bowed respectfully.

"How are the sacrifices prepared?"

"Reporting to Master, aside from the boys and girls you instructed us to procure this morning, everything else is ready."

The Evil Cultivator Leader entered the cage and pinched the delicate cheek of a woman, examining her from side to side. Then he licked the fresh human blood from his sharp fingernails and nodded in satisfaction.

"Though the boys and girls are missing, these high-quality sacrifices will still be enough for This Seat to break through to Foundation Establishment. Begin the blood sacrifice now."

"Master, perhaps we should wait a little longer. Junior Brother should be back soon."

"Hmm? Are you telling me what to do?!" A vicious gleam flashed in the Evil Cultivator Leader's eyes.

"I would not dare! Disciples, activate the Blood Refining Great Array immediately!"

Seeing their master grow angry, the six evil cultivators immediately flew to the various Array Eyes of the Blood Refining Great Array. They brought out the Formation Flags on their backs, black qi rising from their bodies as they chanted a Magic Art.

Very soon, the Blood Refining Great Array activated, and blood qi enveloped the blood sacrifice altar. The Evil Cultivator Leader sat cross-legged at its center and formed a hand seal. A streak of blood light swept across a cage holding over a hundred mortals.

Within that blood light, the mortals' essence blood and souls were drained completely, then all of it flowed into the Blood Refining Great Array, making the blood qi within the array even denser.

After the mortal souls entered the Blood Refining Great Array, they immediately suffered as though they had been submerged in boiling oil. Countless resentments were born from their torment.

Quite a few souls, carrying towering hatred, charged at the Evil Cultivator Leader at the center of the array. Yet the moment they touched the black qi covering his body, they were violently repelled, their soul bodies dissipating even faster.

"You mortals cannot harm This Seat in the slightest, even as ghosts. Obediently become nourishment for This Seat's advancement!"

The Evil Cultivator Leader laughed heartily and changed his hand seal, causing another streak of blood light to emerge from the great array.

Just Then, two Silver Wheels flew in from the horizon, followed closely by Liu Jing's furious voice:

"Bold evil cultivators, surrender yourselves and die!"