Asking for an Evil Art

Under the starry night, Liu Jing stood atop the Spirit Boat, holding a Soul Tablet as his spiritual sense probed deep within it in careful search.

He quickly found a hidden restriction sigil—the handiwork of Li Mingjing.

Liu Jing was no fool. If the Evil Cultivator Leader wanted to force him into a trap, he had to ensure Liu Jing arrived shortly after the blood sacrifice began. There had to be something on him leaking his whereabouts.

Combined with what the Evil Cultivator Leader had said earlier, it was not difficult to guess that one of the three Yellow Maple Valley Qi Refinement disciples was a traitor, and from there, that the Soul Tablets had been tampered with.

At this moment, the soul flame within the Soul Tablet pointed downward. That was clearly where the Li Family Sisters were, but Liu Jing was more concerned about Luo Hong and Yu Ying's safety. After solving the mystery of the Soul Tablet, he used its tracking effect to head toward the two of them.

"The other three Soul Tablets are gathered in one place, and none of them show any signs of moving. What exactly happened?"

With that question in mind, Liu Jing flew to the location of the three Soul Tablets after half an incense stick's time.

There, a Golden Bell covered the ground. A faint aura lingered within it, while not far away lay Li Mingjing's corpse. It looked as though he had first been severely injured by an immensely powerful Water Element Spell, then had his glabella pierced to death.

Three Soul Tablets—why were there only two people?

His confusion was soon answered by a shout from below. The moment Luo Hong sensed Liu Jing's pure Mana aura, the huge weight hanging over his heart finally fell away.

"Uncle-master Liu, you finally came! Did you kill that Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator?"

Luo Hong controlled the Green Leaf Magic Tool and flew up to meet him.

"Haha, it seems Li Mingjing told you quite a bit before he died. That's right. That Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator reaped what he sowed. He was dead beyond dead."

The two came to Li Mingjing's corpse, and Liu Jing nodded in praise.

"Nephew-disciple Luo, you acted decisively. It's just a pity about that High-grade Talisman. Since this concerns my master's family affairs, I cannot make the decision on my own. But I can guarantee that you will not be implicated in this matter."

A Cultivator from the Li Family had betrayed Yellow Maple Valley and even tried to harm a Foundation Establishment senior of the sect. If word got out, it would surely cause quite a stir, and Li Huayuan's reputation would suffer greatly.

Based on Liu Jing's understanding of his master, this matter would certainly be handled internally—some would be punished, while others would be rewarded.

When the time came, he would put in a few good words for Nephew-disciple Luo to compensate him for the talisman he had lost.

Seeing that Luo Hong had not taken Li Mingjing's Storage Bag for himself, Liu Jing could not help having such thoughts.

After the eruption from the fissure at Demon Spider Peak stopped, the Earth Fiend Turbid Qi quickly sank back into the ground. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around Xiang Mountain returned, carrying a fresh feeling of casting off the old and welcoming the new.

Luo Hong's Internal Spirit Pressure returned to normal, and the Diamond Bell hungrily absorbed Metal Element Spiritual Energy.

"Senior Brother Yu, the Earth Fiend Turbid Qi is gone. You can bring out the Diamond Bell now. Senior Brother Yu?"

Luo Hong slapped the bell wall and shouted, but received no response.

Seeing how tightly the bell's opening was sealed against the ground, Luo Hong's heart jolted. Had Yu Ying suffocated to death from lack of oxygen?!

Liu Jing also sensed that something was wrong. After casting the Great Strength Technique on himself, he pushed over the upright Diamond Bell.

Yu Ying lay unconscious on the ground, but his chest still rose and fell. He had clearly only fainted.

Thankfully, he was a Cultivator and could sustain his life with magic power. An ordinary mortal would have suffocated to death long ago.

"Xiaowan... Xiaowan... just one hug, only one hug," Yu Ying mumbled deliriously.

Liu Jing's expression visibly darkened, while Luo Hong helplessly shook his head.

Senior Brother Yu, when it came to being ridiculous, you had always been outstanding.

Half a day later, in the courtyard where the little old man lived in the mountain village, another table full of delicious dishes had been laid out.

Aside from Li Xiaowan, who was bedridden due to her injuries, Li Xiaoqing, Yu Ying, Luo Hong, and Liu Jing sat around the table, sampling the little old man's daughter-in-law's cooking.

"Mmm, old sir, this Spirit Wine you brewed is truly good. Come, pour me another cup!"

Yu Ying had also gone a long time without enjoying mortal fare. He downed three cups in a row before slowly savoring the flavor of the rice wine.

"As long as the High Immortal likes it. This old man will fill your cup at once!"

The little old man was overjoyed. It should have been his daughter-in-law's job to pour the wine, but the moment his useless son saw the Li Family Sisters, he got a foolish look on his face. At the moment, his daughter-in-law was twisting his ear as she lectured him.

"Senior Brother Luo, Xiao Qing offers you a cup. Thank you for saving us."

For some reason, Li Xiaoqing's attitude toward Luo Hong had changed drastically. She even blushed slightly when she looked at him.

At that moment, Yu Ying gave Luo Hong a meaningful look, as if to say that a brother could only help him this far, leaving Luo Hong unable to suppress a wry smile.

"Junior Sister, there is no need to be so polite. Uncle-master Liu was the one who saved you. Senior Brother Yu and I did not really do much."

Luo Hong knew that if he were a little more proactive now, he would be very likely to win Li Xiaoqing's heart while her state of mind was unstable after surviving such a great disaster.

But first, Luo Hong did not have a good impression of Li Xiaoqing. Second, he did not want to grieve in secret over a beautiful woman's dry bones in the future.

So he accepted her toast, but his attitude remained neither warm nor cold.

"Hey, hey, Junior Brother Luo, it's one thing for you to belittle yourself, but why drag your senior brother into it? Junior Sister Xiao Qing, I went through life and death several times to save you two. Once your sister recovers, you must put in a few more good words for me."

The moment Yu Ying heard Luo Hong say that, he became unhappy. He had been counting on this heroic rescue of beauties to win a beauty's heart.

"Oh, Senior Brother Yu, how many times have you said this already? And how many times have I agreed? Don't worry about my sister."

A trace of sorrow appeared on Li Xiaoqing's cute little face. Yu Ying had placed pressure on her that someone her age should not have had to bear.

"No, you haven't agreed this time. Promise me again, or I won't feel at ease. Hurry, say it again."

Yu Ying, transformed into a shameless bootlicker, began pestering Li Xiaoqing.

Seeing that Liu Jing was in a fairly good mood as well, Luo Hong made a request that had weighed on his mind for several days.

"What? Nephew-disciple Luo, you want to look at the cultivation art those Evil Cultivators practiced?" Liu Jing doubted whether he had heard correctly.

"Uncle-master took that Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator's Storage Bag, so you must have obtained that cultivation art, right?"

Liu Jing's reaction was within his expectations, so Luo Hong made the request again.

"I do have it, but if you want to look at a cultivation art practiced by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, you can simply ask me for one. There is no need to satisfy your curiosity with an Evil Cultivator's wicked art."

Liu Jing simply did not want a promising junior to stray down the wrong path.

This was only because it was Luo Hong. Had it been someone else, Liu Jing would have immediately rebuked them, or perhaps even acted against them.

"Uncle-master, rest assured. This junior will never abandon the proper path to cultivate some evil art. I am merely extremely curious about the Earth Fiend Turbid Qi and want to investigate how the Evil Cultivators controlled it."

Luo Hong spoke from the bottom of his heart. If the Earth Fiend Turbid Qi could be put to use, it might become a decisive weapon of mass destruction in large-scale wars between low-level Cultivators!

"I ask Uncle-master to grant my request."

Starting tomorrow, the research begins. Please recommend and invest; the contract has been sent out.