Wouldn't It Be Easier to Kill You?

Azure Valley Market, entrance to the Cave Residence district.

He Luyuan stood there, anxiously watching the crowds coming and going.

A grand formation protected the Cave Residence district above, and the only way in or out was through this entrance. He had been waiting here for a full month, all to keep Lu Yan from slipping away when he wasn't paying attention.

As the agreed-upon date drew near, He Luyuan grew more and more anxious.

He had also realized that in his desperation that day, he had revealed far too much, but he'd had no choice.

That great personage had issued a death order: Lu Yan had to be brought to him.

At the thought of facing that personage's wrath if he botched this, He Luyuan couldn't help but shudder.

He had even begun to regret getting involved with that great personage.

Success would indeed bring enormous benefits, but failure would surely exact a terrible price.

At this point, all he could do was hope that Lu Yan hadn't noticed anything amiss.

The sky gradually darkened. Realizing that the day might once again end without any results, He Luyuan felt a little dejected.

Just then, a figure in a blue-green robe slowly walked out of the Cave Residence district. It was Lu Yan, whom he had been waiting for so long.

He had handsome features and a warm, friendly smile. His sunny disposition instinctively made people feel drawn to him.

Seeing this, He Luyuan hurried forward, hoping to greet him.

But just then, the sun sank below the mountains, and its light vanished from Azure Valley Market. The aura around Lu Yan seemed to plunge into an abyss in an instant. The warmth in his eyes gave way to coldness, and his pitch-black pupils seemed to reflect countless tormented souls.

He Luyuan stood frozen in place until Lu Yan's voice brought him back to his senses.

"Fellow Daoist He?"

He Luyuan's body trembled instinctively. When he looked at Lu Yan again, that momentary glimpse from before seemed like an illusion.

He Luyuan noticed that Lu Yan had already reached Mid-Stage Qi Refinement.

Mid-Stage Qi Refinement. It's only Mid-Stage Qi Refinement.

He silently repeated the words a few times to steady himself, then smiled and said:

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you've kept me waiting so long!"

A hint of apology crossed Lu Yan's face. "Sorry for the trouble, Fellow Daoist He."

He glanced up at the sun, which had already set, then added:

"Since I've taken up so much of your time, why don't we hurry on tonight and go see the fellow Daoist you mentioned?"

For some reason, faced with Lu Yan's suggestion, He Luyuan felt an instinctive urge to refuse.

But in the end, the pressure exerted by that great personage overcame his instincts, and he readily agreed.

"Good!"

With that, the two left Azure Valley Market.

To Lu Yan's surprise, He Luyuan actually had a low-grade Flying Boat artifact.

Though it was only the lowest-grade flying artifact, it was still worth nearly a hundred Spirit Stones, which left Lu Yan quite pleased.

Thanks to the convenience of the Flying Boat artifact, they reached the destination He Luyuan had mentioned in less than an hour.

It was a small courtyard built deep in Mount Wu. There was no Spiritual Vein nearby, and the spiritual energy was much thinner than in the market. A layer of restrictions concealed the courtyard, keeping Lu Yan from seeing what lay within.

Even Lu Yan was a little puzzled as to why a cultivator would live in such a remote wilderness.

After landing outside the courtyard gate, He Luyuan's expression turned humble. He spoke with great respect:

"This humble cultivator, He Luyuan, requests an audience with Lord Shen!"

A lazy voice slowly sounded from inside the courtyard. "Come in."

The invisible restrictions parted, and in an instant, dense spiritual energy surged toward Lu Yan. Its concentration even surpassed that of a mid-grade Cave Residence in Azure Valley Market.

Surprised, Lu Yan stepped into the courtyard. Then he caught the strong stench of blood.

A tall pillar stood in the center of the courtyard, with three horrifying corpses hanging from it.

Rust-covered iron hooks pierced their collarbones, suspending them in the air. Wounds deep enough to expose bone covered their bodies. The wounds seemed to have rotted long ago, crawling with writhing maggots, and their eye sockets were empty, filled only with darkness.

Lu Yan's Spirit Sense could even detect that the soul within one of the corpses had only just dissipated. The person had clearly died not long ago, after being tortured.

Beneath the three corpses stood a young man in a crimson robe embroidered with vivid red lotuses. He casually tossed aside the small knife in his hand, his eerily handsome face filled with disappointment.

"I thought the so-called Ten Thousand Beast Banner was nothing but a rumor. I didn't expect someone to have actually figured out a few things."

"These three claimed to have met the fellow who made the Ten Thousand Beast Banner once, but they didn't know who he was. What a bunch of useless trash!"

Lu Yan's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

If this eerie young man was telling the truth, the three corpses before him had to be the Scavenger Team, whom he had once met.

His gaze swept over the three corpses without lingering. Though they were already beyond recognition, Lu Yan could still make out that they were the three young men and women. The middle-aged man who had once traded with him was not among them.

The eerie young man flicked a finger. Three crimson flames, like fresh blood, ignited the corpses, and the bloody fire spread, swallowing them whole.

Only after finishing this did the eerie young man look toward Lu Yan and He Luyuan, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

"Do you know why I didn't simply search their souls, but chose to interrogate them instead?"

Lu Yan said nothing. He Luyuan, already trembling all over, stammered out a reply:

"N-no, I don't."

"Within the sect, some believe that we should plunge the world into chaos and draw Karma from the upheaval. They think that's the best approach.

"But I believe that the Karma offered by individual living beings is no less than that drawn from the chaos of a collapsing order.

"I kept them alive for ten days. During those ten days, they endured the most agonizing tortures in the world.

"First they were afraid, then they begged for mercy, and then they grew resentful. The anguish they felt turned into the purest Karma at the instant their souls dispersed, feeding back into me."

The eerie young man held out his right hand. Karma became crimson flames, dancing across his fingertips.

Then he looked at Lu Yan, his soft, effeminate voice slowly ringing out:

"Were you the one who killed Manager Mo's clansmen and took his Storage Bag?"

Lu Yan didn't try to explain that Steward Chu had been the one to kill them. It would be pointless and would only drag more problems into the open.

He merely asked calmly, "How did you find out?"

"Although talismans are much the same, different factions use materials from different regions to make them.

"The Red Lotus Demonic Sect makes its talismans from blood lotus leaves. This material is scarce in the territory of the Azure Parasol Sect. An ordinary person might not notice the difference, but an experienced talisman master could identify it at a glance."

The eerie young man had actually taken the trouble to explain. Then, with interest, he said:

"I see you're cultivating the Red Lotus Karma Fire Sutra. You've reached this level in less than a year, and your spiritual power is pure. You don't seem to have taken any pills, either. You're quite the promising talent.

"I'll give you a chance. As long as you open your soul to me and let me place a Karma Curse Seal on you, I'll take you as my servant and bring you into the Red Lotus Demonic Sect.

"Then you'll receive the complete inheritance of the Cultivation Technique, and I'll personally settle your troubles with Manager Mo."

"And if I refuse?"

The smile vanished from the eerie young man's face. The full pressure of a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator descended upon Lu Yan without restraint.

"Then you'll end up like those three, and get a taste of the most agonizing torture in the world.

"Your aptitude is decent. I hope you last longer than they did."

Just as that pressure was about to touch Lu Yan, his voice finally rang out.

"I think there's a third option."

The Hundred Soul Banner appeared in Lu Yan's hand. The moment he raised it, Ghost Mist blotted out the sky, and the Specter Ghost Domain burst through the courtyard's restrictions, swallowing everything whole.

With a hundred ghosts circling around him, Lu Yan pointed his Soul Banner at the eerie young man and said softly:

"Wouldn't it be easier to kill you?"