Born?

The storytellers' fated protagonists always manage to lurk nearby while mighty experts clash, snatching up opportunities.

But looking at it now, that's pure mortal self-indulgence.

When immortals fight, mortals suffer.

Fang Huai had never understood that firsthand before, but now he finally grasped the meaning of those words.

Just the miasma from a Foundation Establishment Realm beast's venom had poisoned him, a half-baked cultivator with a Corpse Meteor Insect.

If it were higher-level experts battling, low-rank cultivators wouldn't even get close enough to steal opportunities—they'd be obliterated just for approaching.

After being poisoned, Fang Huai's consciousness stayed hazy. He only felt someone hoist him up and carry him to a cold place.

When he finally regained some clarity, he found the surroundings unbearably noisy—filled with swaying white and red ghostly figures, wailing cries, and mad ramblings.

"Am I dead?" Fang Huai's throat tightened. "Is this hell?"

His vision sharpened, but when he took in the scene, his heart clenched. This place was more terrifying than hell.

Oppressive, dim, reeking of rot and blood.

As far as he could see, every five or six meters stood an ancient bronze pillar carved with strange patterns—hundreds of them.

On each pillar, a person was bound by chains, male or female. Besides being delirious, crying and howling like madmen, their conditions were unbearable to look at.

Miasma Body Explosion

,

Corpse Demon Possession

,

Qi Deviation

,

Vengeful Soul Devouring Body

Just reading the tags on these people sent a shock through Fang Huai.

Those still clothed were barely tolerable, but the ones half-naked were utterly appalling.

His stomach churned, forcing him to dry heave.

Worse still, his spiritual energy and blood vitality were completely sealed!

His gaze fell on the bizarre patterns carved into the bronze pillars, and he finally understood the problem—

These pillars bore the tag

Spirit Locking Soul Sealing

.

Spirit Locking Soul Sealing: Seals the qi sea, suppresses blood vitality, inhibits soul power.

Just as cold sweat beaded on his forehead, two robed attendant disciples strolled toward him, chatting idly.

Li San and Hu Jiu, both at Qi Refining Layer Three.

Fang Huai hurriedly called out, "Senior brothers!"

Hearing someone call, the two turned to Fang Huai, delighted. "Thought he'd die from the poison, but he's alive."

They quickened their pace toward him.

"Good condition. He'll fetch a decent price."

The two traded remarks, treating Fang Huai like livestock.

Fang Huai's forehead broke out in sweat. From their words, it sounded like he'd been sold.

"Senior brothers, where is this?"

"This? This is the Human Puppet Hall!"

Seeming pleased that Fang Huai had revived, the two explained his situation.

This was the Human Puppet Hall, under Talent Peak, guarded by two outer sect disciples, Li San and Hu Jiu.

The talents bound to the pillars were called human puppets—mostly mortals from Mystic Sword Sect territory captured by the sect. Their purpose was to serve as consumables for Corpse Sha Sect disciples.

In simple terms: when a Corpse Sha Sect disciple ran low on blood vitality, they'd drain a human puppet; when miasma was hard to expel, they'd transfer it to a puppet; when they lost an arm, they'd borrow one from a puppet...

The more Fang Huai heard, the more horrified he became. "Senior brothers, this humble one is Fang Huai, a disciple of our Corpse Sha Sect. I don't know how I ended up here. Please show mercy and let me out."

The two attendants laughed as if they'd heard the funniest joke. "Where's your identity token?"

Fang Huai was speechless. He had nothing left but tattered clothes—no token at all. He said, "I lost my token, but a check at the Chores Office will confirm it. I have fellow disciples who can vouch for me..."

"Enough, enough," Li San cut in impatiently. "Are you about to say you've already earned the right to advance to the outer sect?"

"Yes!"

"And you're on your way to report to the Outer Sect Hall?" Hu Jiu added.

"Yes!"

"And you were poisoned by a Foundation Establishment Realm centipede beast?"

"Yes!"

"And you were heading southwest before you passed out?"

"How do you know all this?"

"Senior Brother Luo told us when he sold you here."

Li San sneered, stepping closer. "If Senior Brother Luo Heng hadn't warned us you'd spin a story, we might've been fooled."

He loomed over Fang Huai. "Nice story, but there's a hole in it that proves you're not a sect disciple—you're an intruder."

The Outer Sect Hall is due east—why were you heading southwest toward Talent Peak?"

Southwest... Talent Peak?

Senior Brother Luo? Luo Heng?

Wasn't he the kind-faced senior brother who'd guided him before?

Back then, he'd smiled so sincerely, even kindly warned him to avoid Skinning Peak, saying it was dangerous there.

It had all been a lie from start to finish! That wasn't a well-intentioned reminder—it was leading him straight to an even deadlier path, to sell him off like goods!

Fang Huai felt blood rush to his head, his eyes blazing with fury as he cursed, "Luo Heng! I'll fuck your whole family!"

"Slap!"

Li San whipped out his lash and struck Fang Huai across the chest, snarling:

"Just as Junior Brother Luo said, you're a raving lunatic! Let me tell you, don't go dreaming about Luo Junior Brother's family—he's an orphan, his family died out long ago!"

Fang Huai took the lash and shut his mouth.

Those two clearly wouldn't believe a word he said. Rather than waste breath and earn more lashes, he'd better figure a way out.

After racking his brains, he saw two paths.

First, swap in a powerful tag to break the seal and carve a bloody escape.

But that was just wishful thinking.

Never mind whether the sect would even recognize him without his identity token—he couldn't think of a single tag strong enough to let him, with his cultivation sealed, fight his way past two Qi Refining Layer 3 disciples.

Second, replicate the desperate gambit he'd used to kill the Liu Brothers.

First wound himself severely, then take down the enemy—trap Li San and Hu Jiu in the same routine, and pray the next guard disciple would believe his story.

But again, the cultivation gap was the problem. He feared he'd collapse before he could injure himself enough to land a fatal blow on them.

Over the next few days, Fang Huai racked his mind but found no way out. Meanwhile, something maddening happened.

Because he hadn't fed on any poison, the Corpse Meteor Insect grew more restless by the day, clawing incessantly at his heart. This constant, gnawing agony nearly drove Fang Huai to collapse.

Just as he was about to lose his mind, the Corpse Meteor Insect stopped its frenzy. Looking inward, Fang Huai was stunned.

Beside that insect, a miniature replica had appeared out of nowhere.

It gave birth?

Was this Corpse Meteor Insect female? Or was it hermaphroditic, able to reproduce with itself?

Before he could puzzle it out, Li San and Hu Jiu led a gray-robed male cultivator toward him.

[Lu Ping] [Qi Refining Layer 1] [Qi-Blood Depletion (White)][Blood Loss Curse (White)] [Blood Loss Curse: Curse effect. Causes uncontrolled, continuous loss of qi and blood.]

Lu Ping came from a loose cultivator clan. A few days after joining the sect, a kind-hearted senior brother from the same peak had dragged him deep into Miasma Valley to hunt for treasure.

The senior brother really was after treasure, and treasure there was—but Lu Ping wasn't there as a partner. He was bait.

Lure the demonic beasts to attack, help the senior brother snatch the prize.

He'd barely escaped with his life, but he'd caught a demonic beast's curse. His qi and blood spilled uncontrollably, and he urgently needed a cure.

To break the curse, he needed someone else's qi and blood to continuously flush the cursed spot.

His senior brothers were out of the question—they wished him dead.

With no other option, Lu Ping had brought his last contribution points to Human Puppet Hall, hoping for a stroke of luck.