Dao, Martial, Confucian, Immortal, Demonic, and Strange

Xu Qing had no intention of answering Blood Demon Desire Woman's question. If he had not noticed in advance that the Ghost Mask reacted to the aura on Yu Hu's body and thus kept an extra eye open, Yu Hu would likely have died tonight.

Moreover.

Qing Lian had absorbed the yin energy of the Extreme Yin Wood. If she drained Yu Hu dry as well, she would surely be able to escape Qingbei Town. Then this witch before him, the mastermind who had caused so many deaths and injuries among Qingbei Town's residents, would escape into the heavens and continue roaming free beyond the law.

There was also this.

Xu Qing had run into no small number of troubles lately, and every one of them was connected to Blood Demon Desire Woman. The two of them had long since formed a grudge.

"You don't want to die, do you?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Of course I don't want to die. Who in this world wants to die?"

Qing Lian replied swiftly. "What exactly do you want?"

"Answer some questions for me."

Xu Qing's tone was calm. "Then I can consider sparing your life."

"Ask."

Qing Lian said.

"What exactly is the Blood Demon Cult?"

Xu Qing asked.

"You... you don't know about the Blood Demon Cult?"

Qing Lian froze for a moment.

"Speak."

Xu Qing's expression was icy.

"The Blood Demon Cult is a notorious demonic cult throughout the entire Great Zhou Martial Kingdom. Its influence spreads across the Great Zhou Martial Kingdom. In the eyes of the Blood Demon Cult as a whole, I am merely a lowly lackey."

Qing Lian answered Xu Qing's question.

"Oh."

Xu Qing pondered as he listened carefully to Qing Lian's description. A rough outline of the Blood Demon Cult's basic circumstances gradually formed in his mind.

If it had to be compared to something.

It was like the White Lotus Sect on Earth, taking in all kinds of capable people throughout the land, as well as those dissatisfied with the Great Zhou Imperial Court. They worshipped the "Blood Demon," and their influence was enormous.

"Who else in Qingbei Town belongs to the Blood Demon Cult?"

Xu Qing asked.

"I... I don't know..."

Qing Lian shook her head. "The Blood Demon Cult has strict ranks. Lower-ranking members cannot contact higher-ranking members. Contact can only be established when a higher-ranking member reaches out to a lower-ranking member."

"I just heard you mention Demonic Dao Ghost Cultivators."

Xu Qing said, "Tell me, besides the Martial Path, what other cultivation paths exist in this world? Such as the Demonic Dao Ghost Cultivators you just mentioned."

"You..."

Qing Lian froze again.

Because.

Xu Qing's question was far too simple, so basic it could hardly be more basic. And yet Xu Qing controlled a genuine evil ghost—did he truly know nothing at all?

Or perhaps.

These questions were merely testing whether she would tell the truth.

In the end.

Qing Lian did not dare spout nonsense.

"Throughout the world, there are six major cultivation paths in total: Dao, Martial, Confucian, Immortal, Demonic, and Strange. The Blood Demon Cult mainly cultivates the Demonic Path."

Qing Lian answered, "Within the imperial court, the civil and military officials are divided accordingly. Great Confucian civil officials mainly cultivate the Confucian Path, while military officers and generals mainly cultivate the Martial Path. Daoist sects cultivate in seclusion and are rarely seen in the world."

"The Strange Path mostly consists of the Ghost Path. Dead souls throughout the world cultivate the Ghost Path and become Ghost Cultivators. There are also strange entities born from calamities, wreaking havoc upon the land, difficult to eradicate."

"Lastly."

"The Immortal Path is also called the path of Qi Practitioners. Those who consume qi, the gods cannot kill."

"Qi Practitioners claim that, upon cultivating to the end, one may attain 'longevity.' Zhou Di of the Great Zhou Martial Kingdom listened to slanderous words and pursued the Immortal Dao of Immortality in his desire for longevity. This caused the Great Zhou Martial Arts School and the imperial court to rot away, traitorous ministers to hold power, and the common people to live in utter misery, exchanging children to eat."

"You must understand."

"In this world, there has never been an eternal dynasty, and naturally there can be no emperor who lives forever. Emperor Yuanwu Zhou Di was wrong from the very beginning."

"In these present times, our Blood Demon Cult gathers capable people from all under heaven in order to overthrow the Great Zhou Martial Kingdom's imperial court and let the people live and work in peace and contentment."

"Heh heh..."

Xu Qing sneered. "You built nine blood pools, refined corpse ghosts, and killed how many common people?"

"And now you tell me you want the people to live and work in peace and contentment?"

"On the road to success, there will always be certain sacrifices. Their sacrifices are for future success, so their sacrifices are worthwhile."

Qing Lian immediately retorted.

"Then what is your Blood Demon Cult's true purpose in Qingbei Town?"

Xu Qing asked.

"I... I don't know..."

Qing Lian shook her head.

In truth.

Qing Lian genuinely did not know.

She had merely obeyed the orders of higher-ranking members and completed the tasks assigned to her.

"Are the six cultivation paths you mentioned the only ones in this world?"

Xu Qing asked again.

"The six major cultivation paths are the main ones. As for the others, I do not know much either. Even if there are others, they certainly cannot compare to these six."

Qing Lian answered.

After that.

Xu Qing asked several more questions, but he could not obtain any useful information from Qing Lian. She truly did not know much.

He had thought Qing Lian was a big fish, but to the Blood Demon Cult as a whole, she was merely a somewhat unusual little shrimp.

"C-can I leave now?"

Qing Lian asked.

"Mhm."

Xu Qing nodded.

"..."

Joy appeared on Qing Lian's face.

Buzz!

She was about to turn into a wisp of green smoke and flee.

Roar!

The next moment.

The Shaman Evil Ghost let out a roar. Like a starving tiger, it turned into a stream of gray smoke and pounced upon Qing Lian in an instant.

"Ah!!!"

Qing Lian screamed from the depths of her soul and glared at Xu Qing with boundless resentment. "Y-you don't keep your word! I curse you to die a horrible death, die a horrible death!!!"

However.

Qing Lian was swiftly devoured by the Shaman Evil Ghost and could curse no more.

Buzz!

With a thought, Xu Qing controlled the Ghost Mask. The Shaman Evil Ghost turned into a wisp of gray smoke and merged into the mask, while Xu Qing quickly departed.

Because.

The Shaman Evil Ghost had just informed Xu Qing that an expert was rapidly approaching.

In less than half a minute.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures descended from the sky.

The scene drew closer.

They were Deng Wanping, one of the nine commanders of the Yamen's Demon Extermination Agency, and Zheng Wanhai, the Chief Constable of the Yamen Agency. The two had arrived here.

"Too late."

Deng Wanping looked around and frowned. "The Chief Commander has been flying into a rage these past few days, berating us for failing to find even one person after all this time."

"Same here."

Zheng Wanhai shrugged. "Can we really be blamed for this? Wasn't it the two Chief Commanders themselves who failed to capture Blood Demon Desire Woman and let her get away?"

"I heard that the County Magistrate cursed both Chief Commanders so viciously that night they were drenched in spittle."

Clearly.

Qingbei Town had been under a state where people could enter but not leave these past few days. If Xu Qing had not possessed the identity of an official disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, he would not have been able to leave Qingbei Town either.

Therefore.

The Demon Extermination Agency and the Yamen Agency had sent out many people to patrol at night during this period.

Zheng Wanhai and Deng Wanping were on patrol tonight. During their rounds, they sensed a powerful yin and baleful aura from this direction, so they hurried over.

Unfortunately.

They had still arrived a step too late.

By the time they arrived, the battle had already ended and Xu Qing had long since departed. With the Ghost Mask concealing him, Zheng Wanhai and the others could not trace Xu Qing's aura or tracks.

"Let's go."

In the end.

Zheng Wanhai and Deng Wanping exchanged a glance. They could only choose to give up and leave.

The scene shifted.

Inside Xu Qing's courtyard.

Bedroom.

At this moment.

Xu Qing had already removed the Ghost Mask and returned to his original appearance. Seeing that it was late, he lay down on the bed and went to sleep.

"Emperor Yuanwu, the Immortal Dao of Immortality, the Blood Demon Cult..."

Xu Qing pondered, then shook his head. "Those things are still too far beyond me. They are not matters I can involve myself in, and I do not even know what is truly going on behind them."

"Blood Demon Desire Woman was only a little shrimp. There must be Blood Demon Cult members hidden even deeper within Qingbei Town. I just do not know what the Blood Demon Cult intends to do."

"Mhm."

Xu Qing thought deeply, already having made his decision. "In a few more days, once Eight Extremities Fist levels up, I should be able to step into the level of Transformative Force."

"By then."

"I can improve Azure Hawk Claw Force and bring it to peak Bright Force. That way, I can obtain more profound martial arts from Master."

The night passed without incident.

The next day.

Morning.

Xu Qing woke early. As usual, after breakfast, he prepared to leave the city. To his surprise, Yu Chen and his wife Wang Cuilan hurried over while carrying Yu Hu.

"Brother Xu, you must save my child!!!"

"..."

Thud!

Yu Chen and Wang Cuilan had already knelt before Xu Qing. Yu Chen held Yu Hu in his arms. Yu Hu's face was pale without the slightest trace of color, his eyes tightly shut and his brows furrowed.

Moreover.

Yu Hu's hands and feet were icy cold, as though he had lost the body temperature a normal person should possess.

"This..."

Xu Qing pondered.

"What happened?"

Xu Qing asked.

"W-we don't know either!"

Yu Chen said, "This morning, I called Hu Zi to get up. Only after entering his room did I discover that he had become like this."

"Brother Xu, I... I didn't know what to do, so I could only come find you. You must save Hu Zi! He... he is your disciple, after all!"

In truth.

The reason Yu Hu had become like this was simple. It was because of what had happened last night. Qing Lian's yin energy had entered his body, causing him to become like this.

After all, Yu Hu was only a child and could not resist the erosion of Qing Lian's yin energy.

"Yu Chen."

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then asked, "Hasn't Yu Hu always worn a wooden tag around his neck? Why is it gone today?"

"And."

"Where did the wooden tag around Yu Hu's neck come from?"

"The wooden tag."

Yu Chen froze for a moment. He looked toward Wang Cuilan and asked, "Cuilan, I remember you gave that wooden tag to our child on his tenth birthday."

"You said at the time that you had prayed for blessings at a temple and obtained it there. Tell me the truth—where did that wooden tag really come from?"