The Lesser of Two Evils

"Don't hold back! Leave no one alive!"

Ren Han let out a low shout, and Vermilion Brightness Sword slashed out again. The Balmy Wind heat swept over, cleaving the leading blood-clad man and his blood fountain in two. Before the blood-clad man could even scream, his body turned into a cloud of blood mist, completely evaporated by the summer heat.

The remaining men in blood and the woman in pink, who were already separated and surrounded, were terrified when they saw their leader killed and scattered in all directions.

However, Lu Yuan's Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner blocked the east, Zichuan's Great Yang Killing Light intercepted the west, and Li Xu and the other three's Blazing Fire formed a fire net that covered the north and south. More than ten Devil Cultivator were trapped in the middle like caged beasts, unable to advance or retreat.

"The Myriad Spirits Banquet of the Blood Qi," Ren Han said, scanning the blood-clad figures one by one. "The Draw into Perdition of the Desire Devil. Coming to my Nanzhao to plunder, your master behind you has certainly made a good plan."

None of the blood-clad men answered, only desperately trying to break through in all directions. But Ren Han's Cold Qi was like a net from heaven and earth, Lu Yuan's rosy glow was like an impregnable fortress, Zichuan's Great Yang Killing Light was like a torrential downpour, and the Blazing Fire of Li Xu and the other three was like a raging tide.

Within moments, more than ten men in blood-red robes and two women in pink were all killed on the spot. The blood mist and pink smoke slowly dissipated in the air, leaving not even a single intact corpse behind.

Then, the Great Void surged, Zilin's figure stepped from the Great Void into the mortal world.

Her purple robes fluttered in the wind, and the lingering Purple Qi around her body, like thin smoke, made the coldness between her brows and eyes even more distinct. She glanced at the battlefield, her gaze lingering for a moment on the spot where the blood mist and pink smoke had dissipated, before turning her attention back to Ren Han and the other seven.

Ren Han and the other six greeted him.

"I Ren Han, the seat of the revered master, greet True Person Zilin."

"Lu Yuan, Zichuan..."

Zilin waved his hand and smiled:

"No need for formalities. You did a good job."

She took out a purple-patterned jade bottle from her sleeve, and with a casual tilt, seven pills fell like pearls onto a jade plate, hovering steadily in front of the seven people. The pills were round and smooth, with a very faint bluish-red color, and a pure and gentle medicinal fragrance spread out.

"Azure-Red Origin-Restoring Pill. Although your actions were swift, the lingering effects of the Blood Qi and the Desire Devil are extremely insidious. If they are not removed in time, they will seep into your Qi Sea in three to five days, at which point they will be much harder to remove. Each of you take one pill immediately."

Ren Han and the others accepted the pills and expressed their gratitude.

Zilin then took out another talisman and handed it to Ren Han. The talisman was pure white with a faint purple glow around the edges. The surface of the talisman was written in Cloud Seal Script, which had a faint sense of flowing water. It was also Purple Mansion Spirit Talisman of the Subterranean Water Dao.

"The two Lu Household brothers escaped using Subterranean Water Talisman, but their trail hasn't disappeared. Take this talisman and chase after them, escorting them to Cibi Lake. Since the Blood Qi and Desire Devil paths dared to come to White Sand Mountain, there's no guarantee they don't have backup plans. If you encounter anything, I suppose Fellow Daoist Su has also given you something to protect your lives."

Ren Han accepted it with both hands, taking it solemnly.

"Go," Zilin said.

Ren Han and the others said no more. The talisman was activated gently, enveloping the seven people. Then, seven streaks of light rose one after another, following the traces of water veins left on the ground towards the direction of Cibi Lake.

After the seven people had gone far away, silence returned to the area outside White Sand Mountain.

Zilin stood still, her gaze sweeping over the spot where the blood-clad man and the pink-clad woman had fallen. Although their bodies were no longer on the ground, the two Spirit Artifact —a small crimson cauldron with a long crack and a bronze mirror whose surface still shimmered with pink light—lay quietly in the scorched earth, untouched by anyone.

She stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the two Spirit Artifact. A faint trace of blood still seeped from the crack in the small crimson cauldron, while the pink light on the bronze mirror flickered slightly as if it were alive, clearly indicating that its spirituality still remained.

Zilin frowned slightly, put the two Spirit Artifact into his sleeve, and then his figure flickered and disappeared back into the Great Void.

In the Great Void, a figure clad in blood stood with his hands behind his back.

He was a middle-aged man with a gaunt face and a tall, thin build. His dark red robe looked as if it had been soaked in blood and dried, its color so deep it was almost black. When he saw Zilin arrive, he nodded slightly, a subtle, enigmatic smile on his face.

Zilin took out two Spirit Artifact from her sleeve, flicked her finger, and the crimson cauldron and bronze mirror flew steadily to the man in blood-red clothes.

"The ' Myriad Blood Cauldron ' of the Blood Qi path, and the 'Bewitching Mind-Bewitching Mirror ' of the Desire Devil path." The man in blood-red robes accepted the two Spirit Artifact, his gaze lingering for a moment on the crack in the Blood Cauldron, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "The Blood Cauldron is damaged; repairing it will take some effort."

He raised his head, looked at Zilin, and said in a neutral tone:

"Fellow Zilin, we have sent our demonic sons and grandsons to cooperate with you. Now that the Spirit Artifact of the Blood Qi is damaged, we should offer some compensation."

Zilin frowned upon hearing this.

"The reward given earlier was already quite generous. Three Purple Mansion Spirit Pills in exchange for a few Foundation Establishment Devil Cultivator making a trip, plus your secret use of your Fate Divine Ability to lure a few Foundation Establishment cultivators—you probably can't find another deal like this in the world."

She paused, a chill creeping into her voice:

"If you're unwilling, then you'll have to put on a show."

As soon as she finished speaking, the long sword in her sleeve was silently drawn three inches from its sheath, its purple light flickering.

In the Great Void, the blood-clad man and Zilin stood facing each other.

The crimson and purple hues intertwined silently, slightly distorting the Great Void within a radius of several miles. In the distance, faint streaks of light flashed by, yet no one dared to approach and spy.

After a long while, the man in the blood-stained clothes suddenly laughed.

The laughter was extremely soft, like bubbles rising in a sea of blood, fleeting in an instant.

"The elixirs of the Mysterious Gate truly live up to their reputation."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly dispersed, transforming into a thick sea of blood that surged into the depths of the Great Void like a receding tide, disappearing without a trace in just a few breaths.

Zilin stood still for a long time.

Only after the aura of the sea of blood had completely dissipated did she slowly push the longsword back into its sheath and exhale a slight breath of turbid air.

Just then, a five-colored cloud of smoke surged from the depths of the Great Void, and as the light faded, Ying Qi's figure appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Zilin," Ying Qi stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings before settling on Zilin's face, "Have those two from the Lu Household gone to Cibi Lake as Fellow Daoist Su arranged?"

Zilin nodded.

Ren Han, armed with the Subterranean Water Talisman, gave chase. With that talisman, he should be safe.

Upon Ying Qi this, Ying Qi's expression relaxed slightly, but quickly returned to its somber tone. He gazed in the direction where the blood-stained man had disappeared, pondered for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice:

"Fellow Zilin, forgive my bluntness, but to have the Demonic Dao path intervene to assist my Mysterious Gate is... ultimately somewhat inappropriate."

Zilin did not respond immediately.

She cast her gaze into the distance, where spiritual energy flowed slowly in the Great Void, like the inexplicable gratitude and resentment, right and wrong in the human world, intertwined and indistinguishable.

"Ying Qi," she finally spoke, her voice very soft, "When faced with two evils, choose the lesser."

She paused, her gaze still fixed on the distant spot where inspiration seemed to flow.

"Blood Homeland Heaven and Heaven of Following Desire are indeed mortal enemies of our Mysterious Gate. But today, they only sent a few Foundation Establishment Devil Cultivator to put on a show and go through the motions. After all, among us, Yang Xiu is still in seclusion, and only Fellow Daoist Su has the Fate Divine Ability. However, ' Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer ' only possesses dual Divine Ability body and life, and is not good at manipulating people's hearts. We still need to find someone to open the Purple-Blue Secret Realm, but it's not advisable to involve the local Purple Mansion of Nanzhao in this matter..."

She didn't continue, but simply shook her head gently.

Ying Qi remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Let's go." Zilin withdrew her gaze and glanced towards Cibi Lake. "Fellow Daoist Su's disciple is still there; someone needs to keep an eye on him."

Ying Qi said no more.

Two streaks of light rose one after the other from the Great Void and sped toward Cibi Lake.

In the Great Void, spiritual energy flowed silently like the wind. The sea of blood that the blood-clad man had just dispersed, the lingering purple light on Zilin's longsword, Ying Qi's five-colored mist all vanished in an instant. Outside White Sand Mountain, on the scorched earth, only a few wisps of extremely faint blood mist and pink smoke remained, gently blown away by the morning breeze.

It was as if nothing had happened.