Chapter 78: Chapter Seventy-Eight: Preparing for a Minor Campaign

“Strange? What’s strange?” The Blue Star Commander’s eyes darted, turning the question back on them. “I was just tired after dark and came to town to rest. Why did you attack me on sight?”

“Huh?” He Xiuniang froze, dumbfounded.

Just now, when the Blue Star Commander emerged from the water and tried to enter the town, she had instinctively assumed he was the killer—and without even exchanging a few words, she’d already attacked. She hadn’t actually confirmed he was the monster behind the recent murders.

Could this be a misunderstanding?

But seeing the Blue Star Commander’s evasive gaze, He Xiuniang quickly realized: this was obvious deception—nothing more than a desperate lie now that he was trapped.

“Are you men of the Spirit Court?” the Blue Star Commander asked. “I know the Spirit Court values rules above all. I myself am a Spirit Lord—though I serve in Bi’ang Palace, I’ve never taken a human life. There must be some misunderstanding. Please release me, and we can talk.”

“By the way, what brings you here? If you need help, I can summon friends and allies to aid you!”

When the Blue Star Commander claimed to be a Spirit Lord, Gu Zhao and Daoist Yan Song both laughed.

In this world, demons and spirits cannot perceive malevolent qi—but Gu Zhao and Yan Song carried the Five Thunder Talismans and Thunder Seeds, and they sensed it clearly: the Blue Star Commander’s soul was steeped in heavy malevolence.

Gu Zhao clenched his right hand; magic power flowed along an invisible thread into the Blue Star Commander’s body, strengthening the Fire Veil Art, which began burning his flesh, blood, tendons, and bones.

“Ugh… ugh… ugh…”

The Blue Star Commander’s eyes bulged with blood, his voice a hoarse scream—but it was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, inaudible.

After a moment of burning, Gu Zhao eased the pressure and asked again, “What’s Bi’ang Palace up to?”

The Blue Star Commander gasped, still trying to lie. “There really is nothing strange! How can you possibly believe me?”

Gu Zhao snapped, “Over two hundred people died in Anlin Town just last night. Who else could it be?”

The Blue Star Commander cried out, “There aren’t that many!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he saw Gu Zhao’s half-smile—and instantly fell silent.

Gu Zhao extended his index finger; a spark suddenly ignited at its tip. The Blue Star Commander felt the fire net inside him twitch faintly, harmonizing subtly with the flame on Gu Zhao’s finger.

“Secrets belong to others. Your life belongs to you,” Gu Zhao said calmly.

The Blue Star Commander’s eyes lit up. “You’ll spare my life?”

Gu Zhao’s expression was earnest. “If you’re not the mastermind, I won’t kill you.”

“Fine! I’ll talk!” The Blue Star Commander nodded decisively. “Our Ancestor’s cultivation has stagnated at five hundred years—he can’t advance further, and his lifespan is nearly spent. So he decided to perform a blood sacrifice on the ancient Ao Yuan Pearl, which caused chaos in Wuhe County thirty years ago, to help himself break through.”

Though the Blue Star Commander had cultivated for decades, he was no warrior with unwavering faith. After being tormented by Gu Zhao’s Fire Veil Art, he betrayed the Bi’ang Ancestor without hesitation.

The Bi’ang Ancestor was also an ancient turtle-ao demon. Though his talent was low, his lifespan was long, and he had polished his cultivation to over four hundred years.

But now his time was running out. If he didn’t advance further, he would die and his Dao would vanish.

Thirty years ago, chaos erupted across several prefectures along the Wanling River. In Wuhe County, an ancient ao stirred up a sea of blood—until it was crushed by the Xuanwei Divine Sect. The Bi’ang Ancestor seized the Yuan Pearl then.

For thirty years, the Bi’ang Ancestor had been absorbing the Yuan Pearl—but with little success. Now, with his lifespan nearly gone, he decided to make one desperate gamble through blood sacrifice.

“To fuse the Yuan Pearl into his body, the Ancestor has secluded himself in meditation. But each day, he needs vast quantities of fresh blood.”

The Blue Star Commander said, “For the first thirty days, he needed a hundred lives per day. After that, he requires thirty pairs of pure virgin blood from young boys and girls to succeed.”

Daoist Yan Song winced. “Over three thousand people?”

“The numbers don’t add up!” Gu Zhao’s eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t just Anlin Town. There were other places?”

The Blue Star Commander nodded. “The Ancestor publicly claimed he was celebrating his three-hundredth birthday. He sent us to strike villages and towns around Wuhe County—killing only a few in each place, so no one would notice, and the Jin Feng Sect wouldn’t grow suspicious.”

The four major powers of Changping Prefecture were the Jin Feng Sect, Sanjue Mountain, Bi’ang Palace, and Shiwang Cave. Among them, Jin Feng Sect was strongest; Bi’ang Palace, weakest.

But the Bi’ang Ancestor was a turtle-ao demon. When fighting underwater, he held the advantage—and even the Jin Feng Divine King couldn’t capture him. So he quietly accepted Bi’ang Palace’s existence.

“Why Wuhe County?” Daoist Yan Song asked. “Isn’t Bi’ang Palace near Changping?”

“The Ancestor isn’t meditating at Bi’ang Palace,” the Blue Star Commander revealed without hesitation. “Under the Chang River in Wuhe County, there’s a place where yin and yang merge—perfect for blood-sacrificing the Yuan Pearl. We deliver the collected blood to him daily.”

Gu Zhao asked immediately, “What if you didn’t deliver the blood today?”

The Blue Star Commander blinked. “I don’t know. The Ancestor didn’t say.”

At this, the Blue Star Commander grew tense. “I’ve told you everything. Please release me quickly—I’m going down the Chang River to Baishi Prefecture. I’ll never return.”

Gu Zhao nodded. “One last question: where is this yin-yang merging place?”

“Twenty li northeast of Wuhe County. The Chang River forms a crescent-shaped bend there. The yin-yang merging spot lies thirty zhang beneath the water.” The Blue Star Commander spoke in a rush.

“Good!” Gu Zhao rose. True to his word, he waved his hand—dispelling the Fire Veil Art and lifting all restraints from the Blue Star Commander.

The Blue Star Commander exhaled in relief, slumping to the ground outside the inn, then shot off in a blur toward the Anqu River.

But before he could enter the water, a figure suddenly appeared before him—tall, dressed as the old man who had been with Gu Zhao, only now wearing a red mask.

“You broke your word!” The Blue Star Commander’s eyes bulged with rage.

“The Sect Master said he wouldn’t kill you—and he didn’t. He even removed your restraints. He didn’t just keep his promise—he exceeded it.”

Daoist Yan Song chuckled. “But your body is saturated with such heavy malevolence—if I let you go, my Dao heart would never rest.”

In the next instant, Daoist Yan Song pursed his lips and blew softly. A gale of fire erupted from his mouth, instantly forming a tornado that engulfed the Blue Star Commander.

…

“The Bi’ang Ancestor has less than five hundred years of cultivation and isn’t even at Bi’ang Palace—he’s in Wuhe County refining the ancient Ao Yuan Pearl. His entourage must be small.”

“The butcher’s and Rain Queen’s malevolence have been fully absorbed. My cultivation efficiency has been high these days.”

“The blood sacrifice takes over thirty days—it’s now halfway through. Logically, the ritual can’t be interrupted; otherwise, all previous effort is wasted, or his vital energy is severely damaged.”

“Opportunity won’t knock twice,” Daoist Yan Song asked. “Shall we strike?”

“Then let’s strike!” Gu Zhao rubbed his chin, eager. “My talismans are finally ready to be used!”