Chapter 290: Field Master

Are they merely gilded on the outside and rotten inside, the wretched ghosts?

The plump Cultivator still wore a genial smile and said softly, "Since several fellow cultivators don't need a guide, then I…"

Before he could finish, a long sword struck his neck side like a venomous snake.

The plump Cultivator's face changed dramatically; like a startled rabbit he looked up and saw the pink‑haired youth's eyes cold as a snake, staring at him, his voice icy enough to freeze the air: "Do you have any news about the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's extermination?"

The plump Cultivator was greatly shocked; he hadn't noticed at all how the pink‑haired youth had approached him.

"Yes," the plump Cultivator forced calm, "Tell me what you want to know, and I'll tell you. First, move your sword away."

Xue Jin's mouth twitched upward, revealing a chilling smile: "If you dare deceive me, I will not only take your life but also have your whole clan buried with you."

Yuan Yao: "!!!" Is Fourth Senior Brother's style a bit too ruthless?!

In contrast, Eldest Senior Brother and the others seemed already accustomed to Fourth Senior Brother's ways.

Yuan Yao's mouth twitched slightly.

She leaned her head against Third Senior Brother Cang Li, raised a hand to cover her mouth, and whispered, "Third Senior Brother, our Carefree Sect is a righteous sect, right?"

Cang Li said meaningfully, "Righteousness gives rise to evil."

A double‑meaning remark.

Yuan Yao probably understood.

"Spare us, please!" the plump Cultivator hurriedly begged, "I'm just an insignificant minor character, I have no nerve to deceive you!"

"Then what's your name?" Yuan Yao asked casually.

The plump Cultivator's eyes flickered, "I'm called Niu Geng."

"Niu Geng?" Yuan Yao laughed.

Xue Jin looked up at Yuan Yao, "Is there something wrong?"

A chilling coldness seeped from his words, as if Yuan Yao uttered even half a "yes," the long sword in his hand would swing without hesitation and cut the plump Cultivator down.

The plump Cultivator also sensed the killing aura from Xue Jin, cursed himself silently, and thought he was unlucky.

Watching Yuan Yao about to speak, the plump Cultivator grew frantic, fearing the other would expose his lie.

So he gritted his teeth, resolved to confess everything, and hurriedly blurted, "Look at my memory, I misspoke in my nervousness! Actually, my real full name is Li Er Geng! That Niu Geng earlier was just a random alias."

After Li Er Geng finished, he looked at them with a nervous expression.

"Fourth Senior Brother, he's probably telling the truth," Yuan Yao said.

Cang Li clasped his hands, sighed lightly, "This Li, the benefactor, you truly have a life rescued. My junior brother kills without blinking, hates being deceived. He has slain 9,900 cultivators, exterminated 188 families, and is called a ruthless, heartless executioner."

The few present: "……"

Xue Jin sheathed his long sword, his gaze sweeping over the crimson prayer beads in Li Er Geng's hand, and said coldly, "I only kill those I deem should die."

Li Er Geng sensed his gaze, quickly tucked the prayer beads away, forcing out a strained smile.

Yuan Yao also noticed the beads' unusually glossy surface.

Faintly, she seemed to smell the blood aura emanating from the beads, a mixture as chaotic as a boiling stew.

Yuan Yao suddenly recalled a story from a certain tale: some evil cultivators like to wear prayer beads, pretending to be saints, but the beads gain luster only after soaking in copious fresh blood, becoming even more sinister.

This Li Er Geng must be an evil cultivator.

Evil cultivators generally cultivate by devouring lives and souls, blood sacrifices, forging demonic items, and the like.

Xiao Lingwei said coldly, "Walk while you tell us about the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's extermination."

Li Er Geng heard and quickly agreed.

On the road, Li Er Geng mentioned, "It's said that every teacher and student of the Water Mirror Immortal Academy had orderly wounds on their corpses, mostly throats slit open. As for the true murder weapon, it was neither sword nor knife, but a thinner, finer instrument—people think it was a silk thread."

"If the weapon was a silk thread, then we only need to find the one who can manipulate silk threads. Within the entire Cloud Water Mirror, those who wield silk threads as weapons are few, so before you arrived, many sect squads had already taken those capable cultivators for interrogation."

"Only…," Li Er Geng halted abruptly, seeming uneasy.

"Only what?" Yao Linglong's brows knit tightly.

"In the Two‑Continents region, there are still two people who can control silk threads, and they are no ordinary folk. Those sect squads entering the Two‑Continents region, if they encounter these two, will hit a wall; if lucky, they can only leave reluctantly. If unlucky and anger these two, their lives will be in danger."

Cang Li said, "I understand, a strong dragon cannot suppress a ground‑level snake."

Li Er Geng originally intended to use those two to intimidate them, but they showed no fear.

Yuan Yao suddenly asked, "Before now, have you ever seen a skinny, bony young man appear in the Two‑Continents region?"

Li Er Geng instinctively wanted to shake his head, but quickly recalled something, letting out a light hiss, "Seems there was a skinny young man like a bamboo pole who went looking for those two; he claimed to be the grandson of the Water Mirror Immortal Academy's director, name forgotten, and he had a decent‑looking young man with him."

Yuan Yao and the others exchanged glances upon hearing this.

Li Er Geng also keenly sensed something; looking up again, he saw their eyes fixed on him.

He thought to himself, ruined.

These people aren't here to hunt the true culprit; they're after that skinny kid!

Song Yan said, "Where are those two now?"

Li Er Geng originally tried to bluff his way out, but the sword tip instantly pressed against his throat, coldness seeping into his lungs in an instant.

He immediately assumed a surrender posture.

"I'll tell, I'll tell!"

His breathing lightened, fearing the sword tip would pierce his throat, "Those two… were imprisoned in the Blood Slave Arena."

"Blood Slave Arena?" Song Yan's face changed slightly, "What place is that?"

"You all know the Two‑Continents region has many evil cultivators, even demonic cultivators; they use blood slaves as cultivation tools to boost their power. A blood slave is a cultivator soaked in beast blood. The higher a blood slave's cultivation, the more expensive they are in the Blood Slave Arena."

"The two people you're looking for are imprisoned in the Blood Slave Arena, and tomorrow night is a new round of blood‑slave auction."

The few faces turned cold instantly.

Xiao Lingwei: "Who sent them into the Blood Slave Arena?"

"It was… the Field Master. He is one of the silk‑thread manipulators and the chief evil cultivator of the Two‑Continents region. He has seven thousand evil cultivators under him, plus four great transformation deity guardians." Li Er Geng's face turned ashen, his voice trembling, "I've told you everything. Before you go rescue those two, can you release me? Please, I really don't want to die!"

In his view, trying to rescue someone from Xue Nu Chang is to go to death!

Moreover, the evil cultivators and demonic cultivators of the Two Continents Region are extremely united outwardly, and even the strongest holy sect members from the Ninth Province cannot enter the Two Continents Region and retreat unscathed.