Chapter 29: Helping a Fellow Daoist Raise Their Realm!

Hush~

Xie Jinhuan was driven back several steps by the pungent stench of corpses that hit him in the face; only after the smell dissipated somewhat did he approach to investigate.

Beneath the gentle autumn sun, the cave mouth's interior was visible: an artificially expanded large cavern, no less than six zhang in circumference.

The cavern was filled with foul, putrid water, soaking no fewer than a hundred livestock carcasses whose shapes were already unrecognizable, with countless worms seen writhing.

And on the surrounding rock walls were dense, blood-red patterns; at the top, a ghost-faced Raksha figure painted in blood was visible—three heads, six arms, a blood-stained face with fangs, its six hands connected to the patterns, flowing down into the corpse pit below, looking just like a greedy vengeful ghost extracting the blood and lost souls of living beings.

Even as an outsider, Xie Jinhuan, upon seeing such a Cthulhu-esque scene, knew this was some kind of evil path ritual; he frowned and asked:

"Is this the Wu Sect's method?"

Lin Wanyi, stung in the eyes by the stench, had to cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve as she examined the evil god figure above:

"No, the Wu Sect mostly worships ancestral witches, some with human faces and snake bodies; they have never enshrined such an evil god. This looks more like a demon path cave dwelling."

Ye Hongshang, floating nearby, also nodded:

"Judging by the traces, this person cultivated both witchcraft and demon arts; his witchcraft attainment has entered Rank 3, but his demon path practice is not long-standing. Raising mad corpse-flowers suggests he intended to control a large population for 'blood sacrifice' to consolidate his physique."

The demon path cultivation method is simply 'plundering the common people to fatten oneself'; blood sacrifice, simply put, is seizing others' flesh, blood, vital energy, and even souls through special means, which can also be understood as essence extraction.

Realizing the mastermind behind the scenes was a 'demon-witch dual cultivator' who had already entered Rank 3, Xie Jinhuan could not help but feel stirred.

After all, a Rank 3 evil path cultivator, though incomparable to Super Rank demons and monsters, would still be a fierce bandit in peaceful times; with just a little 'embellishment', it should not be difficult to pin the blame for Mount Zihui's demonic qi onto him.

Thinking thus, Xie Jinhuan carefully scanned the Shi Dong, discovering a recess dug out at the edge where some miscellaneous items were placed, likely a resting spot; he leaped over the corpse pit, approached to inspect, and saw if he could find a way to frame someone.

Inside the recess were a meditation cushion, a lamp stand, and other items, along with a discarded miscellaneous book.

Xie Jinhuan picked it up and flipped through it; the title was 'Yang Chun Yan', filled with various scandalous tales and strange records, featuring vivid illustrations, nakedly overflowing with carnal desire, clearly used to pass the time.

Lin Wanyi followed cautiously behind; noticing Xie Jinhuan's serious expression, she also glanced over.

The result was she directly saw a back-alley flower arrangement...

?!

Lin Wanyi was stunned, then her eyes widened, her face flushed red, and she hastily turned her head away:

"These scoundrels are simply... why are you still looking?!"

Xie Jinhuan frowned tightly, thinking carefully:

"'Yang Chun Yan' originally came from a famous hand of the previous dynasty; bookshops everywhere have reprinted it. This book's binding is exquisite, its illustrations beautiful; it is absolutely not printed by a small workshop. Do you know where it comes from?"

Lin Wanyi, face burning with shame and full of disgust, glanced at it, then quickly averted her gaze:

"It looks like a book from Jiwen Zhai, near the Danyang Academy. But that place only sells proper books; how could they sell something like this?"

"This is not an evil book; it thoroughly records the customs and conditions of the previous dynasty, and the drawing style penetrates the paper, capturing every detail, making it highly valuable for study..."

Lin Wanyi knew one could even see the hairs; as a young lady, how could she possibly discuss erotic paintings together? She urged:

"If you want to study it, just buy a copy yourself. This book is unclean; perhaps the demon path cultivator used it for self-pleasure."

Splash~

Xie Jinhuan tossed the book aside as if avoiding a snake or scorpion, searching for other usable clues.

?

This act not only made Lin Wanyi look bewildered, but even the red-clad ghost standing nearby chuckled:

"Oh, really~ I thought you were actually looking for clues."

Xie Jinhuan pretended nothing had happened, searched the Shi Dong carefully, found no usable clues, felt it would not be easy to pin the blame, and quietly glanced at the ghost bride to see if she had any good ideas.

Ye Hongshang understood the meaning, shouldered her red umbrella, and surveyed the area:

"This person's cultivation is too low; it is hard for the government office to mistake him for the source of Mount Zihui's demonic qi, but I can help him raise his realm."

While speaking, Ye Hongshang began to log in!

Lin Wanyi was carefully inspecting a medicine bottle, but whether due to the heavy yin and evil corpse qi in the cave, after staying only a moment, she began to feel dizzy, with cold yin qi in her chest and abdomen running wildly:

"Uh..."

Her body stumbled.

Xie Jinhuan quickly supported Lin Wanyi, asking what he already knew:

"Miss Lin, what is wrong?"

"I... I think my illness has struck again..."

Lin Wanyi looked somewhat dazed, trying to suppress the dizziness, but it grew worse; before she could speak a few words, her eyes began to glaze over.

Perhaps fearing being touched or kissed by Xie Jinhuan in this desolate mountain wilderness, she gritted her teeth before fainting:

"I... I have someone above me! My master is from... from Queyue Shanzhuang..."

The Great Succubus Ye analyzed very accurately; Lin Wanyi was indeed easily infected by evil charms; before she could finish a sentence, her body went completely limp and fell into his arms.

Xie Jinhuan had heard of the name Queyue Shanzhuang; in common terms, it was one of the three giants of the Gu Du Pai, and a member of the Nanjiangwu Alliance's Elder Council.

Because they were exiled by the righteous path, the desolate lands of Nanjiang were the Gu Du Pai's last stronghold; provoking Queyue Shanzhuang was equivalent to provoking the entire Nanjiangwu Alliance, which his strength certainly could not match.

However, he had no intention of doing anything to Lin Wanyi; while confirming whether she had fainted, the stunning beauty lying limp in his arms suddenly flipped upright.

Whoosh~

Although her appearance remained unchanged, her gentle and refined temperament underwent a earth-shattering transformation, as if her aura instantly rose to sixteen feet!

Xie Jinhuan was not yet accustomed to this change; after carefully examining her expression and demeanor to confirm the ghost bride had possessed her, he asked:

"How will you help this demon path cultivator raise his realm?"

Ye Hongshang pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose with one hand, her bearing resembling that of a domineering female CEO, and glanced around at the surrounding bloodstains:

"The demon path cultivator seizes the vital spirits of living beings; the blood-sha qi overflows, leaving traces on corpses and cave dwellings. Different levels of cultivation technique attainment naturally leave different traces."

"This demon path cultivator's technique is not very skilled; I will modify his traces so that any expert in Danyang will immediately know it was done by a great demon of Super Rank or above."

While speaking, Ye Hongshang stepped back, knelt down, rested her curvaceous, rounded hips on her calves, spread her hands, and looked up at the sky, her appearance resembling a witch praying to a deity.

Xie Jinhuan squatted beside her, observing; soon he discovered a cold wind rising within the cave.

Hoo-hoo~

Ye Hongshang's pale Bai Xi hands, spread flat, had two wisp-green flames emerge from their palms; they held no warmth at all, even adding a touch of chill to the cave.

Xie Jinhuan, who knew no Profound Heaven Sect arts, watched the scene with envy:

"What is this? Bone Spirit Cold Fire?"

"Ghost fire forged by the Wu Sect; it can scorch the spirit. Those struck usually show no external wounds, yet display convulsions as if burned by raging flames."

After explaining that, Ye Hongshang clasped her hands, cradling the flames:

"Whether blood sacrifice or poison refining, a sacrificial offering is needed. Stick your hand in."

"Ah?"

Xie Jinhuan frowned: "Sacrifice one of my hands?"

"Don't you still have a Left Lady? Hurry up."

Xie Jinhuan didn't want to be Yang Guo, but the ghost bride seemed to be joking, so he thought better of it and plunged his hand into the surging wisp-green flames.

Hoo~

The moment he touched the wisp-green flames, he felt as though he had fallen into a hell of red fire; a burning pain echoed from the depths of his soul:

"Hiss~..."

Seeing Xie Jinhuan endure the excruciating pain without instinctively pulling his hand back, Ye Hongshang's eyes showed considerable surprise:

"Not bad, like a real man. Endure it a bit; once it's done, sister will give you candy."

Xie Jinhuan gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down:

"You give it personally; don't be generous with someone else's body."

"Heh~"

As they spoke, Xie Jinhuan felt something inside him burning and boiling, then spreading outward continuously.

His right hand gradually seeped a mist of blood, drifting in all directions, merging with the blood patterns originally on the cave walls, creeping upward and gradually altering the original designs.

Feeling he was losing a great deal of blood, Xie Jinhuan endured the excruciating pain burning his soul and spirit, then lifted his gaze to look around:

"Are you sure this works?"

"Any Dan Yang expert with a bit of knowledge can see that such a method of refining living beings reaches a realm transcending the heavens! Dan Yang is so small; it can't possibly produce two sky-piercing demons at once. Afterwards, they will surely hunt down these demon bandits."

Xie Jinhuan nodded half-believingly, then asked doubtfully:

"Didn't you forget your cultivation technique? How do you know the demon path's blood sacrifice method? Or does Lin Wanyi know it herself?"

Ye Hongshang's eyes held pride: "Sister's realm is right here; such trifling skills can be copied and improvised on the spot. Forging traces isn't actual cultivation practice; Lin Wanyi doesn't need high Dao attainment."

"Oh... can you hurry up? I'm being drained dry."

Blood sacrifice decomposes the flesh and blood of living beings to extract their essence and nourish oneself.

If it continued, Xie Jinhuan would indeed be squeezed into a single drop of medicinal dregs, leaving nothing behind.

Ye Hongshang fell silent. As the blood mist rose and spread, it re-converged at the cave ceiling, gradually condensing into a single drop of blood that fell back onto her brow.

Drip~

The scene looked as though a mortal had sacrificed a living being to a dark god, and the dark god had given feedback.

But Xie Jinhuan, watching from the side, felt it was more like distilling liquor.

Because forced extraction caused too much damage, Ye Hongshang used blood as a guide, left clear traces inside the cave, then quickly stopped:

"Done."

Although it lasted only a moment, Xie Jinhuan's lips had lost all color; he felt as though ten large-wheeled carts with ample bosoms and hips had run him over for a day and night, and he guessed it would take several days to recover.

Xie Jinhuan withdrew his hand, rubbed his right hand, and looked left and right:

"How do I explain this to Lin Wanyi later?"

?

Afraid Lin Wanyi would discover it, Xie Jinhuan didn't dare pinch her; instead, he carried Lin Wanyi horizontally in his arms, leaped out of the corpse pit, placed her at the edge of the water pool, and held her wrist, pretending to regulate her qi meridians...

(End of this chapter)