Cultivating To Immortality

Liang Province, Chu State, west of the front lines.

The night was deep, and the rain poured down.

This place was still some distance from the main battlefield of Red Maple Plains. Most Righteous Path Cultivators gathered near Red Maple Plains, so there were few people here.

The moon was hidden among the clouds.

At the foot of Heyan Mountain, two figures wearing bamboo hats were slowly walking deeper into the mountain under the moonlight.

Both of them were Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, and behind them, a female Cultivator in torn robes was bound by special chains.

The female Cultivator seemed to have just gone through a fierce battle. At this moment, she was covered in blood, her face was pale, and her steps faltered.

Yet, there was no fear or timidity in her expression, only towering hatred.

The heavy rain completely soaked her skirt, the fabric clinging tightly to her body, outlining the young woman’s graceful figure.

However, the woman did not use any spiritual power to resist the moisture, as if she didn’t care at all.

She was simply concentrating, listening to the two figures ahead of her conversing.

The sound of the thunder and rain was loud, but she could still hear clearly.

"After killing so many people and each abducting a few Righteous Path female Cultivators to bring back for fun, these bumpkins should finally quiet down for a bit..."

"It’s a good thing we’ve kept things clean these past few times, otherwise we might have been dragged into it."

The person speaking was thin. He spoke of those Chu State Righteous Path Cultivators who had defected and joined the Demon Ruins faction with extreme disdain.

The other person was slightly taller and sturdier: "Senior Brother Bin, when exactly can we launch a large-scale attack?"

"How would I know?"

This time, the main base of the Mo Xu Cultivators was primarily in the northwestern border of Chu State.

There were originally some small Sects, small factions, and Loose Cultivator settlements there, which were previously unknown. Unexpectedly, with the Demon Ruins invasion, they all became Demonic Cultivator strongholds overnight.

The main battlefield between the Six Major Sects and the Mo Xu Cultivators was in Red Maple Plains of Liang Province.

The thin Cultivator looked at the tall Cultivator with some contempt: "Isn’t our current situation pretty good?"

"We can kill these pigs, and occasionally abduct women to play with, and it’s not as dangerous as Red Maple Plains."

"This place is something many people wish for but can’t get, yet you’re complaining."

The tall Cultivator did not speak.

The three of them walked to a deep valley pass. The thin Cultivator took out a jade talisman, and a black light flickered in his hand.

"Buzz—"

The air vibrated, and a transparent barrier appeared out of thin air.

Seeing this, the thin Demonic Cultivator then pulled out a pale bone whistle from his bosom, put it to his mouth, and blew an eerie sound.

"Open."

The barrier slowly opened from the middle, revealing a dark tunnel entrance.

Wu Shuangzhi’s heart sank, but the tall Demonic Cultivator roughly shoved her.

"Get in."

She stumbled a step, her soaked skirt clinging to her body, and rain slid down her chin and disheveled hair.

The three entered the tunnel, and the barrier behind them quietly closed, cutting off the last ray of daylight and the sound of rain.

At the other end of the tunnel, a Demonic Cultivator stood guard.

This person was missing his left ear, had a face full of flesh, and seeing the three arrive, he approached with a strange laugh: "Yo, Senior Brother Bin caught another good one this time!"

A pair of eyes gleamed with lewd light, greedily scanning Wu Shuangzhi’s soaked body.

His large-knuckled hands reached directly for Wu Shuangzhi’s prominent chest.

"Scram!"

A sharp glint flashed in the thin Cultivator’s eyes, and a bone whip, like a venomous snake, lashed out from his sleeve, accurately striking the earless man’s hand.

"Hiss—!"

The earless man recoiled in pain, angrily raising his head to glare.

"This is for Elder Peony. I advise you not to seek death."

"Hmph."

The earless man’s expression flickered, and he snorted coldly, stepping aside.

The three finally entered the valley.

The female Cultivator looked up. The valley was not large, quite ordinary, and should have originally been a gathering place for Loose Cultivators.

Now, with night already deep, one could still faintly hear some sounds coming from the valley.

Piercing screams, wild lewd laughter, beast-like growls, and indistinct curses and painful moans.

It sent chills down one’s spine.

The female Cultivator’s heart grew cold, but she was still pushed forward.

On a small platform to the east, several large stone pillars had several dying Cultivators nailed to them, already unrecognizable, clearly Righteous Path captives.

The blood on the ground had already dried, and the few people had also ceased to breathe.

They walked up to a high platform in front of a large pavilion.

Two Demonic Cultivators stood still, bowing.

"Elder Peony, Elder Zheng, Master Zhuo."

The high platform was empty, with only a few withered bones casually piled in a corner.

As soon as the words fell, a female figure appeared before the three like a ghost.

The woman in red brought with her a fragrant breeze, incongruous with the bloody and foul scene.

This was an extremely enchanting woman, dressed in luxurious robes, her lips as red as blood.

It was Peony, a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator of the Seed Demon Path.

She extended a scarlet, sharp fingernail and gently lifted the female Cultivator’s chin.

Her eyes were like silk, appraising the face that, despite its disheveled state, could not hide its delicate beauty.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a beautiful, jade-like complexion~"

Peony’s fingernail drew a thin line of blood on the female Cultivator’s face.

"What’s your name?"

"..."

The female Cultivator did not speak, only stared fixedly at Peony.

"I..." The tall Cultivator was about to step forward to act, but was stopped by the thin Cultivator.

"Reporting to Master Peony, this person is a Cave Abyss Sect Cultivator. When we killed her brother and the others earlier, we heard her name."

"She is Wu Shuangzhi."

"Oh~ What a good name."

Her red lips approached Wu Shuangzhi’s ear, exhaling warm air with a strange fragrance: "Little sister, don’t be afraid. Come to Elder sister’s Immortal Cave later, and Elder sister will plant a demon seed for you, guaranteeing you will be happy day and night, feeling as if you’re floating among immortals..."

Just then, two more figures walked out of the grand pavilion.

One of them wore yellow robes and was smiling.

The other was a pale, beardless Daoist in red robes.

Holding a jade-handled horsetail whisk, with white hair and a youthful face, he looked like an Immortal Master at first glance, possessing the demeanor of a reclusive master.

This was Zhuo Hong, a native Chu State defector.

He clapped his hands and chuckled softly: "This operation, even Fellow Daoist Peony has gained something, excellent! Truly excellent!"

Peony sneered, not speaking.

The two Cultivators who brought Wu Shuangzhi in bowed together: "Elder Zheng, Master Zhuo."

Zheng Daming still had his smiling face: "Master Zhuo, this time we acted at your request. From now on, you must be more careful in your actions."

Beneath this Heyan Mountain valley, it was now a small base for Mo Xu Cultivators.

It was mainly composed of a portion of local Chu State traitors who had defected to the Demon Ruins, which were the Heyan Mountain Loose Cultivators, and a portion of Mo Xu Cultivators.

The people in charge were precisely these three Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators.

It was just that the two Cultivators from the Demon Ruins were actually advising this Chu State defector not to act.

Wu Shuangzhi stared at Zhuo Hong’s old face, wishing she could cut him into a thousand pieces.

Zhuo Hong shook his horsetail whisk: "That is natural."

"I heard that a month ago, another batch of reinforcements arrived on Red Maple Plains for the Righteous Path. I, this old Daoist, know my limits."

"That’s good." Zheng Daming nodded.

A hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

Peony, however, suddenly spoke: "I heard that that Song Yan is also among this batch of reinforcements."

"..."

Zheng Daming and Peony exchanged glances: "Indeed, according to our intelligence, that is correct."

Peony bit her lip with a slender, pale finger, lost in thought.

Her body seemed to tremble slightly due to some unknown factor.

"If we encounter him, we will make our move."

It was clear that Peony was struggling to control her voice, but her excitement was still palpable.

"I will capture him, cripple his cultivation, and make him my male concubine~"

Song Yan’s name was known to many Mo Xu Cultivators.

Peony was one of the Demonic Cultivators who paid attention to him.

To her, Song Yan was not only extremely powerful in combat, but most importantly, he was young and exceptionally handsome.

If she could abduct such a Genius handsome man and make him her plaything... just imagining the scene made Peony tremble all over, with something about to surge out.

Zheng Daming’s usual smile finally disappeared. He pondered for a moment and then said, "Elder Peony, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say."

"Song Yan is probably not someone who can be easily captured alive."

As soon as he finished speaking, without minding Peony’s disappointed and resentful expression, he felt that what he had said was not accurate enough.

"I should say, if the three of us work together and manage to kill him, it would already be a cause for great thanks."

Zhuo Hong’s eyes flickered, but he did not speak.

Peony narrowed her eyes: "Are all you people from the Yellow Springs Path so timid?"

Zheng Daming spread his hands: "It was your Seed Demon Path people who were killed by Song Yan with a single sword strike from a hundred miles away... and the one who escaped was also from your path."

"Are you comparing me to those two good-for-nothings?"

"..."

Zheng Daming had nothing to say.

Currently, the Saints of the various Demonic Dao lineages had basically been determined.

Those truly paramount Demonic Dao princes were now naturally traveling in the Central Region with the Demonic Dao magnates of their respective lineages.

As for those candidates who failed the competition but ’luckily’ survived, they would be assigned to the Border Region.

This Peony before them was one of them.

Although Zheng Daming and Peony were both the overseers of the Demon Ruins in this area, in terms of strength and status within the Demon Ruins, he could not compare to Peony.

Forget it, as long as she was happy.

Zheng Daming chuckled, no longer speaking.

He decided that no matter what Peony said in the future, he would obey her.

Anyway, the Righteous Path wouldn’t find this place anytime soon. Once things here were over, he would find an opportunity to return to the Demon Ruins.

He did not want to entrust his safety to these few incompetent idiots in such a life-threatening mission.

Although Zheng Daming remained silent, Peony still felt indignant due to the other party’s contempt, her chest rising and falling slightly.

Just as she was about to scold Zheng Daming a few more times, she heard a few cold laughs.

The three Foundation Establishment Realm Demonic Cultivators all turned their heads to look.

Wu Shuangzhi knelt on the cold stone ground, which was mixed with mud and blood. Her body trembled slightly from the cold and her injuries.

But a mocking smile appeared on her face.

"You want Senior Brother Song Yan... to be subservient to you?"

"Heh heh heh hahahaha..."

Wu Shuangzhi’s cold laugh turned into a loud laugh, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

Peony’s face darkened, and she murmured, "Has she gone mad?"

"What are you laughing at?"

Wu Shuangzhi laughed until she coughed. Song Yan’s image appeared in her mind.

"You don’t even bother to look at yourself in a mirror and see what you look like."

"Senior Brother Song Yan, a Genius of the heavens, will surely attain the Golden Core and become an Immortal Master in the future!"

Wu Shuangzhi was still laughing, laughing with gritted teeth, her face contorted.

Her only relative had died at the hands of these Demonic Cultivators, and now she too was about to die.

But clearly, she was not afraid of death.

"Now look at you..."

Wu Shuangzhi raised her head, her smile becoming increasingly mocking, enunciating each word.

"A..."

"lump..."

"of..."

"rotten..."

"flesh."

Even Zheng Daming was stunned by the female Cultivator’s insane words.

"Ah—"

Peony shrieked, and several blood-red vines suddenly emerged from beneath her skirt, covered in tiny barbs.

Like living snakes, they instantly wrapped around Wu Shuangzhi’s slender waist and thighs.

The tips of the vines glowed with an eerie red light, easily piercing her soaked skirt fabric and embedding themselves into the skin on the side of her fair neck.

"Bitch, do you think I’ll kill you?"

"You’re probably thinking too beautifully. I want to torment you endlessly, making your life worse than death!"

The skin on the side of her neck, where the vine tips had pierced, immediately swelled up.

An enchanting and sinister blood-red flower bloomed, and the flower seemed to have a life of its own, slowly unfolding and emitting a rich, sweet fragrance.

"Now, do you dare say it again?"

Intense pain spread throughout her body, but Wu Shuangzhi’s expression remained unchanged.

"Ptooey."

She spat a mouthful of dirty blood at Peony, but it was blocked by a crimson spiritual energy.

"Listen carefully, ugly woman."

"You are just a lump of rotten flesh."

Wu Shuangzhi even tremblingly raised a finger: "Senior Brother Song Yan would only need one move to kill you."

"Good, good, good..."

Peony’s face was extremely dark, her chest heaving more and more, and Devilish Qi began to surge around her.

Just at this moment.

"Bang—!"

A loud bang came from the direction of the valley entrance, not far away.

The Restriction Formation at the valley mouth burst open with a roar!

At the same time, dozens of white sword shadows descended from the sky, piercing through several nodes of the grand Formation, and then the entire grand Formation shattered inch by inch.

In just a few breaths, the entire valley completely lost its concealment and protection.

The pouring rain cascaded down, washing away the blood and grime in the valley.

Buzz!

A black and white sword light descended from the sky, passing between Peony and Wu Shuangzhi, and instantly plunged into the high platform.

Peony quickly retracted her blood vines and flew backward.

Nearly a hundred Righteous Path Qi Refining Cultivators surged from all directions, densely packed, and in the blink of an eye, they stood on the rocks and cliffs in the valley.

By the time the Demonic Cultivators in the valley regained their senses, the Righteous Path Cultivators had already completely surrounded the place.

Zheng Daming was horrified.

This secret place rarely participated in the main battlefield’s skirmishes. How could the Righteous Path find it and so easily dismantle the Formation!

How was this possible?!

Everyone looked up at the sky in unison.

The dozens of white sword shadows circled and flowed in the air, then all returned to a sword scabbard.

A figure slowly descended from the high heavens, hovering in mid-air.

This person appeared to be in his early twenties, handsome and elegant, dressed in a profound golden sword robe.

He carried a black and white sword scabbard on his back.

He looked down from above, gazing at the three of them.

Between his eyes, sharp golden light flowed, adding a touch of killing intent to his originally gentle face.

Zheng Daming immediately recognized this person, and a hint of apprehension appeared in his eyes as he murmured.

"Song Yan..."