CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 82: PURGATORY (SEEKING FIRST SUBSCRIPTION)

"You lowly concubine, do not pester me any further! Otherwise, this king will certainly capture you. First, I’ll toy with you for three days and nights, then I’ll skin you and debone you, turning you into sashimi!" came a cold snort from afar, warning Jia Yufei.

"If you’ve got the guts, come and get me! Your grandma here will be waiting."

With hands on her hips and a trickle of fresh blood at the corner of her mouth, Jia Yufei showed no fear, shouting loudly, "Come into the city, and see if I don’t finish you off!"

"You come out here!"

"You come in here!"

Leaning against a tree, Qi Xiu scratched his brow as he watched the human and the Demon hurling insults at each other from a distance.

Don’t just hurl insults. Get to the fighting already.

He was waiting for Jia Yufei and King Jincai to start fighting so he could profit from their fight.

But the human and the Demon just stood there, throwing dry verbal jabs at each other for a quarter of an hour.

The standoff finally ended with King Jincai’s exasperated "Fuck off!"

"You dead toad, just you wait," Jia Yufei muttered, covering her abdomen as the other side fell silent.

That Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag is clearly a Magic Artifact of the Righteous Path. How did it end up in the hands of this dead toad? If I weren’t worried about the artifact, I would have already captured him and made him into rock sugar stewed toad.

Jia Yufei looked down at her palm covering her abdomen, where a dark green liquid was oozing through her fingers.

This toad Demon’s combat power is average, but it has thick skin and is poisonous all over. I can’t engage it in close combat; I’ll need to find a way to kill it from a distance.

With a slight frown, Jia Yufei summoned a bright red mist and prepared to leave.

Should I get rid of this crazy woman here?

In a shadowy corner beneath the trees, Qi Xiu, cloaked in concealment, had a flicker of light in his eyes as a thread of color gently wound around his wrist.

Jia Yufei is clearly injured right now. If I strike like lightning, shattering her protective True Gang with [Primordial] energy, I’m ninety percent sure I can kill her with one blow! This madwoman’s temperament is perverse. Though she claimed she was here to save her brother, who knows if that isn’t just an excuse. Could she also be after the Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag? If that’s the case, she cannot be spared...

Qi Xiu’s fingers spread open as strands of color seeped into his palm, the murderous intent in his eyes growing denser.

The Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag is key to advancing into the Initiate Realm as soon as possible. Whoever dares to covet it must die!

Just as Qi Xiu, like a snow leopard ready to pounce, was about to strike the unsuspecting Jia Yufei—

THUD, THUD, THUD—

The sky suddenly burst with several dazzling red flares.

The unexpected explosion made Jia Yufei instantly vigilant.

"Hmm?"

Narrowing her eyes, Jia Yufei immediately changed direction and turned into a graceful red light, heading towards the source of the fireworks.

Lucky break.

Quietly watching Jia Yufei leave, Qi Xiu slowly withdrew his Hunyuan Power, retracting it back into the rope.

This sudden explosion made Jia Yufei wary. Although I was confident I could kill her if I took action now, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t get injured by her desperate counterattack. After all, she’s a Cultivator of Dao and not to be underestimated. The primary goal is still the Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag; I need to be in peak condition and avoid any setbacks.

Glancing in the direction Jia Yufei had gone, Qi Xiu tightened the bag on his back and, with a sway of his body, transformed.

In an instant, he became a dark sorcerer, emanating an aura of Yin energy, pale-faced with large dark circles under his eyes.

"Ahem... King Jincai is hosting a feast for the neighboring Demons and Demonic Cultivators to celebrate his birthday. I’ll just blend into the city and look for an opportunity. But before that, I need to figure out a way to get an invitation."

Pretending to cough lightly, Qi Xiu glanced around and quickly entered a dense grove.

On a small road in the wilderness, two Demons quietly walked along. Night had fallen, and the chilling shade of the trees gave the surroundings an eerie atmosphere. One Demon was tall with pale skin and red eyes, sporting a pair of horns on its head; the other was short and fierce, with green skin and yellow eyes bright as the sunrise. The two Demons walked along the forest path in silence, emanating a ghastly and terrifying presence that seemed even eerier under the moonlight.

"Hey, do you think King Jincai is really just inviting us over for a feast?" With a kick, the red-eyed, horned Half-Demon spoke in a muffled voice, sending pebbles flying across the path.

"What else could it be? King Jincai is full of himself now. With that Magic Artifact in hand, his Cultivation is growing daily. Maybe he’ll reach the Osseous Realm one of these days. We should suck up to him when we go this time, and maybe we can ask for a couple of Gathering Yuan Pills," said the green-skinned, yellow-eyed Half-Demon.

"You’re... trembling too, huh? Hey, why is my mouth so numb..."

Sensing something amiss with his lips, the red-eyed, horned Half-Demon turned to call his companion, but when he looked up, he suddenly saw four green-skinned, yellow-eyed Half-Demons.

This is bad. I’ve been hit!

As soon as this thought emerged in his mind, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. The red-eyed, horned Half-Demon’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ground with a CLANG, raising a cloud of dust.

"Hmm, the effect of my Fish Fragrance Soft Tendon Powder 5.0 is really not bad at all." Gathering his sleeves, Qi Xiu emerged from the shrubs nearby, smiling gently and nodding repeatedly.

Ever since he had acquired the Fish Fragrance Muscle-Relaxing Powder, he had been slowly but steadily improving the formula. The potency of this super anesthetic had been increasing day by day. Now, even tough-skinned Demons couldn’t withstand the Fish Fragrance Soft Tendon Powder 5.0.

Searching the bodies of the two stupefied Half-Demons, Qi Xiu found two invitation cards carved from bone, each bearing the impression of a Copper Coin on the front.

Looking at the Half-Demons sleeping on the ground, Qi Xiu’s eyes stirred; he took out a bamboo cane and waved it casually.

HISSS—

Dark green blood splattered several meters away. The arm of the red-eyed, horned Half-Demon rolled away with a thud. The numbed Half-Demon moaned but still did not wake up.

"The effect is greater than I estimated. If it’s like this..." As his eyes slowly turned, Qi Xiu’s mouth gradually curled up, and a crazy plan began to take shape in his mind.

「Dongli County.」

Under the thick fog of demonic miasma, the city walls were battered and broken, as if pushed down by some colossal beast. These were mere ruins, yet today, they were draped with scarlet banners like blood, as if fresh blood had dyed the entire city red. This scene emanated a strange and evil atmosphere. When the wind blew, the red Silken Threads, depicted as fluttering or flying chaotically, swayed gently in the fog, exuding a spine-chilling sensation.

"DEE-LEE-LEE DEE-DA-DA! DEE-LA-DA DEE-DA-DA!"

At the city gate, more than a dozen Half-Demons, absurdly imitating humans, played drums and music, welcoming the Demons and Demonic Cultivators invited by King Jincai to the banquet.

Qi Xiu blended in with a group of figures in Taoist Robes, who had long, narrow eyes and continuously flicked their tongues. This group of demon Taoists came from a place called Bailu Temple. They resembled Wu Changqing, who was greedy for the Qian Family’s wealth. Originally humans, they had become distorted in body and twisted in spirit due to their cultivation Techniques. They had gradually fallen, becoming Demonic Cultivators who consorted with Demons.

"Bailu Temple’s Changmingzi, bringing his disciples to celebrate King Jincai’s birthday. Here is the birthday gift," said the leading demon Taoist at the city gate, taking out the bone invitation card. He casually retrieved a white porcelain bottle from his bosom and announced, "This is the Golden Blood Elixir, refined from the heart blood of ninety-nine robust men."

The welcoming toad Half-Demon took the invitation card and white porcelain bottle, glanced at them, then turned and signaled to another Half-Demon behind him to record the entry.

They want birthday gifts too?

Seeing the demon Taoists before him start filing into the city one after another, Qi Xiu quickly took a porcelain bottle from his Flood Dragon Pool as well.

"Loose Cultivator Kongxuzi has come to wish King Jincai a happy birthday. Here is the birthday gift, the Sky-piercing Golden Spear Elixir."

After taking the invitation card and porcelain bottle, the Half-Demon looked suspiciously at Qi Xiu and sniffed the bottle.

"Hm!" Feeling a surge of virile strength boiling up, the Half-Demon couldn’t help but exclaim, "Great stuff! Please come in."

"Thank you very much."

Passing through the city gate, which had turned black as if roasted by fire, the sight that met Qi Xiu’s eyes made his brow furrow and his fists clench involuntarily. The interior of the county city was a scene of desolation. The streets were thick with smoke; houses were burned down or had collapsed, and ruins were everywhere. The shops on both sides had been wiped out, leaving only a few battered signs hanging precariously. What had once been a bustling city now resounded only with screams and the low growls of Demons. The residents had been forced into hiding, their lives completely disrupted. No one dared to walk the streets because they were overrun and ravaged by Demons.

And right across the street from Qi Xiu, a Demon with a round belly and festering sores was sitting on the ground, gnawing on half a corpse. While eating, it cackled with glee, its teeth clogged with mangled limbs and blood. Utterly enjoying itself.

Suppressing the urge to blast this Demon into pulp with one palm, Qi Xiu stepped further inside. Sticky, squelching noises emitted from beneath his feet.

Hell on earth!

Although he had imagined that Dongli County would be a horrific sight, the impact of actually seeing it still made Qi Xiu feel nauseous.

As Qi Xiu approached a long and cramped shanty, an eager and excited voice called out, "Esteemed guests, please come inside! Today is the early banquet. The King has ordered guests to have a first taste. The main banquet starts tomorrow, then everyone can truly feast!"

Qi Xiu had just settled when a bizarrely rich aroma of meat, so intense it could make one’s nose drip with oil, wafted towards him. In this simple shack, dozens of toad Half-Demons expertly butchered bodies, sending the well-sliced chunks of flesh to the back. Frying, stir-frying, searing, boiling, stewing—they concocted an array of dishes that had the crowd of Demons salivating profusely.

Behind these shanties, a mix of fur, bones, and scrapings mingled with happily swarming green flies and wriggling plump white maggots. The flowing blood joined into a small stream, mixing with the grime on the ground and spreading in all directions.

Observing those laughing wantonly, cursing loudly, and fighting over the Blood Meal, Qi Xiu remained expressionless, his Inner Qi growing restless. His Inner Qi roared like a dragon and a tiger, boiling like yin and yang. Several times he reached towards the Flood Dragon Pool to retrieve a whole basketful of Talisman Scripts and iron pieces.

Struggling to hold back the rainbow-colored cords on his wrist that threatened to snap free, Qi Xiu turned and left, forcing his rage to subside.

Just a little longer, just a little longer. If I act now, I’ll only be able to kill a few—a drop in the ocean. When I finally make my move, not one will be spared. Right! Not a single one!