CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 90: QI MOU, PAYING A VISIT!

It was another day of the ritual feast.

Seated atop a wooden building behind Red Flower Town, three Initiate Realm demons chatted and laughed over drinks. Their teapots were a bright red, from which they poured a viscous, foul-smelling liquid that stained their mouths a fresh crimson—an ominous and grotesque sight.

"The number of demons arriving today should be about right," one remarked.

Leisurely savoring the rich drink, purified and brewed from virgin blood plasma, Tianyu smiled faintly.

Once the Sky-covering Demon Skill was complete, breaching the Crimson Dawn Sword Sect would be imminent. The people of two entire counties, plus the cultivators from the Crimson Dawn Sword Sect, would be enough for them to feast on for some time.

"With Third Brother’s Red Blessing Paste, our Red Flower Town is destined to become a peerless demon kingdom! By then, we’ll relish the taste of being called founders and ancestors, hahaha!" Tianxiang laughed heartily, his long nose flailing wildly.

It was as if he could already see himself becoming the patriarch of a great demon clan.

"Second Brother is right. With the Red Blessing Paste in hand, more and more demons will flock to us. However, we can’t be too ostentatious. Although this place is unregulated, flaunting our might too much is bound to draw unwanted attention. It’s wiser to be more cautious," Tianshi said with a thoughtful expression.

A tree that stands out from the forest will be toppled by the wind. He had heard this saying from a scholar and found it profoundly true, so he had kept it in mind and often used it to caution himself.

"Oldest Brother speaks the truth," Tianyu nodded in agreement. "While countless demons flood into Dianchuan, we should seize this opportunity. Let’s take our profits, then lay low, conserve our strength, and avoid painting a target on our backs. Once the attention dies down, we can continue to plot our development."

"Exactly! That’s what I think too! First, we’ll hoard some humans and livestock, and then each of us will get a powerful Magic Artifact! Fuck your souls! We’ll grow bigger and stronger, and reclaim our former glory!"

Excitedly gesticulating, Tianxiang suddenly stood up, his towering, mountainous frame puncturing straight through the wooden building’s roof.

"Report! Reporting to Lord Tianyu, today’s ritual feast has concluded!"

Just as the wooden building seemed on the verge of collapse, a small Crow Demon arrived at the door, shouting loudly.

Helplessly, Tianyu patted Tianxiang’s arm, signaling him to calm down. Tianyu then spread his great wings. Instantly, from the cracks and corners of the wooden building, ancient, primal runes, pulsating with a wild aura, began to glow.

CREAK—

Driven by this demonic power, the nearly collapsed wooden building began to mend itself. The damaged floors and lofts solidified and became stable once more.

"How many demons came today?"

Returning to his seat, Tianyu smiled at his two brothers, waiting for the small Crow Demon outside to report a satisfying number.

"Reporting to the Lord, a total of one hundred fourteen demons and seventeen Demonic Cultivators arrived today."

"So few?!"

With a resounding CRASH, the wooden building’s main door burst open. A terrifying suction force surged from within. Before the small Crow Demon could react, he was unceremoniously pulled inside with a screech, leaving behind a flurry of scattered feathers drifting slowly to the ground.

Gripping the Crow Demon’s neck with one hand, Tianyu’s eyes gleamed with malevolence. "The last feast brought more than two hundred demons. Why are there only a little over a hundred today? Speak! Did you embezzle the Red Blessing Paste, causing the number of demons to sharply decrease?!"

Legs kicking frantically, the Crow Demon’s eyes bulged. His neck felt as if Tianyu would snap it at any moment. He desperately explained, "My Lord... your discernment... we wouldn’t dare... covet the Red Blessing Paste... Our bodies... can’t consume that much anyway!"

After pondering for a moment, Tianyu conceded that the Crow Demon’s words made some sense. Besides, they wouldn’t dare commit such a brazen act right under his nose. Regaining his composure, Tianyu coldly snorted and flung the Crow Demon away. "Go and investigate! Find out why so few demons came to town. If you can’t, then pluck your own feathers and jump into the boiling pot!"

"Yes, yes, yes! This lowly one will investigate right away, immediately!" replied the Crow Demon. Having narrowly escaped with his life, the Crow Demon kowtowed several times before scrambling back towards the town.

「Half an hour later.」

The trembling Crow Demon returned to the wooden building and knelt with a THUD at the doorway.

"Reporting to the three lords, this lowly one has investigated the matter thoroughly. The reason for the sharp decrease in the number of demons visiting our town is a mysterious Daoist who appeared outside the town at some unknown time. This person wields a strange Magic Artifact and is extremely adept at using poison. Any demon or Demonic Cultivator passing by our town who encounters him is poisoned and paralyzed, then captured with the Magic Artifact. Originally, over two hundred demons were coming to our town for the feast. However, before they even entered the town’s vicinity, nearly half were seized by that person. Moreover, his fearsome reputation has already spread throughout the area. Demons and Demonic Cultivators alike turn pale at the mere mention of his name. Consequently, the number of demons coming to town has dwindled significantly."

Fearing that speaking too slowly would cost him his life, the Crow Demon blurted out the entire explanation in one breath, nearly suffocating himself in the process.

"A mysterious Daoist, capturing demons?"

Exchanging glances, the three Initiate-Realm demons’ gazes turned ice-cold, brimming with murderous intent. This Red Flower Town was the foundation they had painstakingly built. Who was this audacious bastard, to so brazenly attempt to destroy their work here?

"He thinks he’s lawless just because he has a Magic Artifact? Watch me go and capture that cur, grind him up, and wash him down with wine!"

Tianxiang, the most hot-tempered of the three, abruptly stood up. The terrifying demonic aura of an Initiate-Realm demon instantly erupted from him. A dense black fog surged like a tide, threatening to engulf everything.

"Second Brother, don’t be rash," Tianyu interjected. "This Daoist’s appearance is peculiar. For him to provoke us so recklessly, he’s likely no simple character. You two brothers, please wait here patiently. I’ll go investigate, and then we can make our plans."

After placating Tianxiang with a few words, Tianyu rose and walked out of the wooden building. With a shake, he reverted to his true form: a black-feathered vulture with a wingspan of three zhang. It let out a screech, and with a powerful beat of its wings, stirred up a deafening gale as it soared away.

「Outside Red Flower Town.」

The mountains rolled, lush and verdant, stretching out like a sea of green.

Leaning against a branch of a towering ancient tree, Qi Xiu circulated the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery. His pores seemed to inhale and exhale a dense, heavy, multicolored mist.

Taking advantage of Red Flower Town, a natural demon-gathering basin, Qi Xiu continuously captured demons for Alchemy. With an ample supply of Gathering Yuan Pills providing the Yuan Qi necessary for his cultivation, the progress of his Hunyuan Body Refinement was unceasing, improving day by day. He had already faintly touched the threshold of the Ancient Gathering of Celestial Strength.

Once he crossed this threshold, he could trigger the Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation himself. If he survived this tribulation, he would transcend the mortal coil and achieve perfect ’Initiation’ into the Dao-Entering Realm.

As the medicinal power of another Gathering Yuan Pill was absorbed, Qi Xiu slowly opened his eyes, a fleeting colorful glint within them.

RUMBLE—

At that moment, a deafening roar, audible only to Qi Xiu, suddenly echoed from the sky. The sound was immense, arriving with sudden, fierce intensity, and carried a soul-shaking deterrent force. It was the Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation, stirring restlessly once more, attempting to use this sound to create a flaw in Qi Xiu’s state so it could strike him down with lightning and obliterate him!

Glancing at the clear, azure sky above, Qi Xiu smiled faintly, his gaze calm and composed.

Lately, the vibrations of the tribulation sound had become increasingly frequent, shifting from once every few days to several times a day.

Yet, this actually put him more at ease. It indicated that the Heavenly Stem Tribulation Sequence’s confidence in obliterating him was steadily waning. It could now only resort to using the tribulation sound to cause him trouble, desperately seeking ever smaller openings. This tribulation won’t last much longer.

Just as Qi Xiu finished his cultivation and was preparing to find today’s "honored guests" for his Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag, a vast and heavy demonic aura suddenly erupted from the direction of Red Flower Town. It shot towards him at incredible speed, its formidable pressure shaking the entire forest.

So, they’ve finally noticed?

Knowing it was the three Initiate-Realm demons from Red Flower Town searching for him, Qi Xiu remained calm; he had evidently prepared a countermeasure long ago.

Taking a deep breath, he reversed the circulation of the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery within him. Instantly, Qi Xiu’s pupils turned pitch black, devoid of any white. His complexion became ashen. The aura of a living being visibly dissipated from him. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a "lifeless object," indistinguishable from deadwood or a dull stone.

The Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture delved into the ultimate transformations of yin and yang. Just as it could strengthen the body through Yang-aligned Inner Qi methods, it could naturally reverse life force through Yin-aligned Mana techniques.

Sitting motionless on the branch, gazing up at the terrifying giant vulture whose outstretched wings seemed to obscure the entire sky, a faint, cold smile touched Qi Xiu’s rigid face.

Since you’re in such a hurry to find me, then as you wish. In a few more days, when the "grand gift" is prepared, this Qi Xiu will certainly pay a visit to your town, bearing presents. A formal call, indeed!