"Someone's there," Mo Tiange suddenly stopped and said.
Nie Wushang, knowing her powerful Divine Sense, didn't doubt her and immediately asked, "How many? What's the situation?"
Mo Tiange carefully sensed for a moment, then said, "One. It seems... wandering aimlessly."
Nie Wushang was taken aback, but before she could say anything, Mo Tiange had already turned around. "Let's go. We'll head straight for them."
"...Alright."
Neither of them was slow in their flight. After dashing out for a while, Nie Wushang's Divine Sense also detected this person, and then, that person began moving toward them as well.
Both sides were Core Formation cultivators, and as they closed the distance, their speed was extremely fast. Before long, Mo Tiange saw a figure emerge from a fork in the path not far away.
This person's complexion was ashen and deathly thin. A dark, almost black, green robe hung loosely on their frame, looking as empty as if nothing were inside—like a desiccated corpse.
However, despite their extremely ugly appearance, the aura emanating from this person was very strong, at the peak of mid-stage Core Formation.
"Fellow Daoist," Mo Tiange called out, "may I ask..."
"Whoosh—" Before her words could finish, this person suddenly pushed out a palm. With the gust from their palm, a cloud of black smoke materialized out of thin air, rushing toward their faces.
Demonic Qi.
Mo Tiange reached into her Qiankun Bag. The White Silk Handkerchief transformed into a misty barrier, blocking the Demonic Qi.
Simultaneously, Nie Wushang had already leaped up, throwing a punch toward this Demonic Cultivator.
A thunderous boom echoed as Demonic Qi and forceful energy collided, shattering a large section of the surrounding stone wall.
Nie Wushang was forced back a step by the impact, a look of surprise appearing on her face.
Although she was a woman, she was a martial cultivator who followed a fierce and unyielding path. Her punch was exceptionally domineering. Yet, this Demonic Cultivator had managed to repel her using only Demonic Qi. This was pure cultivation level suppression.
"Something's not right," Mo Tiange said, her gaze fixed intently on the cultivator before them. "Look at his eyes."
Nie Wushang focused her eyes and immediately frowned.
This cultivator's eyes were vacant, completely unfocused, as if his spirit had wandered off, appearing utterly dull and lifeless.
Mo Tiange's gaze swept over him and landed on the wooden puppet hanging at his waist. It was enveloped in a layer of black aura, emitting a faint glow. The aura of the Demonic Crystal was so strong it couldn't be concealed.
A thought flashed through her mind, and her face instantly paled. "Could it be..."
"Could it be what?" Nie Wushang had just asked when the Demonic Cultivator clasped his hands together. A strange glint flashed in his eyes, and another wave of Demonic Qi surged toward them.
Faced with this attack, both of them chose to evade.
They abruptly separated, using a body-flicker technique to instantly appear dozens of feet away.
"Look at the puppet," Mo Tiange managed to answer in the brief respite.
Nie Wushang's eyes flashed, and she was struck with horror. At that moment, the Demonic Cultivator charged at them again.
His speed was extremely fast, not much slower than Nie Wushang's. Moreover, he only used Demonic Qi to attack, not even bringing out a magical treasure, yet the power was immense. Seeing Demonic Qi gathering in his hands, Mo Tiange unfurled her Heaven-Earth Fan. Instantly, the illusion of mountains and rivers manifested before her.
"Fellow Daoist!" Mo Tiange shouted again.
The Demonic Cultivator showed no reaction whatsoever, as if deaf to her words. Another ball of Demonic Qi blasted out, immediately shattering the seemingly solid landscape before him into nothingness.
Mo Tiange wasn't surprised. Even Nie Wushang had been forced back. Her Heaven-Earth Fan wasn't adept at defense in the first place, so it being shattered was perfectly normal. Therefore, she instantly retracted the Heaven-Earth Fan and summoned the White Silk Handkerchief again, easily blocking the remnants of the Demonic Qi that had passed through the fan.
"He doesn't seem to hear us," Nie Wushang said.
"Exactly. It seems our guess about the purpose of the Demonic Crystal was wrong."
Nie Wushang reacted quickly. "You mean..."
The Demonic Crystal itself could absorb vital energy. If one lost too much vital energy, they would become dull and foolish. If City Lord Mei had applied some bizarre secret technique to it, turning them into living dead, it wasn't an impossible thing.
"We can't show mercy. We must eliminate him." After saying this, Mo Tiange reached into her Qiankun Bag and retrieved an item—the Lotus Parasol. Under this parasol, poisons and Demonic Qi could not invade. It was precisely the right tool to deal with a Demonic Cultivator.
Nie Wushang's movements were also swift. She too took out an item and then charged forward.
Both of them were skilled in combat. Even if they faced this Demonic Cultivator alone, their chances of victory were quite high, let alone two against one? Mo Tiange raised the Lotus Parasol. The pink lotus on the parasol seemed to come alive instantly, blooming forth. Immediately, the Demonic Qi around her was purified. From the parasol's tip, she drew a streak of lightning, striking toward the Demonic Cultivator.
Lightning techniques had a restraining effect on Demonic Cultivators. Under this strike, the Demonic Cultivator's gaze dulled for a moment, and his entire body froze. At the same time, Nie Wushang swept in like the wind, her fist carrying a fierce and overbearing energy as she slammed it forward.
With a "pfft" sound, the Demonic Cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood. Yet, he remained utterly silent, not even letting out a cry of pain, as he was sent flying backward. He was so thin he was almost nothing but bones. At this moment, he resembled a piece of wood wrapped in clothing, crashing down headfirst and moving no more.
"Dead?" Sensing the Demonic Qi gradually dissipating from the Demonic Cultivator's body, Mo Tiange was stunned.
Nie Wushang stepped forward to check and nodded. "Dead."
"..." Mo Tiange stood dazed for a moment, then said curiously, "What's going on? He was so strong just now..."
"I think it must be related to him becoming like this," Nie Wushang said. "I remember this Demonic Cultivator. I saw him in the main hall earlier. He was only at the early stage of Core Formation."
Mo Tiange thought for a moment and nodded in understanding. "So that's it." It seemed City Lord Mei had put great effort into those wooden puppets. Who knew what kind of restrictive secret techniques were on them, turning people into this state? Their cultivation realm was stronger, but their actual combat power was weaker. This made it more convenient to feed them to that monster.
Fortunately, they hadn't used those puppets from the start. Otherwise, even if they hadn't turned into living dead, becoming dull-witted would have been misfortune enough.
The two of them each sighed inwardly, cleaned up the scene, and continued searching for the others.
Out of the seven people they needed to find, they had already killed one. What about the other few? Were they still intact? Or had they already followed in this cultivator's footsteps, becoming puppets?
Half an hour passed. They didn't find anyone else. They contacted the other two groups via sound transmission, agreeing on a new meeting point. After regrouping, Mo Tiange informed them about what they had encountered, urging them to be more vigilant. Then they separated again to continue the search.
The other two groups hadn't encountered anything during that half-hour. So, the number of people they still needed to find remained at six.
As time passed bit by bit, Jin Shi and his two companions began to grow anxious. They had the fewest pills. If this search ultimately proved fruitless, they would be the first batch to be sacrificed.
Half a day later, Yong Ruyu sent a sound transmission. It turned out they had encountered two Demonic Cultivators who had already turned into puppets. These two Demonic Cultivators were the same as the one Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang had met—they didn't speak a word and attacked immediately upon contact.
Not long after, Jin Shi's group of three encountered another one.
Within these caverns, a chaotic slaughter had begun.
"City Lord." Outside the secret land, beside the teleportation formation, Elder Liang looked at the darkening sky and called out softly.
City Lord Mei, seated in meditation on a small slope, didn't even open his eyes, merely grunting from his nose. "What is it?"
Elder Liang wore a worried expression as he asked, "It's been almost a full day, and it's not over yet. Has something unexpected happened?"
After a moment, City Lord Mei slowly replied, "There might be a little unexpected situation, but the outcome will be the same."
Elder Liang didn't understand. "Why? From what I observed, among those Core Formation cultivators, a few seemed quite troublesome. They aren't wearing the Demonic Crystals, and their strength is considerable. If they kill all the others, wouldn't that waste all your efforts, City Lord?"
Using some special methods to transform this place into a small 'ancient' secret land, refining those Demonic Crystals, and deceiving so many Core Formation cultivators—each of these tasks was troublesome. And they were done one after another, leaving no room for error.
Such a tightly woven plan was because the City Lord wanted to succeed in one fell swoop. They couldn't just capture people randomly because Core Formation cultivators were the backbone of major sects. If one or two important ones were lost, their Nascent Soul cultivators would intervene, which would bring trouble to Xingluo City. Yet, capturing insignificant cultivators to feed would mean waiting who knew how long. So, they chose deception—luring these Core Formation cultivators together, making all the preparations, and feeding them all at once to the City Lord's Origin Demon. By then, the City Lord would leap to become a top-tier cultivator, and by the time the major sects discovered it, it would already be too late.
This plan was very detailed and tightly knit. But precisely because it was so detailed and tightly knit, if something unexpected happened, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the City Lord, or rather, for Xingluo City. If the Origin Demon didn't grow to a sufficient level, and the news leaked out, both the righteous and demonic paths would slaughter Xingluo City without mercy.
Regarding this, Elder Liang couldn't help but worry. They, these people, were all the City Lord's trusted aides. If they failed, the City Lord might escape, but they would undoubtedly become sacrificial pawns.
Just as Elder Liang's heart was filled with anxiety, City Lord Mei's youthful, sharp voice rang out. "Are you afraid?"
Elder Liang shrank back slightly and said in a low voice, "This subordinate is a bit concerned..."
"Hmph!" City Lord Mei snorted displeasedly. "What is there to worry about? This matter has long been within my grasp. Among these people, four are not wearing the Demonic Crystals. Their strength is considerable, and they are quite alert. Once they enter the Maze Cave, they will definitely realize something is wrong. But so what? Inside the Maze Cave, I have long prepared everything. They absolutely cannot escape. Even if they kill all the others, it's useless. Because within the Maze Cave, spiritual and demonic Qi cannot dissipate. Ultimately, it will all be absorbed by my Origin Demon!"
"So that's how it is..." Elder Liang breathed a slight sigh of relief. This Maze Cave was personally arranged by the City Lord. He himself wasn't clear about its exact details.
"As for those four people, once my Origin Demon grows strong enough and their spiritual energy is exhausted, they still won't escape death!"
"So the City Lord had already planned everything thoroughly. It seems this subordinate was worrying over nothing." Hearing this, Elder Liang finally felt relieved. No matter what, these people were only Core Formation cultivators. They couldn't possibly contend with the City Lord.
City Lord Mei chuckled smugly and said no more. However, the time had indeed dragged on a bit long. He himself was also very curious about what exactly was happening inside. After a moment of thought, he raised a hand and took out an ancient mirror the size of a palm. Gathering Demonic Qi in his hand, he gently pushed it onto the mirror. The mirror's surface immediately displayed the scene within the cavern.
"Oh?" After watching for a while, City Lord Mei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. "These Core Formation juniors are a bit stronger than I imagined..."