Chapter 33: One Hundred Souls as Tribute, Azure Origin Demonic Source
The children huddled inside the prison carts, terrified, as shadowy figures clashed around them, weapons flashing, blood splattering.
Some children screamed, covering their ears, triggering a wave of panic, and more children joined the chorus of screams.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent. A voice roared, “What are you yelling about?! Shut up!”
The roar, like a tiger’s, silenced the children.
Then, a girl’s voice rang out, “What are you yelling about? You’re scaring them!”
The girl struck the man who had shouted with a stick, and he quickly retreated, not daring to speak.
Dark clouds gathered above, but no rain fell. Now, the clouds parted slightly, and the bright moonlight finally shone down, illuminating the blood-soaked ground and the scattered corpses.
“Miss, what should we do with these children?” a voice asked softly.
The girl said, “There aren’t many good people in the government. Take them to Heavenly Centipede Pass first, and then we’ll find a way to send them home.”
Following the girl’s orders, the soldiers pushed the prison carts, escorting the children south.
Only the corpses remained, their blood staining the ground, mingling with the fallen leaves.
Shi Hao sat alone in the cave, listening to the sounds of slaughter from below: screams, shouts, and the clash of weapons.
The sounds of battle gradually faded, replaced by the children’s cries, the gruff voices of the soldiers, and the girl’s sharp commands.
After Yue Ya’er and her men left with the children, silence returned to the canyon.
A cold wind blew into the cave.
The candle nearest the entrance flickered and ignited.
The white candle turned an eerie green, its flame a ghastly glow.
As the first candle ignited, more ghostly flames appeared within the circular magic circle.
Then, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth… and finally, the sixth.
When all six candles were lit, the blood-red runes on the wall seemed to come alive.
The entire cave seemed to distort, the space expanding.
Ghostly figures flickered around Shi Hao.
“Where are we?” a voice screamed.
“What happened? Why are we here?” another voice asked, confused.
The ghostly figures were mangled, some with their chests split open, others with their heads cracked. One, his intestines spilling from his abdomen, looked around, “This… this is…”
“Hong Youyi, you damn coward, trying to escape!” Another ghostly figure, covered in blood, lunged at the first, grappling with him.
Shi Hao sat upright, motionless, listening to the screams, cries, and angry shouts of the living souls.
The entire magic circle, drawn in blood, pulsed with life, the strange red lines writhing around him, some even crawling towards his body.
Ignoring the unsettling sensation and the noisy spirits, Shi Hao chanted, “The Great Dao is boundless, witness my secret scripture; venomous insects and serpents, multiply with the sun; fierce pursuit, lotus charm unfolds; one hundred souls as tribute, Azure Origin descends!”
The surrounding light vanished instantly. The candles, the runes, the moonlight filtering through the cave entrance, the stone walls, the corpse in the corner – all disappeared.
Only six ghostly flames flickered around him, the rest consumed by darkness.
In the pitch black, the living souls screamed in terror, their fear palpable.
Their screams were more horrifying than their cries during the slaughter in the canyon.
A soft hand touched his back. Shi Hao’s skin crawled, and he almost jumped up.
“Oh, what a handsome young man,” a fragrant voice whispered beside him, its seductive tone sending shivers down his spine. “This is the most orthodox ritual from the Night Charm Demonic scriptures, but it’s usually performed by women of the Evil Lotus Sect. Oh my, a handsome young man today. I like it.”
The hand caressed his face, its touch gentle and smooth.
The voice, filled with temptation, continued, “Handsome, since you’re so pleasing to my eyes, I’ll give you a special gift. How about I give you more demonic essence, enough to advance you directly to the sixth rank, or even the fifth, or the fourth? What do you say?”
Unmoved, Shi Hao continued chanting, “The Great Dao is boundless, witness my secret scripture; venomous insects and serpents, multiply with the sun; fierce pursuit, lotus charm unfolds; one hundred souls as tribute, Azure Origin descends!”
The woman’s voice grew even more seductive, “Handsome, don’t just chant scriptures. Come on, let’s play. I can’t resist you. You must pleasure me…”
Shi Hao continued chanting, “The Great Dao is boundless, witness my secret scripture…” He repeated the words taught by the Enchanting Fire Witch, ignoring the woman’s pleas and temptations.
This ritual was a transaction, exchanging these one hundred living souls for Azure Origin Demonic Source from the Demonic Realm.
He couldn’t accept any other offers.
Like the demon’s offer of “more demonic essence” to help him advance to the sixth, fifth, or even fourth rank.
If he accepted, he would indeed receive what she promised, but the consequences would be unbearable.
Succumbing to demonic influence could lead to madness and a complete change in personality, or even possession, his body taken over by the demon.
Although demonic cultivators used demonic essence, they wouldn’t willingly sacrifice their own flesh, soul, lifespan, or even their lives for it.
They would make sacrifices, but the sacrifices were always others’.
This ritual guaranteed him the Azure Origin Demonic Source needed to advance to the seventh rank in exchange for these one hundred living souls. But if he gave in to temptation and accepted other “benefits,” the price would be far greater than these unrelated souls.
“…venomous insects and serpents, multiply with the sun; fierce pursuit, lotus charm unfolds; one hundred souls as tribute, Azure Origin descends!”
After countless repetitions, the woman’s voice finally said, “Fine, fine, stop chanting. I’ll give it to you!”
The ritual itself was a binding contract, a constraint on the Yin Demon from the Fourth Heaven of the Demonic Realm. This female demon from the Night Enchanting Heaven could delay, but she couldn’t refuse the transaction.
Besides, exchanging one hundred mortal souls for a readily available demonic source in the Night Enchanting Heaven wasn’t a loss for her.
Shi Hao saw the six candle flames rise and slowly drift away.
At the other end of the flames, jade palaces and pavilions appeared, bathed in an eerie, ethereal glow.
The one hundred living souls, screaming, flew towards the other end of the flames.
At the same time, a blue meteor shot out from the jade palaces, piercing through the air and crashing into his body.
“See you next time, handsome,” the woman’s voice faded away, and the six candle flames vanished.
As if something had shattered, Shi Hao woke up. He was still sitting cross-legged in the cave, the candles extinguished.
The screams of the living souls were gone. Although the cave was dark, faint moonlight filtered through the entrance, making it less oppressive than the previous pitch black.
He felt a new energy within him.
He channeled this energy to his lower dantian, merging it with the energy cultivated through the Mysterious Charm Technique.
In that instant, his demonic energy surged like ignited oil, burning fiercely.
A new, more powerful energy was born, forming a new foundation in his lower dantian.
He had successfully advanced to the seventh rank in demonic cultivation.
He sighed softly in relief.
Although the Enchanting Fire Witch had told him that as long as he resisted the demon’s temptations, he would be fine, the seductive voice still lingered in his mind.
He felt the new demonic foundation surging within him, a powerful, unruly force trying to break free and ascend to his upper dantian, attempting to destroy his Daoist foundation.
The Enchanting Fire Witch had told him that as long as he advanced his other cultivation method within three days of one advancing, there wouldn’t be any problems.
But now, it seemed he didn’t even have three days.
This was probably because his dual cultivation speed had surpassed the Holy Jade Immortal and the Enchanting Fire Witch’s expectations.
Because of his rapid progress, both energies were slightly unstable, only maintaining a delicate balance due to their mutual restraint.
Initially, the two cultivation methods had complemented and reinforced each other, allowing his power to increase rapidly.
He had been pleased by this rapid progress.
But now, he realized he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.
They constantly clashed within him, yet also circulated and interacted, eroding and strengthening each other.
If he were cultivating a single technique, he could stop and adjust, rest for a while, when the rapid progress showed signs of instability.
But now, with dual cultivation, both techniques circulated continuously, even while he slept. He couldn’t stop them.
Now, with his demonic foundation strengthened, the demonic energy surged like a caged tiger, trying to break through to his upper dantian.
He forcefully suppressed it, confining it to his lower dantian.
Then, he took out the elixir he had refined yesterday and swallowed it.
He had chosen to advance his demonic cultivation first because he had already refined both the internal and external Daoist elixirs and could advance at any time.
But he couldn’t be certain about the demonic ritual.
What if the Shu Tiger Gang didn’t have enough men? What if they took a different route? What if Yue Ya’er didn’t follow his plan? These were all possibilities.
So, he had to ensure the demonic ritual was completed first, advancing to the seventh rank in demonic cultivation before focusing on his Daoist foundation.
Of course, this was also because he had a bottom line. He wouldn’t massacre innocent people to fulfill the ritual’s “price.”
Now, “sacrificing” these Shu Tiger Gang members, offering their souls to the Yin Demons of the Demonic Realm, he felt no guilt, even a sense of… satisfaction. He almost wanted to do it again.
The translucent green elixir dissolved instantly, its medicinal power spreading through his body, drawn towards his Daoist internal elixir like water flowing towards a drain.
The internal and external elixirs merged, swirling within his mind.
Although each rank of the Daoist Nine Ranks Immortal Formula had a specific name, like the ninth-rank Cloud Light Stone Flow Elixir, the eighth-rank Nine Cauldrons Cloud Essence Pill, the seventh-rank Nine Transformations Frost and Snow Pill…
…there were variations within each rank.
For example, Du Yuejiao cultivated the Divine Orchid Technique, while he cultivated the Immortal Ice Technique.
The internal elixirs cultivated through different techniques were naturally different. Therefore, even if the ingredients for the seventh-rank Immortal Formula were similar, the specific recipe would be different.
The internal and external elixirs fused, forming a nascent elixir.
He felt his icy true energy unfolding like a lotus, revealing a fiery red bud within, which then transformed, becoming translucent white.
This profound and wondrous transformation was happening within him, a mystical and inexplicable process.
As the transformation continued, he opened his eyes, his gaze sharp, a chilling aura emanating from them.
Ice crystals, pure and white like moonlight, covered the walls and ceiling of the cave.
He took a deep breath and released the demonic energy from his lower dantian.
Daoist and demonic energies flowed through his meridians, clashing, balancing, and strengthening each other, circulating endlessly.
Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he extended his divine sense.
Having advanced to the seventh rank in both Daoist and demonic cultivation, he was in a state of perfect harmony and clarity.
His mind was like a clear mirror, reflecting everything around him.
He could hear the rustling of leaves outside, the scurrying of a field mouse underground, the flapping of wings as a night bird took flight.
These subtle sounds, perceived with crystal clarity, formed vivid images in his mind.
He extended his divine sense towards the canyon and sensed several people approaching.
“What happened?!” a furious voice roared through the canyon, “All my men are dead!”
Another voice, low and sinister, like a rat gnawing on wood, said, “We’re too late.”
A cold smile appeared on Shi Hao’s lips… That was the voice of Qiu Jiangping, the chief constable of Jin Prefecture’s Six Gates!
Killing intent filled the cave—
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