Chapter 2: The Spirit-Defying Blood Sect

"Rob? This price is already very generous."

The City Lord of Shihu retorted.

"So what if they have trash spiritual roots? Just toss them some quick-success demonic cultivation technique and squeeze them for twenty years; the value created would be at least a thousand spirit stones. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. There are plenty of demonic sects that want them."

Upon hearing this, the black-robed figure suddenly revealed a fawning smile.

"Don't be so impatient, City Lord. For a first-time transaction, one should always be allowed to test the bottom line."

"How about this: five spirit stones for a trash spiritual root, forty for a mixed spiritual root. I’ll take as many as you have in Shihu City, how about that?"

The City Lord of Shihu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine, but you must sell me one of your Niling Blood Sect's <Reverse Blood Pills>."

"Easy enough. If the City Lord can afford the price, I will bring it next time."

"What is the price?"

"Five thousand spirit stones."

"We shall trade after next year's spiritual testing."

The City Lord of Shihu was a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator. If it weren't for the fact that Shihu City only possessed a first-grade low-tier spiritual vein, it wouldn't have been his turn to be the City Lord. Qi Refining cultivators have a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years.

He was already over ninety years old. If he waited until after he was a hundred to seek Foundation Establishment, there would be almost no hope of a breakthrough.

For a Qi Refining cultivator to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, they need the assistance of a Foundation Establishment Pill. The top-tier pills cost over ten thousand spirit stones and are priceless; they almost never fall into the hands of someone like him.

The Reverse Blood Pill was also a type of Foundation Establishment pill, though of a lower grade and offering much less assistance—at most increasing the success rate by twenty percent. Once it failed, the result would be death and total annihilation.

He still wanted to give it one last shot.

Of course, if there were no Foundation Establishment pills, a cultivator could choose to break through on their own, but those who succeeded were few and far between. Over time, those with the means would always acquire a Foundation Establishment pill for assistance.

After the two reached an agreement, the dozen or so Qi Refining cultivators from the City Lord's Mansion swarmed out, capturing every youth who met the criteria for the trade from that day's spiritual testing.

…………

…………

Night.

The wheels rolled over the muddy, uneven ground, causing the prisoner carts to shake violently. They nearly tipped over when rolling over rocks. The gaps in the iron bars were so small that one could only stick out a finger.

Listening to the chirping of cicadas and frogs, and the chatter of insects and birds.

Wang Yu woke up from his stupor. He vaguely remembered being stopped at the city gate after leaving the Wang family. A black shadow had breathed on him, and then he had lost consciousness.

"This—"

Wang Wu? No, the spiritual testing hadn't even finished yet; how could he possibly command cultivators from the Spirit Vulture Sect?

Looking around, under the moonlight, Wang Yu discovered that several people beside him were those who had participated in the spiritual testing during the day. Trash spiritual roots, mixed spiritual roots—they were all here.

There were ten prisoner carts in total, with over a hundred people imprisoned, all of them limp and weak, as if they had been drugged.

He was very familiar with the scenery outside; it was the very place from which Shihu City took its name—<Shihu Lake>.

It was a popular spot for the city's noble clans to go for spring outings.

The line of prisoner carts was connected by iron chains. At the very front was a black-robed figure, pulling the carts with a demonic horse that had scaled horns.

When they reached the lakeside, a special whistle—three long and one short—was blown. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen black-robed figures leaped out from under the water, instantly surrounding the carts.

Some who had woken up like Wang Yu spoke with trembling voices, filled with obvious fear.

"Who are you people? This is the territory of the Spirit Vulture Sect! Kidnapping cultivation seeds is against the law!"

"Hahahaha, idiots."

"To fall into the hands of my Niling Blood Sect and still try to threaten us with the Spirit Vulture Sect? You are stupid to the core."

Wang Yu’s heart stirred. As far as he knew, the Spirit Vulture Sect was located in the [Taihu Spiritual Domain], where the water systems were well-developed, the soil was fertile, and the mortal population numbered in the billions.

The entire [Taihu Spiritual Domain] was the territory of the righteous path, where sects governed the world, planning their borders around spiritual veins.

The demonic path, however, was in the adjacent region called the [Chiyuan Demonic Domain]. It sounded ominous, but in reality, it was also a good place with mountains, water, and endless fertile soil.

Beyond that, it was not something he could learn from reading books.

The Niling Blood Sect sounded like a demonic sect just from its name. Heaven knows what they intended to do with this batch of people; it certainly wouldn't be to take them in as disciples.

Two words—not worthy!

Even a demonic sect wouldn't cultivate trash spiritual root cultivators; he saw this point very clearly.

No one spoke again. After the group of black-robed demonic cultivators gathered, they each released their flying artifacts. Pieces of black cloth, bolstered by spiritual power, rapidly expanded, lifting all the prisoner carts into the air.

The sudden change caused many to cry out in alarm, shrinking into trembling balls like frightened rabbits.

This was the Taihu Spiritual Domain, filled with righteous cultivators everywhere. Flying so ostentatiously through the sky was no different from a drop of thick ink falling onto white paper.

Between the two domains lay a barrier zone consisting of many border passes and dangerous areas that were difficult for most cultivators to cross. Flying straight through like this was surely impossible.

The Spirit Vulture Sect was located on the eastern edge of the Taihu Spiritual Domain, right next to the Chiyuan Demonic Domain. The nearest border pass was called—[Black Mountain Pass].

To the left was the dangerous <Withered Leaf Swamp>.

To the right was the demonic <Black Mountain Demon Forest>.

The cultivators responsible for guarding Black Mountain Pass came from various righteous sects in the eastern Taihu region; the Spirit Vulture Sect was merely the most inconspicuous among them.

There were also many top-tier powers, such as the [Thunder Fire Temple], [Green Cloud Sect], and [Moon Gazing Palace]—three formidable sects that possessed Nascent Soul True Lords.

The border pass was even guarded year-round by Golden Core True Persons.

However, the prisoners witnessed a truly shocking scene. The leader of these Niling Blood Sect demonic cultivators only had the cultivation of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

After being stopped by a Foundation Establishment cultivator at Black Mountain Pass, he smiled and presented a token, then handed over a bag of spirit stones. Everyone stationed there acted as if they saw nothing.

They just let them pass!

Let them pass!

Passed!

No matter how the little rabbits cried or roared, there was no reaction. Wang Yu’s heart felt heavy; he had the illusion of "the wind blows cold, the Yi River chills."

The past sixteen years had not been entirely smooth sailing, but he had often enjoyed a pleasant state of mind. Now, being kidnapped to the Chiyuan Demonic Domain, he didn't know what his fate would be, and could only pray he wouldn't be used as blood-food reserves for some evil entity.

Ever since they left Black Mountain Pass and officially entered the Chiyuan Demonic Domain, everyone fell silent. Their hearts were heavy, and there was nothing left to say.

The demonic cultivators in charge of escorting them distributed three large flatbreads and a bag of water every day, ensuring they wouldn't starve to death. When they stopped to recover their spiritual power, they would supervise the prisoners as they relieved themselves.

They were not allowed to leave their line of sight. A few people tried to escape halfway, but their legs were broken, and they were tossed back into the carts, never to get down again.

They could only relieve themselves in the carts. Seeing this, Wang Yu helplessly dismissed his own little thoughts. They flew like this for a full month.

The Niling Blood Sect, they had arrived!

Wang Yu had never heard of this sect's name, but just looking at the scale of the mountain gate, his heart had already turned cold. Nine giant mountains stood like the roots of an ancient tree, winding and undulating as they soared into the clouds.

Between each mountain were vast gaps, connected by plank roads, iron chains, and cloud bridges. Pavilions, water pavilions, and storied buildings were scattered in an orderly fashion across every part of the twisted peaks.

The center of the nine peaks was hollow, with a giant, ritual-like object suspended within.

(End of chapter)