90: Black Tiger Ridge

Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue had taken on a total of three missions: first, to slay the evil Cultivator Five Tiger Brothers; second, to slay the evil Cultivator Blood Infant Daoist; and third, to exterminate the The Zhang Family of Qingmuxi Creek, who practiced evil arts.

The Five Tiger Brothers and the Blood Infant Daoist were all evil Cultivators at the Late Purple Mansion Stage, while the The Zhang Family of Qingmuxi Creek was a Purple Mansion Family.

These three missions were among the Purple Mansion Stage tasks that offered the highest number of contribution points.

After all, the Five Tiger Brothers possessed a Combined Attack Technique with power comparable to a Cultivator in the Early Golden Core Stage.

The Blood Infant Daoist specialized in Soul attacks, with a combat style that was treacherous and ever-changing. Although he was only at the Late Purple Mansion Stage, quite a few Cultivators at the Purple Mansion Perfection stage had died by his hand.

As for the The Zhang Family of Qingmuxi Creek, they practiced an evil method called the Yin-Yang Spirit-Plundering Art, which allowed them to plunder an opponent's cultivation through Dual Cultivation.

This evil method originated from the Yin Yang Tower, one of the three major evil Sects in the Yinyue Mountain Range.

However, it was likely a simplified or incomplete version, as its effects on Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators were very weak. This was also one of the reasons the Family had never produced a Golden Core Cultivator.

Nevertheless, the strength of the The Zhang Family of Qingmuxi Creek was not to be underestimated. According to the intelligence provided by the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, the Zhang Family openly had five Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators: one at Purple Mansion Perfection, two at the Late Stage, one at the Middle Stage, and one at the Early Stage.

As for those hidden in the Youyings, the Demon Slaying Alliance had already identified one Cultivator at Purple Mansion Perfection and two at the Late Stage.

In other words, the The Zhang Family of Qingmuxi Creek had a total of eight Purple Mansion Stage Cultivators.

This level of strength deterred most Purple Mansion Stage Loose Cultivators. Although the contribution points were valuable, they weren't worth more than their lives.

As for Golden Core Stage Loose Cultivators, except for those at the Late Stage who had absolute confidence, those at the Middle and Early Stages lacked the full confidence to take them down.

Rather than risking their lives to exterminate the Zhang Family, it was faster to just kill a few more Purple Mansion Stage evil Cultivators.

Fortunately, the locations of these three targets were not far from each other.

After some discussion, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue decided to kill the Five Tiger Brothers first, then the Blood Infant Daoist, and finally head to the The Zhang Family of Qingmuxi Creek.

To store the heads of the evil Cultivators, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue specifically prepared two storage rings, each with a capacity of one thousand cubic meters.

After leaving Thousand Star Lake, Zhang Daobai took out a ten-meter-long, white jade-colored spirit boat from his storage ring.

This spirit boat was a type of small spirit boat that could seat five people at most, which was just right for Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue.

After boarding the spirit boat, Zhang Daobai activated it and flew toward Black Tiger Ridge, where the Five Tiger Brothers were located.

Along the way, Zhang Daobai encountered many Loose Cultivators on the move and even saw large spirit boats hundreds of meters long, comparable in size to an aircraft carrier.

"I heard that the main forces of the various families and Sects have directly approached the Yinyue Mountain Range and opened up a main battlefield there."

Zhang Daobai spoke while looking in the direction the large spirit boats were flying.

"Not just them, the high-level members of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance have gone there as well."

Lin Luoxue had also gathered quite a bit of intelligence that morning.

"I wonder how long this war will last?" Zhang Daobai murmured, looking into the distance.

"It shouldn't last very long. With so many families and Sects united, their combat power far exceeds those evil Cultivators. It shouldn't take long to flatten the Yinyue Mountain Range."

Lin Luoxue wasn't underestimating those evil Cultivators; it was just that the strength of the Demon Slaying Alliance this time was indeed incredibly powerful.

Hearing this, Zhang Daobai shook his head slightly and said, "I feel it might not go that smoothly."

"Have you forgotten how this Demon Slaying Alliance was established? The true goal of those evil Cultivators hasn't been exposed yet. Who knows what hidden trump cards they might have?"

"I don't believe those evil Cultivators didn't consider this day before they did what they did. Since they dared to act, it means they must have means to deal with the consequences."

"Those evil Cultivators may have no bottom line, but they are definitely not stupid."

Listening to Zhang Daobai's analysis, Lin Luoxue fell silent. However, she didn't dwell on it too much; after all, that was a problem for the main force of the Demon Slaying Alliance to consider.

Black Tiger Ridge was located on the edge of the territory of a Sect called the Yanshan Sect.

The overt strength of the Yanshan Sect was similar to that of the Cloud Sword Sect, with their strongest member being only at the Early Golden Core Stage. However, the Golden Core Old Ancestor of the Yanshan Sect specialized in defense.

When the Five Tiger Brothers first settled in Black Tiger Ridge, the Yanshan Sect took the initiative to attack them, wanting to eliminate the threat.

But after a great battle with the Five Tiger Brothers, the Yanshan Sect failed to eradicate them. Instead, they lost several Disciples and Elders.

This was because the Cultivation Technique practiced by the Five Tiger Brothers allowed them to refine the Souls of those they killed into ghost servant to serve them.

They could even briefly increase their strength by devouring these ghost servant.

"ghost servant..."

Zhang Daobai muttered to himself thoughtfully as he looked over the information on the Five Tiger Brothers.

"Their Combined Attack Technique requires all five of them to activate. So, before the battle starts, it would be best if we could kill one of them first to break their technique."

Lin Luoxue suggested after reading the information on the Five Tiger Brothers.

Zhang Daobai shook his head slightly upon hearing this. "These five brothers also understand this weakness. Therefore, whether they are eating, sleeping, or cultivating, the five of them are inseparable. Under normal circumstances, it's very difficult to kill one of them first."

Never mind eating and sleeping; these five brothers even played with women together.

When she saw this information, Lin Luoxue almost threw the Jade Slip away, fearing it would pollute her Divine Sense.

As for the 'normal circumstances' Zhang Daobai mentioned, he was referring to a situation where Youying did not take action.

If Youying were to act, never mind one, all five of them would die instantly.

"Furthermore, the ghost servant they control are also a problem. The intelligence says they control at least a thousand of them," Zhang Daobai added.

"Then let Youying handle it," Lin Luoxue suggested after thinking for a moment.

Lin Luoxue was not someone who would endure unnecessary hardship. Since she knew how powerful Youying was, there was no need for her to fight a desperate battle.

Zhang Daobai nodded in agreement. Hadn't he contracted a Spirit Tamer beast precisely to fight for him?

As for honing his combat experience, there would be plenty of other times for that.

Having decided to let Youying take action, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue relaxed.

Even if the Five Tiger Brothers' Combined Attack Technique could rival an Early Golden Core Stage Cultivator, they wouldn't be able to defeat Youying even if all five of them were at the Golden Core Stage.

Black Tiger Ridge was named so because its mountain range was shaped like a fierce tiger crouching on the ground, and it was covered in black trees.

When the Five Tiger Brothers saw the shape of the mountain, they immediately took a liking to it and decided to settle there temporarily.

High in the sky several thousand meters away, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue looked down at Black Tiger Ridge.

"The intelligence says that many ghost servant are hidden in the Black Wind Forest of Black Tiger Ridge. As soon as anyone approaches, the Five Tiger Brothers will know instantly."

Zhang Daobai pointed toward the woods on Black Tiger Ridge.

"Then should we have White Moon cover our approach?" Lin Luoxue suggested after some thought.

Zhang Daobai nodded and subsequently released White Moon.

Soon, the White Jade Boat was enveloped by the Spirit Concealing Mist. Looking up from below, it appeared just like an ordinary white cloud.

After piloting the White Jade Boat directly above Black Tiger Ridge, Zhang Daobai said to Youying, "Do it."

Youying instantly vanished from the spirit boat, while Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue, shrouded in the Spirit Concealing Mist, slowly descended toward Black Tiger Ridge below.

Meanwhile, in the Immortal Cave at Tiger Head Cliff on Black Tiger Ridge, the Five Tiger Brothers were sitting around a stone table, silent and gloomy.

"What should we do next? Should we flee or stay?" the Fifth Tiger Boss asked in a heavy voice, breaking the silence.

"Sigh! I didn't expect the trouble stirred up by those bastards from the Sects to actually implicate us. We didn't get any of the benefits, yet we ended up on the demon slaying ranking list together."

The Five Tiger Second ground his teeth, his face full of resentment.

The Formation of the Demon Slaying Alliance was a massive event. Even though they hadn't gone out much lately, they had heard the news.

Initially, they thought that since they hadn't participated in the actions of those evil Cultivators, they should be fine.

However, the release of the demon slaying ranking list today instantly shattered their illusions.

"Damn it! It must have been those bastards from the Yanshan Sect who snitched. We should have just slaughtered their entire Sect back then and refined them all into ghost servant!"

The Third Tiger Brother had the fiercest temper. He slammed his palm onto the table and roared with eyes full of killing intent.

"It's too late to say all that now. We should focus on how to survive this ordeal."

The Fifth Tiger Boss rubbed his brow and changed the subject.

"How about we flee? We could go to the Blood Fiend Sea or the Ten Thousand Demon Cave to take refuge," the Five Tiger Fourth suggested.

"Too late. The Demon Slaying Alliance has already connected their territories and completely blockaded this region. Now, they're just catching turtles in a jar."

The Five Tiger Second shook his head, his face full of worry.

"Then we fight! I want to see who dares to take the mission to kill us. We'll just kill anyone who takes the mission and make them too afraid to continue!"

The Third Tiger Brother slammed the table again, speaking with eyes full of killing intent.

The other four brothers looked at him speechlessly, not taking his words seriously.

It was true that their Combined Attack Technique could rival an Early Golden Core Stage Cultivator, but the Demon Slaying Alliance also had Cultivators at the Middle Golden Core Stage and above.

What if they saw that this mission was dangerous, increased the contribution points, and attracted those Cultivators at the Middle Golden Core Stage or higher?

"Hey! What do you mean? Is my idea no good?"

"Didn't we scare the Yanshan Sect so much back then that they stopped bothering us?"

Seeing that his four brothers weren't taking his words seriously, the Third Tiger Brother spoke up in dissatisfaction.

Was the Demon Slaying Alliance even on the same level as the Yanshan Sect?

The four brothers looked at the Third Brother with speechless eyes, really not wanting to insult his intelligence.

"Third Brother, the Demon Slaying Alliance is much stronger than the Yanshan Sect."

The Fifth Tiger Boss looked at the others around him and explained helplessly.

"So what!?"

Instead of being afraid, the Third Tiger Brother spoke with great bravado, "At most, it's just death!"

"Just like the oath we took when we became sworn brothers: we do not seek to be born on the same year, month, and day, but we seek to die on the same year, month, and day!"

Just as the Third Tiger Brother spoke the final word 'die', the hearts of the other four tightened instantly, as if they felt an inexplicable aura of terror.

Just as the Fifth Tiger Boss was about to speak and tell the third to shut up,

The next second, a dark Youying suddenly emerged from the Youyings of the Immortal Cave, flashing past the five men in an instant.

"Puchi!"

In that instant, five pillars of blood shot up into the sky, hitting the ceiling of the Immortal Cave,

While five heads rolled to the ground at the same time, a trace of confusion still lingering in their eyes.

"Is it useful to record their corpses directly like this?"

"Of course it's no problem. They only look at whether the deceased is the person themselves; there are no requirements for our combat process."

"Alright then, do we need to take their bodies away?"

"No need, just the heads will do."

Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue walked in from outside as if no one else were there, talking as they walked.

Lin Luoxue quickly collected the heads of the Five Tiger Brothers, while Zhang Daobai looted their storage equipment.

"Leave directly?"

After putting away the heads, Lin Luoxue turned and asked Zhang Daobai.

Zhang Daobai shook his head upon hearing this: "Let's check other places first. What if there are other good things?"

Adhering to the principles of not wasting and taking risks, Zhang Daobai's favorite thing to do was loot wealth.

Only after coming to the Immortal Realm did Zhang Daobai understand why ancient emperors loved raiding homes so much.

The Five Tiger Brothers' Immortal Cave wasn't large because they didn't sleep in separate rooms, but rather in the same bedroom.

Just as they reached the bedroom door, an indescribable stench suddenly rushed at them, nearly making Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue vomit from the smell.

Zhang Daobai quickly took out a Clear Breeze Talisman and threw it into the room, then led Lin Luoxue away temporarily.

Soon, after the Clear Breeze Talisman blew away the stench in the room, Zhang Daobai finally led Lin Luoxue back.

Entering the bedroom, what met their eyes was a five-meter-wide stone bed covered with a grime-coated tiger skin.

In a corner to the side, there were also three unclothed women; however, two of them were already dead, and the other had merely fainted.

"Beasts!"

Lin Luoxue cursed in a low voice, her eyes as cold as ice at the sight.

"Wake her up and see if she still has the will to live. If she does, let her go," Zhang Daobai said, frowning slightly at the scene.

Lin Luoxue nodded at his words, then walked to the unconscious woman and used spiritual power from a distance to break the Seal on her spiritual power.

This woman was also a Cultivator, though her cultivation was only at the Late stage of Qi Refining.

Once her spiritual power was restored, the woman soon woke up.

Upon seeing Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue, some color returned to her numb and desperate eyes.

"The Five Tiger Brothers have been killed by us. You can leave now," Zhang Daobai explained.

"Dead... dead?"

The woman froze for a moment before murmuring in a hoarse voice.

Seeing this, Lin Luoxue took out one of the Five Tiger Brothers' heads to show her.

Upon seeing the head of one of the Five Tiger Brothers, the woman instinctively trembled in terror, but she quickly realized that the Five Tiger Brothers truly were dead.

Looking at the head before her, a terrifying hatred appeared in the woman's eyes. She grabbed a hard object from the side and prepared to smash it against the head.

But how could Lin Luoxue allow that? One must know that this was their proof for completing the mission; what if it were damaged?

Although this woman was very pitiful, compared to the massive amount of contribution points, she was worthless.

Thus, Lin Luoxue put the head away without hesitation and turned to leave.

Since this woman was already awake, there was no need to bother with her further.

"Ah!!!"

Looking at the empty ground, the woman's fire of hatred had nowhere to be released, and she began screaming and shouting as she broke down.

Seeing this, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue ignored her and continued looting the room on their own.

Soon, after all the good things in the room were looted clean, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue prepared to leave.

Just then, the sound of something breaking through the air came from behind. Before it could reach Zhang Daobai, it was annihilated by Lin Luoxue's Sword Qi.

Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue turned to look, only to see the woman kneeling on the ground, looking at them with resentful eyes.

"You're just leaving like this!?" the woman questioned loudly.

???

Hearing this, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue's minds couldn't help but be filled with question marks.

Do you even hear what you're saying?

It's already good enough that we kindly saved your life; what else do you want?

"I am seriously injured right now and have no strength to move. What will I do if you leave?"

Seeing that Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue weren't speaking, the woman continued to question them.

"What will you do?"

Zhang Daobai rubbed his chin upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he said to Lin Luoxue, "Then why don't you send her on her way."

Having spent so much time together, Lin Luoxue instantly understood Zhang Daobai's intent.

Thus, Lin Luoxue turned and walked back toward the woman.

Seeing Lin Luoxue turn back and walk toward her, a flash of joy first appeared in the woman's eyes, but she quickly realized something was wrong.

Because she felt a bone-chilling coldness emanating from Lin Luoxue's body.

"You... what are you going to do?"

The woman's body went limp, and she slumped back onto the ground, looking at Lin Luoxue in terror as she asked in a low voice.

"Die!"

Lin Luoxue didn't waste any more words. She directly condensed a wisp of Sword Intent and pointed her sword finger at the woman's brow.

In an instant, a wisp of Sword Intent shot out from Lin Luoxue's fingertip, instantly piercing through the woman's brow.

"Thud!"

Hearing the sound of a body hitting the ground, Lin Luoxue walked back to Zhang Daobai without looking back.

"I didn't expect an evil Cultivator to be disguised as a victim, trying to trick us into letting them escape. That was truly careless; we must be more careful next time!"

Zhang Daobai withdrew his gaze and spoke with a mock-solemn expression.

A hint of a smile flashed in Lin Luoxue's eyes, and she nodded with a serious expression, saying, "Understood."

After leaving the room, Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue continued to search the surroundings, though their gains were not much.

After all, with five rough men living together, and a group of evil Cultivators at that, how many good things could there be?

Before leaving Tiger Head Cliff, Zhang Daobai set a fire and burned the place down.

As for those ghost servants in the mountain forest, they had already been liberated and dissipated when the Five Tiger Brothers died.

After leaving Black Tiger Ridge, Zhang Daobai piloted the spirit boat toward the Soul-Severing Valley where the Blood Infant Daoist resided.

Although the Blood Infant Daoist was only one person, the contribution points he was worth were even higher than the Five Tiger Brothers'.

The reason was that the Blood Infant Daoist had killed several descendants of large Families, which had driven up his bounty.

As a result, even though the Blood Infant Daoist was very powerful, many people still took on his mission.

A day later, Zhang Daobai arrived outside the Soul-Severing Valley on the spirit boat.

At this time, many Loose Cultivators had already gathered at the Soul-Severing Valley, but strangely, these people were only stationed outside the valley and had no intention of entering.

"There's something strange."

Zhang Daobai immediately sensed an unusual aura.

Since the White Moon Boat was enveloped by the Spirit Concealing Mist, the group of Loose Cultivators below did not notice the arrival of Zhang Daobai and Lin Luoxue.

"There is such a thick resentment inside that valley!"

Lin Luoxue, possessing the Golden Thunder Sword Intent, could clearly feel a terrifying resentment shrouding the Soul-Severing Valley.

Even she didn't dare to approach this resentment; once it entered the body, it could easily affect one's mind.

Zhang Daobai looked into the valley thoughtfully and soon discovered something wrong.

Within the Soul-Severing Valley, a faint red blood mist lingered, and within that blood mist, Zhang Daobai saw a large number of drifting Blood Infant phantoms.

This scene couldn't help but remind Zhang Daobai of what the intelligence had mentioned: the Ten Thousand Infant Soul-Devouring Formation mastered by the Blood Infant Daoist.

A fourth-rank Formation refined from the Souls of over ten thousand infants near birth, it specialized in attacking the Soul and ignored physical attacks.

Even if a Golden Core Stage Cultivator in the Late Stage came, they might not necessarily be a match for this grand Formation.

However, since the Blood Infant Daoist only had a Late Purple Mansion Stage cultivation and couldn't set up a true fourth-rank Formation, this Ten Thousand Infant Soul-Devouring Formation could at most be considered a quasi-fourth-rank Formation.

But although this Formation was incomplete, it could still block an Early Stage Golden Core Cultivator.

Thinking of this, Zhang Daobai understood why these people were only stationed outside the valley and not going in.

They likely weren't confident in breaking the Formation but didn't want to give up on the mission, so they planned to wait for others to arrive and then team up to break it.

After Zhang Daobai told Lin Luoxue about his discovery and conjecture,

Lin Luoxue looked at the valley with eyes full of killing intent, as if she could see the Blood Infant Daoist inside through that layer of blood mist.

The moment an infant is about to be born is the moment just before it welcomes a new life.

Killing the infant and extracting its Soul at this time undoubtedly severs its hope for a new life, and it is also when its resentment is greatest.

The number of over ten thousand infants about to be born made Lin Luoxue's heart tighten.

At this moment, Lin Luoxue's killing intent toward Yun Lingxiao and his son couldn't even compare to her intent toward this Blood Infant Daoist.

"Evil-Warding Golden Thunder is the nemesis of evil things. If the two of us use Golden Thunder Illuminates the World together, we should be able to break this Formation."

Lin Luoxue did not lose her reason to anger; instead, she analyzed the situation very calmly.

"It's possible, but once we take action, those Loose Cultivators below are very likely to play the part of the oriole behind the mantis stalking the cicada."

Saying this, Zhang Daobai looked down at the Loose Cultivators below.

"How about letting Youying act again?"

After pondering for a moment, Lin Luoxue turned to look at Youying, who was lying on a chair sleeping.

Youying could travel through the Void Realm and could ignore the vast majority of Formations to teleport directly inside.

With the Blood Infant Daoist's cultivation, he wouldn't even have time to resist against Youying, so letting Youying go in to kill him was the simplest and safest method.