36: Chapter 36: Repay Now

At this moment!

Xiao Ran finally had a moment to glance at the female Cultivator he was carrying.

She was already unconscious, the wound on her shoulder had turned black, and corpse poison was spreading.

"If it weren't for the need to keep you in front of me as protection, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of saving you."

Xiao Ran muttered to himself.

He had no prior relationship with them, and his sudden whim to save them was, of course, to use them as human shields.

That was the proper style of the Demon Sect!

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any danger.

The Scar-faced Man followed behind him, panting, his face full of the relief of having survived a disaster.

"Th-thank you, Fellow Daoist, for saving my life..."

"Enough talk, hurry up!"

Xiao Ran said coldly.

"Once the rift opens, the entire Netherworld Ancient Path will become a ghost domain. If we don't leave now, we really won't be able to get out."

The three of them went at full speed, fleeing for their lives through the eerie canyon.

Behind them, the Yin-evil Qi surged like a tidal wave.

Wherever it passed, plants withered and rocks weathered away.

They could vaguely hear the shrieking of countless ghosts, as well as Wu Yuan's curses filled with resentment.

An incense stick's time later.

The three finally rushed out of the Netherworld Ancient Path and returned to the valley entrance.

At this moment, many Cultivators had already gathered at the valley entrance, all having been alarmed by the commotion just now and come out to check the situation.

Seeing Xiao Ran and the other two escape in such a sorry state, and feeling the terrifying Yin Qi surging from within the valley, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

"What happened inside?"

"Such heavy Yin-evil... Is a Ghost King being born?"

"Hurry, leave! This is no place to stay!"

The crowd was in an uproar, and everyone scrambled to control their Magical Artifacts and flee in all directions.

Xiao Ran tossed the female Cultivator to the Scar-faced Man.

"She has been infected with corpse poison and needs urgent treatment. You'll have to figure it out yourselves."

The Scar-faced Man hurriedly caught her and thanked him repeatedly.

"May I ask for your name, Fellow Daoist? I will surely reward you heavily in the future!"

"No need for the future. If you want to thank me, do it now."

Xiao Ran waved his hand; he hated empty promises the most.

"Uh..."

The Scar-faced Man hadn't expected Xiao Ran to be so straightforward.

He gave an awkward smile and immediately took out a pile of items from his Storage Pouch.

Xiao Ran looked over. There were plenty of items, but not a single one was valuable.

This Scar-faced Man was not being honest!

However, Xiao Ran didn't mind; he flicked his sleeve and put them all away on the spot.

He prepared to turn and leave immediately.

But just then, a familiar Soul link request suddenly rang out in his mind.

It was Li Changsheng.

Xiao Ran paused his steps and accepted the link.

"Xiao Ran! Where are you?"

Li Changsheng's voice was filled with urgency.

"I've finished my mission and was just preparing to return to the Sect, but I suddenly received an emergency transmission from the Dao Palace saying that there is a disturbance at the Netherworld Ancient Path. The Yin-Nether rift has loosened, and all Disciples nearby are ordered to evacuate immediately!"

The Supreme Dao Palace certainly gets news quickly!

"I just came out of the Netherworld Ancient Path."

Xiao Ran didn't overthink it and answered.

"You went in?"

"Are you alright?"

Li Changsheng exclaimed and hurriedly asked.

"I'm fine."

Xiao Ran paused: "However... I might have gotten into some trouble."

He briefly recounted the matter regarding Wu Yuan and the Shiyin Sect.

After listening, Li Changsheng was silent for a few moments.

"Shiyin Sect... I seem to have seen records of it in the ancient books of the Dao Palace."

"It was an evil Sect in the Northern Region a thousand years ago that specialized in corpse cultivation. It was said that they committed all kinds of evil, searching everywhere for corpses to refine into zombies, until they were eventually wiped out by the joint efforts of the righteous and demonic paths... I didn't expect there to be survivors."

"And they have their eyes on me."

Xiao Ran added.

"Then you must be even more careful."

"An evil Sect with a thousand-year Legacy like this is extremely vindictive. You ruined their plans, and they will never let it go."

Li Changsheng's tone was serious.

"I know."

"So... I have to kill them before they make a move."

Xiao Ran looked toward the Netherworld Ancient Path, his eyes cold.

"What do you plan to do?"

"We'll talk when I return to the Sect."

Xiao Ran disconnected the link, activated his escape light, and flew toward the Eternal Night Demon Sect.

After flying a hundred miles, he looked back.

Above the Netherworld Ancient Path, a huge dark cloud had gathered, black as ink, with ghost shadows vaguely churning within it.

People from the Eternal Night Demon Sect and the Supreme Dao Palace should be arriving soon.

This storm, which started because of him, had only just begun.

And as for Wu Yuan and the Shiyin Sect...

Xiao Ran touched the three ghost-faced fruits and the yinming pearl inside his Storage Pouch.

"You want to refine my body? Then let's see... who refines whom first."

He accelerated his escape light and disappeared into the horizon.

...

Three days later, at the Eternal Night Palace.

Xiao Ran sat cross-legged in the cultivation meditation room, with three items placed in front of him.

On the left was the yinming pearl. At this moment, the luster on the surface of the pearl was restrained, but it still felt bone-chillingly cold when held in his hand.

In the middle were three purple, glowing ghost-faced fruits, giving off a strange fragrance.

On the right was the System's task completion notification panel.

[Ding! Mission "Explore the Netherworld Ancient Path" has been completed.]

[Exploration result evaluation: Excellent (Obtained: yinming pearl * 1, Netherworld Profound Crystal * 7, Yin-evil ghost-faced fruit * 3, Ancient Relic * 1)]

[Basic reward: 5000 Points, yinming pearl * 1 (Already obtained)]

[Additional reward: Due to triggering the hidden event "Netherworld Rift Loosening," rewarded 3000 Points, Special Item: Yin-Sealing Talisman * 3]

[Current Point balance: 8100]

Xiao Ran looked at the three golden Yin-Sealing Talismans, which were covered in complex runes, and nodded slightly.

This item was a Talisman specifically for sealing Yin-Nether Qi. It might have miraculous effects when dealing with evil Cultivators like those from the Shiyin Sect who cultivated corpse-evil.

He put away the Talismans and sorted the Netherworld Profound Crystals and ghost-faced fruits.

The Profound Crystals could be refined into Magic Treasures to enhance Yin-attribute power.

The ghost-faced fruits... he planned to consume one himself.

He would keep the remaining two; they might be useful later.

As for the yinming pearl, he didn't know its specific use for now, so he would keep it for later.

After processing his gains, Xiao Ran began to think about his next plan.

There was still some time until the Demon Child Ranking Battle.

The threat of Wu Yuan and the Shiyin Sect was like a thorn stuck in his heart.

This kind of enemy hiding in the shadows was the most troublesome.

"I must find a way to lure them out..."

Xiao Ran tapped his fingers on his knees, deep in thought.

After a while, his eyes lit up; he had an idea.

"Since you want my body... then I will give you a chance."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he stood up and walked out of the meditation room.

"Zhao Ying."

"I am here."

Zhao Ying immediately stepped forward.

"Go to the Deacon Hall and post a mission."

"Just say that I need a thousand-year-old Corpse-Evil Grass for my cultivation. I am willing to purchase it at a high price, or offer a heavy reward for any leads."

Xiao Ran looked at Zhao Ying and instructed slowly.

Zhao Ying was stunned upon hearing this.

"A thousand-year-old Corpse-Evil Grass? That is a core Material for refining high-grade corpse puppets. My Lord Demon Child wants this..."

"Just do as I say."

"Remember, the more widely the news spreads, the better."

Xiao Ran waved his hand.

"Yes."

Although Zhao Ying was confused, he dared not ask more and went to carry out the order.

Xiao Ran stood in the hall, looking out at the gloomy sky outside the window.

Corpse-Evil Grass was a necessary resource for Shiyin Sect Cultivators.

Especially the thousand-year-old variety; only an evil Sect with a long Legacy like theirs would be likely to possess it.

Once this news was released, as long as Wu Yuan was still in the Northern Region, he would definitely know about it.

By then... it would be time for the fish to take the bait.

"Come."

Xiao Ran whispered to himself.

"Let me see exactly how much you are worth."