232: The Yin Demon Sect's murderous intent

The night deepened. Under a leeward slope beside the official road, two carriages were parked quietly. The campfire crackled, dispelling the early autumn chill.

Tao Yuanyi spread a slightly rough leather map by the campfire. Using the flickering light, he pointed to a mark. "Junior Brother Qin, Junior Sisters, according to this itinerary, it will take about two months to reach the Imperial Capital. Tomorrow before noon, we will pass a small town called Baihe Village where we can restock."

His voice was gentle and steady as he took out several water skins from his pack and handed them over. "This is clean water taken from an upstream spring. Peach Blossom and I have already checked it; it's non-toxic. I've also roughly scouted the surrounding ten miles and found no abnormal aura, so you can rest easy tonight."

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Tao, Senior Sister Leng," Qin Feng said as he took a water skin. Xia Ya also grinned, patting the giant shield beside her. "This saves us a lot of trouble. In the past, these tasks of scouting and finding water were always handled by Qin Feng or Sister Ruxue."

Ji Ruxue's cold face showed no reaction. She merely nodded slightly, her gaze scanning the quiet night. An ice crystal silently condensed and dissipated at her fingertips—this was her habitual vigilance. Even with others handling the chores, the caution etched into her bones did not relax.

Xiaochun held Little Fire, who had already fallen asleep on her lap, its crimson-gold patterns faintly visible under its fur in the firelight. She said softly, "Thank you, Senior Brother and Senior Sister." The heavenly silkworm jade thread garment against her chest through her clothes provided a warm sense of security, making her feel somewhat at ease in this unfamiliar wilderness night.

Qin Feng's gaze fell on the winding route on the map, silently cross-referencing it with the resource points or risk warnings that the daily intelligence system had refreshed over the past few days. With Tao Yuanyi and Cold Peach Blossom—two experienced and powerful "Senior Brother and Senior Sister"—handling the trivialities and acting as overt guards, he, Xia Ya, and Ji Ruxue could indeed focus more on their Cultivate and state adjustments, thoroughly digesting what they had gained from the Medicine King Valley over the past two months. This convenience was unimaginable when he was wandering alone before.

"Everyone, rest early. Peach Blossom and I will handle the night watch." Tao Yuanyi put away the map and exchanged a glance with Cold Peach Blossom, who had been sitting quietly on a bluestone not far away, meditatively adjusting her breathing. Cold Peach Blossom opened her eyes slightly, her cold gaze sweeping over everyone as a response.

The campfire gradually weakened, and everyone returned to their carriages or small tents to rest. Qin Feng sat cross-legged inside the carriage, feeling the comfortable fit of the white dragon armor and the heavenly silkworm jade thread garment underneath, with the ink plum sword resting across his knees. He did not immediately enter a meditative state but instead sank his consciousness into the System's light screen. Most of the recent intelligence related to the scenery and scattered resources along the way, with no urgent warnings. However, the calmer it was, the tighter the string in his heart became. The Yin Demon Sect, the Corpse Demon Sect... these forces would never let things go. Leaving the protection of the Medicine King Valley, the true test might have only just begun.

Meanwhile, in a distant and dark place.

The light here was dim, and the air was filled with a heavy scent of old blood, rotting wood, and strange incense. The massive stone hall was built from an unknown black stone, its walls covered in twisted and eerie reliefs depicting various sacrifices, slaughters, and the terrifying scenes of creatures transforming in agony. Deep within the stone hall, a figure leaned against a tall bone throne.

He wore a voluminous dark purple robe embroidered with writhing silver patterns, his face hidden in the shadows of a hood, revealing only a cold, hard jawline. In his hand, he gripped a thin report made of some kind of leather, his knuckles turning white from the force. This was the Yin Demon Sect Master, Zhongli Wu, a terrifying Late Stage Martial Emperor.

"Have you found him yet?" His voice was not loud, but it had the texture of metal grinding against stone, echoing through the hall. "That 'Ghost' who has repeatedly ruined my plans... Qin Feng! Has he left the Medicine King Valley yet?"

In the shadows below, a blurred figure prostrated, voice filled with fear. "Reporting to the Sect Master, the latest reports from the scouts around Luoxia Town and the outskirts of the Medicine King Valley show no sign of Qin Feng and his party of four leaving. The Medicine King Valley's guards have seemed even stricter recently, especially toward the back mountain..."

"Useless!" The report in Zhongli Wu's hand silently turned to ash. "The layout in Star South City, with the Purple Robe Bandits cooperating with the Barbarians, could have taken it in one go and plundered the resources. Yet it was seen through and sabotaged by this brat, leading to a total failure!"

His voice suppressed a violent rage and a trace of hard-to-detect suspicion.

"In West Lake City, the Special Envoy contacted the East Sea Pirates to attack from within and without. Success was within reach, yet he appeared again! Along with the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, my sect's elites were completely lost!"

"The Corpse Demon Sect Southern Branch, which we finally managed to incorporate and were about to open up a situation in the Southern Border, what happened? The entire branch was wiped out! Even the Red Lantern Workshop, with whom we were about to finalize a partnership, was taken down! Every single time, the shadows of these four 'Ghosts' are there!"

He even recalled an earlier secret report from the main sect—the Heavenly Demon Sect Grand Elder had personally arranged a plan using a rare poison to severely wound the border general, Long Zu, yet it was actually neutralized by that little girl by Qin Feng's side!

"Coincidence? Once is a coincidence, twice is a coincidence, but every single time?" Zhongli Wu suddenly stood up from the bone throne, releasing a suffocatingly cold pressure that caused the fire in the hall's braziers to flicker and dim. "This boy... must know something! Or, he possesses some secret unknown to us! Otherwise, how could he accurately foil my sect's plans every time?"

The figure below trembled, not daring to respond.

Just then, a heavy stone door on the side of the hall rumbled open, and an even stronger pressure, carrying the stench of corpses and earth, flooded in. A tall, pale-skinned middle-aged man with sunken eyes and tattered black robes strode in. Death Qi swirled around him, and wherever he passed, the ground seemed to be stained with a layer of gray decay. It was the Corpse Demon Sect Master, also a Mid-stage Martial Emperor.

"Brother Zhongli, have you still not found the whereabouts of those four brats?" The Corpse Demon Sect Master's voice was dry and raspy, like bones rubbing together. "They destroyed one of my branches; this debt must be paid! My sect has already gathered capable Disciples. This time, I will personally extract their souls and refine their spirits, turning them into the highest-grade corpse puppets to vent the hatred in my heart!"

Zhongli Wu looked at him, his gaze dark under the hood. "I want them dead even more than you do. The Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect's main headquarters has already sent down a decree, ordering me to personally intercept and kill these four without fail. Repeatedly ruining our Saint Sect's great affairs... this boy cannot be allowed to live."

"In that case, what are we waiting for?" Ghostly fire flickered in the Corpse Demon Sect Master's eyes. "I will strike with you. No matter what abilities they have, can a few mere Martial Kings overturn the heavens?"

Zhongli Wu slowly sat back on the bone throne, his fingers lightly tapping the cold armrest with a "tap, tap" sound that was exceptionally clear in the empty, silent hall.

"No rush." His voice regained some calm but became even more chilling. "The Medicine King Valley has a deep foundation and is closely related to those Yao Beasts. It would be unwise to force our way in or act within their sphere of influence. They will have to come out eventually... since the scouts can't find them for now..."

He paused, his tone becoming eerie and determined. "Pass down the order to prepare the materials for the 'Blood Soul Altar'."

Hearing this, the Corpse Demon Sect Master's pale face twitched slightly. "You're going to use... the 'Life Soul Deduction Art'?"

The price for this technique is not small, and it requires..."

"No need to say more." Zhongli Wu interrupted him, his voice resolute. "There are too many suspicious points about this boy; his value might be far beyond imagination. It's worth paying a price to completely lock onto his whereabouts and ensure nothing goes wrong. Once their exact route and location are deduced... it will be the day they die."

In the hall, killing intent like ice quietly condensed.

By the embers of the campfire, Tao Yuanyi felt something and looked up at the unusually quiet night sky, where even the chirping of insects seemed to have vanished. His brow furrowed imperceptibly. On the bluestone nearby, Cold Peach Blossom's fingers on the sword hilt tightened slightly.

Inside the carriage, Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. The System had not given a clear warning, but the spiritual intuition of his Sword Heart caused a faint sense of unease to ripple through his heart.

The night was still long.

The road to the Imperial Capital was also still long.

And the hunters in the dark seemed to have already sharpened their claws and teeth.