20: Chapter 20 Cannibalism

"Where should we go next?"

"From now on, we'll have to rely on you even more, Fellow Daoist Ni." He Qiao'er and Meng Chen followed Ni Gaoyuan, having already taken him as their leader.

No matter what, they could not stay in Langya Prefecture any longer.

In the mountain forest, Ni Gaoyuan gazed into the distance, his expression resolute:

"Strength comes first. Otherwise, everything else is meaningless."

"Let's first find a secluded place to cultivate and digest what we gained from City Lord Chu Sheng, shedding our Mortal husks."

He Qiao'er and Meng Chen both nodded in agreement.

Without achieving Mortal Transformation in this treacherous world, they couldn't even traverse the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in eastern Langya Prefecture.

"Speaking of Mortal Transformation, do you remember that kid from that day?" Meng Chen seemed to recall something and mentioned it offhandedly.

"You mean that arrogant brat holding the xuanming true iron?" He Qiao'er responded. That kid at the Qi Gathering Ninth Layer had left an impression on the three of them.

"Exactly. That xuanming true iron can attract Xuanming Breath, a third-grade Xuanming Qi. Using upper-third-grade Spiritual Qi for Mortal Transformation can lay the foundation for the Purple Mansion."

"Fellow Daoist Meng, what are you trying to say?" Having worked together for a long time, Ni Gaoyuan sensed the implied meaning in his words.

"Perhaps he hasn't gone far. Once we absorb the City Lord's ginseng, catching up and killing him would be effortless."

Meng Chen made a throat-slitting gesture, his greasy face contorted into a vicious grin.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, let me offer you a piece of advice: heroes and extraordinary individuals in this world are as numerous as carp crossing a river."

"Do you know how he obtained that Xuanming object?" He Qiao'er retorted.

"This... I don't know." Meng Chen was taken aback.

"Fellow Daoist He is right. We cannot underestimate what background he might have." Ni Gaoyuan said calmly, pointing at the ground beneath their feet.

"Moreover, Xuanming objects are born in dark, deep abyssal places. Forget Purple Mansion True Men; even within major Sects, such divine treasures are in high demand and short supply."

"How could a child with a bone age of twelve or thirteen possess such a divine object? And swagger alone on the crowded main street of the city? That would be impossible unless he had powerful backing."

Upon hearing this, Meng Chen's expression grew increasingly grim. After a long silence, he finally spoke:

"It seems our decision not to confront him immediately that day was wise."

"Haha, who can truly say what the truth is?" Ni Gaoyuan added.

The three of them crossed several mountain ridges. The sounds of shrieks and clashing swords and claws gradually faded. They had finally left Dongshan City far behind.

"Speaking of which, City Lord Chu Sheng had stored quite a lot of ginseng over these past decades."

Meng Chen's storage ring flickered, and several stalks of ginseng floated out.

The tender green ginseng leaves were vividly lush, and refreshing Spiritual Qi wafted from them.

"Excellent ginseng!" He Qiao'er exclaimed in surprise.

"Who knows how much our cultivation will increase after consuming this? With three stalks, one might achieve Mortal Transformation in a single step."

The number of ginseng stalks was plentiful. At their current stage, the three of them had no need to turn on each other over this benefit.

He Qiao'er gently stroked a ginseng stalk, taking a deep, intoxicated breath of its aroma: "Are they... all still alive?"

Meng Chen focused his senses for a moment, and his heart suddenly trembled.

"Yes... they are."

Ni Gaoyuan stared blankly at the ginseng floating before him. It was his first time observing such an utterly inhuman thing up close.

"Heh... Hahaha!"

His unchanging expression finally cracked into a faint smile.

"What are you laughing at?" The other two were somewhat puzzled.

"Hahaha... I'm laughing at this world." Ni Gaoyuan covered his face, trying hard to suppress his emotions.

"The finest Heaven And Earth Treasures resemble human forms. In ancient times, when the Immortal Dao still existed, it's said those immortal materials and medicine kings even underwent tribulations to transform into human shapes. The Great Restoration Pills refined from them even had human forms."

"Even famous mountains and wondrous stones prized human likeness, taking the forms of human eyes, mouths, ears, and noses, calling it 'spiritual nature'."

"What fine 'spiritual nature'! Hahaha!" Ni Gaoyuan doubled over with laughter.

"What spiritual nature is there? It's clearly human form! Human nature!"

"And now, in this era, after the Immortal Dao collapsed, they've torn off that ugly curtain and directly use humans as medicine, lighting furnaces to refine pills."

"Isn't this just humans eating humans? Yet they speak of it so grandly! Haha!"

"Hahaha..."

Watching Ni Gaoyuan descend into madness, He Qiao'er and Meng Chen both fell into deep thought, their emotions fluctuating uncertainly.

Cannibalism among one's own kind—even among demons, monsters, beasts, and birds, such behavior is exceedingly rare.

After pondering for a long while, Meng Chen bitterly curled the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, he put down this batch of ginseng.

"My apologies to you both."

Meng Chen lowered his eyelids and said softly. Once he took this step, turning back would be difficult:

"I truly find it hard to accept such inhuman acts."

Upon hearing this, both Ni Gaoyuan and He Qiao'er narrowed their eyes:

"Fellow Daoist Meng, what do you mean by this?"

They had herded the masses, commanded Yao Beasts, and enslaved Mortals—they had done all that needed to be done. Yet now, at this final step, to abandon a ripe Opportunity right before their mouths? Both felt a hint of incomprehension towards Meng Chen's choice.

"I, Meng Chen, was once a Mortal too. It was only after receiving the Dao Blight from the [Origin Dao Transmission Stele] that I stepped onto the path of cultivation."

"After walking this path for over sixty years of Qi Gathering and Dao cultivation, my wife and children died long ago..." Meng Chen looked up at the drifting clouds in the sky.

The small courtyard, autumn leaves, his wife's Osmanthus Porridge, his children playing in the yard—it all remained vivid in his memory.

"Devouring living humans raw... please forgive me, I cannot do it."

These ginseng stalks were all still alive.

They were once someone's son, someone's family.

Although Meng Chen had conspired to overthrow Dongshan City and unleash Yao Beasts, personally consuming these living human-ginsengs was a line he could not cross.

He pushed the ginseng towards Ni Gaoyuan.

"I'll take only my share of the Spirit Stones from City Lord Chu Sheng. You can have the rest."

"Fellow Daoists, our paths diverge here. Take care."

Saying this, Meng Chen prepared to leave.

Watching his retreating figure, Ni Gaoyuan let out a long sigh and shook his head: "Fellow Daoist Meng, wait."

"Wha..." As Meng Chen turned around, he saw Ni Gaoyuan's eyes glowing with a crimson light. His mind went blank.

A blade pierced through his chest.

Thump!

Meng Chen's body slumped to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He Qiao'er expressionlessly sheathed her sword.

Ni Gaoyuan slowly withdrew the blade from Meng Chen's corpse and calmly stored the ginseng back into the storage ring.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, don't blame us."

"This world is nothing but a vast nursery, a medicinal field and beast pen divided among the Holy Court, the Sects, and the Yao Race."

"We Loose Cultivators can only survive in the cracks, desperately trying to avoid becoming the medicine or fodder before our time comes." Ni Gaoyuan said, stuffing his former comrade's body into a bag. He then took out the ginseng again.

"Alright, we'll split the remaining ginseng equally."

He Qiao'er nodded in agreement.

However, the moment she sheathed her sword, a streak of black light flashed.

A pitch-black sword pierced through her forehead, and a blood mist erupted.

After killing He Qiao'er, the sword-wielder did not pause. The blade turned with a momentum like a fading moon, striking towards Ni Gaoyuan.

Ni Gaoyuan instinctively retreated, but his arm was a step too slow and was severed by the sword.

"It's you!?"

Ni Gaoyuan's pupils constricted, capturing the image of the boy with a cold expression, around twelve or thirteen years old.

"The strike missed."

Shen Moyan gave him no chance to react. Stepping over He Qiao'er's corpse, he closed in aggressively.