125: heretical practices are rampant

“I'll go with my Disciple when the time comes. I accept this task. How much time is left until the rotation?”

Li Haotian didn't pay much attention to the details; he asked about the duration mainly so he could bring extra food, as the location might not have the facilities for him to make distilled liquor or hotpot.

“About one month left.”

Li Haotian nodded upon hearing this. Their rotation method involved sending a large group of Disciples and the next batch of rotating personnel over. The handover could only occur after the personnel currently stationed there had explained all matters and precautions.

Departing in a month was not a difficult matter. In this month, his three Disciples should be able to finish their tasks. By then, Du Xian would probably be the only one left on Spirit Gathering Peak.

Immortal Master Xuan Qing showed a gratified smile upon hearing the young man's words.

“It is good that you have this willingness. For the next period, I might not appear in the Sect, as I must enter seclusion to Breakthrough to Heavenly Monarch. The relevant matters will naturally be arranged for you by an Elder. Should any danger occur there, immediately seek aid from the Sect.”

Li Haotian nodded decisively, then continued brewing his distilled liquor.

Seeing the pile of complex apparatus and smelling the fragrance of liquor drifting in the air, Immortal Master Xuan Qing curiously approached and observed closely.

“What have you been busy with lately? Why do these things look so strange? And where is this liquor fragrance coming from? This is the first time I've smelled such a strong aroma of liquor.”

Immortal Master Xuan Qing twitched his nose, searching around, and quickly found some liquor in a small ceramic bowl.

The fragrance he smelled was precisely that gathered in the small ceramic bowl.

The high-concentration white liquor dripped out of the apparatus little by little, falling into the small ceramic bowl, and was finally poured into a jar.

Immortal Master Xuan Qing picked up the small ceramic bowl, took a small sip, and his expression instantly changed drastically.

He felt a wave of liquor—hot, spicy, scalding, yet simultaneously icy—surge from his mouth into his throat and then down to his stomach.

Everywhere the liquor passed, there was a burning sensation; it was incredibly satisfying.

A single gulp seemed to dispel all the coldness from his body.

Seeing the other party drink his liquor, Li Haotian showed a hint of pride. It was time to give these old fogeys a shock courtesy of science.

“This liquor is simply top-grade! I have never tasted such fiery fine wine!”

Immortal Master Xuan Qing wiped the drool from his mouth, his face showing excitement. Although he was now one-eyed, his right eye stared intently at Li Haotian.

“Where did you get this liquor? If it's for sale, I'd like to buy a few jars to keep in my Immortal Cave so I can drink my fill whenever I want.”

Immortal Master Xuan Qing rubbed his hands in anticipation. The longer the liquor was stored, the mellower it would become.

Of course, it couldn't be stored for too long, or it might ferment and turn into vinegar.

After all, in this era, the technique for brewing liquor didn't just involve grain; sometimes, fruits or other ingredients were used.

When Cultivators enter seclusion, it often lasts for several years, sometimes even decades or centuries.

Liquor brewed from grain becomes even more delicious when stored for such a long time. As the Heavenly Profound Sect's number one Drunkard, Immortal Master Xuan Qing immediately knew the liquor was brewed from grain, lacking any fruit aroma.

He didn't know how long his current seclusion would last—it could be a few months at the shortest, or even years or decades at the longest. If he could bury a jar of this liquor outside his Immortal Cave and taste it upon emerging from seclusion, it would surely be immensely satisfying.

“This is something I brewed entirely by hand. Sect Master, feel free to take it if you want to drink it, though the quantity is a bit small right now—only one jar. Next time you emerge from seclusion, you can come here. By then, I should have produced quite a bit of liquor, provided I return from the Fissure.”

Li Haotian said with a smile, then also picked up a bowl of the liquor, took a small sip, and added a piece of salted vegetable to his mouth to chew.

Immortal Master Xuan Qing nodded smilingly and put the jar of liquor away.

“You are truly sensible, young man. I heard you also sent your Disciples out. Remember to have them return within a month, as that's when we depart for the Fissure.”

After Immortal Master Xuan Qing finished speaking with a smile, he was about to leave, but seemed to remember something. He pushed a bamboo slip over.

Li Haotian took it and was greatly shocked by the contents.

The bamboo slip clearly stated that a large number of Evil Cultivators had recently emerged in the Heavenly Domain.

They were not only brazenly establishing Sects and setting up mountain gates, but were also wantonly slaughtering ordinary people. Righteous Path Cultivators actively responded but were exhausted from rushing around, as the Evil Cultivators' numbers were simply too great.

They had always hidden in the shadows, but it seemed the incident involving the Hundred Ghosts Sect had allowed them to become completely reckless. Although the Heavenly Profound Sect's foundation was extremely deep and its strength formidable, the Heavenly Profound Sect was still only one of the Ten Great Sects in the Heavenly Domain.

Even the Heavenly Profound Sect nearly perished in that battle, let alone the other Righteous Path Sects.

Therefore, these Evil Cultivators naturally grew bolder.

They began openly walking the world, bringing disaster upon the common people and all living beings.

Originally, Evil Cultivators did not exist in this world. Even if someone suffered Qi Deviation during Cultivation, they would merely die from severed Meridians; there were no special Cultivation Techniques that allowed them to absorb human blood, human flesh, or Souls.

Various evil Cultivation Techniques usually came from the various races outside the Heavenly Domain. Since they fed on the Human Race, they naturally had corresponding derivative Cultivation Techniques.

For them, the Human Race they kept and bred was equivalent to an endless supply of resources.

The various races who relied on the Human Race for Cultivation basically all had specialized areas where they raised tens of billions of Humans.

These Humans were the blood food of the Foreign Races, ready to be used at any time for Cultivation; their lives were not considered lives at all.

Once these Cultivation Techniques flowed into the Heavenly Domain, they would inevitably be Cultivated by those with malicious intent or those who held resentment toward the Righteous Path forces.

Just like some people who were once rejected by major Sects due to lack of talent and were unable to Cultivate, those who were petty naturally developed hatred in their hearts. If they ever had a chance for revenge, they would certainly seize it.

Furthermore, their goal in Cultivation was inherently longevity or gaining powerful strength. Whether they became Evil Cultivators or Righteous Path Cultivators made no difference to them.

Now that a path simpler than that of Righteous Path Cultivators, and one that didn't rely on talent, lay before them, their choice was naturally obvious.

This was the reason why Evil Cultivation developed so rapidly.

“I generally understand this matter. Of course, I don't have any countermeasures. The only thing I can suggest is for Righteous Path Cultivators to establish major branches and widely recruit Disciples across the world, thereby cutting off the source of recruitment for the Evil Cultivators.”