29: Mystery

Fang Huai frequently attacked Zheng Fengzu with the Yin Ming Claw, while Liu Xiange cast Incantations to inflict debuffs on him.

Under the pincer attack of the two, Zheng Fengzu was drenched in sweat and filled with anxiety.

He had already exhausted his spiritual power to perform the Skinning Technique, and now he was distracted trying to suppress the Small Corpse Meteor Worms scurrying within his body; he was already overwhelmed.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his heart—

A Small Corpse Meteor Worm had broken through his defenses and burrowed inside!

His mind shook, a flaw was exposed, and his chest was pierced by the Yin Ming Claw.

Seeing Zheng Fengzu fall, Fang Huai did not let down his guard; he used the Yin Ming Claw again to pierce through his Qi Sea.

“Patriarch Zheng, being careless toward an enemy never ends well,” Fang Huai said, looking coldly at Zheng Fengzu.

With the other's Qi Sea shattered, his Spiritual Qi was leaking out, and his Realm was plummeting level by level; he was no longer a threat.

Liu Xiange retrieved her Storage Pouch and took out several long ropes. With a flick of her wrist, she bound Zheng Fengzu and the remaining Zheng Clan Members.

“These Monster Binding Ropes, meant for binding Yao Beasts, have finally served a purpose today.”

The two sat cross-legged and circulated their spiritual power to force the Blood Jade Worms out of their bodies... “Senior Brother Fang, what should we do next?”

Liu Xiange had already checked Lin Qian; he hadn't survived the gnawing of the Blood Jade Worms and was already dead.

When a Late Stage Qi Refinement Cultivator falls, the Sect will surely notice. They might even send someone here immediately.

Fang Huai leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.

Liu Xiange frowned and wanted to refuse, but seeing the determination in Fang Huai's eyes, she gritted her teeth and agreed.

She walked over to the Zheng Clan Members who were suffering more than death from the Incantations. With a wave of her hand, she withdrew the spiritual power, and the Zheng Clan Members immediately felt much better.

Fang Huai spoke: “We have no intention of making things difficult for the ordinary members of the Zheng Clan. While the Corpse Fiend Sect has not yet arrived, quickly close the Formation and leave.”

The Zheng Clan Members were deeply grateful. They were about to step forward to take Zheng Fengzu away when Fang Huai stopped them.

“Zheng Fengzu killed two Senior Brothers from my Sect. His crimes are too numerous to record; there is absolutely no room for forgiveness.

If you want to take him with you, then all of you can stay here and accompany him.”

The Zheng Clan Members looked at each other and then at Zheng Fengzu, their eyes filled with hesitation.

Zheng Fengzu sighed softly and nodded to signal his clansmen to leave.

————

Outside the Formation, Liu Xiange rode a Corpse Fiend Bird and delivered the Zheng Clan Members to their respective sky-blue stone pillars.

The Zheng Clan Members looked at each other. Not daring to delay, they immediately injected spiritual power into the stone pillars.

In an instant, the marsh water surged violently, turning into rolling jade-green waves that once again tightly covered the space below.

At that very moment, the expressions of the Zheng Clan Members changed drastically.

The Qi in their bodies dissipated, and their flesh began to crumble as if being gnawed by thousands of insects and ants.

In just a few moments, they were bleeding from all seven orifices, their life force extinguished.

Liu Xiange waved her hand, and the corpses of the Zheng Clan Members fell into the waves, becoming food for the Yao Beasts.

Afterward, she rode the Corpse Fiend Bird and flew toward the Zheng Clan's residence.

Inside the Formation, Fang Huai sat cross-legged, Drawing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into the Body.

Zheng Fengzu, on the other hand, was covered in sweat, questioning his very existence.

Clearly, only his Qi Sea was broken. Why could he no longer even manage to perform Drawing Qi into the Body?

Fang Huai shook his head inwardly: What do you think I kept you alive for? If I hadn't taken an interest in the [Drawing Qi into the Body] on your person, I would have sent you to the afterlife long ago.

To prevent Zheng Fengzu from committing suicide in despair or doing something else extreme, Fang Huai would return [Drawing Qi into the Body] to him for half an hour every twelve hours.

However, half an hour was not enough to repair the Qi Sea.

Before the Qi Sea could be fully repaired, Fang Huai would borrow [Drawing Qi into the Body] again, causing the slightly repaired Qi Sea to shatter once more.

Drawing Qi, shattering, drawing Qi, shattering... Zheng Fengzu finally broke down. With a look of madness on his face, he quietly crawled toward the edge of the Formation.

“Fang Huai, I know I cannot escape, and I am unwilling to live a dishonorable life. To be able to perish together with you isn't a losing deal.”

There was a hint of sorrow in his eyes: “What a pity. If only we had gone to the New Sect earlier, perhaps there would have been a different ending.

Old Ancestor, the Formation Core you left behind is finally going to serve its purpose.”

His hand reached out tremblingly toward the Formation Core. With just a gentle twist, the Clan-Protecting Formation would self-destruct, taking him to confess his sins to the Old Ancestor.

“What are you mumbling about?”

Zheng Fengzu's hand was grabbed. He looked up to see Fang Huai staring at him with a cold smirk.

“If you want to die, go die by yourself. Don't drag me into it.”

Throwing him aside, Fang Huai continued, “I heard you mention some 'New Sect' earlier. What exactly is this New Sect?”

Zheng Fengzu spat, “You want to know? Wait for your next life.”

The corners of Fang Huai's mouth curled up. “I don't need a next life. I have ways to find out in this one.”

...Half an hour later, Fang Huai threw Zheng Fengzu's battered corpse next to the blood jade tree, letting it absorb his blood and Qi.

“Oh, blood jade tree, Patriarch Zheng raised you for so many years. I didn't expect that in the end, you would be the one to devour him completely.”

Demonic Sects have many ways to obtain information. Besides using Spells like Soul Searching or Illusions, they also frequently used physical methods.

Zheng Fengzu was stubborn at first, but it wasn't long before he confessed everything.

Ten years ago, a green-robed Foundation Establishment Cultivator claiming to be from the New Sect came to the Zheng Family. He gave Zheng Fengzu the seeds of the blood jade tree and instructed him on how to Cultivate them.

By nourishing the blood jade tree with the blood and Qi of living beings, one could stimulate it to grow more leaves.

The Blood Jade Leaves had multiple uses: they could induce hallucinations, assist in cultivation, or be turned into Curse Gu to kill people invisibly.

The Cultivator promised that as long as the Zheng Family cultivated the blood jade tree well, they could travel north to seek refuge with the New Sect if they ever faced trouble.

To protect the blood jade tree, the entire Zheng Family relocated.

They planted it within the Clan-Protecting Formation and placed a clan-protecting Yao Beast above it for protection. They would occasionally open the Formation to feed it the corpses of Yao Beasts and harvest Blood Jade Leaves for cultivation.

Fang Huai had used every means possible, but this was all the information he could get.

With a wave of the soul banner, Zheng Fengzu's remnant soul was sucked inside.

In truth, the Zheng Clan Members were also pitiable people, and Fang Huai didn't want to be completely heartless.

But if he didn't do this, and if that so-called New Sect Cultivator used a Soul-Summoning Method to call back Zheng Fengzu's soul, it would inevitably expose him.

He didn't think he had the ability to survive if he provoked a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

As for the New Sect Cultivator's promise that Zheng Fengzu could find him in the north, it was likely a lie.

The purpose was merely to trick Zheng Fengzu into helping him grow this blood jade tree.

Before Liu Xiange left, he had already instructed her to say that the Zheng Patriarch had betrayed the Sect and killed Lin Qian and Wu Sanli, and was subsequently killed by the two of them working together.

As for himself, after experiencing a life-and-death battle, he had gained an epiphany for a Breakthrough and had gone to find a Fiend Condensing Land to Breakthrough, intending to return to the Sect afterward.

This lie was full of holes and wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, but Fang Huai already had a plan to deal with that.

The Corpse Fiend Bird and the belongings of Lin Qian and Wu Sanli would be returned to their respective peaks, while the Monster Core and eyes of the Jade-Green Rippling Carp would be given to the Elder of Liu Xiange's peak.

Under the temptation of the water spirit pearl, the Elder of his own peak would surely help cover up the lie.

Once the peaks of Lin Qian and Wu Sanli received the belongings back, they wouldn't have much more to say.

[Hundred Fiends Art (Incomplete Manual) Level 3: 100/100]

Now, it was time for him to Breakthrough!

After taking a deep breath, he took out the skinning knife, injected spiritual power into it, and sliced open his skin.