My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 116 - Tie Sha Vows Allegiance, the Underworld Gates of the Black Market Open - Part 1

Chapter 116 - Tie Sha Vows Allegiance, the Underworld Gates of the Black Market Open - Part 1

News of the Fragrant General’s defeat spread like wildfire. Rumors swept through the land, passing from one person to the next with astonishing speed.

Atop the township walls, a handful of bandits who managed to escape back were screaming incoherently for the Patriarch’s mercy. These mountain bandits stood out from ordinary travelers or townsfolk, making them easy to identify. Some were simply panicked rather than mad, stumbling around as though they’d lost their souls, muttering, “Devil...devils everywhere...”

About twenty or so such bandits fled to Gemhill County, only to be swiftly rounded up by the Blood Blade Sect for interrogation.

Tie Sha, clad in a plain white robe, sat quietly in the central seat of the Blood Fury Hall. He stared off into the distance, distracted by a seemingly trivial piece of information he had just received. Li Yuan hasn’t been at his residence for the past two days. He went hunting in Little Ink Mountain.

Indeed, Li Yuan was originally a hunter and had often gone hunting before. So heading off to Little Ink Mountain again wouldn’t raise any suspicion at all.

Yes... It’s completely normal. Tie Sha kept trying to convince himself of that.

Suddenly, the pounding of fast horses came from outside, followed by a messenger’s call, “Deputy Sect Master Yu has arrived!”

Before long, a slender, refined-looking man with an undercurrent of cruelty in his eyes strode into the hall.

Tie Sha finally looked up, not bothering with any small talk about why Yu Chaojin had returned so abruptly from the Wei Family’s former territory. He simply said, “You’re back.”

Yu Chaojin did not bow or sit. Instead, he declared, “Sect Master, I returned suddenly because I wish to formally pay my respects to the Blood Blade Patriarch.

“The last time His Eminence defended the inner district, I should have come right away. But since he rarely shows himself, I didn’t dare return just for that. Now he’s appeared yet again, and word on the street is that the Patriarch is personally stationed in the Silver Creek. So I have come in haste.”

Tie Sha smiled slightly. He knew these rumors originated from those fleeing bandits. One of their spies had supposedly discovered the Blood Blade Patriarch’s presence in the inner district, which explained why the Fragrant General had not attacked Gemhill County but instead marched on Flowerpath County.

“Sect Master,” Yu Chaojin continued, “please, help me seek an audience. I am also a member of the Blood Blade Sect. I should be qualified to pay respects to him.”

When Tie Sha stayed silent, Yu Chaojin pressed him again. “Sect Master, are you suggesting I’m unworthy?”

Tie Sha sighed. “Old Yu, if I were to tell you I don’t actually know where he is, would you believe me?”

Hearing the casual honesty in his tone, Yu Chaojin nodded. “If you say it like that, then yes, I believe you.”

Tie Sha laughed. “I knew you still understood me.”

With a cold snort, Yu Chaojin flung his sleeves and turned to leave.

Tie Sha called after him, “Where are you going?”

“I’ll find an empty spot where I can offer my prayers to the patriarch.”

“You plan to worship the sky?” Tie Sha asked, perplexed.

Yu Chaojin whirled around in anger. “Sect Master, watch your words! If he heard you say something like that, he might take offense. I’m only bowing to the sky because I don’t know where he is. To us in the Blood Blade Sect, the Patriarch is our sky. By bowing to the sky, I’m bowing to him.”

With that, he strode off.

Tie Sha stood watching with amusement as his deputy sect master departed. He still remembered how Li Yuan had technically qualified to join as an outer disciple when he first entered the Blood Blade Sect, yet Yu Chaojin, harboring some prejudice, had demoted him to an associate instead. Seeing the famously proud Yu Chaojin act like this now was oddly entertaining.

Tie Sha tapped his leg lightly and muttered, “Out hunting...yes, out hunting...”

Then he heaved a deep sigh.

If the man in question truly were the Blood Blade Patriarch, Tie Sha wouldn’t be nearly this conflicted. The trouble was, he wasn’t sure the man actually was the Patriarch at all.

Behind Tie Sha stood Old Ding, who must have slipped in at some point. Upon seeing Tie Sha’s troubled expression, Old Ding offered calmly, “If he’s showing goodwill, what is there to worry about? Maybe, like me, he just wants a peaceful place to spend his later years.”

Tie Sha shook his head. “He’s done us a great favor. If I had to take care of him for life, that would be no trouble at all. But what I’m afraid of is...”

“What exactly?” Old Ding asked.

“A shepherd dog protects a flock because it chooses to. A wolf might protect the same flock just so it can feast alone.” Tie Sha paused, then murmured, “If he truly were the Blood Blade Patriarch, he wouldn’t be himself. Old Ding, have you ever heard of the method of borrowing a corpse to resurrect a soul?”

Old Ding tugged thoughtfully at his beard. “It’s possible. Those near-immortal cultivators, who knows what they’re capable of?”

“That’s what worries me...” Tie Sha paced back and forth, opening his mouth several times but closing it again. At last, he declared, “Either way, as a junior, I should make a proper call on this senior, even if he wishes not to see visitors. Certain courtesies must still be observed. That way, I can at least show some respect.”

He let out a slow breath and added, “Old Ding, if I end up giving this senior a peaceful retirement, you won’t mind, will you?”

Old Ding smiled. “Judging from his capabilities, he’s my senior as well. Why would I object?”

Tie Sha nodded, gaze firm as if finally deciding on a course of action. Then he said, “Remember that disciple surnamed Ren who died earlier? He must have crossed a line somehow...

“If I never make it back from visiting this senior, see to it that Yu Chaojin takes over as sect master. He’s a clever man and won’t do you wrong.”

Old Ding simply listened, knowing well that Tie Sha’s mind was made up and couldn’t be swayed.

Tie Sha sat down again, crossing his legs and stroking his chin, deep in thought about the best way to formally pay his respects.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

High atop a rocky outcropping, a white finch perched with wings spread wide, gazing down at the canyon below. Passersby who caught sight of the line of heads skewered on wooden stakes either fled in terror, changed routes entirely, or hurled themselves recklessly into the gorge.

Those heads, eyes bulging in permanent horror, remained where they were, swaying in the wind.

Not long afterward, a ragged army, some 2,000 strong, arrived at the mouth of the canyon. Most were battered and road-weary, but they radiated a menacing aura. In the finch’s sharp vision, their individual strengths were revealed one by one. This group boasted far more eighth, ninth, and even seventh rank fighters than the army that had followed the Fragrant General.

Most crucial was the short man leading them. Above his head flickered the numbers 340~378.

It was the highest base power Li Yuan had ever seen. His own stat now read 305~455, meaning his minimum was lower than this man’s, though his maximum far exceeded it.

“Zhao Xiantong...” Li Yuan spoke the name coldly, reining in his horse to a stop. He scrutinized the man carefully and felt some relief. Zhao Xiantong’s overall power was still below his maximum.

Yet before Li Yuan could relax, his eyes locked on another person in the crowd. The numbers floating above that figure were 435~539.

Li Yuan’s pupils contracted sharply, and he fell silent.

He was a powerfully built man, his bronze skin taut over a frame like forged iron. His face resembled an iron mask, and his body gave off a solid, unyielding presence—like a temple idol cast in gleaming metal.

The short man, Zhao Xiantong, turned and addressed him, “General Mammoth, just beyond this pass are the three counties of Southsky, Flowerpath, and Gemhill. The path is narrow, with a mountain at its back and a river by its side—easy to defend and hard to attack. A decent spot.”

General Mammoth responded with a gruff, “Zhao Xiantong, what’s the deal with that entrance? All those heads, do you recognize any of them?”

At that moment, Li Yuan realized the Fragrant General had assumed only Zhao Xiantong would be coming. He hadn’t expected that Zhao Xiantong would bring someone even stronger—this General Mammoth.

Both were sixth rank experts. Yet Zhao Xiantong’s numbers seemed ambiguous. Given how low his stats looked, Li Yuan couldn’t quite tell if he was truly sixth rank or seventh.

Just then, the short man strode forward, grabbed one of the stakes at the front, and waved the head impaled on it, narrowing his eyes to examine the face. He let out a cold snort.

“This one was part of the former militia—a seventh rank talent, and a pretty capable one at that. I’d heard he was stationed here. I’d planned to come back and take them over...then use them as cannon fodder to test the waters around these counties at the edge of civilization.”

“Looks like his entire force of elites got wiped out.” Zhao Xiantong’s gaze swept over the rows of other decapitated heads. He shook his own in mild exasperation. He bared his teeth, a sly grin crossing his face. “Interesting... A real welcoming party.”

He was about to walk deeper into the canyon when General Mammoth’s voice rang out, “Wait.”