Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Launching a Small-scale Battle

"Weird? What’s weird?" The Bi Xing Commander’s eyes shifted as he turned the question back on them. "I was tired and just wanted to come into town for the night to rest. Why did you attack me on sight?"

"Huh?" The Silk Embroideress froze, completely dumbfounded.

A moment ago, the Bi Xing Commander had emerged from the water, intending to enter the town. She had subconsciously assumed he was the murderer and attacked after just a few words. She hadn’t actually confirmed if he was the demon responsible for killing the townspeople.

’Could this be a misunderstanding?’

But seeing the Bi Xing Commander’s shifty eyes, the Silk Embroideress quickly came to her senses. The truth was obvious—he was just trying to talk his way out of it now that he was captured.

"Are you people from the Spirit Court?" the Bi Xing Commander asked. "I know the Spirit Court values rules above all else. The truth is, I am also a Spirit Monarch. Though I serve Bian Palace, I have never harmed a human. There must be a misunderstanding between us. Please, release me, and we can talk this over.

Oh, and are you here on important business? If you need any help, I can call on some friends and allies to assist you!"

When the Bi Xing Commander claimed to be a Spirit Monarch, both Gu Zhao and Taoist Yan Song laughed.

The Demons and Ghosts of this world couldn’t see Evil Qi, but Gu Zhao and Yan Song had the Five Thunders Order and the Thunder Seed, allowing them to sense it clearly. The Bi Xing Commander’s Divine Soul was tainted with a heavy amount of Evil Qi.

Gu Zhao clenched his right fist, and Magical Power surged along an invisible line into the Bi Xing Commander’s body. The Fire Shield Technique intensified, beginning to scorch his very flesh and bone.

"Nnngh..."

The Bi Xing Commander’s eyes became bloodshot as he cried out in hoarse agony, but the sound was as faint as the buzz of a fly, nearly inaudible.

After letting him burn for a moment, Gu Zhao eased up slightly and asked again, "What is Bian Palace up to?"

The Bi Xing Commander gasped for breath, still trying to bluff. "There’s really nothing strange going on! What will it take for you to believe me?"

Gu Zhao scoffed, "Over two hundred people died in Anlin Town last night alone. If it wasn’t you, who was it?"

The Bi Xing Commander blurted out, "There weren’t that many!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the Bi Xing Commander saw the ghost of a smile on Gu Zhao’s face and immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Gu Zhao raised his index finger, and an ember suddenly ignited at its tip. The Bi Xing Commander felt the net of fire inside his body pulse, resonating faintly with the flame on Gu Zhao’s finger.

"Secrets belong to others, but your life is your own," Gu Zhao said calmly.

The Bi Xing Commander’s eyes lit up. "You’ll spare me?"

Gu Zhao said with a sincere expression, "If you’re not the main culprit, then I won’t kill you."

"Fine! I’ll talk!" The Bi Xing Commander nodded decisively. "The Ancestor’s Dao Practice has been stalled at the five-hundred-year mark, and his remaining lifespan is short. He decided to perform a blood sacrifice with the Old Ao Primordial Pearl to achieve a Realm Breakthrough. The pearl came from the Old Ao that ravaged Wuhe County thirty years ago."

Although the Bi Xing Commander had several decades of Dao Practice, he was no zealous warrior. After being tormented by Gu Zhao’s Fire Shield Technique, he decisively betrayed the Bian Ancestor.

The Bian Ancestor was also a tortoise demon. Though not particularly talented, he had a long lifespan and had managed to grind his Dao Practice up to more than four hundred years.

But now his life was nearing its end. If he couldn’t advance, his body would perish and his Dao would scatter.

Thirty years ago, turmoil rocked several State Mansions in Wanling Jiangnan. In Wuhe County, an Old Ao had created a sea of blood before it was finally suppressed by the full might of the Xuanwei Divine Sect. By chance, the Bian Ancestor managed to obtain its Primordial Pearl.

For thirty years, the Bian Ancestor tried to absorb this Primordial Pearl, but his progress was minimal. Now, with his life drawing to a close, he has decided to stake everything on a blood sacrifice.

"In order to fuse this Primordial Pearl into his body, the Ancestor has gone into seclusion. But he requires a large amount of fresh blood daily."

The Bi Xing Commander continued, "For the first thirty days, he needs the blood of a hundred people daily. After that, he will need the pure vital blood of thirty pairs of virginal boys and girls to succeed."

Hearing this, Taoist Yan Song couldn’t help but grimace. "Over three thousand people?"

"The numbers don’t add up!" Gu Zhao’s eyes narrowed. "You’re not just targeting Anlin Town, are you? There are other places?"

The Bi Xing Commander nodded. "The Ancestor publicly announced he was celebrating his three-hundredth birthday. He sent us to strike at the villages and towns around Wuhe County. By killing just a few people in each place, we could avoid causing a major disturbance and wouldn’t attract the attention of the Golden Wind Sect."

Of the four great powers in Changping Prefecture—the Golden Wind Sect, Three Extremes Mountain, Bian Palace, and Stone King Cave—the Golden Wind Sect is the strongest, and Bian Palace is the weakest.

But the Bian Ancestor is a tortoise demon; as long as he fights underwater, he has the home-field advantage. Even the Golden Wind Divine King would struggle to defeat him there, so Bian Palace’s status was tacitly accepted.

"Why in Wuhe County?" Taoist Yan Song asked. "Isn’t Bian Palace near Changping Prefecture?"

"The Ancestor isn’t in seclusion at Bian Palace. Beneath the Chang River in Wuhe County, there’s a place where Yin and Yang converge, making it perfectly suited for the blood sacrifice of the Primordial Pearl," the Bi Xing Commander revealed, holding nothing back. "We deliver the collected human blood to him there every day."

Gu Zhao immediately asked, "What happens if you don’t make the delivery today?"

The Bi Xing Commander hesitated for a moment. "I don’t know. The Ancestor never said."

At this, the Bi Xing Commander grew nervous. "I’ve told you everything I know. Please, let me go now. I’ll follow the Chang River to Bai Shi Prefecture and never return."

Gu Zhao nodded. "One last question: where is this place where Yin and Yang converge?"

"It’s twenty li northeast of Wuhe County. The Chang River forms a crescent-shaped loop there, and the place where Yin and Yang converge is thirty zhang beneath the surface," the Bi Xing Commander said in a rush.

"Good!" Gu Zhao stood up and, true to his word, waved his hand to dispel the Fire Shield Technique, releasing the Restriction on the Bi Xing Commander.

The Bi Xing Commander breathed a sigh of relief. He slipped out of the inn and, in a flash, reached the banks of the Anqu River.

But before he could dive into the water, a figure suddenly appeared before him. By his build and clothes, it was the old man who had just been with Gu Zhao, only now his face was hidden behind a red mask.

"You went back on your word!" the Bi Xing Commander roared, his eyes wide with fury.

"The Sect Leader said *he* wouldn’t kill you, and he won’t. He even released the Restriction on you. You could say he not only fulfilled his promise but went above and beyond."

Taoist Yan Song chuckled. "But with so much Evil Qi clinging to you, my Dao Heart wouldn’t be at ease if I just let you walk away."

In the next instant, Taoist Yan Song pursed his lips and whistled softly. A gale of fire erupted from his mouth, instantly forming a tornado that engulfed the Bi Xing Commander.

...

"The Bian Ancestor has less than five hundred years of Cultivation. He’s not at Bian Palace, but in Wuhe County, performing a sacrificial ritual with the Old Ao Primordial Pearl. He probably doesn’t have many men with him."

’The Evil Qi from that butcher and Consort Yu has been completely processed. My Cultivation has been highly efficient lately.’

"The blood sacrifice takes more than thirty days, and he’s about halfway through. Logically, a ritual like this can’t be interrupted. Otherwise, all his previous efforts will be for nothing, or at the very least, his Vitality will be severely damaged."

"An opportunity like this won’t come again," Taoist Yan Song said. "Want to take a shot?"

"Then let’s take our shot!" Gu Zhao said, rubbing his chin in anticipation. "The Talismans I prepared will finally see some use!"