Chapter 101: Earthly Fiend Beasts, The Tower Master's Investigation

Enveloped in a shroud of black mist, the paper-talisman avatar transformed into another person. As it sped through layers of pavilions, the scenery on either side receded rapidly.

It was the dead of night, and the moon shone bright. Silvery-white beams illuminated the network of black, polluted canals, faintly revealing several corpses floating beneath the surface. Some were cultivators who had lost in magical duels; others were mortals slain for offending their magical superiors.

Ostensibly, fighting was forbidden here, yet dark undercurrents surged beneath the surface. Before his arrival, Lu Qian had done thorough research. He had not only located Niu Xing's cave dwelling but also discovered that, at this hour, the man would likely be carousing at the Hibiscus Pavilion.

"We are both at the early stage of the Spirit Nourishing realm. With the right timing, it will be a fatal blow in a single strike." A gleam flashed in Lu Qian's eyes. Had his target been a mid-stage Spirit Nourishing cultivator who had already condensed malevolent Qi, Lu Qian would have had no choice but to steer clear.

Though the early and mid stages seemed to differ by only a minor realm, the latter was actually ten times stronger than the former. In the early stage, when the Yin Spirit left the body, it had to anchor its soul to physical objects. But in the mid stage, once the malevolent Qi was condensed, it would envelop the Yin Spirit, eliminating the need to rely on external vessels. This allowed one to truly come and go without a trace. Coupled with the extremely potent and yin nature of malevolent Qi, defeating an early-stage Spirit Nourishing cultivator often required only a sweep of the Qi to instantly strip away a significant portion of their combat strength.

In the distance, a five-story pavilion with carved beams and painted pillars came into view. Pink lanterns hung by the entrance, casting a suggestive glow. Lu Qian assumed a different appearance and walked straight inside. In truth, no matter how a Yin Spirit altered its form, it retained certain inherent traits that would manifest whenever it channelled its power.

The moment he stepped inside, a wave of lively chatter washed over him—the boisterous talk of patrons and the coquettish giggles of women being teased. This was a brothel, one catering exclusively to cultivators. It employed Embryonic Breathing acolytes and Qi Refining Daoists, and should a patron's Yin Spirit visit, there were even Spirit Nourishing courtesans skilled in spiritual union. The establishment was likely run by a sect dedicated to dual cultivation.

"Sir, would you like some company?" a young woman in red with sultry, bedroom eyes purred as she approached him.

"An Embryonic Breathing acolyte and a jar of fine wine," Lu Qian replied in a raspy voice. He then made his way to a corner, pulling the woman close as he sipped his wine, quietly waiting for his target to show himself.

In a bedchamber bathed in a suggestive red glow, two pale, naked bodies lay intertwined, their union culminating in a sharp, high-pitched cry. Niu Xing sat up lazily. A petite woman propped herself up to help him dress, her hands lingering playfully over his body as she did so.

"Here!" Niu Xing tossed a pouch of Dharma coins onto the bed, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Most of this money came from the illicit profits of the alchemy chamber, supplemented by bribes. At the thought of bribes, his face darkened. He had intended to purchase a cave dwelling, only for some brat to meddle and ruin his plans, causing his hard-earned money to go down the drain. Once he returned, he would make sure to give that kid a miserable time. With these thoughts in mind, Niu Xing walked down the stairs.

It was getting late. He lingered downstairs to flirt with the madam for a brief moment before stumbling out of the main entrance, thoroughly intoxicated. Though his illicit gains were substantial, his expenses were equally grand; he drank only the finest Drunk Immortal Spiritual Wine, rode premium exotic beasts, and bedded female cultivators. He had no desire to save money for cultivation materials or roam the world in search of malevolent Qi to condense. That path was far too perilous. A Spirit Nourishing cultivator possessed a lifespan of three hundred years, leaving him plenty of time to enjoy the pleasures of life.

A sudden gust of cold wind blew past, instantly clearing some of his drunken stupor.

*Not good!* Niu Xing's instincts flared in alarm. He snapped his eyes open, only to see a streak of crimson light cutting through the dark. This was no gentle breeze—it was a chilling, murderous strike!

In the nick of time, Niu Xing summoned a white jade talisman. Unfortunately, his reactions were too slow. Caught completely off guard and having let his defenses down, he stood no chance. The crimson light instantly corrupted the talisman, and the Blood-Melting Demonic Saber pierced straight through his skull.

*Pfft!*

Before his Yin Spirit could escape, the defiling blood-light shattered his soul-body, instantly reducing him to ash. The entire exchange took less than three breaths. An early-stage Spirit Nourishing Daoist had perished just like that, without any dramatic struggle or chance to turn the tables. A stream of pitch-black True Water materialized into a serpentine dragon, washing over the scene and leaving not a single trace behind.

"Ah! Murder!"

"Manager Niu is dead!"

Screams erupted from the Hibiscus Pavilion. Lu Qian, however, had already fled far into the distance, carrying the pocket-dimension pouch.

*Boom!*

Not far behind him, a column of crimson light surged into the sky from the Hibiscus Pavilion, accompanied by the furious roar of a cultivator. Soon after, a mass of blood-red light rose into the distant sky. Within the glow, a massive, hundred-foot-tall Heluo fish with a single head and ten bodies soared through the air like a descending demon.

"What a swift reaction!" Lu Qian muttered in surprise. The members of the Lingbo Pavilion likely possessed some soul-splitting technique that alerted them the instant one of their own died. The pursuer's speed was astonishing; the swiftness of a Dao Foundation expert who had achieved True Form Manifestation was far beyond what a Spirit Nourishing cultivator could match. At this rate, Lu Qian would be overtaken in no time.

Fortunately, Lu Qian was not without options. Diving into the black waters, he closed his eyes and focused. The image of a Yellow Spring Yin Talisman rose in his mind. As he visualized the intricate sigil, a subtle ripple spread out, and he seemed to merge completely with his surroundings.

As a sigil from an otherworldly realm, the Yellow Spring Yin Talisman possessed mystical properties akin to mortal talismans. This particular talisman seemed designed for concealment, and its effects were remarkably potent—so much so that even a Dao Foundation cultivator could not detect him. Lu Qian suspected that Li Du had obtained some ancient inheritance in the Netherworld back then; otherwise, he could never have operated right under everyone's noses for so many years. Although there had been no news of Li Du and the Temple of Nether Passage had not issued an arrest warrant, it did not mean he was dead. He was likely living comfortably somewhere.

A powerful divine sense swept through the air above before moving on. Lu Qian breathed a sigh of relief. He then opened the pocket-dimension pouch he had taken from Niu Xing. With its owner dead, the spiritual imprint on the pouch had dissolved. Lu Qian projected his divine sense inside, finding a pitch-black space of about five cubic meters.

Before him lay a small mountain of goods and over twenty wooden chests containing beast bones, demonic cores, monster blood, and specimens of exotic races.

"Three-headed water snake meat, a Chiru core... There are even materials from beasts on the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends list!" Lu Qian muttered in surprise.

In ancient times, immortals who traveled the strange, mythical realms had compiled registries ranking exotic beasts, rare flora, and natural treasures. These were the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends List and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits List. Any beast or treasure named on these lists was an exceedingly rare find.

Lu Qian had encountered items from the Earthly Fiends lists before, such as the Fire Date and the Dragon-Fish Herb—ranked sixtieth and sixty-ninth on the Rare Flora list, respectively—and the Dragon-Fish, which was ranked forty-ninth on the Exotic Beasts list. These treasures had played an indispensable role in helping him achieve his current level of cultivation. The Dragon-Fish lineage within Lu Qian's body was not nearly as mediocre as the Pavilion Master and the others believed. Among all dragon-descended beasts in the world, its ranking was actually quite respectable.

Aside from the medicinal ingredients and demonic cores, a pile of three to four thousand Dharma coins sat in a corner.

"As expected, plunder is the quickest path to wealth," Lu Qian chuckled. "Still, an alchemy manager is incredibly wealthy."

What Lu Qian did not know was that a portion of these medicinal materials had actually been purchased on behalf of the Lingbo Pavilion. Niu Xing had simply been too distracted by the brothel to deposit them into the treasury, allowing Lu Qian to reap the harvest.

***

Clear Water River Cave Dwelling.

The Alchemy Chamber.

Three red-skinned paper talismans stood before the furnace, monitoring the flame and occasionally adding ingredients to the concoction. A nine-foot-tall man with purple hair and golden eyes sat cross-legged before the furnace. Holding a crimson pill in his mouth, he meditated with closed eyes as the pill slowly dissolved.

Suddenly, Lu Qian snapped his eyes open as a crimson light erupted from his body. His blood boiled like scalding water, and a shroud of scorching, bloody steam began to rise from his skin.

With a rush of air, Lu Qian rose to his feet. Enveloped in the bloody mist, his purple hair fell loose behind him, and the dark yellow scales on his skin resembled intricate tattoos. He looked like a demon god descended to the mortal realm, radiating an imposing, chilling pressure.

*Boom!*

Lu Qian took a single step forward, his figure vanishing instantly only to reappear fifty yards away. With several consecutive steps, his form flickered and flashed without a trace of flight, as though he were teleporting through thin air. This was the Hundred Shadows Demonic Movement.

Arriving at a forest half a mile away, Lu Qian raised his right fist. The blood-red steam rising from his body gathered like war smoke, exuding a cold, tyrannical aura.

*Blood Firmament—Nature's Annihilation!*

*Boom!*

His fist tore through the air and slammed into the ground. Dust and debris exploded outward, leaving a ten-foot-wide crater centered around his fist.

"The power is still lacking. It's only slightly stronger than fire-thunder gunpowder. I need to at least reach the stage of blood-refining the entire body—which is equivalent to the Spirit Nourishing realm—to fully unleash the power of this body-tempering technique."

He summoned the Golden Mirror within his sea of consciousness.

*Nine Heavens Moonlit Blood-Refining Method (981/15000)*
*Blood Firmament (Novice: 56/100)*
*Demonic Shadow Horizon Step (Proficient: 12/100)*
*Lunar Golden Pupil (Novice: 60/500)*
*Yimu Essence Thunder (Novice: 53/500)*

After consuming the Blood Essence Elixir, the progress of these techniques had all increased to varying degrees. With the beast bones and demonic cores obtained from Niu Xing three days ago, combined with his leftover alchemy ingredients, if he refined them all into Blood Essence Elixirs, his body-tempering progress would surely leap forward. At the very least, he could push his body-tempering spells and divine abilities to mastery.

"Three days have passed. Someone should have traced it back to me by now," Lu Qian murmured with a smirk.

Although he had deliberately left traces of Yin-Water True Water to frame the outcast Lu Qian, any organization worth its salt would investigate everyone who had ever crossed paths with Niu Xing. To avoid exposure, he had hidden Niu Xing's pocket-dimension pouch out in the wilderness.

Just as Lu Qian expected, a knock sounded at the door of the alchemy chamber that evening.

"Master, Deacon Liu of the Lingbo Pavilion has come to visit," Mo Chou called out softly from the other side.