Jia Zhengfeng didn't say anything more.
With a wave of his hand, he escorted the group of newly arrived disciples from the Church of Longevity out of the hall.
The incident at the Nether Demon Mine weighed heavily on his heart like a massive stone, and during his cultivation these past few days, he had been plagued by hallucinations of that fateful day. Several times, Jia Zhengfeng had been so startled by these illusions that he coughed up blood and almost lost control.
To think that among the core disciples nurtured by the Church of Longevity since childhood, there was a terrifying entity like Bo Xi. Despite her weak cultivation, Bo Xi somehow possessed the means to withstand Jia Zhengfeng head-on. She even posed a threat to Jia Zhengfeng's safety.
Such methods were truly horrifying.
With these methods and schemes in mind, Jia Zhengfeng shuddered and felt a chilling sensation creep over him whenever he recalled them. Where did Bo Xi and the other disciples who underwent abnormalities come from? What sinister force was behind all of this?
Compared to the psychological pressure that Bo Xi and the others brought upon Jia Zhengfeng, the incident of being beaten by Shi Bao at the Nether Demon Mine and forced to mutilate his own arm seemed insignificant.
Feeling discouraged, Jia Zhengfeng picked up an ancient-looking bronze halberd, and with the weapon in hand, he silently exited the hall. He made his way through the Stone Fortress, avoiding areas illuminated by lights, as he silently roamed the inner parts of Warblade City.
Beside the stone fortress where he temporarily resided, the loud sounds of revelry and cheering emanated from a massive stone building.
The elite members of the Yan Clan within Warblade City, violent maniacs who oozed violence from every cell and whose every pore exuded filthy blood, were once again hosting their customary midnight banquet.
In the dead of the night, they indulged in feasting on roasted meat and drinking strong liquor to their heart's content, dissipating their excessive energy.
From the stone building, screams of women and sounds of agonizing moans were constantly heard. Jia Zhengfeng, who was well-versed in the ways of the Yan Clan, naturally knew what was happening inside.
The survival philosophy of the Yan Clan was simple and brutal: the strongest warriors possessed the best resources, and they used iron and blood to carve out a living space for their people. The upper echelons of the Yan Clan were all battle maniacs with a touch of hysteria. They were accustomed to resolving all problems with violence, and in their daily lives, they were filled with hysterical ferocity and cruelty.
At these midnight banquets, numerous female servants were taken out from the stone building each morning, their bodies showing signs of abuse.
"A group of bloodthirsty and brutal beasts...but I do like them this way," Jia Zhengfeng said as he walked onto the city wall, gazing at the brightly lit stone building.
Suddenly, a burst of fire erupted from the building, followed soon after by another. The heavy sound of weapon clashes and the dull whooshing sound of heavy weapons cutting through the air echoed persistently. Accompanying these were the harsh laughter of combatants and the horrified screams of women. Obviously, some of the Yan Clan's senior warriors had become intoxicated, leading to a fight over women.
With a loud crash, a burly figure engulfed in flames burst out of a window. He plummeted from the window ten-odd meters above and heavily crashed on the solid stone floor in the courtyard. He struggled to get up, but it took quite a while before he managed to do so.
Another figure, also surrounded by flames, appeared at the window. This tall figure wore a helmet adorned with bull's horns and held a large axe in his left hand while gripping a petite woman's shoulder with his right hand, shaking her vigorously near the window.
"Wimp! Hahaha! Your woman is mine now...rest assured, after tonight, I will return her to you...hahaha!"
Cheers and stomping sounds came from inside the stone building. The warriors of the Yan Clan rejoiced for the victor, while the groaning and cursing clan member lying on the floor outside was left to his own devices. Who would bother with him?
Jia Zhengfeng, holding the ancient halberd, looked towards the stone building with a mysterious smile. He then turned around, gazing towards the dark plains outside the city.
Despite the Yan Clan's lack of talent in governance, most suitable land outside Warblade City had been cultivated into fields, growing various edible crops.
These edible crops were mostly non-luminescent plants, except for a few areas where the soil was barren and rocks were abundant, as well as places where resilient luminescent vegetation grew.
Specks of blue, green, white, and dark-red fluorescence danced in the dim light. Various nocturnal insects emitting colorful nightlights fluttered through the air.
The dim light allowed Jia Zhengfeng to see only about ten li ahead, even with his cultivation level. He squinted his eyes, gazing at the distance and catching sight of several sneaky rat-persons crawling out of burrows and scurrying into the fields to steal food.
These were the rat-person slaves of Warblade City. Starved to the point of emaciation, they boldly ventured out under the cover of darkness to find wild food.
Jia Zhengfeng frowned, despising these rat-persons who had no clothes, were skin and bones, and were also ugly. He lightly snorted, flicking the halberd with his finger and muttered, "Since these newcomers have returned and the warning letter I sent to the sect leader has surely been received...is there really no response at all?"
In a dark corner behind him, a dense black figure quivered.
Jia Zhengfeng spoke in a deep voice, "Go send another letter to the Grand Hall. Say...if we cannot ascertain the origins of Bo Xi and the others, I won't dare to act freely here...who knows how many more people like Bo Xi I have around me?"
"Quickly, hurry and send another letter to the Grand Hall...request that the sect leader come up with a reliable solution."
Jia Zhengfeng's face darkened, and he gripped his left hand tightly.
His left arm, born through a secret technique, suddenly throbbed with pain. Despite being treated with good medicine for over a month, the new arm remained extremely fragile.
Jia Zhengfeng felt increasingly frustrated, and suddenly turned around, angrily reprimanding the dark figure behind him, "In these past days, keep an eye on those brats. If anyone seems suspicious, you're allowed to eliminate them without hesitation...disable their limbs first, then feel free to subject them to severe torture..."
His body shook slightly, and he clenched his left hand tightly, emitting a low growl, "Feeling constant unease as though there's a sword hanging over my head...how can I unify the realm of Cang Yan if I can't even find these damned traitors? Relying solely on this group of useless old men and women?"
With a forceful stomp of his foot, Jia Zhengfeng pointed towards the stone building and said, "Or should I rely on these beasts?"
Muttering a few more curses under his breath, Jia Zhengfeng suddenly leaped up into the air, gliding noiselessly towards the distance like a predatory owl. He didn't have any particular destination in mind nor know where he was going. He just wanted to vent some of the frustrations plaguing his heart.
Silently gliding past the group of thieving rat-persons, Jia Zhengfeng swung his halberd, causing the head of several rat-persons to silently roll onto the ground. Their bodies had not a drop of blood left; all the blood had been absorbed by the ancient bronze halberd, which shone with colorful brilliance.
Jia Zhengfeng, like a specter, passed through twelve clustered settlements outside Warblade City, killing over four thousand serfs in the span of a quarter of an hour. A thin red line extended from the tip of the halberd, reaching all the way to the hilt. When this red line covered the entire halberd, Jia Zhengfeng halted his steps. He held the halberd's spearhead in his mouth and deeply inhaled.
Pure essence of blood flowed into Jia Zhengfeng's mouth in droplets, nourishing his entire body. With a slightly weary face, Jia Zhengfeng rapidly transformed into a radiant and resplendent figure, emitting a shine from every pore. He swallowed the blood essence in great gulps, and a mighty life force immediately spread throughout his body.
The overwhelming life force made it hard for Jia Zhengfeng to bear, and the concentrated life energy gushed out of his pores, rapidly spreading within a hundred-meter radius.
The crops within a hundred meters grew at an astonishing rate as if enchanted. Rice mushrooms that typically grew to about one meter in height shot up to seven or eight meters in just a few breaths' time. Grass that typically grew to two feet in length crackled and grew to over ten meters tall.
With narrowed eyes gleaming with a blood-red light, Jia Zhengfeng exhaled a thick breath of blood essence and noted, "Indeed...the divine art of my sect is peerless in this era, with infinite possibilities."
The energy of the blood essence rolled inside his body, nurturing his entire being. Jia Zhengfeng's slightly haggard face quickly transformed into a glossy and lustrous complexion. Every pore radiated a glow, and his head emitted spiraling heat.
An abundance of life force overflowed, causing Jia Zhengfeng, in his somewhat tipsy state, to feel as if he had eaten some intoxicating food and had consumed several batches of hallucinogenic mushrooms. He felt groggy, as if an exquisite beauty was gently rubbing her body against his.
Wu Tie silently watched Jia Zhengfeng, his eyes shining brightly. The cold wind blew from Jia Zhengfeng's direction, carrying a strong, bloody scent.
Behind Jia Zhengfeng was a simple shack settlement.
Even without looking, one could tell from the bloody scent in the wind what Jia Zhengfeng had just done.
Jia Zhengfeng spasmed all over, his eyes unfocused as he bit down on the halberd head. He was completely immersed in an entrancing hallucination, unable to extricate himself. Extreme pleasure stormed through him like a volcano erupting in the depths of his soul, causing him to completely ignore any movement in his surrounding.
Ordinarily, when cultivating the evil techniques of the Church of Longevity, Jia Zhengfeng did so in a specially protected secret chamber. After all, during cultivation, Jia Zhengfeng was highly fragile. He would completely ignore any outside disturbance.
Today, however, due to his depressed mood and the fact that he was within the territory of the Yan Clan, with several Yan Clan elders who had covertly pledged allegiance to Jia Zhengfeng, he treated this place as a safe area.
Although there might still be traitors hiding among his disciples.
Upon leaving the city, he had already ordered his trusted subordinates to closely monitor his disciples.
Therefore, this place was safe.
Therefore, Jia Zhengfeng killed wantonly, devouring the blood essence of thousands of serfs and indulging in the cultivation of the evil techniques of the Church of Longevity, fully immersing himself in boundless pleasure.
He saw distorted and ever-changing seven-colored lights in front of his eyes.
He heard singing birds and sacred beasts beside his ears.
His entire body became limp, and an itchy sensation as if an ethereal beauty were gently rubbing against him enveloped him.
Wu Tie quietly watched Jia Zhengfeng.
Beside him, Lao Bai and the others covered their mouths, not daring to utter a sound.
Although Lao Bai and the others didn't know who Jia Zhengfeng was, the aura emanating from him was terrifying and not something they, as low-level cultivators, could handle.
Wu Tie took a deep breath, his mind flashing with countless thoughts.
"Fellow Daoist...at an impasse, the brave emerge victorious..." Wu Tie found hundreds of possibilities for Jia Zhengfeng's current state from the knowledge passed down by Lao Tie.
But no matter the possibility, Jia Zhengfeng was currently at his weakest and most helpless state.
Wu Tie reached out his hand to Lao Bai.
Seeing Wu Tie's nervous and excited demeanor, Lao Bai hurriedly took out a small, tightly packed metal bottle.
Wu Tie unscrewed the bottle cap, tightly gripping the metal bottle in his hand. His body silently floated three inches above the ground, gliding towards Jia Zhengfeng. His flight was soundless, akin to a ghostly phantom.
In his hand, the bottle contained the highly toxic Rotten Bone Marrow concocted by Lao Bai. According to Lao Tie, even the largest-sized Stone Lizard, weighing more than ten thousand heads, would die from the poison.
The Wind and Cloud Banner gently swayed around Wu Tie's waist, concealing his body in clouds of smoke. This cloak of smoke concealed any sound or movement he might make.
Wu Tie arrived in front of Jia Zhengfeng with the empty halberd head gripped lightly in his hand.
This man was completely lost in a bewildering hallucination, utterly unable to extricate himself. The boundless pleasure filled his body, causing him to tremble slightly. He tightly bit down on the halberd head, gently sucking on it like a baby feeding.
A thread of blood essence continuously flowed from the halberd head into Jia Zhengfeng's mouth, integrating into his entire body.
Wu Tie gripped the halberd. In the next instant, his Elemental Core burst forth like a flood, activating his entire body and unleashing a terrifying power. Wu Tie used all his strength to thrust the halberd forward.
With a length of over a foot, the halberd pierced through Jia Zhengfeng's neck, emerging half a foot out of the back of his head.
Jia Zhengfeng's cheek was torn apart, his lower jaw falling down, revealing a bloody throat.
Without any hesitation, Wu Tie inserted the entire bottle of Rotten Bone Marrow directly into Jia Zhengfeng's throat. He then gripped the halberd firmly with both hands and pulled it to the sides.
The halberd was extremely sharp, and Jia Zhengfeng's head silently fell off.
This was an absolutely wicked weapon. Wherever the halberd passed, Jia Zhengfeng's body immediately boiled with blood essence. The halberd's head shimmered with blood, prepared to devour Jia Zhengfeng's blood and soul. However, within Wu Tie's chest resided a white egg, which violently throbbed.
This halberd couldn't defeat it. The white egg inside Wu Tie's chest beat violently, swallowing Jia Zhengfeng's blood essence and soul in one gulp.
The floating wind banner on his chest lightly swayed, and smoke encased Wu Tie's body, concealing any movement or sound he might make.
Wu Tie floated away from Jia Zhengfeng's corpse, maintaining his soundless flight, and rejoined Lao Bai and the others.
Wu Tie flipped over his palm, and a storage bag appeared in his hand. He murmured, "The narrow path ends, the victor emerges..."
With his mind and the celestial sense retrieved by the storage bag, Wu Tie quickly analyzed the situation and made arrangements while Lao Bai and the others stood by his side, silent.