Looking at the torn body of the Hundred Feet Sovereign in front of him, Lin Ji was mentally prepared for a tough battle at this moment.
Whether the newcomer was a friend or a foe was still uncertain, but based on this sword technique alone, their cultivation strength surpassed his.
"So, it's Master Lin from the Celestial Monitoring Sect." Hou Miao spoke as he walked towards the body of the Hundred Feet Sovereign, pulling out the long sword nailed to the tree, twirling it into a sword flower, and sheathing it.
Then, Hou Miao took out a small bottle from his bosom and said, "Master Lin seems to be poisoned. This is the Hundred Healing Pill from the Taiyi Sect, capable of detoxifying any poison."
"Thank you, Brother Hou. I have an antidote in my possession, but I was too busy exterminating this demon just now and almost forgot about detoxifying myself. However, this poison is not too serious." Lin Ji said, taking out the bottle given by Zhan Chengfeng from his bosom, but he did not rush to take it.
Furrowing his brows, he looked at Hou Miao and asked, "The Taiyi Sect is far to the south of Xiangzhou, thousands of miles away from here. How did Brother Hou come here?"
Hou Miao put away the bottle, explaining, "This Hundred Feet Sovereign was raised by me. Who would have thought that a few days ago, it broke free from the restraints on its body and escaped, devouring people all the way from Xiangzhou to Liangzhou."
Speaking up to this point, a hint of guilt and a bitter smile appeared on Hou Miao's face. "I chased after it all the way. If Master Lin hadn't stopped it, I wouldn't have known how long I would have to chase."
"I see." Lin Ji seemed to suddenly understand.
Hou Miao clasped his hands and smiled, "Now that the demon has been slain, I should return. Farewell."
After speaking, Hou Miao turned and left, disappearing into the dense forest after a while.
Lin Ji did not let his guard down. After confirming that Hou Miao had truly left, he quickly opened the bottle and poured both Hundred Healing Pills into his mouth.
He didn't forget earlier; he simply didn't have time to take the antidote!
The pills melted in his mouth, turning into a cool liquid that seeped into Lin Ji's body.
After a while, the congestion in his chest eased, the pain from his wounds subsided, his spiritual energy recovered most of its strength, and the toxins in his body were greatly reduced.
Only then did Lin Ji truly breathe a sigh of relief. Even if Hou Miao came back to confront him, he would have the strength to fight back.
"Fortunately. Fortunately, Hou Miao's arrival wasn't too early. He didn't hear the Hundred Feet Sovereign revealing its origins earlier. Otherwise, I might have been deceived by him."
The sword strike that Hou Miao used to kill the Hundred Feet Sovereign was at least at the peak of the Fourth Realm.
Lin Ji, at his peak, didn't have the confidence to defeat him, let alone when he was already poisoned.
Killing the Hundred Feet Sovereign was to cover up the truth, while giving him the healing pills was a test.
If he had shown even the slightest sign of weakness just now, Hou Miao would have definitely attacked him.
"It's clearly a monster that escaped from the Demon Suppression Tower, yet it shamelessly claimed to be raised by itself."
"So, were the women and children abducted by the Hundred Feet Sovereign in Linchuan County instructed by Hou Miao? But what about the severed limbs seen on the way?"
Lin Ji furrowed his brows slightly, pondering over the details from earlier.
"Hou Miao specifically mentioned that while the Hundred Feet Sovereign may indeed devour people, it might not necessarily be true that it deliberately abducted people from the county. The more someone lies, the more they tend to emphasize on fabricated details."
Hou Miao's words seemed casual, but Lin Ji wouldn't overlook any clues.
"So, were the severed limbs left by the Hundred Feet Sovereign deliberately, or were they left intentionally?"
"Why did Hou Miao capture women and children?"
Lin Ji had not figured this out even after entering Lichuan County.
Since the Hundred Feet Sovereign was already dead, he could only report these matters to Zhan Chengfeng and let him handle it.
Qingshan Mountain Range.
On a cliff, a cave was carved out.
The cave was filled with a strong smell of blood, and a large cauldron was placed at the deepest part of the cave.
Hou Miao entered the cave, his brows furrowed tightly.
After advancing several tens of meters, he saw a figure in a black robe sitting in front of the cauldron.
"Master." Hou Miao bowed respectfully.
"Where is it? Did you bring it?" The hoarse voice of the black-robed figure sounded.
Hou Miao didn't dare delay and quickly took out a palm-sized bottle from his bosom.
The bottle was transparent, filled with fresh blood inside.
"The heart's blood of children under eight years old. This small bottle contains the blood of a hundred children."
The black-robed figure raised his head, but his face was still unclear.
With a wave of his hand, the bottle in Hou Miao's hand fell into his.
Opening the bottle, he sniffed it and then furrowed his brows slightly.
"Not enough."
Hou Miao immediately lowered his head.
"Today, the Hundred Feet Sovereign was intercepted by the Celestial Monitoring Sect's Chief Pursuer. It had some collected from Lichuan County on its body. But to prevent the Celestial Monitoring Sect from continuing to investigate, I had to kill it, so those heart's blood samples were not retrieved."
"The Chief Pursuer of the Celestial Monitoring Sect?" There was a hint of surprise in the black-robed figure's voice. "Why didn't you kill him?"
"I wasn't confident. He could invoke the Thunder Sword Technique."
"Oh? Is his name Lin Ji?"
"Master, you know that kid?" Hou Miao was somewhat surprised.
The black-robed figure chuckled, his voice sounding extremely hoarse.
"Haha, a mere Fourth Realm kid actually ruined my old friend's plan! Speaking of which, I saw him by the Liang River before. If I had known earlier, I would have risked being detected by the Celestial Monitoring Sect and killed him back then!"
At this point, the black-robed figure shook his head helplessly.
"Alas, there's no regret medicine in this world. Who would have thought that a little ant inadvertently released would dare to bite back, and with such ferocity! My old friend is not pleased at all, haha."
Hou Miao remained silent, not understanding the black-robed figure's words and not wanting to understand.
He was instructed to come here and help the black-robed figure, out of necessity.
Therefore, after the black-robed figure's voice fell, Hou Miao couldn't wait to say, "Master, your task has been completed. Please allow this junior to take his leave."
"Take your leave? Where do you want to go?"
"Back to the Taiyi Sect for secluded cultivation, never to leave the mountain again."
"My cave here is not as peaceful as your Taiyi Sect? Stay here to cultivate, and I can occasionally give you guidance. It's better than isolating yourself in the Taiyi Sect, isn't it?"
Hou Miao kept his head down.
The black-robed figure was too mysterious, and every time he saw him, Hou Miao felt frightened.
Staying by his side to cultivate was not an option he could choose.
"Master, please allow this junior to take his leave."
Seeing Hou Miao's firm intention to leave, the hoarse laughter of the black-robed figure rang out again.
"Haha, when you came, didn't that old guy tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Hou Miao raised his head in confusion.
But as soon as he raised his head, he suddenly widened his eyes, continuously retreating until he lost his balance and fell to the ground!
In a moment he didn't notice, the black-robed figure had already appeared in front of him.
For the first time, he saw the old and pale face of the black-robed figure.
Immediately after, Hou Miao realized that he couldn't move.
The black-robed figure grinned, gripping his neck and lifting him up from the ground.
"You were sent to me to be used. Thinking of going back? How foolish."
"If the children's heart's blood is not enough, then use yours to make up for it."
(End of Chapter)