Chapter 141: Resh, the Madman

The Divine Firmament Sect is located in the southeast of Dianchuan Province.

Its mountain gate does not belong to any prefecture or city of Dianchuan Province; rather, an anchor coordinate is merely left on a thousand-year-old majestic mountain named Wanyong Mountain in Changning Prefecture.

The true Divine Firmament Sect used a primordial formation to directly carve out an astral space.

The entire sect and its grounds reside within this astral space.

The anchor coordinate on Wanyong Mountain merely serves as an entry and exit point for the members of the Divine Firmament Sect to enter Dianchuan Province.

Today, on Wanyong Mountain, a storm suddenly erupted.

Countless flashes of thunder and lightning struck the flat, open ground at the summit.

Stepping out from the formation, Qi Xiu narrowed his eyes. The expected dazzling sunlight did not appear.

Instead, the moment he stepped out of the formation, his expression abruptly shifted.

"This is..."

Standing atop the thousands-of-meters-high peak of Wanyong Mountain, looking out across the vast expanse, he saw the sky filled with a suffocating demonic aura, so dense it was almost visible to the naked eye.

Dark clouds gathered, blocking out the sunlight and staining the entire sky in a dim, gloomy hue.

The wind carried an eerie howling as it blew, chilling one's heart to the core.

The forests and wilderness were everywhere filled with distorted creatures and bizarre plants.

They had grown sharp, twisted branches and fangs, emitting an eerie and terrifying glow under the gloomy, dim environment.

From time to time, they exhaled miasmas of foul, nauseating odors—some sickly green, others dark red—that could cause ordinary humans and livestock to drop dead instantly.

These mists drifted with the wind, spreading slowly and continuously eroding the surrounding environment.

"Could it be because of that... Saint-Dominating Heart?"

Looking at the vast expanse of mountains and rivers before him that had transformed into a turbid, gloomy demonic lair, Qi Xiu recalled Longtengzi, the adopted son of the Flood Dragon King whom he had once slain.

That demon had once gathered a multitude of demons, preparing to distribute the Saint-Dominating Heart in their possession.

They intended for the hordes of demons and fiends to spread this bizarre poison far and wide, polluting the land, creating evil domains, and thereby driving out the human race.

"Now it seems that this poisonous scheme has indeed been put into motion."

Shaking his head, Qi Xiu transformed his body into a completely invisible, pale mist of water that could not be captured without special techniques, and flew forward at extreme speed.

Being outside the Divine Firmament Sect, he did not choose the faster yet grandiose thunder-escape technique, but instead employed the Lesser Five Elements Water-Travel Escape Technique, which had already reached the fourth realm.

After advancing to the fourth realm, this escape technique allowed him to traverse three hundred miles in a single thought—three times its original speed.

Moreover, it was completely invisible, transforming the body into mist.

Without specialized detection and perception techniques, even if he stood right in front of you, you would not be able to see him.

Furthermore, within a hundred-mile radius, as long as there was water, he could teleport and escape at will.

Escaping at high speed through the upper air, Qi Xiu gazed down intently at the scarred and pockmarked earth below.

The [Evil Domains] that were slowly eroding their surroundings like malignant tumors continuously squeezed the healthy mountains, rivers, and lands.

Those ugly [Jade Eggs], resembling flesh and blood organs, were rooted in the ground, twisting and swaying, sickening and chilling to behold.

With the advantage of the terrain, the demonic cultivators became even more rampant.

In Changning Prefecture alone, Qi Xiu saw at least dozens of mountain ranges reduced to demon nests and fiend lairs, with countless demons and evil cultivators running amok within them.

This Dianchuan Province seemed to have completely become their domain!

"This situation is simply a hundred times worse than it was four years ago."

Never expecting that in a mere four years, the situation in Dianchuan Province would deteriorate to such an extent, Qi Xiu frowned slightly.

At this rate, probably within ten years, eighty percent of the entire Dianchuan Province would fall.

Only the territories of the great sects, powerful religions, and aristocratic families might barely be able to hold their ground.

However, if that happened, ordinary commoners would likely all become fodder in the mouths of demons and evil cultivators, leaving behind piles of white bones on the ground.

Could it be that the imperial court has truly abandoned this place?

Looking at the fragmented and battered mountains and rivers below, such a thought involuntarily arose in Qi Xiu's heart.

...

Dianchuan Province, Jiangan Prefecture.

As the secondary prefecture-level city second only to the provincial capital, Jiangan Prefecture had an extremely vast area.

The city even encompassed two mountain ranges, five lakes, and fifteen rivers of various sizes.

Its permanent resident population had reached a staggering sixty-plus million.

Surrounding Jiangan Prefecture were six sect territories, the strongest of which was called the Fire Virtue Sect, ranking seventeenth among the righteous sects of Dianchuan Province.

Yet, a prefectural city of such massive area and population had changed its prefect—the one who held the life and death of tens of millions of people—just half a month ago.

Moreover, this new prefect had only celebrated his twenty-second birthday this past March.

Jiangan Prefecture, Prefectural Residence.

In the bustling and noisy hall, more than ten gracefully proportioned, scantily clad beauties stood on a stage singing and dancing, a faint body fragrance drifting through the air that made people's ears flush red and stirred uncontrollable desires.

"Brother Gan achieved success at a young age; at the tender age of full manhood, he has become the Prefect of Jiangan. In the future, his prospects will surely be boundless, truly boundless!"

Raising their wine cups, the guests repeatedly toasted a young man sitting in the seat of honor who had flushed cheeks, a heroic and majestic bearing, and vigorous vitality.

"You are all too kind. That I, Gan, was able to become the Prefect of Jiangan is entirely due to my wife, who devised the strategies that helped me secure this position. However, since I have taken on the role of Prefect, I will do my utmost to bring blessings to the people of Jiangan!"

"Well said, Lord Gan!"

"Come, come, let us toast Lord Gan another cup!"

"Everyone toast, everyone toast."

They drank from the break of dawn until the evening glow.

Even for cultivators who had entered the Dao, it was difficult to resist the wine intent of the specially crafted spirit brew.

Not to mention that Gan Xingba, who was drinking to his heart's content, had wanted to get thoroughly drunk anyway.

Stumbling as he entered the back courtyard, Gan Xingba gave a drunken hiccup and reached out to push open the door.

Bang!

The door swung wide open, and a delicate figure hurriedly rushed forward, catching Gan Xingba just as he was about to tumble headfirst to the ground.

"You fellow, how is it that you've gotten so hopelessly drunk again?"

The delicate figure supported Gan Xingba to the bed, and the candlelight illuminated her face.

The woman's features were like an exquisite painting, flawless and pure, resembling a fairy stepped down from porcelain.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows were like new moons, her eyes like autumn waters, and her straight, slender nose bridge was slightly prominent, flashing an alluring sheen in the candlelight.

"Lie down obediently, I'll pour you a cup of water."

The woman got up and walked toward the table, her slender waist swaying gently like a willow branch, exuding an agitation that made one's heart itch.

Arriving at the table, the woman picked up the pot and poured water.

Yet, while the heavily intoxicated Gan Xingba remained completely oblivious, she bit the tip of her tongue and dripped several drops of blood, which looked like living creatures, into the water.

This strange blood dissolved the moment it touched the water, leaving not a trace to be seen, yet faint faces with eerie smiles flashed momentarily within the liquid.

"Come, drink some water."

Supporting Gan Xingba to a sitting position, the woman slowly brought the cup of water to his lips.

Gulp, gulp!

As the clear water infused with the bizarre blood droplets entered his mouth, faint traces of thunder light flickered in Gan Xingba's eyes, and his expression showed struggle, as if his internal Imperial Thunder True Qi had sensed the anomaly.

At that very moment, however, the woman opened her mouth and exhaled a pink mist, which transformed into countless swaying, twisting allurements that drilled into his seven orifices.

The struggling and thrashing Gan Xingba immediately calmed down and drank the water in the cup to the last drop.

Laying the passed-out Gan Xingba flat, the woman stood up, walked to the side, opened a wooden chest secured with a golden lock, and took out a porcelain jar carved with countless eerie and grim patterns, resembling the faces of countless demons.

She opened the jar lid.

Inside was entirely packed with white, furrowed, pulsating matter resembling a brain.

Cradling the porcelain jar, the woman quietly sat down beside Gan Xingba.

Using a spoon, she scooped out the contents inside, and swallowed them bite by bite...

...

"Past this mountain lies Jiangan Prefecture."

Standing atop the summit of a peak shrouded in black smoke that practically blocked out the entire sky, Qi Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance at the hundreds-of-miles-wide city of Jiangan Prefecture.

"I wonder if my sixth senior brother, whom I've never met, is sturdy enough to take a beating."

Flipping his palm, the spirit elixir pouch floating in mid-air suddenly burst forth with boundless suction, gathering all the demons on this black smoke-filled mountain peak—who had been blasted over by thunder magic—into the pouch.

After three years of seclusion in the Divine Firmament Sect, Qi Xiu of today was long no longer the struggling rogue cultivator of yesteryears who had to rely on anesthetic sneak attacks and constantly guard against demon encirclements.

Thirty-six Primordial Beads were at his disposal.

Such vast true-qi cultivation combined with the overbearing and peerless Divine Firmament Thunder Magic—below the Blood-Stained Realm, one strike hits the soul!

If one strike wasn't enough, then two, three... ten strikes.

Therefore, all along the journey rushing to Jiangan Prefecture, Qi Xiu fully exhibited the fine traditions of a righteous cultivator.

In just two short days, he frantically attacked over twenty demon nests.

These demons and evil cultivators, who were plotting to stir up trouble and slaughter humans and livestock, basically just heard the rumble of thunder, and the next second, a sky-full of terrifying thunder radiance poured down like a torrential rain.

The unrivaled, formidable power of thunder magic was displayed to the utmost.

Having committed such acts so many times, Qi Xiu still maintained a perfect zero-survivor record.

This action of his caused the demon circles to frantically spread rumors that a lunatic thunder cultivator had arrived in Dianchuan Province.

He struck down any demon he saw and blasted any fiend he met, driving the hordes of demons into startled birds, scattering in panic at the slightest disturbance.

Putting away the spirit elixir pouch, Qi Xiu opened the mouth of the pouch and glanced inside:

"Not bad, I'll soon have enough for a hundred spirit elixirs."

Looking back at the mountain peak that had been scoured by thunder magic multiple times, Qi Xiu rubbed his brow, shifted his form, and transformed into an ordinary-looking short-haired cultivator whose aura was merely at the initial entry level of Dao cultivation.

Inspecting himself to ensure there were no omissions, Qi Xiu stirred up his escape light and flew toward Jiangan Prefecture.

"Sixth Senior Brother, your junior brother is coming for you."

...

(End of this chapter)