In the dead of night, not a single place within Seeking Immortal County was at peace.
Although the number of demons and evil cultivators that had invaded the city was only fifty to sixty, their strength was clearly greater than that of the water beasts like Ruan Du'er and the Three-headed Monarch, and the Gourd Immortal who had been sent over as cannon fodder during the day.
When they banded together and attacked the city, the demonic qi they stirred up swept through the greater part of the county.
The only ones standing in their way were a dozen or so young cultivators who had been injured.
Although these youngsters from the "Forbidden Immortal Hall" had exerted all their effort, they had only managed to stop half of the demon and evil cultivator intruders.
The rest had successfully entered the city.
Laughing maniacally and howling, they began to torch, kill, and loot, causing cries of misery to rise everywhere.
The usually brash constables, local thugs and gangsters, and the black marketeers were all so terrified that they ran away, voiding their bladders and bowels in fear, without even putting up the slightest resistance.
The only comfort seemed to be that the actions of these demonic invaders were so outrageous that they spawned sporadic resistance in some parts of the city.
Evidently, as one of the major transportation hubs, Seeking Immortal County, besides having official cultivators, also harbored some wild cultivators.
But their numbers were too few, and their efforts amounted to nothing more than trying to put out a burning cart full of firewood with a cup of water.
Everyone knew that the only hope for Seeking Immortal County was the "Provincial City Army" that was currently rushing towards the city from the outside.
That army, reputed to be equipped with special gear, according to what the fairy said, would turn these demons and evil cultivators to ash if only the city could hold out until they arrived.
But how long could they last?
The answer was that no one could hold out. Common folk had no power of resistance at all when faced with any demon or evil cultivator.
Even as commoners picked up pot lids, kitchen knives, stones, and poles to protect their wives, children, and parents, the power disparity between humans and creatures on the path of cultivation was just too great.
Crushed with a single blow, the casualties were devastating.
And so, in less than half an incense stick's time, the entire Seeking Immortal County had descended into utter chaos and despair.
Evil cultivators were outrageously violent!
What was once a scene one might expect only in myth and legend was now playing out in reality.
As a bustling hub, how could Vegetable Market Street avoid such a fate?
Yet, curiously, it was not some strong and ferocious demon that fought its way to this spot but rather a somewhat exceptional evil cultivator.
When Tao Qian, holding an unmarked black-painted longsword and wearing a mask, appeared in a dark alley of Vegetable Market Street,
he happened upon the main street where several buildings and shops had already collapsed. Cries and wails came from amidst the debris as a stone wall was smashed, and through the dust emerged a figure, laughing wildly.
This person was a male cultivator with a strikingly robust physique and handsome features, which were somewhat effeminate, enhanced by his wearing a moon-white robe.
If it weren't for the deep dark circles under his eyes and the look of excessive debauchery, one might mistake him for a dashing young noble.
However, this was an evil cultivator saturated with a repugnant aura.
As he laughed and smashed the wall, a pink miasma, like a fog, roiled around him, teeming with vivid pink moths in pairs, fluttering and coupling amidst suggestive sounds. The miasma sporadically burst into delicate peach blossoms, seemingly with the power to bewitch the mind and captivate the soul.
Atop the pink peach blossom miasma, a net made of some unknown material was hoisted up high.
Inside the net, eight young women were wrapped, all of them in a state of unconsciousness. As they breathed, the miasma seeped into their bodies, plunging each one into unspeakable dreams. Their skins flushed with a rosy glow, beads of sweat appeared, attracting the pink moths to land and suckle on the sweet sweat of the young women.
The scene was such that anyone who watched would find it hard to keep their composure.
Having spent some time in the cultivation world, Tao Qian had acquired some fundamental knowledge.
Seeing such a sight, how could he not know that this evil cultivator must be practicing some sort of "Absorb" method?
And surely those, within the magical treasure net, were none other than the daughters of his neighborhood neighbors back in his true form. If they were truly to be swept away in one fell swoop by this evil cultivator and taken back to the Iron Buddha Temple, how could any good fate await them?
In the blink of an eye, Tao Qian made a concerted effort to sense his surroundings.
Based on the intensity of the "pulsation" that surged in his mind, he immediately assessed the disparity of strength between them.
"This scoundrel must be at most at the Energy-Introduction Realm, the stage of Fetus Formation."
"Since he's been sent by those great demons as laborious underling, aside from the net, he likely has no other magical treasures."
"It's not a big deal if there are; if he were any other evil cultivator of the same realm, I might have some reservations."
"But since he practices the way of Absorb..."
With a plan set, Tao Qian immediately took action.
In his current guise, clad in tight-fitting clothes and masked, holding a sword, he might have passed for innocuous at any other time or place.
At this moment, however, he seemed anything but a good person.
And in the next second, Tao Qian took out a pouch of blood of unknown origin from his incense bag, dousing his body in it. The rising stench quickly transformed him into a cultivator who gave off a powerful non-human aura but also seemed severely wounded.
As this cultivator used his longsword as a makeshift crutch, he stumbled out of the alley.
Upon seeing the pale-faced evil cultivator, Tao Qian's "eyes lit up" with delight, and he reached out a trembling hand while pleading weakly:
"Daoist, quick, I've encountered a beautiful and fierce disciple of the Righteous Path. We exchanged blows, and both suffered serious injuries."
"Please help me, and I promise a grand reward for leaving this place."
Seeing Tao Qian suddenly jump out, the pretty boy was startled at first, ready to make a move.
But then, he heard Tao Qian's words.
Especially the key phrase "injured beautiful Righteous female disciple," which immediately triggered the scoundrel's excitement.
He reached out to grab the gravely wounded Evil Cultivator, then inquired about the whereabouts of the beautiful female disciple.
But as their palms contacted, he sensed something was amiss.
The person in front of him, far from being filled with sinister Demonic Qi, did not even have a trace of impurity; his inner energy was as clean and natural as that of a true Daoist Practitioner.
The pretty boy Magician's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to strike with all his might.
Alas, it was too late.
In his ears suddenly resounded a sound that made his Spirit and Soul freeze, unable to circulate.
"Nine Heavens Truth, the Secret of the Great!"
By the time he truly heard these eight characters of the mnemonic, he was already ensnared.
Nine True Spirit Sound!
By a lucky coincidence, while Tao Qian was first cultivating the "Spirit Treasure Nine Truths Diagram" and refining his Source Qi, he stumbled upon a Daoist Divine Skill, unintendedly obtained when he washed away his original Divine Skills of the Bo Dragon Sound.
This technique directly affected all aspects of Life, including Essence, Blood, Spirit, Soul, Consciousness, Intelligence, and so on.
Once heard, there was no escape; one could only passively receive its effect.
If it were a true Daoist Practitioner, listening to Tao Qian's chanting of the "Nine True Spirit Sound" without malice could even be beneficial.
But once Tao Qian harbored the intention to attack, the moment the Spirit Sound was released, the listener would also be at risk of their Divine Soul being shaken.
For an Evil Demon or an individual from a Heterodox Sect with numerous misdeeds, the consequences would be even graver.
Especially for an Evil Cultivator who practiced techniques like Absorb, Yin Demon, or Soul Refining, which made their Divine Souls and Essence Blood unstable—if they suddenly heard this Daoist Spirit Sound and their Cultivation Realm was not high enough, they would instantly forget themselves and become unable to even move.
Thus, at this second when Tao Qian released the Spirit Sound,
The pretty boy immediately became stunned, his Source Qi ceased to circulate, and the Pink Peach Blossom Miasma around him instantly dispersed, causing the strange net Magical Treasure to also fall down.
Tao Qian stepped forward, using a gentle force to lay him aside.
At the same time, he swiftly swung his treasure sword.
Even though he could see that the pretty boy had lost his ability to resist, Tao Qian's instinct to survive still kicked in.
His abundant experience from past life's TV dramas also told him that forgetting to deliver a finishing blow to a defeated enemy often leads to being killed in retaliation.
On the night streets of Vegetable Market Street, the sword light flashed.
With a ripping sound, a fine head was swiftly decapitated, blood spurting all over.
After all, Tao Qian was an Energy-Introducing Realm Cultivator. Even though he had shed the Bo Dragon Driving Origin Qi, he still retained immense strength. It seemed reasonable that he could sever a head with a treasure sword.
With "thump, thump," the head and body of the pretty boy Cultivator both hit the ground.
At this point, Tao Qian should have been relieved.
He stood still for several breaths, Source Qi surging inside him, ready to release the "Secret Demon Sacrifice Body Sword" at any moment.
After waiting for a while, until his perception confirmed that there was no trace of life in the corpse on the ground,
Tao Qian then crouched down, still in a position convenient for drawing his sword, and touched the corpse.
Immediately, his Extraordinary Perception was triggered.
The special formatted information was slowly sorted out and surfaced.
Ignoring the other Records, Tao Qian quickly skipped ahead until he saw the words "Deceased", finally allowing himself to relax a bit.
To prevent their fight from being noticed by other Evil Cultivators or Demons, Tao Qian quickly dragged the net along with the pretty boy's severed head into an alley.
At the same moment, he began to formally review the slightly complex information.
Initially, there was nothing special, only the backstory of an Evil Cultivator's birth.
[Record Type: Cultivator]
[Record: This person was born in Ancient Yue Sanfeng County, exceptionally handsome since childhood, eventually displaying an androgynous beauty. He developed the Power to Charm those around him, which led to being abducted by a tyrant from the county. Situ Fei, in preserving his purity, fought back and accidentally killed the tyrant. He fled the county overnight, but by accident, encountered an Evil Cultivator who called herself "Nongyu Immortal", Pan Hongniang. That night, he lost his purity and then became a disciple of Pan Hongniang, following her in cultivating the "Secret Book of the Five Lusts Enchanting Immortal Scripture".]
ps: The urging has me anxious, so I'm updating first with almost 3000 characters, will continue tomorrow.