Proving one's path through killing—this kind of merit is poisonous!

Chapter 10 Danger
On the top of the barren mountain, weeds grew in abundance.

Only a few withered trees, with their oddly shaped forms, remain standing here.

The crows perched on the branches and let out a few strange cries.

Under one of the largest trees, there stands a two-meter-tall alchemy furnace.

Beside the alchemy furnace, a person completely wrapped in a black robe suddenly opened their eyes.

He did some quick calculations with his fingers, and after getting the result, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"We're just one girl short, just one more. Once we throw her in and refine her until dawn, the elixir will be ready!"

He appeared to be insane, his voice carrying a hint of age. Although he was covered by a black robe, the few strands of white hair that occasionally peeked out betrayed his age.

But the smile on his face didn't last long. After seeing the crescent moon hanging in the sky and realizing the time, he quickly closed his eyes and sensed the movement halfway up the mountain.

There was no sedan chair, no young girl, and neither Chen Qiao nor Li Qiu were there!

What are those two doing?
The man in black clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, then gradually relaxed them as if he had thought of something.

Fortunately, he still had a backup plan!

So he raised his hand and made a gesture, and a black mist emerged in his hand, then the black mist moved like a swimming dragon.

After the black mist dissipated, he held a large black flag with the character "Soul" written on it.

Immediately afterwards, he waved the flag, and a boy appeared two steps away from him.

The boy was about ten years old, with lifeless eyes.

"Chen San."

Only when the man in black called out his name did the boy focus his gaze on him, and his voice, devoid of any emotion, followed.

"Owner."

The man in black robes was very satisfied with his masterpiece. He put away the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and then ordered, "Go to the village and capture a young girl. Be quick and don't alert anyone!"

"Yes."

After answering, Chen San ran down the mountain at top speed, and disappeared in an instant.

The old man stared in the direction Chen San had left, feeling a metallic taste rise in his throat. He covered his mouth and coughed, finally looking at the blood on his hands with a gloomy expression.

This is not the first time he has coughed up blood, nor will it be the last.

The medicine in the alchemy furnace was his only hope for prolonging his life and improving his cultivation; hopefully, nothing would go wrong!
With that thought in mind, the man in black robes returned to the alchemy furnace.

Cui Qingyuan and Pei Qing hid among the weeds, not daring to get too close because they were unsure of the other's strength.

They originally planned to observe for a while longer and make their move after confirming the man's identity as an evil cultivator.

But the moment they saw the man in black unleash the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls, the two exchanged a glance and already knew the answer in their hearts.

This person is an evil cultivator!

Without saying a word, Cui Qingyuan and Pei Qing immediately drew their swords and attacked his location.

The man in black robes seemed to have known all along that there were people lying in ambush around him. He not only dodged their attacks, but also struck Cui Qingyuan's right shoulder with a palm, knocking her back.

Her sword nearly fell as well.

Seeing this, Pei Qing immediately intensified his attack, unleashing a barrage of sword moves, each imbued with spiritual power and capable of inflicting significant damage.

However, every move he made was neutralized by the man in black robes. In the end, after using his moves for a long time and consuming too much spiritual energy, he still couldn't even tear the man's outer robe.

No, this is not right!
Pei Qing frowned, his mind wandering.

Although the distraction only lasted for a moment, the man in black robes seized the opportunity.

He swung a palm at Pei Qing's chest, and seeing him fall to the ground, he asked in an aged voice, "Nine Forms of Sword Inquiry! Are you two disciples of the Qingyun Sect?"

Although it was a question, there was a hint of certainty in his words. "So what if it is!"

Cui Qingyuan rubbed his right shoulder and said in an icy tone.

"I won't kill the Qingyun Sect disciples, you can leave!" The black-robed man's voice was neither pleasing nor angry, nor could it be discerned as genuine or feigned.

Pei Qing, who was always meticulous, felt a strange sensation upon hearing this.

He murmured, "You can break through the Nine Forms of Sword Inquiry, claim to be a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, and still intend to let us go... could you really be..."

He was responsible for recording important sect events and managing the disciple roster, yet he had never heard of any disciple falling into evil cultivation.

Cui Qingyuan was already used to his senior brother becoming long-winded and hesitant whenever he heard anything related to the sect.

But for her, even if this evil cultivator really had a connection with the Qingyun Sect in the past, she still had to take him down first.

If sword techniques are easily broken, what about formations? Talismans? Or magical artifacts?
So she sheathed her sword and took out a stack of talismans from her storage bag...

When Gu Jinhe finally reached the top of the mountain, she saw the three of them fighting again.

Fortunately, the area was overgrown with weeds, and with the help of her invisibility talisman, as long as she wasn't caught in the crossfire, no one could find her.

But the three were moving extremely fast. Gu Jinhe glanced at them a few times and her eyes started to hurt. She could only see a few shadows darting around in front of her.

Recalling the new function she had discovered in the system, she focused her mind and silently repeated the word "system," asking herself, "What realm are they in?"

As Gu Jinhe expected, as long as she focused her mind and added her question, the system could provide an answer.

However, it remains to be seen to what extent it can answer these questions, since she still doesn't know the function of merit points.

Thinking of this, she shook her head again, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts, and looked carefully at the answer given by the system.

[Cui Qingyuan: Early Stage of Foundation Building]

Pei Qing: Mid-Foundation Building Stage

Niu Er: Mid-Foundation Building Stage

No wonder she couldn't see them clearly; they were all Foundation Establishment stage seniors!
only……

She knew Cui Qingyuan and Pei Qing, since she had just met them, but what about the man in black robes? His name was Niu Er.
Gu Jinhe looked surprised.

If the original owner's memories are correct, she once overheard Gu's father chatting with someone, mentioning that the village chief of Niujiao Village was also called Niu Er.

She recalled what Chen Qiao had said: if the village chief and the man in black robes were indeed the same person, then everything would make sense.

"Bam—"

Just then, a series of heavy sounds came from the ground not far away, one after the other, as if heavy objects were falling to the ground.

Gu Jinhe immediately looked up and saw Cui Qingyuan and Pei Qing fall to the ground and spit out blood.

He looks seriously injured!

But the man in black robes didn't get much out of it either. He kept coughing and swaying, looking like he was about to lose his balance.

After he finally calmed down, he looked at the two people on the ground.

Even from a great distance, Gu Jinhe could still feel the killing intent emanating from him.

The man in black sneered and said, "You don't actually think you can beat me two against one, do you?"

With his cultivation technique and the Myriad Soul Banner by his side, he is completely invincible among those of the same level.

These two rushed at us without any preparation; they were practically asking for death!
"Enough with the nonsense, cough cough..." Cui Qingyuan clutched his side and gritted his teeth, saying, "We have already sent a message back to the sect. Once my master sends someone, it will be your death day."

The man in black snorted coldly and instantly appeared in front of Cui Qingyuan. He reached out and grabbed her face, forcing her to look at the alchemy furnace.

"See that alchemy furnace? It has already fused with the essence of twenty-nine young women. Would you like to become one of them?"

(End of this chapter)