Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 273 Under the Flesh Field

This place is completely different from the rest of the headquarters. Although it is in the city, there are trees, weeds, and rocks. It seems that the original landscape has been deliberately preserved and has not been developed.

Tian Jing was clearly very familiar with the area. She stepped over the weeds and followed a winding path until she reached a stone slab path.

Gradually, Han Yi also sensed something was amiss. The environment here was clearly different from the usual woodlands and grasslands, exuding a chill, and even the wind whistling through the grass made a strange sound. He even felt that there were many skilled individuals secretly watching over him, keeping watch on his surroundings.

This intensified his curiosity. He knew there was an open space behind the library, but he'd assumed it was just an undeveloped plot of land. But this place was so large, with so many sentries, and he had to follow a specific route. It must be hiding some great secret, not just an ordinary open space…

The road narrowed and changed from a stone path to a dusty dirt road, with tall, dark evergreen trees on both sides blocking out the sunlight.

After several turns, Han Yi's view suddenly opened up.

Before me lay a blood-red landscape, so red it resembled a field planted with flowers and grass.

"This is?"

Han Yi's expression was solemn as he approached to take a closer look.

Every inch of the soil here looked as if it had been soaked in blood, and what grew inside was not wheat or rice, but a vast expanse of writhing flesh!

The texture and luster of this meat looked similar to the Crimson Tiger meat he had eaten before.

He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating or seeing things.

No matter how you look at it, this kind of scene—like something out of a science fiction movie, where a mad scientist creates flesh and blood vessels out of madness—appearing in this martial arts world…

Something feels off; the art style is completely different!

"Hehe, were you scared?" Tian Jing looked at Han Yi's dumbfounded expression and smiled nostalgically. "When I first saw these scenes, I reacted almost the same way you did..."

"Senior Brother Tian, ​​could this be the source of the Crimson Blood Tiger meat in the sect?" Han Yi stammered in shock.

He had previously been skeptical about the Crimson Flame Sect's ability to reliably supply several thousand catties of Crimson Blood Tiger meat every month. There were clearly no such beasts in the vicinity, and the sect had no means of purchasing the meat from outsiders, yet... they were able to provide it consistently every day, every month, every year, day after day, year after year. Now, he truly began to doubt this world and his own values.

"Junior brother is indeed clever and quick-witted, recognizing the type of meat at a glance." Tian Jing smiled, walked to the edge of the field, took out a small knife, and bent down.

scoff!

He tore off a large piece of crimson tiger meat just like that.

"Junior brother has an exceptional eye; this meat is indeed Crimson Blood Tiger meat!" He picked up a piece of hot, fishy-smelling meat and handed it to Han Yi.

After taking the meat, Han Yi examined it carefully. The texture, taste, and appearance were no different from the meat he had bought on the black market from Fatty Zheng. Except for being of lower quality, it actually looked fresher.

Meat grows in the field, and the meat is taken from the field...

Unable to hide his shock, he asked, "Senior brother, how could this meat come from…?" "Stop…" Tian Jing waved his hand, seemingly guessing Han Yi's question, and said with a wry smile, "I don't know why either. Anyway, this place is called the meat field. As long as it's watered and fertilized at regular intervals, it can grow a continuous supply of Crimson Blood Tiger meat…"

He added, "This matter is a top secret within the sect; only important figures like elders and hall masters know about it. And our Internal Affairs Hall's greatest responsibility is to protect the safety of the meat fields..."

Junior brother, you were able to know about this in advance with the sect leader's approval, so you must be careful to keep it a secret!

Han Yi remained silent for a moment.

No wonder Tian Jing, despite being the head of the Internal Affairs Hall, is so elusive and secretive, unable to handle the hall's affairs frequently...

No wonder Huang Ze, an elderly man nearing retirement, diligently fulfilled his duties in the Internal Affairs Hall without complaint, and was overjoyed for Han Yi yesterday upon hearing Ao Yang's arrangements…

No wonder Aoyang was able to ensure that Han Yi found an absolutely safe, peaceful, and quiet place, guaranteeing that he could cultivate in peace without being disturbed by any worldly affairs, and even said that the resources would be more than enough...

He had been wondering how the meager benefits of being an inner disciple could be enough for his breakthrough, but now it seems the reason is quite clear…

If one cultivates here, with this near-unlimited resource of demon beast meat…....

"Junior brother, this acre of meat field is the greatest reliance of my Crimson Flame Sect. It is the key to our invincible position and number one power in Anyan City. As long as there is a continuous supply of demon beast meat, the disciples of my Crimson Flame Sect can continue to grow stronger and make our sect even more prosperous!" Tian Jing said excitedly, facing the blood-red meat field with her back to Han Yi and opening her arms.

Even if Han Yi hadn't seen Tian Jing's expression, he could guess that it was filled with fanaticism.

He followed Tian Jing's gaze and looked into the distance. The vast expanse of writhing, blood-red flesh was breathtakingly vivid and eerie, reaching deep into his soul.

"The flesh field... is it really that important..." he muttered to himself. Demons and monsters have their strange realms, and human martial artists also have such a wondrous environment as the flesh field.

“Yes, don’t underestimate this seemingly insignificant flesh field. It is a key factor in determining the strength of a power in this world. Only by having a flesh field can a power move from being an insignificant force to a low-level force!” Tian Jing turned around and explained to Han Yi.

"Senior brother, you just said that this meat field needs to be watered and fertilized at fixed times. What do you use for watering and fertilizing?" Han Yi couldn't contain his curiosity and asked directly.

“Use whatever the Crimson Blood Tiger eats to water and fertilize it,” Tian Jing said.

"What does the Crimson Blood Tiger eat, and what does it use to water and fertilize it?" Han Yi thought for a moment and said, "The Crimson Blood Tiger is a carnivore, so if that's the case, wouldn't that mean...?"

“That’s right. So, the sect’s internal and external affairs halls have special tasks to clear out monsters every month. Every week, a large amount of monster blood and flesh need to be transported to irrigate the meat fields.” Tian Jing explained, “Of course, in addition to the external affairs hall, my internal affairs hall also has a special long-term task to purchase beast meat and blood. No matter what kind of meat or flesh it is, even if it’s pork, chicken, or duck, it can be used for the meat fields.”

Upon hearing this, Han Yi suddenly realized why he had to go to the deep mountains every month to clear out demonic beasts when he was still a guard disciple.

Even though those places were far from the camp, they still had to venture deep into the mountains and hunt a large number of prey before considering the mission complete. It seems the root of the problem lies here…

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he asked again, "Senior brother, do these flesh fields need to be irrigated with blood and flesh?"

"Of course not," Tian Jing replied with a smile. "Take the Thousand Leaves Sect, which is at odds with our Crimson Flame Sect, for example. They control a field of Absolute Feather Bird meat. These Absolute Feather Birds are a type of bird that needs to be fed with insects such as bean worms, caterpillars, and earthworms..."

"So, what you don't know, Junior Brother, is that within the Thousand Leaves Sect, there's a special insect-raising team that has to tend to a large number of small insects and moths in the fields every day..." he said with schadenfreude. "I heard that in order to complete their insect-catching mission, quite a few of them even carry cloth bags to the outhouses to look for maggots..."

hiss…...

Hearing this, Han Yi felt a chill run down his spine. He was truly fortunate that he had joined the Crimson Flame Sect. If, as Tian Jing said, he had become an outer disciple of the Thousand Leaves Sect, it would have been like lighting a lamp in an outhouse—a death wish.

Compared to the Chiba Sect's flesh fields, the flesh fields within the Crimson Flame Sect are relatively simple in terms of conditions.

"If that's the case, then Senior Brother, the Crimson Blood Tiger meat here, and the tiger meat from the meat field, can all be eaten freely. Why is there a limit on the quantity?" Han Yi thought of another question.

He looked at the flesh field. Although it was not large, according to Tian Jing, as long as blood and flesh were poured into it, a continuous stream of Crimson Tiger meat would grow. If that was the case, why would she order a restriction on the monthly usage and purchase quota for each disciple?

"This meat field, although it can be harvested at any time, but..." Tian Jing patiently explained, "the meat harvested from the center of the field will be of better quality. Meat from the edges like this..."

As he spoke, he pointed to the piece of meat he had just handed to Han Yi and said, "This piece of meat, being from the edge, may look similar, but the vital energy within it has been greatly diminished. It's no different from ordinary pork or mutton, and it can't stimulate a martial artist's vital energy at all; it might even hinder its growth... Therefore, this kind of meat from the edge is also called 'dirty meat'..."

"Often, when harvesting animal meat, the dirty meat can only be thrown away as waste and cannot be stored or consumed."

Therefore, although such a small plot of land can yield a harvest every day, which sounds like an unlimited supply, if you take into account the weight of the majority of the meat that makes up the bulk, this meat field can only produce a maximum of 20,000 jin per year at best, and possibly less than 10,000 jin at worst…

This amount of meat is just enough for the inner disciples to distribute, and...

Tian Jing paused abruptly, glanced at Han Yi, and lowered his voice, saying, "Junior Brother, now that you've caught the Sect Master's eye, you'll inevitably find out about this matter in the future..."

This is no secret to the higher-ups….

"What's wrong?" Han Yi asked, looking at Tian Jing who seemed a little nervous. "What could be making you so anxious, Senior Brother?"

“Junior brother, you don’t know… this flesh field…” Tian Jing took a deep breath and slowly said, “No matter what the harvest is each year, the amount of this dirty flesh is increasing every year. In other words, no matter how much blood and flesh is irrigated, the yield of this flesh field is slowly drying up…”

"Actually, according to the seniors, when this meat field was first used, there was no dirty meat at all. In fact, the flesh and blood harvested from it can even benefit martial artists who have opened their meridians."

However, gradually... the meat on the edges became unusable, and then the quality of the meat in the middle also began to deteriorate, which meant it could only be supplied to disciples in the Blood Refining stage...

Now, only the most essential pieces of meat remain, barely enough to supply the sect leader, deputy sect leader, and a few elders... even the hall masters are gone.

This is why the sect leader and vice sect leader are in such a hurry….

At this point, Tian Jing let out a long sigh.

Han Yi's expression turned solemn, and everything became clear as if the clouds had dispersed.

He suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind Aoyang's actions... It was not only to find a reason for the Black Market Ghost Domain incident, nor was it merely to divert internal conflicts, expand fiscal revenue, and increase the scale of influence...

The main reason is for the most essential resource for cultivation—the flesh field!

It is obvious that the flesh field within the sect may have undergone some kind of mutation, or it may have reached the end of its lifespan. In any case, it is deteriorating year by year and is drying up.

Clearly, whether they are disciples in the stages of refining skin, bones, and blood, or martial artists who have reached the first, second, or third stage of strength, they all need to rely on the Crimson Tiger Meat resources in the Meat Field.

Although the current flesh field can still barely support the daily training of the Crimson Flame Sect's high-level combatants, as time goes on, if one day this flesh field were to completely dry up...

Even if it's not completely depleted, but just unable to supply monster meat of Martial Master quality, it would still be a fatal blow to the Crimson Flame Sect.

If one's own sect cannot provide a stable channel for cultivation, then firstly, the morale will fall apart, and even if an external channel can be found, it may not be compatible with the cultivation methods practiced by one's own martial artists.

Moreover, external resource supplies can serve as a supplement, but not the main source. After all, if one day external supply channels are cut off by hostile forces, or if they demand exorbitant prices, it will affect the supply of resources.

If a sect's high-end combat force lacks cultivation resources, the entire sect will face a shortage of talent. Newly promoted martial artists will lack the resources to break through, while older martial artists will lack the resources to maintain their positions... The final outcome will be disintegration...

Therefore, Aoyang must find a way to resolve this matter….

His travels and searches over the past few months were likely in search of a solution, but he found nothing...

Therefore, even without this black market incident, he would have found an excuse to attack the Chiba Sect; he had to do it!

Only by going all out and taking down the Thousand Leaf Sect before the flesh fields are completely depleted, and obtaining new flesh fields to replenish them, can the Crimson Flame Sect continue to exist!

Otherwise, once the flesh field dries up and the Crimson Flame Sect loses its flesh field, they can forget about ever making a comeback...

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Black Wind Mountain.

The blood-red setting sun sank along the horizon, leaving only half of it above the horizon.

In front of a dilapidated Taoist temple on the mountaintop.

Li Chengfeng slowly passed the half-fallen wooden door and walked into the courtyard.