Chapter 146: The Aqueous Manor Triggers a Blood Demon Calamity

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Qin Haoxuan stood guard over the Nourishing Array. Although Xing had patted his chest and guaranteed that the array he had set up would have no problems, Qin Haoxuan remained extremely wary of the creature. If he were to fully trust him, he might be sold out without even knowing it.

Thus, he stood vigil over the array for the entire night, forgoing his trip to the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley. He did not even dare to close his eyes. After all, the Thousand-Mile Mirror being nourished by the array was crucial to his future gains in the valley; he could not afford to be careless.

Fortunately, the Nourishing Array was just as Xing had guaranteed. It ran until the process was complete without a single issue.

As the sky was just beginning to show the pale light of dawn, the spiritual energy in the stones that formed the array was basically depleted. The inscriptions within the array scattered and vanished without a trace. The Thousand-Mile Mirror emitted a soft white light and then gradually dimmed. Its surface was now smooth, without the slightest crack to be seen. This marked the successful completion of the nourishing process.

Satisfied, Qin Haoxuan put the mirror away, gathered the now-useless stones, and sat cross-legged to cultivate the Celestial River Dao Art.

When he next opened his eyes, he sensed a commotion outside. He walked out and happened to see a team of grim-faced Discipline Hall disciples on patrol. Each one of them had an extremely ugly expression.

Many of the disciples outside watched the patrol with fear, their faces showing a mixture of terror and suspicion as they whispered to their trusted companions.

Just as Qin Haoxuan was wondering what had happened, Xu Yu and Ye Yiming arrived. Both of them also wore grave expressions. It seemed they knew what was going on.

“What’s happening?” Qin Haoxuan asked, gesturing with his chin towards the ashen-faced patrol and the fearful looks on the surrounding disciples’ faces.

“Brother Haoxuan, let’s go inside to talk,” Xu Yu said, entering his room first. Ye Yiming followed and closed the door.

A bad feeling rose in Qin Haoxuan’s heart. “What happened?” he asked.

Ye Yiming frowned. “Someone died last night.”

“Who died? How?”

“A weak seed disciple from our cohort, who had just reached the Rooting stage. He was murdered last night.”

“Did he offend someone? But that can’t be right. The sect’s rules are extremely strict. Killing a fellow disciple is a grave crime. Who would dare to do such a thing?”

Xu Yu also frowned, her expression strange. “And the way he died was very odd. His blood was completely drained from his body. When he was discovered in his room this morning, he had become a desiccated corpse.”

Her words made Qin Haoxuan’s scalp tingle. His heart had already been in his throat when he heard someone had died, but to hear of such a bizarre method of death, one that was clearly not normal, made it pound even faster. His first thought was of Xing. Could that creature have been unable to resist his hunger last night and gone to someone’s room to suck them dry? If that’s the case, once the sect investigates, I won’t be able to escape suspicion.

He and Ye Yiming exchanged a look. Ye Yiming also had a worried expression; he had clearly thought the same thing. Although Qin Haoxuan had forbidden Xing from killing anyone in the sect, to a being from the Netherworld, a cultivator’s blood was the finest food and supplement. Living among so many of them, it was possible he couldn’t resist the temptation.

Just as they were speculating, and thinking of going to find him, Xing himself came running over. After knocking, he came in with an excited look on his face. “Did you hear? Someone died last night! All his blood and essence were sucked dry!”

Xu Yu, who had heard a little about Xing’s identity, was disgusted by his excitement. “It wasn’t you who killed him last night, was it?” she asked.

Xing shot her a cold glance and ignored her, continuing excitedly, “Tsk tsk, warm human blood. How invigorating it must be to drink…”

Qin Haoxuan let out a cold snort, his gaze as deep and still as water, fixed on Xing.

Being stared at like that made Xing uncomfortable, especially when he sensed the suspicion in his eyes. He suddenly jumped up like an aggrieved child. “What are you looking at me for? You think I did it? If I killed someone, would I be so messy? That bastard was so wasteful! If it were me, I’d eat everything, from head to toe, not even leaving bone fragments behind. You don’t know, a cultivator’s bones are so crunchy and delicious. That guy just drank the blood. What a waste!”

Sensing that Qin Haoxuan was still suspicious, he added, “And even if I did do it, would I be stupid enough to leave the body in the room for your elders to find? To not even hide it? After I was exposed, your sect would be on high alert, and it would be much harder to get another meal. Could that guy be any dumber?”

Qin Haoxuan nodded. That made sense. Xing was many things, but he wasn’t that stupid.

“But if it wasn’t you, then who could it be?”

Xing let out a disdainful snort. “In any case, it wasn’t me. I would have eaten the bones too.”

With Xing ruled out as a suspect, the great weight in Qin Haoxuan’s heart lifted slightly, but he soon began to worry again. With this incident, the sect would surely conduct a thorough investigation of the Spirit Field Valley. Not only would his own movements be restricted, but he had to hope that Xing’s true identity wasn’t discovered, otherwise he would also be implicated.

Ye Yiming, who had been deep in thought, suddenly said, “The elders suspect it might be the work of a Blood Demon.”

“A Blood Demon?” Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu asked in unison. “What kind of demon is that?”

“A Blood Demon is a type of demon that specializes in drinking human blood, especially the life-source blood of cultivators. Technically, they aren’t pure demons; they are transformed from cultivators. Through a special cultivation method, a cultivator can turn themselves into one. That method has long been lost. The other way is to use a Blood Pearl,” Ye Yiming said, recalling what he knew.

“According to the ancient texts, there was once a cultivator of astonishing talent who, after starting his cultivation, advanced a thousand miles a day. But unfortunately, he started too late in life and could not escape the cycle of life and death. In order to increase his lifespan, he created the Blood Demon Great Art. He later founded the Blood Demon Divine Cult and called himself the Blood Demon Ancestor. He had many followers, but they were transformed by consuming a Blood Pearl that the ancestor had condensed from his own blood.”

“Because a Blood Demon’s lifespan is one to two hundred years longer than a cultivator’s, many who were nearing the end of their lives flocked to him. But the price was that they had to drink the life-source blood of a cultivator every day. The Blood Demon Divine Cult was a scourge on the cultivation world for a time. It eventually drew the public wrath of all cultivators, and after a hundred-year-long war, the Blood Demon Ancestor was finally killed, and all the Blood Demons were exterminated. It’s been a very long time since a Blood Demon has appeared in the cultivation world, but I never expected one to appear here, in our Taichu Sect.”

Ye Yiming stroked his chin and continued, “Blood Demons are the mortal enemies of cultivators. Our sect is protected by a great mountain array; it should be impossible for one to get in. Unless… one of our own disciples obtained the cultivation art, or a Blood Pearl. It’s highly likely this Blood Demon came from the Aqueous Manor.”

He quickly refuted his own theory. “But that’s impossible too. The great array is very sensitive to demonic energy. Unless he had an incredible artifact to conceal his aura, the array should have reacted. This Blood Demon not only slipped past the array but also passed the inspection after leaving the manor.”

Qin Haoxuan and Xu Yu exchanged a look. The Blood Demon had managed to deceive everyone, even with the Ninth Elder and so many other powerful elders present.

Qin Haoxuan asked, “Senior Brother, if a Blood Demon can live so much longer, why don’t more cultivators choose that path when their own lifespan is about to end?”

Ye Yiming gave a bitter smile. “Putting aside the fact that the method is lost, after becoming a Blood Demon, you have to live in hiding like a rat. And every single day, you have to endure an excruciating pain that feels like your bones are being eaten and your heart is being gnawed on. Their nerves are many times more sensitive than a human’s, and the pain is amplified. And a Blood Demon is naturally impotent. Furthermore, they must drink the blood of cultivators every day. If they don’t, the pain is a thousand times worse than death. Even if they do, they still can’t escape the daily agony. Every day they live is a day of torment.”

Qin Haoxuan was secretly horrified. It seemed that besides diligently cultivating, there were no shortcuts to gaining lifespan.

As they were speaking, a vast, booming voice, like rolling thunder, suddenly echoed through the valley.

“Disciples of the Spirit Field Valley, listen well! From this day forward, a curfew is in effect! At night, no one is to take a single step out of their rooms! The Discipline Hall will increase its patrols. Any violators will be severely punished!”

After the voice faded, Ye Yiming’s face darkened. “It seems the sect is taking this very seriously. They’ve even sent a Spirit Tree Realm elder to personally oversee the Spirit Field Valley. Junior Brother Qin, Junior Sister Xu, you must not go out at night, lest you be mistaken for the Blood Demon and captured.”

He gave Xing a particularly hard stare. “And especially you. During this time, you had better keep your tail tucked between your legs. Don’t reveal the slightest clue, lest they find your true identity before they find the Blood Demon.”

Xing nodded very seriously. “Don’t worry. I’ve taken a Shape-Fixing Pill. As long as I don’t intentionally release my demonic energy, even your great mountain array can’t detect me.”

His confidence reassured Qin Haoxuan slightly, but he still gave him a stern warning. “Remember what Senior Brother Ye said. If your identity is exposed, you will die without a burial place.”

“I know, I know,” Xing said impatiently. “I am a genius of the great Nether-race. I won’t be found out so easily.”

As they were still worrying about the Blood Demon, the Discipline Hall patrol came knocking.

“Open up! Discipline Hall, investigating for the Blood Demon!”

The team was composed of ten disciples, all at the Twentieth-Leaf, their brown robes proclaiming their status and strength. Eight of them surrounded the house to prevent any escape. Two disciples entered and, without a word, scanned the four of them with their spiritual energy.

Finding nothing unusual, they turned and left to check the next house.

The day’s investigation yielded no results. That night, under the personal supervision of the Spirit Tree Realm elder, five teams, a total of fifty elite disciples, began to patrol the Spirit Field Valley.

After everyone had left, Qin Haoxuan took out his Thousand-Mile Mirror and scanned the valley himself. Besides the tense atmosphere and the powerful disciples on patrol everywhere, he found nothing out of the ordinary.

He sighed. Until the Blood Demon was caught, his plan to go treasure-hunting in the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley would have to be put on hold. Who knew where the creature was hiding? What if it ambushed his physical body while his consciousness was away?