Chapter 334: The Evil Path
Chapter 334: The Evil Path
Mr. Zhuang was aware of the anomaly in the Dao of Heaven, but Mo Hua was completely oblivious at this moment.
He found a concealed patch of bushes near the cave entrance and used his concealment technique to hide within them. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have a hard time detecting him.
Mo Hua was a little worried about Elder Yu and the others, but after staring at the cave entrance for a long time, there was still no movement from inside.
"Are there no demonic beasts in this lair?" Mo Hua wondered in confusion.
When he used his spiritual sense to perceive the lair, he found that the demonic energy within was faint and dull, as if no demonic beasts resided there.
Or perhaps, a second-grade demonic beast had lived here before, but it was no longer present, otherwise the demonic energy inside wouldn't be so weak.
What kind of second-grade demonic beast had lived here before?
Mo Hua frowned in thought, then suddenly he was startled, and he silently thought to himself, "Could it be that pig...?"
The Qian Family's ancestor wanted to refine the Transmutation Elixir, and in order to refine a malevolent elixir, one needed a malevolent formation, and for the formation to be effective, it required flesh and blood as a catalyst.
The flesh and blood used as a catalyst could either be human or demonic.
The Transmutation Elixir was difficult to refine and took a very long time, and human qi was insufficient to support such a lengthy process.
Moreover, in order to refine this Elixir, human beings would have to be used as ingredients.
Surely the ancestor of the Qian family wouldn't force people to resort to cannibalism?
Therefore, the most suitable furnace for the Elixir was a second-grade demonic beast.
"Demonic beasts that devoured humans possessed an abundance of demonic energy and enjoyed extended lifespans, rendering them the optimal choice for the Transmutation Elixir's furnace."
Mo Hua gradually formed a suspicion.
This lair might just belong to that pig.
It probably fell into the hands of the Qian family's ancestor because it was badly injured, allowing the ancestor to take advantage of its weakened state.
The ancestor of the Qian family then took over its lair, using it as his secret alchemy room.
Even if a second-grade demonic beast was badly injured, it wouldn't be something the ancestor of the Qian family could handle alone, so it was likely that the Great Elder of the Qian family had helped to subdue the pig demonic beast.
During the process of subduing the pig demonic beast, the Great Elder had his arm eaten and was also badly injured, and he should not have lived long after that.
But with the Human Longevity Elixir, things were different.
The Human Longevity Elixir used human lives as a catalyst, able to replenish qi and extend one's lifespan.
However, if the Great Elder of the Qian family had taken the Elixir of Human Longevity and healed his injuries, he would instead arouse suspicion.
So, the ancestor of the Qian family simply had the Great Elder fake his own death to throw others off their trail, and he secretly hid in the depths of the mountains, helping him build the Black Mountain Forge, recruit evil cultivators, refine the Human Longevity Elixir, and at the same time, refine the Transmutation Elixir.
Although these were just Mo Hua's speculations, they were probably not far from the truth.
Mo Hua sigthed in his heart, "This ancestor of the Qian family truly is meticulous in his schemes."
Mo Hua looked towards the lair once more, his heart filled with unease.
The ancestor of the Qian family was a deep and calculating man, and Mo Hua wondered just what kind of danger lay hidden in the depths of this lair.
By now, night had fallen, and the heavy dew in the deep mountains brought a chill to the mountain breeze.
Mo Hua couldn't help but shiver, but then he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound.
Mo Hua paused, listening intently, and realized that the sound was coming from within the cave.
It was the echo of the wind.
Mo Hua's eyes widened in surprise.
The lair was so deep that when the mountain breeze blew through, how could there be an echo?
Mo Hua hid his body and carefully entered the lair, listening intently to pinpoint the source of the sound. Finally, he discovered that there was a rather large crack in the wall near the cave entrance.
Mo Hua reached out and touched the wall, feeling that the soil and rocks were fresh and slightly damp.
With a slight exertion of force, the soil and rocks caved in.
Mo Hua was shocked.
This was a cave entrance that had been covered with soil and rocks not long ago.
And there were no arrays of any kind surrounding the cave entrance.
All of Mo Hua's attention had been focused on the arrays within the lair, so he hadn't noticed that there was another cave entrance here.
Mo Hua was skilled in arrays, but because of this, he had been blinded by the arrays and overlooked the place where there were none.
Those skilled in swimming drown, and those skilled in riding fall.
Was this what they meant by not seeing what's under the lamp?
Mo Hua sighed, taking it as a lesson to be more vigilant in the future.
But what was this cave entrance for? Surely the ancestor of the Qian family wasn't hiding in there?
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense and felt that the qi behind the cave entrance was abnormally turbid and thick with blood, making it impossible to discern what was inside.
What should he do? Mo Hua frowned in thought, but ultimately decided to take a look inside.
He wouldn't go deep inside, he would only take a quick glance from the cave entrance, and that was all.
If there was something unusual inside, he would retreat and call for help.
If there was nothing unusual, or if it had nothing to do with the ancestor of the Qian family, he could still retreat and quietly slip away.
The crack in the cave entrance was quite large, and it wasn't sealed tightly, so Mo Hua, with his small frame, easily squeezed through.
Behind the cave entrance was a narrow stone staircase that descended into the darkness, with a faint crimson glow emanating from the bottom.
Mo Hua's heart chilled, feeling that something was amiss, but he gritted his teeth and continued down the stairs.
After only a few steps, he heard loud snoring and the voice of an old man.
These sounds, along with the thick blood qi, seemed to be confined within this small world, inaudible from a distance but unbearably loud up close, as if some kind of technique had been used.
The stone staircase was narrow and deep, but not very long, and Mo Hua soon reached the bottom.
To the right of the staircase was a spacious stone chamber.
Mo Hua kept his body hidden, pressing himself against the stone wall, and poked his head out, glancing into the room like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water.
Then, his heart froze, and cold sweat broke out all over his body.
It was the ancestor of the Qian family!! This old man was actually here?!
Mo Hua calmed himself and thought carefully, his emotions becoming complicated.
Meeting the ancestor of the Qian family could be both a good and bad thing.
The good thing was that the others wouldn't encounter the ancestor, and thus wouldn't be in any danger.
The arrays in the depths were merely a diversion.
Everyone assumed that the Qian family's ancestor was hiding deep within his lair, but they never expected him to be hiding at the very entrance!
This ancestor truly thought differently from ordinary people; his actions defied all expectations.
"I wonder if the ancestor of the Qian family has discovered me?" Mo Hua's heart tightened, but after sensing that there were no divine senses spying on him and noticing that the ancestor was still talking to someone else, his tone and demeanor unchanged, he relaxed.
It seemed that his concealment technique hadn't been seen through.
Mo Hua stole another glance and noticed that the stone chamber was filled with a bloody and chaotic scene. Various sinister herbs were scattered about, along with porcelain bowls containing colorful grass juices.
In the center of the stone chamber, a pig lay on the ground, snoring loudly.
Next to the pig were two cultivators: one was the ancestor of the Qian family, and the other was surprisingly the head of the Qian family, Qian Hong!
Mo Hua was puzzled.
The Qian family had been sealed off, and none of their cultivators were allowed to leave.
How did Qian Hong end up here?
As the head of the family, although he didn't hold much power, he was still the highest-ranking person below the ancestor of the Qian family.
Could he also be involved with the Black Mountain Forge? Mo Hua pondered but couldn't figure it out.
Nevertheless, it was time to leave.
The pig was still breathing, which meant the pill hadn't been refined yet.
The ancestor of the Qian family hadn't consumed the pill, so he was still at the mid-foundation establishment stage and was also severely injured.
Mo Hua decided to slip away, send out a signal, and call for help. Then, they could take down the ancestor together.
That would put an end to the Black Mountain Forge incident once and for all.
As Mo Hua turned to leave, he heard the ancestor of the Qian family sigh:
"Hong'er, it hasn't been easy for our Qian family..."
"This old man is truly shameless," Mo Hua cursed inwardly. "If your Qian family has had it tough, then what about the struggling loose cultivators of Tongxian City? Are they not suffering as well?"
However, he paused, curious to hear what else the ancestor had to say.
Perhaps there were some secrets he didn't know about.
After all, these sinister techniques and unusual pill formulas weren't something ordinary cultivators could obtain.
The ancestor of the Qian family continued, "Do you know what this world is truly like?"
Qian Hong didn't answer.
The ancestor didn't seem to expect a response and continued, "In my over three hundred years of life, I've realized a truth: a cultivator's abilities will eventually reach their limit. To achieve greatness, one must borrow the strength of others and drink their blood."
"In this world, it's the survival of the fittest—the strong prey on the weak. The big fish eat the small fish, and the small fish eat the shrimp."
"The cultivation world is no different. Loose cultivators are exploited by small clans, small clans are oppressed by medium clans, and medium clans are suppressed by the upper echelon of noble families."
"In other words, loose cultivators support small clans, small clans support medium clans, and medium clans support the upper-echelon families..."
"Ultimately, it's the blood and sweat of loose cultivators that are being sucked dry."
"As the powers of the Dao Court shift and noble families rise and fall, the only constant is that loose cultivators at the bottom remain at the bottom, forever exploited, forever looked down upon, and forever treated with contempt."
"The prosperity of the cultivation world is built upon the blood and tears of loose cultivators, yet this prosperity has nothing to do with them."
"Therefore, never be a loose cultivator!"
"This was a lesson I learned when I was still a loose cultivator myself."
"That's why I wanted to establish a family, to branch out and rely on its power to achieve the grand dao."
"However, even establishing a family wasn't enough. I lacked spirit stones and connections. Relying solely on myself, I couldn't possibly build the Qian family."
"Hunting demons would only earn me a meager living for a lifetime."
"If that's the case, then I must kill and plunder."
"Even if the means to rise are dirty, once you succeed, there will be those who will whitewash your actions, praise your name, and serve you devotedly like horses and dogs."
"The Qian family was established and gradually grew stronger, but it still wasn't enough."
"The biggest benefits in this world are enjoyed by the largest noble families and sects. Our small family, even if we squeeze loose cultivators dry, won't gain much."
"With limited family resources, my cultivation has stagnated, and my lifespan won't exceed a hundred years..."
"I realized that if things continued this way, I would eventually die a mediocre death."
"Fortunately, heaven leaves a door open. One day, I happened to meet a strange Daoist, and after our conversation, he was overjoyed and gifted me with several manuals of sinister techniques, a Human Longevity Pill, and the formula for the Transmutation Elixir."
"I cultivated sinister techniques, refined sinister pills, and embarked on the sinister path, and suddenly, everything became clear."
"Are there truly people in this world?"
"There can be, or there can't be, it all depends on how you look at it."
"If you treat others as people, then they are people. If you don't, then they aren't."
"Others are merely tools for you to earn spirit stones, servants who cater to your every whim, pigs and dogs for you to slaughter, spiritual slaves and blood slaves for your cultivation, and the foundation for your grand dao."
"That's when I understood that in this world, people eat people."
"Not just the demonic path, but also the righteous path."
"The demons devour human flesh and blood and absorb their spiritual power, while those on the righteous path oppress and enslave cultivators, sucking their invisible blood and eating their invisible flesh. It's just that the eyes of the world are blind and cannot see this clearly."
"The way of man is to take from the insufficient and give to the excess, to sacrifice the lives of others for one's own gain. Only then can one rise above the masses and aspire to the way of longevity."
"This is the most inviolable truth in this world!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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