Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 682 Witchcraft
The vast and desolate desert.

Yellow sand swirls and obscures the sky, while waves of scorching heat surge from the depths of the desert, causing the last remaining vegetation on the desert's edge to wither.

The endless yellow sand stretched to the Great Wall of Earth, but as soon as it collided with the Earth Light, the originally arrogant and unrestrained sandstorm instantly subsided, lost its power, and fell into the soil.

Behind the city, the great lake, usually as clear as a mirror, reflects the dense forest of green trees on the south bank, which surrounds several gray-yellow hills.

Influenced by that drop of True Monarch's blood, the original [Yellow Ram Desert] has been transformed into a treasure land of Wood Virtue, with green trees growing all over the area within a radius of hundreds or even thousands of miles. It has even nurtured many Wood Virtue spiritual creatures, which are called [Panlin].

The trees are covered in scales, their branches and leaves intertwined. At dawn and midday, this grove of trees receives rays of blue-white and golden light, nourishing the plants.

Suddenly, a fire rose in the center of the forest, burning away the green trees and revealing a low hill at the very center.

The mountains are grayish-yellow and covered with murals, mostly created by the ancient Qiang people. They depict scenes of barren land and rampant demons, with occasional images of fertile soil turning green and grass and grain growing. However, these are quickly followed by carvings of endless demons causing chaos.

Beneath the rocks, figures dressed in dark, shamanic robes emerged, all wearing strangely shaped ghost masks. They set up an array, with black runes covering the entire mountain like ripples in water.

A large bronze cauldron sits atop the mountain, its surface engraved with countless poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, and a heavy stench of blood emanates from within.

Above is the vast emptiness.

The flames shone brightly, dazzling and radiant. From within them stepped a dignified man with chiseled features, clad in crimson feathered armor.

Zhu Ju Zhenren, Song Shiqing.

The son of the King of Lanshan, now in charge of border defenses, looked at the group of shamans and his expression softened slightly.

"The 'Disaster Blessing' is close to the Wood element, which is inauspicious for Jia Yuan. Now that this area has been prepared and is protected by Wu City, Wushan can fully exert its power."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. The officials in Northern Liao are keeping a close eye on things. We dare not cross the border if we make a move."

Thick black runes surged forth, revealing a figure clad in a sorcerer's robe. The figure had pale skin, withered flesh, and a bronze demon mask that blended seamlessly with the flesh.

It was Yuan Chai, a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator of the "Calamity and Blessing" path, and also a true traveler from Tiandu Mountain.

"Lord Yuan'e can only make one move. Once the spell is cast, he must immediately retreat to Wushan to avoid being detected by the Liao Emperor."

He sighed softly, his voice filled with sorrow.

If it weren't for the need to harvest sacrificial offerings, the Heavenly Poison Sect wouldn't have taken such a risk to come to the border. After all, the Liao Emperor was determined to eliminate "Calamity Blessing".

Zhu Ju, however, had no objection. He knew something about the Three Witches and simply said:

"The Great Shaman is about to seek gold; if this becomes a 'calamity blessing,' it will place a heavy burden on that [Supreme Golden Ritual Spirit Shepherd Emperor]. Naturally, we must be cautious and on guard."

He paused for a moment, then continued to ask:

"I have heard that the ways of ghosts and gods manifest in many ways, such as Lu Qi [divine registers], Yin Yang [divine elixir], Tian Wen [divine court], and Ling Sa [mindful kingdom]. I wonder what calamities and blessings may bring?"

The divine path of Dali is based on the Qi of Prosperity, relying on the [Divine Ritual Seal] as its core to communicate with the Li Fire. However, when truly sealing the divine path, it also referred to the method of Heavenly Inquiry. Among the three witches, the method of "Heavenly Inquiry" is the most magnificent and grand, with the wonderful use of establishing a divine court and sealing the mountains and rivers. It can seal each god in the world, each ruling their own territory.

This path is also known as the "Sixth Fire," which is very close to the virtue of fire and often uses the elements of Bing, Li, and Zhen. The so-called "Li Zhuo" uses the ancient "Taiyi Divine Fire Conferment Method," which existed as early as the ancient Chu state.

As for the "Ling Sa" path, it enjoys raising demons and fusing spirits, and can transform one into ten thousand and ten thousand into one. It is very close to the metal element and often uses Geng, Dui, and Zang.

The thoughts of that Liao emperor gathered in the void, which became the Nian Kingdom. Once a cultivator took refuge in it, he became an extension of the emperor's physical body. This method was called the [Heavenly Wolf Spirit Gold Imperial Seal Method].

However, Zhu Ju had no idea what mysteries this calamity was, as it was said to be related to a ghost.

"The 'Calamity Curse' technique utilizes the [Supreme Witchcraft Ghost Wood Consecration Method], which creates a realm that contains ghosts and spirits, allowing for constant communication through sacrifices—similar to a realm of the dead."

Yuan Chai spoke in a low, eerie tone, the bronze demon mask on his face gleaming coldly, making him appear even more bizarre.

"Therefore, sacrifice is of paramount importance to our Dao. The extent of the damage this time can cause depends entirely on the sacrificial animals His Majesty can send. If several Purple Mansions are used for the sacrifice, ha..."

The Heavenly Poison Sect lacked the capability to proactively attack and plunder Liao territory; they could only wait for the King of Lanshan to deliver supplies. After all, once the Great Witch Yuan'e left the place protected by Yuan Luo, it was hard to guarantee that the Emperor Muling wouldn't resort to any tricks.

Even Yuan E's seclusion in the world over the years, his involvement in the divine path, was precisely to conceal himself and avoid being schemed against by that Shepherd Spirit Emperor.

Now, in order to fulfill the necessary atmosphere for the blood sacrifice, he has no choice but to emerge into the world. Yuan E cannot appear in person, so he can only perform the sacrifice from afar. Once the spell is cast, he must immediately return to Wushan to be safe.

Even so, it was thanks to the use of that [Upper Witch Ghost Talisman]. This talisman can only be used three times. Once it is used up, if it is used to perform witchcraft in the border region, it will probably be immediately detected by that Shepherd Spirit Emperor.

Witchcraft is mysterious. Although the Witches are known as the best among the three witches, the difference between the Purple Mansion and the Golden Core is insurmountable. If a True Lord is determined to target a Purple Mansion, even with the protection of other Golden Core cultivators, the Purple Mansion cultivator will find it extremely difficult to survive if they are not careful to hide.

'The original plan was to scavenge human sacrifices in the southern borderlands as blood offerings, but the Xuan Bird landed in Shu instead. Going there would be a slap in the face to Zhenyuan Immortal Dao.'

He was deeply disappointed. He knew that Tiandu Mountain had been making preparations in the southern border for so many years, all for the purpose of this blood sacrifice. However, the reincarnation of the Xuan Bird had interrupted the plan and forced him to get involved in the war between Li Liao in order to obtain the sacrifice.

"I hope Your Highness will send more human sacrifices so that we can carry out our methods."

"It's natural."

Song Shiqing was somewhat troubled, but he didn't say much, since he would still have to rely on the other party's witchcraft to counter the methods of the Xiao Liao imperial family.

He naturally had no pity for outsiders, but the sacrifices demanded by Heavenly Poison Mountain were simply too many. If he were to use mortals to fill the numbers, he would inevitably have to kill millions, or even tens of millions, and if that were the case, his own reputation would be ruined.

At present, the most suitable method is to use the Purple Mansion for sacrifice, but the blood sacrifice must be performed while the person is alive. This is difficult, as the difficulty of killing a Purple Mansion is vastly different from that of capturing one alive.

"I urge Fellow Daoist Yuan Chai to make preparations as soon as possible. Once we have achieved our goals, I will send them to you."

After giving some instructions, Song Shiqing rode the wind and rose into the void, passing through Wucheng and heading towards the northern part of that vast and desolate desert, disappearing in an instant.

(End of this chapter)