Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 269 Human Pill Blood Mother Inheritance

Along with the cold laughter came another extremely sharp aura.

This aura made everyone in the underground palace feel a chill; it was clearly an aura that was infinitely close to the Foundation Establishment realm.

"Good tone. I wonder which fellow Daoist from this temple has suppressed their cultivation to venture into this Lushan Secret Realm this time?"

The voice of the patriarch of the Er family came out.

His words undoubtedly confirmed the speaker's identity, causing the Er family members, who were initially surprised and suspicious, to completely change their expressions.

At the scene, Fang Shu's expression was even more astonished than the others.

He recognized the voice immediately; it was none other than his master, the Immortal Dragon Maiden.

"The Dragon Master actually came to this secret realm in person?!" Fang Shu's mind was in turmoil.

But no matter how chaotic his thoughts were, it didn't stop him from making a choice immediately.

With a whoosh, Fang Shu retreated under Er Daiyuan's complicated gaze, and in a flash, landed where Long Gu had spoken.

As he stood atop the stone pillar, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows and appeared before the crowd.

She was tall and beautiful, like a serene and aloof deity described in Taoist scriptures, graceful as a maiden.

When Fang Shu saw the beautiful Dragon Maiden, his gaze became unfocused again, and he almost thought that someone was impersonating her.

However, upon closer inspection, looking at only half of the other person's face, it is indeed exactly the same as the intact half of the face that the Dragon Maiden Fairy used to have.

He wondered to himself, "Has Long Gu regained her appearance without me even realizing it, or is this just a case of her regaining her vitality before death?"

However, in his public demeanor, Fang Shu did not hesitate to perform a grand salute:

"Greetings, Master."

This disciple was unaware of Master's arrival; I beg Master's forgiveness.

Long Gu glanced at Fang Shu indifferently, said nothing, and simply nodded.

On the other side.

After a few glances, the old patriarch of the Na'er family also recognized Long Gu.

The thief chuckled softly, "So it's the master of the Gu Hall. I've never seen Fellow Daoist Long Gu in this state before."

"Wasn't Fellow Daoist Long poisoned by his own eldest disciple, leaving him severely injured and unable to leave the mountain? Why, instead of staying in the temple to recuperate, do you insist on wandering around this secret realm?"

The cold smile on Long Gu Xianjia's lips did not fade; she simply said:
"This is all thanks to you, fellow Daoist, for spreading the news of this Blood Lake. After checking it over, I found it to be somewhat credible, so I thought I'd come and join in the fun to see if I could obtain some precious medicine to heal my injuries."

The man's frank statement of his purpose left the patriarch of the Er family speechless, unsure how to respond.

After a few breaths, the other person said in a muffled voice:

"You dare to come here? Fellow Daoist, be careful not to get the treasures but worsen your injuries and even drop your Foundation Establishment realm. By then, it will be too late to regret it."

These words immediately restored the composure of the Er family members who were surrounded by astonishment.

The members of the Xu Er family whispered among themselves: "That's right. I heard that the Gu Hall Master is seriously injured and his magical power is much weaker than before. He might even lose his title as Hall Master!"

"If this person were placed among the Foundation Establishment Immortals now, he would probably be among the weakest of them all. How could he compare to the power of our ancestor!"

Upon hearing these words, the Dragon Maiden Immortal's gaze shifted slightly as she glanced at the bystanders.

But she didn't show any displeasure or offense; instead, she calmly replied:
"Fellow Daoists, rest assured, even though I am injured, I am still able to put up a fight against you in this secret realm."

These words aroused suspicion among the Er people, but greatly alarmed the Er family patriarch.

The demon cursed inwardly, "Damn it! Why is this old woman here at Blood Lake to join in the fun?"

He never expected that his deliberate release of information, intended to attract more immortals from the secret realm, would instead attract a Foundation Establishment Immortal.

And just as Long Gu said, even though he was seriously injured and his magical power was already at the bottom of the Foundation Establishment Immortals, in the secret realm, this injury was nothing.

After all, he was here, and under the suppression of the secret realm, he could only exert magic power below the Foundation Establishment stage, and was heavily restricted.

The atmosphere at the scene was somber, with both sides locked in a standoff.

"Alright, enough with the chit-chat!"

The Dragon Maiden squinted her eyes and softly uttered:
“I am not unreasonable. There seem to be quite a few precious medicines here. Let’s divide them up between us.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately made her move and tried to seize the blood lotus seed in the underground palace.

Upon seeing this, the Er family members around exclaimed in surprise, "Ancestor!"

However, the patriarch of the Er family remained unmoved upon seeing this, merely coldly watching the Dragon Maiden Immortal's family harvest the spiritual herbs.

Soon, Long Gu had a blood lotus seed in her hand.

The Dragon Maiden was also puzzled, surprised that the other party had allowed her to pick herbs without saying a word. But soon, the Dragon Maiden's expression changed slightly.

At this moment, a loud laugh rang out from the mouth of the Er family patriarch:
"Why, Fellow Daoist Long, why don't you take the medicine now that you have it?"

These words immediately drew everyone's attention to the blood lotus seed.

Immediately, everyone saw that the tiny lotus seed suddenly opened its body and eyes. Its originally honest little face became ferocious and twisted, and it let out a howl like a demon. In an instant, it was both ugly and fierce.

Fang Shu, who was quite close to the lotus seeds, immediately sensed an extremely sinister aura emanating from them.

Clearly, the lotus seeds in this underground palace are no different from the thousand-year-old spiritual herbs in the secret realm. They are also tainted with evil energy, mostly due to blood sacrifices. The lotus seeds are also full of resentment and other evil spirits.

Even if these medicines were taken out of the secret realm, they would likely be unable to completely expel the evil and resentment within.

Realizing this, Long Gu's face turned gloomy.

But she didn't get angry. Instead, she looked at the patriarch of the Er family and calmly spoke:
"Oh, from what you're saying, it seems you have a way to consume this substance?"

The old patriarch of the Er family replied, "Heh, if I said there was none, would Fellow Daoist Long believe me?"

The Dragon Maiden's brows furrowed, and the rest of the Er family also looked surprised, lowering their heads to discuss whether their ancestor was playing a trick on the other party.

But soon, a rustling sound of clothes falling to the ground followed.

Suddenly, the patriarch of the Er family, standing in the center of the crowd, removed his cloak, revealing his full figure to everyone.

There was a moment of silence, followed by gasps of astonishment.
"Ancestor!?"

The old patriarch of the Nar family had a withered face, sunken cheeks, and sparse, withered hair on his head, with only a few wisps of dry, yellow hair remaining. A foul stench emanated from his body.

Judging solely from his appearance, this person was not a recently advanced Eighth Tribulation Earth Immortal at all, but clearly an old beggar nearing the end of his life, terminally ill. The patriarch of the Er family revealed his appearance, his eyes filled with a hint of jealousy as he looked at Long Gu, and he chuckled softly:
"Fellow Daoist Long, does my appearance seem somewhat familiar? If you wish to do this again, you can simply refine the Blood Lotus Seed."

The Dragon Maiden stared intently, her eyes revealing an undisguised sense of unease.

Her first thought was that this person was cheating and pretending to be weak.

However, by using her divine sense, casting spells, and identifying scents, she discovered that from every angle, this ancestor of the Er family clearly appeared to be nearing the end of his life and his physical body was decaying, without any pretense.

Moreover, the poison spirit on the other party's body is practically etched into his bones. I'm afraid that even if the temple master Dancheng were to take action, there would be no way to save this person's condition, and he would definitely die of old age within a year!

Just as the Dragon Maiden remained silent, Fang Shu suddenly spoke up:

"Could it be that Immortal Master Mo Fei'er's entry into the secret realm this time is purely for self-sacrifice, to pave the way for future generations of the clan, so as to promote the family and enhance the noble heritage?"

These words caused the astonished Er family members to become restless again, buzzing with discussion.

But Fang Shu paused for a moment, then laughed loudly:

"However, given the ruthless methods you used just now, I'm afraid that's not entirely the case."

Upon hearing this, the patriarch of the Er family didn't even glance at Fang Shu, but instead looked around at the people and sneered:

"Paving the way for future generations? These unworthy descendants don't even deserve my life to pave the way for them."

This scoundrel calmly replied:

“Fellow Daoist Longgu, I will not hide it from you anymore. This group of clansmen and disciples are the furnaces I use to purify spiritual herbs.”

Fellow Daoist, please understand that this underground palace is actually a place of 'Blood Mother Inheritance'. It is believed that a master of the Blood Mother Dao infiltrated this place, but for some reason, he passed away in the secret realm, leaving behind this inheritance.

This place was originally a coffin, but over time the coffin overturned, resulting in its current dilapidated state. Fortunately, the most important function of the altar has been preserved to some extent.

By offering flesh and blood here, one can condense an essence of flesh and blood, which can be called a 'human elixir'. Consuming this elixir can repair the physical body, restore one's foundation, and enhance one's cultivation; it possesses unparalleled wondrous effects.

The old man shook his head and sighed softly:
"Unfortunately, this secret realm has also been tainted by spiritual poison. Even the human pills created by the Blood Mother are now quite toxic, and we must find a way to remove them, or rather, neutralize some of them."

As for my method, it naturally involves having members of my clan consume human pills, and then, according to a secret bloodline technique, harvesting them from these clansmen to nourish myself.”

He looked at Aunt Long with pity in his eyes:

"It's a pity that Fellow Daoist Long came alone. Although you have relatives with you, you only have one disciple, and he has no blood relation to you. Even if I were willing to share the Blood-Nourishing Lotus Seed with you, it would be useless to you."

These words resonated so clearly in the room that they shook everyone present.

Long Gu's face grew even more somber, while Fang Shu looked quite astonished and began racking his brains to recall information about the "Blood Mother Path".

As for the Er family members, they were all incredulous: "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"The elder is the pillar of our clan and a great man. How could he possibly plot against our clan like this?"

Among them were high-ranking members of the Er family, such as the beautiful woman from the Er family.

The other party, his expression shifting, forced a laugh: "Please calm down, everyone. The ancestor never said that we would all die after the purification of the spiritual herbs, nor did he say that we would all be used as cauldrons for the spiritual herbs..."

However, as the beautiful woman spoke, her voice grew increasingly soft, clearly indicating that she herself lacked confidence.

Bang! Bang! The sound of kowtowing immediately rang out from inside the underground palace.

Those members of the Er family who were at the Refining Essence or Qi Refining stage were frantically kowtowing, begging, "Please spare our lives, Ancestor!"

These people knew that even if the patriarch of the Er family would leave behind a few clansmen, he would never leave behind clansmen like them who had low cultivation levels.

This group of people will inevitably become part of the so-called purification process of human pills.

Furthermore, even Er Daiyuan and a few others who were highly regarded by the Er family patriarch changed their expressions drastically.

"The method of purifying the human pill! Although I have never seen the bloodline secret technique mentioned by the ancestor, if I were the ancestor, I would definitely do everything I could to purify it, to make the human pill as pure as it can be, so as not to leave any hidden dangers."

Er Daiyuan pondered, her heart pounding.

Even if she becomes one of the last to be purified and survives, all her true energy will surely benefit your family's ancestor.

Bang! The Qi Refining Immortal on the scene was decisive, and he immediately rushed towards the outside of the underground palace, trying to escape from this place.

However, this action is tantamount to a moth flying into a flame.

Before these people had gone more than a few feet, they were engulfed by the mist rising from the blood, turning into a bloody mess.

The patriarch of the Er family coldly surveyed the clansmen around him. Instead of offering any words of comfort, he spoke in a chilling tone:

"The matter has been explained to Fellow Daoist Long. You can just stand by and watch."

"Once I have purified the elixir, you can check it yourself if you don't believe me."

After a pause, the other party said slowly, "Once I have finished packing, out of consideration for our fellow disciples, perhaps we can consider accompanying you to explore this secret realm a bit more."

After all, besides the Blood Mother's legacy, this place has accumulated many other legacies over thousands of years. There might even be other treasures that could help you, fellow Daoist.”

After saying this, the fiend actually sat cross-legged without any hesitation, slightly closed his eyelids, and began to circulate his qi.

In an instant, a chorus of cries erupted at the scene.

"Grandfather, please don't! I still have children and an elderly mother living away from home."

"Grandpa, I am your own grandson!"

Seeing that they could neither escape nor fight back, the Er family members could only continue to cry and plead, as if they could soften the other party's heart through their tears.

But the patriarch of the Er family responded to his clansmen by casting a spell that stirred up layers of blood mist in the underground palace.

The blood lotus at the bottom suddenly seemed to breathe, its petals opening and closing, and the lotus seeds inside swayed, each one appearing to come alive, revealing a fierce and hideous ghost face.

Waaah! The cries of a baby rang out.

The dozen or so blood lotus seeds immediately detached from the blood lotus and pounced on the nearest dozen or so members of the Er family.

Amidst screams, the Blood Lotus Demon tightly embraced the faces of the Er family members, burrowing into their skulls.

In an instant, the loud wailing in the underground palace was replaced by screams, each one piercingly loud.

The Er family members, who were calm and collected just a moment ago, are now all terrified, running around the underground palace like headless flies.

Faced with this scene, the Dragon Maiden Immortal remained expressionless, seemingly unsure whether or not to take action.

(End of this chapter)