I speedrunned the Fairy Strategy Game

Luoyang Mountain.

Located on the border of Youzhou, adjacent to the Blood River Palace, the area is sparsely populated with spiritual energy and rarely visited by birds and beasts.

"Brother Yu, weren't we supposed to be investigating the missing villagers? What are we doing here?"

Li Muyu looked at the blurry outline of the mansion appearing in front of him and spoke.

"Luoyang Mountain has always been under the jurisdiction of the Baili family, and can be considered an annex of the Nanxian Sect."

"But recently, a large number of villagers from Sunset Mountain have gone missing, and the Baili family has not responded at all. Let's go and find out what's going on."

Deep in the canyon, the fog is thick like gunpowder smoke, obscuring the sun and never dissipating, leaving only a faint wisp of moonlight.

A dark blue mansion stands on the cliff, covering a large area with five courtyards that can accommodate nearly a hundred people.

From a distance, even though night had just fallen, the house was pitch black and silent, as if it had blended into the night, giving it a desolate feel.

The mansion gates were tightly shut, the vermilion lacquer on the door panels had long since peeled off, revealing rotten black wood, with dark brown stains seeping through the cracks, whether bloodstains or mold, it was hard to tell.

The bronze beast on the door knocker has a ferocious shape, holding the ring in its mouth. A strand of spider silk hangs on the rusted verdigris, trembling slightly in the wind, like some kind of silent warning.

Seeing such a gloomy and dilapidated scene, the female disciples were terrified and clung tightly to Chen Nanchao's back.

Ma Zouri glanced at Chen Nanchao, then slowly stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker.

After a moment, the dilapidated door creaked open and slowly opened a crack.

The man, carrying a lantern, peered out at the crowd.

Perhaps because he had lived at the bottom of the cliff for a long time and had never seen the sun, the man was thin, his pale face was bloodless, his eyes were empty, and his voice was hoarse and deep.

"Who are you people?"

Ma Zouri stepped forward and displayed his Enforcement Hall token.

"Nanxian Sect Enforcement Hall".

The man was taken aback, then forced a slightly stiff smile.

"So you're a disciple of the Immortal Sect. Please come in."

Pushing open the vermilion gate, a foul stench of decay mixed with herbs assaulted the senses, the air thick with the earthy smell, and dark green moss covering the cracks in the floor tiles beneath one's feet.

The entire front porch was dark and gloomy, and the oil lamps hanging on both sides had long been extinguished.

The man led the group into the hall.

"Please be seated, esteemed immortals. I will go and report to the head of the family."

Inside the lobby, a dilapidated oil lamp flickered, casting a dim yellow light. The layout was simple, with only a few mahogany square chairs. The calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls had long since faded and become blurred.

Ma Zouri watched the man's departing figure warily.

"The Baili family is rather strange."

Chen Nanchao nodded.

"Let's wait for the patriarch to arrive and then see how things go."

Before long, a middle-aged man strode out from the back of the house.

Before even entering the hall, he bowed from afar, his voice deep and powerful.

"I have long admired the esteemed disciples of the Immortal Sect, but I have been unable to greet you from afar. Please forgive me."

Everyone stood up and returned the greeting with clasped hands.

"You're too kind, Patriarch Baili."

The man's name was Baili Xiao. He wore a black robe, had a calm face, and deep eyes.

"What instructions has the Immortal Sect given you, esteemed immortals, for your arrival?"

Chen Nanchao said.

"Recently, the Southern Immortal Sect's messenger hall received news that a large number of villagers from Luoyang Mountain have gone missing. Is Patriarch Baili unaware of this?"

Upon hearing this, Baili Xiao frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat taken aback.

"How could this be? I have never heard of such a thing."

"But the messenger hall did receive the message and specifically sent us to investigate."

Baili Xiao was very cooperative and did not refuse.

"Of course, my Baili family is under the protection of the Immortal Sect, so we should cooperate fully."

"It is getting late, so why don't you all stay in the guest rooms for now? I will send a disciple to accompany you tomorrow."

The female disciples, delicate and frail, were already exhausted from their first mission to such a distant place. Upon hearing what the Baili family head said, their eyes lit up.

Chen Nanchao cupped his hands in greeting.

"Very well, then I'll have to trouble Patriarch Baili."

Li Muyu glanced at Chen Nanchao, his eyes conveying a profound meaning.

Baili Xiao summoned a disciple.

"Please escort our distinguished guests to their guest rooms to rest."

He turned to the crowd and said.

"I will not disturb your rest any longer. Just summon me if you need anything."

Li Muyu hadn't said a word from beginning to end, but now he spoke casually as if it were just a casual chat.

"People from your esteemed family, are you resting so early?"

Ji Yudie also noticed that although it was just past Wu Shi (5-7 AM), there was not a single person in the huge courtyard, and there were hardly any lights on.

The head of the Baili family paused, but his smile remained.

"My disciples are dull-witted, so they should work even harder. They are tired from cultivating during the day, so they should rest early at night."

Li Muyu nodded and said nothing more.

Watching Baili Xiao's departing figure, Ma Zouri spoke.

"The fact that Patriarch Baili is so cooperative is somewhat unexpected."

Li Muyu said with a deep gaze.

"A friendly attitude doesn't mean you have nothing to hide."

"In a little while, you will take a few disciples and look around the manor."

A female disciple scoffed, her face showing disdain.

"Don't make a fuss over nothing. The Baili family head is being so polite, why are you being so suspicious?"

"As expected, the people from the messenger hall are still too afraid of death."

Li Muyu scoffed.

"Ma Zouri, take her with you."

The female disciple immediately fell silent, turned her head away, and stopped talking.

You gossipy old hag, if a fight breaks out, I'll stab you a couple of times in the chaos.

After leaving the front courtyard, Baili Xiao went straight to the desolate garden in the backyard.

As the mechanism was pressed, the artificial hill in the garden suddenly trembled, revealing a pitch-black passage.

A thousand blue stone steps wind their way down, and phosphorescent lights suddenly ignite on the stone walls, glowing with a chilling, eerie green light. The deeper one goes, the thicker the stench of blood in the air becomes.

Deep underground, a massive and eerie underground palace came into view, with a huge pit in the center filled with blood.

Countless skeletons, their collarbones pierced by iron hooks, were hung upside down above the pool of blood.

There were several other living people nearby, and judging from their clothes and appearance, they were the villagers who had recently gone missing from Luoyang Mountain.

As the disciple, wielding a sharp blade, slowly approached, the people pleaded for mercy. But the disciple, like a cold executioner, skillfully slit the throat with a single stroke, and thick blood gushed out like a spring.

Painful wails echoed through the gloomy underground palace, like the weeping of ten thousand ghosts, a veritable hell on earth.

An old, hunched figure sat cross-legged in front of a massive alchemy furnace, within which flickering netherfire enveloped a blood pill radiating a dark red, malevolent aura.

"What are you doing here?"

Baili Xiao approached and bowed respectfully.

"Reporting to the Ancestor, the Southern Immortal Sect has learned of the villagers' disappearance and has sent several disciples to your residence."

The old man closed his eyes, his aged and withered face giving the impression that his time was drawing near.

"They're just a few juniors from the Southern Immortal Sect; we can kill them."

"I am currently in the Core Formation stage and must not be disturbed by anyone."

Upon hearing this, Baili Xiao hesitated.

"Killing them isn't difficult, but how will we explain this to the Southern Immortal Sect?"

The old man's voice was deep and hoarse.

"I have already made contact with the Blood River Palace. Once I refine the Blood Pill and successfully advance to the fourth realm, I will be eligible for an elder's position. At that time, what can the Southern Immortal Sect do to me?"

Upon hearing this, Baili Xiao's eyes flashed with a hint of unease. He bowed and slowly retreated.

After he left the underground palace, a figure quietly emerged from the shadows.