Am I the only cultivator in this cultivation group?

"Turn...turned to ashes?"

Li Hu stared in disbelief.

That's a Spirit Origin Realm cultivator!

That's it? Gone just like that?

Throughout the entire ordeal, Daoist Ran Deng merely waved his hand lightly.

Before the lamps were raised high and the fire was lit, all the people were already dead.

The Taoist Ran Deng didn't even bother to explain; he picked up his lantern and walked straight into the mountain gate.

"Disciple, stay close."

Bai Xiaoyu casually added a word of advice.

"yes!"

Li Hu dared not be negligent any longer and quickly stayed close to his master, wishing he could shrink himself into her shadow.

Because this place is just too eerie.

As soon as I stepped through the mountain gate, the surrounding gloom seemed to intensify. The wind had stopped sometime earlier, the crows were gone, and the moon was completely obscured by thick, dark clouds. Only a heavy, deathly silence remained between heaven and earth, so oppressive it made one's heart ache. The air was filled with the smells of rotting wood, old incense, and damp mud, and every breath sent chills down one's spine.

"Amitabha Buddha... Amitabha Buddha..."

A deep, indistinct murmur suddenly came from the depths of the forest path ahead.

The sound was extremely soft, yet layered upon layered, like dozens or even hundreds of mouths slowly chanting something. It was clearly a Buddhist chant, but the more you listened, the more eerie it became, as if it weren't chanting scriptures, but rather chewing on the bones of a living person.

Li Hu huddled at the back of the line, cautiously peering ahead.

Not far away, in front of a dilapidated temple, a large group of figures in plain clothes were kneeling densely.

They stood with their backs to the crowd, heads bowed, hands clasped together, praying incessantly towards the darkness before the temple gate. The temple gate was dilapidated, the door panels long since rotted away, leaving only half a door. Inside, it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. Yet, these people were all chanting scriptures towards that darkness, their movements eerily synchronized.

A gentle night breeze blew by, causing their clothes to sway slightly.

Li Hu then suddenly realized that these things had no shadows at all.

He looked again and his hair stood on end.

The skin of the pilgrims exposed outside their robes was all bluish-gray and swollen, as if they had been soaked in water for a long time.

What really made Li Hu's scalp tingle was the dense array of cultivation level indicators above their heads.

[Spiritual Essence - Middle Realm]

[Spiritual Essence - Middle Realm]

[Spiritual Essence - Later Realm]

[Spiritual Essence - Middle Realm]

……

Normally, the high and mighty cultivators of the Spirit Origin Realm were kneeling here like pieces of incense ash in front of a dilapidated temple!

If these things were to attack in droves, even the July Demon Cave might not be able to stop them.

"These are pilgrims who have died from carrion."

Bai Xiaoyu lowered her voice and explained to Li Hu, "Most of them came to the temple to burn incense and fulfill vows before they died, and their resentment mixed with the incense smoke, which turned them into this ghostly appearance. Don't be fooled by their obedient kneeling now; if you disturb them, they'll chase after you like rats."

"Should we... sneak around there?"

Li Hu asked the question subconsciously.

"Go around?" Guang Chengzi chuckled upon hearing this. "Why go around?"

He raised his hand, pulled out a talisman, and grinned excitedly.

"Start the killing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist, revealing a talisman, and shouted at the group of rotting corpse worshippers:

"Let's fight!"

The next instant, the talisman's golden light surged, becoming blindingly bright, like a small sun suddenly exploding in the forest.

The chanting abruptly stopped.

The next moment, all the pilgrims with rotting corpses raised their heads in unison.

Li Hu felt a chill run through his body instantly.

None of those faces looked like those of a living person.

What's even more terrifying than their faces is the resentment emanating from their empty eyes.

"Those who disrespect Buddha shall die!"

A chorus of shouts, like hundreds or thousands of rotting mouths tearing open and roaring out a curse.

The next moment, all the rotting corpse worshippers suddenly sprang up!

They no longer knelt and chanted scriptures slowly, but pounced on us in a bizarre and almost distorted manner.

"The show is about to begin!"

Guang Chengzi grinned, pinched a talisman in his hand, and chanted incantations rapidly before slamming his palm on the ground.

"Explode!"

Boom!

A thunderbolt suddenly struck down from the night sky, hitting the group of pilgrims at the very front.

A burst of lightning erupted, like an angry dragon turning over, tearing apart large numbers of rotting corpses and worshippers along with the mud beneath their feet, sending black blood, bone fragments, and pieces of cloth flying everywhere. A thick, burnt smell immediately filled the air, making Li Hu nearly gag.

At the same time, a dungeon notification popped up in front of everyone.

You have disturbed the worshippers; be prepared to face their wrath.

"What happened?"

As soon as Li Hu asked the question, his face turned pale again.

Suddenly, a series of rustling sounds arose from the woods. The sounds grew denser and closer, as if countless things were surging towards them, stepping over withered branches and leaves. Then, one after another, figures dressed in cloth emerged from the darkness.

The quantity has more than doubled compared to before!

"Disciple, hide behind me, or you'll get rubbed to death!"

Bai Xiaoyu gave a low shout, and her longsword was already drawn.

In the next instant, she transformed into a red shadow and crashed into the crowd of worshippers.

Sword light flashed, its cold gleam like a tapestry.

With a flick of her sword, several sword shadows bloomed simultaneously, and the rotting pilgrims within three zhang of her were almost instantly shattered upon contact.

Guang Chengzi became more and more excited as the fight went on, throwing out talismans one after another, with constant thunder and lightning illuminating the entire forest.

Huang Yaoying's swordsmanship was completely different from theirs.

Her attacks were extremely steady, almost without wasting a single ounce of strength. She wasn't as flashy as Guang Chengzi, nor as aggressive as Bai Xiaoyu. Any monster that slipped through and got even slightly close to the flank of the group would be shattered between her brows with a single sword strike, clean and swift, as steady as if she were closing a gap in a net.

But what impressed Li Hu the most was the Taoist Ran Deng.

He carried the ancient lantern and walked slowly, his steps unhurried, as if strolling in his own courtyard. But the dim yellow flame in the lantern seemed to come alive, constantly spitting out thin, long threads of fire. As soon as those threads left the lamp, they swelled in the wind, instantly transforming into intertwined, crimson-gold fire snakes that crisscrossed and roamed through the forest.

Wherever the fire serpent passed, the rotting corpses of the worshippers didn't even have time to struggle before they were rapidly charred from the outside in, collapsing into ashes in the blink of an eye.

Occasionally, a few pilgrims at the late Spirit Origin Realm would brave the flames and rush closer, but he would simply raise his other hand and clench his fingers.

boom!

The flame inside the ancient lamp suddenly surged.

The pilgrims left not even ashes in an instant.

Li Hu witnessed all of this.

Watch out behind you!

Guang Chengzi suddenly gave a reminder.

Li Hu's heart skipped a beat, and he turned around abruptly, only to see a rotting corpse of a worshipper lunging at him. The ashen, swollen face was almost right in front of him, the stench of decay assaulting his nostrils, and the corpse was mumbling Buddhist chants incoherently.

Before he could react, a talisman and a flying sword arrived at the same time.

A flash of golden light, and the sword's cry suddenly rang out.

A simple array instantly rose around Li Hu, with talismanic light and sword energy intertwining to form a net, protecting him in the center. The pilgrim who rushed forward collided with the array and was instantly torn into several pieces, his flesh flying everywhere.

"Stay inside and don't move around."

Bai Xiaoyu flashed past him, casually ruffled his hair, and then turned back to the battle.

"Okay."

Li Hu huddled inside the formation, gasping for breath.

He then realized one thing completely: he was just there to freeload.

Let alone help, if we really leave the formation, I'm afraid we can't even withstand a single worshipper.

But it is precisely because of this that the shock of the seniors' moves is all the more profound.

Moreover, Li Hu could tell.

It's clear that Master and the other seniors haven't used their full strength yet.

They seemed to be...enjoying the process.

It's like playing a dungeon you know all too well.

Just then, Li Hu caught a glimpse of a faint light flashing on the ground out of the corner of his eye.

"Wait, what are these things on the ground?"

He was huddled in the formation, lost in thought, when he suddenly noticed that a pile of things had fallen down next to some of the dead, rotting corpses of the worshippers.

Some were round pills, some were small jade bottles, and some were gleaming medicine boxes.

He carefully peered closer and was completely dumbfounded.

【Fan Dan · Qi Xue Dan】

【Fan Dan · Qi Xue Dan】

【Fan Dan · Qi Xue Dan】

【Elixir of Immortality: Vajra Tempering Pill】

【Elixir of Immortality: Meridian Unblocking Pill】

【Precious Elixir - Undying Soul Body Refining Pill】

……

Not just one or two.

It's a piece!

It was blindingly bright.

"Why...why are there so many pills scattered on the ground?!"

Li Hu's voice changed, his ears perked up, and his eyes blazed with fury in the golden light of the array.

"It's going to be a big hit!"

He had never seen so many Qi and Blood Pills in his entire life.

If all of this land were truly his, it would probably be enough to pile him up all the way to the Spirit Origin Realm!

Not to mention, there are even elixirs and precious pills in here!

Li Hu stared at the glittering pills scattered on the ground, his breathing becoming heavy. His claws unconsciously stretched forward, and only one thought was churning wildly in his mind: He was about to strike it rich!