After the path was cut off

The Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivator's head was separated from his body, and the blood mist that exploded in mid-air had not yet dissipated when Zhang Guoren's expression suddenly changed.

Just moments ago, he was so shocked that his hands and feet went cold. Now, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and the Yin energy in his sleeves moved. More than ten Yin corpses flew out one after another, some with bone wings flapping in the air, others covered in rotting flesh. They flew up and down around the two Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivators, and in an instant, they formed a small Yin corpse array, trapping the two of them inside.

"A fairy!"

"These two must not escape!"

Zhang Guoren shouted at the top of his lungs, his tone fast and urgent.

"If word of that sword strike just now gets out, we'll immediately become the target of everyone's wrath!"

The two Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivators were still reeling from the shock of being killed by a single sword strike at the peak of Qi Refining. Now, suddenly surrounded by Yin Corpses, their faces paled.

"Black-eyed thief! How dare you hold back your true strength just now!"

Among them, the young cultivator with a delicate face and a folding fan was the first to react. While waving the fan to create a whirlwind and repel the two flying corpses that rushed towards him, he shouted urgently downwards:

"Please calm down, fairy!"

"We two merely accompanied that person here, and we truly know nothing of the grudge between him and the fairy! We beg the fairy to give us a chance to explain!"

"explain?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guoren's sneer intensified.

"What other explanation is there for him associating with such ignorant and heretical cultivators? They're probably cut from the same cloth!"

Now that he has long lost his freedom, seeing others standing there unharmed always fills him with an inexplicable resentment, and he becomes increasingly sharp-tongued.

The effeminate cultivator didn't even look at him, only at Li Qinghan standing below with his sword, and quickly reported his origins:

"My name is Zhang Yuanying, and this is my senior brother, Ma Anshan!"

"We are disciples of the Yellow Wind Sect. The man who died by the Fairy's sword just now was our senior uncle. We were ordered by our sect to go to the Taoist temple to guide 'Ling Qiao Zi', but our senior uncle said he had personal matters to attend to, so we accompanied him here. We never expected that he would have a grudge against the Fairy!"

Zhang Guoren's heart skipped a beat.

Huang Feng Sect disciple?

That would be no ordinary rogue cultivator.

His attack faltered, and his expression changed. If she truly was a disciple of a celestial sect, things would be far more troublesome. He had just transmigrated his soul; if he knowingly encouraged Li Qinghan to kill someone, knowing it might cause her trouble, he would likely be the first to suffer if things went wrong.

Thinking of this, he secretly glanced at Li Qinghan.

But Li Qinghan showed no intention of looking up at the sky. He walked straight toward the decapitated corpse, as if he didn't care about the two people at all.

Zhang Guoren felt a little more at ease.

"it is good."

He cleared his throat, still maintaining his arrogant and domineering demeanor.

"So here's the question—"

How can you prove that what you're saying is true?

Zhang Yuanying immediately raised his hand and pointed to the headless corpse below.

Upon the death of a cultivator, the internal energy within their body loosens, and the things originally contained within have long since scattered to the ground. At this moment, Li Qinghan stands beside the corpse, examining each item one by one.

"That person possesses a [Spiritual Aperture Guide]!"

"We each carry the Yellow Wind Sect's identity tokens and sect mission jade slips!"

"A single test will tell!"

"That sounds convincing," Zhang Guoren said with a forced smile, still refusing to admit anything. "Unfortunately, I—don't believe it!"

Ma Anshan snorted coldly, not bothering to argue with him, and fixed his gaze on Li Qinghan.

At this moment, Li Qinghan had already retrieved the so-called guiding spirit token from beside the headless corpse. Besides that, there was a Yellow Wind Sect token and several jade slips for recording events. The rest were cultivation supplies. A cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining would naturally be quite wealthy. Li Qinghan only glanced at them briefly, but he knew that if he brought these things back to Baixi Town, his grandfather would be very pleased.

The mirror light shifted again, and the wisp of true spirit that had been captured in the mirror after the death of the Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivator was also quickly examined. The person was indeed from the Yellow Wind Sect lineage, and had private dealings with evil cultivators around Baixi Town. However, the crucial part of the transaction seemed to have been forcibly removed, leaving nothing behind.

Li Qinghan was slightly puzzled.

The mirror master sent a wisp of thought at the right moment. This person's soul had been tampered with, and once he died, or if his soul was forcibly searched by an external force, certain key memories would dissipate on their own.

Li Qinghan felt a sense of relief. At least, this showed that the Mirror Master was not omnipotent. Otherwise, it would be too terrifying.

She then turned her gaze to the two people in the sky.

As the mirror shone upon them, black and white colors slowly appeared on their souls. Good deeds, though righteous, outweighed evil consequences.

Seeing this, Li Qinghan had a general idea of ​​what was going on. These two shouldn't be killed yet.

After the mirror master entered her body, whenever she felt murderous intent towards virtuous and righteous people, she would instinctively feel a strong sense of stagnation, as if something was secretly pressing down on her, preventing the sword from falling easily.

Moreover, these two are disciples of a celestial sect. There's no reason why they absolutely must be killed, but they can't just be let go like this either.

Li Qinghan's mind raced, and he immediately asked the Mirror Master—if he took these two as mirror servants, could he alter their memories?

The Mirror Master gave an affirmative response. Only then did Li Qinghan feel completely at ease.

With a light tap of her feet, she silently leaped from the ground, landing behind Zhang Guoren in the blink of an eye. Standing atop the winged flying corpse, her longsword hanging at her side, she uttered only a single, cold word:

"read."

It's that word again.

Zhang Guoren shuddered, as if he were back in the moment his soul was captured. He looked at Zhang Yuanying and Ma Anshan with pity, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

have to.

Now there will be two more "attendants".

He didn't mention this before, which might have been because he had some ulterior motives—after all, the more servants the fairy had, the less important he, as the first one to join, would be.

Now that Li Qinghan had spoken, he dared not hide his selfish thoughts any longer and could only stand obediently to the side, waiting to see how the two would choose.

A reflection flashed in Li Qinghan's eyes. The precious mirror shone brightly and reappeared.

The mirror-like light was not large, and it was inconspicuous when it hovered in her pupils, but once it was reflected in the eyes of others, it had an indescribable sense of mystery and majesty.

Zhang Yuanying's expression changed drastically after just one glance.

"[Sacrificial Vessel]!"

Zhang Guoren was taken aback.

"Sacrificial implements? What are those?"

Zhang Yuanying didn't even look at him, staring intently at the reflection in the mirror, her voice filled with barely concealed shock.

"It's actually the radiance of a sacrificial artifact..."

"I never imagined that the fairy was actually the [Priestess]."

Zhang Guoren was completely bewildered, his mind buzzing. He subconsciously asked another question:

"What does 'High Priestess' mean?"

Zhang Yuanying then turned his head and glanced at him. His eyes held pity, contempt, and a hint of pleasure. This black-eyed thief hadn't given him a friendly look before, so he couldn't possibly be patient enough to explain things to him now.

He was just a rogue cultivator and didn't have much knowledge.

Li Qinghan ignored it.

She didn't understand what a "ritual vessel" was, nor did she understand what a "priestess" was.

Her great-uncle had only mentioned to her that the mirror master should be offered as a "sacrificial vessel" ahead of time, but at the time her mind was focused on the latter part of the sentence, "harvesting the souls of Baixi Town," so she didn't pay attention to this.

She neither understood nor knew how to respond.

So she simply repeated it again, her tone even colder than before.

"read."

Zhang Yuanying and Ma Anshan exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of bitterness in each other's eyes. The man before them was clearly not one to patiently explain or negotiate.

She possesses the radiance of sacrificial vessels, making her undoubtedly a [Sacrificial Maiden], but it's unknown which immortal sect she belongs to, so we cannot rashly offer up our soul seal.

Zhang Yuanying remained silent for a moment, then finally gritted her teeth and asked in a low voice:

"May I ask, fairy... which immortal sect do you belong to?"

Li Qinghan paused for a moment, then uttered three words softly.

"Tianxuan Sect".

Li Qinghan was also somewhat confused by his words. She had heard her great-uncle mention the term "sacrificial vessel" before, when her great-uncle wanted to offer the mirror master as a "sacrificial vessel" in advance. However, she did not understand the meaning of "sacrificial vessel" and had never paid attention to it.

However, it doesn't matter what it is. She repeated it again, her voice icy.

"read."

Zhang Yuanying and his companion exchanged a glance and gave a wry smile. This man was truly unreasonable. However, neither of them was entirely confident of victory.

Zhang Yuanying bit down and pressed.

"May I ask, fairy...?"

"Which sect of immortals did you come from?"

Li Qinghan paused for a moment, then uttered three words softly.

"Tianxuan Sect".

Upon hearing this, both Zhang Yuanying and Ma Anshan changed color.

"The Heavenly Profound Sect?!"

The hesitation that had been barely suppressed vanished completely in that instant.

They had only guessed that Li Qinghan had a powerful background, but they never expected it to be this powerful.

Tianxuan Sect.

Among the thirty-six immortal sects under the Immortal Abode, it is a behemoth ranking among the top ten.

If they were truly from a prestigious sect, then even if the sect leader himself came, let alone if they were just disciples of the Yellow Wind Sect, he probably wouldn't dare to ask a single question about such a matter.

With that thought, the two of them no longer hesitated and immediately faced the mirror-like light, bowing deeply once more.

"The three lights descend, and the five elements gather spirit."

"I humbly beseech the Master of the Mysterious Mirror, whose Way of Vessel is profound and whose Majesty and Virtue shine upon all."

"Zhang Yuanying was revised."

"Renovate Ma'anshan."

"I bow my head and pay my respects again—"

"Those who violate the forbidden rituals shall be punished according to the law."

"Now I offer my seven souls as a bridge, and my three spirits to receive the seal; I feed my body to the mirror, to be its eternal guide!"

As the prayer ended, the mirror trembled slightly.

Two faint soul imprints slowly emerged from between their brows and disappeared into the mirror image.

Zhang Guoren stood aside, his heart itching with envy.

He was still completely clueless about what sacrificial vessels were and what the lineage of priests was. But just by looking at the two men's arrogant and obsequious manner, he knew that there was probably more to this than met the eye.

The thought of how he had shown no mercy to his two future "servants" made him feel slightly uneasy.

If I had known this would happen, I should have been a little more polite.

Li Qinghan confirmed that the ceremony was complete, and then looked at the two of them again. With a light step, he returned to the back of the winged flying corpse.

She sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing.

That sword strike that killed a Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivator ultimately consumed a significant amount of her spiritual power.

But before closing her eyes, she still calmly issued a command:

"Cultivators below, those whose evil deeds outweigh their good deeds—"

"Kill them all."

"Come back to me after you've killed them all."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guoren, Zhang Yuanying, and Ma Anshan were all taken aback.

Immediately afterwards, the scene before their eyes suddenly changed.

The cultivators below were originally just figures frantically running around; but now, in the eyes of the three, two numbers, one black and one white, appeared above each of their heads, varying in brightness and size.

White represents good deeds.

Black represents evil consequences.

Zhang Guoren was stunned for a moment, then gasped.

This ritual vessel is truly bizarre; it can even reflect the image of this kind of canopy.

He looked down for a closer look, and what he saw made him even more astonished.

Throughout the entire palace, the number of people whose good deeds truly outweighed their bad deeds was not even close to being counted on one hand. Most people were burdened by an immense weight of black numbers above their heads, like years of accumulated filth that could not be washed away, making it difficult for them to straighten their backs.

"Tsk."

"There aren't many who are truly innocent."

Zhang Guoren muttered something under his breath.

But what he was really thinking about was the intricacies of good deeds and bad consequences, which were probably even more complex than he had imagined. If he had the chance later, he would definitely have to find a way to extract some information from Zhang Yuanying and the other man.

Zhang Yuanying and Ma Anshan exchanged a glance, but their expressions were not good.

Good deeds?

Disastrous consequences?

They had never even heard of this thing. Even within the Yellow Wind Sect, no one had ever mentioned that sacrificial artifacts possessed such an ability to reveal the good and evil in people's hearts.

But the order had already been given, and they had no choice but to give it a second thought.

"Let's go."

Zhang Guoren waved his hand, and several flying corpses pounced down first.

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoists."

"I can handle these minor repairs by myself."

After saying that, he leaped off the flying corpse.

Zhang Yuanying and Ma Anshan couldn't possibly stand still, so they had no choice but to follow them down.

-

The palace quickly descended into chaos.

With the death of the Qi Refining Grand Perfection cultivator, morale within the ranks was already low. Now, with the formation on the verge of collapse and only two Qi Refining Level 7 cultivators remaining, and these two turning on their own people, how could the lower-level cultivators possibly hold on?

Some people immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

Some people turned and ran away.

Some people, with a fierce glint in their eyes, knowing they were doomed, simply pounced on the ordinary people around them, hoping to take a few down with them.

Zhang Guoren hated this kind of thing the most. He raised his hand and a flying corpse pounced on the man, biting off half of his neck. Blood splattered out, splashing onto the white jade railing, stinging the eyes.

Another old gatekeeper, who had been hiding in a corner, suddenly drew his knife and lunged at Zhang Yuanying when he saw the situation was not right.

Zhang Yuanying remained expressionless. With a flick of his folding fan, several wind blades sliced ​​the man's shoulders and arms into pieces, leaving him no time to even let out a scream.

Ma'anshan was the most silent one.

He wasn't good at clever fighting; he only needed to swing his iron fists, and almost no one who clashed head-on with him could withstand a single blow. A wicked cultivator with a face full of rouge, seeing that he couldn't dodge, shrieked as if he wanted to unleash some insidious technique, but before he could use it, his chest was smashed open by his fist, and he was sent flying backward, crashing into a pillar in the hall, dying on the spot.

This massacre came quickly and ended just as quickly.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, no one in the entire palace could fight back.

Blood flowed down the white jade steps, staining the once magnificent palace, which was almost gaudy, into a mess.

Only the mortal maids and servants remained huddled in the corner, some trembling with fear, others slumped on the ground, not daring to even cry out loud.

Zhang Guoren glanced at them and saw that most of these people had a mixture of white and black hair. Although there were negative consequences, they were not serious. So he didn't bother to pay much attention to them. He simply raised his hand to drive away a few flying corpses that were agitated by the smell of blood, so as not to let them rush up and accidentally hurt the living.

"Shrink back and don't move."

He gave a low shout to those people, and then found it somewhat amusing to himself.

When did I start caring about the lives of ordinary people?

But he didn't have time to think about it and quickly drove the corpse back.

-

As the carnage came to an end, the true spirit memories that were constantly being collected in the mirror began to rapidly gather and take shape in Li Qinghan's mind.

Although she closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, her thoughts remained fixed on the mirror's light.

The people who died in this palace came from all sorts of backgrounds.

There were rogue cultivators recruited by the White Bone Path, spies placed here by the Reincarnation Temple, and wandering ghosts who simply depended on the palace owner for a living.

From these jumbled memories, the mirror owner pieced together little by little the network surrounding Baixi Town.

There are only two truly powerful heretical cultivation groups in the vicinity.

First, there is the Reincarnation Temple, which is under the jurisdiction of Blood Butcher.

Secondly, there is the White Bone Path under the Bone-Chewing Demon Sect.

At the Reincarnation Temple, under the Blood Butcher's command, there was a powerful but evil cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining named Black Bat. He was responsible for liaising with the area around White Creek Town and connecting with various gray areas in Central Continent. This palace before them was under his control. The part of the Great Perfection of Qi Refining cultivator who was just killed, whose memory was erased, was most likely related to Black Bat.

The area around the White Bone Path is more scattered.

The Bone-Chewing Demon sat high above, with two of his most trusted subordinates—

A woman named Lin Niangzi, at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

One person's name was Xue Lengxiang, and he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Below them were cultivators at the early and middle stages of Qi Refining. However, the middle-stage cultivators were pitifully few among them. Especially in the White Bone Sect, after Li Qinghan went out to quell more than ten evil cultivators two years ago, she almost wiped out the middle-level cultivators. Now, there are hardly any left who are truly usable.

Li Qinghan slowly opened her eyes.

Judging from this, apart from those two Foundation Establishment evil cultivators, there are not many Qi Refining cultivators around Baixi Town who can truly pose a threat to her.

Once this information had taken shape in her mind, her great-uncle on the other end naturally learned of it soon afterward.

Li Qinghan didn't have to wait long. Deep within his mind, his great-uncle's voice quickly came down.

—Go to the White Bone Path.

She raised her eyes, looked at Zhang Guoren and the other two who were still covered in blood as they rushed back, and spoke calmly:

"Let's go."

"Go to the White Bone Path."