After the path was cut off

This is a completely abandoned village, its deathly silence like solidified ink, weighing heavily on the land once known as the "Tieyu Wang Family." Amidst the crumbling walls, traces of its former ornate architecture remain faintly visible. A massive stone gatehouse, half collapsed, its faded auspicious beast reliefs seeming to wail silently. Wild grasses have overgrown, swallowing the once-smooth square, and several withered old trees stretch out their jagged branches like demonic claws accusing the heavens. The once bustling, vibrant ancestral home of the Wang family is now nothing but ruin, decay, and a profound, bone-deep silence.

On the edge of the village ruins, a dilapidated mountain god temple, seemingly on the verge of collapse, stood as the only somewhat "complete" structure in this deathly silence. The temple door was ajar, covered in cobwebs. However, pushing open the heavy wooden door, which looked as if it might fall apart at any moment, revealed a completely different world! The floor wasn't made of ordinary bricks and stones, but rather paved with polished black stone slabs. In the center of the temple, where the shrine where the mountain god's statue once stood, was now the entrance to a vertical passage, several feet in diameter and seemingly bottomless! A thick, nauseating stench of blood, mixed with a strange, sweet, ripe fruit-like fragrance, emanated from the depths of the passage like invisible tentacles, both alluring and instinctively terrifying and suffocating. Inconspicuous reinforcing runes were subtly engraved along the edges of the passage, clearly designed to facilitate the entry and exit of large quantities of "goods," while also possessing the characteristics of being easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After descending vertically for dozens of meters along this wide passage, and then turning into a wide, sloping tunnel for several hundred meters, a breathtaking view suddenly opens up before you!

A vast, chilling underground cavern came into view. Countless jagged stalagmites hung from the ceiling, dripping murky water droplets with a monotonous, eerie "drip-drip" sound. In the center of the hall was a massive pool of blood, churning with a dark red, viscous liquid! Bubbles rose continuously from the surface, the only muffled background noise in this deathly silent space. In the very center of the blood pool, a gigantic, black alchemical furnace covered in eerie runes submerged, dark red smoke rising faintly from its opening, emanating a chilling, malevolent energy. The cloying, sweet fragrance here was even more intense, almost completely masking the stench of blood, creating an extremely eerie and unsettling atmosphere.

Even more chilling was the fact that dozens of caves of varying sizes had been carved into the rock walls surrounding the hall. Each cave was sealed off by thick, gleaming metal fences! By the light of the eerie green fluorite embedded in the cave walls, it was clear that every single cave was crammed with people!

Most of them were ordinary people, men, women, young and old. Their clothes were tattered, they were emaciated, and their eyes were vacant, as if covered with a thick layer of dust. There was no crying, no wailing, not even a faint groan. Only a despairing, deathly silence and numbness. They huddled on the cold, rocky ground, like shells stripped of their souls. The air was filled with a chilling atmosphere deliberately purified by cleansing talismans, and an omnipresent, cloyingly sweet fragrance, mixed with the faint metallic smell emanating from the blood pool, creating an unnatural sense of cleanliness capable of destroying the mind.

This is the demonic lair where Wang Xiande sacrificed his entire clan and embarked on the evil path! The resentment of tens of thousands of wronged souls of the Tieyu Wang family seems to be imprisoned by this sweet fragrance and cold "cleanliness," silently twisting and wailing in this chilly air!

***

At this moment, in the center of the hall, beside the pool of blood, sat a middle-aged man dressed in a blood-red brocade robe on a "throne" made of some kind of black beast bones. His face was sinister, and his narrow eyes, like those of a venomous snake, were now flashing with undisguised rage. He was none other than Blood Butcher's confidant—"Black Bat"!

He gripped a palm-sized communication jade tablet, shimmering with an eerie light. On the tablet, light and shadow shifted, repeatedly playing a chilling scene: a sword light, as condensed as ice silk, effortlessly tore through the radiance of a magical artifact, pierced through the protective spiritual energy, and ultimately annihilated a powerful Qi Refining Perfection cultivator in an instant! The image finally froze on the face of the sword-wielding woman—Li Qinghan—cold and frosty, her killing intent palpable!

"Li Qinghan!" Black Bat spat out the name through gritted teeth, his voice like sandpaper scraping, filled with deep-seated hatred. "If I'd known you were such a menace, I should have nipped you in the bud! Hmph! The higher you jump, the harder you fall! You think you can wipe us out before the big boss arrives? Dream on!"

Not far from where he sat, a woman reclined on a soft couch covered with a snow-white fox fur. Her figure was alluring, clad only in a gossamer-thin veil, her eyes languid and seductive, her skin gleaming like jade in the pale green fluorescent light. She was none other than "Lady Lin," sent by her husband, the "Bone-Chewing Demon," to aid him. Before her, a long line of numb-looking mortals, men and women, knelt like lambs to the slaughter. Their eyes held no fear, only a near-mad, morbid thirst!

In Lin Niangzi's arms, she was currently embracing a young girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old. The girl's face was contorted with a mixture of pain and extreme pleasure. Wisps of almost transparent pink mist were drifting from her seven orifices, flowing into Lin Niangzi's slightly parted red lips as if they were alive.

"Ugh..." A suppressed, yet suddenly released, chilling groan escaped the girl's throat! Her body trembled violently, and a sickly flush instantly rose to her face, as if she had reached some indescribable peak! Then, all the light in her eyes receded like the tide, leaving only an empty, almost "sacred" calm. Expressionless, she rose from Lin Niangzi's embrace, as if drawn by invisible threads, step by step, resolutely yet numbly, towards the churning pool of blood, and without hesitation, leaped in!

"Thump!"

A small ripple appeared in the blood pool, then it returned to calm.

"Lady Lin!" Black Bat suppressed his anger, his voice icy cold. "Use these 'human pills' sparingly! You've only been here for two days, and you've already 'harvested' hundreds of them! That's almost my annual 'production' here!" He deliberately emphasized the word "production".

Madam Lin lazily withdrew her gaze, the warmth of the young girl still lingering on her fingertips. She casually pulled over a middle-aged man kneeling before her, his eyes filled with a sickly longing. Her movements were gentle, carrying a strange expression that blended allure and pity. Her fingertips brushed across the man's withered, sunken cheeks, her voice like a sigh, yet carrying an undeniable allure: "Poor souls... born in this dark, sunless cave, starving, poorly clothed, even your life and death are in the hands of others... living is nothing but endless torment and despair..." Her eyes were like a compassionate deity looking down upon ants, her red lips parted slightly, carrying a bewitching allure of redemption: "Let me... show you the ultimate 'pleasure' that can only bloom at the end of life... this is your only liberation... making your journey through this suffering world worthwhile!" Pink mist once again overflowed from the man's seven orifices, flowing into her mouth.

"Hmph!" Black Bat sneered. "If you have such a compassionate heart for 'helping others find liberation,' why don't you go deal with that Li Qinghan! She's a true prodigy! If you could 'liberate' her, wouldn't that be an immeasurable act of merit? Her 'taste'... is far beyond what these lowly mortals can compare to!"

"Li Qinghan?" Lin Niangzi paused, then burst into laughter, her body trembling with desire, exuding charm. "That little swordsman who slew Jiang Huai with a single sword strike? Tsk tsk, quite interesting... But," her eyes gleamed with a lazy slyness, "it's best for me, with my meager skills, not to provoke such a scourge. Such tough nuts should naturally be left for you upright men like Brother Black Bat to crack. Don't even think about pushing the hard work onto me."

"If you don't kill her, she'll come and kill us!" Black Bat's voice was as cold and menacing as iron.

“It’s to kill ‘you’,” Lin Niangzi corrected, her smile still alluring, but her eyes held a distant, icy chill. “Not ‘we’. I’m not one of Lord Blood Butcher’s men. My husband (Bone Chewing Demon) sent me here just to ‘take a look.’” She emphasized the word “take a look.”

"Lord Bone-Chewing Demon sent you here, not to watch the show!" Black Bat suddenly stood up, his blood-red robe fluttering without wind, a chilling aura spreading out. "You must have received the news! Lord Bone-Chewing Demon is unable to attend this 'feast' due to unforeseen circumstances! If you still want a share of the 'fat sheep' of White Creek Town, you should show some sincerity and put in more effort!" His gaze was piercing, carrying a sense of coercion.

"Contribute your strength?" Madam Lin chuckled softly, her eyes scrutinizing her. "Contributing strength... depends on whether there's any hope. Right now..." She drawled, her gaze sweeping over the blood pool and the numb prisoners before finally settling on Black Bat's gloomy face. "My husband can't act, and with 'Blood Butcher' alone... can he handle Li Wangxiang? And there's Li Qinghan outside, harvesting your men like mowing grass... Brother Black Bat, tell me, where... is the hope?" She leaned forward slightly, a hint of mockery in her voice. "As for me... I can't see even a sliver of hope. Without hope, what's the point of contributing?"

"Lady Lin!" Black Bat's face was ashen as he spoke, each word deliberate and forceful. "You're sabotaging me!"

"Smashing you up?" Madam Lin giggled, her laughter echoing in the empty hall, tinged with a hint of unbridled arrogance. "Yes, I'm sabotaging you!" She rose gracefully, her snow-white fox fur coat slipping off her shoulders, revealing her rounded, fragrant shoulders. "Since you can't even see the oil stains anymore, if I don't sabotage you... am I supposed to stubbornly stick my neck out and jump into the fire pit with you all?" Her gaze swept over the mortals kneeling on the ground, their expressions of intense reluctance and fear at her rise. Her eyes paused slightly, a faint, almost instinctive pity flashing across them, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper languor and calculation. "If you don't have a backup plan..." She made a move with light steps, "This concubine... must truly take her leave and return to report to my husband."

"You've 'absorbed' so many people here, and now you think you can just walk away?!" Black Bat's eyes flashed with ferocity, and his body surged with bloodthirsty energy, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey.

"Otherwise what?" Madam Lin stopped and turned around with a smile that was incredibly charming, but deep in her eyes was a coldness. "Brother Black Bat... do you really have some means to keep me here?" A soft yet sticky aura, like a swamp, rose from her body, silently resisting Black Bat's ferocity!

The atmosphere in the underground hall instantly became tense! The gurgling sound of the blood pool seemed particularly jarring. The mortals kneeling on the ground stared intently at Madam Lin, as if their only source of light was about to disappear.

Black Bat stared intently at Madam Lin's captivating face, his chest heaving. His mind raced: 'This vixen! She's not trying to leave at all! She's clearly using this as a pretext to force me to reveal my hand! She's not content to be just a pawn following orders; she wants to see the bigger picture, and perhaps even… grab a bigger slice of the pie!' With his forces severely depleted and Li Qinghan's prowess fully revealed, if he were to lose this vixen and the support she brings, he would be utterly helpless and unable to withstand her on his own!

Weighing the pros and cons, Black Bat's anger vanished instantly, replaced by a fake yet warm smile: "Hehehe... Sister Lin, you're too kind! I was just in a moment of panic and spoke without thinking, please don't take offense!" He stepped forward, his hand, cold and damp, naturally and with an irresistible force wrapped around Lin Niangzi's slender waist, pulling her closer. His lips were almost touching her delicate earlobe, his voice low and menacing, like a viper's hiss, carrying an intimate sharing of "secrets":

"My sister wants to leave? I'd be heartbroken for her! This plan sounds difficult... but it's actually quite simple. All we want are the lives and blood of those mortals in Baixi Town. Why bother with Li Wangxiang and Li Qinghan, those two tough nuts to crack? Dealing with those... unarmed, defenseless lambs is a piece of cake, isn't it? As for how to deal with them..." His voice was even lower, almost inaudible, filled with an extremely sinister smugness, "...we just need to do this and this... and this and this..."

He spoke in a low voice, revealing a sinister and malicious plot targeting tens of thousands of ordinary people.

Madam Lin nestled into Black Bat's arms, her face displaying a series of expressions—surprise, realization, and admiration—her eyes gleaming with a strange light, as if utterly captivated by this "brilliant" scheme. Her red lips parted slightly, uttering a silent gasp of wonder. However, deep within her seemingly intoxicated eyes, a barely perceptible glint of disdain, disgust, and cold calculation flashed by like an undercurrent in a deep pool.

The two appeared to be intimate and discussing "grand plans," but in reality, they each harbored their own ulterior motives. Like two venomous snakes probing each other in the dark, ready to bite at any moment, their relationship was full of false understanding and deadly cunning.

-----------

The ancestral hall in Wangjia Village, Tieyu, stands like a silent tomb amidst the desolate village. In the center of the hall, a solitary, dust-covered clay statue sits—said to be the progenitor of the Wang family. The statue is sculpted with a kind face, a long beard reaching its chest, and a seemingly benevolent smile playing on its lips, as if silently protecting the long-extinguished lineage.

However, in this deathly quiet midday, a strange change suddenly occurred!

The clay statue suddenly began to shake violently without warning! It wasn't the wind blowing, but a dull and rapid tremor emanating from within! Dust rustled off its body.

"Thud!" A small, cracked piece of clay peeled off from the wrist of the clay statue as it stroked its beard, and shattered into dust on the dusty offering table below. The sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silent shrine.

Then—"Crack...crack crack..." Like a chain reaction, more cracks spread and expanded on the surface of the clay statue! Large chunks of clay peeled off and fell off like rotting flesh! The kind and benevolent appearance quickly collapsed, revealing the rough and ugly clay skeleton inside.

Just as nearly half of the clay sculpture's outer shell had peeled away, a piercing, tooth-grinding hiss, like countless tiny claws frantically scratching at a hard object, suddenly erupted from within the clay statue! The sound was sharp and chaotic, filled with inhuman malice and hunger, instantly shattering the tranquility of the ancestral hall!

The next second! From the empty eye sockets, the open mouth, and the cracks in the surface of the clay statue... suddenly gushed out clumps of writhing, viscous darkness!

That wasn't true darkness! It was... bats! One, two, ten, a hundred... countless bats, completely black! They were smaller and thinner than ordinary bats, their wing membranes like rags soaked in ink, and most terrifying of all were their eyes—blood-red! In the dim shrine, they were like countless tiny, malevolent fires of hell ignited!

These scarlet-eyed bats, like a burst dam of filth, surged wildly out of the crumbling clay statue! Their sticky wings flapped, emitting a chilling "fluttering" sound and piercing screech, swirling and colliding in the cramped shrine space, stirring up gusts of foul, eerie wind! The broken clay statue of the "ancestor" now seemed like a Pandora's box forcibly opened, leading to the source of filth, relentlessly releasing messengers of calamity and death!

Crimson eyes flickered and converged in the dim light, like a moving, malevolent cloud of blood, before finally shrieking and bursting through the decaying doors and windows of the ancestral hall, surging towards every corner of Tieyu Village... and even further towards Baixi Town!