Chapter Sixty-Two: Three Foundation-Building Demonic Cultivators and the Enchanting Woman-Infinite Immortal(His given name was Qi, and his courtesy name was Fangyuan.)

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There were still survivors. Though he didn’t know how they’d evaded the spiritual sense searches of the three Core Formation demons, or perhaps, even with the mysterious tome taken, that place still harbored secrets? With this in mind, Qi glanced at the villagers’ corpses still impaled on bone spikes. He first took down their bodies, tidied their faces a bit, so that their expressions wouldn’t be so full of resentment as to frighten the survivors.

Since when have I become so considerate? Qi mocked himself with a wry smile. Then he walked toward the ancestral hall. As expected, the sounds of weeping became clearer, mingled with the low voices of young men offering comfort or shouting in anger.

Without knocking or calling out, Qi simply pushed the door open. There was the crash of objects tumbling behind the door—the makeshift barricade he’d just knocked over.

The sudden noise startled those inside, and the women’s sobs grew louder. The men gritted their teeth, gripping kitchen knives and hoes, and with a roar, eyes bloodshot, they rushed to attack the intruder.

To these ordinary people’s attacks, Qi merely raised a hand to block them, rendering their efforts futile. “I was on the back mountain, and have been there for ten days straight.” Having spoken this inexplicable sentence, Qi turned and left.

The young villagers were stunned, exchanging looks, then turned to a burly farmer—the old village chief’s grandson, who held some authority among the younger generation. He gritted his teeth and said, “No matter what, this place has already been found. We should go out and look. The women should stay here.”

When the young men emerged, they were first struck by the crimson scene under the moonlight. Led by the burly man, they entered the village center, where they saw over a hundred dried corpses, their faces twisted in agony. Overcome with grief, they rushed to their loved ones’ sides, wailing bitterly.

...

The mountain forest and greenery remained unchanged. The small, lonely grave had become overgrown with weeds—Qi felt a bit relieved; at least Grandpa Qi’s grave was still there. Kneeling at the grave, he kowtowed three times, then quietly began clearing away the weeds, finally building a sealed mud wall around it to shelter it from wind and rain.

He then constructed a small wooden hut nearby. As if recalling something, he paused and muttered with a bitter smile, “The two things I promised the black cat last time—I still haven’t done them, have I?”

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When Qi opened his eyes, it was already morning. Yet, though it was morning, sunlight did not reach this small village. At some point, the sky had been shrouded by a seamless mass of resentful, dark clouds, so that wherever one looked, darkness prevailed. Even in the morning, the village—indeed, the entire land—was plunged in gloom, darker than even the night before.

Only faint lights flickered in the village, trembling in the wind, which also carried a trace of blood and barely audible cries.

In this sea of blackness, the glimmer of light seemed to announce to the demonic sects that there were still survivors here. Truly... forget it. Let this be my repayment for receiving the mysterious tome.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a layer of white bones, several yards thick, now lay above the village, sealing away the last shreds of light. Atop the center of this bone dome, Qi sat waiting for a certain moment to arrive. For the demonic sects to make such a grand display and then do nothing would indeed be strange.

But what would their move be? And to what end?

All Qi could do now was meditate and wait quietly. He seized every moment to cultivate; even when not meditating, he could still cultivate at all times. Even the slightest increase in speed, accumulated over time, could become that crucial bit of progress. Especially in such a perilous moment, every increment of strength meant a greater chance of survival.

He had no idea how much time had passed. Because the sun had not shone for so long, the temperature of the blackened land continued to drop. Just as it was about to reach freezing, three streaks of light appeared in the dark sky. Judging from their trajectory, they would only graze this place—unless they noticed and stopped.

As fate would have it, the madmen were not on his side. The three beams of light changed direction and hovered above Qi. There were two young men and a seductive woman. Strangely, the woman led the group. All three looked down, first at the vast field of white bones, then fixing their gaze on Qi.

“Who are you, and why do you wait here?” the woman asked, her voice as enchanting as her appearance, bewitching and alluring.

Qi’s thoughts became... peculiar. ‘This woman’s seductive aura is too much—not my type, and besides, she’s from the demonic sects; I could never like her. Therefore, I won’t betray the black cat, nor will I be hurt by her. So, she can be killed.’

Wait, is there something wrong with this logic? Does that mean anyone I don’t kill is someone I might be hurt by?

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“There’s no need to ask, Fairy,” said the young man on the left, eyeing Qi with hostility, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. “Anyone here is either one of us or an enemy. He’s alone in this remote place—he’s certainly not from our sect. Just kill him; why waste words?”

“Exactly. Speaking with such a rude fellow is beneath you, Fairy. Allow me—Zhao—to kill him for you,” chimed in the young man on the right, eager to please.

Qi shook his head in silent exasperation. He could tell these three were Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators—if they’d been Core Formation, he’d have fled already. Both young men’s auras were weaker than Si Poxiao’s, while the seductive woman seemed to be on par with Su Di.

“Hey, how much energy does it take for a combat power tester to measure below one hundred thousand?” Qi called out the mysterious tome and asked.

“You’re so direct in giving Big Brother God a nickname—he’ll be upset, you know. Misaka just got out of solitary confinement, and the shadow on her heart is as large as nine cups of black tea. Sigh, Misaka acts pitiful to get the best possible benefit,” Misaka Mitake’s voice replied.

“What’s that? Some kind of long-distance voice-transmitting artifact? Even if you summon your companions, it’s useless. This is already the domain of our demonic sect—you...” the young man on the left sneered.

“I’ve run into a little trouble here. Once I deal with them, I’ll send you some black tea and snacks as thanks. Is Big Brother God around? I want one of those combat power testers,” Qi ignored the menacing youths in the sky, his expression softening as he smiled at Misaka within.

“Big Brother God went out—he said he’s queuing for the ‘Otaku Convention.’ The thing you want is listed here for five hundred soft coins. Oh, wait—a hidden button appeared; the real price is fifty soft coins. Sigh, Misaka has no idea whose currency that is, but she’s gained a deep understanding of Big Brother God’s black-heartedness.”

(Two more chapters tonight. I’m really exhausted, using up all my rest time. I’ve been staying up until two in the morning and starting work at eight, but this is my first five-chapter burst, and it feels so rewarding. Keep going.)