The world around them fell into silence. That burly monster had been completely annihilated. Li Yanchu’s expression turned colder. From the moment he stepped into this place—one of the legendary Seventy-Two Blissful Lands—it had been danger after danger. Now, at the very heart of this Blissful Land, Mount Jinting, the evil creatures seemed to be growing more numerous and bizarre. “What kind of brutal battle happened here all those years ago?” Li Yanchu slowly returned the Jiaoslayer to its sheath, and his heart grew heavy. The so-called Immortals who achieved longevity, beings who could feed on wind and drink dew, had fallen. An entire Daoist Blissful Land had been reduced to ruins. It was hard not to sigh. He turned his gaze to the towering, majestic Mount Jinting, still piercing the clouds in the distance. It was as though he were trying to see through the layers of mist, to uncover the truths hidden within. “You’ve seen it too, how dangerous this place is. Those three had decent cultivation, yet were mysteriously killed by demons, and died so tragically.” “There’s still time to leave now,” Li Yanchu said to Ding Rou. Ding Rou gave a slight smile. “I should’ve died at that cliff long ago. It was only because you saved me that I’m still alive, so this life was stolen anyway. What’s there to be afraid of?” Li Yanchu fell silent. “I didn’t expect it, you’ve got a bit of a gambler’s spirit,” he said, beginning to see this misfortune-ridden Daoist priestess in a new light. Ding Rou’s eyes sparkled, instantly bright and charming. She said with a graceful smile, “This is one of the Seventy-Two Blissful Lands. Since we’ve made it here, how could we not explore this legendary immortal mountain that only exists in ancient texts?” Li Yanchu gave a slight nod. He walked over to the three corpses, and after a moment of thought, struck out with a burning palm force. His inner force turned into intense flames, and in mere breaths, the corpses were reduced to ashes. “Dust to dust, earth to earth,” Li Yanchu said softly. In this ominous environment, the corpses could easily become zombified or corrupted. It was better to cremate them immediately. He and Ding Rou began climbing toward the mountain summit. Though their spirit qi flowed with some difficulty, it wasn’t as oppressive as the mythical tales described, and there was no feeling of suffocating pressure with every step. That’s more like it, Li Yanchu thought to himself. This place has been overrun by demons, so ts original formation and prohibitions must have already been broken. Otherwise, the suppression from Mount Jinting would’ve been far more intense. Along the way, he discovered two more corpses. Their deaths were just as horrific, and exactly the same as the earlier three. Their lower halves were stripped of flesh, exposing ghastly white bones. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel★fire.net He retrieved the jade fragments from their bodies, then used his Pure Yang Force to ignite them, burning the corpses clean. They continued forward. What kind of cursed thing is doing this? Li Yanchu frowned deeply. Just then, he noticed Ding Rou looking grim. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Ding Rou replied, “I keep feeling there’s a malicious gaze on my back... but when I try to look, I find nothing.” Li Yanchu immediately activated his Qi Sight, but Li Yanchu didn’t detect anything unusual. “Why can’t I sense anything at all?” he muttered. Ding Rou shook her head. “I’ve had this feeling since just now. It’s probably not an illusion.” Though she was a woman, she wasn’t someone who imagined things or panicked easily. There’s no reason her senses should be sharper than mine... Li Yanchu glanced around cautiously. Faint groans came from up ahead, sounding as if someone were in great pain. The two exchanged a glance and quickly hurried forward, one in front and one behind. There, they found a fat, bloated man slumped on the ground, half-leaning against a rock, his body covered in bloody wounds. It was Zhu Fugui! Li Yanchu immediately recognized him. At the same time, Zhu Fugui’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Li Yanchu and Ding Rou behind him. “Daoist Master Li! You finally showed up! If you’d come even a moment later, I’d be a dead man!” Zhu Fugui’s face was filled with emotion. “What happened?” Li Yanchu asked. “Damn it, right after I crossed the river, a blinding white light lit up around the immortal mountain. I thought it was some heavenly fortune or divine blessing, but turns out it was a damn life-reaping ghost!” Zhu Fugui shuddered at the memory. “A ghost?” Li Yanchu raised an eyebrow. Zhu Fugui said loudly, “Yes! It was some shriveled thing, its skin all stony and cracked, like it had been petrified. Its eyes were just empty white sockets... Freaked me the hell out!” Li Yanchu and Ding Rou exchanged a glance; it looked like Zhu Fugui encountered a different type of demonic creature. “And then? Wasn’t Chen Yang with you?” Li Yanchu asked. “Hah! That young guy clearly has some powerful background,” Zhu Fugui said, “He didn’t care about my life at all, he just used some five-colored divine light to fly off by himself!” Li Yanchu nodded slightly. “Did you see the bodies along the mountain path?” Zhu Fugui replied, “Those were the work of that cunning demonic creature! It eats only the lower halves of people! Damn thing is seriously twisted!” Suddenly, Li Yanchu looked at Zhu Fugui intently, yet he said nothing. But his gaze, sharp as a saber, was enough to make one's skin crawl. Zhu Fugui gave a nervous laugh. “Daoist Master... what’s wrong?” Li Yanchu’s tone turned serious. “You’re saying all those people were killed by that demon?” Zhu Fugui froze. “Of course!” “Then how did you survive?” Li Yanchu asked coldly. Zhu Fugui replied, “I was lucky enough to have a powerful magical artifact on me... barely escaped with my life. If you hadn’t shown up, Daoist Master, that thing probably would’ve come back, and I’d be dead for sure!” His expression turned pitiful, and his tone overly dramatic. Ding Rou was puzzled, not understanding why Li Yanchu was pressing so hard. Hadn’t they already concluded the deaths were the work of the demon? Li Yanchu stared hard at Zhu Fugui’s face and suddenly barked, “You’re lying! Those people weren’t killed by some demon, they were killed and eaten by you!” Ding Rou gasped, frowning in shock. What Li Yanchu had just said was truly horrifying. Zhu Fugui looked utterly confused. “Daoist Master Li! You can’t accuse me like that!” “Accuse?” Li Yanchu sneered coldly. "You used to carry only a clear and pure aura, without a trace of murderous intent. But now, your body reeks of bloodlust and killing intent, you still dare claim you're being wronged?" Zhu Fugui let out a miserable scream. “Daoist Master, you’ve really misunderstood me! Just because I’m a demon cultivator, you can’t assume I’m the one who killed those cultivators!” Li Yanchu shook his head. "In this Blissful Land, killing and robbing for treasure is a common occurrence. I've killed more than you have!" Zhu Fugui was stunned. He was so candid and shameless! This Daoist Master Yanchu made no effort to pose as a righteous man from a prestigious sect. Li Yanchu continued, "But in the end, you still couldn't resist temptation, and you fell into the Demonic Dao. What a pity, all that cultivation went to waste." Zhu Fugui remained silent for a long moment, then he slowly stood up. The exaggerated warmth on his face had completely vanished, and he let out a faint sigh. "Why bother exposing me? Weren’t we all getting along just fine?" Zhu Fugui said calmly. Ding Rou frowned slightly. “Zhu Fugui, you...” At that moment, Zhu Fugui seemed like a completely different person. He smiled faintly. “I was once enlightened by a great monk. I upheld precepts and cultivated diligently, and eventually, through a stroke of fortune, attained a human form. But it was all meaningless. In this Blissful Land, I’ve seen far too many young prodigies with extraordinary talent. Including you, Ding Rou. At your age, you’re already glimpsing the gateway to the second realm. Do you know how many years it took me to reach that step!?” As Zhu Fugui spoke, his voice became subdued. It was no longer heavy but filled with quiet restraint.