Chapter 10, Ominous Signs, Divine Destruction Gold Sand
A thick, dark mist slowly advanced along the bloodstains on the ground, making its way toward the Miao village nestled in the valley.
A dimly lit room permeated with a nauseating odor, most areas covered with black animal hides, piled high with many dried and peculiar herbs. On the east wall, which is darkened, hang various grotesque animal bones. On a wooden table below, numerous knives of different shapes are displayed, all appearing to be forged from silver, with blades as thin as a cicada's wing yet extremely sharp, glinting with a chilling brilliance. At the southern wall, there are over a dozen jars, most containing unknown substances, but among the jars closest to the entrance, one jar that has not yet been sealed contains a gigantic red toad steeped in a bizarre green potion. In the center of the room, a fire pit holds a small pot blackened by charcoal, simmering a liquid resembling black grease, within which the faint outlines of the corpses of snakes and scorpions, among other poisonous creatures, can be discerned. In one corner of the room, there is a black shrine, housing a statue approximately three feet tall, entirely shrouded in a layer of black wax-dyed cloth, giving it a very mysterious and eerie appearance.
In the midst of the black mist, a sudden sound of "rustling" emerged
A glimmer of golden starlight shone at his fingertips, "You madman! Is a pile of lives, as insignificant as ants, more important than a vein of cloud silk gold?" The man in the blood-stained clothes let out a piercing cry of disbelief, as the green radiance suspended before him surged with brilliance. However, this green radiance did not strike at Yuan Tianyi, but rather at himself. Amidst his anguished scream, his entire being was reduced to ashes by this green radiance.
Is that so? Before the young man could finish speaking, a beam of emerald light had already erupted from the mouth of the figure in the black mist, rushing towards him
The young man drew a winding path of blood on the ground, and when he crawled to the entrance of the village, he could only struggle to utter, "Everyone run quickly, there is a terrifying monster..." before he breathed his last.
Do not panic. The elderly Miao Yi, curled up in the mottled animal skin, casually picked a pinch of powdered medicine from a small bottle on one side with his fingernail and flicked it into the air. "What is the matter?"
Crossing several zhang in an instant, Yuan Tianyi picked up the green crystal-like ruler, which was no longer than two chi, and as she turned around, everyone in the Miao Yi village had already knelt on the ground, filled with utmost reverence
A flash of silver light appeared in the young man's eyes, revealing a hint of surprise.
Because his entire body was drenched in blood, half of his facial skin had been stripped away, revealing the white bones beneath. Most terrifying of all was that his abdomen had been torn open by some foreign object, and it seemed that many of his internal organs were missing.
When this man raises his head, anyone passing by would surely gasp in astonishment. No wonder the unfortunate young Miao Yi, who met a tragic end, referred to him as a monster
The black mist had cleared somewhat, revealing a man clad in blood-stained garments. In his hand, he held a tiger's head with its skull cap removed, still dripping with blood. The voice just heard was, in fact, him voraciously extracting the brain matter from the tiger's head.
A sound that seems to be absorbing the delicacies of the human world
As he groped to stand up and knelt again beneath the shrine, the old priest already held three dark blue incense sticks in his hand. After lighting these three sticks, the old priest reverently unveiled the black cloth covering the shrine, inserting the three sticks into the three-legged incense burner, and together with Deva, they bowed repeatedly.
Because under the tree two zhang in front of this mass of black mist, there stood a person, a strikingly handsome young man, almost妖异, dressed in a coarse white linen robe and barefoot.
A crescent-shaped jade plate suddenly hovered before the young man, emitting a faint glow that enveloped him like a tassel. The green radiance, infused with the pure essence of departing fire, collided with the dim, shadowy souls, yet it was as if they had encountered something exceedingly slippery, sliding off effortlessly to the side.
Yuan Tianyi spoke in a tone as cold as ice and snow, saying, "If I were not here, you would have already slaughtered this village to cultivate your demonic arts, and what you are practicing is the path of beasts, which is utterly misguided. Do you still expect me to spare you?"
In the blink of an eye, a point of golden starlight shot forth from the young man's hand
Night falls
Cloud Mist Essence Gold! It is a rare treasure in the eyes of cultivators, for besides its inherent toughness comparable to that of Diamond Essence Gold, it does not reject the vast majority of natural spiritual energies, making it an excellent material for refining the primordial form of magical artifacts
He was astonished not because of the cultivation level of the person within the black mist, but because within that brilliant green light, which illuminated the surrounding area for dozens of meters, there was not only an overwhelming pressure capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, but it also contained an extremely pure essence of the earth's core fire. Moreover, this essence of fire did not leak out even a trace; it was concentrated in one place, and as it surged towards the young man like a sharp cone, it did not harm even a single blade of grass or shrub in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, beneath the ground within a radius of several dozen zhang, countless dim souls emerged, emitting a piercing wail that threatened to shatter the mind, encircling the young man
"If others respect me by an inch, I will return that respect by a foot; if others deceive me by a foot, I will retaliate by a yard. This is the rule of my Luofu. If others regard me as a deity, how could I possibly see them as mere ants?" Yuan Tianyi spoke these words softly, as if addressing the man in the blood-stained clothes, yet also as if speaking to herself.
This is a Miao-Yi village located in the desolate mountains, where only the indigenous Miao-Yi, accustomed to the harsh environment filled with venomous snakes and insects, can survive for generations. "Gaza Abu!" The Miao-Yi strongman, whose face is covered in totem tattoos, skin dark as coal, and adorned with wolf-blood-dyed feathers, is the leader of this village, De Wazai. The one he refers to as "Gaza Abu" raises his head from a small black pot, clad in a mottled animal skin, with skin stretched over bones, and fingernails nearly a foot long. This ugly Miao-Yi elder, with a face covered in toad-like black lumps, is the great priest highly respected by all Miao-Yi villages within a hundred miles.
However, upon seeing the man in the blood-stained clothes amidst the black mist, his expression suddenly changed drastically, for he had discerned that the power contained within this speck of golden starlight was sufficient to slay gods and annihilate immortals
When he returned, he could no longer be considered a human being
The taste of the medicinal powder was extremely pungent, piercing through the nose; however, despite the overwhelming fear and anxiety, De Wacai gradually calmed down upon sensing this aroma
He frantically summoned all his magical power, which surged and coalesced in his hand into a black frenzied blade. However, with a "poof," the moment the golden starlight touched his black blade, a chilling explosion echoed. Not only was his black blade destroyed, but even his entire arm was shattered into a gruesome mess of flesh and bone, a sight too horrific to behold
In front of the shrine, there is also a three-legged incense burner, which clearly serves a purpose beyond mere decoration. It is believed that the owner of this room worships this statue as if it were a deity.
However, upon seeing that barefoot young man, pristine and untainted, the person in the black mist was instead filled with trepidation
The man in the blood-stained clothes could not help but step back, as the swirling green light flickered uncertainly. "We have no grievances or enmity between us; can you not spare me a way out?"
Thus, this blood-clad figure, resembling a demon, can only take his own life before being killed by the original heavenly garment
Thus, he had no choice but to take the initiative first
Although the person in the black mist did not know who the young man emanating a barefoot aura was, he could sense the killing intent radiating from him and the kind of presence that seemed to require his admiration
Is this mist or malevolent energy
A powerful magical artifact, an enigmatic technique, seizing every opportunity; yet even so, this blood-clad figure, resembling a demon, is still unable to match the young man dressed in a moon-white robe adorned with * illustrations *
Because he never negotiates terms with anyone, especially not with a practitioner who, tempted by their own nature, has fallen into the path of beasts
Because the man in the blood-stained clothes knew that Yuan Tianyi always kept his word.
With a bang, the door to this room was suddenly pushed open. Standing at the doorway was a tall man of Miao ethnicity, with dark skin and his face covered in peculiar totem tattoos. Looking out through the opened door, one could see the vast mountains and a dozen simple stilt houses.
"Reincarnation of the Moonlight Dharma Wheel! You are the leader of the Luofu Sect..." The man in the blood-stained clothes was drenched in sweat, unsure whether it was from pain or fear, yet he stood frozen in place, not daring to move. For he had already recognized who this person was, and he knew that if this person wished to kill him, no matter the cost, escape would be utterly impossible.
However, the original Tianyi merely shook his head
To the utmost truth and concentration, returning to one place, this is indeed a rare celestial-level treasure.
With a sound like a bell, the emerald-green treasure, which contained the purest and most concentrated essence of the departing fire, dimmed in brilliance and fell to the ground
However, the cultivation level of the original Tianyi left him with no room for resistance
Delicate, like a grain of sand drifting away between the fingers
The turtle shell fell to the ground with a thud; just a glance was enough to make it seem as if something extremely terrifying burst forth from the shell, lunging at the old man, who staggered backward and fell to the ground
A flood of blood! Great calamity!
Suddenly, the mass of black mist became still
In the black mist, there is also a rustling sound, as if a mass of decaying flesh is dragging itself along the ground, step by step, towards this desolate Miao village
The Miao priest is skilled in divination and the use of medicinal herbs; the ugly black lumps on this Miao elder's face are a result of drug testing
In this originally small village, three individuals went missing within two days, all of whom were young members of the community who had gone out hunting. Initially, De Wazai thought they might have encountered some ferocious beast; however, just now, one of the missing youths returned.
Because he indeed has an extremely hideous face. His features seem to be forcibly pieced together, creating an indescribable strangeness. Moreover, the most horrifying aspect is that the features on his face appear to change continuously. At one moment, the left eye is large and the right eye is small; at another moment, the right eye is large and the left eye is small. Looking at his face is akin to viewing many different faces melded together.
The old priest, curled up in the animal hide, realized that he could alleviate the suffering caused by the diseases afflicting the Miao people nearby, but he could not avert the ominous signs of disaster. Even he himself was ensnared in this overwhelming calamity of bloodshed
The old man's hand trembled slightly; he did not immediately go out to look at the corpse of the young man in the village. Instead, he took out several pieces of tortoise shell that glimmered like jade, murmuring in an ancient dialect, and tossed them into the air
This man in the blood-stained clothes actually claims to know of a mineral vein
The blood-stained man pleaded desperately: "They are merely ignorant mountain dwellers. As long as you can spare my life, I will surely be grateful and repay you... I also know of a cloud-scented golden mine. If you let me go, I will reveal its location to you..."
The statue behind the black cloth turned out to be a young man exuding bare feet, with clear eyes and an exceptionally delicate appearance
"Who are you?" asked the figure in the black mist, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
"You should take care of it yourself; if I were to intervene, you would surely be annihilated." Enveloped in a faint glow, the expression of the original celestial garment was indiscernible.
"The Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods and Evil Spirits Method?" The young man with bare feet did not answer his question, but coldly remarked, "Someone like you, who cannot even guard their true heart, will only become a bloodthirsty walking corpse if you continue to cultivate..."
The youth in the village are all warriors; even if they are attacked by ferocious beasts and suffer fatal injuries, it cannot be said that they encountered monsters
This room is also located on the same stilted building
A single vein of Yun Tan gold contains enough primary material to create at least ten magical artifacts.