Chapter 105: Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Not a Bad Person (Please Vote)

"Pursue!"

Daoist Lutai unfurled his wings; they were brightly colored, much like those of a rooster. In truth, his bloodline beast, the Fuxi, was a type of rooster with a human face. It was a notoriously vicious creature, and its appearance was a harbinger of war.

As the rooster took flight, Yang Xing produced a talisman. It ignited without fire, and black ash drifted down into the water.

*Splash!*

A black-and-white monster fish emerged from the depths. Yang Xing stepped onto its back and laughed, "Would you like a ride, fellow Daoist?"

"No need," Lu Qian politely declined.

The other two Soul-Nourishing cultivators were traveling in their Yin-Spirit forms, allowing them to cling to their flying pets. For a Body-Refining cultivator, flight was only possible if their bloodline granted the ability or if they had mastered a specific levitation technique—usually only achievable after the blood had permeated the entire body.

However, Lu Qian had his own method of travel.

*Boom!*

The water erupted as his figure appeared a hundred paces away. His "Demon Trace Sky-End Step" was limited; at its peak, it could cover a hundred paces in a single stride. Three steps spanned nearly two miles, requiring only two breaths of time. It was fast enough to keep pace with Daoist Lutai.

As he traveled, Lu Qian pondered how to secure his own Golden Talisman of Water Edicts. The Eye of Water would only open once the Seven Stars aligned, an astronomical event occurring in some time. There were generally only about two hundred such talismans available. It was said that everyone who emerged from the Eye gained significant rewards. Judging by Daoist Lutai’s attitude, it was clear that these people viewed him merely as cheap labor. Even if he obtained a talisman, it would likely be confiscated, with perhaps a meager reward given in return.

*Whoosh!*

Just as he was thinking, the water surface suddenly exploded. A crimson flame, thick with the scent of sulfur, rushed toward him.

"Right on time!" Lu Qian smiled slightly, his body shuddering as a burst of blood-steam erupted. A semi-circular crimson shield shielded his front.

*Blood Firmament—Heartless.*

*Boom!*

The flames shattered against the shield, which vibrated but held firm. The scattered fire fell into the water, yet instead of extinguishing, it boiled the surrounding currents. Amidst the swirling steam, Lu Qian glanced to his side.

The red-haired Daoist stood silently not far behind, holding a blood-red gourd. He pointed the mouth at Lu Qian and snarled, "Die!"

*Pfft!*

A mass of crimson sulfur flame spewed from the gourd, manifesting as a hideous, snarling ghost head. This was the Blood-Fire Ghost-Evil Gourd, and the flame was the Yin-Blood Sulfur Marrow-Burning Fire. Crafted from human essence and sulfur fire, it was a true flame that, once touched, would consume the target's essence until they were reduced to ash.

The ghost head moved with terrifying speed, arriving before Lu Qian in an instant.

*Boom!*

Suddenly, the blood shield before Lu Qian exploded, the immense shockwave causing the ghost head to stall for a split second.

"Impossible!"

In the red-haired Daoist's eyes, Lu Qian had donned green scale armor at some point, charging directly through the ghost head without suffering a single injury. The man with purple hair and golden pupils appeared before him in a flash.

*Blood Firmament—Tyranny.*

The hot blood-mist scorched the air. Like a wild beast, Lu Qian punched through the man's magical robes.

"No!" The red-haired Daoist’s eyes widened in agony.

*Splash!*

His body was torn in two by Lu Qian. With his physical form destroyed, the Daoist reacted quickly, his Yin-Spirit fleeing into the gourd to escape.

Lu Qian stood motionless, golden light erupting from his eyes.

*Rumble!*

The winds shifted, and a bolt of azure lightning descended. It struck the gourd, and the red-haired Daoist’s soul was instantly scattered into nothingness. Lu Qian stepped forward to retrieve the gourd and the Pot-Heaven pouch.

Above him, Daoist Lutai was also embroiled in a fight. His opponent seemed to be dozens of miles away, firing arrows from afar. Daoist Lutai, draped in his bird-feather robe and wreathed in the essence of the rising sun, possessed great power but had no idea where the attacker was hidden. He could only defend passively.

"This is bad!" Daoist Lutai thought, accidentally exposing a weakness.

A chilling killing intent locked onto him from the air. An arrow pierced the sky, bright as the sun. As Daoist Lutai plummeted, still tracked by the lethal intent, he caught sight of a companion from the Alchemy Chamber nearby. A flicker of cruelty crossed his eyes. He snatched the man from the air and used him as a shield.

"My Lord, no!" the man shrieked in terror.

*Boom!*

The crimson arrow struck the man, and a wave of malevolent energy engulfed them both.

*How ruthless,* Lu Qian thought. These Body-Refining Daoists did not view their companions as human.

Scanning his surroundings, he saw other colleagues locked in combat. Daoist Lutai was still being battered by fire. Lu Qian felt a desire to retreat. He slipped into the water and began to swim away stealthily. As a guest consultant, he lacked the strict obligations of the core sect members. If Lutai survived, he could easily conjure an excuse. After all, in everyone’s eyes, he was just a rookie skilled at alchemy but mediocre at other arts.

Of course, he had to choose his route carefully. He headed toward a remote area, having noted earlier that a Golden Talisman of Water Edicts was located there.

Fewer people were pursuing that path. Along the way, relying on the sight granted by his Taiyin Golden Pupils and his sensitivity to the flow of essence, he dodged many skirmishes. The cruelty of the combat was shocking; almost everywhere he looked, there was slaughter. Some had not even caught a glimpse of a talisman before this place turned into a arena for settling old grudges. More people had died in a single day than in the previous several months.

*The Eye of Water opens once every ten years,* Lu Qian mused. *Could it be that these conflicts are intended to cull the number of experts?*

As he pondered, the terrestrial energy ahead suddenly intensified.

*Splash!*

He leaped out of the water onto a small, densely forested island. It was small enough to see from end to end, filled with lush vegetation but devoid of any animals.

Lu Qian landed and examined his surroundings. It was no more than ten miles across, with a few barren hills. His golden pupils emitted a faint light, and his crescent-shaped irises contracted.

In the dense forest ahead, countless faint green threads were interwoven, appearing incredibly conspicuous. Straining his vision, he saw thick fog swirling within the dense thickets. Eerie green miasma writhed slowly, like a prowling monster. It was strange for such a deadly-looking forest to harbor such vibrant Wood-Essence.

With this in mind, Lu Qian slowed his pace and crept into the woods. The canopy blocked the sun, leaving the ground as dark as night. The forest, filled with miasma and a ghostly green hue, felt like a netherworld. Lu Qian moved lightly, his nine-foot frame stepping on the dead leaves without making a sound.

As he drew closer to the source of the Wood-Essence, he felt a flicker of anticipation. What kind of treasure could possess such vitality? A thousand-year-old tree? Ten-thousand-year-old stalactite milk?

"Eek!"

A cry came from ahead. Lu Qian was startled; the sound was smaller than a mosquito’s buzz. Had his hearing not been so sharp, he would have missed it entirely. He searched for a long while before finally discovering the source in a pile of dead grass.

He knelt and gently brushed aside the weeds. Beneath the leaves was a tiny child, only an inch tall and no bigger than a thumb, wearing a red bellyband and sporting two small pigtails.

"Waaaah! Mommy! Daddy!"

The child was fair-skinned and chubby, with a comical appearance. He was pinned by a fallen tree branch and howling in pain. Hearing the sound above, the boy looked up instinctively, his crying coming to an abrupt halt.

He saw purple-black hair, pupils ten times larger than his own, and dark, yellow-patterned skin. To the child, the man looked anything but kind.

The boy opened his mouth to scream, but the man above him smiled, revealing sharp, white teeth. "Don't cry, little one. I'm not a bad... well, I'm not a villain."