Chapter 522: First Encounter with the Qi Refiner |
Lincheng is over two hundred li away from Longliu Manor. Even with fast horses, it would take more than two hours to get there, and in less than half an hour, dawn would break.
It was unrealistic to have Long Yichen lead over a hundred children there.
Not only would their stamina not hold up, but the commotion of a hundred children traveling together would get them discovered in no time.
Moreover, Du Ge was worried that halfway through, Long Yichen might kill the children and run away.
After all, he subdued Long Yichen and the others by stirring up their evil thoughts, causing them to commit a huge crime.
But this enormous crime also meant that the enemies they faced were too powerful, and his own demonic identity was too sensitive. So, Long Yichen, who was not familiar with him and was technically a mortal enemy, would not risk his life for a few words.
If given the chance, Du Ge couldn't find a reason for them not to run.
To truly bring these people to his side, he needed to make them genuinely fear him and see the benefits of following him.
The art of leadership lies in balancing kindness and authority.
After confirming the direction to Lincheng, Du Ge manipulated the Dark God power, enveloping everyone, and began teleporting under the cover of night.
He gave this move a fancy name—Hundred Ghosts Transport Technique!
In Du Ge's hands, the Soul Suppressing Bottle had become a universal tool, capable of channeling divine power.
This was the advantage of being in the game field; the outside audience had no way to understand the true function of the magical artifact. As long as he held the Soul Suppressing Bottle, he had the final say.
In the future, once he learned immortal techniques, he could find a way to destroy the bottle, leaving no evidence behind.
Of course, if someone from Pan-Universal Entertainment came in to take over his body and discovered the secret of the Soul Suppressing Bottle, it wouldn't matter.
As long as he could still make money, the people from Pan-Universal Entertainment would help him cover it up.
That's the confidence of being a top star.
...
Regardless of how the outside audience evaluated the function of the Soul Suppressing Bottle, Long Yichen was filled with regret. If he had known the bottle was so powerful, he would have done anything to get his hands on it first. Then, he would have been the one in control.
...
Even a small amount of Dark God power is top-tier.
Before dawn, Du Ge managed to transport everyone to Lincheng.
The power of gods and ghosts subdued everyone, and Long Yichen and the others temporarily suppressed their thoughts of betrayal.
In front of Du Ge, Long Yichen settled Jian Thirteen and the others in his secret manor without any tricks.
However, he also reminded Du Ge that the manor was full of people, and once the incident at Longliu Manor spread, the situation with Jian Thirteen and the others wouldn't remain hidden for long. He urged Du Ge to find a way to settle the children quickly.
Du Ge naturally agreed wholeheartedly.
That day, Du Ge and Long Yichen returned to Longliu Manor.
Dark God power could also be used during the day, but it would consume several times more energy and cause a bigger commotion.
Du Ge naturally wouldn't waste divine power to bring them back.
They found a few horses in the manor, disguised themselves, and rode back to Fancheng.
...
The massacre at Longliu Manor was discovered at noon by a merchant delivering food to the manor from Fancheng.
The magistrate of Fancheng knew that Longliu Manor belonged to Prince Duan. Upon hearing that the manor had been wiped out, his legs went weak, and he was scared to the point of wetting himself.
The magistrate inspected the scene with his constables and quickly sent someone to report to the prefect. Over a thousand people were dead, not a single survivor, and countless dignitaries were among the dead. Such a shocking case was beyond his capacity to handle.
...
The news couldn't be concealed.
That day.
Everyone in Fancheng, young and old, knew about the massacre at Longliu Manor.
For a time, everyone was on edge, thinking that some notorious bandit had come to Fancheng, or perhaps it was the chaotic demon mentioned in the proclamation.
Thinking about how terrifying the demon was, the public immediately dismissed the idea of reporting to the authorities for a hundred taels of silver. It wasn't worth offending such a monster!
As the news spread.
When Du Ge returned to Fancheng with Long Yichen and the others, his ranking had already climbed to first place, and his attributes had soared significantly.
...
Du Ge suddenly disappeared.
Brother Niu and the others pondered for a day, increasingly feeling that the Free and Unfettered Sect wasn't what it seemed.
Du Ge didn't know when he would recover, and if his rebellious disciple, who had killed his master and destroyed his family, came looking for him, they feared they would be nothing but cannon fodder.
After some discussion, they decided it was best to leave Fancheng for now. But just as they were packing their belongings, they heard about what happened at Longliu Manor.
Brother Niu and the others were scared stiff, instinctively linking the massacre at Longliu Manor to Du Ge.
After all, Du Ge had asked them about Longliu Manor.
As a result, Du Ge disappeared, and Longliu Manor was wiped out shortly after. If that was a coincidence, even ghosts wouldn't believe it.
Thinking that Du Ge had wiped out Longliu Manor, Brother Niu and the others immediately put their belongings back in place, not daring to run.
Such a ruthless killer, if he returned and found they had run away, what chance would they have at survival?
Moreover, seeing Du Ge single-handedly wipe out a manor gave Brother Niu and the others hope. Perhaps Du Ge's skills were close to being restored.
Having finally joined the Free and Unfettered Sect, they were about to learn divine skills. Running away now would mean their efforts were in vain!
Brother Niu pondered for a long time, coordinated their stories with his brothers, and after concealing information about the Free and Unfettered Sect, he anxiously waited in his courtyard, nursing his injuries and waiting for the return of the Free and Unfettered Master.
...
Du Ge did not return to Fancheng but stayed outside Longliu Manor. With over a thousand people suddenly dead at Longliu Manor, he didn't believe no one would come to investigate, especially with the Alien Star warriors causing chaos.
Having orchestrated the massacre at Longliu Manor and successfully pushing himself to the top rank, Du Ge was now even more eager to learn immortal techniques.
Longliu Manor was built against the mountain.
Behind the manor was a dense forest, and Du Ge and his group hid in the woods halfway up the mountain, watching the manor below.
Constables blocked the road leading to the manor, and the magistrate, along with a coroner and several constables, investigated the manor but didn't dare to move the bodies recklessly.
Walking among the scattered corpses, the coroner, trembling, didn't dare to touch the bodies. Even though he dealt with corpses regularly, he had never seen so many at once!
Families of the deceased wealthy households in Fancheng wanted to enter and find their relatives but were firmly held back by the constables at the entrance.
In such a major case, they couldn't allow anyone to destroy the scene.
...
Du Ge and his group were about a li away from the manor, yet they could still smell the pungent scent of blood.
"Master Long, having committed such a huge crime, do you feel a sense of accomplishment?" Du Ge asked with a smile.
He had experienced war and the apocalypse, seen too many dead, and his heart was as hard as iron. The small scene before him didn't stir any emotions, especially since these people deserved their fate.
Accomplishment?
You call this a sense of accomplishment?
Long Yichen looked at the carefree Du Ge, feeling like he was going insane.
Especially after killing so many people, not only did they not run, but they also watched the commotion outside Longliu Manor. His heart raced, feeling like his life was hanging by a thread.
If he could defeat Du Ge, he would have killed this demon child and fled long ago.
Long Yichen stuffed a piece of jerky into his mouth, chewing hard to relieve his tension, and whispered, "Master Free and Unfettered, do we really need to wait here?"
"To achieve great things, one must be willing to take risks," Du Ge replied. "If we don't wait here, where will we find Qi Refiners? Without Qi Refiners, where will we get immortal techniques? Master Long, having caused such a big mess, your mediocre skills won't get you through it. Only cultivation can help you survive this calamity."
"Cultivation isn't that easy," Long Yichen muttered with a bitter smile. "If everyone could cultivate, the world would be full of immortals."
"If you can't be an immortal, being a carefree Demon Head isn't bad either!" Du Ge joked, looking at Long Yichen. "Master Long, you have quite the mindset. After committing so many evil deeds, you still think about becoming an immortal? Even I, who punishes evil and promotes good, don't dare to think that."
"..." Long Yichen was at a loss for words and changed the topic. "Master, be honest with me, can you handle a Qi Refiner?"
"Master Long, rest assured, as long as it's not a Golden Elixir master, a mere Qi Refiner can't escape this Soul Suppressing Bottle."
Du Ge proudly patted the Soul Suppressing Bottle in his hand. "A magical artifact recognizes its master, and the longer I hold it, the more I can sense its mysteries. Either Prince Duan has grand ambitions, planning to use this bottle for regicide and patricide, or the cultivator advising Prince Duan deceived him.
This bottle is definitely not just for affecting people's fate. I suspect it might be a demonic artifact. The evil cultivator was likely using Prince Duan's name to refine this treasure for himself.
Yesterday, so many people died unjustly at Longliu Manor, and their souls were all absorbed by the bottle. This artifact is likely complete now, and I feel its function isn't limited to things like the Hundred Ghosts Transport Technique; it should have more wondrous uses.
Now, I don't understand cultivation techniques, so I can't unleash its full power, but with it, dealing with ordinary Qi Refiners shouldn't be a problem..."
Gulp!
Long Yichen looked at the Soul Suppressing Bottle in Du Ge's hand, swallowing hard, feeling a heartache as if he were bleeding. Damn it, that bottle should have been mine!
...
As night fell.
The magistrate guarding the crime scene had long retreated to a carriage by the roadside for a brief rest, while the constables lit a bonfire in the middle of the road, continuing to block the scene.
Further out, family members of the deceased, who had heard the news, came to collect the bodies. But since Longliu Manor was related to Prince Duan, no one dared to force their way in. The people were already dead, and offending Prince Duan would only make things worse.
Everyone was eagerly waiting for someone from Prince Duan's mansion or the prefect's office to come and take over the case.
...
During the day, Long Yichen, Ding Chang, and others took turns resting.
Only Du Ge remained energetic, keeping a close watch on Longliu Manor, but he wasn't idle either.
Most of the day, Du Ge was instilling the concept of "kings and marquises are not born noble" into Long Yichen and the others, guiding them towards rebellion and boosting his persuasion attributes.
Of course, Du Ge also asked Long Yichen many questions about the upper echelons of New Moon and the cultivation world.
Long Yichen was well-versed in official matters, but his knowledge of the cultivation world was mostly vague.
After all.
He was just a martial artist, with little interaction with Qi Refiners. What he knew about the cultivation world came from the mouths of dignitaries.
From a day of conversation, the only useful information Du Ge gathered was that mortals seeking immortality were doomed to fail. Cultivators had their own domains, which were ethereal and otherworldly. Without opening their gates, mortals couldn't even find them.
...
Du Ge and his group didn't have to wait long.
Halfway through the second watch.
Three sword lights suddenly approached from afar, landing directly in Longliu Manor.
Du Ge had the best eyesight, but he only saw their faces after they landed.
Two men and a woman.
Leading them was a middle-aged man with a long beard, wearing a blue robe and carrying a long sword on his back, his expression solemn. Behind him were a young man and woman, both appearing to be in their early twenties, the man in a black robe and the woman in a green dress, each also carrying a sword.
They arrived as three sword lights, not using the sword flight technique seen in the first Alien Star Battlefield, where one stood on the sword.
Du Ge sighed inwardly, realizing that merging with sword light and flying with the sword was the true swordsmanship. Standing on the sword like a skateboard seemed rather lowly.
As they appeared, Du Ge quietly released the Dark God power, hiding Long Yichen and the others in the darkness.
Long Yichen and the others didn't know Du Ge had hidden them, so they kept their mouths tightly shut, not daring to breathe, fearing their breathing would alert the Qi Refiners over there. The sword light had arrived in an instant, and three people had come, scaring them out of their wits.
Du Ge ignored them, focusing on the three Qi Refiners in Longliu Manor.
...
Ugh!
The young woman seemed unaccustomed to such a scene, and after landing, she couldn't help but retch, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Junior sister, why don't you step outside? Master and I can handle this," the young man's face was also pale, but he still comforted his junior sister.
"No need." The junior sister glanced at him, stubbornly shaking her head, forcing her gaze away from the corpses, and asked, "Master, was this the work of a demon?"
The middle-aged man didn't speak but frowned as he surveyed Longliu Manor. Then, his gaze fell on the yellow talismans under the eaves, and with a wave of his hand, several talismans flew into his palm.
"Master, what are these talismans?" the young man asked.
"Soul Suppressing Talismans, Soul Attracting Talismans, Soul Confining Talismans." The middle-aged man looked at the talismans in his hand and then at the surrounding corpses, frowning even more. "Ziming, Ziyun, Longliu Manor might not be as simple as we thought."
"It's not a demon, but an evil cultivator?" The junior sister named Ziyun widened her eyes. "No wonder so many people died, and I didn't sense a single soul's presence."
"But isn't this Prince Duan's manor?" the young man asked. "Master, how could Prince Duan be involved with an evil cultivator?"
"That's why I said it's troublesome." The middle-aged man snorted, shaking his hand, causing the three talismans to ignite without wind, turning to ashes in the blink of an eye. He glanced at the ground and said, "Let's go. With so many dead, let's see what this evil cultivator is up to."
"Master, we're here to kill the chaotic demon. Is it wise to get involved in the affairs of the crown prince? What if Prince Duan becomes emperor in the future?" the young man hesitated.
"Colluding with an evil cultivator, once this spreads, he'll never have a chance at the throne in this lifetime." The middle-aged man said, "Besides, Longliu Manor doesn't seem like the work of an evil cultivator alone; there might be a demon involved.
Demons don't understand cultivation techniques, so the magical artifact the evil cultivator was refining might still be in the manor. After absorbing so many vengeful souls, the artifact's power is formidable. It's better for it to fall into our hands than for the evil cultivator to use it to harm the world."