Chapter 110: Demon God Phantom (I)

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

The group stepped on fallen leaves, a soft rustle rising beneath their feet.

"Ah!"

One of the refugees had gone hungry for too long, lost all strength, and fell to the ground. The road to Lion Valley was hard to travel. Inside Lion Valley, they had to beware of poisonous miasma, venomous insects, and wild beasts, and even the journey itself was difficult. The path was narrow and rugged, with stretches of deep mud. One careless step could send a person sprawling face-first into the dirt. This place did not suit battles on the scale of armies, so it served as a natural shield for bandits.

"Give him a hand. We will all be members of the Nine Nether Sect from now on, so we must help each other," said the man in the lead.

"Yes!" A burly man strode over and lifted the frail man who had fallen as easily as picking up a chick.

The way was a bit far. If the bandits had traveled alone, they would have needed only about an hour, but taking along the refugees had slowed their pace. They walked for nearly 4 hours before reaching the entrance to Lion Valley, and along the way, they met many companions bringing refugees from other places.

Lookouts stood guard at the entrance. Most of the bandits knew one another. After exchanging greetings, they entered the valley. Lin Zheyu halted at the mouth of Lion Valley.

There are even guards posted here!

Lin Zheyu paused, searched the area in secret, and discovered several guards. There were four in total, hidden in different spots with a full view of the road into the valley. He pondered for a moment and took a packet of powder from his belt pouch.

It was Nightshade Orchid, taken from the two men of the Zhao Family, an upgraded form of purple begonia with a stronger effect and much harder to detect. He had used Nightshade Orchid in the traps he set in the courtyard before. Ordinary people who inhaled a small amount would soon fall unconscious.

With a small dose, a cultivator of the Blood Qi Realm could rely on blood qi to ease the symptoms and resist passing out, but combat performance would still suffer. The herbs needed to prepare Nightshade Orchid were extremely hard to find and were not sold openly.

According to Old Master Chen, the Nightshade Orchid powder taken from the Zhao Family men could sell for at least 100 taels of silver. That made clear how costly and rare Nightshade Orchid was.

It's better to use Purple Begonia. Nightshade Orchid can't be bought on the market, and every bit used is one bit less. The mountains and forests are full of poisonous miasma and acrid fumes. Purple Begonia may have a slight scent and weaker potency, but here it won't easily be noticed.

Lin Zheyu thought for a moment, then put away the Nightshade Orchid and took out the Purple Begonia instead. Nightshade Orchid was far too precious to waste here. It was effective even against Blood Qi Realm experts; a rare and valuable poison.

Rustle, rustle.

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, filling the air with a soft rustling. Lin Zheyu checked the wind's direction, then moved swiftly to the upwind side. He held his breath, scooped up a handful of Purple Begonia powder, and scattered it into the breeze.

He only used a small dose; knocking the guards out outright would immediately reveal that someone had infiltrated the area. He intended to slip inside unnoticed and see what was going on within.

The Blood Pill the bandits had mentioned piqued Lin Zheyu's deep interest. If it could elevate a peak Organ Forging Realm martial artist straight into the Blood Qi Realm, the medicinal power it contained had to be formidable. If he could seize some for himself, it would be enough to sustain him for quite some time.

***

In the forest, one of the men on watch shook his head, a wave of dizziness clouding his mind.

"

Ugh

... Is the miasma in the forest heavier today? My head feels dizzy. Did any of you bring extra antidote pills? Give me one." He called out to a companion not far away.

"I feel dizzy too. Leng Hua, don't you always carry antidote pills with you? Give us one," said another man, his voice faint and unsteady.

"

Huff...

"

"Come closer, you two. I feel light-headed as well. My body's gone weak."

"Damn it, everything about this Lion Valley is fine except for the blasted miasma," Leng Hua grumbled as he took a small bottle from his robe, shook out a black pill, and swallowed it.

While they were speaking, Lin Zheyu seized the opportunity. With a light tap of his toes, he darted into the valley. Along the way, he encountered several more lookouts and used the same method on them, slipping smoothly into the valley.

The valley was vast and lush, filled with towering trees that reached toward the sky. No sooner had he entered than he heard rhythmic thudding; it was the sound of axes biting into wood. Following the sound, Lin Zheyu saw many men working together to fell trees. They looked gaunt and dark-skinned, and were likely refugees.

Lin Zheyu quietly followed them and arrived at the site where they were building wooden huts. He wandered around and saw a great many refugees.

There must be 4000 or 5000 refugees here!

Lin Zheyu was secretly astonished. The number of refugees gathered here was far too great. Just providing for so many people, such as their daily food, clothing, and supplies, would cost a staggering sum.

"Stop what you're doing and gather in the plaza. The priest is about to preach, and anyone who goes will receive a bowl of meat soup!" shouted a burly man as he approached, addressing the refugees hard at work.

Under the bandits' direction, the refugees had been assigned clear roles. Some built huts, some gathered wild fruits or planted crops, and some went out hunting, while the bandits themselves handled the raiding.

A priest? The Nine Nether Sect?

Lin Zheyu's heart was filled with curiosity. From the conversations among the refugees, he had gleaned quite a bit of information. The name Nine Nether Sect stirred a faint memory.

In his previous life as a scholar, he had read about the sect in some unofficial historical records. The Nine Nether Sect had a history spanning over 1000 years and worshipped the Nine Nether Demon God, said to have existed even before the heavens and earth were formed.

Before the founding of Great Wei, this land had been rife with sects, and the Nine Nether Sect was one of the three most powerful among them. But with the rise of Great Wei came a purge and reorganization of religions. Other sects were expelled, and a divine system centered on the Supreme Celestial Sovereign of the Myriad Dao and the Golden Palace was promoted. Since then, those sects had gradually vanished. Some were driven underground, some retreated into remote mountains, and others faded completely into the river of history.

Waging war, gathering refugees, accepting followers, and spreading worship... Could the path to immortality in this world be one of godhood through faith?

Based on what he had learned so far, he suspected that the faith-based path to godhood might have triumphed over the cultivation path, leading to the latter's suppression. The pursuit of immortality through cultivation had been branded a forbidden art. But it was all speculation, without any concrete proof.

Lin Zheyu moved silently and followed the crowd. The plaza was located in a clearing deep within Lion Valley, where the trees had been cut down to create a vast open space. At the center stood a raised platform on which a man in black and red robes addressed the crowd, flanked on both sides by eight others in matching attire.

Behind them loomed a wooden statue over four meters tall, carved into the likeness of a three-headed, eight-armed demon god. The priest stood beneath the towering demon statue, arms outstretched, his face filled with devotion.

With a gentle tone, he slowly began to preach the doctrines of the Nine Nether Sect. His powerful voice echoed across the entire plaza. Nearby, more than a dozen burly men were tending to massive iron cauldrons.

A rich, meaty aroma wafted from the pots as people kept arriving from all directions, adopting reverent postures as they silently listened. The refugees listened with utmost seriousness. After all they had suffered, their faith in Great Wei and its divine sovereign had long since crumbled. Now it was the Nine Nether Sect that offered them hope of survival. They were abandoning their old beliefs and turning to the Nine Nether Demon God in worship.