Chapter 310: Long-Bearded Old Geezer! Master Baoxiang! Jade Altar Blissful Land!

The Xinyi Dao’s sect master, Daoist Bi Chen, was precisely Madam Wang’s foster father.

As for the crude men’s teasing words, had it been an ordinary bride, she would have already blushed scarlet without knowing how to respond. But Madam Wang only let out a tinkling laugh, a sound that made people itch with restless desire.

“Pah! A scholar has tender, delicate skin and flesh, a clever and intricate mind, and speaks with sweet words. They taste the most delicious of all. How could the likes of you compare! What I love most is seeing those heartless scholars’ faces be consumed with terror little by little as they watch their bodies being devoured alive. That is my wicked craving! Don’t try to provoke me, or I’ll swallow and tear you all to pieces.”

Her voice was soft and gentle, dripping with licentious charm. Yet to the gathered heretics, her words made their scalps prickle and chills creep down their spines.

Eating people was, to them, nothing out of the ordinary. But when it came from Madam Wang’s lips, it carried a strange, bone-deep horror.

The three burly men exchanged glances, forced out awkward laughs, and fell silent. Meanwhile, the scholar Cao Xing’s complexion grew even paler, and his eyes were devoid of life.

Earlier, when bewitched and lured here in a daze, he had not felt any fear. But at that moment Madam Wang withdrew the Bewitchment Technique, and Cao Xing felt a shiver run through him. This was a man-eating den of demons, after all!

His legs kept trembling. Facing those cold, mocking gazes, he felt a jolt run from the base of his spine straight to the crown of his head.

My life is over!

Mr. Hua left and then returned, followed by a neat-faced young servant. The servant, too, had a pair of dead fish-like eyes, which seemed extremely out of place.

The boy carried a golden tray. When the red cloth covering it was lifted, a plate of apricot-shaped fruits was revealed. The skins of the fruits gave off a faint, pearly glow. They were the Firefly Fruit, known to be spirit elixirs.

At once everyone revealed hungry looks and held their breath.

“This is the elixir owned by Daoist Bichen. It’s truly full of spirit qi!”

“Daoist Bichen is really generous this time.”

“Legend says a single Firefly Fruit will add ten years of Dao cultivation, wash the sinews and scour the marrow. I never expected to get such an opportunity today!”

The crowd buzzed with conversation, as if they could not wait to swallow the Firefly Fruit the next moment. These were all evil cultivators and wild spirits; they were killers who wouldn’t blink at murder! Some of them were already scheming, thinking to rob the fruit for themselves.

But Mr. Hua was one of the Six Great Guardians of the Xinyi Dao, and he was ruthless and merciless. And right now Daoist Bichen was resting inside the house in seclusion. No one dared make a move to snatch the elixir.

Mr. Hua’s face was stern as his gaze swept over the long-bearded elder, Hu Jinbao and the others.

“These are the Firefly Fruits. Each fellow cultivator will receive one. I hope everyone will unite. If anyone betrays us, they will become our common enemy and will be executed! If anyone has no intention of aiding the Xinyi Dao, you may leave now; you will not be pursued.”

Mr. Hua’s gaze was as sharp as a blade, which seemed to instantly drop the temperature of the air around them by several degrees.

“Mr. Hua, rest assured. Since I have come at your summons, it is with true sincerity to join. How could I harbor a second heart?” a rough, booming voice rang out. It was the martial monk with the saber slung at his side. The murderous tension in the air eased slightly.

Seeing this monk, a faint smile appeared in Mr. Hua’s eyes. “Master Baoxiang, your words are, of course, trustworthy.”

He seemed to hold this monk in particularly high regard.

Li Yanchu focused his gaze, and he saw that the monk’s body was shrouded in a bloodthirsty aura so thick it was nearly tangible. Across his chest hung a rosary made of bloody bones, which was truly a chilling sight.

Mr. Hua went on, “Today, besides inviting you all here to lend your aid, I have another piece of good news to share with you!”

“Oh? Mr. Hua, quickly tell us, what good news?”

“Yes, let everyone hear it at once.”

The crowd grew impatient. The Firefly Fruit was already a precious treasure, So what could this “good news” possibly be?

“According to the intelligence our sect has received, a Blissful Land is about to open. It should be opening very soon!”

“

Gasp

!”

Like a stone splashing into the sea, the words stirred up a thousand ripples. The crowd gasped, and their faces were filled first with shock, then erupting into expressions of wild joy.

“A Blissful Land opening!?”

“Mr. Hua, is this truly so? I missed the last opening of a Blissful Land, but this time I must fight for a chance at the opportunities and fortune!”

“When has Mr. Hua ever spoken falsehoods!”

The crowd broke into a noisy uproar of eager voices. Even experts like the rogue cultivator Hu Jinbao and the long-bearded old man could not help but be moved!

Li Yanchu, however, frowned. “Do these people not know how perilous the Blissful Land of Mount Jinting is!?”

He knew all too well that the place swarmed with demons and fiends. Countless righteous and demonic cultivators alike had perished within. In the end, apart from himself and a mere handful of others, hardly anyone escaped alive.

But, soon, Li Yanchu realized he had overthought it. For these cultivators, danger was nothing unusual. What they feared was not risk, but lack of reward. High reward always came with high risk!

Already, word had spread and pushed by those with intent that Master Jiekong of Great Xiangguo Temple had obtained a Vermilion Fruit. That fruit had granted him nearly boundless, surging mana within the second realm.

And there was also a martial officer surnamed Chen from the Court of Judicial Review. He had gained the inheritance of the “Innate Five Qi,” and went on to slay a ferocious demonic master who terrorized the four northern prefectures, wielding incomparably profound techniques.

Such things made hearts waver with longing.

“This time, the Blissful Land is called the Jade Altar, once the Daoist sanctuary of the Land Immortal Lord Qingwu. It brims with spiritual power, a great chance for any cultivator! And furthermore, the Jade Altar requires no token or proof to enter. Soon it will appear in an Old Pine Ridge in Beifeng Prefecture. When the time comes, everyone may enter on their own ability,” Mr. Hua’s words resounded.

Once again, the crowd erupted in uproar. Li Yanchu couldn’t help but glance at Mr. Hua.

He knows so much detail... could it be that the great cultivators of this world actually hold the secret behind the disappearances of Grotto-Heavens and Blissful Lands?

Mr. Hua’s spiritual senses were sharp. Feeling Li Yanchu’s gaze, he swept a look directly at him. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, but soon softened slightly, and he no longer paid attention to Li Yanchu.

Once again, Li Yanchu marveled at the power of the Illusory Form. Then, his heart suddenly jolted.

“Beifeng Prefecture... Old Pine Ridge!?”

Realization struck him. No wonder the name had felt familiar. Wasn’t that the very mountain range outside Wei City? His expression turned strange.

Is this just coincidence? Or is there some hidden secret within Wei City itself?

The question rose in his heart, making his scalp tingle. If it wasn't a coincidence... then the city he had lived in all along was far more intriguing than it seemed!

He gave a slight nod, satisfied with sneaking into the manor under the Illusory Form. At the very least, he had already obtained several key pieces of information, including the whereabouts of the remnants of the Xinyi Dao that had thrown an entire prefecture into chaos, their secret schemes, and the imminent opening of the Jade Altar Blissful Land. And beyond that, new questions that had arisen.

I’ve benefitted from this trip here,

Li Yanchu thought to himself. His gaze fell on the tray of Firefly Fruits, brimming with spirit qi.

But just as Mr. Hua ordered the dead fish-eyed servant to distribute the fruits, suddenly the air went utterly still, and the crowd’s eyes were filled with shock.

Mr. Hua frowned impatiently and turned to glare at the servant. He was just about to speak, when he, too, froze in stunned disbelief.

“Eh!? Where’s my whole tray of Firefly Fruits!?”