Raise a sword!

The door to the inner room in the courtyard was pushed open, and seven or eight demonic cultivators filed out.

Their timing was quite coincidental.

Beside Jiang Peng, the demonic cultivator who had opened the door earlier was now lying on the ground.

Although there was no intact part of his body, he was still alive. He could only make soft whimpering sounds as his mouth opened and closed. After his skin burned away, the white flames had burned his bones.

The demonic cultivators at the entrance to the inner room were usually ruthless, but seeing their companion suffer such a miserable end, they couldn't help but change their expressions.

However, before they could make a move, Jiang Peng exuded the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He controlled his aura perfectly, just enough to completely envelop the entire courtyard.

The moment the oppressive aura appeared, the demonic cultivators at the door of the house froze on the spot, unable to move.

"Foundation Establishment..." A demonic cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining could barely utter a sound.

So Jiang Peng's gaze naturally fell on him.

"I'll ask you questions, but I'll cover things up. The person who opened the door is a cautionary tale for you, understand?"

"Understood." The demonic cultivator who spoke was full of regret, but he dared not remain silent under Jiang Peng's gaze.

Jiang Peng raised a finger, a flame appearing at the fingertip, and then gently tapped the empty space beside her.

Soon, a portrait made of crimson flames appeared before everyone's eyes.

The portrait depicts Qian Xiaobao, the son of Qian Laosi.

When the portrait appeared, half of the demonic cultivators in the courtyard changed their expressions.

Seeing this, Jiang Peng was certain she had found the right place, but she still asked, "Do you recognize it?"

"No..."

The moment the word "no" left his lips, Jiang Peng waved his hand without hesitation, causing the crimson flames on the portrait to fall upon the demonic cultivator before him.

The intense heat of the crimson flames was enough to damage magical artifacts of the same level, and was simply beyond the ability of this late-stage Qi Refining demonic cultivator to withstand.

When the crimson flames landed on him, only three or five breaths later, the demonic cultivator was burned to ashes, leaving only a small pile of charred bone fragments of varying sizes.

This scene silenced the remaining demonic cultivators.

Jiang Peng then approached another demonic cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining.

"And you? Have you seen that person in the portrait just now?"

The demonic cultivator, now under surveillance, finally dared not conceal his true intentions.

"I've...I've met you."

"Where is he? Is he alive or dead?"

After waiting for about three to five breaths, seeing that the demonic cultivator being questioned was stammering and unwilling to speak, Jiang Peng immediately did the same thing, turning him into a pile of ashes as well.

He then looked at the third person.

The third person was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, so Jiang Peng had to slightly reduce his aura before he was finally able to speak.

"Your turn. Is the person in the portrait alive or dead?"

At this moment, the demonic cultivators present realized that the Foundation Establishment cultivator clearly had no intention of leaving any survivors.

"Die! Skin him alive, rip out his flesh and bleed him dry! This kid's a tough nut to crack, but that's exactly what I like most!"

The third demonic cultivator to be questioned displayed a completely different aura.

He even let out a cold laugh.

"I tortured him for a whole day and night, until he begged and pleaded, kneeling down and kowtowing to me!"

Jiang Peng listened quietly to the demonic cultivator's words, then nodded slightly and said, "It seems you're also a tough nut to crack. So you realized I wasn't going to let you live, and that's why you're throwing caution to the wind?"

The demonic cultivator simply sneered to himself.

Jiang Peng smiled and said, "It seems that's indeed the case, then things will be much easier."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Peng looked around, then took down the wooden frame that had been placed over the well in the yard and erected it in the middle of the courtyard.

He then tied the stubborn demonic cultivator to the rack.

"It was you, fellow Daoist, who gave me the inspiration... No, you are a demonic cultivator, so I cannot address you as fellow Daoist."

As Jiang Peng spoke, she took out a wooden box about the length of her arm from her storage bag.

In front of the demonic cultivator, he opened the wooden box, revealing more than a dozen different kitchen knives of various sizes inside.

"Let me show you something amazing. This is my greatest treasure, a kitchen knife specially made for me. You'd be hard-pressed to find another set like it anywhere else in the world."

"This is for chopping bones, this is for cutting flesh, this is for skinning, this is for bleeding."

Jiang Peng picked up one kitchen knife after another and showed them off. With each knife she showed off, the demonic cultivator on the shelf became even paler.

"Kill me if you want, you..."

Jiang Peng waved his hand impatiently, silencing the demonic cultivator.

"Didn't I say it was you who gave me the inspiration? When you encounter someone who's stubborn, you just peel the skin off the meat and bleed it... It's a pity that my set of kitchen knives can't be used anymore after this."

As she spoke, Jiang Peng picked up a small kitchen knife and stepped forward, gently making a cut on the demonic cultivator's face.

The blade sliced ​​through the air as if cutting into nothingness. Several breaths later, a thin line of blood slowly appeared on the demonic cultivator's face.

"Peeling skin is a delicate job. If I peel it too fast, I'm afraid you'll die... I hope your life is as tough as your mouth."

...

Inside the Candlelight Hall.

...

Inside the Candlelight Hall.

The henchman who had previously provided information to Jiang Peng has now reported the whole story.

At this moment, Wan Heng, the head of the Candlelight Hall, looked at a masked cultivator opposite him with a gloomy expression.

"I knew I couldn't have anything to do with you demonic cultivators!" Wan Heng said in an unfriendly tone. "It's only been a few months, and people have already come knocking on our door!"

The only visible part of the masked monk's eyes appeared remarkably calm.

"So what? He's just an unexpected Foundation Establishment cultivator. There are similar people in the valley every month."

Wan Heng retorted, dissatisfied, "That person is different; he's after your little devil!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the masked cultivator suddenly appeared in front of Wan Heng in a flash, grabbing Wan Heng's neck in one swift motion.

"A little devil?"

Wan Heng gripped the masked cultivator's hands tightly, but found that he couldn't budge him at all.

"Let...let go!"

The masked monk narrowed his eyes slightly, and after several breaths, he finally let go and sat back down.

Seeing Wan Heng's bloodshot face and panting heavily, the masked cultivator said slowly, "Hall Master Wan, don't forget, you yourself are now a demon cub!"

Upon hearing this, Wan Heng felt extreme hatred, but he was unable to retaliate.

"So what's next?" he asked, barely suppressing his anger.

But then the masked monk calmly picked up the teacup on the table.

"The arrangements in the valley are almost complete. Since the Valley of Heartlessness has already been exposed, let's expose it even more thoroughly."

The masked monk's tone was full of amusement, and a hint of anticipation flickered in his eyes.

"I'd like to see how these Taoist cultivators, who constantly talk about eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path, will deal with the methods of my divine sect!"