May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

In the tenth year of the Xiangqing era, in the State of Chu.

Blood Lotus Sect, Cloud City Branch.

Deputy Leader Li Xiao is issuing assessment tasks to a group of new followers.

"Those who are able to stand here have demonstrated that they have mastered the essential skill of our sect, the Blood-Absorbing Skill."

"Our sect has never supported useless people. According to our sect's rules, each member must provide two catties of fresh human essence blood every day. If they can do this for a week, they will pass the test and be promoted. Those who fail to pass the test will only be the lowest-ranking blood slaves!"

"What is a blood slave? I don't think I need to explain it again, do I?"

"Did you understand?"

"Understood!"

"The assessment begins tomorrow. Meeting adjourned!"

Li Xiao completely ignored the groans of the followers below the stage and left.

He wasn't worried about his followers failing the assessment, since they were all forcibly captured from outside. If they failed, they could be used as blood slaves, their blood essence used as a substitute.

This is a consumable; if you run out, just get more from outside.

Moreover, he wasn't worried that his followers would simply escape and not return, because when they were captured, he had already placed a Blood Lotus Curse on each of them.

A person cursed with the Blood Lotus Curse will have a crimson lotus pattern on their chest, which will occur once a month for a total of ten times.

When it flares up, it burns its own essence and blood. If left unchecked, each flare will shorten its lifespan by ten years.

Many people cannot survive more than ten attacks before their essence and blood are depleted, and their lifespan is exhausted, leading to death.

There is no antidote for this blood curse. Only when a high-ranking member of the sect who has practiced the sect's secret methods uses their internal energy to suppress the blood lotus curse and prevent it from taking effect.

However, if it doesn't manifest, then the Blood Lotus Curse can never be removed.

To truly break the Blood Lotus Curse, one must allow it to flare up ten times. However, after ten flare-ups, even if one survives, one will be exhausted and near death. After all, who can live to be a hundred years old?

This Blood Lotus Curse is unsolvable and extremely vicious.

Currently, only he and the leader of the guild have mastered this secret technique.

And only the two of them can cast the Blood Lotus Curse.

Therefore, he was not worried at all about his followers running away or leaking secrets.

At this moment, a handsome young man standing among the crowd below the stage had a solemn expression.

He was a transmigrator who had just transmigrated into the body of a boy also named Li Heng when he was tragically conscripted by the Blood Lotus Sect, had the Blood Lotus Curse implanted in him, and learned the Blood-Sucking Technique.

It can be said to be a disgrace to time travelers.

"Can I really be that unlucky? I'm going to die right after transmigrating?"

Li Heng was in a bad mood. He gently pulled open his shirt and saw a lifelike blood lotus imprinted on his chest, which made him even more annoyed.

Suddenly, his body trembled, and he felt completely different.

A virtual scroll appeared before him.

His name is written on the scroll.

Then, the virtual scroll entered his body directly and became one with Li Heng.

Then, streams of information rushed into his mind.

He immediately understood the secret of the painting.

This scroll is called the Scroll of Immortality. Its function is to grant immortality, preventing one from dying of old age or disease, and keeping one's physical condition at its peak forever. However, one can be killed by external forces.

"Phew, thankfully it was a false alarm. The benefits of being a transmigrator have finally arrived."

In his previous life, he had read many novels, and the idea that transmigrators always had a cheat code at the beginning was a very common trope. He never thought he would have such a day.

"Immortality? That's an incredibly overpowered cheat!"

"However, we can't be too happy yet. Although we won't die of old age, we can still get injured, bleed, and be killed by external forces."

Li Heng clenched his fist, thinking to himself, "I can't be reckless, I absolutely can't be reckless. As long as I ensure my absolute safety, my strength can improve slowly. After all, time is on my side; if I don't die, I'll eventually succeed!"

Li Heng glanced at his companions out of the corner of his eye and found that they all looked wilted like frostbitten eggplants, and were all complaining.

"How are we supposed to complete this test? Two pounds of living human essence? A living person's essence barely amounts to one pound. This is asking us to kill someone! We'll definitely be wanted by the government and the righteous martial arts world!"

"That's right, how unlucky I was to be caught here. There's no way I can escape. A few days ago, I personally witnessed a middle-aged cult member being punished suffer the Blood Lotus Curse."

His jet-black hair had turned much whiter, and his skin had become dry and wrinkled, as if he had truly aged ten years. And this was only one episode; if it happened ten times in a row, would we even survive?

"Don't think too much about it. Now we only have one path, and that is to go all the way. If we don't complete the assessment, we won't last ten months and we'll die."

Although passing the assessment will result in being wanted by the authorities, following the Blood Lotus Sect and being promoted will naturally provide opportunities to learn more advanced techniques. With stronger self-defense capabilities, this will enhance your abilities.

"It won't be so easy for the government and righteous people to kill us. We might even be able to accumulate merits and become high-ranking members of the sect, truly becoming important figures!" said a young sect member with sinister eyes.

Li Heng happened to know this person; his name was Wang Qingshu, and he was from the same place as him. He was the eldest son of the wealthy Wang family.

He was lewd and cruel by nature, often oppressing the people and harassing respectable women. He had abused countless girls, and Li Heng's predecessor was also frequently bullied by him.

After hearing Wang Qingshu's words, the believers present fell silent, clearly agreeing with his point of view, and then dispersed.

Li Heng was about to leave when Wang Qingshu rudely stopped him, grabbing his clothes and saying fiercely:

"Li Heng, you're going out for the assessment tomorrow. You need to give me a pound of your essence blood, or you'll regret it!"

Wang Qingshu thought Li Heng was still as easy to control as before, so he directly made some harsh remarks.

Li Heng remained silent, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Wang Qingshu assumed that Li Heng had tacitly agreed, so he released Li Heng's robes and gave him a fist-clenching gesture before leaving.

Li Heng stared blankly in the direction Wang Qingshu had left, his expression growing increasingly cold.

"This Wang Qingshu is already courting death. However, I will not make a move for now. This place is too dangerous. The most important thing is to leave here as soon as possible and find a place where the Blood Lotus Sect cannot find us."

"With the ability to live forever, the Blood Lotus Curse is completely useless against me."

That night, Li Heng went home, packed his luggage, and quietly left the city under the cover of darkness.

Before leaving, Li Heng first went to his parents' graves to pay his respects to his parents who had died young due to illness.

Then, he secretly went to Wang Qingshu's ancestral graves, where he urinated and defecated.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; a gentleman's enmity can still be avenged ten generations later!"

"Wang Qingshu, I'll collect some interest today."

"Who goes there? Sneaking around in my Wang family's ancestral graves? Have you got some nerve?" Suddenly, one of the Wang family's grave keepers shouted after spotting Li Heng.

Li Heng quickly pulled up his pants, grabbed his luggage, and ran!

Li Heng ran more than ten kilometers in one breath, leaving his hometown in this life without looking back. The next time he returned, it might be when he returned in glory.