Primordial Era: Starting with slaughtering all the gods and Buddhas in the sky

Click.

The sound was so faint that it was almost swallowed up by the wind.

Huang Chen lay prone behind the rock, his breathing extremely slow. His palm was pressed against the cold hilt of the Shura Blood Blade, but his eyes were no longer fixed on the plate-holding rat demon at the front. Instead, he scanned the positions of the entire team.

The rat demon was in front, the immortal cultivator was in the middle, and behind them were several guys wearing animal skin cloaks and dominoes hanging from their waists. Their steps were unsteady, but their eyes were sharp, clearly not proper cultivators.

It's more like buying goods.

The miasma swirled down the slope, its smell damp and bitter, like rotten tree roots and old blood soaking in the mud.

The unfamiliar immortal cultivator with the black jade earring raised his hand, and two rat demons beside him immediately darted to the low forest on the left, while the other three carried the compass and slowly pushed it forward, their movements as cautious as if they were dismantling a trap.

Huang Chen's eyelids drooped slightly.

The other party wasn't there to take a chance.

I followed the line, feeling my way over section by section.

He didn't move immediately.

He quietly activated the Concealing Breath Technique, his blood and qi were as if covered by a black cloth, and even the mountain wind that brushed past his clothes only carried a very faint earthy smell.

The wind-fixing bead had rolled from my sleeve into my palm; it was warm and smooth.

Closer.

Let them get closer.

A low chuckle suddenly came from below.

"I can smell it, I can smell it."

A sharp-nosed rat demon wiped the black liquid from its nose, its voice hoarse, "Many people have hidden in these mountains, young and old, and they all have a fiery temper, as if someone is keeping them in check."

The tall, thin man next to him, draped in animal skin, licked his lips. Three small bronze tokens hung from his waist, and his eyes were full of calculation.

"A large number of people is more valuable."

He speaks slowly, as if he's selecting livestock.

"Those that are alive can be sold to the mines; those that are old can be dismembered and their ashes sold; and those that are young and intact can be sent for drug testing. Just keep looking, and once you find them, you'll be well paid."

'

Huang Chen's gaze turned cold.

Buyers in the "demon market".

No wonder the smell made him feel nauseous.

Another short-bearded immortal cultivator squatted down, glanced at the Demon Blood Compass, and frowned.

"The blood lines in the dish are somewhat messy, originating from more than one source."

The rat demon carrying the plate hurriedly said, "My lord, it was like this before."

It smelled like the Black Wind Demon Cave, and also like the old blood from the Black Scale Demon King's territory, mixed with the soul-capturing ash from the flying boat. The person killed and destroyed everything in his path, leaving behind too many fragmented traces, here and there, but the compass was accurate, and piecing them together, they still pointed to this mountain.

'

Huang Chen's heart sank upon hearing this.

It turned out to be the case.

It's not that the torch itself leaked too much.

The blood debts, soul ash, and remains he had accumulated along the way were taken and refined into this compass, used as a fuse to reverse the process.

Black Wind Demon Cave.

The remains of the Black Scale Demon King.

The flying boat captures the ashes of the soul.

He had been to all these places and killed people there.

The other party is not looking for a single person.

They were searching for the end of a path to slaughter.

The unfamiliar immortal cultivator took the jade slip, gently tapped the edge of the compass, and spoke in a flat tone.

"Try again."

'

"If it's still chaotic, then burn some mist to force the qi to rise."

He didn't speak loudly, but everyone around him immediately shut up.

Huang Chen wrote this sentence down.

This person was neither a guard nor a rogue cultivator who had temporarily joined the group.

He made the decisions.

The rat demon holding the plate bit its fingertip, dripping blood into the center of the plate.

The dark red liquid swayed slowly, and the bloodline twisted like a living thing. It first pointed to the outer edge of the Firewood Valley, then suddenly veered off course and slid towards another mountain ridge that Huang Chen had passed earlier. Finally, it trembled twice and stopped between the two.

"Damn it, things are all messed up again."

"The short-bearded immortal muttered curses.

The tall, thin buyer squinted, like a hyena smelling meat.

"It's not chaos, it's that the person left cautiously, concealing their breath and letting go of their scent."

"The more this is the case, the more it indicates there's a large shipment here."

'

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved.

"burn.

'

The two rat demons immediately pulled out black oil sachets from behind their backs, about to throw them into the miasma.

Huang Chen didn't wait any longer.

He slid down from behind the rock, as fast as a dark shadow close to the ground.

There was no sound of wind breaking.

The only sound was the dull thud of mud being scraped by the soles of the boots.

Just as the rat demon carrying the plate turned its head, it saw a crouching figure in its eyes, and Huang Chen's fist was already upon it.

boom!

The sound of a skull shattering was short and terrifying.

The first rat demon's head exploded backward, spraying blood and bone fragments onto the edge of the compass.

Huang Chen twisted his foot and exerted force with his shoulders and back, and his second punch slammed into the face of another rat demon next to him.

Before the rat demon could even scream, its entire face collapsed on the spot, and its body flew backward, knocking over two of its companions.

"Enemy attack!"

'

The screams then erupted.

But as soon as the sound was heard, the Wind-Stabilizing Pearl was ejected from Huang Chen's palm. With a tremor of eerie light, the swirling miasma around them was suddenly suppressed by an invisible hand, the wind path was cut off, and the fog wall froze in place.

The fire bag didn't fly far and hit the ground directly.

The black oil was poured out, and a low, dark fire broke out.

"A wind-sealing artifact!"

The short-bearded immortal cultivator's expression changed drastically. He then summoned a slender flying sword with his backhand. The sword was bluish-white and aimed straight at Huang Chen's back.

Without turning his head, Huang Chen grabbed the Demon Blood Compass with his left hand, stomped his right foot on the ground, and the Pulse Fire Battle Domain suddenly spread out.

The dark reddish-brown patterns rolled out layer by layer along the mud, rock crevices, and withered roots, making the area of ​​more than ten feet in radius seem to be pressed into a sweltering furnace.

The moment the Demon Blood Compass was in hand, the mixed aura within it surged wildly.

The smell of rotting demon blood.

The smell of burnt ashes.

There were also a few very faint traces of human resentment clinging to the very bottom, like scraps that had been forcibly ground up and stuffed in.

Huang Chen's forehead twitched as he looked at it.

"Take them alive!"

"The tall, thin buyer shouted from behind, "He's on that line—"

Before he could finish speaking, the flying sword had already arrived.

Huang Chen suddenly turned to the side, the flying sword grazing his ribs, tearing open his outer robe and sending out a trail of sparks.

The short-bearded immortal cultivator's face hardened, and he brought his two fingers together, about to draw his sword and slash back.

Huang Chen had already reached him.

too close.

The short-bearded immortal cultivator's pupils suddenly contracted, and even his incantation was slowed down by half a beat.

"you--"

Huang Chen raised his hand and grabbed.

The five fingers gripped the sword directly.

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of metal scraping against metal, the flying sword was abruptly pulled to a stop. The blade tore a bloody gash in his palm, and the blood that had just gushed out was immediately vaporized into a pale red mist by the scorching blood vapor.

The short-bearded immortal felt a chill run down his spine and turned to retreat.

Huang Chen was faster than him. He lowered his right arm, pulled his sword, stepped forward, and struck with his elbow.

Click!

The cultivator's sternum caved in on the spot, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Before he could fly backward, Huang Chen twisted his wrist and broke the flying sword and half of his arm in two.

The broken sword pierced his chest, pinning him to a withered tree behind him.

The surroundings fell silent for a moment.

The next moment, all the rat demons exploded.

"run!"

It's him!

"That's the one who fought his way out!"

"Send a message quickly!"

'

The two rat demons turned and darted into the deep forest, their movements as swift as two gray shadows.

Huang Chen's eyes flashed, but he didn't follow.

wrong.

Those two ran away too decisively.

Like bait.

The ones who truly deserve to be killed are not over there.

Sure enough, the unfamiliar immortal cultivator on the other side remained motionless, standing still with his robes perfectly in place, coldly staring at the compass in Huang Chen's hand.

The two buyers from the demon market next to them didn't rush in recklessly, but quietly retreated, their hands reaching into their sleeves.

Huang Chen pressed the compass onto the ground and then pressed down the Pulse Fire Battle Domain.

Dark red light flowed into the blood bronze along the edge of the plate. The blood lines inside the plate seemed to be clamped by tongs, making a hissing sound. The various auras sealed inside twisted wildly, finally revealing several extremely blurry afterimages.

The collapsed walls of the Black Wind Demon Cave.

The shattered scales and bones of the Black Scale Demon King.

The ashes of the Soul-Binding Beast burned in the lower deck of the Sky-Hunting Flying Boat.

It was all a place he had personally fought his way out of.

The tall, thin buyer turned pale and exclaimed, "Don't ruin the deal!"

Huang Chen looked up at him.

"You're worried about this?"

The buyer felt a tightness in his throat under his gaze, but still gritted his teeth and asked, "Do you know how many spirit stones this plate is worth?"

You've ruined the Demon Market—"

Huang Chen stomped down.

Click.

The compass surface is cracked.

The blood in the dish gushed out like live worms, only to be instantly evaporated by the pulse fire.

The tall, thin buyer's eyes turned red.

Kill him!

'

The remaining two cultivators attacked simultaneously.

A beam of earthy yellow light rushed towards him from the ground, trying to entangle his legs.

The other man flicked out three bone nails from his palm, the ends of which were poisoned and specifically designed to pierce the meridians.

Huang Chen swung out the Asura Blood Blade with his backhand. The blade flashed diagonally, first deflecting the bone nail, then stepped forward. The Xuanhuang Armor appeared on his chest and shoulders, and he forcefully withstood the pressure of the rune light.

The talismanic light wrapped around the boot surface, making a sizzling sound.

The Mountain and River Boots trembled violently, directly shattering the talismanic power.

The immortal cultivator who used the talisman turned pale, and before he could retract his hand, Huang Chen had already closed in.

One punch.

It's still about fists.

Simple, brutal, and delivered in a straight line.

The immortal cultivator hurriedly raised his arm to block, but with a "bang," his entire arm bent backward at the elbow, and his shoulder bone collapsed along with it. He was sent flying and rolled three times in the mud before stopping, only able to gasp for breath.

The other one, who was using the bone nail, saw that things were not going well and turned to run away.

Huang Chen flicked his toe, and the broken sword on the ground sprang up, turning into a cold glint.

puff.

The broken sword pierced through his back and protruded through his chest.

The man fell to the ground, his fingers scratching at the mud for a couple of moments before falling still.

The system notification sound swept through my mind, cold and clean.

Slaying evil targets grants karma points.

】

[Current karma has increased slightly.]

Huang Chen didn't look at it closely.

This place is not yet clean.

The remaining rat demons were scurrying about in the fog, their cries sharp and piercing.

The unfamiliar immortal cultivator finally moved.

He didn't step forward, but instead took three steps back, from which a grayish-white needle popped out of his sleeve, clearly to send a message.

Huang Chen's pupils contracted, and he instantly summoned the Soul-Binding Banner. A swirling gray mist deflected the letter needle by half a foot.

The needle didn't shoot skyward; it only pierced a nearby tree trunk, creating a ring of light white ripples.

The unfamiliar cultivator's expression changed for the first time.

He looked at Huang Chen, his voice icy cold.

"No wonder they were able to break through several territories in succession."

"You're more troublesome than the message suggests."

'

Huang Chen drew his sword and walked towards him.

"You have a lot of news."

'

The man didn't answer. He folded the jade slip in his hand, which turned into three thin blades of water light, slicing straight into Huang Chen's throat, heart, and lower abdomen.

Huang Chen slashed horizontally with the Asura Blood Blade in his hand, breaking through two paths in succession. The third path, however, was cunning and grazed his waist, leaving a trail of blood droplets.

Pain and fever.

Huang Chen didn't stop, his internal energy roared, and his Pulse Fire Battle Domain pressed forward.

The unfamiliar immortal cultivator's movement technique was very cunning. Instead of confronting him head-on, he used the still mist sealed by the Wind-Stabilizing Pearl to slide backward, like a fish swimming backward in shallow water.

The two men advanced and retreated, quickly spreading out a distance of seven or eight zhang.

Huang Chen suddenly stopped.

I'm not going to pursue it anymore.

The unfamiliar cultivator was taken aback.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically.

The tall, thin buyer behind him was quietly reaching for the broken compass fragments, seemingly trying to snatch something back.

Huang Chen raised his hand and flicked it.

The Nine Nether Soul-Slaying Talisman (Advanced) transformed into a dark ray of light, arriving first despite being delayed, and directly pierced the buyer's brow.

The tall, thin buyer froze, his eyes lost their sparkle, and he collapsed as if his bones had been removed.

Another buyer in the market was so terrified that he fell to his knees in the mud.

"Don't kill me!"

'

"I'm just receiving the goods! I'm just receiving the goods!"

'

He raised his hands high, and two bone deeds and a roll of oilcloth ledger pages fell out of his sleeves.

"They approached the Demon Market, saying there was a human settlement in the mountains, where people who could set up formations were hiding, as well as several groups of survivors rescued from various places!"

We're just here to inspect the goods, to inspect the goods!

Huang Chen walked up to him and looked down at him.

"Who sent you?"

The buyer's lips trembled, and he kept banging his forehead against the mud.

"Blackfang City, the underlings of Blackfang City."

"I really can't reach any higher."

'

"The rat demons are making their move, the rogue cultivators are taking action; we only recognize the contract tokens, we only judge quality..."

He paused abruptly at this point.

Because Huang Chen's gaze had already fallen on his waist.

It was a black copper demon market contract token, with two rings of fine animal tooth patterns engraved around the edge, and a shriveled human tooth embedded in the center.

Huang Chen reached out and pulled, tearing the contract plaque off.

The buyer seemed to have his last breath sucked out, and his body slumped down.

"roll.

'

Huang Chen uttered a single word.

The buyer was stunned at first, then scrambled and crawled into the depths of the forest, losing one of his shoes in the process.

The unfamiliar cultivator watched from afar, his eyes growing even colder.

"You let him go on purpose."

'

Huang Chen raised his hand, his fingertips tracing the wound on his arm, drawing out a trickle of blood.

"yes.

'

He snapped his fingers.

The half-wisp of blood energy was enveloped by the Extinguishing Breath Concealing Meridian Technique and guided by a faint trace of human aura, silently drifting towards the southwest abandoned swamp.

The old swamp there is rotten and lifeless, making it the perfect place to bury pursuers.

The unfamiliar cultivator immediately sensed something was wrong and raised his hand to try and cut it off.

Huang Chen suddenly rushed forward.

Two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

One zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

Close combat!

Forced to retreat, the unfamiliar cultivator unleashed a series of slashes with his jade-tipped water blades.

Huang Chen braved the razor-sharp water and pressed against it. Three white marks were cut into his Xuanhuang armor, and a dull pain surged in his chest. However, he used the momentum to shove his shoulder into the other person's arms.

boom!

The unfamiliar cultivator was knocked backward and slid, the mud swirling around his feet, before his back slammed heavily against an old tree.

The bark cracked.

Blood finally appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Are you crazy?"

Huang Chen raised his hand and slashed again.

"You're only finding out now?"

The unfamiliar immortal cultivator dodged awkwardly, the half-moon black jade pendant on his left ear being severed by the wind of the blade and falling into the mud with a thud.

He dared not linger any longer, and in that flash, a cloud of gray-black powder suddenly exploded from his sleeve.

The powdery mist doesn't hit people; it only hits blood and spirits.

It seems to be specifically designed to cut off tracking.

Huang Chen narrowed his eyes and didn't rush in.

The next moment, the person had already vanished into the shadows of the forest using the mist, leaving only a cold voice echoing from afar.

You can protect the entrance to a valley, but you can't protect the traces along the way.

'

There was no further response from Lin Zhong.

The surroundings fell silent again, with only the black oil fire still crackling and burning in the mud, the rat demon's corpse emitting a foul, burnt stench.

Huang Chen stood still, his chest heaving twice, and first finished off the remaining enemies around him one by one.

Three rat demons.

Two independent cultivators.

One buyer in the market.

The remaining bait and the unfamiliar immortal cultivator all left.

He wasn't upset.

This was a loophole he deliberately left open.

The goal is to make the other person leave with the wrong impression.

The goal is to lure the enemy's main force into the abandoned swamp.

After doing all this, Huang Chen squatted down and began to examine the body.

The short-bearded immortal cultivator didn't have much of value on him: a few bottles of inferior pills, a stack of travel permits disguised as a rogue cultivator, and a gray-patterned communication talisman, which had just been shattered by the battle domain.

Besides the Demon Market Contract, the tall, thin buyer also had a small bag of miscellaneous spirit stones of medium to low grade, a few dozen in total, not many.

There was also a thin booklet of skeletal bills with only a few lines of text on it.

"A young adult is seventeen, a child is five, and an old person is eight."

'

"Those with superior musculoskeletal structure will be considered separately."

"The northern mine pits will be acquired first."

'

After Huang Chen finished reading, he slowly closed his five fingers.

The bone pages were brittle from being squeezed in my palm.

He also found half a packet of blood-attracting powder on another corpse. The smell was similar to that of the Demon Blood Compass, so it was obviously used to identify the scent of the bloodline.

Finally, he pulled out a complete demon market contract from a hidden pocket in the tall, thin buyer's sleeve.

Made of black copper, it feels cool to the touch.

The back of the card has a line of very small engravings.

"Black Tooth Thirty-Seven Inspector".

Huang Chen put the contract away.

This is the evidence.

You can touch it from the back.

He glanced at the shattered Demon Blood Compass on the ground, then bent down and picked up the two largest fragments.

The center of the plate was cracked, and the bloodstains inside had dried into black scabs.

Huang Chen rubbed his fingertips together lightly, then brought them close to his nose and smelled them.

really.

Besides the demon blood and soul ash, it also contained impurities he had picked up in various places in his early years, such as the Black Wind Demon Cave, the Black Scale Demon King's Nest, and the wreckage of the flying boat. The person who made it wasn't particularly skilled, but he managed to gather all the necessary ingredients.

It's like piecing together a human figure from broken bones.

It may look ugly, but it can actually guide you.

The night grew even darker.

The wind died down and the fog settled at the edge of the miasma valley, and the distant mountain shadows resembled a row of crouching black beasts.

Huang Chen simply dragged the corpse to a low-lying mud pit, threw in a few pieces of fire talisman paper and a handful of black oil, and set it on fire.

The fire wasn't big, and it burned simmeringly.

It's more like roasting mud.

Not enough to completely destroy it, but enough to erase the surface footprints and bloodstains.

Having done all this, he turned and sped away from the Valley of Firewood.

He didn't walk in a straight line along the way.

First, they circled the south slope, then turned north along the ridge, and then crept along a dry stone ditch, making sure there were no pursuers behind them, before stopping behind a familiar, rugged rock outside the valley.

The Valley of Fire is just ahead.

In the darkness of night, the dark red curtain of light still enveloped the valley, like an old bell upside down among the mountains, its light dim yet steady.

Huang Chen had barely relaxed a little when his gaze froze.

wrong.

There are three places on the outer layer where the color is noticeably thinner.

One location is below a low cliff on the east side.

One is near the old pine roots in the southwest.

There is another spot, right next to the edge of the rocky beach in the outer valley.

That's not the formation weakening on its own.

It was detected by smell.

It was the accumulation of human energy, blood, food, and medicinal scents from countless rescues, transfers, return trips to the valley, and outings that formed a thin layer outside the formation, which was slowly gnawed open by things like the rat demons.

Huang Chen stood in the night wind, his face gradually darkening.

Faint voices could be heard from afar within the valley, like the patrolmen changing positions.

The flash of light subsided.

The mountains were quiet.

Only those three weak points, like sick eyes opening in the darkness, remained firmly anchored outside the valley.

Huang Chen stared at the three "sick eyes" for a few breaths.

The night wind swept through the rocks outside the valley, carrying a damp, earthy smell, brushing against his clothes before quickly sinking back down. The dark red light curtain ahead still steadily covered the Valley of Firewood, and the faint sound of footsteps as the guards changed shifts could be heard from within, like water in a pot that was about to boil—the surface was calm, but underneath, it was already churning.

He did not enter the valley immediately.

This opening didn't appear because the formation itself aged.

It was detected by smell, and discovered through trial and error.

Someone has their eye on the torch.

Huang Chen squatted down and pressed his fingertips on the soil under the low cliff on the east side. The soil wasn't loose, but it had fine, broken marks of rummaging, as if some small creature with sharp beaks and claws had repeatedly burrowed through it. There was also a faint smell of blood and oil mixed in with the soil, so faint that you couldn't smell it unless you got close.

Rat demon.

And there was more than one.

He moved to the vicinity of the old pine root in the southwest and reached out to push aside a clump of half-withered vines. Underneath the vines were two small, grayish-black bone beads, about the size of a fingernail, covered in soul ash and demon oil, like temporary marks.

Looking further towards the edge of the rocky beach, the arrangement of several pebbles was also unnatural, with half a broken incense stick buried under the stone, the ash still scattered, clearly indicating that it was newly inserted during the day or at dusk.

Huang Chen twitched his eyelids.

The other party wasn't just randomly bumping into things.

They're looking for a door.

He didn't look any further, turned around the high rock, and hurried along the shady slope outside the valley. His footsteps made almost no sound; his Mountain and River Boots left only very shallow marks on the gravel.

If you could only read one fantasy novel in your life, it would probably be "The Primordial Era: Starting by Slaughtering All the Gods and Buddhas in the Sky".

A moment later, he squeezed through a narrow crevice into the outer valley gate, tapping his knuckles three times on the dark rock, two lightly and one heavily.

A faint sound of movement could be heard coming from inside.

The next instant, a short spear emerged halfway from the shadows, then retracted.

"who?

'

The person on night watch kept a low voice.

"I.

'

Huang Chen spoke.

The person inside visibly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stepped aside.

Huang Chen didn't stop and went straight into the sentry cave behind the crevice. Inside the cave, a half-lit oil lamp was burning, its flame flickering and casting a yellowish glow on the rock walls.

Old Tie was squatting in front of a broken wooden table wiping his crossbow when he heard the sound, looked up, and paused in surprise.

"Didn't you just get back?"

'

The old man threw down the cloth and stood up.

Something happened?

'

Huang Chen nodded and briefly described the three weak points outside. He didn't embellish or beat around the bush, simply explaining the soil marks, bone beads, broken incense, and demonic aura.

The more Lao Tie listened, the sullen his face became.

"Grass.

'

He cursed under his breath, reached out and grabbed the iron piece on the wooden table. "These bastards have long noses; they've even managed to touch the husks."

Huang Chen glanced at him.

How many people are sleeping in the valley?

"Twelve guards patrol the outer ring, and four are rotated out in the middle of the night."

"The people in the work sheds and medicine sheds inside have mostly rested, and the wounded have just fallen asleep." Old Tie answered quickly, "Do you want me to ring the alarm gong now?"

'

"Don't knock."

Huang Chen shook his head.

"If we knock, chaos will break out in the valley first. If those things outside are just testing the waters, they'll retreat when they hear the noise."

"If we don't nail them to the ground tonight, we'll come back tomorrow night."

Old Tie grinned, and the old scar on his face twitched.

"Then let's go all out."

Huang Chen squatted down beside the wooden table and took out the Human Concealment Veil from his arms.

The gauze was as thin as a layer of old smoke, and when spread out, its texture was almost invisible. Only under the oil lamp did a very faint, humane luster emerge from its edges. When Lao Tie saw this, his breathing became lighter.

"Use it to cover the entrance to the formation?"

"It's not covering the entrance, it's covering the outside where the air leaks out."

'

Huang Chen raised his hand and drew a simple diagram on the table, pointing out the three weak points, the slope outside the valley, the wind direction, and the direction of the miasma. "The rat demons can smell it because the smell of people, food, and medicine in the valley is hanging out from these places. First, suppress the smell, and then point them to a false path."

'

The old man stroked his chin.

"Lure them away to kill them elsewhere?"

'

"Abandoned swamp".

Huang Chen said.

Lao Tie's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood.

To the northwest of the valley lies an old swamp. In its early days, it was a stagnant pool of water. Over time, miasma accumulated, turning the swamp into a muddy, black watery mess. If you stepped in, you couldn't pull half your leg out.

It's perfect for burying people.

Huang Chen retrieved the core component left after the Demon Blood Compass shattered, and then took out the half-packet of Blood-Attracting Powder. As soon as the powder was opened, a pungent smell immediately wafted out, a sweet, fishy odor, like honey smeared on rotting flesh.

Lao Tie wrinkled his nose.

"That's fucking disgusting."

'

"It's meant to be disgusting."

Huang Chen embedded the fragments into a rotten wooden board, mixed in some mud and swamp water, and reversed the remaining air-drawing mechanism on the compass.

The fragments were originally meant to track him, but he has now turned them into "fake doorplates." As long as the other party follows the original route of identifying the scent, what they will eventually smell is just a piece of wood in the abandoned swamp.

Lao Tie stared at his hand movements and clicked his tongue.

"Your brain is really suited for burying people."

Huang Chen ignored him and simply smeared the last bit of blood-drawing powder on the edge of the wooden board.

"How many more rounds can your heavy crossbows fire?"

"Three complete sets of equipment, two sets of spare springs, twenty-seven armor-piercing heavy arrows, and thirty-two hook-and-split arrows."

"When Lao Tie said this, his tone immediately became steady. "I've also worked on the Soul Pattern Armor Formation these past few days, and it can suppress a wave. If we really go all out, we can turn over that muddy slope in front of us completely."

'

Huang Chen nodded.

That's enough.

'

After he finished speaking, he looked up at his old friend.

"Don't disturb too many people tonight."

Choose six of the most reliable and discreet men. Hide the crossbows behind the mud shelter, and bury the armored formation three to seven paces from the edge of the swamp.

Let them in first, then attack.

The guy grinned.

"I understand. Only when it hurts will there be a corpse."

'

"besides."

Huang Chen lowered his voice even further.

"There are more than just rat demons on the other side. Among those markings are some tricks that cultivators have used."

Those who arrive tonight will most likely bring others with them.

The old man's noodles tightened.

"From the Xuantian Sect?"

"not necessarily.

'

Huang Chen recalled the demon market contract, and a chill crept into his eyes.

"They could also be rogue cultivators who came to collect goods after smelling the human lives involved."

'

After these words were spoken, the sentry hole fell silent.

The oil lamp flame flickered, casting flickering light on the two faces.

The mountain wind outside whistled through the cracks in the rocks, producing a dry, hoarse wail, like someone grinding their teeth in the distance.

The old man picked up the heavy crossbow parts, turned around and left.

"I'll go get someone."

Huang Chen reached out and pressed down on his arm.

"Don't let Ah Shi know."

The old man was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand. That kid is tight-lipped but restless; knowing this will only keep him awake at night."

'

The two went their separate ways.

Half an hour later, the abandoned swamp in the northwest outside the valley had been completely swallowed up by the night.

A thin layer of oily black sheen floated on the surface of the silt, and a few pieces of rotten wood were half-submerged and half-floating. Occasionally, a string of bubbles would rise and burst open with a pop, releasing a stench of rotten algae and decaying bones mixed together.

Huang Chen lay prone behind a rock by the swamp, wearing a black cloak covered in mud and water, making him look like a rotten root protruding from the swamp.

Over at the Valley of Fire, the three weak points have been covered with the Humanity Concealment Veil.

The scent has dissipated.

It was cut very cleanly.

In the middle of the abandoned swamp, the rotten wooden plank embedded with fragments of the demon blood compass was half-buried in the mud, emitting a faint wisp of bloody aura.

It blew out with the night breeze, just the right amount, not too strong, yet it was just right for the nose.

Further out from the edge of the swamp, six guards lay prone under a mud shelter, their breathing suppressed to the lowest possible level.

Old Tie squatted in the middle, with a repeating heavy crossbow next to him. The crossbow arm was covered with black mud, which even obscured the metallic gleam.

After waiting for a while longer.

Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from the distant hillside.

It rolls like a pebble, and scratches the ground like claws.

Huang Chen slightly raised his eyelids, his bloodlust senses tightening immediately. There weren't many approaching, only seven or eight streams of energy. The first three were the lightest and smoothest, clearly lesser demons.

The two behind were even heavier, carrying fluctuations of spiritual energy; they were not demons, but cultivators.

really.

The first to show themselves were three rat demons.

They are not very big, only reaching the chest of an average person when standing upright. They have grayish-yellow fur, pointed mouths and small eyes, but they are covered with leather armor on their backs, and small bone bells and short knives hang at their waists.

A rat demon squatted on a rocky slope, its nostrils twitching wildly and its whiskers shaking like a leaf.

"It's just ahead."

'

Its voice was high-pitched, suppressing its excitement.

"The flavor is stronger than during the day, it can't be wrong."

'

A male voice rang out from behind, lazy and with a hint of disdain.

"You rats do have some skill in hearing the road."

If this deal goes through, you'll get your share of the payment.

The speaker emerged from behind the shadows of the trees. He was a tall, thin hermit, around thirty years old, with sunken cheeks and pale lips. He wore a faded blue robe with a short brown shawl over it, as if deliberately pretending to be a wandering traveler in the mountains.

He was carrying a bronze ruler in his hand, with faint spiritual patterns flowing along its edge.

Beside him was another man, shorter and stockier, bald, with half of his left eyebrow missing, carrying a black wooden box on his back.

The wooden box was covered with iron at the edges, and occasionally made a soft sound when it was moved around. It seemed to contain nails, awls, or other tools for breaking and prohibiting things.

Huang Chen glanced at the two men, his gaze lingering.

strangeness.

He also did not possess the aura characteristic of the Xuantian Sect.

The rat demon took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped and whispered, "Something's wrong. There's miasma ahead."

'

The tall, thin, and unaffiliated cultivator smiled.

"There should be miasma."

Wherever Tibetans live, there is always miasma for shelter.

The bald man with the broken eyebrow was a little impatient and kicked the rat demon.

"Keep smelling. The coordinates marked on the contract are in this area; if you're wrong, you'll be the first to die."

'

The three rat demons immediately fell silent and continued to crawl forward, close to the ground. They moved faster and faster, their noses almost plunging into the mud, following the scent that had been drawn back, heading straight for the middle of the abandoned swamp.

"Keep smelling. The coordinates marked on the contract are in this area; if you're wrong, you'll be the first to die."

'

The three rat demons immediately fell silent and continued to crawl forward, close to the ground. They moved faster and faster, their noses almost plunging into the mud, following the scent that had been drawn back, heading straight for the middle of the abandoned swamp.

Old Tie lay prone under the mud shed, his fingers slowly engaging the mechanism.

Huang Chen didn't move.

Not close enough.

The first rat demon stepped into the three-step line, and it was fine.

The second one stepped into the five-step line and was still fine. When the tall, thin rogue cultivator also stepped into the mud slope and his foot just landed on the first piece of soul-patterned armor, Huang Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he dug his fingers into the mud.

hum!

Suddenly, a ring of dark blue lines lit up from the ground by the swamp, like dozens of fish scales turning light at the same time.

The next instant, the array of soul-patterned armor plates suddenly closed, and a series of muffled booms erupted from the muddy ground, sending black mud and gravel flying upwards.

"There's an ambush!"

The bald man with the broken eyebrow had barely uttered half a sentence when three repeating crossbows under the mud shed opened fire simultaneously.

Crash! Crash!

collapse!

The springs snapped and exploded in unison, and more than twenty heavy arrows tore through the night, piercing through like nails.

The two rat demons at the front didn't even have time to scream before their chests were pierced, their bodies were sent flying backward, and they crashed into the swamp mud with a thud, then fell silent.

The tall, thin cultivator reacted quickly; he held the copper ruler horizontally, and a pale yellow spiritual light immediately sprang up in front of him.

The first wave of heavy arrows crashed into the light, causing it to tremble violently and scatter fragments of light.

"You bastard!"

'

His expression changed, and three bone nails flew out of his sleeve, shooting straight towards the mud shed.

Old Tie was prepared; he suddenly ducked and rolled over, the bone nail grazing his scalp as it drove into the wooden stake with a thud.

The other guards immediately changed positions and fired a second round of crossbow bolts.

The bald man with the broken eyebrow had already opened the black wooden box on his back, inside which was a row of short, black cones.

He grabbed two, infused them with spiritual power, and the short cones emitted a shrill sound like ghosts wailing. He swung them forward and pierced straight into the node of the soul-patterned armor plate array.

"break!

'

If he were to hit us, our formation would immediately crumble.

At that very moment, the black water of the swamp suddenly exploded.

Huang Chen suddenly sprang up from the mud.

He was like a piece of dark iron that had been buried for a long time. When he rushed out, he brought up a large amount of black liquid, and even the air was hit with a muffled explosion.

The physical body and blood of a late-stage Earth Immortal suddenly unfolded, and the dark gold patterns all over his body faintly shone under the mud and water. The swampy ground under his feet sank half a foot.

The rat demon at the very front, which was turning around and screaming, only had a fist in sight.

The next instant, a fist landed on its head.

boom!

The blood mist exploded in mid-air.

Broken bones, brain matter, and rotten hair sprayed out together, splattering all over the face of the tall, thin, and unruly cultivator.

The rogue cultivator's pupils constricted, and before he could retreat, Huang Chen reached out with his five fingers like hooks, directly grabbing the cultivator's still unstable protective spiritual light.

Stab it!

Like tearing a wet cloth.

He forcefully tore a large gash through that layer of pale yellow light.

The tall, thin cultivator was so shocked that his voice cracked.

"you--"

Huang Chen didn't let him finish speaking. His shoulder sank, and he bumped into Huang Chen's arms.

The rogue cultivator's ribs collapsed on the spot, and blood and foam gushed from his mouth. He had just raised the copper ruler in his hand when Huang Chen snatched it away and slapped it against his throat.

click.

His neck was bent at an odd angle.

Before the corpse even fell, the bald man with the broken eyebrow had already retreated several steps, his face filled with horror.

He truly hadn't expected that such a ruthless person with such a monstrous physique would be buried in this godforsaken place. The way Huang Chen broke through the spiritual light just now didn't resemble an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator at all; it was more like a ferocious beast in human skin.

"Let's go! Let's go!"

'

He roared at the remaining rat demon.

The rat demon was terrified and turned to flee.

But it had only taken two steps when a hook-and-split arrow pierced its hind leg from the side, knocking it to the ground. Old Tie cursed, pressed the trigger again, and a second arrow followed, pinning the thing to the ground.

The bald man with the broken eyebrow gritted his teeth and crushed a teleportation talisman, causing a cloud of gray-white mist to rise from his side.

Huang Chen was faster than him.

With each step, waves of mud surged forth.

The figure arrived in a flash.

The bald man with the broken eyebrow suddenly felt everything go black before his eyes, and a hand had already grabbed his wrist. That hand was like an iron hoop, squeezing his wrist until his bones cracked.

The white mist from the escape talisman had only risen half a foot before Huang Chen swung him around and slammed him hard into the ground.

boom!

Mud and water splashed.

The bald man's face was smashed halfway, and his teeth were sticking out mixed with blood.

He tried to struggle, but Huang Chen's knee was already pressed against his chest, and with his other hand, he grabbed the forbidden short cone and, with a soft thud, drove it directly into his right shoulder.

"Who sent you?"

'

Huang Chen's voice was not loud.

The man with the broken eyebrow and bald head was convulsing in pain, his mouth full of blood, but his eyes still held a fierce glint.

"You dare kill me... Blackfang City..."

Huang Chen pressed his hand in half an inch deeper.

The short cone burrowed into the bone from the shoulder socket, causing the person's eyes to bulge out from the pain.

"Who sent you?"

"Black... Black Teeth Thirty-Seven... Inspection Line..."

The bald man with the broken eyebrow was panting like a broken bellows, his face smeared with mud and blood. "Someone's offering spirit stones... for the coordinates of human hideouts... the asking price here isn't low..."

Huang Chen stared at him.

"Who connected the line?"

"The higher-ups... only recognize the contract, not the person..."

No sooner had he said this than the man suddenly bit his lip, and a stream of black blood burst from under his tongue.

Huang Chen's eyes darkened, and he raised his hand to dislocate the man's jaw, but it was too late. The poisonous blood entered his throat, the bald man convulsed violently a few times, his eyes rolled back, and he immediately died.

"Your punch... was harder than it was a while ago."

Huang Chen shook the blood and mud off his hands, ignored the words, and bent down to search the corpse.

The tall, thin rogue cultivator pulled out two low-grade spirit stones, a small bottle containing soul ash, and half a copper ring engraved with black tooth patterns. The bald man with the broken eyebrow found a tattered purchase order on his body, which was densely covered with several codes and prices. At the bottom was a line that read: "Live prisoners' coordinates preferred, salary increased by 30%."

When Lao Tie saw the words clearly, his face turned ashen.

"They treat people like pigs and sheep."

'

"Pigs and sheep are also weighed."

Huang Chen put everything away, and then took out a small piece of bone flute and a bag of jerky from the rat demon's waist.

The dried meat was black and hard, making it impossible to tell what it originally was. Old Tie glanced at it, his face turned green, and he spat as he turned away.

The night breeze blew again.

The smell of blood, mud, and the metallic stench of hot machine springs mingled together in the abandoned swamp, making one's throat feel dry and astringent.

The distant mountains and forests remained dark, as if nothing had happened.

A moment later, a system notification sounded in Huang Chen's mind.

[Ding! Short side quest triggered and completed: The Hunt for the Flame]

[Mission Objectives: 1. Eliminate spy outposts; 2. Protect the entrance to the Flame of Life; 3. Seize clues to the Demon Market Contract]

[Task Status: Completed]

[Reward Distribution: A small amount of karma points and a certain amount of merit points]

A familiar warmth and a chill swept through my body at the same time.

Karma sank deep into the system, while merit, like a gentle warmth, slowly spread from his chest, suppressing some of the agitation from the recent battle. Huang Chen exhaled a breath of stale air, but his eyes remained unsettled.

This is just the outpost.

It's still the cheapest and least valuable batch.

Old Tie kicked the corpse on the ground and asked in a low voice, "What should we do with these? Bury them in the swamp again?"

'

Bury half, leave the other half.

Huang Chen said, "Throw the rat demon's corpse into the deep mud."

The two rogue cultivators were dragged back, and their clothing, ritual implements, contracts, and bills were sealed separately. This would be necessary for future verification and evidence.

'

Lao Tie nodded and immediately signaled to the others to get started.

Several guards quickly pulled on the ropes and dragged the corpse.

Everyone just witnessed Huang Chen burst out of the black water, beat people until they were like tattered sacks, his heart was still burning, and he even carried a fierce energy into his work.

On the way back, Huang Chen did not take the main mountain path.

He first circled around, re-examining the three weak points. The Human-Covering Veil suppressed the scent outside the formation, and the previously faint leakage of human presence had been greatly reduced.

Beneath the low cliff on the east side, he added another concealment talisman, shifting the windward direction slightly. He ground the bone beads from the roots of the old pine tree in the southwest into powder, burying even the ash into the cracks in the rocks.

The broken incense stick by the rocky beach was scalded by the karmic fire and turned into foul-smelling black smoke.

By the time all this was done, it was already late at night.

Two small fires were reignited in the valley to provide warmth for the night's patrols. The smoke rose slowly from within the formation, suppressed by the dark red light, appearing low and gentle.

The smell was ordinary: rice porridge, wild vegetables, and a little minced meat. Huang Chen smelled it through the light, and the veins on the back of his hand twitched slightly.

Old Tie dragged the tall, thin, rogue cultivator's corpse to the valley entrance, lowering his voice.

"The door is half-open?"

'

Huang Chen nodded.

The guards inside recognized them and immediately opened a narrow gap, just wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.

As the group filed in, the gap immediately closed, and the dark red light curtain returned to its original state, as if it had never been cracked.

On the small stone slab behind the valley entrance, Lao Tie threw the corpse on the ground and wiped away his sweat.

"Tonight, I've increased the number of people on duty to eighteen."

"Adding a whistle is useless."

'

Huang Chen squatted down and placed the complete demon market contract, the newly found copper ring, and the fragment of a document on the stone. "We need to change the traces outside the formation. Which road to take to rescue people, which road to take to deliver medicine, which ditch to take to dispose of ashes, blood, and dirty water—all of these need to be changed."

'

The old man frowned as he listened.

"This is no small job."

'

"If we don't do it now, even more people will die later."

Huang Chen pushed the contract token to him, "Check it using this."

Have any of your men who recognize bone carvings and the hidden patterns of the Demon Market make rubbings of them overnight. Then, wipe all three lines we used to travel on our outings again, and lead the fake traces to the Wolf's Pass to the north and the old mine ditch to the west.

'

The old man took the contract token and looked down at it.

The black copper was cool to the touch, and the black tooth-like patterns on it looked like a grinning mouth under the torchlight.

He cursed and stuffed the things into his pocket.

"OK.

I'll take care of it right away.

Just as he was about to turn around, Huang Chen called him back.

"Don't mention Ah Shi."

Old Tie looked at him for a moment and nodded.

"I know."

After saying that, he strode towards the equipment shed in the valley, his shoulders slightly hunched, but his steps were very fast.

Several guards followed behind, carrying the corpse and magical artifacts. The armor plates touched lightly, making a soft rustling sound, which quickly disappeared into the night.

Huang Chen stood alone at the mouth of the valley.

Outside the formation, the mountain shadows were dark and gloomy, while inside, the firelight was warm and gentle. Separated only by a layer of light, they appeared close, yet felt like two different worlds.

Someone coughed in the distance from the valley, and someone else asked in a low voice if the hot soup was ready. A ladle hit the edge of the pot by the stove, making a loud noise.

This little commotion disappeared completely into the night.

It is precisely because it is flat that it makes people even angrier.

Huang Chen raised his hand and pointed to the writing at the bottom of the tattered purchase order.

"Prioritize the coordinates of the survivors, with a 30% salary increase." The edges of the bone page were rough, like the worn bones of a dead person, making the fingertips tingle.

The system panel appears silently.

One of the new clues slowly coalesced into a line of dark text.

[A chain of "demon market acquisition of human coordinates" has been detected and can be continuously tracked.]

Huang Chen looked at the line of text but didn't say anything.

A wisp of smoke rose again from the valley, slowly dissipating into the night.

The firelight illuminated half of his profile, creating an interplay of light and shadow. After a moment, he folded up the bone page and tucked it, along with the contract plaque, into his robes. His fingers slowly tightened on his clothes, his knuckles turning white.

Not far away, Lao Tie's low-pitched command came from the direction of the equipment shed.

"All the springs have been replaced with new ones."

Anyone who dares to doze off tonight, I'll hang them at the mouth of the valley to get some fresh air.

A breeze blew in from outside the valley, brushing past the dark red light curtain and causing a gentle ripple.