Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 297 - 216: The Evil Doctor Turns Out to Be a Fishing Man, Huang Lian Saint Mother Battles Medicine King

Since the shanty suddenly shattered, Tao Qian and his companions found themselves face-to-face with the group ahead.

Tao Qian's gaze swiftly swept the scene, instantly understanding what was happening here.

The man who had been sent flying by the strongman was still somewhat robust, but the poor fellow had evidently been fed an unknown quantity of poison. His body was covered in multicolored blotches and grotesque tumors, a sight horrific and inexplicable.

There were quite a few men and women similar to him, all shackled with iron chains, strung together, and standing numbly on the muddy dirt road.

They were guarded by five cultivators who looked like demons, each dressed similarly to the man-eating strongman, holding various objects in their hands such as whips, fans, hammers, and awls, resembling torture devices and emanating an abnormal aura, obviously some crudely forged magical treasures.

Similarly, these six cultivators, who were clearly evil cultivators, had their own cultivation realms.

Five were in the Energy-Introducing Realm!

The cannibal was barely stepping into the Qi Refining Realm.

These six likely all thought themselves mighty and powerful, a cut above common folk, believing themselves to be transcendent, intermediary beings between mortals and immortals.

Little did they know, their bodies, in Tao Qian's eyes, took on an entirely different appearance.

Take the man-eating brute, for instance, his true form was long since non-human, but rather a creature with a human body and a pig's head, covered in flabby flesh and black hair, with thick yellow pus oozing constantly from the pores.

The beast relished his grisly feast, huffing and puffing, utterly unaware that around his own neck, too, was a collar.

Evidently, the brute's life and death were in someone else's hands.

The other five were similar to him, their bodies still human, but each with heads of birds, foxes, rodents, or dogs, their eyes blood-red, devoid of humanity.

"Those civilians who are bound must be the so-called 'Medicine People.'"

"Volunteering to be force-fed poison in exchange for grain and money to feed their families."

"And these six despicable demons are the harvesters?"

Tao Qian had just guessed the cause and effect when his group of four caught the attention of the yellow-pus pig-headed monster.

More precisely, Tao Qian was the target.

Inexplicably, the pig-headed monster's gaze locked onto Tao Qian's dangling earlobes, which resembled those of the Buddha.

Licking its crimson lips, the monster actually dropped the half-eaten arm of an old man it had been gnawing on and made a beeline toward Tao Qian.

Without warning, it charged like a wild boar.

As the ground trembled, the strongman flung his thick tongue about, droplets of foul saliva flying into the air, and in a bewitched roar, he yelled:

"What a delicious scent!"

"Eating him now, there's still time to return and report. Snacking on a person on the way, the Master certainly wouldn't blame me."

"I can't hold back, how can it smell so tempting?"

Before his words even ended, the strongman leapt into the air, pouncing towards Tao Qian.

The incident was quite abrupt, but Tao Qian wasn't surprised.

Back in Southern Yue, Tao Qian knew the effects that came with refining the Spirit Treasure Method and bearing tribulation energy upon himself.

Devil God Princess Yin Susu!

What a figure she was, yet seduced by the tribulation energy on Tao Qian and hence diminished in intelligence.

Let alone this lowly demon in front of him.

Tao Qian couldn't be bothered to give him a second glance. Seeing a dark shadow lunging at him, he casually slapped it away.

After what just happened, Tao Qian did not hold back in the slightest.

Even though he did not employ any divine powers and only used the physical strength of the Foundation Establishment Realm, for an evil cultivator demon in the Qi Refining Realm, it was still a catastrophe.

Bang!

With a dull explosion, the strongman's putrid pig-head burst apart.

The cloud of yellow pus and blood couldn't splash onto Tao Qian, but instead, precisely showered the remaining five evil cultivator demons. Accompanied by a hissing sound, their hard-earned demon bodies instantly turned sieve-like. Without even a chance to wail, they wilted and collapsed, slack as mud.

In less than half a breath, six evil cultivator demons perished.

The moment Tao Qian killed the demon, a very detailed record naturally surged into his mind.

Initially, Tao Qian didn't pay much attention; it was just another misguided soul who had fallen and become a demon.

But soon, he saw hidden information that piqued his interest.

[Name: Beast Puppet Slave.]

[Record Type: Demon.]

[Record: This person, originally named Yan Gang, was a butcher who idolized cultivators. After thirty years of diligent work and savings, he bought a scroll of the "Beast Heart Technique" from the black market and began self-cultivation. His initial progress was swift, gaining extraordinary powers such as Infinite Strength and Skin like Vajra, until he reached the Destiny Defining Fetus Stage. Then, uncontrollably he sprinted hundreds of miles during the night to meet a mysterious person, and his life fell into this person's control.]

[Annotation One: The disseminator of the "Beast Heart Technique" is a heterodox evil cultivator named He Sen, self-proclaimed "Evil Doctor Immortal." His cultivation has reached the Realm of Perfect Transcend Mortality and he cultivates the "Mixed Element Life Extension Scripture." With exceptional talent, he has refined many Sublime Dharma Powers and is highly likely to step into the Cavernous Mystery Realm.]

[Annotation Two: Evil Doctor Immortal He Sen is especially skilled in cultivating evil cultivator demons, maintaining their spiritual wisdom while controlling them like puppets. Thus, he is greatly trusted by one of the Alchemist Organization's Saint Heirs, Huang Chong, who assigned him to oversee the Changchun Society in Demon City.]

...

Due to the vast difference in cultivation realms between Tao Qian and the evil cultivator demon, a single slap allowed Tao Qian to glimpse into these detailed secrets.

This butcher named Yan Gang's process of mutating and falling into demonhood resonated with him vividly.

"Disseminating Cultivation Secret Manuals... enticing mortals or low-level cultivators to practice them... and then controlling them."

"Heh, another despicable fishing man."

Tao Qian scorned the evil cultivator known as He Sen.

Subsequently, his attention was drawn to the second annotation.

"Alchemist!"

"Saint Heir Huang Chong!"

"Changchun Society!"

Familiar terms leapt out one after another.

Almost immediately, Tao Qian recalled his many encounters in Southern Yue.

It would be inaccurate to call them old adversaries,

since, in the eyes of the Alchemist Organization, Tao Qian probably didn't even register as a minor character.

However, that so-called "Qin Wuxiang" with the pretty boy's face, the Saint Heir, likely harbored a deep grudge against Tao Qian.

In the final battle of Southern Yue, despite Qin Wuxiang having reached the Cavernous Mystery Realm and possessing an abundance of Divine Skills,

he found himself without any opportunity to use them, as any major figure who joined the fray could easily crush him.

If it had been the same for other Cultivators, that would have been one thing, but there was the anomaly of Tao Qian,

with his feeble cultivation, relying on his methods to reap the greatest benefits.

Qin Wuxiang, who had always enjoyed the status of a favored child of heaven, truly detested Tao Qian—if it weren't for Tao Qian heading straight back to Spirit Treasure Mountain Gate after it ended, Qin Wuxiang would likely have been hunting him across the world by then.

"In the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, there are many power organizations that exist in both the Mortal World and the Cultivation World."

"These organizations are mostly known for their well-informed nature and their mix of dragons and snakes."

"Cao Gang is one of them!"

"Changchun Society is also such an organization."

"Especially the latter, it ropes in those low-class types in the Mortal World, such as fortune tellers, peddlers of ointment, street performers, storytellers, and healers of venereal diseases, while in the Cultivation World, it rounds up those Heterodox Practitioners who wander everywhere."

"I want to find out about the current situation in Demon City, especially the movements in the Cultivation World. It seems like the people from Changchun Society might be a good choice?"

As Tao Qian contemplated, his gaze wandered among the shattered corpses on the ground.

Soon, he raised his hand and beckoned.

Six corpses then emitted a wisp of grey mist, each containing a distorted human shade within.

Tao Qian didn't bother to individually Soul Search each one and directly reached out to grab them, kneading them into a single mass.

During the process, the evil souls of these six individuals wailed incessantly.

Such agony could not be feigned.

Regrettably, there was no one present to defend them.

The impoverished, who heard the commotion from afar, hid in their shanties, not daring to emerge, and nearby, there were only those pitiable Medicine People.

Even though they had been tormented to the point of numbness, upon hearing the pained screams of the Six Evil Cultivators,

these Medicine People all looked up in their direction.

In their eyes, a shared expression of satisfaction emerged, with some even forcefully pulling at the corners of their mouths to show a gratified smile.

Especially a man not far off with broken limbs, on the verge of death,

who was now frantically banging on the ground, crying and shouting:

"Dad, my dear dad!"

"Do you see this? Evil begets evil. This world, this world... sob sob!"

Hearing these cries, Tao Qian applied a bit more force in his hands.

While he unleashed the Soul Searching Technique, he also summoned sweet rain.

The Spirit Treasure Dew could cleanse the intense poison from the bodies of these miserable Medicine People. While detoxifying them, Tao Qian casually erased their memories related to him.

The Soul Searching Technique was something he learned while being hunted in Southern Yue.

The beauty of it was that it could search souls and capture spirits, allowing Tao Qian to effortlessly gain some more detailed information.

The downside was its cruelty; those subjected to the Soul Search would not only suffer immensely, but would also have their three souls and seven spirits thoroughly shattered after the process.

Indeed, in a moment and amidst unprecedented screams of agony, fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

the mist made from the combined souls of the Six Evil Cultivators dispersed completely.

At the same time, Tao Qian obtained the information he desired. The doubts that had arisen in his heart since setting foot in Demon City were explained.

"The reason for the current turmoil, undercurrents surging in Demon City, or rather the reason on the surface."

"The Ninth Prince has spread word throughout the Cultivation World that he will hold a grand treasure assembly, soliciting strange and exotic treasures from all over the world. Generous rewards are offered, and those whose treasures are accepted can join the court and receive resources for sustenance... With the Ninth Prince being the Taishang Demon Sect heir and the Grand Admiral, this unsurprisingly stirred up the Cultivation World."

"Although the real Great Cultivators, or the disciples from the Great Sects, have shown no reaction, a massive number of lower-class Cultivators are flocking in."

"However, this is merely the superficial reason; another piece of news, spreading secretly, is the true cause of the restlessness for forces such as the All Techniques Sect."

"But what exactly is this news? These lower-class Heterodox Cultivators do not know."

"However, their higher-up, the so-called 'Evil Doctor Immortal' He Sen, must surely be aware."

"This is convenient, as it happens to be tonight."

"Evil Doctor Immortal He Sen, will be engaging in a magical duel with 'Huang Lian Saint Mother,' the leader of the local White Lotus Sect in Demon City, at the Medicine King Temple."

"Both are at the Perfect Transcend Mortality Realm and have the potential to step into the Cavernous Mystery Realm. Representing Changchun Society and the White Lotus Sect respectively, it is clear they intend to contend for the title of the representative power for the lower layers of Demon City."

"Numerous Heterodox Practitioners will go to watch."

"Why not go have a look as well?"

With several thoughts springing forth, Tao Qian quickly made a decision on his next move.