Translator: AnubisTL
In the southern part of the Azure Ridge Domain lay the Mu Kingdom, a mortal nation perpetually covered in snow.
This ancient kingdom had endured for millennia, its rulers governing with diligence and wisdom, ensuring peace and prosperity for its people.
As the year drew to a close, every household lit festive lanterns on the cold winter nights. The warm, vibrant glow of the lanterns bloomed against the dark, frigid sky, resembling countless stars scattered across the pitch-black earth.
It had been a bountiful year. After a year of hard work, the people could now face the winter with peace of mind, warmth, and contentment, free from worries about hunger or cold.
At the border between two great domains, amidst the endless expanse of the Snow Mountain Range, an old daoist emerged slowly. His face was withered, and his aura was weak.
"So many years have passed," the old daoist murmured, gazing at the snow-covered landscape with a nostalgic air. "Even the snow mountains are gradually melting. The seas have turned to fields."
"I remember an old friend who was buried in ice here long ago," he continued. "Now, even his remains have vanished without a trace. Millennia pass in the blink of an eye."
The deathly aura surrounding him grew increasingly dense, making him resemble a withered skeleton risen from its grave.
This state left him no time for further reminiscence. He needed to harvest the great elixir of the mortal realm to temporarily delay his impending death.
Otherwise, he risked dying midway through his ascension, his body lost in the turbulent void, with no chance of reincarnation.
Having waited so long for this opportunity to ascend, he wouldn't let it slip away so easily.
With this thought, Old Daoist Xu Huan's figure vanished from the Snow Mountain Peak.
His first destination was the Mu Kingdom, adjacent to the snow mountain, where the great elixir he sought could be found.
"I smell the fragrant essence of the human elixir, carrying warmth and contentment. This is the perfect nourishment to delay the decay of my fleshly body."
Old Daoist Xu Huan stood atop the ancient city walls, gazing down at the families living peacefully within. Then, he opened his mouth.
In the city, steam rose from the stove in a hunter's home, where steaming meat simmered in a pot.
Animal pelts hung along the walls, remarkably intact, including several fine furs that would fetch a good price at the market next year.
The old hunter watched the scene with a satisfied smile, picked up a bowl and chopsticks, and prepared to ladle some of the fragrant meat from the pot.
Clang!
The old hunter stumbled and fell to the ground just a few steps away, the bowl and chopsticks clattering to the floor with a crisp sound.
"Ugh... I..." A bewildered expression spread across the old hunter's face. His body felt ice-cold, and even the roaring fire in the hearth couldn't warm him.
He remembered a time long ago when he had fallen into a natural ice cave while chasing an injured Snow Fox. He had endured two days and nights in that frozen pit, cold and starving. The sensation now was exactly the same!
How is this possible? I'm at home, not hunting on the snow mountain.
The old hunter opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. His vision blurred as his gaze drifted to his own fingers.
These were no longer the strong hands that could draw a powerful bow. He barely recognized them—dry, bloodless, and withered, the palms completely sunken.
It wasn't just his hands. His entire body had transformed into skin stretched taut over bone.
In another humble dwelling within the city, a scholar sat reading by candlelight late into the night.
Beside him, an elderly woman knitted a sweater by the flickering light. Cold drafts occasionally seeped through the cracks in the brick walls, but neither of them seemed to notice.
"Mother, it's getting late. You should rest," the scholar said, turning a page of his book.
The old woman replied with a gentle smile, "Just a little longer. You'll be able to wear this new sweater for the imperial examinations next year."
"If your father were still alive, he'd be beaming with pride to see his son become a scholar."
Hearing this, a determined glint flashed in the scholar's eyes.
"Don't worry, Mother."
Before he could finish his sentence, the needlework fell from the old woman's hands with a clatter.
Startled, the scholar turned to see his mother collapsed on the floor.
"Mother!" He hastily put down his book and rushed to help her, but before he could take more than a few steps, his legs suddenly gave way, and he collapsed beside her.
Thud!
"Mother..." The scholar's voice was barely louder than the crackling firewood in the furnace, his strength inexplicably gone.
His vision quickly blurred, his icy body frozen in place, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
In a grand mansion, festive decorations adorned the walls, marking the scene of a wedding.
Inside, the groom strode confidently into his bridal chamber on his wedding night. His face lit up with excitement as he gazed at the bride seated on the bed, her face veiled beneath a red bridal headdress.
He took deliberate steps forward, intending to lift the veil and finally behold the beauty of the woman who had become his wife.
But before he could reach her, his body suddenly lost all strength, and he collapsed inexplicably to the floor with a thud.
He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but no sound escaped his lips.
His vision rapidly faded as he stared at his newlywed bride, utterly bewildered by what was happening.
The bride, her face hidden beneath the red veil, seemed to sense something amiss. She tried to lift the veil herself, but her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the bed as well.
Similar scenes unfolded throughout the ancient city!
In every building, men, women, and children alike fell to the ground, their life force draining away completely.
Atop the city walls, Old Daoist Xu Huan's face radiated a look of satisfied enjoyment. In a single breath, he had drained the life essence from every living being within the ancient city, transforming them all into nourishment to replenish his own vital energy.
"The human body is truly a precious elixir," he murmured. "If even mortals yield such potent essence, the essence of cultivators must be even more effective."
As the dense essence poured into his nostrils and mouth, his decaying body halted its decline, and a flicker of vitality returned.
Before long, the ancient city had become a ghost town, devoid of a single living soul.
Old Daoist Xu Huan felt somewhat invigorated, but this was far from enough. He needed to devour far more human essence to replenish his reserves.
With ascension imminent, he would sweep northward, consuming both mortal cities and immortal cultivation traditions alike.
"I must ascend in my most peak, most flourishing state!" he declared. "Only in the spirit realm can this old daoist truly live!" His expression turned cold and ruthless as he soared into the northern skies once more.
Along his path, every mortal city he encountered was utterly consumed, leaving not a single survivor.
Since sealing himself away in ancient times until today, his heart had long grown colder and harder than iron and stone. Even the most tearful scenes couldn't stir the slightest emotion within him.
To achieve his ascension, what did it matter if he transformed into a world-destroying demon?
No one could stop him. Along his path, he absorbed every rogue cultivator he encountered, draining them into desiccated husks.
"The vital essence provided by cultivators is truly remarkable," Old Daoist Xu Huan murmured to himself, casually lifting a qi refining realm rogue cultivator whose mouth and nose were bleeding. "This region's spiritual energy is still quite abundant. There must be many immortal cultivation traditions here."
He forced open the cultivator's Sea of Consciousness, effortlessly extracting all his memories.
Soon, he knew the locations of nearby cultivation clans and markets with perfect clarity.
"This region actually has such a thriving cultivation sect? I can't afford to miss this!" Old Daoist Xu Huan muttered, a satisfied glint in his eyes.
Continuing his northward journey, Old Daoist Xu Huan followed the extracted memories to locate several cultivation clans.
The strongest cultivators in these clans were merely a few foundation establishment realm cultivators, and their clan protection formations were utterly insignificant.
For Old Daoist Xu Huan, whose dao cultivation was profound, these obstacles posed no challenge whatsoever.
He channeled his boundless mana and casually pointed a finger toward the mountain valley below.
Boom!
The entire valley shook violently as the formation base rapidly crumbled and vanished, revealing the valley's true form.
"Who dares invade the Cui Clan's territory?!" A thunderous voice erupted from within the valley, like a bolt of lightning.
Old Daoist Xu Huan remained unmoved. He opened his mouth, and an inexplicable suction force surged forth.
Throughout the Cui Clan's territory, every cultivator staggered, then collapsed to the ground as their vital essence drained from their bodies, flowing into Old Daoist Xu Huan's mouth and nostrils.
To a great power who had reached the Divine Transformation stage in ancient times, these low-level cultivators and mortals were virtually indistinguishable.
Before long, Old Daoist Xu Huan slowly closed his mouth, his face regaining a faint luster.
Within the valley, only one white-haired old man crawled out of a cave abode, his face contorted with terror.
"How could this be? How could this happen? What divine being has the Cui Clan offended?"
The Cui Clan Head, who should have been in the prime of his life, now spoke with a hoarse voice, still unaware of what had transpired.
Old Daoist Xu Huan, having completed his task, showed no lingering attachment. He immediately set off for another gathering place of cultivators nearby.
His next target was a market town named Red Maple Market, named for the surrounding Red Maple Forest.
This market was frequented by rogue cultivators trading goods, and even foundation establishment realm cultivators occasionally appeared here.
Arriving above the Red Maple Forest, Old Daoist Xu Huan's face remained as calm as still water as he pointed a finger.
Boom!
The market's restriction was effortlessly shattered once again. The rogue cultivators and stall vendors inside panicked, preparing to flee at once.
"The market's restriction has been broken! Could a Great Core Formation cultivator be here to rob us?"
"Run! They might be Bandit Cultivators who fled from the Great Wilderness Domain. We must notify the Lingyun Sect!"
"Hey! My Guangling Pill! You haven't paid the spirit stones yet?!"
The market descended into chaos, but the clamor soon ceased. All the cultivators collapsed to the ground, unable to move!
The abundant vital essence within their bodies was completely drained by Old Daoist Xu Huan.
In the blink of an eye, Old Daoist Xu Huan swept through the southern snow region of the Azure Ridge Domain.
Neither ancient mortal cities nor cultivator gatherings could escape his demonic clutches; all were reduced to withered bones.
Even unfortunate core formation realm cultivators fell victim to his insatiable hunger.
Old Daoist Xu Huan perfectly embodied the saying: "Beneath the Divine Transformation stage, all are mere ants!"
As one of the Human Realm's apex figures, once he unleashed his world-destroying ambitions, who could possibly resist?
Gradually, the southern snow region of the Azure Ridge Domain became devoid of life, with only a handful of mortal villages and primitive tribes surviving the calamity.
Yet this was not enough for him!
"Still not enough," he muttered. "I must drain the Lingyun Sect completely before this endeavor can be considered perfected."
Old Daoist Xu Huan gazed north, his essence, qi, and spirit now far stronger than when he had first broken free from his confinement.
For now, the death aura clinging to him had noticeably thinned, and his decaying flesh had regained a faint luster, making him appear less like a man on the verge of death.
With this in mind, he set his final goal on the Lingyun Sect.
(End of the Chapter)
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