"As expected, it's an evil art." Jin Yu frowned. "This kind of blood-draining demonic cultivation looks like it's from the Blood Dao Sect that's cropped up in recent years."
These people who practiced such dark arts were originally human cultivators. However, enticed by the demonic race's rapid advancement techniques, they fell to the path of evil.
The cultivation method of the Blood Dao Sect originated from the blood demon lineage of the demon race.
The demons had demonic bodies, so practicing it posed no issues for them.
But when humans attempted to forcefully cultivate it, they would only end up becoming twisted—neither truly human nor demon. Once they reached higher stages, they often lost their minds entirely, becoming puppets under the demon race's control.
Everyone knew this.
But still, people clung to the hope that if they didn't cultivate too far, they'd be safe. The only benefit of this evil path was how fast it allowed one to advance.
For some loose cultivators with limited potential and no hope of progressing otherwise, this might be their only shot at seizing real power. Even if they weren't as strong as orthodox cultivators of the same level, the extended lifespan it granted was real.
With such temptation, many were drawn to the Blood Dao Sect like moths to a flame.
Even though the Demon-Slaying Alliance had spent years warning of its dangers and investing great effort to root them out—
There were still problems.
For one, they had to focus most of their strength on their primary enemy: the demon race. They simply couldn't divert all their resources to hunting down rogue evil cultivators.
For another, these Blood Dao Sect followers were still human. As long as they didn't use their evil techniques, it was extremely difficult to identify them. Just looking wouldn't be enough—you'd need to investigate each person thoroughly. That took far too much time and was practically impossible.
At this moment—
Yu Songnian stared at the blood-colored lake, its surface scattered with white bones. His expression turned distant.
He had a very bad feeling.
Among those bones...
Could one of them be...
Could one of them be his father's?
Yu Songnian's body trembled slightly. He kept his eyes fixed on the floating corpses in the lake, trying desperately to make out any familiar features.
Yun Jin pressed her lips together and looked directly at Mu Lan. "Drain the lake."
Mu Lan blinked, then flew into a rage. "Are you giving me orders?"
Yun Jin responded coldly, "And what if I am?"
"You—" Mu Lan was about to speak again.
Yun Jin turned to Duan Yiwei. "Senior Brother Duan, he's stalling for time. Seems he doesn't want us opening the hidden cache too soon."
Duan Yiwei glanced at Mu Lan. "Elder Mu, go ahead."
Mu Lan's face darkened, but he relented. He clenched his teeth, resentment flashing in his eyes. Right now, Yun Jin was only acting tough because of that hidden cache. Once it was opened, she would lose all value.
Then they'd see what cards she had left to play.
Mu Lan led the Yuehua Sect disciples to act. In no time, the blood-colored lake was drained dry. The massive flower, cut off from its source of nourishment, suddenly became restless. Its body writhed madly, petals gleaming with brilliant golden light.
That golden light—
Yun Jin instinctively glanced at Third Senior Brother.
It was because his father had seen this golden light that he came here treasure hunting.
So this light—was it from the flower before them?
Yu Songnian's expression turned even uglier.
If this was what his father saw back then—
Then this wasn't some rare treasure at all.
It was bait. A lure.
The flower itself was deeply sinister.
Despite being born of the evil path, the light it emitted was unnaturally pure spiritual energy, with no trace of demonic aura.
No wonder so many were fooled.
"As expected, it's the Blood Dao Sect." Jin Yu's voice was cold. "This is their so-called Sacred Flower. It radiates holy light, and the more blood it absorbs, the purer its energy becomes. This one's nearly fully matured. Just a little more energy, and it would drop off to become a personal artifact for a Blood Dao disciple. Because its aura is so pure, it's perfect for pretending to be a righteous cultivator's weapon. In recent years, quite a few people have fallen to this thing."
As he spoke, Jin Yu raised his sword and released a wave of sword energy. A pale green barrier instantly enveloped Yun Jin and Yu Songnian. The others were left outside—it wasn't his concern.
No matter where this Sacred Flower came from, with so many Mahayana stage cultivators present, there was no need to worry.
The Yuehua Sect made their move. In moments, the so-called Sacred Flower was severed and turned to dust.
With its disappearance, the air in the cavern seemed to clear a little.
Yu Lin's eyes gleamed. He stepped forward with righteous fervor. "So those three brothers were indeed evil cultivators! Who knows how many cultivators from Lin City they've harmed over the years. We can't let such evil remain. Why not execute those two Yuányīng now and avenge the innocent lives lost?"
His gaze flicked constantly toward the porcelain bottle that held the two Nascent Souls, his outrage clearly performative—as if he couldn't wait to crush them himself.
Yun Jin looked at Yu Lin with an expressionless face. "Patriarch Yu, if you were truly so righteous, the rumors about Luohua Mountain have been spreading for years. As the leading clan of the region, the Yu family could have gathered forces to sweep through this place long ago. That would've prevented these three from hiding here so long and even cultivating that Sacred Flower to maturity."
Yu Lin's expression shifted slightly, and he responded with feigned remorse. "Yes, yes, I was negligent. I didn't take the matter seriously enough, thinking it was just a string of disappearances. Had I known the evil path was involved, the Yu family would've acted without hesitation to eliminate them."
Yun Jin only sneered.
This matter had long been posted on the sect mission boards. Lin City was just remote enough that most sect disciples couldn't be bothered to come.
But the Yu family lived right next door. Could they really not have known?
Yu Lin was likely no bystander.
He might have been the very umbrella that sheltered those three.
Yu Songnian stayed silent for a while, then slowly walked toward the now-empty blood lake.
With all the blood drained, piles of white bones were exposed.
Over the last decade, the number of lives buried here far exceeded anything written in the mission report.
Yu Songnian dropped to his knees and began sifting through the bones, one by one, searching carefully.
In his heart, the answer was already clear.
Now, he was only confirming it.
Yun Jin's lips pressed tightly together.
Third Senior Brother...
She truly worried about Yu Songnian's state of mind.
But she didn't stop him.
If this matter wasn't resolved thoroughly, it would remain a heart demon for Yu Songnian.
And a heart demon might not manifest right away—but one day, it would erupt. And when it did, it could cost him his life.
Yun Jin turned to Jin Yu. "Senior Brother Jin, release the two Yuányīng. I have questions for them."
Jin Yu nodded.
Soon, the tiny Yuányīng floated into the air.
Just as they appeared—
A sudden attack came streaking toward them, aiming to destroy the Yuányīng before anyone could react.