Chapter 49: The Demon Cult

Chapter 49: The Demon Cult

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

"Who would write a letter to a tiger demon, especially since it has always been hiding from cultivators, not letting them know its whereabouts?"

The three were puzzled. Given the tiger demon's cautious nature, it seemed unlikely that anyone outside the mountain should know of its existence.

"Read it, what does the letter say?"

Meng Jingzhou cleared his throat and read with emotion, "Brother Tiger, it has been many days since we last met, how have you been lately?"

"Brother Tiger is cautious in his actions, unwilling to show himself, keeping his existence unknown to righteous cultivators, only targeting mortals. Such a step-by-step cultivation method has earned my admiration. However, such cultivation is ultimately slow. Now that the great era is upon us, with heroes rising and various forces eyeing the Central Continent, didn't you also seize this opportunity to leave your homeland, break away from the Qiongqi lineage, and sneak into Song Mountain from the demon realm?"

"Be cautious... you two, stop crowding me, can't I just read it to you?" Lu Yang and Barbarian Bone squeezed Meng Jingzhou in the middle, trying to read the letter's content directly.

"You're reading too slowly."

"I'll read faster, now move aside."

Meng Jingzhou pushed the two away and continued, "Being cautious is not a big mistake, but in this reawakening great era, being bold is the only way to seize opportunities. Take a chance, purify your bloodline, and become a pure-blooded Qiongqi to stand firm in this era."

"I boldly suggest that Brother Tiger and his spouse join our Yanjiang Rudder, hunting cultivators as prey and plotting grand schemes together!"

"The letter contains my token; Brother Tiger can directly bring my token to find me at Yanjiang Rudder, and I can directly recommend Brother Tiger as an enforcer."

"Sincerely, Qin Yuanhao."

The letter was short but revealed a lot of information.

Lu Yang analyzed, "The letter mentions the tiger demon not letting righteous cultivators know about it, which goes against usual phrasing. Typically, 'righteous cultivators' wouldn't be directly mentioned unless the letter's author stands opposed to them. Is this Qin Yuanhao a demonic cultivator?"

This could also explain why some cultivators knew about the tiger demon but didn't report it.

In the Central Continent, the righteous path holds absolute dominance, with demons, devils, and ghosts naturally aligning as allies. For example, the tiger demon didn't attack directly but used ghosts to lure people.

With the tiger demon possessing Qiongqi bloodline and being a confirmed Golden Core stage cultivator, it made sense for a demonic cultivator to recruit it.

"So, Yanjiang Rudder is a demonic cult stronghold?"

Meng Jingzhou nodded, "Demonic cults like to use geographical names for their strongholds, but it's unclear which demonic cult Yanjiang Rudder belongs to."

Just as righteous cultivators have the Five Great Immortal Sects, demonic cultivators have their own sects, called the Four Great Demonic Cults.

Demonic cults are more like religions than sects, distinguished by whether they worship a powerful entity.

The Four Great Demonic Cults have different beliefs, with some saying they represent four immortals, while others argue the cults' beliefs are just four avatars of a single immortal, leading to various theories.

Demonic cults reveal very little to the outside, their movements elusive, and even joint efforts by the Great Xia Dynasty and the Five Great Immortal Sects have failed to locate their main base.

Whenever righteous cultivators eradicate a large number of demonic cult strongholds, the cult members sprout up again like bamboo after rain, impossible to completely eliminate.

Demonic cults are mysterious, employing bizarre and ruthless methods, chilling to the bone. But in reality, it's only because the righteous path is too strong, forcing the demonic cults to operate in the shadows, resorting to underhanded tactics.

If only the demonic cults' lairs could be found, there would be no need for the Five Great Immortal Sects to act; the Great Xia Dynasty could dispatch troops and within five days turn the cults upside down, eradicating their nests within a month.

This is the confidence of the righteous path.

"Demonic paths ultimately can't stand in the light of day."

Lu Yang shook the envelope, producing a bone token with a unique qi signature left by the demonic cult member, Qin Yuanhao, a method that outsiders couldn't replicate.

Barbarian Bone suggested, "Could we use this token to join the demonic cult?"

Discovering a demonic cult hideout would be a great achievement, far more valuable than eliminating two tiger demons.

Lu Yang shook his head, "No, if we use his token to join Yanjiang Rudder, Qin Yuanhao would definitely know."

"Besides, we don't even know where Yanjiang Rudder is. How could we join?"

"What should we do then?" Barbarian Bone asked.

"Since it's called Yanjiang Rudder, it must be in Yanjiang County. We could go there and inquire about Qin Yuanhao, follow him to find Yanjiang Rudder. Given that he referred to himself as 'junior' in front of the tiger demon, his cultivation level won't be higher than the tiger demon's. We can eliminate him and use the token directly, claiming we were old friends of Qin Yuanhao coming to join him, only to find he's dead."

"That's a good idea." Meng Jingzhou and Barbarian Bone's eyes lit up.

"Let's search some more, see if we can find anything else valuable." Lu Yang excitedly urged Meng Jingzhou to continue searching.

Meng Jingzhou stumbled upon a bright red, palm-sized grass with an eerie aura.

"Jade Blood Grass, but why are the veins red?" Meng Jingzhou was puzzled. Jade Blood Grass is primarily used for detoxification, its veins are supposed to be bluish-green, resembling rivers flowing on the ground. Why was this one red?

Lu Yang crouched down to inspect it, then said, "You forgot, Jade Blood Grass's main use for humans is as a primary ingredient in detoxification pills, but not so for demons."

"Jade Blood Grass can refine bloodlines. It's possible that the tiger demon used its blood to water and ripen the Jade Blood Grass, making it adapt to the Qiongqi bloodline. Looking at this, in a few more months, the Jade Blood Grass would have fully matured. Consuming it would have refined the Qiongqi bloodline, aiding the tiger demon in condensing its core."

The "blood" in Jade Blood Grass is thus named.

Lu Yang learned this knowledge of Jade Blood Grass from the Little Medicine Kings.

"Now this Jade Blood Grass can no longer be used to make detoxification pills, only for demons to consume for purifying their bloodlines," Lu Yang explained.

"In that case, you should keep it. It could fetch a good price at the sect's monthly market on the fifteenth." Meng Jingzhou passed the herb to Lu Yang and Barbarian Bone.

Many people in the sect keep demon beasts, and herbs that can enhance bloodlines have a significant market in Dao Seeking Sect.

After some back and forth, Barbarian Bone did not insist on being polite over Lu Yang and took the Jade Blood Grass.

Meng Jingzhou reminded Barbarian Bone, "Don't eat the Jade Blood Grass. The ancient Barbarian Tribe is a branch of the human race, and Jade Blood Grass won't benefit your bloodline."

Barbarian Bone expressed his disappointment with an "oh."

Legend has it that the ancient Barbarian Tribe originated from a romantic proposal in the ancient times when the human race lived in scattered tribes, and the strongest among them were called warriors.

One day, two tribes met. A male warrior from one tribe took a liking to a female warrior from the other and proposed, "Girl, give me a smile. If this young master is pleased, I'll marry you."

The female warrior smirked and swung a stone back at him. They fought, and in the end, the female warrior prevailed, dragging the male warrior into her hut for a sleepless night.

Ten months later, the first Barbarian warrior was born.

(End of the chapter)