The Demonic Cultivator

Stepping out of the Hundred Herb Pavilion, Han Yu saw no sign of Sun Kang or Liu Lan. Since he still had ten Spirit Stones in hand, he decided to check the nearby "Spirit Art Pavilion" for any suitable cultivation techniques.

Inside, the shop assistant was distracted by the commotion outside, where the crowd buzzed over the "Top Ten Predictions for Inner and Outer Disciples." His responses were sporadic and half-hearted, barely acknowledging Han Yu's presence.

After a few questions, Han Yu discovered that even minor offensive spells cost over twenty Spirit Stones. Basic utility arts like the Wind Control Technique and Water Control Technique were priced at ten stones each.

So the spells the sect provides for free are actually this valuable... Han Yu mused. No wonder Rogue Cultivators are desperate to join. Even being a lowly Laborer Disciple is far better than living as a rootless wanderer.

From this perspective, the token that granted entry to Wanchun Valley was indeed exceptionally precious.

Since he couldn't afford anything useful, Han Yu turned to leave. Just as he reached the threshold, someone patted him.

Startled, Han Yu turned to see a man with bloodshot eyes. The stranger sneered coldly as he brushed past, leaving a faint bloody odor in the air.

Huh? Signs of the Blood Refining Technique?

A disciple of the Demon Blood Sect?

Before Han Yu could take a closer look, the Demonic Cultivator slipped into the surging crowd, making it impossible for Han Yu to pick him out.

Did he target me by chance? Or did he sense that I practice the Blood Refining Technique too?

Han Yu’s heart grew heavy. He looked at the place where the man had patted him but saw nothing unusual.

With Sun Kang and Liu Lan still missing, Han Yu made a decision. He hurried to the mortal Reed Mat Area and purchased a set of grey clothes identical to his uniform and a set of plain black clothes. Finding a secluded corner, he quickly changed into the black outfit and discarded his grey laborer robes.

That ought to stop him—

He had barely walked a hundred paces when the same man with bloodshot eyes reappeared. The stranger flashed him another cold, sneering grin before melting back into the crowd.

Han Yu’s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach.

Face hardening, he abandoned waiting for his friends and hurried toward the market exit.

If a Demonic Cultivator was truly hunting him, Sun Kang and Liu Lan would be useless—liabilities, even. It was better to use the distraction of the "Top Ten Predictions" to slip away alone. Even if he couldn't shake the tail, outside the market he had other measures prepared and would not be hampered by companions.

He hurried past the Reed Mat Area, noting the horse-faced vendor still selling flower cakes at the far end.

Exiting the Green Grain Market, Han Yu paused by the two large trees flanking the gate. He looked back and saw no one following him.

Yet he felt the man had no intention of letting him go and was surely still following him.

Please, no complications. Please, don't follow me...

Han Yu had never truly fought another cultivator. He had no idea what methods they might possess. His heart drummed against his ribs.

He walked briskly until he reached the nearest dense forest. Suddenly, a large crow descended from the canopy and landed on his shoulder.

Han Yu looked up. The trees held Little Crow and more than a dozen other crows, their feathers glossy and eyes gleaming with intelligence.

A wave of relief washed over him.

He whispered instructions to Big Crow. It let out a sharp caw and took flight, signaling the flock to hide among the leaves. Han Yu gripped a Wind Blade Talisman and waited in the silence.

Barely a dozen breaths later, a streak of dark red light shot from the forest behind him.

The Demon Blood Sect cultivator followed!

Han Yu recognized the dark red light immediately—it was a spell of the Blood Refining Technique. Unlike a Blood Droplet, this was a fist-sized, filthy-looking mass, its composition indiscernible.

He instantly activated the Wind Blade Talisman. A cyan arc of wind erupted, slicing cleanly through the incoming projectile.

The red light split and fell to the ground—a bloody human heart, cleaved in two.

"Hehehe... a Wind Blade Talisman! How many can a Laborer Disciple like you have? How many times can you use them?"

The bloodshot-eyed cultivator stepped out from behind a tree, his expression ferocious.

"Once you run out of talismans, you're dead!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... It's been ages since I came across such tender, delicious prey brimming with vitality... Did you know I was coming to feast on your essence blood? Is that why you made yourself so full of vitality?"

Han Yu finally understood.

His Breath Concealment Technique hid his cultivation, and he had not yet formed a new first-layer Blood Talisman. But his blood and vitality were still abundant. To the Demonic Cultivator, his youth made him appear easy to bully and a choice meal.

Despite the taunts, the enemy remained partially hidden behind a tree, wary of what Han Yu might do.

Han Yu turned and fled without hesitation.

The Demonic Cultivator paused, realizing his prey truly had no other tricks. Remembering that Laborer Disciples rarely possessed offensive spells, he could no longer hold back.

He grabbed another bloody heart from his Storage Bag, shouted "Go!", and sent it flying as a streak of crimson light toward Han Yu's back. Simultaneously, he leaped from cover, chasing like a ghost.

He had taken only two steps when the wind shrieked.

Two faint cyan glints plummeted from the canopy like lightning.

Panic surged in the Demonic Cultivator’s chest. He threw himself into a roll, narrowly dodging the first wind blade.

But the second was unavoidable. It trailed him like a shadow, slashing down with vicious speed.

Agony exploded in his arm. Blood sprayed as the limb was severed clean off.

If he had been a fraction slower, the blade would have entered his armpit and cleaved his chest open.

What is happening?!

Terrified and confused, the Demonic Cultivator looked up. A dark mass of crows perched in the surrounding trees. Their dark golden eyes shone with an eerie, mocking light, staring fixedly at him.

"What... what is this?" he screamed, clutching his stump.

Without his control, the flying heart spell lost momentum and struck a tree with a dull thud and splashed foul blood.

Han Yu turned back, resolve flashing in his eyes.

Six drops of Blood Essence materialized before him.

Six Blood Droplets, capable of cracking stone and shattering metal, shot toward the one-armed cultivator in unison.

The Demonic Cultivator’s eyes bulged. A fellow disciple? Blood Refining Technique?

Is this... a misunderstanding?

Before he could speak, a tremor shook the back of his skull.

A bloody hole punched through the center of his forehead.

It was another Blood Droplet—one that had struck from behind, killing him instantly.

Darkness claimed him before he could finish his final thought: Why is someone else killing me? What is going on?

Han Yu’s six Blood Droplets reached the cultivator only after the bloody hole appeared in his forehead.

Han Yu kept his six Blood Droplets suspended in midair and looked toward the back of the forest, alert and cautious.

He hadn't killed him.

Someone else’s Blood Droplet had done the deed.

Slowly, a horse-faced middle-aged man walked out from the back of the forest, carrying a tray of flower cakes.

"Little Brat, it's been a while."

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