Chapter 17: As Long as There's a Detailed Plan!
What righteous, open-and-honest sect—what nonsense.
What kind of "leader of the righteous path" lives in a place filled with bones? The stench of blood hadn't even faded yet.
Ning Qianqian felt completely deceived once again. None of these cultivators were good people! Every word they said was a lie!
It was over—she was going to be used for some evil cultivation!
Chu Xingchen, however, had no time to care about the pale, terrified girl beside him. He was furious himself.
When he left, this place was all green hills and clean air—now it looked like a demon's lair.
Placing the silent Ning Qianqian down at the temple gate, Chu Xingchen shouted angrily, "What are you two little brats doing?!"
From inside the ruined temple, Li Yingling was the first to rush out, her face full of excitement as she threw herself at her master.
"Master, you're finally back!"
Before Chu Xingchen could even question her, Lixing Tian stepped out as well—his body covered in blood, his eyes burning red with killing intent, a tiger's head dangling from his hand.
His first words were the same, though tinged with fatigue and relief. "Master, you're finally back."
Pushing Li Yingling aside, Chu Xingchen pointed toward the ghastly pile of animal heads by the door and demanded, "What is the meaning of this?!"
Li Yingling glanced at the scene and immediately understood why her master was angry. Without hesitation, she pointed her finger and said, "It's all because of my junior brother's cultivation!"
Standing nearby, trembling and pale, Ning Qianqian's last hope shattered completely.
She didn't know much about cultivation, but surely no righteous sect practiced such a bloody method.
She turned her gaze toward the grisly mound of heads and bones, her imagination conjuring her own head being tossed atop it next.
Chu Xingchen's sharp gaze shifted to Lixing Tian, still holding the tiger's head. His tone grew harsh.
Under his master's scrutiny, Lixing Tian hesitated, glancing toward his senior sister. He wanted to speak but held back.
Most of the animals had been hunted by her, and though the mess outside was largely her doing, she had insisted it was more convenient to bury everything together later.
He had originally planned to dig a pit far away to bury the remains, but his senior sister thought it too troublesome. Her hut was built on the leeward side anyway—she couldn't smell the blood at night.
Lixing Tian, engrossed in cultivation, hadn't noticed how the corpses piled up. Seeing it now, even he understood his master's anger.
Still, his cultivation had indeed caused it all. So he lowered his head and admitted, "Apologies, Master. I got too caught up in training. I'll clean it up right away."
As he turned to dispose of the carcasses, Li Yingling's gaze shifted to the frail girl standing beside her master. Ning Qianqian looked so thin and pale, her small hands trembling without stop.
She looked even weaker than her second junior brother.
"Master… is this your new disciple?" she asked curiously.
"No," Chu Xingchen sighed, "she's a victim of Qingfeng Sect's handiwork."
He gestured gently for Ning Qianqian to follow him inside.
But she dared not move, her voice trembling. "I… I can stand right here."
Seeing how pale she was, Chu Xingchen immediately understood she'd been frightened by the bloody scene. He softened his tone.
"Don't worry," he said. "We truly are a righteous sect, not demonic cultivators. My second disciple's technique just happens to require beast blood before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."
Hearing his words, Ning Qianqian glanced once more at the pile of skulls. There were indeed no human heads among them, which eased her tension ever so slightly.
She followed behind Chu Xingchen into the ruined temple.
Inside, it was surprisingly neat—nothing like the hellish slaughterhouse she had imagined. The floor was clean, there were no heaps of skulls or traces of blood, only two small wooden plank beds, simple and tidy.
Two iron pots sat near the corner—one large, one small.
The large pot still simmered faintly with bright red blood, while the small pot was spotless.
Li Yingling followed them in soon after.
Since she and Li Xingtian had begun cultivating that sinister body-tempering method, they had nearly hunted every creature within Ten Li Slope.
After all, this place lacked spiritual veins and had no true spirit beasts—only ordinary animals.
The yield was low, so they had to rely on sheer numbers.
"Master, how was the situation over there?" Li Yingling asked, pouring a cup of water from the kettle on the table and offering it to him.
Chu Xingchen shook his head lightly. "It's manageable. But Qingfeng Sect… has gone too far."
"How so?" Li Yingling asked, puzzled.
Chu Xingchen briefly recounted Ning Qianqian's story and the things he had seen at the mine.
After hearing it all, Li Yingling nodded calmly.
As a noble daughter of a powerful clan, she had long heard tales of such atrocities—devouring the weak, exploiting the poor, and feeding the strong.
Her own family, she suspected, had done similar things.
That didn't mean she approved. But most of the time, she could only remain powerless.
As an illegitimate daughter, her standing at home had been only slightly above that of the servants.
Otherwise, her father would never have married her off to a fool.
Li Yingling turned a sympathetic gaze toward the silent Ning Qianqian, then gently comforted her. "We'll do our best to help you. Try not to worry."
Ning Qianqian nodded quietly, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, sister."
Chu Xingchen said nothing, simply gesturing for Li Yingling to continue consoling her—after all, a girl's comfort might reach her heart more easily.
Stepping outside, Chu Xingchen found Li Xingtian busy hauling beast carcasses. Without a word, he went over to assist.
The number of corpses wasn't actually that large, but most of the animals were massive, making it look overwhelming when spread out.
Raising his hand, Chu Xingchen released a burst of flame, reducing the remains to ash.
Then, with a gentle wave, he scattered the ashes far into the distance.
Once finished, he silently took out a rough map of the mining grounds and handed it to Li Xingtian.
"If we plan to rescue people from the mine," Chu Xingchen asked, "how difficult will it be?"
Li Xingtian studied the map carefully before replying, "If Master were at Divine Transformation Realm, it would be effortless."
Chu Xingchen remained silent.
Li Xingtian cleared his throat. "…At Nascent Soul level, a swift strike could still succeed."
"I can only exert strength equivalent to a flawless Golden Core right now," Chu Xingchen said calmly.
Rolling the map back up, Li Xingtian didn't hesitate or question further. His expression grew firm. "Then as long as we plan it carefully and in detail, it shouldn't be too difficult."
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 2 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 32 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise