Chapter 1818: Exposed

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Upon hearing Zhu Lu Qi’s words, Zhao Ji replied in a slightly smug tone, “You’re much slower than me.”

In just a year, he had broken through to the Mastery Eminent Saint Stage from the Intermediate Refined Saint Stage, breaking through five stages continuously!

Naturally, in truth, he had only broken through five consecutive stages due to the Devouring Dark Devil Technique. Otherwise, he would not have been able to break through to the Mastery Eminent Saint Stage in such a short period of time.

However, he did indeed break through five consecutive stages, so his cultivation speed was much faster than Zhu Lu Qi who had only broken through one stage.

“As far as I know, the vital energies and blood of young women that you absorbed are much more than what I absorbed…” Zhao Ji sounded even smugger when he reached this part of his sentence.

“Hmmph! Although the amount of vital energies and blood of young women that I absorbed is slightly greater compared to you, what was your previous cultivation base and what was my previous cultivation base? Can those two even be compared?” Zhu Lu Qi snorted coldly, thinking that Zhao Ji was utterly shameless. To think that he actually dared to compare the speed of their cultivation in the past one year.

Zhao Ji was originally only an Intermediate Refined Saint Stage Martial Cultivator, naturally, it was easier for him to raise his cultivation base using the Devouring Dark Devil Technique by absorbing young women’s vital blood and energy.

Zhu Lu Qi, on the other hand, was already at the peak of the Divine Saint Stage previously so it would not be easy for him to break through even if he had help from the Devouring Dark Devil Technique. He was already satisfied with being able to break through to the Early Exemplary Saint Stage in just a year. Moreover, he was no ordinary Early Exemplary Saint Stage powerhouse.

“Palace Master Zhu, I really don’t understand you… Originally, with your cultivation base, you’ll definitely progress tremendously if you devour the vital energies and blood of virgin girls without restraint while cultivating the Devouring Dark Devil Technique! However, you refuse to touch those virgin girls no matter what. Not only that, but you even refuse to let me touch them in front of you! I’m really speechless!” Zhao Ji remarked, “I really don’t understand what’s the difference between those ordinary young women and those virgin girls?!”

“Hurmph!” Zhu Lu Qi snorted again but did not reply to Zhao Ji.

In Zhu Lu Qi’s heart, there was a secret that only he knew. A long, long time ago, he had a very cute daughter who was left behind by his deceased wife.

Due to his wife’s death from a difficult labor, he cherished his daughter who was born in exchange for his wife’s life and treated her like a little princess.

However, fate was as fickle as the weather.

The year his daughter turned sixteen years old, he was at a critical juncture of making a breakthrough so he did not accompany his daughter. It was at that time his daughter was raped by a good-for-nothing rich kid.

When he came out of closed-door cultivation, all he saw was the corpse of his daughter that had been dead for quite a while and a note that she left behind. She had decided to commit suicide due to the violation of her chastity.

Although he had annihilated the good-for-nothing rich kid’s entire family, his daughter could not be returned to him.

Due to the death of his only family member, he put all his heart and soul into cultivating and achieved what he had previously.

Naturally, he knew it would be more efficient to absorb the vital energies and blood of virginal young women when one cultivated the Devouring Dark Devil Technique. However, every time he saw those innocent virgin girls, he could not help but be reminded of his daughter. Due to this reason, he did not have the heart to make a move on them. Not only that, but he would also stop Zhao Ji when he saw him targeting these young virgin girls.

For example, at this moment, he was actually here to stop Zhao Ji, but he was a step too late.

Whoosh!

As Zhu Lu Qi raised his hand, the soil began to rise in the air before it covered the virgin girl’s dried corpse, laying her to rest.

“I just can’t understand you!” Although this was not Zhao Ji’s first time witnessing this, he was still rendered speechless. He really did not understand why Zhu Lu Qi was so protective of these virgin girls.

“Palace Master Zhu, I think it’ll be better if we don’t see each other anymore!” Zhao Ji looked at Zhu Lu Qi before he seemingly transformed into a gust of wind and left as though he was hiding from the God of Plague.

Zhu Lu Qi was not angry. He flew out as well in another direction.

If it was possible, he did not wish to meet with Zhao Ji as well. He knew if he saw Zhao Ji, he would not be able to help but meddle in Zhao Ji’s matter when he targeted virgin girls. Although those virgin girls were not his daughter, they reminded him of his unbearable past!

This was like a thorn in his heart!

If Zhu Lu Qi was as unrestraint as Zhao Ji from the very beginning and targeted virgin girls, he would have been very close to breaking through to the Intermediate Exemplary Saint Stage if he had not broken through yet.

Currently, he still needed to cultivate for three months before he was confident he would be able to make a breakthrough.

One must admit that Zhu Lu Qi and Zhao Ji kept a very low profile. Not only that, but they had also chosen a secluded area in the west of the Lower Province of the Dao Martial Saint Land.

In this area, there was no fourth-rate or fifth-rate forces, let alone quasi third-rate forces. Due to this reason, they were not discovered by anyone during this one year.

However, there was no wall that could remain without cracks forever. Another half a year went by when the strange incidents in the west of the Lower Province of the Dao Martial Saint Land began to gradually spread.

The person who spread the news was a native living in the western region. Three years ago, he had left to roam the world and had only just returned.

However, the moment he returned, he discovered that his hometown — a little village that was like a paradise — was in ruins. Moreover, there were many corpses as well. Based on the corpses, it was clear they had died quite some time ago.

Some corpses looked ordinary. However, the strange thing was many corpses of young women were dried corpses.

“What’s going on?” The strange scene before his eyes was completely out of his expectation. He was so shocked that he had temporarily forgotten the pain of losing his family.

Subsequently, he began to investigate the surrounding areas. All the places he investigated, the little towns and villages that used to bustle with life, were all in ruins. Moreover, the corpses in these towns and villages were similar to the ones in his village. The other corpses were normal. Only the corpses of young women were turned into dried corpses.

“Something’s wrong!” In the end, he no longer dared to investigate and decided to flee this secluded area in the west.

This was how the news gradually began to spread.

“Hey! Did you hear about it? Everyone in the little towns and villages in the west has been annihilated. However, what’s strange is that only the young women’s corpses were turned into dried corpses! It’s really strange!”

“Dried corpses? What kind of dried corpses?”

“Why don’t you make a trip there and take a look if you want to know?”

As time went by, similar discussions could be heard in some cities in the vicinity of the secluded area in the west.

There were many curious people in this world. Due to this, many of them ventured to the secluded area in groups. When they personally witnessed everything with their own eyes, they finally realized the rumor they heard was indeed true.

“My goodness! Who did this?!”

“All these young women are very pitiful! Not only were they killed, but they were even turned into dried corpses!”

“Wait a minute! Look! There are no signs of injuries on these young women, unlike the ordinary corpses! Moreover, they’re all naked. Hey, do you all think it’s possible this is the work of a Devil Cultivator?”

“If a Devil Cultivator really did this, then the cultivation method is really too inhumane.”

Among the curious people, there were many people who were experienced and knowledgeable. As they discussed among themselves, they began to form a conclusion as well.

There was a Devil Cultivator who cultivated some inhumane Devil Dao Cultivation Method roaming freely in the secluded area in the west!

There was no lack of Devil Cultivators in the Dao Martial Saint Land, and they were widely acknowledged in the Dao Martial Saint Land as well. However, those Devil Cultivators who were acknowledged were those who cultivated ordinary Devil Dao Cultivation Methods.

Devil Cultivators who cultivated inhumane Devil Dao Cultivation Methods were all abhorred by everyone in the Dao Martial Saint Land.

If only one person was spreading this news, there might be people who were skeptical. However, this news was confirmed by hundreds and thousands of people. The number only continued to grow as the news spread. There was no doubt this news was true!

“I remember two years ago, the quasi third-rate force, Mystical Sky Mansion, released news that the Devouring Dark Devil Technique has reappeared in this world! Moreover, the person who obtained the Devouring Dark Devil Technique is Zhu Lu Qi, the former Palace Master of the Mystical Sky Mansion’s Heaven Palace.”

“Rumor has it that the Devouring Dark Devil Technique is a top-tier inhumane Devil Dao Cultivation Method. It’s cultivated by absorbing the vital energies and blood of young women. All the young women captured by those who cultivate the Devouring Dark Devil Technique would turn into dried corpses in the end. Hey, is it possible that the strange incidents in the secluded area in the west has something to do with the Devouring Dark Devil Technique?”

“Now that you mentioned it, I remember it as well. If it’s really the Devouring Dark Devil Technique, then everything makes sense now!”

“Then, does this mean that all of those people who were killed and those young women who were turned into dried corpses are the doings of Zhu Lu Qi, the former Palace Master of Mystical Sky Mansion’s Heaven Palace?”

“Most likely!”

Very quickly, people began to connect the strange incidents in the secluded area in the west to the Devouring Dark Devil Technique.

All the blame was instantly placed on Zhu Lu Qi, the former Palace Master of the Mystical Sky Mansion’s Heaven Palace, since people in the Lower Province of the Dao Martial Saint Land only knew that he had obtained the Devouring Dark Devil Technique. Nobody knew that Zhao Ji had also obtained the Devouring Dark Devil Technique as well.

“Palace Master Zhu, it seems like we’ve been exposed… Looks like we’ll have to lay low for a while. Do you have any plan?” The areas in the west were still in an uproar when Zhao Ji and Zhu Lu Qi met up at a vacant stone forest in the secluded area in the west of the Lower Province of the Dao Martial Saint Land.

It was apparent they knew their deeds had been exposed.

“What plans do you think I have? Hide, of course! Unlike you, I can’t return to the Mystical Sky Mansion openly after cultivating the Devouring Dark Devil Technique and killing so many young women, right?!” Zhu Lu Qi replied in a deep voice.

“Haha… In that case, I bid farewell to you, Palace Master Zhu! Not only that, but I’ll leave Xu Jing in your care. After all, we’ve yet to learn everything about the Devouring Dark Devil Technique!” Zhao Ji made a point of reminding Zhu Lu Qi before he left.

“I can no longer stay here…” After Zhao Ji left, Zhu Lu Qi also began to leave.