[Demonic Sect — Outer Sect] [Blood Refining Peak]

Inside another independent courtyard thick with Spiritual Qi.

“Senior Brother Chi, these virgin cauldrons are fresh arrivals from the market district. Each one retains their Primal Yin. Please consider them a small token of filial respect from your humble junior.”

The speaker was a young male cultivator dressed in standard Outer Sect robes. Behind him stood four young women, barely clothed and trembling.

Pitch-black chains were cinched tight around their slender necks. The metal surfaces were etched with bizarre, glowing inscriptions that pulsed with a suppressive dark light.

Despite the noise of the sect outside, the girls stood motionless. Their eyes were hollow, their expressions blank. They had been reduced to nothing more than puppets, waiting to be used.

Sitting at the head of the room, a bald cultivator glanced over the four offerings. A look of perverse satisfaction crossed his face as he waved a hand indifferently.

“Not bad. You have a heart for your seniors,” the bald man, Chi Yinghu, said. “I’ll accept the cauldrons. Now, scram.”

The young cultivator’s expression faltered. A shadow passed over his face, but he quickly forced a sycophantic smile back into place. He bowed low, his voice trembling with subservience.

“Senior Brother Chi… if you are satisfied with the gift, could you… could you please release my Dao Companion?”

Chi Yinghu’s eyes narrowed. A cold, dangerous glint flashed within them.

“You’ve grown a spine, have you? Daring to bargain with me?”

“Senior Brother, please quell your anger!” The young man’s face went pale. He dropped to his knees, desperation bleeding into his voice. “Xiao Cui is just a lowly Servant Disciple, but she is the love of my life. Please, for the sake of my hard work these past few days, raise your noble hand and let her go…”

“Oh. You want to find Xiao Cui.”

Chi Yinghu chuckled, a dark, amused sound. He pointed a finger toward the rear of the property.

“Sure. She’s buried in the dirt behind the courtyard. Go dig her up yourself.”

The young cultivator froze. The blood drained from his face, leaving him ashen.

“Dead…? Xiao Cui is… dead?”

“That’s right.” Chi Yinghu nodded carelessly, picking at his fingernails. “That cheap slut had a pretty face, I’ll give her that. But her constitution was trash. She broke before I could even have my fill of fun. A pity, really.”

The young man’s breathing hitched. His eyes turned bloodshot, tears mixing with a murderous, animalistic rage.

“Chi Yinghu! I’LL KILL YOU!”

With a guttural roar, he lunged. Gnashing his teeth, he threw himself at the bald man with reckless abandon.

Thwack.

Before he could even get within striking distance, a streak of black light pierced through his forehead. The momentum carried his body forward another step before he collapsed, stiff and lifeless, onto the cold floor.

“You have a death wish.”

Chi Yinghu didn’t even blink. He withdrew his hand, his expression bored. “Considering your tribute just now, I’ll leave your corpse intact.”

At that moment, a voice filled with reverence called out from beyond the door.

“Senior Brother Chi? Something has happened outside.”

“Enter,” Chi Yinghu grunted, annoyed by the interruption.

A black-robed Demonic Cultivator hurried in. He didn’t spare a single glance at the fresh corpse on the floor, stepping over it to bow before his boss.

“Senior Brother Chi, someone has moved into Grade A Courtyard No. 1.”

“What?”

Chi Yinghu shot up from his chair, his aura flaring. “Who? Did that bastard Wu Renjie pull a fast one?”

His face twisted in anger. “Wu Renjie! Just days ago you agreed to settle the ownership through a competition, and now you play dirty? Do you think I’m afraid of you?!”

The messenger shook his head frantically.

“No, no! From what this subordinate knows, Senior Brother Wu is completely in the dark. He’s gathering his men to head there right now.” The messenger swallowed hard. “The one occupying the courtyard… it seems to be a new Outer Sect Disciple.”

“A new Outer Sect Disciple?”

Chi Yinghu’s eyes went wide. He stood there for a second, processing the absurdity of the statement.

Then, he slammed his hand down on the ebony table beside him.

Bang!

The incredibly hard wood exploded into fine powder.

“Fuck!” Chi Yinghu roared, his face contorted into a savage mask. “Where did this arrogant lunatic come from? I don’t care who he is—I’m going to skin him alive!”

On Blood Refining Peak, Grade A Courtyard No. 1 was not just a house. It was a symbol.

It was the Emperor’s Dragon Throne. The bright moon in the night sky.

Whoever lived there was tacitly acknowledging themselves as the Number One Disciple of the Outer Sect. Supreme. Unchallenged.

Ever since the previous owner ascended to become a Legacy Disciple, the courtyard had sat empty. Chi Yinghu and Wu Renjie—the two apex predators of the Outer Sect—had nearly beaten each other’s brains out fighting for it.

They had reached a fragile truce: the house would remain empty until a formal competition could decide the victor.

Theoretically, any disciple could claim an empty dwelling. But in reality? No one dared.

Demonic Cultivators might be crazy, but they weren’t stupid. Moving into that house meant offending both Chi Yinghu and Wu Renjie simultaneously. It was a suicide note signed in bold ink.

“Senior Brother Chi, what should we do?” the minion asked, his voice low. “Should we let Senior Brother Wu go in first to test the waters?”

Chi Yinghu sneered, a fierce light burning in his eyes.

“We go now! If Wu Renjie gets there first and kills the guy, I’ll look like I was too slow.”

He kicked the chair aside.

“Gather the brothers. We’re going to slaughter that reckless fool, and then we’ll settle things with Wu Renjie while the blood is still fresh!”

While a mob of murderous Demonic Cultivators marched grandly toward Grade A Courtyard No. 1, Qi Yuan was sitting cross-legged in his new master bedroom.

Unaware of the impending storm, he casually opened his System Interface.

[Teleportation Function]

Mechanic: Host can instantly teleport to any previously visited location.

Cost: Consumes Spirit Stones. Cost scales with distance.

Feature: Includes one (1) Free Teleportation Anchor Point.

The Anchor is undetectable by any existence.

Host can place the Anchor anywhere within the scope of the Heavenly Dao.

Returning to the Anchor is free (0 Spirit Stones).

Note: Once placed, the Anchor is permanent. More Anchors may be unlocked in future rewards.

“Now this is a feature.”

Qi Yuan scanned the description, his gamer brain immediately calculating the utility. This was a game-changer. It would save him countless hours of boring travel time.

The Profound Meng Great World was absurdly massive. The distance between the Western Demon Domain and the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary was tens of millions of miles.

Without using ancient spatial arrays, a cultivator flying on their own power—even a Soul Formation expert—would need half a year to make the trip.

Now? He could just pay-to-win his way across the map.

Even better, it cost Spirit Stones, not his precious Counterattack Points. After scamming Situ Yun and the system rewards, his pockets were heavy with currency.

I wonder if there’s a cast time? If it’s instant, this is the ultimate ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card.

Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up. He mentally selected the teleportation tab.

Whoosh.

A massive, 3D holographic map—like a general’s sand table—projected into his mind.

It was incredibly detailed. Mountains, rivers, swamps, and forests were rendered in high definition.

Azure Cloud Town. The Supreme Mystery Sanctuary. Falling Cloud Valley. The Exquisite Sanctuary. The Slaughtering Daoist’s Cave…

Every location he had ever stepped foot in was marked with a glowing beacon. Even the routes he had traveled were highlighted. The rest of the world was shrouded in a ‘Fog of War’, marked as [Non-Teleportable].

Without hesitation, Qi Yuan focused on Jade Flower Peak within the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.

That was his home base. It was the safest place to test this out.

He paused, considering his security. He couldn’t leave his new body unguarded.

With a wave of his hand, he pulled the Abyssal Condensation Sword from his inventory.

“I’m stepping out for a bit,” Qi Yuan commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Guard this place. Don’t wander off. If anyone you don’t recognize tries to barge in… kill them.”

The Abyssal Condensation Sword hummed. After the recent ‘training’ sessions, the rebellious spirit within the blade had been thoroughly broken. It now behaved like an eager lapdog.

Combined with the control art he had looted from Han Lie’s memories, Qi Yuan wasn’t worried about backlash.

“I have no one else to trust right now,” Qi Yuan muttered. “If someone breaks in while I’m teleporting back, they might see something they shouldn’t.”

Most disciples in the Nether Fiend Outer Sect were below the Foundation Building realm. Even damaged, the Abyssal Condensation Sword was a high-tier artifact. Slaughtering a few Qi Condensation scrubs would be as easy as pinching a snail.

Besides, he had read the sect rules. Trespassers can be killed on sight with no legal repercussions.

“Master Qi, rest assured!”

The sword vibrated happily, projecting a thought filled with murderous glee.

“With This Sword on duty, any little thief who dares enter is dead meat. Come one, die one. Come two, die a pair!”