Free Web NovelChapter 127: Chapter 127: Making a Move
Guo Lingjun was not a man of patience.
Though it wasn’t yet time for a meal, a banquet was already prepared.
Back in the same waterside pavilion as last time, Guo Lingjun firmly guided Bai Mo to a seat.
The menu had changed today. The table was filled with light dishes, all steamed or boiled.
It was clear that Guo Lingjun had been anxious and stressed lately.
"Brother Guo, that’s not what I meant..."
Bai Mo felt rather helpless.
Guo Lingjun picked up a tender piece of shrimp with his chopsticks and placed it on the plate in front of Bai Mo.
"Junior Brother Bai, if you have a solution, just tell me."
"As for the Cultivator behind this, if they dare to come looking for trouble, it will just save us the effort of hunting them down later!"
He said reassuringly,
"Junior Brother Bai, have you ever heard of the Black Heaven Soul Illumination Skill?"
"My master is a Grandmaster who has perfected this very skill! The moment that person sets foot within the sect’s territory, my master will instantly detect them."
"Killing an enemy Cultivator from a thousand miles away is no great feat for the sect, and this person is certainly worthy of such treatment!"
Hearing Guo Lingjun’s words, Bai Mo paused for a moment.
’Black Heaven... I seem to recall hearing that name from some of the old-timers in the Cultivation Realm...’
If it wasn’t Xu Ruyuan, then it was the old Shopkeeper at the bookstore.
Both of them had, intentionally or not, mentioned some old stories to Bai Mo.
Bai Mo was certain he had heard the name before.
Guo Lingjun said casually, "It was a faction that rose to prominence many years ago. They called themselves Black Heaven, and their ranks were filled with powerful figures and strange arts."
"But given their methods, they could be called a Demon Sect. So, after their fame began to spread, they were besieged and exterminated by the other sects."
"The Black Heaven Soul Illumination Skill was their signature technique. They claimed it could reap a life from a thousand miles away, leaving no hope of survival for ten thousand miles!"
Especially during the years when the Black Heaven Demon Sect ran rampant, the fearsome reputation of this technique became a nightmare that haunted countless Cultivators.
Guo Lingjun briefly mentioned the campaign to destroy the Demon Sect but didn’t elaborate further.
That was how the Xuandao Sect had come to possess so many of their texts and records.
It was a common affair for Sect Disciples, with permission, to study such Cultivation Techniques.
But even with the sect’s open-mindedness, certain precautions and considerations couldn’t be neglected.
Someone with Guo Lingjun’s temperament, for instance, couldn’t practice the Demon Sect’s Cultivation Techniques and thus couldn’t fully inherit his master’s legacy.
"So, can it be done or not? Junior Brother Bai, just give me a straight answer!"
At this point, Bai Mo could no longer refuse.
"Brother Guo, find me a few of these so-called Corpse God Pills."
"Excellent!" Guo Lingjun was overjoyed.
"Come, let’s enjoy this feast! The Pills will arrive shortly!"
...
「Two hours later.」
In a quiet room within the residence, Bai Mo and Guo Lingjun, having eaten and drunk their fill, gathered with two other disciples.
Six brocade boxes were laid out, each containing a single Pill.
"So these are the so-called Corpse God Pills?"
Bai Mo weighed a Pill covered in fine white fuzz in his hand. He squeezed it hard, and the Pill crumbled into two halves, revealing a mixture of green and blue inside.
It was mixed with crystalline, pebble-like substances.
"This doesn’t even qualify as a half-finished product. It’s just a waste Pill. Only the corpse qi refined within has any value."
Bai Mo commented.
Tossing the Pill aside, Bai Mo examined the rest in succession but found nothing worthy of praise.
Only one Pill, with a slimy, slick surface, was somewhat interesting.
The white fuzz on it was matted and tangled from the viscous liquid.
"Where did this Pill come from?"
Bai Mo asked.
Guo Lingjun didn’t recall, so he turned his gaze to Bu Huan, who was standing beside him.
Bu Huan’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke softly,
"We happened upon them during a transaction and confiscated it after apprehending the offending Cultivators."
Guo Lingjun pointed to the slime on the Pill.
"The Pill wasn’t like this from the start, was it?"
"The Cultivator buying the Pill died in the ensuing chaos. One of our junior brothers found this Pill inside his ruptured stomach."
Bu Huan said.
"The buyer must have been blinded by greed and swallowed the Pill during a lull in our fight."
Bai Mo’s hand paused. He took a cloth and rubbed the Pill, wiping off all the white fuzz.
A round, brown Pill was revealed.
Guo Lingjun quickly asked, "Is this one genuine?"
Bai Mo shook his head.
"Calling it genuine would be giving it too much credit."
"However, this one is of a higher grade. As long as you can withstand it without dying, it will have some effect."
Guo Lingjun asked,
"What kind of effect?"
Bai Mo said, "It generates physical strength, enhances the constitution, and makes one unafraid of pain, among other things."
"Used at a critical moment, it could even save your life..."
"It’s that good..." Guo Lingjun looked at Bu Huan.
The latter quickly nodded, confirming that a group of people with such abilities had indeed appeared in the city.
Guo Lingjun’s brow furrowed.
"How can there be such a potent Pill? There must be a downside!"
Bai Mo gave a noncommittal response.
"There are indeed harms. Your body absorbs corpse qi and your constitution is altered. The price is by no means light."
"But then again, the city is full of Cultivators who use all sorts of bizarre and strange arts in their practice."
"To gain considerable strength in such a short time... it’s not entirely unacceptable to some."
Guo Lingjun was somewhat incredulous.
"Even a Pill that doesn’t qualify as half-finished can have such effects?"
Bai Mo nodded.
Even for a waste Pill, the source mattered.
The residual medicinal liquids and powders in a waste Pill from a mighty figure of the Alchemy Dao were more than enough for an ordinary Cultivator to benefit from.
Guo Lingjun was troubled.
"Those people are handing out Pills by the handful. They must have already recruited quite a few followers and established a foundation."
"They’re all just gutter-crawling scum. Junior Brother Bai, how do you plan to deal with them?"
Bai Mo’s expression was unchanged.
"Any Pill circulating widely on the market will always have its flaws, to say nothing of a waste Pill."
"There are many angles to approach this from: issue a ban, bribe enemies, sow discord, hunt them down, lure them out..."
"Is there anything we can’t do?"
Their business was shady to begin with, so market competition was useless. They could only resort to other means.
"You Pill Cultivators of the Alchemy Dao play this dirty too?"
Guo Lingjun was stunned.
Bai Mo waved his hand dismissively.
"It’s just a matter of course. The Pill Books often contain such records."
"If you don’t read them, you can’t blame anyone but yourself when you suffer a loss later on."
"When consuming Pills, if you have the right timing and a favorable location, the effects are better. Brother Guo, if you can give me the astrological charts and a geomantic map, I can point out the best spots..."
Guo Lingjun agreed at once. The geomantic map of the city was an important item.
However, there was no need to be so guarded with a fellow sect member.
He said to Bu Huan, "Leave a few of them alive next time."
Guo Lingjun was particularly interested in the method of sowing discord that Bai Mo had mentioned.
As long as they could disrupt the enemy’s footing in Immortal Arrival City, they could let them cause trouble wherever else they pleased.
Bribing the Cultivators who had absorbed corpse qi would take considerable effort.
Such Cultivators already had a hard time maintaining their original convictions. With the temptation of the Corpse God Pill before them, trying to sway them with anything else was hopeless.
"Junior Brother Bai, I’ll still need your cooperation in this matter. When it comes to the Corpse God Pill, only you can judge the intricacies."
Bai Mo nodded.
With the matter settled, Bu Huan left swiftly. The errands and legwork still fell to him.
Bai Mo, on the other hand, turned his gaze back to the few waste Pills and sighed heavily.
"Brother Guo, can you find the Cultivators who died from taking the Pill? I need to examine the bodies."
The side effects of consuming these waste Pills were still unknown.
He was afraid they might produce a corpse poison that could infect others.
And so, in a short time, all the Cultivators in this residence at the heart of Immortal Arrival City were mobilized.
However, Bai Mo found something else rather concerning.
Brother Shui was in the city, but he had yet to make an appearance.
Regarding this, Guo Lingjun explained,
"Junior Brother Shui has gone to liaise with the Miaofa Sect. He carries weight in our sect, so he’s the right man for the job..."
