Eastern Divine Continent, Jinggu Forest.
Li Xingtian followed the path taken by the two Golden Core cultivators ahead.
These two had been deliberately arranged to help Li Xingtian take over the elite unit and handle the follow-up arrangements.
Having acquaintances to assist was naturally good — it saved no small amount of trouble, and many tedious matters could be tossed to subordinates.
Only... the two were tight-lipped about where they were going and what was to be done, saying only that their master had instructed that, for secrecy, it could be explained only once they arrived.
Strange as it was, since it was his master's instruction and these two were his master's arrangements, Li Xingtian suppressed his doubts — after all, what was to be done would have to be told to him eventually.
Li Xingtian had been in Jinggu Forest for some time already. It was silent and soundless, save for the faint calls of wild beasts that quickly fell still — here, it seemed, to make a sound at all was a capital crime.
And the place always gave Li Xingtian a sinister feeling. With its high mountains and dense woods, even a brief pass revealed many caves and crevices — an excellent place to hide and conceal oneself.
Li Xingtian sighed inwardly — truly worthy of being called an elite force by his master; even their hiding place was so carefully chosen.
The cultivator on Li Xingtian's left gradually slowed, and said respectfully:
"Cult Master, the stronghold lies within the mountain body ahead on the left."
Li Xingtian's brow furrowed slightly, his expression puzzled — Cult Master? Stronghold?
What sort of title was this? The title for the head of an elite cultivator unit? It sounded rather odd, giving him a strange feeling.
But after only a moment, Li Xingtian stopped fretting over the title.
After all, for a secret force of the Eighteen Immortal Sects, such a title was only natural.
"Mm, thank you for your trouble." Li Xingtian nodded slightly. "We have come this far; it is time you explained things to me. What are you two called?"
The tall, thin cultivator who had spoken answered: "This subordinate is Wen Zuo, your Vice-Cult Master. The one to your right is the Hall Master of Punishment under your command, named Yu Jing. Whatever work you find inconvenient to do, you may have him do it."
"If you do not wish to attend to the cult's internal affairs, you may leave them all to us to manage."
"Our current task is quite simple — pay no mind to anything else, only grow our strength."
"Everything that follows has already been arranged by your master."
At this moment Li Xingtian vaguely began to catch on, his gaze turning to Yu Jing at his right, whose face wore a mild smile.
The three figures moved along, and in but a moment they had entered the cave.
The cave had been hollowed out to a great extent, the mountain body propped up by sorcery, leaving an enormous space.
The instant Li Xingtian stepped inside, his gaze found cultivators in twos and threes, bodies shrouded in black robes, slumped or sprawled against the cave walls.
A rough count put their number at only some forty-odd.
No matter what excuse he found, Li Xingtian could not regard this crowd as anything — elite cultivators.
The moment Elder Yu Jing of the Punishment Hall landed, the mild smile he had just shown vanished at once, his face now full of savage ferocity as he barked:
"If you want to die, keep lying there! If you don't, then all of you get up within two breaths and pay respects to the new Cult Master!"
The words had scarcely fallen when the previously indolent robed figures rose one after another, of their own accord forming a line, then at once knelt prostrate, voices uneven yet still carrying some strength:
"Greetings, Cult Master!"
Li Xingtian's gaze swept over them, and he roughly understood what sort of goods his master's so-called [elite cultivators] were.
And roughly what he was here to do.
Li Xingtian looked at the cold-faced Wen Zuo. "What is our cult called?"
Wen Zuo's expression eased. "By the envoy's instruction, we are upholders of justice. It happens that he has some connection with the Evil Spirit Cult, so we simply act as its sworn brothers and also call ourselves the Evil Spirit Cult. Whatever great deed you do that cannot be provoked, just report this name."
Hearing this, Li Xingtian could only sigh — as expected of his nostalgic master; even the evil cultivators he had once crossed paths with in Yuzhou City were, to this day, not granted a single way out.
"If you play an evil cultivator, you must look the part." Li Xingtian bellowed, striding toward the high seat ahead. "Have you forgotten why you became evil cultivators?"
The cultivators below were briefly stunned; a few raised their eyes to look at Li Xingtian in his white robes.
Li Xingtian calmly seated himself in the highest chair, his gaze sweeping over the evil cultivators below.
Since it was his master's business, personal likes and dislikes no longer mattered; what mattered now was to carry out his master's task to perfection.
When it came to playing the evil cultivator, he was indeed the more suitable; his master's choice was correct.
Though Li Xingtian had never truly stirred others' emotions himself, having followed his master for so long, he had at least learned a fair amount of how to talk a good game.
At least he was no longer the Li Xingtian who could not string together a few pleasant words.
"You did not become evil cultivators just to lie here looking like men waiting to die."
With slow, careful movements, Li Xingtian removed the white robe draped over him, and at the same time blood-qi surged around his body. An extremely powerful blood-qi welled up and rushed out, in an instant filling the whole cave with a haze of blood-qi.
The prostrate cultivators felt the blood-qi within their bodies churn, as if it would follow that sky-high blood-qi.
Everyone stared with terrified, wide eyes at Li Xingtian, who looked like a lord of blood.
They had all assumed they had been captured by the righteous path, that their so-called surrender was merely waiting for execution — but now, seeing the new Cult Master's blood-qi...
Could it be that the righteous path were, in fact, the ones taken captive and subdued?!
Blood-qi gradually tinged Li Xingtian's eyes. "You became evil cultivators because you had nowhere left to turn, and yet refused to sink into depravity, a life fated to be spent in mediocrity."
"Once you set foot on this path, you are fated never to turn back."
"This path is either forward, to the summit — or death, a death worth less than nothing."
"To settle for a corner of safety is a choice only ordinary people have. Neither you, nor I, can take that road."
"You must remember one thing! This path!"
"Has no! Cowards!"
Li Xingtian turned to look at Hall Master of Punishment Yu Jing, who was equally shocked, his expression disbelieving, and said sternly:
"Pass down the order! All who fear death — offer every one as a blood sacrifice!"
"All who shirk battle and defy orders — hang them up as sky lanterns!"
At these words Yu Jing wore a look of heartfelt submission, yet his gaze imperceptibly slid toward the band of surrendered evil cultivators... there was likely not one among them who did not fear death.
By the new Cult Master's words, every one of them could be blood-sacrificed on the spot.
Li Xingtian sat high on the throne, thick blood-qi swirling behind him like a rainbow!
He barked sharply: "What you were before, I don't care. Under my hand, there is no room for cowards to survive. If you don't want to die, then show your worth as evil cultivators!"
Yu Jing cupped his hands, his face full of admiration:
"Ten thousand autumns to the Cult Master! Ten thousand autumns to the Divine Cult!"
Wen Zuo quickly followed, and then the prostrate evil cultivators below — this time their shout carried far more vigor.
"Ten thousand autumns to the Cult Master! Ten thousand autumns to the Divine Cult!"
Most of them were not truly moved by Li Xingtian's speech.
Rather, as evil cultivators they understood — the righteous path's methods were mostly just a single sword stroke to send you off.
But for an evil cultivator with such sky-high blood-qi, like a demon lord descended into the world, giving you a quick death could even be counted as mercy.
With blood-qi like this, this new Cult Master was probably no longer anything human — just a person's skin stretched over something else.
——————
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