288 Exiting the Village_1
Mo Hua finished speaking and licked his lips.
His lips were red and plump, looking somewhat sinister under the reflection of the red light inside the room.
Third Householder’s heart skipped a beat.
Indeed, an ancient demon!
Those evil cultivators, like himself, at most harvested others’ energy, drew their spiritual power, or drank their blood—never did they truly consume humans as a method of cultivation.
In other words, cultivation techniques that relied on cannibalism were no simple methods, but genuine Demon Path Skills, beyond the learnings of half-committed evil cultivators like themselves.
Immediately, another thought occurred to Third Householder.
This ancient demon wanted to consume humans, but there was only him in the room—if it came to that, he would be the only choice…
Third Householder broke out in a cold sweat, his mind racing as he calculated his next move.
He couldn’t just wait for death, but if he made a move, there was no telling what sort of methods this enigmatic ancient demon possessed.
An ancient demon adept in the Demon Path’s soul-transfer techniques, no matter how weak in cultivation, had means that were deviously venomous and not to be underestimated.
Wary of this, Third Householder braced himself and asked,
“May I know, esteemed elder, what kind of people do you wish to consume?”
Mo Hua licked his lips again, “Any would do. I’m famished and not picky.”
Third Householder let out a soft sigh of relief.
As long as it was not himself, it was fine.
“May there be any matters in which the younger generation can serve you?” Third Householder bowed and inquired.
“Oh?” Mo Hua raised his eyebrows, slightly nodding, “Then, pick a few for me.”
Pick a few for what?
Mo Hua didn’t specify, but Third Householder understood: he meant to pick a few people for him to eat.
Apart from him, there were other evil cultivators at Black Mountain Stronghold, as well as captive cultivators.
The captives, having their spiritual power drained or harvested for replenishment, were already ruined at their core and weak in their blood qi.
Picking these people for the ancient demon to consume would be quite disrespectful.
If this ancient demon became enraged, Black Mountain Stronghold would be in great trouble.
The only ones left to be consumed were the stronghold’s own evil cultivators.
Having thought it through, Third Householder bowed and said,
“May I know what the esteemed elder’s taste is like and what kind of person you prefer? Perhaps I could show you the way, and you could pick for yourself.”
Third Householder intended to lead the ancient demon out, and after he had his fill, to send him away from Black Mountain Stronghold.
To lose a few evil cultivators and owe this ancient oddity a favor seemed a worthwhile trade.
He did not expect this master of the Demon Path to give them any guidance or help.
An ancient demon like this, who had lived for ages and mastered such Forbidden Techniques as soul transfer, was unpredictable and whimsical. If he desired to toy with them, it would be a simple task.
They were no match for his games.
All he hoped was that the ancient demon would remember their favor and not trouble them, then depart contentedly after being well-fed. That would be enough.
Show the way?
A thought flashed through Mo Hua’s mind, but he feigned hesitation. After pondering briefly, he lightly nodded and said,
“That works.”
“Please.”
Thus, Third Householder led the way, personally undoing the Blood Formation and opening the Beast Gate to let Mo Hua out.
Mo Hua followed behind Third Householder uninhibitedly, exiting the blood-red Pill Room together.
The night was pitch-black, dawn yet to break.
The two men walked along the paths of Black Mountain Stronghold in silence.
Third Householder wanted to send him away.
Mo Hua also wanted to leave Black Mountain Stronghold.
With their goals aligned, they both understood without saying a word.
But an excuse was still needed, and the people to “eat” still had to be selected.
Mo Hua followed behind Third Householder, composed. Along the way, whenever he encountered familiar faces—the more wicked evil cultivators—he just pointed them out casually with his finger, selecting them.
Having secretly gathered intelligence on a daily basis, he had seen plenty of evil deeds and nefarious evil cultivators. Hating that he lacked the cultivation to kill them all,
he didn’t mind “eating” them now that he had the chance.
Third Householder summoned each evil cultivator Mo Hua pointed to.