Goose Mountain, also known as Crane Mountain, was originally just an unremarkable, low-lying earthen hill outside Hanyang Prefecture.

Legend has it that several hundred years ago, an Immortal passed by on a white crane and built a thatched hut here to pursue two years of quiet Cultivation.

After the Immortal departed on his crane, the hill grew ten feet taller each day, eventually becoming the towering, thousand-fathom mountain of today, with its jagged cliffs and bizarre, craggy rocks.

A Qi Cultivation Cultivator who had opened their Primordial Brain God was naturally sharp in all five senses, capable of perceiving the most minute details.

This was even more true for Jiang Yi. He practiced the Mixed Refining Origin’s Qi Cultivation General Outline and had already transformed his body into the image of a "Primordial Ancestor," giving him an even more profound grasp of changes in Spiritual Qi and Spiritual Energy.

The moment his Yin Horse reached the foot of Goose Mountain, a foul stench assaulted him. A bloody aura, thick as slurry, and a fiendish qi billowed forth, making it feel as if he had stepped into an Asura’s killing field built upon a mass grave.

’This hasn’t even drawn a few strikes from the Thunder Core?’

The corner of Jiang Yi’s mouth twitched. He had learned from Jiang Shang’s reports that over the past few years, the Huang and Wang Families had sent at least a thousand blood sacrifices to the Youquan Sect, not to mention the countless commoners used as live sacrifices.

"The Thunder Core does indeed have the Daoist Lineage concepts of ’presiding over life and death’ and ’upholding justice and destroying evil,’ but it generally only targets Foundation Establishment Cultivators who need to face the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations. Qi Cultivation practitioners are beneath their notice. They’ve never bothered with them, and they can’t be bothered to start."

True Master Xuanmiao waved its paws and muttered in a low voice:

"My former master said the Thunder Core is like a black-hearted maggot loan shark. It actually wishes cultivators would consume more blood qi and take more Daoist Can.

That way, on the day of their Foundation Establishment and Ascension, the Thunder Core can strip them to the bone, collecting both principal and interest."

’As expected, I’ve overestimated the moral integrity of the ’Upper Cultivators’ after all.’

’The Demon Dao sees mortals as worthless weeds, and the Immortal Dao isn’t much better.’

"What ’punishing evil and promoting good’? It’s all just a pretense, a means for the Daoist Lineages to fight amongst themselves."

Jiang Yi let out a low laugh. That much was the same in any era.

Dismounting from the Yin Horse, Jiang Yi looked at the intersecting paths before him as a faint golden light appeared in his eyes.

’I beg the Celestial Book, show me which direction will lead to a harvest.’

...

...

A night wind blew, stirring the thin mist as inky clouds shrouded Gao Village.

It was deathly quiet. Not even a dog’s bark could be heard. The place felt like a barren, abandoned wasteland that had been deserted for years.

"Such heavy Dense Qi. No wonder I can’t even summon the Land God and City God."

Jiang Yi, holding the Cat Master, slowly walked into the entrance of Gao Village.

According to Jiang Shang, there were originally seven or eight large towns and a dozen or so small villages around Goose Mountain, with villagers all making a living from the mountain itself.

Due to recurring disasters, the kind-hearted Master Huang and Master Wang of Hanyang Prefecture persuaded the Prefect to waive several years of taxes. This attracted a large number of refugees who flocked here to settle down and recover.

Following the Celestial Book’s guidance, he had chosen the path through Gao Village from the several trails leading up the mountain.

He had intended to gather a ball of Majestic Spirit Essence Qi to summon the Land God and ask about the situation.

But the Dense Qi here was so turbulent that even if he were to burn incense and draw talismans, the summons probably wouldn’t reach the ears of an Earth Deity.

"The Youquan Sect is an ancient Dharma Lineage that inherited some remnants of the Ghost Dao. Their Nine Nether Mother-Child Soul Fusion Skill is quite formidable. It can refine a Primordial Brain God into nine pairs of Mother-Child Fierce Fiends.

In Magical Combat below the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer, they are so ferocious that they have almost no rivals."

True Master Xuanmiao blinked its amber eyes. As a Foundation Establishment Three-Flower Cat that had succeeded in its Cultivation, it possessed a natural Spiritual ability.

Although Ghostly Spirits were formless, they could not hide from the Cat Master’s Flaming Dharma Eye.

"Xiao Jiang, this village is severely haunted. It’s the perfect place for you to practice your ’Bing Fire’."

Jiang Yi nodded in agreement. His mastery of Ding Fire was already impressive, having comprehended the means to stir hidden thoughts and illuminate the seven emotions.

However, his Merit in the Pure Yang Constitution of Bing Fire was still shallow and lacked proficiency.

With the Cat Master’s dedicated guidance and the Celestial Book filling in the gaps, Jiang Yi had long since decided on his Qi Cultivation path.

He decided to use the Fire Element as his foundation. Once he reached the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer and endured the Qi Barrier, he would be the first to condense a strand of Fire Attribute True Qi.

Afterward, he would complete the other four elements to achieve Perfection in his Merit, seeking the Opportunity for Foundation Establishment and Ascension.

"Bing Fire and Ding Fire are two sides of the same coin, one yang and one yin."

Jiang Yi’s thoughts drifted:

’If I were only cultivating a Five Elements technique, I would just need to pick one element and focus all my painstaking efforts on mastering it.

But the Dao Inheritance the Cat Master gave me points directly toward Yin and Yang.’

To cultivate a Yin and Yang technique, one must possess all Five Elements, with their inner and outer aspects interconnected.

This was a prerequisite.

For the Fire Element, one had to refine both Bing and Ding. The Water Element required cultivating both its Yang and Yin aspects in parallel. The same was true for the Metal, Wood, and Earth elements; not one could be missing.

’The difficulty of this Yin and Yang technique is truly astonishing. I’m afraid not even the core True Inheritances of the Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineages could bear such a cultivation pressure.’

Jiang Yi gently shook his head.

Frankly, if he didn’t know that an Immortal Dao Emperor was waiting for him on his future path, he would have much preferred to choose a Five Elements technique.

Just for the hurdle of condensing True Qi and returning to the Innate state at the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer, the amount of time he’d have to spend in Cultivation would be several times that of a True Inheritance from an Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineage.

Not to mention the cultivation resources and Spiritual Object Great Medicines that would be consumed in the process.

"For the sake of future strength, I can only make things harder for myself now."

Jiang Yi reined in his thoughts. His Divine Thought extended from his Primordial Gate, sweeping over the surrounding houses.

The doors of every household were half-open, and the interiors were all empty.

’Where could these villagers have gone in the middle of the night?’

...

...

The ancestral hall of Gao Village sat on a hill at the mountain pass, next to a gurgling stream.

It perfectly matched the eight-character assessment from the Feng Shui Master invited by Hanyang Prefecture: "backed by a support, gathering wind and water."

The vermilion-lacquered main doors of the ancestral hall were mottled, and a plaque reading "Gao Clan Ancestral Hall" hung above the lintel. The interior was divided into a Memorial Hall and a Sleeping Hall.

The Memorial Hall housed a shrine and an altar table, serving as the clan’s place of worship. The Sleeping Hall, on the other hand, was where the ancestral tablets of past generations were enshrined. It was also stacked with coffins prepared by the clan elders for themselves, exuding a heavy aura of death.

In the open space in front of the ancestral hall, the Blood Robe Daoist sat imposingly in a Grandmaster’s Chair, flanked by seven or eight young men and women. Some wore black robes, others white, their appearances particularly chilling under the thick, inky darkness.

The Blood Robe Daoist’s face was pallid, with a green qi lingering between his brows. Combined with his long, thin, horse-like face, he looked just like a man who had been hanged.

At his feet sat a black pottery incense burner the size of a large bowl. Three dark Incense Sticks were planted within it, the rising smoke coiling without dissipating, like little snakes winding their way in all directions.

It was this bizarre smoke that had caused over a hundred villagers to gather as if sleepwalking. They stood there in a daze, completely out of their minds, swaying in the night wind like sorghum stalks in a field.

"How has the quality of this batch of ’live sacrifices’ from your Gao Village gotten so poor?"

The Blood Robe Daoist spoke, his voice sharp and laced with a chilling coldness.

At the front of the crowd, a stooped, white-haired old man hurriedly bowed, his face grimacing as he replied:

"Immortal Master, please understand! The shearing ceremony has been held frequently these past years, and we lose seven or eight pairs of able-bodied youths every month. The rumors of hauntings in the village have also spread fiercely, and many people have been scared away. We really can’t gather any of better quality!"

"Flee?"

The Blood Robe Daoist sneered, his voice dripping with mockery:

"Gao Village, Dalin Village, Daiying Village—which of the surrounding areas doesn’t have to offer up live sacrifices? Where could they possibly flee to? Hanyang Prefecture certainly won’t take in these unregistered peasants!"

After speaking, he didn’t make things difficult for Old Gao. Without this village chief to round up the live sacrifices for him, many things would become more troublesome.

The Blood Robe Daoist’s gaze was like lightning as he scanned the villagers before him. He raised a hand and pointed.

"Those two pairs, and that one next to them..."

He pointed out a dozen or so people in one go, all of them able-bodied men.

Finally, his finger suddenly shifted, landing on a little girl wearing a tiger-head hat.

"Take this little one along too. Senior Brother Fang up the mountain has a taste for ’Rice Meat.’ Last time, he complained that the Wang and Huang Families were being perfunctory. The live sacrifices they sent were getting older and older—dry as firewood, with no Essence Qi."

Old Gao looked back, the wrinkles on his face twitching violently. He quickly forced a fawning smile:

"Immortal Master, this child isn’t fully grown yet. Her bones and qi-blood are still tender... How about we swap her for someone older?"

"Swap?"

The Blood Robe Daoist shot him a look that was not quite a smile:

"Fine by me. Should I swap her for you? Or your wife? Or maybe that daughter-in-law of yours who just had a baby?

Her body is in prime condition, how about we swap for her? Old Gao, your family lit Awakening Incense, which is why you weren’t drawn here by my smoke.

If not for these people serving as live sacrifices, how could your son be enjoying his post in Hanyang Prefecture? Don’t pretend to be some benevolent soul now."

Old Gao’s lips trembled a few times, but in the end, he didn’t dare say another word.

Seeing him back down, the Blood Robe Daoist gave a cold command: 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Ah Da, Ah Er, shave the heads of all the chosen ones, strip their clothes, and stuff them into the iron cages. Carry them up the mountain to be used in the shearing ceremony!"

Hearing this, the two men in black robes complied. They started by shaving the forelocks of several able-bodied men, then stripped them naked and shoved them into large iron cages.

The so-called shearing ceremony was originally a ritual that used roosters, cattle, or sheep for sacrifices.

For the former, the comb would be clipped; for the latter, the mane would be shorn. This was equivalent to marking them as a "Sacrificial Offering."

But these people, taking live sacrifices as blood food, actually followed suit, shaving their captives’ hair and stripping their clothes to treat them like livestock.

The man in black walked up to the little girl, roughly yanked the tiger-head hat from her head, and was about to start shaving her hair.

Before he could act, a blazing ball of fire suddenly erupted in the ink-black night.

The fire was no inanimate thing; it shot out like a living Jiao, roaring and surging. With its scales and claws fully visible, it instantly coiled around the black-robed man.

Like a snake wrapping around a great pillar, it twisted and bound him, refining his robes and flesh into flying ash that drifted down with a RUSTLE.

The fire was ferocious, and in an instant, it pounced on its next target.

In less than a few breaths’ time, both black-robed men had been burned to death.

"Who!"

The Blood Robe Daoist was startled, leaping up from his Grandmaster’s Chair. His long, horse-like face was grim, and two sharp glints of light shot from his eyes.

"Bing Fire! Which Immortal Cultivator dares to roam around Nanzhan Continent so recklessly? Is this a place where you can run wild!"

The Dense Qi was heavy, the night thick, like a huge, solid mass of black ink smeared above Gao Village.

Following the Blood Robe Daoist’s shout, the Fire Flood Dragon Python seemed to receive a command. It changed direction and rushed back to its master’s side.

The flames it gave off billowed like the heat of a furnace, burning away the strands of Dense Qi with a SIZZLING sound, causing them to slowly dissipate.

Dozens of yards away, the pitch-black curtain of night was torn open like thick cloth, revealing the figure of a serene-looking youth.

He approached through the night in wide robes and long sleeves. The baring-fanged, claw-brandishing Fire Flood Dragon Python was now incredibly docile, resting on his shoulder and coiled around his waist.

In his arms was a three-flower cat, which was waving its front paws incessantly and letting out a "KEKEKE" cackle.

"Talents like you are fit to be used by Xiao Jiang! Quick, burn them all to death! Use them for your Refining Technique!"

’The Cat Master is so impatient.’

The youth chuckled at the words. His Primordial Gate opened, and True Qi surged powerfully from the top of his head.

The Primordial Essence of Bing Fire, as large as a fist and accumulated from suppressing the Fire Acupoint, instantly transformed into nine great Jiao!

The towering flames lit up the open ground before the ancestral hall as bright as day!