Chapter 116: Old Demon Xu Is Coming to Kill

"My goodness, have you all heard?"

"What?"

"Old Devil Xu has broken in, and he's slaughtering people everywhere right now!"

"No way, really?"

"Why wouldn't it be true? Have you forgotten how he wiped out the entire Mo family?"

"No, that's not what I heard. I heard he's using a transformation technique to turn into a woman, specifically to lure in lecherous old men before blasting them to death!"

"Hiss, that ruthless?"

"No, no, no. I heard he's wandering around the Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven looking for people to engage in 'fencing' matches. Everyone, you'd better be careful!"

"That's not right. I heard that Old Devil Xu can undo the restrictions and is harvesting the medicinal fields on a massive scale."

"Now that is ridiculous. It must be a rumor. How could the medicinal field restrictions possibly be broken?"

"Exactly, it's utter nonsense. Don't believe or spread rumors, fellow Daoist."

In every corner of the Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven, many cultivators were discussing the matter, whispering among themselves. In just one night, most people in the secret realm had learned that Xu Zhe had entered the Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven. However, because there was no spiritual network here and the Myriad Phenomenon Jade Plates could not be used, news could only spread by word of mouth, resulting in increasingly absurd rumors.

...

Xu Zhe followed the narrow path of the medicinal fields, heading toward another sector. In a full day and night, he hadn't covered much ground, but he had harvested several plots of herbs. Along the way, he encountered many rare and precious medicinal herbs. Not only did he find the ingredients needed to treat Chu Xiaotong's chronic illness, but he also gathered many of the materials required to refine his own "Infant-Transformation Pill."

This was largely due to his current reputation. Being heavily stigmatized as a demon, the Mo family massacre had caused countless cultivators to keep their distance. The recorded footage transmitted through the Heavenly Mystery Path at that time—showing Xu Zhe in his crazed, demonic state, followed by the final strike of his magical artifact seal that obliterated the Mo family—had truly terrified many, leaving an indelible shadow in their hearts.

Nowadays, across the four major continents, almost no one dared to easily provoke Xu Zhe unless they were at the Combined Tempering stage. As it happened, in this Divine Pill Assembly, Chu Xiaotong was likely the only one present at or above the Combined Tempering stage. The others who had entered were mostly at the Nascent Soul and Soul Formation stages, with an occasional Spirit Severing stage cultivator appearing.

Yet, in that battle against the Mo family, Xu Zhe had acted with such decisive cruelty that even a Spirit Severing stage cultivator had been crushed under his artifact seal. This led certain Spirit Severing stage cultivators to turn and walk away the moment they spotted Xu Zhe in the Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven. They neither provoked him nor tried to get close, fearing that Xu Zhe might succumb to his demonic madness and crush them with his seal as well.

Because of this, Xu Zhe walked around with his true appearance and found the journey to be remarkably smooth and peaceful. Even as he dug through the restrictions to harvest the fields, there wasn't a single onlooker, let alone anyone coming to snatch his loot.

"Two thousand stalks of Golden Money Vines, over a hundred thousand years of growth. Worth it."

Xu Zhe cleared another plot of medicinal herbs, put away his storage ring, and stepped out from the field's restriction with a wide grin. This trip was truly worthwhile. If he had known there were so many medicinal herbs in the Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven, he would have come along with Gu Jia'er from the start. But it wasn't too late. With such vast fields, he feared it would take a year or two just to harvest everything.

...

"I wonder if Gu Jia'er holds the master key to this Grotto-Heaven? Logically, I saved her life. If she wants to repay me, should I drop a hint that I want that key?"

Xu Zhe rubbed his chin in thought, then quickly shook his head. "No, as a righteous man who cultivates a heart of noble integrity and has received professional training, how could I hold a grudge or demand payment for a favor? Unless... she offers it herself."

"But that possibility is too slim. The Cheng-Huang bloodline grants a lifespan of two thousand years. After I saved her last time, I asked if I could ride her, and she reacted so strongly. It's clear she isn't an open-minded person. Forget it."

Xu Zhe dismissed the idea of monopolizing the Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven. Gu Jia'er was so stingy that he might not get it even if he asked, let alone waiting for her to offer it voluntarily.

*Sigh*, the hearts of people today are not what they used to be!

Xu Zhe sighed and set off once more.

...

"Achoo!"

On the other side of the medicinal fields, Gu Jia'er suddenly sneezed.

"What's going on?" She frowned.

"What is that smell?" Chu Xiaotong suddenly spoke, her gaze instantly sweeping toward the front. Although the area appeared completely empty, a pungent odor was drifting from somewhere, causing a sense of discomfort.

"Master, it seems to be coming from underground." Qu Hongxiu looked at the ground, crouched down, and wrinkled her small nose. She immediately confirmed, "That's right, the smell is definitely coming from underground."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Chu Xiaotong stepped back with one long leg, crouched down, and immediately cast a look of appreciation at Qu Hongxiu. "Not bad, little Hongxiu. Being short does have its advantages; you managed to discover the source of the smell before me."

Qu Hongxiu had felt quite pleased when she was praised, but after hearing the second half, she was instantly stunned. *Master, is that how you praise someone? By complimenting me on being short? Did I discover the source so quickly because I'm short?*

*Wait.* Qu Hongxiu paused, looking at her own short legs, then comparing her height to Chu Xiaotong's and Gu Jia'er's.

*Ah, this...*

"Big Breasts Gu, take a look and see what's going on. Why is this strange odor suddenly emerging from the ground?" Chu Xiaotong ignored Qu Hongxiu and asked Gu Jia'er instead.

"This shouldn't be..." Gu Jia'er frowned deeply. She also crouched down, and with a flash of light from the storage ring on her finger, a cyan spirit herb appeared in her hand.

"What shouldn't be?" Chu Xiaotong asked.

"Let me test it first!" Gu Jia'er said with a grave expression, slowly placing the cyan herb onto the ground.

*Hiss!*

As soon as the herb touched the ground, a wisp of black mist rose up, wrapping around the entire plant. Before she could react, the cyan herb instantly dissolved into a pile of ash within the black mist and vanished.

"Ah! What is happening?" Qu Hongxiu cried out immediately.

"This is bad. It seems the pill toxins in the Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven have been released," Gu Jia'er's expression changed drastically.

"How? Didn't you say the pill toxins underground had long been sealed and couldn't possibly escape?" Chu Xiaotong asked, startled.

"That's right! This is impossible!" Gu Jia'er was also bewildered. "The restrictions of these medicinal fields appear independent, but they are actually connected underground, which also suppressed the pill toxins below. Logically, as long as the restrictions aren't broken, the toxins shouldn't be able to get out. Unless..."

"Unless someone broke the restrictions?" Chu Xiaotong said in surprise.

"That is absolutely impossible!" Gu Jia'er replied with certainty. "I suspect that the restriction of one of the medicinal fields has severely aged, causing the underground seal to loosen, giving these pill toxins a chance to seep out."

"Ah? Holy Master Gu, what do we do? We haven't even obtained Master's medicine yet," Qu Hongxiu said, immediately anxious.

"It's fine. The current amount of pill toxin isn't a major problem for us yet, but we must hurry. Otherwise, I fear the restriction will continue to loosen and the toxins will erupt completely," Gu Jia'er said in a low voice.

"No, we must first find the compromised restriction and see if there's a way to mend it. If the toxins erupt, the entire Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven will be destroyed," Chu Xiaotong immediately rejected Gu Jia'er's proposal.

They had been attacking the area outside this medicinal field for eight days and eight nights, yet they had been unable to open a breach in the restrictions. Moreover, Gu Jia'er had said the toxins were appearing because the underground seal was loosening. If they continued their bombardment from above, they might further compromise the underground seal, and if the toxins erupted, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Big Breasts Chu, what is going on in your head?" Gu Jia'er looked at Chu Xiaotong, speechless. "This Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven only looks precious. In reality, what have we actually been able to harvest here over all these years? It's all just herbs we can see but cannot touch. If it's destroyed, so be it."

"You don't know anything. The true value of this place isn't these medicinal fields!" Chu Xiaotong frowned.

"What do you mean?" Gu Jia'er was stunned.

"Don't waste time. Go find the faulty restriction and find a way to fix it. The Divine Pill Grotto-Heaven absolutely cannot be destroyed." Chu Xiaotong didn't want to explain further; she stood up and prepared to leave.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, several figures streaked past in the distance. They were a few Nascent Soul stage cultivators, rushing through the air as if they had gone mad, appearing to be fleeing for their lives. They seemed to be shouting something.

"Run! Run!"

"The Blood-Hand Human Butcher, Old Devil Xu, is coming to kill us!"

...