Hu Kaishan and his four beasts made a run for it, leaving behind a bewildered Yu Qingtan and Xiao Tao amidst the chaotic winds. However, the speed of the Black Wind Tiger was too fast for Yu Qingtan to catch up with.
"These guys just ran off? Is the face of a Third Stage Heavenly Demon worth nothing?"
Yu Qingtan was speechless.
Little did she know that it was exactly this decisiveness that had allowed Hu Kaishan to avoid many killings and stay alive until now.
"Forget it, it would be troubleso if it self-destructed again."
With this thought, Yu Qingtan decided to let the matter go and left Skyscraping Ridge.
Xiao Tao continued to cultivate at Skyscraping Ridge. Yu Qingtan left him with the Fourth Stage Wind Evasion Talisman she had received from the Venerable Master, figuring that should be enough to ensure his safety.
...
In the year 7100 of the Lichuan Calendar, in June, within Eastern Immortal City, one of the four great cities directly governed by the Extre Path Demon Sect and neighboring the Southeastern Sea Region.
The city spanned a thousand miles, ho to nearly eight hundred million cultivators.
Outside a building in the Inner City emblazoned with "Eastern Extre Estate Managent Hall," a middle-aged man with graying hair, a Qi Cultivator in the middle stage of his practice, desperately tried to cling to the legs of another middle-aged man, only to be kicked away.
He was a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator.
"Deacon Xu, please have rcy. Grant
so more ti, don't take away my house!"
The kicked old man didn't rise but instead knelt on the ground, pleading with the middle-aged man known as Deacon Xu.
"What do you an 'your house'? You haven't paid the mortgage for three months. Our taking back the house is according to the original agreent, it's only right and proper."
Deacon Xu declared loudly.
Many onlookers watched the drama unfold from a distance but none interfered; among them was a plain-looking Foundation Establishnt female cultivator, who was none other than Yu Qingtan in disguise after casting the Reincarnation Mantra.
"Deacon Xu, my son was injured while hunting sea beasts. We have used all our Spirit Stones to buy him Healing Pills, which is why we are temporarily unable to pay the mortgage. Please, have rcy and grant us so more ti. I will definitely pay it back."
The old man continued to plead.
"Hmph, we have already given you an extension of a month. If you don't pay today, the house will definitely be taken back. However, I've heard you also have a daughter, rely a Five Spirit Root, but if you sell her to , all your mortgage debts will be forgiven."
Deacon Xu's eyes shifted cunningly as he leaned closer to the graying cultivator, speaking in a persuasive tone.
"Ah, my daughter is only nine years old; how could I sell her to you?"
The white-haired old man said, agitated.
"A daughter with Five Spirit Roots will have to marry soone eventually. I'll buy her to present to the Young Sect Master. Being with the Young Sect Master is a blessing; many have no such opportunity. I've heard your son has a Three Spirit Root; with the Spiritual Energy environnt of the Inner City for cultivation, he may one day beco a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator himself. The choice is clear!"
With his hands holding his head, the white-haired old man fell into deep turmoil.
"You wouldn't want your son to end up like you, would you? Going back to the Outer City and remaining a mid-stage Qi Cultivator until death?"
Deacon Xu's words were like a devil's whisper, shattering the final defenses in the graying cultivator's heart.
"I'll sell!"
...
Yu Qingtan learned the general situation from the surrounding onlookers.
The white-haired older man was nad Wu Neng, with a son nad Wu Xiang and a daughter nad Wu Gao. They were Loose Cultivators from the Outer City of Eastern Immortal City.
A year ago, Eastern Immortal City introduced a mortgage plan with an interest rate of three percent, but Wu Neng still emptied his savings to take out a loan for a small house in the Inner City, earning Spirit Stones by hunting sea beasts with his son to pay the mortgage.
Sea Beasts, that is, the Sea Clan.
Unfortunately, not long ago, Wu Xiang was seriously injured at sea. Not only had Wu Neng spent all his Spirit Stones, but he also borrowed a large sum to buy life-saving Healing Pills, leaving him unable to pay the mortgage.
Deacon Xu was nad Xu Zhijian, an Outer Sect Disciple of the Extre Path Demon Sect. His father, Xu Jiayin, was a Golden Core Stage Inner Sect Disciple, and a loyal lackey of the Young Sect Master Venerable Murong Haokong, which landed Xu Zhijian the lucrative job of handling mortgage loans in Eastern Immortal City.
Rumors say that Venerable Murong Haokong not only adores beauties but has a particular fondness for the young ones; he owns a small island in the Southeast Region's sea territory, known as Luo Li Island, dedicated to serving Venerable Murong Haokong and his friends.
"Ah, the mortgage interest rate has actually reached three percent, truly befitting the territory of the Extre Path Demon Sect! Although it was sowhat expected, I didn't anticipate that the mortgage strategy would spread so quickly. It seems I have to cultivate even harder. If I don't stop this early, my sins will be grave!"
Yu Qingtan sighed inwardly. She had been in Immortal City of the Eastern Extre for so ti now, recently gathering intelligence.
"Xu Zhijian!"
Yu Qingtan narrowed her eyes and left the crowd.
The white-haired elder Wu Neng was about to enter his ho when suddenly sothing hit his head. Turning around, he saw no one, but when he looked down, he found an unclaid storage bag had hit him.
Wu Neng picked it up and saw that it contained a thousand spirit stones. He instantly understood and knelt down.
"Thank you, kind stranger, for your rcy, thank you!" No one responded, and Wu Neng returned to his house, took out three hundred spirit stones, and carefully hid the rest of the stones and the bag.
Without ntioning this to his family, Wu Neng hurriedly left the house again and went back to the Eastern Extre Estate Managent Hall, where he paid four months' worth of mortgage.
This sowhat disappointed Deacon Xu Zhijian, but since Wu Neng said that the spirit stones were borrowed from a good friend, there was nothing he could do.
Although it was the domain of the Extre Path Demon Sect, there was still so basic order.
That night, Xu Zhijian returned to his residence. As soon as he closed the courtyard door, his dantian was touched by soone, sealing his cultivation level, and then he was bound with a spiritual artifact rope.
"rcy, hero! I have plenty of spirit stones, please don't kill !"
Xu Zhijian was bewildered, but true to an Outer Sect Disciple of the Extre Path Demon Sect, a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator, he quickly grasped the situation and began to plead for rcy.
"Don't be nervous, I just want to ask you a few questions!"
The person who restrained Xu Zhijian was naturally Yu Qingtan.
The protective array here was only of the Second Stage; she had easily entered using an Array Breaking Talisman, knocked out the servants inside, and even set up a new array.
Yu Qingtan brought Xu Zhijian to the living room; amidst his bewildered look, Yu Qingtan began to dance.
The dance, naturally, was not the Exquisite Dance or the Butterfly Dance, but the Tian Xiang Illusion Dance.
She had never used the complete Second Stage Tian Xiang Illusion Dance before.
This spell was currently sowhat superfluous to her; it lacked the power for single attacks, and for group attacks against minor characters, she had her preferred Water Blade Technique. But at the mont, it proved useful.
As the na Tian Xiang Illusion Dance suggests, it could induce hallucinations.
At that mont, Xu Zhijian found himself in a dark and terrifying place; not far away was a huge cauldron of boiling oil, and several ghastly demons with green faces and sharp fangs were throwing a figure into it, while the agonized screams were chilling to the bone.
He clearly rembered that he had just returned ho; how had he suddenly ended up here? Within the Lichuan cultivation world, ghosts do exist, but they are rare, and at least most cultivators in the Southeast Region have only heard legends of them.
"Xu Zhijian, confess your sins earnestly and repent sincerely if you wish to avoid the punishnt of the boiling cauldron."
Then, a ferocious ghost face appeared in mid-air, emitting a grating sound.
Overtaken by fear, and suddenly feeling piercing pain, Xu Zhijian couldn't help but collapse to the ground.
"I'll confess, I'll confess everything, I don't want to be thrown into the cauldron!"
He said in desperation.
"Na? Age? Place of origin? Family mbers?" the ghost face in mid-air questioned.
"Xu Zhijian ..."
…
The next day, Xu Zhijian was discovered missing from his residence.
Yu Qingtan, however, had obtained the information she wanted about the Xu family.
Especially about Xu Zhijian's cousin sister, Xu Kexin.
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