Whoosh~
The Luo clan needed ten days to dig the entire cemetery three feet deep, the ancestors across countless generations seeing the light of day once again.
There were over a thousand Profound Heaven experts and hundreds of Radiant Stage experts. Zhuo Fan looked mighty pleased at the line up, [The thousand year legacy of the seven houses isn't just for prop.]
Li Jingtian flashed before the Profound Heaven fakers, "Take the bodies to the clan."
"Understood!"
The fakers bowed and got ready, but Li Jingtian blocked them.
The two dozen fakers looked at him doubtful.
Snickering, Li Jingtian said, "That is meant for the others. I have something special in mind for you."
"What?"
Li Jingtian grinned, "To add you to the pile!"
The men cried, "E-Elder Li, why? What did we do wrong?"
"Leaking information, playing tricks, disobedience, to name a few." Li Jingtian stressed every word with malice.
The fakers shivered having been exposed as spies. They were on their knees in a heartbeat, "Spare us, Elder Li, it's not what we wanted either…"
Boom!
A mere flick sent such a violent wind that scattered them all over the place, blood and gore raining down.
"Humph, had you just owned up you'd still have a corpse, but you just had to caw in my ear making me do it myself."
Li Jingtian flicked, ignoring the gory sight.
The Luo clan's disciples were used to their elder's methods, taking it in stride. They moved the corpses like nothing had happened.
While the newbie trio gulped and panicked more as they saw the people's faces.
[Are these guys asuras from hell? Don't they feel anything? Their comrades in battle just got wasted yet there's no reaction? Are they made of stone?]
Most of the Luo clan's disciples were around twenty years of age, but this sight had the elders shaking in fear.
They had no clue how Zhuo Fan shaped them up into such cold-blooded killing machines.
Watching the dead faces of the youths filled them with dread.
[Is this the real Luo clan?]
The trio rejoiced for turning sides. Even if Luo clan wouldn't get to rule the lands soon, these youths would grow into a fiendish squadron that would level the nation in the future.
Compared to Luo clan's strong elders, these youths were the most frightening asset.
[Zhuo Fan isn't normal.] Even though they were demonic cultivators themselves, they'd never thought of running their disciples through hell, to say nothing of doing it en masse.
Besides fear, the trio now had respect when looking at the distant Zhuo Fan.
Demonic cultivators worshiped strength. Zhuo Fan not only had power, but endless tricks opening their eyes to the true meaning of the term demonic.
"You three, listen up!"
A shout roused the trio out of their reverie. Li Jingtian stared at them and they lowered their heads.
"Escort the people carrying the bodies back to Luo clan. Don't mess up. If I find out that you've been up to no good, humph! Well let me tell you, you've taken Steward Zhuo's Bloodworm and in a thousand miles he can have your heads. Get the picture?"
"Yes, totally. Don't worry, Elder Li, we will never slight this!" The three bowed in unison.
Li Jingtian nodded and flew back to Zhuo Fan.
The elders had finally taken their betrayal seriously, not like they had a choice. Be it Zhuo Fan or Li Jingtian, both of their methods were cruel.
They didn't even flinch slaughtering their own men. [Won't killing us come easier?]
Scared of Li Jingtian's display, the trio became meek, taking their mission as their calling, being stuck on escort duty.
Zhuo Fan took out a parchment with many lines on it, Hell Valley's domain map and its cities. There were also thousands of red dots on it.
Handing it over to Li Jingtian, he said, "Elder Li, gather a thousand swift men and have them dig three feet on these spots. Also, send word around of our purging of Hell Valley, have those vassals of theirs, crumble in fear."
"On it."
Regardless of doubts, Li Jingtian followed his orders as always.
The thousand-men detachment spread in all directions, sweeping the Hell Valley domain in search of their targets.
Zhuo Fan and Li Jingtian began their own search. Beneath a huge tree, they dug up a man-sized clay figure.
It looked human yet lacked the feel of one. It also had a natural vibe to it, just like ginseng, yet this one was in the shape of a human.
It had closed eyes and withered just like a plant. The more Li Jingtian looked at it, the odder he felt, like this thing in front of him was human yet wasn't.
"Steward Zhuo, just what is this thing? Why haven't I heard of it?" Li Jingtian asked.
Zhuo Fan shook his head, "It is a man, and our clan's scout. He had to be buried here for 3-4 years."
"What?!" Li Jingtian cried.
Zhuo Fan explained, "Elder Li, you understand the cruelty of Wraith Art. To a martial fanatic like you, it means nothing, but if those children train in it… Well, you know the odds of success are slim at best."
Li Jingtian nodded.
"But do you know what happens to the rejects?" Zhuo Fan had a deep look as he regarded Li Jingtian and patted the clay figure, "Yes, they turn into this, becoming our ears."
Sss~
Gasping, Li Jingtian looked stunned. The clay doll had no human feel. No matter how he scanned it, it was just not human, [Yet it once was?]
[Steward Zhuo said just now that it can send information, but how?]
Zhuo Fan continued, "On failing to cultivate the Wraith Art, one would die at worst, while at best they would have their meridians shattered and live the rest of their life as a vegetable. But the demonic path has a skill, Myriad Breaths, a soul cultivating cultivation method. Though not without its caveats. Only the soul alone can be trained, turning the vessel into a dried husk. In time, the soul's aura will, along with the body, blend in with nature, turning into this human pillar.
"Don't take it for just a clay man, when in fact it has a soul stronger than a Profound Heaven expert's. And with its sublime feel, tuning in with nature itself, not even a Radiant Stage expert can pick up on it. I had the kids who failed to train in Wraith Art, train in this Myriad Breaths and become human pillars. Miss Lei and her team buried them in the seven houses' vicinity, at their doorsteps. Through their souls, they send out the information in a thousand meter radius. In this way, it is relayed to our scouts a hundred miles away where it is decrypted through another method and safely brought back to me.
"How else could we have known of Regent Estate's plan to attack our allies? That Valley Lord took his elders to Regent Estate and left his home empty for us to attack? Although Luo clan was late in setting up its intelligence network, we are without a doubt the best in Tianyu."
Zhuo Fan laughed at Li Jingtian's goony look. [There is such a magical art in this world? And Steward Zhuo used it to gather intel!]
Looking down at the silent clay man, Li Jingtian sighed, "Just who could make such a degenerate cultivation method? What's the point of having a strong soul if you'll end up like this, a frozen husk? This is a life worse than death, living in constant pain."
"Correct. That's just what this cultivation method offers, a life worse than death. And its creator didn't even train in it." Zhuo Fan smiled, "When that old demon created it, he had his disciples train in it to devour their souls and boost his own. Because of the soul's natural feel, it was easily assimilated. In just one year, the geezer entered the Radiant Stage from the Profound Heaven Stage. In three, he was in the Ethereal Stage!"
"You can actually do that?" Li Jingtian's sad look turned brighter, drooling at the clay man.
[The kid training in Myriad Breaths can be such a wonderful tonic. Who knew?]
Zhuo Fan mocked, "Elder Li, let me stop you right there. There's no such thing as shortcuts in cultivation. I haven't finished telling you how the old demon met his end. His speed was fast, but the souls of his disciples were filled with anguish and despair. And because anger and despair built up so much inside of him, his soul disintegrated under the strain. If not for this, I'd have used the thousands of Luo clan human pillars for myself! "
Shuddering, Li Jingtian chuckled awkwardly.
[I should've known by now, Steward Zhuo isn't one to let any chance slip. This goes to show the method has issues…]