AN - I'll start translating another store when I get 5 reviews
"Tell me, what is the purpose of your visit to the Gu family?"
Gu Qingfeng loosened his grip and asked coldly.
This time, King Xue dared not stall or make threats anymore. He realized the man before him truly had no fear of the Qingyang Sect. If he continued to resist, it would only lead to more suffering.
"The Qin family was destroyed, and the Sect Master learned that Bai Shidao was now under Gu family control. He sent me here to demand that the Gu family prepare 3,000 boys and girls to send to the Qingyang Sect!"
"Three thousand boys and girls!?" Gu Qingfeng's expression darkened.
"What does your sect need 3,000 boys and girls for?"
"I don't know—Ah!!! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" King Xue screamed as the sharp pain in his arm surged again. His face twisted in agony, and his shrill voice echoed through the dungeon as Gu Qingfeng crushed his bones mercilessly.
"It seems you're still not being honest. I've already warned you not to hide anything from me." Gu Qingfeng's voice was ice-cold as he loosened his grip.
King Xue, pale and drenched in sweat and blood, gasped for breath, his voice trembling with fear.
Without waiting for Gu Qingfeng to ask again, King Xue spilled the truth in a panic.
"Our ancestor... needs 3,000 boys and girls to complete his practice!"
"Ancestor? Who is this ancestor of your Qingyang Sect?" Gu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes.
"The ancestor is the one who founded the Qingyang Sect centuries ago. He calls himself the Qingyang Ancestor. I don't know much more."
"Ancestor Qingyang!" Gu Qingfeng's face shifted slightly, and his gaze turned even colder.
"Your Qingyang Sect was founded hundreds of years ago. The lifespan of an ordinary Bone Refining Realm warrior is little more than a hundred years, and even a warrior of the Organ Refining Realm only lives around two hundred. Could it be that your Qingyang Sect's ancestor is a master of Qi and Blood?"
Gu Qingfeng had heard of the Qingyang Sect's origins before. It had deep roots in Guangyang Prefecture and was considered a significant power in the region. But he found it hard to believe that the sect housed a Qi and Blood Grandmaster. If they did, Qingyang Sect wouldn't be confined to Guangyang Prefecture—they would be dominating Taishan County, or even all of Qingyun Prefecture.
"I'm not lying!" King Xue quickly responded. "While Patriarch Qingyang isn't a master of Qi and Blood, he abandoned martial arts long ago and instead refined evil into his body to become a sorcerer. Over the years, all the sects and families under the Qingyang Sect's control have provided a certain number of boys and girls each year to aid in his practice. It's through this method that Patriarch Qingyang has lived for centuries without dying!"
A warlock! This was the second time Gu Qingfeng had encountered that term. He hadn't expected the Qingyang Patriarch to be a sorcerer who had refined evil into his body. No wonder the patriarch had lived so long.
Gu Qingfeng's eyes turned icy. "The Qingyang Patriarch cultivates with living people—what difference is there between him and an evil spirit? Are those in the court just sitting idly by?"
"To the lower classes, encountering sorcerers and evil spirits is rare," King Xue explained, "but for major sects and families, their existence is no secret. Martial arts are limited. Even the most gifted can only hope to become an Innate Master and live for around 300 years, or a Qi and Blood Grandmaster with a lifespan of about 500 years. Only by refining evil into the body and becoming a sorcerer can one transcend these limitations and seek eternal life."
"People in the world are like livestock," King Xue sneered. "It doesn't matter how many are killed. Do you think the court is unaware of this? The Imperial Court has the Department of Suppressing Evils, and they too support many sorcerers. More people have died at the hands of these sorcerers than at the hands of my Qingyang Sect. As long as entire populations aren't wiped out, missing people are easily replenished within a few years."
As King Xue finished speaking, his face was full of disdain—not directed at Gu Qingfeng, but at the common people, whom he saw as nothing more than livestock.
Gu Qingfeng stood silently for a moment before asking, "You're not a warlock yourself, are you?"
"It's not easy to become a sorcerer, and suppressing evil spirits involves significant risk. Only those who have made great contributions to the sect are eligible to have evil spirits refined into their bodies. And even then, the process often fails. Over the years, only our ancestor has succeeded. But as long as one succeeds, it proves the path is viable."
King Xue shook his head and continued, "Master Gu, you're extremely powerful, and you've reached such a level at a young age. You will certainly reach the Organ Refining Realm, or even become a grandmaster. But even if you achieve these heights, it's still futile—you'll eventually turn into dust in a few hundred years. Only by refining evil into the body can one attain eternal life."
"But to refine evil into the body, you need the right secret method. If you're willing to join the Qingyang Sect, I'm sure the ancestor will provide you with the means to achieve it. With your strength, the chances of success are high."
Even in this dire situation, King Xue tried to entice Gu Qingfeng to join Qingyang Sect, knowing that it might be his only chance to survive.
Gu Qingfeng didn't respond to the offer, choosing instead to ask, "How powerful is your Patriarch Qingyang?"
King Xue replied, "The ancestor's strength is unfathomable. Hundreds of years ago, he had already reached Golden Bone Perfection. Ten years ago, a strongman in the Marrow Cleansing Realm came to attack Qingyang Sect, but the ancestor personally fought him and suppressed him."
Gu Qingfeng absorbed this information, already formulating a plan. Although the Qingyang Patriarch had perfected Golden Bones centuries ago, he had since become a sorcerer, meaning there was little chance for further progress in martial arts. Based on King Xue's account, the patriarch had managed to suppress a Marrow Cleansing expert ten years ago, suggesting his strength hovered around that level, but he wasn't much stronger than an ordinary Marrow Cleansing warrior.
With his current abilities, Gu Qingfeng knew that if it came to a life-and-death battle, he stood a good chance of killing the Qingyang Patriarch.
His decision was made.
Afterward, Gu Qingfeng continued to interrogate King Xue on various matters regarding Qingyang Sect, and King Xue answered every question in detail, no longer daring to hide anything.
At the end of the questioning, King Xue stared at Gu Qingfeng, his face filled with reluctant defeat.
"Why must the Gu family make an enemy of Qingyang Sect?"