Outside the Haotian Mirror, everyone was seething with anger as they watched the self-righteous Elder Zhao on the screen.
Elder Zhao had been using innocent children to test his elixirs. Who knew how many innocent lives had been lost to his experiments?
In the cultivation world, there was a consensus that cultivators should not interfere in mortal affairs casually, nor should they kill mortals without cause. But Elder Zhao of the Qingyun Sect had resorted to any means necessary to perfect his elixir formula, akin to the methods of demonic cultivators.
Most likely, the children taken up the mountain with Xiao Fan had also met a grim fate.
The crowd turned their scrutinizing gaze towards the elder from Qingyun Sect, the son of the sect's former leader, demanding an explanation.
The elder's expression was equally furious. He exclaimed, "I never imagined that someone so devoid of conscience would exist within Qingyun Sect. If he were still alive, I would personally see to his punishment."
The crowd rolled their eyes at his words. Elder Zhao was long dead, so his statement was meaningless. However, it was not uncommon for a sect to have a few rotten apples, so they let the matter rest and continued watching the Haotian Mirror.
"Ugh~" In the elixir pool, Xiao Fan gritted his teeth, enduring excruciating pain.
Eight years had passed, and Xiao Fan had grown into a tall and handsome young man. Over these years, he spent almost every day in the elixir pool, helping Elder Zhao perfect his formula.
The formula contained numerous poisonous herbs and insects, causing Xiao Fan to experience unbearable pain each time he soaked in the elixir. This was why Zhang Tie had gone mad.
Before Xiao Fan, many had suffered the same fate. Since Xiao Fan's arrival, no new children had been brought in as test subjects for eight years.
Whenever Xiao Fan was on the verge of giving up, the memory of his father's murder and his mother's humiliation would resurface in his mind.
He could not die yet. Not until he avenged his family.
In fact, through countless experiments, he had already figured out the correct formula, but he couldn't let Elder Zhao know. Though Elder Zhao seemed to trust him more, allowing him more freedom and even promising to make him a formal disciple of Qingyun Sect if he completed the formula, Xiao Fan knew that once Elder Zhao had the formula, he would be of no further use and would likely be killed.
Over the past eight years, Xiao Fan had secretly learned some basic cultivation techniques and gathered various medicinal recipes from Qingyun Sect. He had also discovered that the sect periodically brought in batches of children, all orphans or those sold by their families.
Xiao Fan had always wondered why Qingyun Sect needed so many children, especially since Elder Zhao no longer required more test subjects after his arrival.
Then, Xiao Fan uncovered a horrifying truth: these children were ultimately killed and discarded in a valley behind Qingyun Sect. This was no secret within the sect, indicating the depravity of its members.
These people were no immortals but cold-blooded murderers.
To escape, Xiao Fan secretly prepared two pills: the Tortoise Breath Pill to mask his vital signs and the Decay Pill to make his body appear rotten.
Everything was ready. During his next elixir bath, Xiao Fan took the pills in advance.
"Ah! I can't take it anymore! Kill me! Kill me now!" Xiao Fan screamed, his face contorted in agony.
Elder Zhao frowned. Xiao Fan had never shown such weakness before. Could the two new poisonous ingredients he added be too potent?
Frustrated by eight years of failed attempts to perfect the formula, Elder Zhao had gambled by adding two extremely toxic substances this time. It seemed he had lost the bet, and Xiao Fan might not survive.
Though disappointed, Elder Zhao summoned a disciple to fetch a new test subject and dispose of Xiao Fan's body.
Though Xiao Fan had taken the Tortoise Breath Pill to stop his vital signs, he was still conscious and could hear everything.
"Be careful. Zhao Elder said this one's body is highly toxic. One touch and we're done for!"
"Such a pity. Now we'll have to send more people to Zhao Elder regularly."
"No big deal. Didn't we just get a new batch of kids?"
"But the Grand Elder needs the blood of five hundred boys and five hundred girls to extend his life. This batch won't last long."
"Guess we'll have to disguise ourselves as beasts and raid some nearby villages again."
Hearing this, Xiao Fan was shocked. Just one Grand Elder needed the blood of five hundred boys and five hundred girls!
How many innocent children had Qingyun Sect slaughtered over the years?
Before he could ponder further, Xiao Fan felt himself falling freely, knowing he was being thrown into the valley. He expected to be severely injured, if not dead, from the fall.
Surprisingly, when he hit the ground, something soft cushioned his fall, sparing him serious harm.
As the Tortoise Breath Pill's effects wore off, Xiao Fan slowly opened his eyes. What he saw made his pupils contract in utter shock.
Bones piled like mountains, flesh rotting into mud, sinew hanging from trees, a sea of corpses and blood, stinking to high heaven—this was a hell on earth.
Lowering his gaze, Xiao Fan realized that the "cushion" he had landed on was a mountain of flesh and blood!