Chapter 221

Chapter 221: A Hundred Years of Killing a Thousand People

Xia Hou Li’s rough, raspy voice let out a cackling laugh: “Don’t worry, you won’t die. You will become my ninth piece of nourishment and gain eternal life…”

Liu Lian Qiao was even more afraid.

A clear, airy woman’s voice sounded out of nowhere, saying: “You’re really good at digging traps for people.”

Xia Hou Li’s old body stiffened. She slowly turned toward the doorway. On the busy street, a woman had appeared at some point. She had a gentle face and an airy grace. She wore no fancy robes. She stood there quietly, her clear eyes like a pool of spring water. She watched Xia Hou Li as if she were simply looking.

A chill crawled over Xia Hou Li’s skin. No. She was at qi refining peak. How could a little girl scare her? She stared hard at the woman. Besides that airy grace, there seemed to be nothing special. She could not see the woman’s cultivation base at all.

There were usually two reasons for that: either the other was just an ordinary person pretending to be a mystic, or the other was stronger than her. Stronger than her? From a stray girl with no proper teacher? Righteous cultivators from the wild path had it even harder than demonic cultivators. Demonic cultivators like her did not care about what methods they used or where their power came from. As long as something could give power, they would use it, without worrying about harming their foundation or breaking their dao heart. But orthodox cultivators had to hold to their “dao” and protect the so-called right path. That meant they could not use crooked methods, and they would not practice cheap, common techniques. A stray had no strong techniques. Without strong techniques, where would strong power come from?

She rasped, harsh as a windmill left to rot for a hundred years, asking: “Little girl, were you the one who had someone kill my man?”

Yu Zhi Yi ignored the old woman. She spoke to Xiao Xue instead, saying: “She is a demonic cultivator. She almost never keeps her promises. The only people she keeps promises with are those stronger than her and colder and harsher than she is.”

“And you are clearly not one of them.”

Xiao Xue had been threatened and tempted by the female demonic cultivator. The old woman wanted her to willingly kill the woman doctor who had helped her for years and was now pregnant, and even cut the baby from her belly with her own hands. In return, she promised one hundred taels of silver and a cure for Xiao Xue’s mother. If Xiao Xue refused, she would kill both mother and daughter. To live, and for a better life later, Xiao Xue agreed.

One could imagine how the woman doctor would feel. Killed by a patient’s family she had helped for years, and before dying, watching her own child cut out and lose all life right in front of her. She would break.

The woman doctor carried merit. People like that, once they turned dark, were often more frightening than normal. A normal person’s fall might at most turn them into a vengeful ghost. In a case like this, there was a high chance she would become a vengeful female ghost. And even if she did not become one on her own, Xia Hou Li had ways to refine her into one.

Xia Hou Li’s cloudy eyes went cold as she said: “You can see through my purpose. You’re not bad.”

Yu Zhi Yi stepped into the clinic. During this time, Xiao Xue kept trying to move to kill the doctor, but her body felt locked in place, and she could not even move a finger.

“Petty tricks,” Xia Hou Li snapped, then stomped once. A cloud of black vapor rose from under her foot and shot straight toward Yu Zhi Yi.

Yu Zhi Yi acted like she didn’t see the black mist at all. Her gaze moved across the old woman’s face. The woman looked around eighty. Her withered face was full of wrinkles, and a thin layer of power veiled her features, hiding them from Heaven’s sight. But compared to the force that hid You Bing Yue’s face, this was far weaker. It was something the old woman had thrown together herself. Yu Zhi Yi dispelled it with ease.

With just one clear look, Yu Zhi Yi’s face turned cold. She spoke calmly, saying: “Xia Hou Li, born in a remote mountain village of the Sheng Kingdom. At age seven, you saw a cultivator by chance and longed to follow, begging to be taken to the mountain gate.”

“But you had no spiritual root or wisdom root, so you were refused. You did not give up, but you held a grudge. You swore that one day, when you were strong, you would make that person regret it.”

“Years later, you found a cave with the remains of a demonic cultivator and discovered a legacy technique. From then on, you started your cultivation.”

“But the road you walked was not the right one. You grew by harming lives and feeding on human blood, resentment, and rage.”

“At twelve, you sacrificed your own sister for cultivation.”

“From then until now, one hundred and one years have passed. You have killed over a thousand people, mostly newborn babies and pregnant women.”

“Xia Hou Li, your crimes are overflowing.”

Fear and doubt flickered in Xia Hou Li’s eyes as she asked: “Which old daoist’s junior are you? Did your elders come too?” She did not believe Yu Zhi Yi had seen it all herself. She dropped her idea that the girl was a stray and decided Yu Zhi Yi must be a disciple of a major sect, here in the Great Sheng Empire to capture her.

She had killed many over the years and was long on the sects’ wanted lists. But she was always careful. She never went to countries where big sect disciples came and went often or where big sects offered protection. She rarely appeared in worldly places at all. That was why she had stayed safe for so many years.

Who knew that this time, to avenge her dead man, she would step into a sect’s trap?

She also thought of the foundation-building tribulation lightning from that day and cursed herself for being careless. When she sensed a foundation establishment expert in the city, she should have run at once.

Luckily, it was not too late to run now. Without another thought, she turned and bolted.

[Huh?] Yu Zhi Yi was puzzled. Hadn’t this person just mocked her “petty tricks” with such swagger? Why was she running so fast?

Seeing Yu Zhi Yi not chasing, Xia Hou Li felt smug. [So what if she’s a sect disciple? She’s too young and hasn’t been taught by the world’s cruelty.] If she could hide for a few more years and break through to the foundation establishment realm, she would come back to avenge today’s shame, just like with that Immortal Sect disciple back then.

She was almost at the end of the street. Her smugness was almost solid.

Bang! She slammed into an invisible barrier and fell. [What?]