Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Should I Flee with Senior Brother?

Under Li Yan’s watchful gaze, Master seized Ming Che by the scruff of his neck and flung him aside like a discarded rag.

Senior Brother Ming Che crashed against the wall like a kite with its string severed, spitting out a mouthful of bloody mist with a wet splat.

Without another word, the Old Daoist flicked his sleeve, snorted coldly, and strode away.

Ming Che lay gasping, blood smeared across his face, his eyes wide with terror.

Li Yan, the true architect of this scene, watched Senior Brother Ming Che’s misery with gleeful eyes.

Ming Che still couldn’t understand. He had followed Master’s instructions to the letter, so why hadn’t the diners’ Blood Qi levels risen? He had even sacrificed a Blood Qi Pill—a costly investment—to boost their energy. Yet… yet nothing had changed.

Only Li Yan knew the truth: he had drained the diners dry using his Blood Qi Theft technique.

Now brimming with stolen energy, Li Yan silently observed from the back of the crowd.

Senior Brother Ming Che, once so haughty, now resembled a beaten dog.

Just then, the temple bell began to toll urgently, its mournful peals sounding like a death knell for Senior Brother Ming Che.

The short, urgent chimes, like the toll of a death knell, signaled the start of curfew at Tranquil Void Temple.

The dim sun sank behind West Mountain, and a sinister atmosphere gradually enveloped the dilapidated Stone Workshop Hall.

Li Yan watched the fading light and rose to return to his room.

But then Senior Brother Ming Che’s voice rang out behind him.

“You two, I need to talk to you.”

Ming Che wiped the blood from his mouth and limped forward.

Li Yan stopped, raising an eyebrow. “What is it, Senior Brother Ming Che? Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

Ming Che’s arrogant demeanor had vanished, replaced by a pleading tone.

“Staying here is a death sentence, sooner or later. I know a secret path down the mountain—I’ll help you escape! We have to get out of this cursed Tranquil Void Temple!”

Escape?

To be honest, Li Yan’s heart fluttered. He truly longed to flee this place.

But…

Ming Che couldn’t be trusted.

His sudden eagerness to escape undoubtedly stemmed from the Old Daoist having marked him as the next batch of alchemy materials.

This abrupt shift to flattery could only mean he was trying to manipulate them.

Li Yan didn’t trust Senior Brother Ming Che. He turned to the black-haired girl beside him.

Xin Zhi shook her head vehemently. “Don’t believe him!” she insisted. “I’ve seen several people sneak out at night, only to be found dead at the gates of Tranquil Void Temple the next morning!”

Enraged that they refused to leave with him, Ming Che pointed a trembling finger at them. “You… you’ll regret this! Stay here and die for all I care!”

With that, he winced, clutching his bleeding wound, and limped to the heavy doors of Stone Workshop Hall, pushing them open and vanishing into the darkness.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes as he watched Ming Che’s retreating figure.

He felt conflicted about Ming Che’s chances of escape. Emotionally, he wished the man would drop dead in the wilderness. Logically, however, he knew that if Ming Che managed to survive his escape from Tranquil Void Temple, it meant Li Yan himself might also have a chance to flee.

Looking at the zombified diners in Stone Workshop Hall, Li Yan knew they were doomed if they remained trapped here. He exchanged a glance with Xin Zhi, who kindly advised, “No matter what sounds you hear tonight, don’t open the doors or windows!”

“No matter who tells you to open the door, ignore them!”

Li Yan and the young girl were the only guests in Stone Workshop Hall who still retained their sanity. Perhaps that was why she had kindly warned him about the hall’s taboos.

Li Yan clasped his hands in thanks but said little in return. With few options left, he retreated to his room to quietly await the dawn.

He closed the wooden door behind him. The room was dark, without even an oil lamp. He sat in silence, lost in thought.

Nights at Tranquil Void Temple stretched endlessly. The courtyard echoed with the mournful cries and guttural growls of the other guests—a cacophony that assaulted Li Yan’s ears like demonic whispers. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and settled onto the stool.

But then strange sounds began filtering through the thin paper window. He heard heavy, rasping breaths coming from the bamboo grove in the back courtyard, someone peering in at him.

The oppressive sound of labored breathing filled Li Yan’s room, lingering through the long night.

Forcing down his growing unease, Li Yan focused inward, sensing the Blood Qi circulating within his Dantian, feeling its constant nourishment spreading through his body.

As the first light of dawn crept into the sky, the strange sounds outside Li Yan’s window gradually faded away.

His taut nerves slowly relaxed, and he cautiously opened his eyes to peer outside.

The paper window was riddled with what looked like blade marks. The monster from the night before had stood there, staring at him through the thin barrier for the entire night.

Only after confirming that the sun had fully risen did Li Yan dare to take deep, shuddering breaths.

“What was that thing?” he muttered. “Staring at me all night, just standing there… constantly gasping for air…”

He swallowed hard, having barely endured a night of sheer mental torment. “If this happens every night, I’ll surely go insane sooner or later.”

Still shaken, he glanced warily at the window when a commotion outside caught his attention.

He pushed open the door and hurried out, only to see a familiar figure passing by the entrance of Stone Workshop Hall.

It was Senior Brother Ming Che, the same arrogant senior brother from yesterday, his gray Daoist robe now torn and bloodied.

His gaze was vacant, as if his soul had been snatched away, and he stumbled back like a living corpse.

Outside the gate, the servant disciples recognized Ming Che, who had fled the Tranquil Void Temple the previous night, and began whispering among themselves.

“Ming Che actually dared to run off last night? What a reckless fool!”

“Judging by his dazed look, he must have encountered a Dead Yin Immortal in the mountains.”

“Ouch, wouldn’t that be worse than death itself?”

Li Yan overheard the servants’ hushed conversation. Now that he had broken through to the first layer of the Blood Qi Realm, his senses had become remarkably sharp, allowing him to easily hear distant sounds.

Intrigued by their words, Li Yan wondered:

What exactly is a Dead Yin Immortal?

What terrifying thing did Ming Che encounter in the mountains last night?

Rushing off recklessly might lead to encountering mountain monsters…

If I want to escape the Tranquil Void Temple, I’ll need a more carefully thought-out plan.

Li Yan lightly bit his lip, his mind racing with possibilities.

Just as Senior Brother Ming Che limped back, the One-Eyed Old Daoist strode over to him.

“Foolish disciple,” he said, his voice dripping with mock grief, “why did you insist on venturing down the mountain?”

“In these troubled times, where could you possibly escape? Your residual soul, unable to enter reincarnation, will only dissipate like the wind.”

“This master will properly bury your mortal body. Rest in peace.”

As he spoke, a sinister smile crept across the old Daoist’s face.

“Someone, take Ming Che’s body to the alchemy furnace. This master will personally guide his residual soul to salvation.”

“Yes!”

Several Dao Children stepped forward and carried away the soulless corpse.

The One-Eyed Old Daoist, seemingly making an example of Ming Che, disposed of him publicly.

After the body was sent to the alchemy chamber, the old Daoist’s malevolent gaze shifted to the Stone Workshop Hall, his murky eyes locking onto Li Yan.

“Li Yan, come here. This master has something to say to you.”

“Me?”

A cold sweat broke out on Li Yan’s back.