Chapter 81: Beneath the Falling Blade

Five purges had already taken place. The number of victims grew larger each time, and the speed of the annihilation accelerated with every occurrence. The crowd began to descend into deeper madness; if the previous struggle was merely one for fortune and destiny, it was now a genuine battle for life and death.

Calculating the time, the sixth purge should have arrived by now, yet that voice had yet to sound. Ironically, the anticipation before such a verdict drove minds even madder, plunging every corner into slaughter.

No one knew who first turned their blade against friends and family, but soon, one after another, anyone holding a life-token became an enemy.

The life-token only took effect while clutched tightly in hand; otherwise, there was no escaping the purge. No one knew the reason, but several people had already proven the result with their deaths. Their bodies were completely obliterated, yet the life-tokens remained on the ground.

It resembled primitive slaughter. Normally aloof and high-ranking cultivators resorted to breathtaking maneuvers in their desperation to survive. In the face of death, who could afford to maintain dignity?

Whether due to sharing hardships or something else, the more Baonanzi looked at Chai Qingshan, the more he grew to like him. His judgment had indeed been accurate; a master of internal martial arts alone held an overwhelming advantage here. While taking on dozens at once might be a stretch, holding his own against a dozen or so was not difficult.

Stripped of his cultivation, Baonanzi had to rely entirely on Chai Qingshan along the way. And the young man he had saved did not disappoint him, proving to be truly grateful. If this young man had not already possessed an impressive master's lineage, Baonanzi would have genuinely wished to take him as a disciple.

The two leaned against the wall. Chai Qingshan began to regulate his breath with a profound rhythm—better than nothing, at least. Baonanzi, having nothing better to do at the moment, glanced sideways at Chai Qingshan.

His expression was utterly calm, almost carrying a trace of unruffled serenity. Gazing at that distinctly youthful face, a flash of pity crossed Baonanzi’s heart. He had witnessed Chai Qingshan display divine abilities with his own eyes.

Although he did not know what kind of ability it was, having lived for over a thousand years, what spells and divine arts had he not seen? The three thousand Great Daos ultimately converged into one. While his cultivation was still intact at the time, Baonanzi had seen it clearly, and had sighed in admiration because of it.

It was evident that what Chai Qingshan practiced was an ability that emphasized foundational mastery. With another century to build that foundation, taking the first or second step forward in the future would not have been a difficult task. Yet, in the end, it had all been destroyed in an instant.

"A rare soul of pure intent," Baonanzi sighed deeply. They had heard that purging voice with absolute clarity. When they had first managed to seize only a single life-token, Chai Qingshan had handed it over to him without the slightest hesitation.

A chaotic and heavy set of footsteps echoed, drawing closer and closer by the second. Subconsciously, Baonanzi gripped the scrap of iron in his hand tighter.

"I'll go have a look," Chai Qingshan said as he stood up, his voice remaining calm.

Baonanzi wanted to speak, but stopped himself, his expression complex. Rationality ultimately won out. Without any cultivation, sheer numbers could dictate the outcome of nearly everything. Judging by the sound of those footsteps, there were at least a few dozen people. This was indeed going ahead to scout—straight into the netherworld, no doubt.

Baonanzi naturally saw right through Chai Qingshan's intention: nothing more than using his own death to lure others away, buying a sliver of a chance of survival for himself.

"If I manage to survive, I will surely owe you an immense favor," Baonanzi muttered silently to himself.

Zhou Yihu carved away a massive chunk of flesh with a single stroke of his blade, proving himself to be utterly ruthless. The moment he felt that trace of abnormality, Zhou Yihu made a split-second decision with ruthless decisiveness.

"Hahaha. Did you really think I didn't know you were stalling for time? Whether you were waiting for your companions or trying to recover your strength, you're dead anyway!" Li Wenzhang said loudly, wearing the expression of someone holding a guaranteed victory.

"It's far too late to realize it now. I estimate the poison has already entered your bloodstream. The moment you exert force, it will spread throughout your entire body. When that time comes, the sensation will make you wish you were dead. You will be tormented by pain until your final breath."

He snapped his folding fan open and smiled lightly, radiating an air of effortless elegance. Zhao Qinzhi stared in utter astonishment—was the poison really that potent? Since when did she know how to concoct such a poison?

She had merely applied a bit of wild toad venom for lack of anything better to do. Didn't wild toad venom only cause itching and pain? Let alone killing someone with pain, washing it off thoroughly with clean water would do the trick, and it even required a long time to ferment anyway.

Yet Zhou Yihu believed it completely. He could even feel a hint of pain, which then grew sharper and sharper, as if something was slithering through his blood vessels. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it felt; the more he thought about it, the more real it became.

With a ferocious expression, Zhou Yihu snarled, "Even if I die, I'll drag you all down with me to the grave!"

"Sigh," Li Wenzhang let out a long breath, speaking in a very gentle tone. "Why must it always come to violence and bloodshed? It's not as if there is no antidote, you know."

Zhao Qinzhi finally snapped back to her senses; it was clear that Li Wenzhang was attempting to make up for their lack of martial might with pure intellect. As for Lin Xiuxiu, she remained completely at a loss, though it hardly mattered.

"Actually, cooperation is entirely possible between us," Li Wenzhang coaxed persuasively. "You provide the primary martial force, and we have a physician on our side. Don't underestimate this little girl; she hails from Old Huang Mountain. You know of Old Huang Mountain's medical arts, don't you?"

"Old Huang Mountain?!" Zhou Yihu's expression shifted drastically. He suddenly recalled his past journey to Old Huang Mountain and that bitter memory—he had been blackmailed three times over before he finally got to see Wu Yue.

"Not a single person from Old Huang Mountain is any good," Zhou Yihu cursed under his breath.

Swish. The sound of piercing wind. A crossbow bolt flew toward him.

This time, however, Zhou Yihu was on his guard. Swinging his thin saber with all his might, he deflected the crossbow bolt. He initially intended to press the attack and pursue the advantage, but a sudden pain flared within his torso, forcing Zhou Yihu to abruptly check his steps.

"Felt the pain, have you? I can tell you, this is only the beginning," Li Wenzhang continued convincingly, playing the part of a qualified psychologist.

"Watch your tone," Zhao Qinzhi said coldly, her small face stern.

Yet it was precisely this willful and haughty demeanor that convinced Zhou Yihu the young girl truly hailed from Old Huang Mountain, thus reinforcing his belief that he might indeed have been poisoned. His previous move could also be considered an accidental test of his own.

Cooperation did not seem entirely out of the question. Countless thoughts flashed through Zhou Yihu's mind.

"Time waits for no one. The next purge should be starting soon," Li Wenzhang said indifferently.

They were a group of unfortunate souls, with not a single life-token appearing anywhere near them. Yet they were also remarkably fortunate, as none of them had been targeted so far. But what about the next time?

From the outside, Base 0 resembled a massive egg suspended in mid-air, while countless individuals below gazed up with greedy eyes. Slaughter could never quench greed.

Although Zhang Xuan Dao had previously wreaked a massive massacre here, it did nothing to deter the ever-growing crowd of people gathering at the site.

In the mortal realm, people's pursuit of wealth and money was frantic. It was precisely the same in the cultivation world, save that their pursuit was directed toward cultivation and destiny. Yet that level of madness far surpassed anything seen among mortals.

Watching this bizarre construct shift and change endlessly, the hearts of the "fishermen" grew increasingly feverish. Every abnormal occurrence portended a supernatural phenomenon, and every anomaly undoubtedly harbored treasures; immense wealth and glory were to be sought amidst perilous danger. This proverb, widely circulated among cultivators in the Immortal Spirit Realm and revered by many as a golden rule, naturally held its own truth.

Both inside and outside Base 0, peace was nowhere to be found.