The Purgatory Calamity

"Hmm, the next time we meet, she will definitely be much stronger than she is now," Ning Yuanshan spoke with deep concern. "Alas, I have no idea what that demon girl is up to, setting up an array amongst the rocks, and even having people from Yin Spirit Temple pose as cultivators from the Blood Moon. What does she want?"

"If I had known the bodies in the rocks came from Yin Spirit Temple, I would never have entered so early," Han Duping lamented. "Playing with oddities like the Spirit Evil is exactly what Yin Spirit Temple excels at. In that desolate area, as long as there are people from the temple, whether alive or dead, I would be extremely cautious."

He felt somewhat guilty for the many lives lost inside, causing Zhou Qingchen to suffer tremendous losses.

"There's no need to blame yourself," Zhou Qingchen reassured him, "No one expected that the bodies from Yin Spirit Temple would be dressed in the Blood Moon's clothes." He continued, "If I'm not mistaken, they wore the Blood Moon's clothes even before they died. They must have killed the people from Blood Moon and then changed into their clothes."

"Hmm, they must have intended to target other people," Ning Yuanshan agreed as well.

The group talked outside the pile of rocks, their voices not low.

"An array set up by Yin Spirit Temple?"

Behind a taller rock within the pile, where Zhou Qingchen and the others couldn't see him, Pang Jian touched the bronze badge heating up in his chest with a puzzled look.

He originally thought that if the stone pile containing the Lock Yin Array was man-made, it could have been the work of his father.

Having heard what those outside said, he became less sure.

Lifting the garment at his chest, he looked at the bronze badge that had warmed up but still had not returned to its original state.

The badge, shaped like a bronze gate, became very hot but showed no other abnormalities.

But he knew clearly that the reason he was unaffected by the piercing scream and able to maintain a clear spiritual intelligence was due to the sudden heat from the bronze badge on his chest when the Soul Capture shriek sounded...

It was this bronze badge that had helped him.

"This object seems rather unusual," he mused.

He had a suspicion that the only memento his father left behind might contain some incredible quality.

And when the bronze badge heated up, if he calmly comprehended the "Pot Heaven Nourishing Qi Spell," his perception seemed to become much sharper.

Take, for example, this moment.

As he calmed his mind and tried to activate the "Pot Heaven Nourishing Qi Spell," he sensed the faint "Mysterious Yin Power" remaining in the pile of rocks seemed to be emanating from the same direction.

After pondering for a moment, with his sharpened perception, he began to seek the source of the "Mysterious Yin Power" flow.

He would sometimes stop to sense, and only after discerning the direction and target again would he move.

After several attempts, he made his way to a remote corner of the pile of rocks and saw a greyish-white rock covered in cracks.

The faint "Mysterious Yin Power" was seeping out slowly from the crevices in this rock.

The greyish-white rock was not too large, and after hesitating for a moment, he reached out to touch the cracks in the rock.

From within the cracks, a very rich "Mysterious Yin Power" immediately flowed out, causing his whole body to chill.

The pure and powerful "Mysterious Yin Power" infiltrated his body in an instant, stiffening his flesh and blood.

Startled, he quickly circulated the "Pot Heaven Nourishing Qi Spell" and saw the dark-green "Spirit Pot" in his mind instantly absorb the "Mysterious Yin Power" that had entered his flesh and blood.

In his Spiritual Sea, this extremely exceptional "Mysterious Yin Power" immediately dissolved with the impurities and dregs like pieces of cotton.

"Using poison to fight poison?"

Pang Jian was secretly amazed.

He hadn't expected that this unassuming and cracked rock would conceal such considerable "Mysterious Yin Power," which proved beneficial in purifying the filth in his Spiritual Sea.

Outside, the lively discussions of Zhou Qingchen and the others continued.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian huddled within, his hand pressed against the grey rock crevices, frantically absorbing the "Mysterious Yin Power" within.

After an unknown passage of time, the noise outside gradually ceased, and the impurities within Pang Jian's Spiritual Sea had also been significantly cleared out by the "Mysterious Yin Power" from the rocks.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps slowly approaching.

Without hesitation, Pang Jian lifted the small, shattered rock and placed it in the bamboo basket on his back, then covered it with bamboo splits, pretending to search around.

Soon after, the tall and rugged young master of the Zhou Family appeared alone.

In Zhou Qingchen's hand was a skewer laden with cooked meat, which he cheerfully offered to Pang Jian, saying, "Have something to eat, we'll need you to guide us afterward."

Pang Jian felt rather flattered, not expecting that the person of highest status would take the initiative to bring him food.

Without appearing coy, he confidently accepted the skewer, and being hungry, he began tearing and biting into it immediately.

The meat was grilled to a yellow crisp with some greasiness, yet it was dry and tough, requiring a lot of chewing.

Compared to the meat he made from hunting wild beasts in the forest, the skewer Zhou Qingchen offered had a rather average taste.

"Dislike my meat?"

Seeing him frown, Zhou Qingchen couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "We're cultivators, not cooks. It's already good that we can whip up something to eat."

Pang Jian shook his head without saying much.

"Miss Ning mentioned, your name is Pang Jian, that you are a local hunter," Zhou Qingchen paused, then suddenly said, "If you survive and leave the Solitude Mountain Range, would you be interested in joining me at the Zhou Family?"

Pang Jian looked at him in surprise, not expecting this son of the Zhou Family to actually consider recruiting him.

"Take your time to think about it, there's no hurry to answer me," Zhou Qingchen laughed and said, "You can also take this chance to learn about what kind of person I, Zhou Qingchen, am and the status of my Zhou Family in this world."

"My talent in cultivation is average," Pang Jian furrowed his brows.

"Talent is just a stepping stone, not everything," Zhou Qingchen waved his hand and said, "The determination you showed when you killed He Ziren, I admired that."

After saying so, he laughed heartily.

Pang Jian's expression changed drastically.

Zhou Qingchen continued to laugh, patting his shoulder amicably, and said, "Though I was among the rocks, I noticed He Ziren giving you trouble, lifting you high. When the Demon Sound screamed, that Demon Girl was hidden in the white paper fan, launching the first Spiritual Attack on me."

"Her sudden move immobilized me for a moment, but my perception and consciousness were still there."

"I noticed that no Spirit Evil took the opportunity to leave the rock pile at that time, so you were not Possessed."

"As for how you escaped the Demon Sound's scream, I really can't figure it out. But regardless, the fact that you seized that brief opportunity and dared to decisively kill He Ziren impresses me."

"Since you are young and have the opportunity to make up for your lack of talent, I, Zhou Qingchen, am willing to accept you," he said.

The friendly Zhou Family's young master left these words and a skewer of roasted meat behind, then walked away with an air of nonchalance.

Pang Jian chewed the meat in his mouth, watching Zhou Qingchen's tall figure disappear without uttering another word.

It was only after Zhou Qingchen had completely vanished that Pang Jian let out a sigh of relief, thankful that the young master of the Zhou Family had not noticed the strange rock in his bamboo basket or taken issue with He Ziren's death.

…