While Han Li was still lost in thought, the black-faced elder continued speaking at length: "...We have no way of learning the true cultivation level of the Black Fiend Sect's Master. Moreover, he has close protectors like the Four Great Blood Servants we encountered today. With just us lot, we're no match for him at all. That's why I suggest the Senior stop provoking them deliberately. We'd be better off waiting for reinforcements..."
"Rest assured. The Black Fiend Sect Master is at most at late Foundation Establishment. He's definitely not a Core Formation cultivator."
Han Li, who had been listening to the elder's words all along, suddenly spoke up and cut him off, his tone utterly certain.
The moment these words left Han Li's mouth, the black-faced elder was stunned for a beat before breaking into a broad smile. The others likewise showed expressions of immense relief.
They had no idea why Han Li was so confident, but since this Senior Han said so, it was almost certainly correct. Just moments ago, the lot of them had been discussing the possibility that the enemy might be a Core Formation cultivator — if that were the case, they would have had no choice but to flee for their lives. Even if the Seven Sects sent reinforcements, they might not be able to do anything about the Black Fiend Sect Master.
Now, with Han Li's reassurance, the Four Friends of Mengshan naturally felt their hearts settle completely.
"Could the Senior explain a bit more? The Steward Wang we interrogated didn't know a single thing about the Black Fiend Sect Master's cultivation!" The young man, who had recovered a good deal from the Fifth Sister's scolding, spoke up, wanting to get to the bottom of it.
"Fourth Brother, what kind of talk is that? If Senior Han says so, he must be absolutely certain." The black-faced elder's expression darkened as he sharply rebuked the young man.
Han Li heard what they said, and a faint smile crossed his face. He spoke in a calm, unhurried tone: "There's no secret to keep here. I deduced this from the fact that the Sect Master still needs Foundation Establishment cultivators for his blood sacrifices."
His voice was measured as he explained in slow, deliberate fashion: "Although our Yellow Maple Valley doesn't have much involvement with Demonic Path techniques, we do have a certain understanding of blood sacrifice — that foul method of pulling a plant to make it grow faster. This demonic art of absorbing the vital blood and cultivation of other cultivators to boost one's own power was once a common sight among the Demonic factions. It could dramatically increase a cultivator's magical power in a very short time, cutting out most of the bitter hours spent in meditation. So there was a period in the cultivation world when not just Demonic Path cultivators, but even many in the righteous factions secretly practiced this kind of technique."
At this point, Han Li let out a cold laugh, a hint of mockery appearing at the corner of his lips before he continued: "But this insane method of cultivation not only requires the ruthlessness to slaughter large numbers of other cultivators — its flaws are equally fatal. Not only does it only work below the Foundation Establishment stage, but once a practitioner performs a blood sacrifice, they are doomed never to achieve Core Formation for the rest of their lives, forever trapped wandering within the Foundation Establishment realm. Back then, of all the cultivators who secretly practiced the blood sacrifice demonic art, not a single one ever succeeded in forming a core."
"Worse still, absorbing another's magical power through blood sacrifice frequently triggers a backlash, and one careless moment leads to qi deviation and death. Of course, the main reason this technique faded into obscurity was that the act of devouring others' vital blood was far too abhorrent to other cultivators. Every person who knew this demonic art was gradually hunted down and wiped out by both the righteous and demonic factions."
"However, I've heard that the Demonic Path couldn't bear to give up such a rapid means of boosting their cultivation, so they developed another method also called blood sacrifice. But this one no longer involved directly devouring others' vital blood — instead, it targeted the soul and primordial spirit of cultivators. The cultivation boost isn't as swift as the original blood sacrifice, but it avoids the dangers of being unable to achieve Core Formation or suffering a backlash. This variation is also known as soul sacrifice. Our sect's records mention very little about soul sacrifice — only that from the moment it was created, it was kept tightly in the hands of a select few high-ranking Demonic Path figures, never allowed to spread widely, which prevented the cultivation world from launching a full purge against it. And from what I hear, there are quite a few other restrictions as well."
Han Li rattled off all these secrets about blood sacrifice in a single breath, completely broadening the horizons of the Four Friends of Mengshan, who were mere rogue cultivators. It also made them understand why Han Li was so certain the Black Fiend Sect Master was only at the Foundation Establishment level. It was clear that the blood sacrifice method the Black Fiend Sect used was precisely the first kind.
"We've already gotten a rough picture of the Black Fiend Sect's situation, but that bald giant escaped back to them. The Black Fiend Sect will surely learn about us by now. What if they abandon their lair and flee? If that happens, they'd shift from the open to the shadows, and that would be very bad for us." The second brother among them suddenly thought of something and voiced his concern.
"They won't. The Black Fiend Sect won't be fleeing anytime soon. I learned from that Young Prince that the Sect Master is currently in a critical phase of secluded cultivation. He needs to use a yin-nexus location within the Imperial Palace to complete it. Apparently, he's been preparing for this cultivation attempt for several years and won't abandon it halfway. Most likely they're bolstering their forces and tightening their defenses against us." Han Li's tone carried a note of mockery toward the Black Fiend Sect.
Hearing this, the Four Friends of Mengshan felt their spirits lift, a faint look of excitement crossing their faces.
"Senior, then what should we do next...?" The black-faced elder, having calmed down, asked cautiously.
"For now, we don't need to do anything. Just wait quietly for reinforcements. They know what we look like, but they don't know where we're hiding. Besides, the person in charge of the Yue Capital is one of the two prisoners in our hands. The Black Fiend Sect won't be able to send any capable people after us even if they wanted to. That said, everyone should still be careful. Don't go outside for the time time being — just stay in the estate and rest well. When the reinforcements arrive, we'll make our plans then." Han Li raised one hand and rubbed the tip of his nose, the corner of his mouth curving upward slightly, both eyes narrowing into thin slits.
The half-smile on Han Li's face left everyone else in the room utterly bewildered, completely unable to make sense of it.
...