Chapter 634: Chapter 634
Before the eyes of all, a terrifying massacre had erupted without warning.
The priests of Winged Serpent Village, the so-called emissaries of the Witch God, were slaughtered in an instant. Blood rained across the sky.
The mortals nearby were seized by terror. Screams echoed in every direction as people fled in panic, scrambling to escape.
Even the mortals of Winged Serpent Village had been frightened out of their wits. None dared to remain in the village.
"The priests of Winged Serpent Village have slaughtered their people to feed and raise insect gu. The Witch God is enraged. Divine punishment has fallen. From this day forward, a new emissary of the Witch God will descend..."
Qin Sang’s voice swept across the land, paving the way for Mute Girl.
He carried her to the cave dwelling of the village priests.
Mute Girl was fast asleep, her face peaceful, though it clashed starkly with the blood still smeared across her cheeks.
After laying her on the ground, Qin Sang reached out and grasped at the air. The storage artifacts of the village priests flew toward him and landed in the grass at his feet.
The items within them were of little value, nothing worthy of Qin Sang’s attention.
One artifact did contain the method Winged Serpent Village used to breed the Winged Serpent, but Qin Sang dismissed it. The creature had poor potential. He had no interest in making such a spiritual insect his life-bound gu.
Moreover, the serpent’s venom was not especially lethal. Though it required effort to raise, the return was not worth the investment.
What Qin Sang did find interesting was the divine pattern unique to Winged Serpent Village.
This power was very peculiar. It did not occupy the position of a life-bound astra like the insect gu did. Its cultivation method also differed entirely from the arts practiced by immortal cultivators.
If it did not demand too much of his time and effort, and the strength it provided was sufficient, Qin Sang was not opposed to carving some onto himself.
He had never cared much for appearances as long as it increased his power.
Qin Sang poured out the contents of the storage artifacts. At last, within the old priest’s artifact, he found a piece of beast hide inscribed with several illustrations.
One of the images matched the divine pattern on the female priestess exactly.
He searched through all the other items but found no explanations or manuals detailing the meaning of these patterns. Qin Sang picked up the beast hide and studied the markings carefully. Gradually, he began to grasp a few insights, but he was still far from understanding their true nature.
This was, after all, an entirely foreign kind of power.
Without proper guidance, even someone like Qin Sang could not expect to master it on his own.
However, he had a vague feeling that these divine patterns might serve as a channel through which the witch race absorbed the power of nature. They likely required a talent unique to their bloodline.
He was human and lacked that talent.
The technique of life-bound insect gu could still be practiced by humans, as long as they suppressed the backlash of the gu. Divine patterns were different.
As Qin Sang continued to examine the beast hide, Mute Girl let out a soft groan and awoke.
Her eyes were slightly unfocused at first, but she quickly recalled everything that had happened before she lost consciousness. Panic flared across her face, but the moment she spotted Qin Sang nearby, her heart settled.
Qin Sang pointed toward the small lake nearby. "Go wash your face. Clean the blood off." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire.net
Mute Girl walked to the water’s edge. She cupped her hands and bent down to splash her face, only to catch her reflection on the surface. Blood smeared across her features made her look like a murderous devil. She froze.
Seeing this, Qin Sang couldn’t help but remember the first time he had killed someone after arriving in this world. He had stabbed a group of mountain bandits to death, and afterward, he had looked just .
After a long while, Mute Girl lowered her face into the water, washed away the blood, then returned and silently sat down beside Qin Sang.
He noticed that her demeanor had changed.
Understandably so. She had just experienced a dramatic upheaval. She had personally killed her enemies, and not just any enemies, but the emissaries of the Witch God. There was no way she could remain the same.
"What are you thinking now?" Qin Sang asked.
Mute Girl sat with her knees hugged to her chest, as if seeking warmth. She stared at Qin Sang’s profile without blinking, then slowly shook her head.
"The cultivation world is just . Reason has no place here.
"The priests of Winged Serpent Village killed you at least for a reason. But if you run into those bloodthirsty madmen with no rules at all, they’ll slaughter you for nothing.
"These past days, you’ve already developed qi in your body. You’re a cultivator now. I don’t know if that’s good or bad for you.
"It means you’re no longer weak. You have the power to control your fate. But it also brings trouble and danger. If you want to live longer, remember today.
"Of course, decisiveness in killing is not enough. The rest, you’ll have to understand on your own.
Qin Sang took out the two Essence-Devouring Spikes and handed them to Mute Girl, teaching her how to use them. "These spikes have been modified with venom from a Black Jiao. If used correctly, they can kill a cultivator in the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm. Even a late-stage Foundation cultivator, if careless, could be severely poisoned. They should be enough to protect your life."
Mute Girl took the Essence-Devouring Spikes but did not even glance at them. She continued to stare intently at Qin Sang. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked in a quiet voice, "Big Brother, may I ask you a question?"
"What is your cultivation level?" Mute Girl asked.
"Early stage of the Core Formation Realm. I’ve only recently formed my core," Qin Sang replied without hiding anything.
"Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Core Formation..."
Mute Girl murmured to herself. The light in her eyes suddenly dimmed, and she whispered as if in a dream, "You said before, with my talent, even reaching the Foundation Building Realm will be extremely difficult, and I’ll likely never form a core..."
Qin Sang gave a short hum of acknowledgment, then shook his head. "Anything is possible in this world. But based on common reasoning, your chances of reaching the Core Formation Realm are very slim. Now that the priests of Winged Serpent Village are all dead, you are the only remaining emissary of the Witch God here. Before your cultivation advances, I’ll have Five-Insect Sect send people to assist you in managing affairs. With that and the two Essence-Devouring Spikes, no one will be able to threaten your position. When the time comes, you’ll be like a queen. Everyone will respect and fear you. You’ll wield supreme authority. Those who once bullied you can be dealt with as you wish..."
Qin Sang spoke at length, but Mute Girl showed no reaction. She kept her gaze fixed on him and asked, "You’re leaving, aren’t you? And you won’t be coming back."
Qin Sang thought for a moment, then nodded.
Mute Girl suddenly lowered her head, trying to hold back her tears. She clutched the Qingfu Coin tightly in her hand. "Can I keep this? Please don’t take it back..."
Her voice trembled with a hint of pleading and sorrow.
Qin Sang gave a helpless smile. "This Qingfu Coin only works within a certain range. I’ll be leaving the Bear Mountain region soon, so it will be useless. It’s not something valuable. If you want it, keep it."
With that, Qin Sang stood up. "I’ve taught you all I can. It’s time for me to go. I don’t know when we’ll meet again. Take care of yourself."
To his surprise, Mute Girl suddenly stood and ran in front of him. She gathered all her courage and said loudly, "Big Brother, can I refuse to be the priestess of Winged Serpent Village? I don’t want to be revered by everyone. I don’t want supreme power..."
Qin Sang looked at her in surprise. "Then what do you want?"
"I want to cultivate immortality," Mute Girl said, biting her lip. Her eyes were filled with determination as she looked straight into Qin Sang’s. "You said before, if someone wants to achieve anything in the path of immortality, they must devote themselves fully, with no distractions. Power, fine food, indulgence—I want none of it. I won’t ask for anything else, and I won’t cling to you. I just ask you to show me the right path. Tell me where I can go to cultivate like that. If I become the priestess of Winged Serpent Village, then I’ll never have that chance in my life..."
She paused, then muttered, "I’m not willing to simply accept fate."