I think people like them deserve to be struck down by lightning long ago; they have absolutely no regard for human life.
In truth, even righteous cultivators don't value the lives of ordinary mortals. The little mirror bluntly revealed the truth.
Fang Ruotang paused for a moment
She respected life, but because she was born a noblewoman from the Prime Minister's mansion, she did not treat her servants as equals.
The situation is even worse on the Cloud Deep Continent.
To put it bluntly, cultivators and mortals are two different kinds of people. Ordinary mortals only have a few decades of life, while for cultivators, those few decades might just be a single period of seclusion.
Therefore, how could a cultivator possibly regard ordinary mortals as one of their own?
"...Anyway, killing for personal gain is definitely wrong. Such a person is not worthy of cultivation, much less worthy of ascension." Fang Ruotang muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Your Excellency is right. He is currently sitting cross-legged at the center of the formation, absorbing the life essence of the people of this county. Shouldn't you go and stop him immediately?"
[Nonsense, just give me directions.]
Fang Ruotang panicked immediately. Following the directions in the small mirror, she could only spin around in circles and couldn't find her way out of the street.
What happened?
[There is a formation here; my lord, you must break this illusionary formation.]
Fang Ruotang: ...
Why didn't you say so earlier? I was just wandering around like a headless chicken, completely lost.
I thought adults could overcome any obstacle with sheer force.
【Huh?】
Fang Ruotang was suddenly awakened by the small mirror.
If she were to break the formation now, she would need the small mirror to provide the formation details, study them, and only then break the formation. Even if she were incredibly skilled, it would still take some time.
Instead of using her own power, Fang Ruotang decided to break through the formation in one go and did exactly what she thought of.
He drew his Swift Sword and shouted something in a particularly childish way.
"Take this sword."
Huo Zhige's expression changed drastically; he wanted to stop it, but it was too late.
The street, which had been like a maze, suddenly became a clear and straight road. At the end of the road, a gray-haired Taoist priest stared at them with sinister eyes, and then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Fang Ruotang swayed slightly, her lips turning pale.
Huo Zhige hugged her tightly and asked with concern, "How are you? Where does it hurt? Do you want to rest for a while?"
As he spoke, Huo Zhige had already stuffed a elixir into Fang Ruotang's mouth.
The elixir melted instantly upon entering her mouth. Fang Ruotang was drinking sugar water, and after finishing, she smacked her lips before answering Huo Zhige's question.
"It's nothing, I'll be fine after a while. It just feels like my mana bar has been completely cleared out."
Fang Ruotang has stopped reading novels and started playing games instead.
She felt that this description perfectly captured her current state, and Huo Zhige understood what she meant, since playing games always requires teammates.
All six men were her teammates, but in the games she usually played, it was a five-person team, so often two people couldn't get a spot.
Huo Zhige immediately helped Fang Ruotang sit down, then took out spirit stones to set up an array around her, muttering, "You absorb spiritual energy first and recover, then leave the rest to me."
After setting up the spirit-gathering array and a protective barrier around it, Huo Zhige looked at the old Taoist priest, whose face was also ashen and who seemed to be on his deathbed.
As Fang Ruotang sat cross-legged, absorbing spiritual energy, she glanced at the old Taoist priest in front of her and couldn't help but complain to the little mirror.
[With such an ugly appearance, no wonder he became a heretical cultivator; he doesn't look like a decent person at all.]
"The saying 'your appearance reflects your heart' sometimes makes a lot of sense," the little mirror chimed in.
One person and one tool, judging by the old Taoist's appearance, made no less than ten sarcastic remarks, until Fang Ruotang couldn't bear it and looked away.
[I'm not watching anymore, it's an eyesore. That mole below his nose looks more and more like a booger. He really is the ugliest person I've seen since I came to the Cloud Deep Continent.]
That's right.
The little mirror loudly echoed, but did not expose Fang Ruotang.
She said that to every enemy.
[Little mirror, what should I do now?]
Huo Zhige walked up to the old Taoist priest, but did not act impulsively just because he seemed powerless to resist.
Huo Zhige has been in the Cloud Deep Continent for so long, yet he still doesn't fully understand the system of this world. He hasn't even figured out the righteous path, let alone the evil and crooked ways.
Look at the lady! She only wants to eliminate the scourge; killing this old Taoist priest and destroying the flesh-and-blood altar would suffice. But if she wants to save the people of the county, that will be a bit difficult.
Are you talking nonsense? If it can save lives, of course I'll save them! Difficulties are nothing to fear, as long as there's a way.
While absorbing spiritual energy, Fang Ruotang couldn't help but scold the little mirror.
"My lord, look closely at his body. Each of the thinnest red threads, like the tip of a hair, actually binds a person to its opposite side. Those red threads aren't actually red threads; they are the life essence of the people of the county. Once their life essence is drained, he will extract their souls. If they cannot be retrieved in time, the sacrificed person will become a mindless shell, ultimately leaving behind the most powerful corpse puppet in the process of mutual devouring."
Fang Ruotang frowned, showing little patience.
Don't tell me any of this now. Just tell me what I should do? Should I sever these bloodlines, or try to retrieve their souls?
The bloodline cannot be severed rashly; otherwise, those people may suffer long-term consequences, ending up mentally impaired for life.
Fang Ruotang pursed her lips, her impatience growing more pronounced. Fortunately, Xiao Jingzi knew where her bottom line was and immediately gave her an answer.
[If the body is intact, an adult can reclaim the soul, stuff it back into the body, and then retrieve the essence and blood to re-infuse it into the body. Even so, they will be weak for a period of time and lose several years of lifespan.]
[Several years?]
Yes, it's irreversible. After all, they are just mortals. After all that suffering, it's already a miracle they survived.
Fang Ruotang's tightly furrowed brows did not relax, but she did not dawdle. She directly had the little mirror teach her the incantation, and then used a sound transmission talisman to notify Chu Yangyang to lead her disciples into the county.
"So you've also set your sights on this place? I'll give it to you." The Taoist priest said, trying to attract Huo Zhige's attention while secretly chanting incantations.
Huo Zhige, a general who grew up on the frontier, had at least eight hundred or a thousand prisoners under his command, and countless enemies who had feigned surrender.
He didn't relax for a moment, so when the Taoist made any unusual movements, he threw an attack talisman first, which made the Taoist vomit a mouthful of blood.
"You little brat..."
Huo Zhige remained expressionless and launched another attack talisman at the Taoist priest.
He was even considering giving up sword cultivation and switching to magic cultivation or talisman mastery, so he wouldn't have to personally go up and fight, but could just stand behind and throw talismans to deliver critical hits.
"metropolitan……"
Chu Yangyang led her disciples over.
A group of people were talking all at once, like a flock of ducklings.
Fang Ruotang immediately ordered, "Go, bring all the people in the county here. I want to use magic to return all the blood essence that the old Taoist priest devoured."
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