191: Chapter 191 Holy Blood Cult!

...

After a round of purging, the Lin Family fell completely under Ancestor Cang Ya's control.

The opposing voices within the Family were completely uprooted, and those who remained were all opportunists who sailed with the wind. Ancestor Cang Ya promoted a group of young Disciples and deacons, generously bestowing resources upon them to quickly stabilize the situation.

At this, everyone in the Lin Family was overjoyed.

This gave many young descendants a path upward, and with First Elder Lin Changhai dead, Ancestor Lin Changsong became the only Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the Family.

Naturally, there was absolutely no dispute about this within the Family.

Immediately following that, the Lin Family announced a decision that was enough to shake Luoye County:

Recruiting matrilocal sons-in-law!

Regardless of background or Aptitude, as long as one married into the Lin Family, they would receive a stipend as well as an independent Immortal Cave.

For those Loose Cultivators struggling at the bottom, destitute and miserable, this was undoubtedly a windfall from heaven, and they all eagerly rubbed their hands in anticipation.

Moreover, the women of the Lin Family were all beautiful; if one could marry in,

for a Loose Cultivator, it would truly save them thirty years of detours, while the Lin Family could also use this Opportunity to expand their Family's numbers...

and also take the Opportunity to fill the void left by the absence of First Elder Lin Changhai's lineage.

And among the Loose Cultivators, the selection was naturally based on merit.

Among them was a Loose Cultivator named Protector Li Tie, at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, with a four-attribute impure Spiritual Root.

Nearly forty years old, he still made a living by setting up a stall in the market to sell low-grade Talismans. Because he could not afford the rent for an Immortal Cave or buy Breakthrough Medicinal Pills, his path of Dao had long been severed.

Now, hearing that the Lin Family was recruiting sons-in-law, Protector Li Tie gritted his teeth and signed up.

After rounds of screening, he was miraculously selected.

On the wedding night, the red candles flickered.

Protector Li Tie sat on the edge of the bed with an uneasy heart. He was not marrying a direct descendant of the Lin Family, but a daughter of a collateral branch.

But her appearance was quite good. A member of a cultivation Family whom he could never have hoped to associate with in the past was now about to be ridden beneath him.

Just thinking of this scenario of an old cow eating an Immortal Plant made him incredibly excited!

However, the door was pushed open.

The one who entered was not the bride, but the Lin Family Ancestor, Ancestor Lin Changsong.

"Protector Li Tie, this old man has investigated your background."

"Your background is clean, and you are hardworking and resilient." Ancestor Cang Ya walked over to the table, sat down, and poured two cups of wine for himself. "The Lin Family does not support idle people. Since you have married in, you must serve the Family."

Protector Li Tie hurriedly knelt to show his loyalty: "I am willing to serve the Old Ancestor like a dog or a horse!"

"Good."

Ancestor Cang Ya handed over a cup of wine: "Drink this wine, and this old man will impart a secret technique to you, guaranteeing that you will Breakthrough to the Late Stage of Qi Refining within a year, and have hope of reaching Foundation Establishment within five years!"

Protector Li Tie took the cup with both hands. The liquid in the cup was not clear wine, but a thick, dark red substance emitting a strange, metallic sweet aroma.

It was diluted "Holy Blood."

Without hesitation, Protector Li Tie threw his head back and drank it all.

As the liquid entered his throat, it felt like a raging fire burning his body. A scorching sensation traveled through his entire body's Meridians, and his internal organs were torn apart and reconstructed.

"Ah—!"

Protector Li Tie fell to the ground, rolling in agony. Strands of black mud seeped from his skin, a sign that the Impurities in his body were being forcibly expelled.

The pain lasted for a full hour.

When Protector Li Tie stood up again, he discovered to his horror that his cultivation, which had been stagnant for many years, had actually been forcefully raised by a notch, leaving him only a hair's breadth away from the sixth layer of Qi Refining...

His Physical Body was filled with explosive power; when he threw a punch, the air faintly rumbled.

"Thank you, Old Ancestor, for granting me this Opportunity!"

Protector Li Tie was ecstatic and kowtowed once more.

Ancestor Cang Ya tossed him a Jade Slip: "This is the Marrow Cleansing and Saint Transformation Art. Cultivate it diligently. On the first day of every month, come to this old man to receive the 'Holy Medicine.' If you dare to slack off, your Meridians will snap, and you will die."

Protector Li Tie hastily agreed.

Over the next few months, Protector Li Tie completely degenerated.

The cultivation progress of the holy art was extremely fast. Combined with a large amount of blood food, his cultivation advanced like a hot knife through butter, but with it came an extreme craving for the "Holy Blood."

At the end of each month, if he did not consume the Holy Blood,

it would feel as if ten thousand ants were gnawing at his heart, causing unbearable pain. That addiction was deeply rooted in the depths of his Divine Soul and could not be eradicated.

Not only Protector Li Tie, but the twenty-odd matrilocal sons-in-law recruited by the Lin Family all met the same fate.

From their initial resistance and doubt to experiencing the pleasure of growing power, they eventually became complete slaves to the Holy Blood.

Their personalities became irritable and bloodthirsty, and their style of conduct drifted further and further away from that of Righteous Path Cultivators, becoming quite extreme...

A few of them even grew sparse beast fur on their skin during cultivation, and their bones mutated, showing signs of demonization.

Ancestor Cang Ya had long anticipated this. He ordered Bi Luo to open up a hidden spiritual land in the back mountain, gathering and monitoring all these mutated Cultivators under the pretext of secluded bitter cultivation.

The seeds of corruption had already taken root and sprouted in Luoye County.

Nourished by the Holy Blood, this group of abandoned bottom-tier Loose Cultivators was transforming into a pack of monster-men who knew only slaughter and absolute loyalty.

And this was merely the first step.

...

Beneath the Lin Family, deep within a dark iron mineral vein that had been abandoned for many years.

It was cold and damp, never seeing the light of day all year round.

Now, this place had been completely remodeled.

In the center of the mine shaft, a massive blood pool measuring ten Zhang square had been excavated.

The pool water boiled, bubbles churning, and a strong, bloody stench mixed with medicinal fragrance, making one feel nauseous yet leaving some utterly infatuated.

Surrounding the blood pool stood eight thick stone pillars.

The pillars were carved with intricate Yao Race totems.

Bi Luo wore a bronze mask and a blood-colored robe, sitting high upon a raised platform.

Below the platform, over thirty Cultivators knelt in worship; they were all Loose Cultivators recruited by the Lin Family, along with some brainwashed Lin Family descendants.

"Drink the Holy Blood, shed your mortal shell!"

"Discard the false Dao, seek the true self!"

Bi Luo's deep voice echoed in the empty mine shaft, carrying a certain bewitching magic that enticed the crowd.

"We are willing to go through fire and water for the Holy Sect!"

The believers below shouted in unison, their eyes fanatical, their pupils gleaming with crimson.

This was the prototype of the "Holy Blood Sect."

Ancestor Cang Ya operated in the light, controlling the Lin Family's industries to amass wealth, purchasing blood food and Spirit Medicine to provide cover and resources for the Holy Sect.

Bi Luo operated in the dark, acting as the cult leader, continuously absorbing desperate Cultivators and firmly controlling them with the Holy Blood and Cultivation Techniques.

The doctrine was very simple: the Righteous Path was hypocritical, viewing bottom-tier Cultivators as mere grass; only the Holy Sect bestowed power, breaking the barriers of Aptitude.

Using the incitement of the bottom-tier Cultivators' hatred toward hereditary immortal sects as their Foundation, they tamed the crowd, making them feel the injustice of this world!

The doctrine further proclaimed that everyone was equal and everyone was like a Dragon, urging them to resist the oppression of the great immortal clans and restore a bright, clear sky to this world.

This simple and crude philosophy held a fatal attraction for those heavily bullied Loose Cultivators.

This reshaping of spirit and perspective truly gave the entire sect some flavor of a holy sect. Coupled with the mental distortion brought by the Cultivation Techniques, it also shaped a group of devout believers!

They took the overthrow of this world as their own responsibility!

...