The Old Man in Hemp Clothes lifted Sun Xiuer, and the Demon Banner suddenly overflowed with black light.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes quickly turned around, tossed Sun Xiuer aside, took out some materials and a Black Cauldron from his sleeve, beckoned with his left hand to place the materials into the cauldron, and then wrapped the Demon Banner with black Talisman Paper before putting it into the cauldron as well.
He carefully took out a Jade Bottle from his embrace and poured out a lot of black water from it. In a short while, the Black Cauldron spontaneously overflowed with black light, resembling the tentacles of a demon king.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes took out ten Golden Needles and inserted them into the acupoints on his body, chanting an Incantation, and spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto the Black Cauldron.
A fierce ghost-like roar came from inside the Black Cauldron. The Old Man in Hemp Clothes cut open his right hand, touched a few Runes, and pressed them toward the cauldron.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes inserted Golden Needles into several spots on his body, including his shoulders, legs, lower abdomen, and chest. His entire body trembled. Although the Old Man in Hemp Clothes wore a mask, Li Jun could sense the ferocious face beneath it.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes drew his blade, inflicted wounds on all ten of his fingers, and even cut off a piece of flesh from his leg to place inside the cauldron. Despite such self-mutilation, his actions showed no pause, suggesting he was performing some kind of Secret Art.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes circled the Black Cauldron once, but the black light from the cauldron did not intensify.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes clenched his fist, sliced off another piece of flesh with his blade, and stuffed it into the Black Cauldron.
At this moment, the Black Cauldron changed. The heads that had previously appeared on the Demon Banner now emerged one by one above the Black Cauldron, manifested by the Demonic Qi of the cauldron; each head symbolized a Vengeful Spirit.
Those Vengeful Spirits glared angrily at the Old Man in Hemp Clothes, but the old man remained unmoved.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes aimed his cut, bleeding right hand at these heads and poured his fresh blood onto each one. After drinking the blood, those heads became even more frenzied, and strands of Blood Mist-like Spirit Snakes emerged from them, staring at the Old Man in Hemp Clothes with intense hunger.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes was Forming Hand Seals with both hands, let out a demonic roar, and then took out the small knife flashing with red light, stabbing it down into one of the heads.
The Vengeful Spirits immediately deflated, and the Blood Mist-like Spirit Snakes turned into a stream of Blood Light, completely merging into the Black Cauldron.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes sat down cross-legged. He was extremely weak now, with blood seeping from his thigh. He bent down, sat facing the cauldron, closed his eyes, and ceased paying attention to external matters.
At this time, Sun Xiuer saw that the Old Man in Hemp Clothes was no longer attacking her, and her heart tightened. She quickly tried to move to the side, but after moving for a long time, she had only shifted a few meters.
Li Jun dared not move, but he was terrified of being noticed by the Old Man in Hemp Clothes.
The few who had moved the most actively earlier had already been silenced. He could only hope the Old Man in Hemp Clothes would think he had passed out, perhaps delaying his death.
Half an hour later, the Old Man in Hemp Clothes convulsed and trembled, enduring immense pain. The Golden Needles on his body vibrated, oozing black blood.
He was Forming Hand Seals with both hands, and a low murmur came from beneath his mask, chanting incessantly, his gaze resolute.
With a low growl, Demonic Qi permeated his entire body.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes no longer looked like a stooped elder; his body swelled like a Fierce beast in the forest. A Ghost Face appeared on his mask—he was possessed by Demonic Qi.
He looked around, beckoned with his left hand, and Li Jun and the other three were lifted before him as if by telekinesis.
He swung the red demon blade with his right hand, stabbing each person once. With every strike, the Old Man in Hemp Clothes’ body shrank slightly, as if the Demonic Qi was leaving his body through the blade, flashing away in a burst of black light over those people.
After four strikes, the Old Man in Hemp Clothes was already emaciated, and a chilling aura seeped out from within him. A bizarre Rune, black yet tinged with Blood Light, formed on his skin.
The blades pierced Li Jun and the others, and blood gushed out.
The old man did not kill Li Jun and the others instantly; he needed the resentment of those on the verge of death.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes placed them around the Black Cauldron, opened the Jade Bottle with his right hand, and several scorpions crawled onto the bodies of the four people, burrowing into the wounds. It was estimated that soon, these people would be completely eaten clean by the scorpions.
Li Jun and Sun Xiuer each took a stab.
In the terror, Li Jun fainted. Blood poured from his chest, soaking his clothes, the hemp rope, and also staining the Pinecone hanging on his chest. His last memory before closing his eyes was the bizarre Rune on the arm of the red-bladed Old Man in Hemp Clothes.
The sky was so gloomy it felt like it would collapse. The heavy dark clouds blocked out every sliver of light, and a biting cold wind howled through the Wilderness, carrying the scent of death.
The ground was a scene of carnage, with broken corpses scattered around, blood flowing like a river, and the air thick with a heavy stench.
His companions fell one by one, their bodies gnawed apart, as if hollowed out from within by some Evil Ghost; the scene resembled human Purgatory.
Raindrops began to fall lightly, dripping onto the corpses and into the Pool of Blood, splashing up tiny droplets.
This rain seemed like silent weeping from the heavens, accompanied by faint thunder in the distance, as if heaven and earth were grieving.
In this Purgatory, the Old Man in Hemp Clothes stood with a stern face, completely unmoved by the tragic sight before him. His movements were mechanical and cold, having long lost human emotion.
He slowly sat down on the ground before the Black Cauldron, continuously muttering a low, strange Incantation, like the murmuring of Departed Souls, piercing straight into people's hearts.
The Black Cauldron trembled slightly, emitting low humming sounds; something terrifying was about to rush out from within.
The Old Man in Hemp Clothes did not hesitate in the slightest. He summoned the Demon Banner and threw it into the Black Cauldron, then grasped an ancient, plain red Short Blade that radiated an ominous red glow.
He took a deep breath and slowly aimed the Short Blade at his own brow. The mask was pierced by the blade, and blood instantly streamed from his forehead.
The moment the blade tip cut open his brow, a gray light suddenly shot out from his wound, transforming into a fierce stream of light that rushed straight toward the Black Cauldron.
That light twisted and swirled in the air, carrying a bizarre power, as if the old man's entire life's Essence, Qi, and Spirit were being completely extracted.
The instant the light surged into the Black Cauldron, an even more tragic roar erupted from within, as if an imprisoned Evil Ghost was struggling, screaming at the top of its lungs.
The body of the Old Man in Hemp Clothes suddenly trembled, as if all vitality had been drained. His eyes lost their luster, and his entire body collapsed to the ground, resembling a soulless husk.
His breathing gradually grew faint.
The roaring sound inside the Black Cauldron intensified, like thousands of Departed Souls crying out together, chilling one to the bone.
Not far away, Li Jun lay in a Pool of Blood, his clothes already soaked through with blood.
His body was motionless, having fainted.
Between heaven and earth, dark clouds churned, and flashes of lightning faintly flickered across the dark canopy.
On Li Jun's chest, the Pinecone soaked with blood began to undergo a strange transformation.
Silver light strands flickered across the surface of the Pinecone, as if it had come alive. Countless tiny chains extended from its surface, appearing like fine threads from a distance, rapidly wrapping around Li Jun's entire body. These chains, like silken threads, tightly enveloped him.
The Pinecone gradually sank into the wound on Li Jun's chest, unknowingly merging with his heart...
"Li Jun, you're sleeping again!" a familiar voice suddenly interrupted everything.
Li Jun opened his eyes and found himself back in the Shuhe School, with Tutor Ding standing before him, his face full of contempt and disgust.
"Slap!" The ruler struck Li Jun's arm heavily, and pain instantly swept through his entire body.
"Ah!" Li Jun cried out in pain and quickly sat up straight.
Shan Hetian, standing nearby, was looking at Li Jun with a malicious smile, his eyes flashing with mischief.
"Tutor, I was too sleepy. Doing Farm Work yesterday was too tiring..." Li Jun quickly made an excuse.
Tutor Ding sneered, his eyes full of disdain: "Hmph, Farm Work? Lowly Farm Work will only make you a low-class person your entire life! Only through study can you leave this great mountain. If you do Farm Work, you will be a useless person with no future, just like your father."
Li Jun pursed his lips, enduring the humiliation in his heart. He turned his head and saw Shan Hetian secretly making a Ghost Face behind Tutor Ding, clearly mocking him on purpose.
Li Jun secretly vowed that after class, he would definitely teach Shan Hetian a lesson, and he would drag him out no matter which corner of the Lotus Pond he hid in.
Suddenly, a strange thought flashed through Li Jun's mind: "Shan Hetian? Lotus Pond? No! Shan Hetian is not from Song Village at all; how is he in the Shuhe School?"
He suddenly looked up, staring intently at Shan Hetian, finding him increasingly strange the more he looked.