Cultivating for Immorality: I Evolved Martial Arts into the Immortal Path – Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Deep Hatred, Stopping Killing with Killing

In the banquet hall, guests from all sides took their seats in order.

At the highest point, the seats for the four noble families from the prefectural city were empty, with no one present.

Everyone had expected this. The four noble families came this time mostly to train their younger generation disciples and had no interest in the discussion.

In their eyes, three demon heart fruits were not a big deal and not worth paying too much attention to. So what if there were a few more mid-rank great demons?

In the endless mountains of the southwest, there were many great demons of this level. A few more or a few less made no difference.

Below the four noble families were the seats for Qi Cang and many Skin Tempering Realm experts.

“Those seven are indeed powerful figures of the Skin Tempering Realm!”

Someone recognized the seven people who had entered the city earlier today riding demon horses.

They were dressed in the black robes of the Prefectural City Martial Alliance, their eyes deep, their aura extraordinary. They sat behind their tables, with delicacies and fine wine laid out before them.

The four Skin Tempering Realm experts from the county town were all present.

Qi Cang, the host of the banquet, was dressed in ordinary cloth clothes, looking unremarkable.

The Black Market Master remained mysterious, wearing a black mask on his face.

The Qin Family Head was a refined middle-aged man dressed in a long gown, with regular features and a fair complexion, looking like a well-read scholar.

The Skin Tempering Realm expert from the county government was somewhat special. He looked young but had a head full of white hair. He wore a black magistrate’s pen at his waist and carried a blood-colored long sword on his back, giving off an indescribable sense of incongruity.

“That person works as the Head Clerk in the county government, and his title is ‘Blood Sword Scholar’.”

Song Zhong lowered his voice and introduced him to Chu Liang: “It is said that he was originally a scholar, focused solely on passing the imperial examinations, but later his whole family was killed by mountain bandits. He was so grieved that his hair turned white overnight… After that, he abandoned literature for martial arts, and with extraordinary talent, he condensed five strands of Qi and Blood in less than ten years. He didn’t accumulate further and forcefully broke through to the Skin Tempering Realm. Then he went into the mountains to seek revenge, wiping out nine mountain bandit forces within half a year.”

“He forcefully broke through without accumulating Qi and Blood? Truly impressive.”

Chu Liang was slightly surprised. He had heard of this Skin Tempering Realm expert from the county government before, but this was the first time he had seen him.

There were seven Skin Tempering Realm experts from the Prefectural City Martial Alliance, plus the four from the county town, making a total of eleven.

In addition, there were fourteen other Skin Tempering Realm experts, all from other forces in the prefectural city.

Chu Liang saw the symbol of the Blue Flower Merchant Guild. Two of them were wearing the robes of the Blue Flower Merchant Guild, but he didn’t recognize the others.

Song Zhong whispered, “A total of twenty-five Skin Tempering Realm experts. It seems we should be safe this time.”

“Yes.”

Chu Liang was thoughtful. The demon race only had seven low-rank great demons fighting for the demon heart fruits, while the human race had a full twenty-five Skin Tempering Realm experts.

Three or four people working together should be able to defeat a low-rank great demon without much difficulty.

As long as there are no surprises, victory is assured!

Besides the Skin Tempering Realm experts, many Blood Coagulation Realm martial artists from various forces in the prefectural city had also come, far more than those from the county town.

“There are countless treasures in the deep mountains. Those Skin Tempering Realm experts are responsible for dealing with the ranked great demons, while ordinary martial artists are responsible for dealing with the small demons and collecting the rare treasures in the mountains.”

“There are so many martial artists from the prefectural city. If any treasures appear, I’m afraid we won’t be able to compete with them.”

The martial artists from the three major martial arts halls and other forces in the county town couldn’t help but worry.

Even the Qin family disciples frowned.

“It is said that treasures go to those who are fated to have them, but if your strength is insufficient, what good is fate?”

“Alas, let’s see how our luck goes.”

“We martial artists from the county town should unite and put aside our usual conflicts and disputes. After this matter is over, if we are all still alive, we can slowly fight it out later.”

The martial artists from the county town were seated closer together, whispering and discussing among themselves.

The martial artists from the three major martial arts halls naturally grouped together. They didn’t need to say much, as they were mostly familiar with each other and knew each other’s character well enough.

Martial artists from other smaller martial arts halls also grouped together.

Some people also turned their attention to the Qin family.

The Qin family disciples were the most united in the county town. They were all quite strong and skilled in battle formations. Even if they encountered those forces from the prefectural city, they might not necessarily be at a disadvantage.

Many independent martial artists present knew their own strength was average. If they could follow the Qin family and pick up some scraps that the Qin family didn’t want, that would be good enough.

In comparison, the martial artists from the prefectural city were much more composed.

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When they looked at the martial artists from the county town, there was a hint of arrogance in their eyes.

“There are hardly any decent figures in this Anping County Town.”

“This place is lacking in resources. After we finish this business, let’s leave quickly and not stay here long.”

In terms of strength, given the same level of Qi and Blood, martial artists from the prefectural city were often stronger than those from the county town. This was because they had access to more types of cultivation techniques, martial skills, and pills in the prefectural city. Their teachers were stronger, and their horizons were broader.

Only when they looked at the Qin family disciples did these martial artists from the prefectural city show more respect.

The Qin family was the only truly influential force in the entire county.

The Black Market was just a branch of the underground forces of the entire Great Liang Dynasty, and the county government and the Martial Alliance both worked for the imperial court, so they were not considered independent forces.

And all the other forces in the county town were insignificant.

“Sorry to have kept you all waiting.”

Qi Cang, the host of the banquet, spoke, his voice full of vicissitudes.

He raised his white jade wine cup and said to everyone, “Everyone already knows the matter to be discussed at today’s banquet. The demon race and our human race have always been at odds, frequently killing our people. The resentment between the two races has accumulated for a long time. This battle can only be resolved with blood for blood, stopping killing with killing. I wish everyone good fortune in battle. Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Everyone stood up and raised their cups in a toast.

The wine went down, strong and fiery, instantly dispelling the winter chill and making the blood boil.

The banquet officially began, and the atmosphere became lively.

This year’s Lantern Festival Banquet was much grander than in previous years. Many of the delicacies and fine wines were rare, and ordinary martial artists rarely had the chance to taste them.

Everyone toasted each other, talking and laughing, discussing the past and the future.

“Eat! Eat your fill!”

Ye Long, without any pretense, said to the disciples of his martial arts hall, “The decisions are made by those Skin Tempering Realm experts. We’re just here to make up the numbers. Eat up, or else it’s a wasted trip!”

The disciples of the Dragon and Snake Martial Arts Hall nodded, grabbing their chopsticks and devouring the food like a pack of hungry beggars.

Nearby, the disciples of the Boulder Martial Arts Hall were equally unrestrained.

They wolfed down their food, sweeping through it like a whirlwind, their eating manners particularly exaggerated.

The dishes were made with precious medicinal herbs and demon beast meat, and the wine also contained a large amount of medicinal essence, which was very beneficial to the body. The more you ate, the better.

This only happened once a year, and it was free. Not eating would be a waste!

“Chu Liang, you eat too!” Ye Long directly picked up a roasted demon lamb and placed it in front of Chu Liang.

“Hall Master Ye, I can’t eat this much.” Chu Liang repeatedly waved his hands.

“Why can’t you? Show some manly spirit!”

“……”

Chu Liang reluctantly cut off a roasted lamb leg and placed it on his plate, slowly cutting and eating it with a small knife.

At this moment, a familiar laugh came: “Brother Chu, is your appetite not good today? Why are you eating so little?”

“Brother Qi?” Chu Liang looked up. “I haven’t seen you in the past few days. Did you go to see your master?”

“No.”

Qi Xiuliang walked over, looking mysterious. He dragged a short stool and sat down beside Chu Liang.

He lowered his voice and said to Chu Liang, “Brother Chu, do you know who my master is?”