"Master once said, 'The heavier the color of the tribulation aura, the more perilous the tribulation. But after crossing the tribulation, the greater the gain, and the shorter the time spent to achieve the Blood-Stained Realm.'"

Scanning the tribulation aura on his body with the Observing Qi Skill, Qi Xiu's brow relaxed.

I'm not even sure if this grey-yellow tribulation aura is considered heavy.

The tribulation aura is an energy that extends from the destined tribulations in the unknown, which ordinary cultivators cannot see. Only Dao Experts with special Dharma Gates for observation can distinguish them somewhat. Qi Xiu, an Initiate Realm cultivator, could glimpse the color of the tribulation aura on his body only because of such a wondrous Dharma Gate as the Observing Qi Skill.

While observing the tribulation aura, Qi Xiu instantly arrived above a bustling and lively county town. Newly renovated, colorful buildings and ancient, exquisite palaces, mansions, and temples were scattered throughout the county. On the streets of the county, every face in sight was a woman's. It was as if any trace of men had been completely erased here.

A kingdom of women?

Slowly scanning the county transformed by the Golden Flower Maternal Sect, Qi Xiu's eyes flickered. The county was not small, but nearly half of it was occupied by temples of various sizes. On every street and alley, one could see followers wearing the robes of the Golden Flower Sect, each holding a flowered staff, chanting obscure scriptures, continuously roaming. And as time passed, the flowered staffs, which had been empty, unknowingly bloomed with dazzling, enchanting golden flowers.

These flowered staffs look like Magic Artifacts...

Narrowing his eyes and activating the Observing Qi Skill, Qi Xiu looked towards the flower staves held by these followers of the Golden Flower Sect. In the special field of vision where black and white intertwined, pairs of white, lotus-root-like, slender, and delicate arms were clearly swaying on these staffs—eerie and grim, exuding an evil air. Every time they passed a pedestrian, these arms would reach into their chests and snatch out wisps of golden halos. It was these golden halos that spawned those golden flowers.

"These arms are forcibly seizing the souls of the living."

With a tight frown, Qi Xiu's gaze grew solemn. It seems that outsiders have underestimated the malevolence of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect. It was originally thought that they were roping in the living to spread their teachings and extract the power of faith. But now it appeared they were doing something even more excessive. Faith is a derivative of the soul's intent. The Golden Flower Maternal Sect clearly was no longer satisfied with merely collecting the power of faith; they had begun to forcibly plunder the souls of the living. This practice was even more unforgivable than Demons eating humans. After all, those killed by Demons could still have their souls reincarnate normally. But the living under the domain of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect would gradually be drained of all their Divine Soul Force and eventually perish without a trace, without even a chance to reincarnate.

"That's not right. The 'Myriad Foster Origin True Scripture' doesn't have any Dharma Gates for cultivating the soul, nor does it have any means of utilizing the soul. Why are they collecting so much Divine Soul Force?"

During his time at the Shenxiao Sect, Qi Xiu had seen some records about the 'Myriad Foster Origin True Scripture' in a rare book. This Demonic Path True Scripture originated from a small sect known as the All-Things Dao. This sect thrived in the Near Ancient Era and at its peak had over a thousand followers, but it didn't last long. In just three to five hundred years, it was eradicated by a great, wandering Sword Cultivator with a single sword strike. And the 'Myriad Foster Origin True Scripture' disappeared for a long time with the destruction of the All-Things Dao, until the appearance of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect. This scroll of Demonic Path True Scripture then re-emerged in the Cultivation Realm.

Qi Xiu's eyes moved slightly as he rolled up his sleeves, contemplating deeply. Unofficial histories rumored that the rise of the All-Things Dao was very sudden. During the Near Ancient Era, a time of extremely severe crackdowns on Demonic Evil Cultivators, the All-Things Dao still managed to secretly amass over a thousand followers. If not for the terrible luck of having their Mountain Gate accidentally discovered by that great, wandering Sword Cultivator, they might have even nurtured a Dao Expert.

At the end of this unofficial historical account, it was noted, "All-Things Dao, suspected of having connections with an Outer Realm Evil God."

"Outer Realm Evil God..."

As Qi Xiu pondered whether the Golden Flower Maternal Sect also had ties with an Outer Realm Evil God, he suddenly saw on the distant horizon a dark, demonic cloud, hundreds of miles long, reeking foully and wreathed in bloody qi, surging aggressively towards them. Within the tumbling, rolling black fog, hundreds of deformed, mutated Demonic Evil Cultivators bared their fangs and twisted their mouths in grotesque smiles, their eyes red as blood, filled with primal desires.

This could work.

Qi Xiu's expression shifted ever so slightly. He had been worrying about how to blend into this town of all women, and these Demonic Evil Cultivators arrived just in time. With a thought, Qi Xiu formed a spell with his hands, and the Black Water True Skill was activated to its limits, transforming into a nearly imperceptible thread of water that shot straight towards the group of Demonic Evil Cultivators.

His Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body had absorbed the Divine Marvel within the Ten Thousand Dragons Well Water. His mastery of the Black Water True Skill was on the verge of breaking through to the third realm, and the efficacy of the Dharma Gates contained within it had also grown stronger.

"All of you, quiet down! This time, keep it together, don't lose control and devour indiscriminately. These living beings are for breeding. The higher-ups have already made it clear—whoever dares to feed recklessly will be the one eaten. Understood?"

At the forefront of the monstrous cloud, a hulking Sheep Demon, with a physique as large as a hill, covered in tumorous growths and topped with a pair of towering black horns, barked orders at the group of Demonic Evil Cultivators, his sharp teeth bared in a chilling warning.

"Understood!"

"Yes, yes, understood!"

"What exactly do you understand?"

"What's it to you what I understand?"

"Hey, who are you?"

Gazing at the black-robed Daoist beside her, whose aura was cold and whose complexion was pale, a Fox Demon wearing a human skin scarf around her neck questioned with suspicious, dim yellow eyes.

With a flick of his finger, a drop of Intoxicating Dew entered the Fox Demon's mouth. Qi Xiu's mouth curled into a smirk, "I'm called the White Bone Daoist. We came here together, remember?"

The Fox Demon, only recently having reached the Initiate Realm and with frail Cultivation, couldn't withstand the potency of the Intoxicating Dew and hazily nodded, "Oh, White Bone Daoist, right, we came here together."

Having successfully infiltrated the group of Demonic Evil Cultivators, Qi Xiu headed toward the county town before them.

As they neared the county town, more than a dozen beams of golden light shot upwards. About a dozen Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples, riding their Escape Lights, greeted the leading Sheep Demon with smiles, saying, "Envoy, you've arrived early! We thought you wouldn't be here until next month."

Licking his lips with a sticky yellow tongue, the Sheep Demon waved his hand, his body full of tumors quivering as he moved. "The higher-ups said the quantity you sent last month wasn't enough. This month, it needs to be double. Prepare quickly. I've brought many of my brethren; it would be best if we could take them today."

"Double?" Hearing the Sheep Demon's demand, the leading Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciple showed a hint of difficulty, but his smile quickly returned. "Very well, very well. Envoy, please enter the city and rest your feet first."

A horde of Demonic Evil Cultivators, riding on clouds of demonic mist and fiendish clouds, surged into the county town. Yet, the living people in the town, upon seeing these ferocious-looking, terrifyingly evil Demons, showed no fear at all, still going about their own business as if such sights were commonplace.

"Envoy, you've traveled such a long way and must be tired," the leading Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciple said with a broad smile, then added in a low voice, "I've prepared food at my residence. Let's go rest first; official matters can wait. They're all freshly delivered goods, not even a month old yet, still tender."

Upon hearing this, the Sheep Demon, who had intended to refuse, gulped down his words. Thick, foul saliva uncontrollably leaked from between his teeth. "Since that's the case, then... SLURP, let's rest first. Hurry, lead the way. And you lot, stay in the town, don't wander off. Remember what I just ordered!"

Leaving behind these words, the Sheep Demon impatiently pushed and shoved the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciple as they departed.

"PAH! What rubbish! He's off to enjoy the good life while we're left here to whistle in the wind, damn it all!"

"Sigh, so many people, I really want to eat."

"Eat what? Didn't you hear what he said just now? Anyone who dares to eat will be eaten. Do you want to be eaten?"

"Hey, he said we're not allowed to eat, but he didn't say anything about not playing. This city full of women... HEHEHE..."

"Frickin' genius! If we can't eat, playing around should be fine, right?"

Quickly coming to an agreement, several quick-witted Demonic Cultivators, lust shining in their eyes, quietly left the group to take advantage of the situation and have some "fun," intending to keep things from escalating. Little did they know that as soon as they left, a dark shadow quietly trailed after them.

Moments later, Qi Xiu, wielding the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner, calmly walked out of the alley. Several White Bone Skull Demons circled him, their jaws crunching noisily.

Having smoothly infiltrated the county town, with these Demonic Evil Cultivators providing cover, Qi Xiu's movements became much more convenient. After all, the town was originally inhabited only by women, making it impossible for him to blend in. Moreover, he didn't know the deployment of cultivators within the town; if any were proficient in detection, he would be exposed.

I still need to start my investigation with those temples.

With a thought, Qi Xiu walked toward the nearest temple.

Entering the temple, the first thing that met his eyes were innumerable golden flower decorations on the walls. The pure white walls, adorned with dazzling golden blossoms, filled the temple with an indescribable sense of sanctity. Passing through the corridor into the main hall of the temple, the air was filled with a subtle fragrance. Instead of a Divine Statue, the altar enshrined a white clay jar, tied with yellow Silken Threads forming complex patterns. The jar contained a strange yet mesmerizingly beautiful yellow liquid, which shimmered faintly in the dim light.

Something's not right.

Scanning the temple, which showed no abnormalities and instead seemed quite holy, Qi Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of purple light flaring in the depths of his pupils.

The next instant, the sacred, solemn, sublime, and devout temple before him abruptly transformed. Strange, ancient symbols appeared on the pure white walls. Golden flowers twisted open, revealing bloodshot eyeballs darting about within their centers. Low, ancient murmurs seemed to emerge from the corners, sounding like impatient pleas or sinister chuckles.

And on the altar in the center of the hall, the yellow liquid from the white clay jar began to flow upwards, taking on a terrifying, incomprehensible form. It gradually sketched out a breathtakingly beautiful woman dressed in vibrant, flower-patterned clothes, sitting lazily atop a sea of flowers. Her expression was languid, her beautiful eyes half-closed, and three stars faintly materialized behind her back.

The instant Qi Xiu saw this flower-adorned woman, his expression shifted slightly, and his soul trembled. The Virtue Golden Wheel abruptly materialized behind his head, showering down strands of light that securely protected him. His eyes stung with unbearable pain. Qi Xiu quickly withdrew the Observing Qi Skill, his brow tightly furrowed. After processing the information gleaned from that shocking glimpse, he slowly uttered their titles: "Outer Realm Evil God! Golden Flower Old Mother!"

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