The so-called leaders of the Evil God Cult were essentially its top few figures.
And this [Sage] was by far the most industrious among them.
Because of his appearance, the Evil God Cult rapidly developed from a regional heretical group into a thorny force that the entire world had to unite against.
Many tragic incidents were carried out under the [Sage]’s leadership, including the battle between Dongfang Xiaotian and the Beichen family a few years ago.
At that time, the Evil God Cult had barely a few Golden Core practitioners but dared to directly challenge the Beichen family, which boasted several Supreme Elders at the Deity Transformation stage.
The most shocking part was that they almost succeeded.
This clearly shows how formidable the [Sage] was. It was obvious he was an intellect-type fighter.
Unfortunately, intelligence doesn’t always equal combat power.
Take Beichen Yue and the Beichen family for example—they were so stingy that they wouldn’t even spare some life-saving treasures for their own geniuses. That was simply ridiculous.
After all, the Beichen family had indeed suffered a great disaster years ago, losing many young talents and half of their Deity Transformation elders.
But no matter what, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse, let alone when compared to a place as desolate as Ling Tian City.
Beichen Yue and his servant almost died at the hands of a mere late Foundation Establishment cultivator. That was utterly unreasonable.
This just goes to show how unrelated IQ and combat power can be.
But a boss capable of forcing the protagonist into a Secret Realm to level up? Merely having intelligence would at best make them a little elite monster scheming beside a big shot.
Only with real combat strength can one truly be a boss.
Although Dongfang Xiaotian hadn’t seen the [Sage] himself yet, he was already certain the [Sage] was both scholarly and martial.
Fortunately, this time the [Sage] didn’t appear in person but only sent some Foundation Establishment cultivators to snatch the Seven-Leaf Yangzhi herb.
They carried only a few Sword Talismans that the [Sage] had sealed with some sword qi.
Otherwise, the evil cultivator Dongfang Xiaotian fought just now would have used them immediately.
Even if he couldn’t react in time, Dongfang Xiaotian didn’t see any such treasure when looting the enemy’s spatial artifact.
This indicated that the enemy had only one or two Sword Talismans at most, and they still couldn’t kill the three elders who were solidly late Foundation Establishment.
Dongfang Xiaotian once again marveled at the protagonist’s little junior brother’s luck. This was like meeting the enemy’s organization high-level underlings before even leaving the newbie village.
It immediately reminded him of Xiao Huohuo running into Soul Hall’s underlings in the newbie village, and the overwhelming “heh heh heh” vibe this brought…
The world was pretty much the same.
Wait, could he be the ring grandpa who was about to be sacrificed?
Dongfang Xiaotian’s heart skipped a beat. Should be… unlikely, right?
Thankfully, he confirmed the truth with the second junior sister.
This [Sage] hadn’t appeared once during this incident. It was only a small team under his command.
Otherwise, given the power of his Sword Talismans—capable of instantly killing the three elders—his strength would be at least Golden Core level, enough to wipe out everyone in this ruin at once.
Relieved that the [Sage] wouldn’t show up just for a single Seven-Leaf Yangzhi herb, Dongfang Xiaotian exhaled deeply.
It seemed more likely the protagonist’s Secret Realm drop and cultivation storyline was still intact.
Dongfang Xiaotian, carrying this high-level NPC second junior sister, went to find the three elders and gave them a healing pill to stabilize their condition.
The second junior sister also recounted roughly what had happened during this time.
Overall, the [Sage]’s Sword Talismans weren’t just one but several.
But Tushan Bingxian was the youngest daughter of Tushan, carrying much more than Beichen Yue.
She alone consumed six Sword Talismans.
This completely depleted the life-saving resources on the second junior sister, forcing her to even use some small trinkets taken from Dongfang Xiaotian.
One person using six Sword Talismans capable of instantly killing a genuine late Foundation Establishment cultivator!
See, the gap between great clans like Shenghua and top sects was obvious.
Still, Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t be bothered with the petty issues of great clans and Da Zongmen.
After finding the elders, he immediately had the second junior sister send the three elders back and set out to find the little junior brother.
However, the second junior sister reached out, “Give me two more Earthwalking Talismans.”
“I’ve already given the little junior brother one. This is all I have.”
Dongfang Xiaotian spread his hands helplessly. “Those are third-tier spirit talismans, not cabbages.”
He just wanted to quickly send off the second junior sister and rush to find the protagonist, hoping to catch up before he jumped off the cliff.
If he managed that, it would be a great opportunity—maybe he could even hitch a ride to level up.
“Are you really planning to go save Jiang Li alone?”
Tushan Bingxian frowned, but Jiang Li was their sect’s little junior brother. Though the master was absent, the eldest senior brother was acting as proxy master.
Even though it was uncertain whether the master would officially accept him, Jiang Li’s talent was excellent—not inferior to her or Dongfang Xiaotian, possibly even surpassing them.
That was probably why the eldest senior brother had taken him in.
Tushan Bingxian’s intention in asking for another Earthwalking Talisman was to send the three elders back to camp first, then use the other one to go with Dongfang Xiaotian to save Jiang Li.
“What else?”
Dongfang Xiaotian looked at the badly injured second junior sister. Could it be she wanted to ride on the protagonist’s goodwill as well?
“You’re this badly hurt. Better not.”
Dongfang Xiaotian tried to persuade her. After all, goodwill had its limits.
If one person offers help, it’s lending a hand in snowy weather; if many people do, it just becomes a familiar face—and even being familiar doesn’t guarantee you’ll make it.
Tushan Bingxian looked at the eldest senior brother and found him strangely unfamiliar.
—Could this guy really be showing concern for me? Did the sun rise from the west?
Unfortunately, the Miasma Forest was so dense with toxic miasma that the sun wasn’t visible. Otherwise, she really wanted to check if she was hallucinating from breathing too much miasma.
“Oh, um.”
Tushan Bingxian unexpectedly felt a bit happy, even though it was just a perfectly normal show of concern.
Well, plus the fact that the eldest senior brother, a lazybones, actually got up to rescue her—this was indeed rare.
Dongfang Xiaotian handed over the Earthwalking Talisman to the second junior sister. “Take it and go heal quickly. I’ll bring the little junior brother back.”
“Alright, then… I’ll leave it to you.”
Tushan Bingxian quickly took the talisman but still felt her cheeks flush. He was really starting to learn how to care for people!
And he was so straightforward about it…
Most importantly, he was even willing to give up Earthwalking Talismans!
Anyone can say caring words, but this eldest senior brother who was famously stingy with spirit stones actually went all out like this. Tushan Bingxian was certain he was serious!
Had he finally awakened?
She turned around to carry the unconscious third elder, struggling to control her fluffy tail so she wouldn’t wag it wildly like a puppy who just got meat.
“I’ll take the third elder back to heal. You also be careful.”
With that, Tushan Bingxian immediately used the Earthwalking Talisman to return to camp.
Dongfang Xiaotian finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this chance to favor the little junior brother had cost just one Earthwalking Talisman.
Though it hurt a little, compared to his high rank and light responsibilities, it was nothing!
Thinking this, Dongfang Xiaotian pressed onward.
***
Evil God Cult Camp
My head feels so heavy, so dizzy.
My body is weak, almost weightless, making me feel like I’m about to die, yet the pain from my wounds reminds me I’m still alive.
“Don’t worry, take a deep breath. Dizziness is normal.”
A gentle female voice woke Jiang Li from his hazy nightmare.
The boy suddenly recalled he was running away but ended up stumbling into an Evil God Cult stronghold.
He was no match for a mid-Foundation Establishment heretical cultivator, severely injured, and lost consciousness.
Jiang Li held his forehead and got up to assess the surroundings.
The temperature was low, the air thick with the stench of blood.
Around him lay disciples and some rogue cultivators, all unconscious on wooden planks.
Looking further, iron bars separated them from the outside world, with talismans restricting their movement stuck to the railings.
The jostling of the carts made Jiang Li realize they were each locked in separate horse-drawn carriages, being transported by the evil cultivators somewhere else.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t released their spiritual power, so their cultivation levels couldn’t be determined by usual means.
Based on the Evil God Cult’s usual distribution, it was typically a mid- or late Foundation Establishment leader with a group of Qi Refinement stage disciples…
It seemed escape was impossible for now.
“Young master, what’s wrong? That look in your eyes… lost your memory, perhaps?”
That sweet voice drew Jiang Li’s attention to a girl.
Her skin was extremely fair, waist-length hair flowing down, and her features delicate—though she didn’t resemble anyone from Shenghua.
She wore strange foreign clothes, but curiously, her eyes were always closed.
She looked like a frail beauty sitting quietly on the wooden plank.
No trace of spiritual power emanated from her, making her no different from an ordinary person.
Why would there be an ordinary person here?
Jiang Li frowned but first asked the question he cared most about.
“Elder sister, where exactly are we…?”
“The Evil God Cult’s carts heading to the camp.”
The girl visibly relaxed upon seeing Jiang Li awake and said apologetically, “Young master, you forgot… it was you who saved me, which is why these evil cultivators locked me up tightly.”
“Sorry for causing you to suffer this undeserved misfortune…”
She hesitated briefly before adding, “You really didn’t need to come save me.”
“Why?” Jiang Li asked in confusion.
The girl gently stroked the head of this thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, looking at his face which was even more beautiful than hers. If she hadn’t checked his body, she might have called him her little sister.
Still, her thoughts only drifted briefly as she smiled helplessly.
“Because my feeble willow-like voice still serves them in some way. Young master, don’t ask too much.”
“Do you regret it?” The girl couldn’t help but ask.
Jiang Li’s clear eyes responded, “Eldest senior brother said if you meet good people who need help, you can’t just stand by and watch!”