Cultivation Online

The gruesome sight was enough to make Yuan’s blood boil with anger, his fists clenching tightly.

However, he forced himself to remain composed, swallowing his rage as he continued to silently observe the two men, determined to uncover the full extent of their sinister actions.

Tan Songyun was covering her mouth from shock and disguise while watching this from the spectators’ room.

”I remember now… That incident at the Alchemy Tower… So this was the real cause of the Tower Master’s death?” Tan Songyun remembered that the Alchemy Tower’s Tower Master had been assassinated once before, but not because of any accusations of being an evil cultivator. Instead, the rumors claimed he was killed over a precious pill recipe he had recently created, and naturally, Yuan—Tian Kai was blamed for the assassination.

”Please spare me… I have a son… He won’t survive alone…” The woman suddenly muttered in a weak voice, ”I swear I won’t tell anyone about this…”

”Hmph. Someone as worthless as you should feel honored to finally have some value being part of Master’s pill as its material,” the hunched-back man sneered, his tone dripping with contempt as he dragged the woman closer to the crimson cauldron.

’A Spirit Warrior and… a third-level Divine Emperor, huh?’

After assessing the Tower Master’s cultivation, Yuan was confident he could deal with them without too much effort.

”Master, how should I bleed this one out?” the hunched-back man asked.

The Tower Master replied, ”Six-inch long cuts on the neck, wrists, and tendons.”

”As you wish, Master.”

The hunch-back man eagerly retrieved his ceremonial dagger and prepared to cut the woman.

Seeing this, Yuan decided to intervene.

He walked out of his hiding spot and spoke in a cold voice, ”To practice human concoction during this day and age… how are you not ashamed of yourselves?”

”WHO’S THERE?!”

The Tower Master’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing Yuan’s unexpected voice echo through the room. Panic flashed across his face as he began looking around frantically, his eyes scanning every corner of the room. However, despite his efforts, he was unable to see or sense Yuan’s presence.

’Shadow Veil is more effective than I thought…’ Yuan was inwardly surprised by the results. He was essentially standing right before them, but they still couldn’t see him.

Wanting to test Shadow Veil’s limits, Yuan decided to keep it active, and he continued speaking, ”So, what kind of pill was enticing enough to turn you into an evil practitioner?” Yuan’s calm yet disgusted voice filled the room, cutting through the tension like a blade. ”Judging by the amount of blood and your methods, it must be the Reserve Heavenly Pill, isn’t it?”

”You know about the Reverse Heavenly Pill?!” the Tower Master shouted, his voice sharp with alarm as he scanned the room more frantically than before. ”Who are you?! Show yourself!”

”Honestly, I subconsciously muttered that name out loud,” Yuan admitted calmly.

As he observed the gruesome scene, fragments of Tian Kai’s memories surfaced in his mind, and with them, the name of the pill.

”Ah… I remember now… Master Tower Chang Heng,” Yuan said, his tone carrying a faint trace of nostalgia. ”You were a renowned Tier 7 Alchemist, celebrated for your profound knowledge and vast experience in alchemy. You even created multiple powerful and groundbreaking recipes that helped you become the Alchemy Tower’s Tower Master.”

”Everything seemed fine for the first several centuries, but then the number of people disappearing in this city began to rise at an unnatural rate. It was alarming enough to attract my attention, so I had to investigate the cause.”

”After a thorough investigation, I uncovered the gruesome truth,” Yuan continued, his tone growing colder. ”The Alchemy Tower was kidnapping homeless people and using them for experiments… and to concoct pills.”

”The once righteous Alchemist has somehow been corrupted and become an evil practitioner.”

”And for your crimes, I executed every single Alchemist who had even the slightest involvement. It caused quite the stir within the Nine Heavens back then, but in the grand scheme of things, it was merely a small ripple in a much larger wave.”

”I’ve finally found you, you sneaky little bastard!” the Tower Master suddenly interrupted, his voice filled with fury.

Without hesitation, he unleashed a powerful attack he had been secretly preparing this entire time, sending a wave of destructive energy hurtling toward Yuan’s direction.

However…

”Sorry, but I am actually over here.”

Yuan’s voice resounded behind the Tower Master.

”Wha—?”!”

Stab!

Just as the Tower Master turned his head around, Yuan stabbed him in the heart from the back with the Baneful Abyss, inflicting him with Mark of the Baneful.

The poison, having entered the Tower Master’s heart directly, worked swiftly and mercilessly. With no time to counteract or expel it, his body succumbed almost instantly. Within moments, the Tower Master collapsed, his life extinguished.

After dealing with the Tower Master, Yuan turned his gaze toward the hunched-back man. Without a word, he raised a finger and unleashed a concentrated burst of Sword Aura. The attack was swift and precise, striking the hunched-back man between the eyes before he could even react, killing him instantly.

”...”

Moments passed in complete silence, the oppressive air lingering in the room as if time had frozen in place. Yet, Yuan remained inside the Alchemy Tower.

After another moment of stillness, Yuan sighed out loud, ”I knew it. Although the Alchemy Tower is guilty of practicing forbidden alchemy, this trial hasn’t ended yet. There are still others who need to be brought to justice.”

He looked at the Tower Master’s melting corpse.

”I should’ve probably asked him if he was working with someone before I killed him… Oh well. It’s not like I have no clue.”

Yuan turned his gaze toward the woman, who had fainted from exhaustion and fear. He approached her silently, gently lifting her into his arms. After activating Shadow Veil again, Yuan was pleasantly surprised to see that its effects also extended to the woman, who was in physical contact with him. However, it consumed his spiritual energy twice as fast.

Sometime later, Yuan slipped out of the Alchemy Tower as silently as he had entered. Thanks to Shadow Veil, he moved unnoticed, leaving no sign that he had ever been there.