"You will not die a good death!"

"Though I die, I am still bathed in the glory of God. And you shall suffer endless curses and torment."

His soul grasped in the palm, the bald monk still spoke insolently, shouting and bellowing.

For these mentally distorted cultists, death was not something to be feared. Especially the doctrines of the Secret Shrine Temple, which state that upon death, one transforms into the omnipresent Qi and returns to the embrace of the deities. In their eyes, death was not an end but the beginning of a new life.

"The glory of God? Ha, no. For soon you will abandon the god you worship. You will believe in a new god!"

Smiling as he gazed at the bald monk's soul, Qi Xiu sent it into the Ancestral Aperture in his forehead with a single thought.

"Nonsense! I could never abandon my god. A new god? Who is that new god!"

His words dripped with sarcasm and contempt; the bald monk was utterly confident and steadfast in his faith.

"Who?"

"Me!"

Inside the Ancestral Aperture, Qi Xiu, transformed into Yama's Golden Body Dharma Aspect, sat solemnly in Yama's Palace. Beneath him, tens of thousands of souls knelt, devoutly bowing their heads and offering strands of exceedingly pure Divine Soul Force.

Witnessing the scene of thousands of souls worshipping before him, the bald monk's face showed shock. His eyes flickered, scarcely believing what he saw.

"You, will you not kneel?"

With a commanding cry, an immense, intangible pressure instantly bore down on the bald monk's soul, as if a mountain's massive force was crushing him to his knees.

As his hands grasped desperately at the ground, the bald monk's face was filled with struggle, his soul shone with a strange light, resisting the oppressive force!

But the very next second, the tens of thousands of souls prostrated in Yama's Palace suddenly turned their heads in unison. Their eyes, filled with extreme zeal, stared at the bald monk.

Whispers began to echo in his ears. Though light in volume, they pierced like a million icy needles into his eardrums, shaking his very spirit. Each chant was laden with deep reverence for that supreme Yama. Those silent prayers seemed permeated with an intangible force, like a massive tidal wave, surging over his consciousness, compressing his will.

"You will not succeed..."

Desperately resisting assimilation by the other souls, the bald monk's eyes revealed a resolute light as he considered detonating his own soul.

But just then, a Black Gold Imperial Seal suddenly pressed down upon his head. The overpowering force of captivity directly stripped him of control over his soul, leaving only his consciousness to howl and struggle feebly.

Unable to leave, unable to end himself, unable to resist.

When the devout and fervent chanting completely overwhelmed the bald monk's soul, the determination and hatred in his eyes slowly disappeared. In their place emerged the same pure faith as the surrounding souls.

Having subdued the bald monk, Qi Xiu raised his hand, calling him into Yama's Palace. He then began to inquire about the Qi Skill of the Secret Shrine Temple.

...

After dispersing Hunyuan Palace and returning to the present world, Mighty Dragon Demon Vajra and Hundred-Eyed Bone Demon Monarch were quietly extracting the bone Essence from the dozen or so evil monks to strengthen themselves.

Qi Xiu glanced around and clicked his tongue lightly, "What a pity. I used too much force, and their souls were scattered."

Flames of purple fire ignited in his hands to burn off the lingering aura. Qi Xiu then swept his sleeves to collect the two White Bone Devil Gods and started walking towards the Half-Step Inn.

CLANG—

The gate of the station, hovering between the land of the living and the Huangquan Sha Hai, was pushed open once again.

Tian Mingtang and a group of elderly cultivators were nervously hiding behind several tables, while Feng Hu was firmly tied to a pillar, his face full of resentment.

"Benefactor, you've finally come back," seeing Qi Xiu enter, Tian Mingtang let out a sigh of relief. "Not two days after you left, a group of strange monks came. They were terrifyingly powerful and wanted to take Feng Hu without a word. Fortunately, I used the talisman script you left behind. After they were forced away, they never came back. Benefactor, you didn't run into them, did you?"

Qi Xiu nodded in response and then waved his sleeve, throwing out a figure—it was Tian Mingtang's wife, Wanru.

This clever woman had hidden herself in a cave outside of the barren hills. Qi Xiu, upon his return, happened to come across her and brought her back; he was subject to too much scrutiny. Wherever he went, he would stir up trouble. This woman would've eventually been affected if she stayed nearby.

"It's not safe outside now. Both of you should stay here. Has the Store Manager returned yet?"

Tian Mingtang, naturally overjoyed at being reunited with his wife, helped her up and hurriedly replied, "Not yet. You've been gone for four days; he should be back tomorrow."

"Good."

Responding with a light affirmation, Qi Xiu gestured to everyone present to go rest and then snapped his fingers to release Feng Hu, feeding him an antidote.

"We bear no grudge against each other; there truly were compelling reasons, so I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Once the matter is settled, if there's any compensation you wish for, feel free to speak with me."

Upon hearing Qi Xiu's words, Feng Hu looked up at him with some surprise, then shifted back into his freckle-faced, short stature and grumbled softly, "At least compensate with some ghost money..."

Hearing this, Qi Xiu handed all the ghost money he had received from Tian Mingtang to Feng Hu. Then, after some thought, he also took out a chunk of reddish-brown meat. It was tied with a red cord inscribed with scriptures and shaped like cured meat.

"Here, take this as well."

Seeing that Qi Xiu had only given a few notes of ghost money, Feng Hu still looked somewhat unenthusiastic. However, when he saw the piece of cured meat Qi Xiu threw to him, his eyes suddenly shone with an arresting brilliance. With a leap, he spun three and a half times in mid-air, catching the meat firmly in his mouth.

"Impressive skills," Qi Xiu said, laughing and clapping his hands as he watched Feng Hu accurately bite the cured meat.

"You're giving me this, and you won't take it back, right?" Fascinated, Feng Hu sniffed the cured meat in his hand and hugged it close, asking Qi Xiu again.

"Once I've given it to you, I certainly won't ask for it back," Qi Xiu waved his hand, indicating to Feng Hu that there was no need to worry.

This dried meat was actually a piece of desiccated flesh of a Huangquan otherworldly being. Huangquan beings lack souls and spirits, and the only method they have to enhance their strength is by consuming the flesh of other beings of their kind. And the piece of dried meat Qi Xiu had thrown out was made from the desiccated remains of a Huangquan being whose strength was comparable to that of a Blood-Stained Great Cultivator.

For Feng Hu, whose strength barely qualified for the Initiate Realm, it was a godsend.

"Hehe, you're actually pretty nice." First, he had been fed a stomachful of poison, then tied up for four days. Now, a single piece of dried meat soothed all the suffering Feng Hu had endured over the past few days. With a sly chuckle, he hid behind the counter, stealthily reveling in his joy.

Picking up a chair to sit in the center of the hall, Qi Xiu's eyes were half closed as he slowly caressed the Golden Cry Jade Beads on his wrist. He quietly awaited the return of the Store Manager whom Feng Hu had mentioned.

A day quickly passed, and it was the fifth day as Feng Hu had said. From sunrise to sunset. As he saw that outside it was already a moonlit and starry night, midnight had arrived. There seemed to be no sign of this so-called Store Manager returning.

Turning his head slowly toward Feng Hu behind the counter, Qi Xiu's gaze was calm, but to Feng Hu, it felt as sharp as a knife.

"It could be, maybe he got held up by something on the way. He usually returns around this time. Occasionally, he'd... he'd be a day or two late." Feeling Qi Xiu's gaze, Feng Hu hurriedly explained.

Big Brother, oh Big Brother, why did you have to be delayed *this* time? Feng Hu screamed internally. Was he really just delayed by something?

Looking away, Qi Xiu continued to wait.

Yet, another two full days went by.

This Store Manager of the Half-Step Inn had still not returned.

Feng Hu, behind the counter, was trembling uncontrollably with nervousness, frantically thinking about how to explain the situation to Qi Xiu.

THUMP—

Slowly standing up from the chair, Qi Xiu tilted his head toward Feng Hu behind the counter, whose face looked as if he had been constipated for a month.

"I..." Feeling that ill-intentioned gaze, Feng Hu was just about to start explaining when—

BANG!

The back door of the Half-Step Inn was suddenly blasted open.

In the midst of a surging sandstorm, a burly and tall figure, covered with dust and sand, walked in with heavy steps.

"Big Brother!" With a cry of surprise and joy, Feng Hu scrambled up and threw himself at the figure's legs, tears streaming down his face. "Why have you only just returned?"

"What's all this panic about? Is there some trouble?" Unwrapping the black cloth around him, a slender face with only dark yellow pupils and no other features was revealed.

Looking at the giant that stood nearly five to six meters tall, Qi Xiu's eyes landed on the other's bare arms, which were covered in dense, diamond-shaped scales.

"Tuo Zhou?"

The *Yi Ming Bai Wen Lu* records that within the Huangquan Sha Hai, there exists a being called Tuo Zhou. Human in shape with only eyes on its face, it roams the vast sand sea unhindered, possessing the ability to sense danger.

"Hmm? Blood-Stained Realm?" Hearing Qi Xiu call out his true name, Tuo Zhou narrowed his dark yellow eyes. He immediately noticed the robust and profound aura of the young Daoist before him.

A hint of confusion appeared on his face. Our Half-Step Inn, despite its peculiar and mysterious name, is really just a last resort for mediocre beings unwilling to die, a place where they cling to life. How many who reach the Blood-Stained Realm are truly mediocre? Even if their lifespans were nearing an end, they wouldn't come to a place like Half-Step to seek life-extending methods. So, Blood-Stained Great Cultivators have almost never come here. For a Blood-Stained Great Cultivator like Qi Xiu to appear here... that's what puzzles me.

"Big Brother, this True Man hopes you can take him to Hundred Coffin Mountain," tugging at Tuo Zhou's trouser leg, Feng Hu sent frantic signals indicating that this young Daoist was not to be trifled with.

"Hundred Coffin Mountain? I've just come from there…"

BANG!

Another piece of otherworldly being dried meat was slapped onto the counter.

Seeing the dried meat, Tuo Zhou's eyes momentarily underwent a subtle change, and his gaze toward Qi Xiu gained a few more hints of curiosity.

What business does a perfectly healthy person have at Hundred Coffin Mountain? Tuo Zhou wondered. Could it be… there are actually people who go there hoping to resurrect their deceased family and friends?

"Is it enough?"

"It's not a question of whether it's enough. The Huangquan sandstorm period is upon us. Sands stretch for thousands of miles, sweeping across the Huangquan. If you wish to go, you'll have to wait for the storm to end."

"How long will that take?"

"At least three months!"

"That won't do."

Upon hearing it would take three months, Qi Xiu's brow furrowed, before he proceeded to take out seven or eight more pieces of otherworldly being dried meat. "Could I trouble you to make one more strenuous trip?"

Looking at the pile of otherworldly being dried meat stacked high on the counter, Tuo Zhou involuntarily gulped.

"You need to be clear; that vast Huangquan sand contains the power to grind bones, scrape flesh, corrupt the soul, and erode the spirit.

"And a large number of Huangquan beings move together with the sands.

"I can take you in, but I can't ensure you'll come back alive."

"You don't need to worry about safety; just take me there. I will handle the rest." Taking a step forward, Qi Xiu's eyes glinted with a hint of divine radiance.

Feeling a strong sense of confidence from the young Daoist, Tuo Zhou gave a slight nod, "Since that's the case, I'll accompany you on this journey."

...

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