Longevity through Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 769 - 323: Ji Celestial Venerable Upholds the Right Path

Ji Yuan was silent for a long time. Seeing that Ran Kui’s determination remained unchanged, he finally sighed heavily.

"Senior Brother, why do you insist on this?"

"Why insist..."

Ran Kui shook his head with a bitter smile, "You joined us later, Junior Brother, so you may not be clear about some things."

"What things?"

Ji Yuan hurriedly looked up at him.

Ran Kui smiled and then began to tell Ji Yuan about his journey here.

"I can’t compare to Second Junior Brother who comes from a Cultivation Family, nor can I compare to Third Junior Sister who comes from a mortal royal family. I, Ran Kui...come from the Mortal Realm’s Xi Kingdom, from a place called Huangliang Town."

...Xi Kingdom, I’ve been there.

However, Ji Yuan did not interrupt Ran Kui’s words, but instead listened to him slowly tell his story:

"When I was born, it just so happened that a wandering gentleman passed through our town. Seeing that I was much heavier than ordinary children when I was born, he named me Kui. After that, I grew up peacefully, until when I was ten years old. An old Taoist suddenly came to our town, claiming to be an Immortal, and came specifically to our town to find disciples with Spirit Roots to inherit his teachings."

"When my parents heard about this good fortune, they naturally sent me."

"I was sturdier than ordinary children, so I was naturally chosen. But the other two boys who were also selected were just as brawny... I realized something was wrong."

"Sure enough, while we were still in Huangliang Town, that old Taoist treated the three of us very well, truly as if we were his disciples. But after we left the town and came into the forest... he changed."

"He was a Demon Cultivator, and one whose lifespan was nearing its end."

"He came to Huangliang Town just to find some boys to be used as blood slaves, to provide him with fresh blood to barely sustain his life. And the three of us were chosen as his blood slaves."

"One of the boys was completely drained by him that very night, allowing him to eke out another breath of life. The other boy was frightened that night and suggested escaping with me the next day. I didn’t agree, so he ran away alone, only to be caught by the demon and drained as well. In the blink of an eye, only I was left."

Ran Kui sighed heavily again and fell silent for a long while before continuing:

"I was terrified at the time too, but I wanted to live. I didn’t want to die like the other two, so I took that Demon Cultivator as my master... Of course, he wouldn’t acknowledge me, but from that day on, I genuinely served and worshiped him as if he were my teacher."

"I thought it might evoke a little compassion in him, but in the end, that was just my wishful thinking. A Demon Cultivator is a Demon Cultivator; he still demanded my blood every ten days and often yelled and cursed at me, beating me when he was in a good mood and it was even worse when he wasn’t."

Ran Kui laughed at himself with a bitter smile.

"I harbored immense resentment towards him inwardly, but outwardly I showed him more and more respect. It wasn’t until later that I realized he had been using the resentment I directed at him to cultivate... I thought I had disguised it well enough to fool him."

"And then what happened?" Ji Yuan couldn’t help but ask, seeing that Ran Kui fell silent after finishing his story.

"Afterward, I met our Master. She killed that Demon Cultivator and took me out of that hell to paradise."

Ran Kui narrated his childhood encounter with a gentle demeanor, as though telling someone else’s story.

Ji Yuan only asked the one question throughout the whole story... Moreover, he believed that Ran Kui’s ending wasn’t truthful.

There must have been more between him and that Demon Master.

After Ran Kui had finished his story, Ji Yuan understood why his senior brother harbored such hatred for the Demon Dao.

Why he would risk his life to kill Demon Cultivators.

Why their master couldn’t stop him.

He also understood why he’d risk his life to rescue Ye Chen and the others this time.

Because he had suffered such pain himself, he didn’t want others to endure the same.

Therefore, after listening, Ji Yuan made up his mind silently.

He gently asked, "Senior Brother, do you have any way to lure away the other Demon Cultivators near the Water Dragon Sect?"

If there were no other cultivators involved, only the Demon Cultivators from Demon Prison, Ji Yuan thought the chance of succeeding was quite high.

He would face an early-stage Core Formation Demon Cultivator with his current means.

Even if he couldn’t achieve an instant kill, that Demon Cultivator surely couldn’t hold out for long.

Once he took down his opponent, there would be no issue in helping Ran Kui or Su Huimin.

By then, facing those fake-pilled level Demon Cultivators would be even easier.

But all this hinged on whether Ran Kui could lure the other Demon Cultivators away.

"North of the Water Dragon Sect, across the Starfall River, within the Dongyu Mountain Range, there’s a Spirit Vein belonging to our Water Dragon Sect. Do you remember it?"

"Of course, I remember. There’s also East Corner Square, the largest market on the banks of the Starfall River."

"Hmm, before our sect left, we set up an explosive technique within the Dongyu Mountain Spirit Vein. The Master entrusted that technique to me. When the time comes, I can detonate the Spirit Vein in Dongyu Mountain. Certainly, all the Demon Cultivators near the Water Dragon Sect will be drawn away, giving us the opportunity to strike."

Ran Kui revealed his trump card.

Ji Yuan silently considered the feasibility of this plan.

Indeed, this method was sure to work. Even if it didn’t draw away all the Core Formation Demon Cultivators, the majority would definitely go there.

After all, the Water Dragon Sect in this region... to be honest, had already been ransacked by the three demon sects—there wasn’t much left to guard.

"If this can be done, then it’s worth a try."