Slaughter

The Death Notice Pill was an accidental creation by Qin Ran while researching the Longevity Pill.

...Well, not entirely accidental, since life and death are inherently two sides of the same coin.

Just as he and Long Qiqi had created poison from spiritual medicines, he created the Death Notice Pill from a collection of powerful tonics.

Although he didn't immediately understand why, he knew this poison was extremely potent. Without hesitation, he documented the pill formula and carefully studied its properties, discovering that it wasn't purely a poison, but rather a pill that existed between life and death.

To understand life, one must first comprehend death.

Thus, he named it the Death Notice Pill.

When his sea domain avatar received the inheritance from the Ancient Demon of Divinity, his pill-crafting skills improved significantly, leading to a new understanding of the Death Notice Pill...

Or rather, he could now refine this pill symbolizing death to an even purer form.

Death remained constant, but the power of death grew stronger.

Although Qin Ran had used the Death Notice Pill many times before, this was the first time he would use it on a large scale in front of the public in the Land of Immortal Legacy.

Zhican Valley, renowned as the sacred ground for pill-crafting in the Land of Immortal Legacy, had the honor of becoming the place where the Death Notice Pill would reveal its glory.

After today, the name and terror of the Death Notice Pill would spread throughout the Land of Immortal Legacy, eternally etched into the souls of all cultivators in Zhican Valley who witnessed its might.

"What... is that?" someone asked, breaking the deathly silence.

His voice seemed exceptionally loud in the death-like stillness.

Perhaps Zhican Valley had never been this quiet since its founding.

The entire valley was gripped by fear.

Everyone in the valley heard that person's voice, but no one answered him.

Because no one knew what it was.

No...

That's not right!

One person knew!

The culprit behind the poisoning knew!

At this moment, taking advantage of the absolute silence, the poisoner shouted: "Run! Zhican Valley is trying to poison us all!"

One of the poisoner's avatars chimed in: "That's Zhican Valley's deadliest poison pill, the Death Notice Pill. Zhican Valley wants to kill us all!"

The Death Notice Pills were thrown into the spirit fields, one here, one there, eleven pills in total.

Death qi spread from the spirit fields. The spiritual herbs within died instantly, turning to black ash; the medicine servants and workers in the fields withered and decayed into black skeletons without resistance; all flora and fauna outside the fields perished, even stones crumbled into black powder.

One of the poisoner's avatars pretended to be caught by the death qi while trying to escape.

He screamed and struggled as he flew into the air.

As he rose, his life force rapidly deteriorated, his entire being filled with death. He aged in an instant, his flesh rotting in the blink of an eye. From inside out, from spirit to soul, everything died.

He screamed madly, ensuring everyone witnessed his fate before he could no longer fly, transforming into a black skeleton that crashed to the ground.

His vivid demonstration showed everyone what poisoning would look like, and thus, all understood the power of the Death Notice Pill.

Everyone's blood ran cold with fear!

A primal aversion to death, terror etched into their souls.

They wanted to flee.

Another of the poisoner's avatars seized the opportunity to act, shouting in terror: "Run! Run quickly!"

"The poison is coming!"

"Death is coming!"

He led the way, running toward the valley's exit.

Some had already lost their minds with fear and ran instinctively when others did; some lost their judgment and simply followed the crowd when everyone started running.

Soon, dense crowds like winter sparrows or seabirds on a beach, groups upon groups of people flew toward the valley's exit.

Among them were not just outer sect disciples, but even Zhican Valley disciples. Not just Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, but even Nascent Soul masters.

However, when they reached the high platform of Zhican Valley, they suddenly discovered the existence of the Guardian Mountain Formation. Now closed, they couldn't leave.

The path ahead was blocked, death qi pursuing from behind.

At this moment, over a thousand Golden Core cultivators and the high-and-mighty Nascent Soul immortals were driven to despair by their primal fear of death.

Then, another of the poisoner's avatars seized the opportunity to draw his sword, shouting: "Kill! Break through Zhican Valley!"

"Kill!"

Once again, he took the lead, turning back to attack Zhican Valley.

Seeing someone take action, those powerful Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators stopped thinking entirely.

When fear reaches its peak, it explodes into rage!

They needed to vent!

They wanted to kill!

They all drew their life-bound weapons and followed their leader back down into Zhican Valley.

The poisoner's avatar landed and raised his sword, not caring whether his targets were servants, medicine slaves, outer disciples, or elders. He struck without discrimination...

"Slash!"

Blood sprayed forth.

Zhican Valley's brilliant sunlight fell upon bright petals and deep green leaves, the sunlight on the petals creating a halo that illuminated the spraying blood.

With blood, with its color, with its scent, with people bleeding, with people dying!

"Whoosh!"

They went mad!

The cultivators descending from the sky went berserk!

Their eyes blood-red, like flies spotting rotting flesh, they landed and took flight again and again, killing anyone they saw... no, killing any living thing they saw.

As if they themselves had become living Death Notice Pills, unable to tolerate the sight of anything alive.

This group had experienced initial fear of the pill, then provocation over treasures, then mass outrage, then terror of the Death Notice Pill, then despair at being trapped in Zhican Valley, and finally... blood and death!

Immortals are, first and foremost, human.

Cultivators are still human.

Humans, such creatures, are both complex and simple. An individual can be clever and rational, but a crowd is always foolish and blind.

Zhican Valley descended into chaos, finally erupting into battle and slaughter.

Fighting everywhere, crying everywhere, blood everywhere.

Blood flowed like rivers. On roof tiles, on roads, in spirit fields, gurgling endlessly.

Zhican Valley had gone mad with killing. But the one who started it all, one of the poisoner's avatars, after killing just two people, stood on the valley's stone path with his sword, no longer participating.

He stood in Zhican Valley's warm sunlight, looking up, watching the slaughter under the sun!

This was the massacre he had guided step by step, bit by bit.

The sun remained, but it was raining.

Not water, but blood and body parts from those fighting in the sky.

There were too many people in the sky, too many wounded and dead, their blood and flesh falling like rain.

A horrific bloody sun shower.

The killing feast in Zhican Valley didn't last too long, after all, there were still dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators, hidden Void Transformation experts, and the valley's Guardian Mountain Formation...

The slaughter was quickly stopped.

Of course, how many died in this brief massacre, how many spirit fields and resources Zhican Valley lost, would need to be tallied later.

When the stone path beneath his feet was soaked with bloody rain, blood flowing like streams past his shoes, someone approached Qin Ran and said: "The Valley Master wishes to see you."

Qin Ran stopped looking at the sky and wiped his face, clearing away the blood. His face, hair, and clothes were completely covered in blood, having taken a shower in the bloody rain. He shook off the blood like rainwater.

He looked ahead and saw Sun Yicheng.

"Elder Sun, was this feast to your satisfaction?" he asked with a smile.

Sun Yicheng looked at him, silent for a moment, then said: "You're insane."

His voice trembled, clearly filled with fear.

"Haha." Qin Ran laughed but didn't dispute Sun Yicheng's assessment. He merely reminded him, "You were the invaders."

Sun Yicheng wanted to say they hadn't officially started their war against the Dao Sword Sect, but he didn't have the nerve to say it.

Instead, he said again: "You're a devil, a devil who plays with human nature."

He cursed, "You won't die well."

"Won't die well?" Qin Ran laughed, unconcerned. "Wouldn't it be fine if I just don't die?

"Whether immortal or devil, the master doesn't care."

"Immortal?" Sun Yicheng's face twisted with cruelty and malice. "Do you think you still have a chance to walk out of Zhican Valley alive?"

Hearing this, Qin Ran remained completely calm. He smiled and asked Sun Yicheng, "How many of me have you killed already?"

The viciousness disappeared from Sun Yicheng's face, and he didn't answer.

"I assume all my avatars are dead by now, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't come here trying to persuade me like this—you would have just killed me directly.

"You had that Nascent Soul master lock down my soul, probably to prevent me from committing suicide, right? Unfortunately, a Nascent Soul cultivator's spiritual power doesn't affect me as much as you'd think, and when it comes to death, I understand it better than he does."

Qin Ran gazed into the distance, deep into Zhican Valley, where a powerful spiritual consciousness was attempting to lock down his soul. "From the moment I entered Zhican Valley, I had already accepted my death."

"You don't have to die... Why are you so fixated on death?" Sun Yicheng changed his approach, trying to persuade him.

"You're also an avatar, a unique avatar. You're just an avatar, that's all.

"You've already become an independent life form, why don't you think about living on? Break free from your main body and live as a free being.

"You can survive—Zhican Valley has powerful Nascent Soul cultivators who can help you sever your connection with your main body."

"Sever the connection with the main body, live freely, become a new life..." Qin Ran repeated Sun Yicheng's words, mumbling them twice. Suddenly finding it amusing, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha..." He couldn't stop laughing until tears streamed down his face.

Sun Yicheng waited patiently until he finished laughing, then asked, "What's so funny? What you've done in Zhican Valley deserves death a thousand times over. It's only because our Valley Master values talent that he's willing to give you a chance."

Qin Ran shifted his gaze back, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, and looked at Sun Yicheng. His expression suddenly turned serious:

"Why would you think I would betray myself? What makes you think I'm not me? Avatar? Main body? Must an avatar inevitably turn against its master? Have you considered the possibility that the avatar and the main body together make up who I am?

"Would your hand turn against you?

"Zhican Valley has Nascent Soul cultivators too—why don't you ask them? When they cultivate their second spiritual consciousness, does it consider itself a new life form, or does it recognize itself as part of the main body?"

Sun Yicheng was still far from reaching the Nascent Soul realm and couldn't quite comprehend Qin Ran's questions. He just silently raised his hand and looked at it carefully, wondering: would his own hand ever betray him?

"The idea that an avatar would betray its main body is as ridiculous as the AI crisis," Qin Ran's lips curled in obvious disdain. "When humans haven't even figured out their own brains, how could they create a machine smarter than their brains? Let alone one that would betray them."

He looked at Sun Yicheng, "I am who I am, whether avatar or main body, I am me. Whether I live or die is determined by my own interests.

"I made this plan, and from the moment I separated from my main body, my death was predetermined. My death is a choice I made after careful deliberation, decided by myself. It's like someone who disfigures their face, changes their voice, or cuts off their hand for the sake of an assassination."

Sun Yicheng's head was spinning; he couldn't understand the relationship between avatar and main body. He simply asked Qin Ran, "You're determined to die?"

"I never planned to live," Qin Ran smiled. "I'm only staying alive a bit longer because it reduces the harm to my main body—to myself. That's why I've been talking with you for so long."

"Alas!" Sun Yicheng sighed, and said his final words to Qin Ran, "It's a pity that despite all you've done, you still can't prevent the Dao Sword Sect's destruction. We will still attack the Dao Sword Sect.

"Next, we will storm the Dao Sword Sect in the shortest time possible, giving you no chance to execute any more schemes."

Qin Ran bowed to Sun Yicheng like a gentleman and smiled, "I'll be waiting for you at the Dao Sword Sect."

After speaking, he straightened up, and his body slowly faded in the sunlight, dispersing like dandelion seeds in the wind.

As his ascending spirit rose higher, he could see Zhican Valley as it was after the battle.

Countless ruins and broken walls, fires and corpses everywhere; many spiritual fields destroyed, many buildings demolished; as for the death energy spread by the Death Notice Pill, it had killed all spiritual herbs, spiritual beasts, and life forms in that area—no one knew when life would return there.

Weapons, magical treasures, spell remnants, severed limbs, and blood were everywhere, forming a grotesque landscape of Zhican Valley under the sun.

Looking at this valley, when they launch their war against the Dao Sword Sect again, they would no longer understand whether they were the invaders or the avengers.