The Heretic Among Heretics

Becoming an evil cultivator might seem like a low-barrier endeavor—as if all it takes is enough madness and a bottomless moral abyss to qualify.

In theory, that’s true. But if you dig deeper, truly becoming a competent evil cultivator requires a far higher threshold. After all, the death rate for cannon-fodder evil cultivators is absurdly high.

Once you join the ranks of evil cultivators and learn their forbidden arts, you must guard not only against the righteous fists of the orthodox sects but also the “friendly greetings” from your fellow evil cultivators.

Because after all, they’re all evil cultivators, each with a moral bottom line so deep it’s invisible. Killing and plundering are as casual as picking flowers.

One moment they’re smiling sweetly and calling you “brother,” the next, a knife might pierce right through you.

Perhaps the most helpless part is knowing you must be wary of evil cultivators, yet in the end, you still have to cooperate with them.

And naturally, there’s one thing every evil cultivator must mention—the Evil Spirit Sect.

It’s a loosely structured organization with almost no formal hierarchy, yet it boasts the largest number of members. Just a single shout can rally this top-tier evil cult.

The so-called leader is a master of disappearing acts—almost never seen all year round. And whenever they do appear, they hand out a cultivation technique called the Blood Qi Nourishing Art, which compensates for the ease with which cultivators can be “washed clean” of their evil nature.

Anyone who practices the Blood Qi technique, even just a little, is like a crimson lantern dripping with the scent of blood, hanging perpetually over their head. It’s as if the words “evil cultivator” are literally carved onto their forehead.

Once you dabble in it, you’re basically a sworn enemy of the righteous world for life. This path leads only deeper into darkness.

The Evil Spirit Sect is remarkably inclusive. When you join, you can also affiliate with other evil cults. This means that whenever you hit a bottleneck and lack certain cultivation methods, you’ll often find senior members of the Evil Spirit Sect in other organizations ready to fill in the gaps—while simultaneously setting you up to be the next victim when the time comes.

Sometimes, these closed loops are just wonderfully twisted.

And when it comes to doing dirty deeds and passing the blame, just dropping the name “Evil Spirit Sect” is incredibly convenient.

Central Continent, Jiufang Terrace.

Chu Xingchen gathered intelligence, his gaze sweeping over this vibrant, bustling city of human and celestial cultivators—a place that hardly seemed like a hub for the Evil Spirit Sect’s intelligence network.

Yet with corroborating reports from three allied immortal sects, it was clear the evil cultivators here were masters of concealment.

Bai Xuanling strolled lazily beside Chu Xingchen.

“I thought you’d leave this to your second disciple to handle,” she remarked.

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow. “His cultivation isn’t quite there yet, and his ability to think on his feet isn’t as good as mine. For something this important, it’s more reliable if I handle it myself.”

The Evil Spirit Sect’s loose structure meant that back in the day, Donggua and Xigua had both been connected to the sect—and apparently held some notable status.

If they were going to sort out the Blood Qi matter, starting with the Evil Spirit Sect was naturally the most convenient approach.

Chu Xingchen stopped in his tracks and looked up at the imposing, lavishly decorated building ahead. The plaque above the door read: “Gathering of Worthies Pavilion.”

“Hmm, quite the fitting name,” Chu Xingchen murmured with a hint of admiration. “Truly follows the naming principle.”

Bai Xuanling looked puzzled. “What principle?”

“Name it after what it lacks.”

Chu Xingchen smiled as he answered, then stepped inside. The place was fairly lively, with quite a few people eating. No sooner had he entered than a waiter hurried over to greet him.

“Honored guests, are you here to dine or stay?”

“I’m sent by the boss,” Chu Xingchen replied with an unwavering smile. He lifted his sleeve, and a strangely shaped token flashed briefly before the waiter’s eyes.

The waiter’s gaze swept over it, and his smile grew even brighter. “Please, gentlemen, the upstairs rooms.”

With that, the waiter quickly led the way, his footsteps brisk as he guided Chu Xingchen and his companion up to the third floor. He pushed open a room marked with the character for “East” and opened a hidden door concealed within the cabinet.

Standing beside the secret passage, the waiter’s expression turned humble as he said, “Gentlemen, I’m not qualified to go further. This is as far as I can take you. If you go down beyond here, you’ll reach the old headquarters.”

Chu Xingchen didn’t even lift his gaze. His tone was calm as he replied, “If you really go down there, you’ll be heading back to the old base.”

The waiter looked puzzled, as if not understanding. “Sir, what do you mean by that?”

Chu Xingchen glanced at him, and suddenly the waiter felt his blood surge and churn violently. Blood seeped from his arm as a sharp pain shot through him, draining the color from his face in an instant.

“Mercy, sir!” The waiter didn’t resist, immediately prostrating himself. “I’m one of the family. Please, take me up to the room marked ‘West’ on this floor.”

The intense pain vanished in the next moment, leaving a pool of blood on the floor before him.

Chu Xingchen stepped forward leisurely, his voice teasing, “Do I look like someone you can bully so easily?”

“Sir, you’re a stranger... this is the rule,” the waiter said.

“Rules are for people like you,” Chu Xingchen replied. “I’m talking about reason. Now that I have reason, you should have rules, right?” He bent slightly. “Understand?”

The waiter nodded repeatedly. With his blood energy cultivated to an unfathomable level—his arms alone holding tens of thousands of people’s life force—he spoke with obsequiousness: “I understand, sir. Whatever you need, I will provide.”

The next second, the waiter wasn’t even surprised when the ruthless man in front of him casually twisted his own neck off. If he wanted to survive, the only way was to prove his value.

The rules of the Evil Spirit Sect were practically nonexistent. Its loose structure meant no one enforced any discipline.

Chu Xingchen’s gaze lingered on the waiter.

“Has anyone been collecting blood energy recently?”

The waiter nodded quickly. “Yes, they’re recruiting allies here and handling affairs on other continents. But if you want to know exactly who and where they’ve gone, I’ll need some time.”

“You’d better really know,” Chu Xingchen said, straightening up, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. “Because if next time you say you need time, I’ll give you plenty of it.”

“I understand,” the waiter said, pressing his forehead firmly against the ground.

Chu Xingchen said no more and naturally led Bai Xuanling upstairs.

Bai Xuanling’s eyes calmly glanced at the fallen waiter.

Chu Xingchen turned back and saw this. He understood Bai Xuanling’s meaning perfectly—killing him would be the true mark of an evil cultivator.

But seeing that Chu Xingchen didn’t move to strike, Bai Xuanling refrained from finishing him off and instead followed closely behind.

At the presence of two Tribulation-Transcending cultivators, the entire structure of this building was as fragile as a blank sheet of paper.

The defenses designed to fend off ordinary cultivators were nearly useless against Tribulation-Transcending masters.

It just required going through some plot motions, so it wouldn’t feel too abrupt.

The west wing on the fourth floor had no guards at all. Pushing open the door directly, they found a unique secret passage inside the cabinet, leading straight down deep into the building’s underground.

The members of the Evil Spirit Sect were scattered and disorganized; those who knew the truth didn’t need to come, and those who didn’t know didn’t need to come either.

After all, even an evil cultivator had to be prepared for the possibility of being wiped out in one fell swoop.

According to intelligence, this building wasn’t solely used for dealings with evil cultivators.

Chu Xingchen stepped forward, then with a single stride, crossed all the secret passages and arrived at the hidden underground chamber of the Pavilion of Worthies.

The place was decorated quite lavishly and even had formations and talismans providing illumination.

Yet, this area resembled a bustling marketplace—some crouched in corners selling goods, while small groups huddled together, quietly communicating through spiritual senses.

There was none of the anticipated bloodshed or nauseating scenes.

At the center of the square stood a counter structured on all eight sides, sealed off, with eight cultivators seated inside, all at the Nascent Soul stage, handling affairs.

The arrival of Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

No surprise—both were strangers here, with no acquaintances to vouch for them.

Under wary gazes, Chu Xingchen took a single step forward with ease.

There was no trace of spiritual energy fluctuation.

Yet everyone felt a surge of fierce blood energy crash over them, causing their flesh and blood to tremble uncontrollably.

Chu Xingchen slightly raised his head, a smile playing on his lips, but his words were brazen and defiant:

“Who here still dares to meet my gaze?!”

As his voice fell, no one dared to look at this evil cultivator among evil cultivators again.