Chapter 264: Chapter 262: Preparation At present, he can only control some low-intelligence creatures and cannot control humans. But, according to previous experiences, it can be regarded as a kind of spiritual attack weapon. However, it would harm both others and himself, and Lou Yi’s head also hurt a lot. The reason he didn’t just kill that nobleman Shen Haoyu to end it was that he feared drawing out the forces behind him, bringing trouble to Shi Caifeng and the others. Therefore, he only disabled the tools he could use to commit crimes, a move that served a dual purpose. Firstly, to prevent Shen Haoyu from doing evil and harming Shi Caifeng. Secondly, he learned from Immortal Master Xia that if a cultivator loses a limb, their future cultivation would be greatly affected, effectively cutting off their Immortal Path. But as the world often goes, the True Blood Sect happens to have a powerful cultivation technique suitable for men to learn after becoming eunuchs, something Lou Yi never expected. With previous experience and the fact that his five senses have become sharper than before, he could avoid trouble in advance, thus spending only six days to rush back to Ping’an Village. "Lou... Sect Leader." At the city gate, he happened to bump into Sang Peng, who was preparing to leave the city. The other party awkwardly greeted him. He used to call Lou Yi ’Brother Lou,’ but because of the affair with Jia Hong, there were disputes with the forces from Wangjiang, making intimacy difficult as before. "Brother Sang, I will surely compensate for that matter in the future," Lou Yi said earnestly. Although it wasn’t his doing, Jia Hong was, after all, a disciple of the Wangjiang Sect, and being the Sect Leader, he must take the responsibility. "Ah, it actually has little to do with you. Mainly, I couldn’t keep the secret myself," Sang Peng said somewhat ashamed. The two chatted casually for a while, and Lou Yi went to find Immortal Master Xia to return the Immortal Ascension Order to him. The talent of the Shi Caifeng siblings was too good and didn’t need it, so it could be saved for someone in need in the future. At the same time, Lou Yi consulted Immortal Master Xia about the whereabouts and layout of monsters around Ping’an Village. "The Black Wind King in Sung Rong Forest is dead, and currently, there’s nothing particularly notable. In the White Pine Forest, there’s a Bird Demon that can spew flames burning divine souls; one must be extremely cautious. Monsters are most numerous in the Red Leaf Forest and seem related to Cyan Wolf Ridge; the Deer Spirit that attacked us before was likely driven out..." Immortal Master Xia held nothing back, telling Lou Yi all that he knew based on his experience and many years of accumulation. "Thank you for informing me, Immortal Master." "Why are you asking about this? Could it be you’re thinking of going to trouble these monsters?" Immortal Master Xia frowned and advised, "The wilderness is their territory, very difficult to deal with, and you could make a major mistake with just a slight lapse in attention. It’s better to stay in the city and wait for them to come and harass before striking. That is the mature approach." "You’re right, Immortal Master. I’m just asking casually to understand the situation," Lou Yi said with a smile. Then, he inquired about the situation regarding the Corpse-Driving Sect in Zhao Kingdom from Immortal Master Xia. "The Corpse-Driving Sect, I don’t know much either, only that their original strength was extremely powerful, but the sect suffered great turmoil hundreds of years ago, severely damaging its Primordial Qi..." "Zhao Kingdom’s Corpse-Driving Sect, Yan Kingdom’s True Blood Sect, Chu Kingdom’s Red Sun Sect, and Yue Country’s Qingluan Palace are all too close to each other, so their relations aren’t very good. Especially Zhao Kingdom and Chu Kingdom, for reasons unknown, their mortal soldiers have been warring for years, causing many casualties..." "Fortunately, everyone has a common enemy, the Demon Clan, which allows them to barely stand on the same front..." Having struggled in the Cultivation Realm for many years, Immortal Master Xia’s experience is extraordinarily rich, even casually disclosing a bit is highly beneficial for Lou Yi. "Which sect were you from before, Immortal Master?" Lou Yi asked out of curiosity. "I am not from any sect, just a mere loose cultivator," Immortal Master Xia said with a bitter smile. "Back then, when testing for Spirit Root, I was at the lowest grade, and with no background at home, naturally, no sect was willing to take me." "There are many like me who can’t enter a sect, and in the Cultivation Realm, these people are called loose cultivators. The strength of loose cultivators cannot generally compare to disciples from sects. But those who can last long in the Cultivation Realm should never be underestimated." "However, cultivation is tough for loose cultivators, and most are at the early to mid-stage of Qi Cultivation. Reaching late-stage Qi Cultivation can already be considered a master, and Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators are extremely rare." Immortal Master Xia also actively told Lou Yi that he himself was a late-stage Qi Cultivator. "Why do you choose to reside here often, Immortal Master?" Having experienced the Yan Kingdom, Lou Yi knew that late-stage Qi cultivators could live very comfortably regardless of which city they go to. Hearing Lou Yi’s question, Immortal Master Xia did not answer immediately. He gazed into the distance with vacant eyes, as if recalling something. After a moment, he slowly said, "Back then, for the sake of pursuing the Immortal Path, I let down a girl I liked. She grew up in Ping’an Village and was later buried here. I thought, well, even if we weren’t together in life, it wouldn’t be bad to be buried in the same place in death..." Hearing this, Lou Yi couldn’t help but stand in awe, for Immortal Master Xia indeed was a man of deep emotions. After leaving Immortal Master Xia’s dwelling, Lou Yi left Ping’an Village, heading east. The reason he inquired about the layout of the monsters from Immortal Master Xia was, of course, due to his own plans. He wanted to enter the Corpse-Driving Sect, but his current Spirit Root Grade was poor, which wasn’t safe, and the possibility of being rejected was considerable. Therefore, Lou Yi planned to kill more Yin Attribute monsters, intending to opportunely enhance his Spirit Root Grade. The target was set as Red Leaf Forest. According to Immortal Master Xia, there were several Yin Attribute monsters inside; although dangerous, Lou Yi had to give it a try. Red Leaf Forest, about two or three miles from Ping’an Village, spanning a vast area, is named for the unidentified trees growing extensively within, whose leaves remain blood-red year-round. Gray smoke permeated the forest, and as soon as one stepped in, a chilly aura punched them in the face. "Disguise." Lou Yi immediately activated his Disguise Talent, subduing his aura and making himself inconspicuous in an instant. And as time went on, he would grow more in harmony with Red Leaf Forest, making it harder to be detected by other monsters. After a short walk, the Martial Artist’s powerful five senses allowed him to perceive the complex ecology of Red Leaf Forest. There were toads covered in fleshy lumps, continuously spewing gray smoke, like smoking, while secreting large amounts of mucus. Green snakes as thick as an arm opened their mouths to swallow whole giant birds taller than a man. Seemingly unimpressive grey vines bound a ten-foot-tall bear. The thorns embedded themselves in its body, as if absorbing blood, turning the vine from gray to blood-red, quickly leaving the bear a desiccated corpse. However, none of these were Lou Yi’s targets. He wanted to enhance his Yin Affinity by killing monsters, at least reaching a creature’s level. Moments later, he saw a familiar figure. Its appearance, magnified several times like a deer, had gray fur full of festering areas, with flesh buds wriggling underneath. Blood-red eyes and a mouth full of densely packed, sinister teeth. It was the very Deer Spirit that had attacked Ping’an Village before. This Deer Spirit was still some distance from reaching the creature level; killing it could only increase energy, so Lou Yi was naturally not interested. Following this Deer Spirit along the way, Lou Yi discovered many similar ones and brightened his eyes upon reaching the dense forest’s depths. Lying there was a giant Deer Monster, or perhaps more aptly called a Deer Demon, with a body length of five or six zhang. Its entire body was covered with dense crimson flesh buds, constantly wriggling like living coral under the sea. Large amounts of transparent mucus seeped from its body surface, continuously flowing to the ground, forming a small puddle. Its chest rose and fell continuously, snoring like thunder. Its aura was powerful and fierce, like a volcano about to erupt. Lou Yi swaggered right in front of it; the sleeping Deer Demon didn’t react at all. Then, he raised his axe. ...