Mr. Zhuang was aware of the changes in the Heavenly Dao, but Mo Hua had no clue at this moment. He found a hidden patch of grass at the entrance of the cave and used his Concealment Technique to hide within it. Even a Foundation Building Cultivator wouldn’t be able to detect him. Mo Hua was somewhat worried about Elder Yu and the others, but after watching the entrance for a long time, there was no movement inside. "Is there no Monster Beast in this nest?" Mo Hua felt puzzled. When he probed with his Divine Sense, he found that the nest had a faint Monster Qi, a depressing aura, and didn’t seem like it housed a Monster Beast. Or to say, a Second Grade Monster Beast might have resided here, but now it was gone; otherwise, the Monster Qi inside wouldn’t be so weak. What kind of Second Grade Monster Beast had lived here before? Mo Hua frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly got a shock, silently thinking to himself: "It couldn’t be that Pig Monster…" The Patriarch of the Qian Family wanted to refine the Lifespan Transformation Elixir, and refining Evil Pills required an Evil Formation, which in turn needed flesh and blood as Formation media. The flesh and blood to serve as Formation media was either human or demon. The Lifespan Transformation Elixir was difficult to refine and took a long time. Human Blood Qi was not enough to sustain such a lengthy alchemy process. Furthermore, to refine such pills, one had to continuously use humans as ingredients. It wasn’t likely that the Patriarch of the Qian Family would actually force people to consume human flesh. Therefore, the most suitable to serve as a Pill Furnace was a Second Grade Monster Beast. Monster Beasts consume humans, their Blood Qi is strong and vast, and they have long lifespans, indeed, they are the most suitable candidates for the Pill Furnace for Lifespan Transformation Elixirs. Mo Hua gradually had a guess. This nest might belong to that Pig Monster. It might have fallen into the hands of the Patriarch of the Qian Family after being seriously injured, allowing the Patriarch to take advantage of its weakness. The Patriarch of the Qian Family then took over this nest and turned it into his secret Pill Room. Even if a Second Grade Monster Beast was seriously injured, it wouldn’t be something the Patriarch could deal with alone. Likely, the Chief Elder of the Qian Family also played a role in subduing the Pig Monster. In the process of subduing the Pig Monster, the Chief Elder of the Qian Family lost an arm to the beast and also suffered severe injuries, which would likely have not left him long to live. But with the Human Life Pill, it was different. The Human Life Pill used human life as a catalyst, which could both replenish Blood Qi and prolong life. However, if the Chief Elder consumed the Human Life Pill and recovered from his injuries, it would have raised suspicions. The Patriarch of the Qian Family simply let the Chief Elder fake his death, deceiving everyone, and unnoticed by gods or ghosts, he hid in the mountains to build Black Mountain Stronghold, to recruit Evil Cultivators for him, to help him refine Human Life Pills, and at the same time to help him refine Lifespan Transformation Elixirs. Although these were only Mo Hua’s speculations, the truth was probably not far off. Mo Hua sighed inwardly, "This Patriarch of the Qian Family is truly meticulous." Mo Hua looked at the nest in front of him, feeling increasingly uneasy. With the Patriarch of the Qian Family being so cunning and shrewd, what kind of dangers did he lay out in the depths of this nest? It was now night, the dew was heavy in the deep mountains, and the mountain breeze brought with it a wave of cold. Mo Hua couldn’t help but shiver but then suddenly heard a soft sound of wind. Mo Hua was slightly taken aback and listened carefully, realizing the sound came from inside the cave. It was the echo of the wind. Mo Hua’s eyelid twitched. With the nest being so deep, how could there be an echo when the mountain wind blew? Mo Hua concealed his form and carefully walked into the nest, using the sound to guide him, and eventually found that there was quite a large crack near the entrance’s wall. Mo Hua touched the wall and felt that the soil and stones were fresh and had a faint dampness. When he applied a little force, the soil and stones crumbled. Mo Hua was shocked. This was an entrance that someone had recently covered up with soil and stones. And there were no Formations around the entrance. All of Mo Hua’s attention had previously been on the Formations within the nest, so he had completely overlooked that there was another entrance here. Mo Hua was skilled in Formations, but precisely because of this, he was blinded by Formations and neglected places without them. The best swimmers may drown, the best riders may fall. Was this the so-called ’invisibility of the obvious’? Mo Hua sighed and cautioned himself to be more vigilant next time. But what was this entrance for? It couldn’t possibly be that the Patriarch of the Qian Family was hiding right behind this entrance. Mo Hua released his Divine Sense, only to feel that the atmosphere behind the entrance was abnormally murky and the scent of blood was thick, making it impossible to discern anything. What to do? Mo Hua frowned and thought for a moment, but decided to take a look inside. He would not venture deep, just have a peek at the entrance, and just one look. If there was a special situation inside, he would exit and call for help. If there wasn’t anything special inside, or if it was unrelated to the Patriarch of the Qian Family, he would still be able to leave quietly. The crack at the entrance was quite large, and since it was not sealed tightly, Mo Hua, who was of a small stature, directly crawled in. Behind the entrance was a dark downward staircase, at the end of which shone a dim crimson light. Mo Hua’s heart tightened, sensing something was not right, but he still grimly continued down the staircase. After only a few steps, he heard harsh snoring sounds, along with the sound of an old conversation. These sounds, like the thick Blood Qi, seemed trapped in this space; they couldn’t be heard from afar and were too noisy up close, as if some method had been employed. The staircase was narrow and deep, but not very long, and Mo Hua quickly reached the end. On the right side at the end of the staircase was a spacious stone chamber. Concealing his presence, Mo Hua hugged the stone wall and poked his small head around the corner for just a moment, glancing into the stone chamber. Then a chill ran down his spine as cold sweat broke out all over him. It’s the Patriarch of the Qian Family!! This old fogey, he’s actually here? Mo Hua calmed his heart and pondered carefully, his feelings becoming complicated thereafter. Encountering the Patriarch of the Qian Family had its pros and cons. The good part was that others wouldn’t run into the Patriarch of the Qian Family and wouldn’t face danger. The bad part, however, was that he had run into him... Mo Hua sighed helplessly. The deep Formation was just for misdirection. Everyone thought that the Patriarch of the Qian Family would definitely be hiding deep within the nest, but unexpectedly, he was hiding right at the entrance! This Patriarch of the Qian Family truly had an unconventional way of thinking, acting entirely out of the ordinary! Had the Patriarch of the Qian Family noticed him? Mo Hua tensed up inside but then realized that there was no Divine Sense probing around him, and the Patriarch of the Qian Family was talking to someone with an unaltered tone, which reassured him. It seemed his Concealment Technique hadn’t been uncovered. Mo Hua sneaked another glance and noticed that the stone chamber was bloody and chaotic, filled with various odd medicinal herbs and porcelain bowls containing colorful herb juices. In the center of the stone chamber, a pig lay on the ground, emitting a grating snoring sound. Next to the pig, there were two Cultivators, one was the Patriarch of the Qian Family, and the other, astonishingly, was the Family Head of the Qian Family, Qian Hong! Mo Hua felt puzzled. The Qian Family was under lockdown, with all Cultivators forbidden to go out. How could Qian Hong be here? As the Family Head of the Qian Family, though without much real power, his status was second only to the Patriarch of the Qian Family. The matters of the Black Mountain Stronghold, could they be related to him as well? Mo Hua thought it over but couldn’t figure it out. Regardless of the reason, it was better to slip away first. The pig was still breathing, which meant the pill hadn’t been refined yet. The Patriarch of the Qian Family hadn’t taken the Pills, so he was still at the Middle Phase of Foundation Establishment, and moreover, he was a severely injured Cultivator of the Middle Phase. He should first slip away, send out a signal, call people over, and together they could finish off the Patriarch of the Qian Family. The issues with the Black Mountain Stronghold could be completely settled then. As Mo Hua turned to leave, he heard the Patriarch of the Qian Family sigh, "Hong’er, it hasn’t been easy for our Qian Family..." Mo Hua silently cursed inside, "This old bastard really has no shame, if your Qian Family hasn’t had it easy, does that make the life of the impoverished Loose Cultivators in Tongxian City easy?" Nevertheless, he stopped in his tracks, wanting to know what exactly the Patriarch of the Qian Family wanted to say. Was there a secret within that he was not aware of? After all, these Evil Skills and peculiar Pill Recipes were not something a regular Cultivator could obtain. The Patriarch of the Qian Family continued, "Do you know what this world is really like?" Qian Hong across from him did not answer. The Patriarch of the Qian Family didn’t seem to expect an answer either, as he carried on by himself, "I’ve lived for more than three hundred years, and only then did I understand a principle, a Cultivator’s powers are always finite, to achieve great things, it is necessary to borrow the strength of others, to suck the blood of others." "In this world, it’s the survival of the fittest, the big fish eat the small, and the small fish eat the shrimp." "The same holds true in the Tao Cultivation World, Loose Cultivators are exploited by small families, small families are oppressed by medium families, and medium families are suppressed by superior Noble Clans." "In other words, Loose Cultivators sustain small families, small families sustain medium families, and medium families sustain superior Noble Clans…" "Ultimately, it all comes down to sucking the blood of Loose Cultivators." "With the shifting powers of the Taoist Court, the rise and fall of Noble Clans, the turnover of Sects, the only constant are the Loose Cultivators at the bottom, always at the bottom, always being drained of blood, and forever subjected to cold looks and contempt." "The prosperity of the Cultivation World is built upon the tears and blood of Loose Cultivators, yet this prosperity has no relevance to them." "Therefore, never be a Loose Cultivator!" "This is the truth I understood back when I was still a Loose Cultivator." "That’s why I wanted to branch out and establish a Clan, to rely on the family to achieve the Great Dao." "But establishing a family was not possible either, I lacked Spirit Stones, lacked connections, relying solely on myself, I couldn’t build up the Qian Family." "Relying on Monster Hunting, you can’t earn many Spirit Stones in a lifetime." "Given that, the only option left was to go on a killing spree, to rob." "Even if the methods to start a family are dirty, once you achieve success, people will whitewash your history, sing praises for you, and others will attend to your needs and serve you loyally." "As the Qian Family was established and gradually grew, it still wasn’t enough." "The greatest benefits of this world are occupied by even more powerful Noble Clans and Sects, our small family, even if we scrape off another layer of skin from Loose Cultivators, won’t gain much." "The growth of the family is limited, my Cultivation stagnates, and my end is less than a hundred years away…" "I realized that if this continues, I would ultimately die insignificantly." "There’s always a way out from heaven, on one occasion I happened upon a mysterious Taoist, and after a conversation, he was delighted and gifted me several manuals of Evil Path Skills, along with Human Life Pills, and also the Pill Recipe for this Lifespan Transformation Elixir." "I cultivated Evil Skills, refined Evil Pills, entered the Demon Path, and suddenly saw the light." "Does this world have people?" "It can, but it can also not, depending on how you view it." "If you regard others as people, then they are people, if you don’t regard them as people, then they are not people." "Others are just tools for you to earn Spirit Stones, they are slaves who serve you, they are pigs and dogs for you to slaughter at will, they are Spirit Slaves and Blood Slaves for your Cultivation, they are the foundation stones that establish your Great Dao." "Only then did I understand that in this world, people prey on each other." "Not only the Demon Path preys, but the Righteous Dao as well." "Heretical Demons consume human flesh and blood, absorb human Spiritual Power, while those of the Righteous Dao also oppress and enslave Cultivators, sucking invisible blood, eating invisible flesh. It’s just that people are blind and cannot see the truth." "Humanity’s principle is to take from the insufficient to give to the surplus, to harm all beings to benefit oneself, thereby standing out, reigning supreme over all beings, and aiming for the Path of Longevity." "This, is the unassailable truth of this world!" ...