Chapter 822: Refine a Nation!

Chapter 822: Chapter 822: Refine a Nation!

The Black Crow Sect Master had said he was coming at top speed, but the wait was far from brief.

Who knew how far he had to travel.

Bai Xuanling had found herself a comfortable spot to sit, watching Chu Xingchen periodically slip into his grotesque old villain persona as he exchanged pleasantries with what might be a puppet controlled by the Black Crow Sect Master.

Chu Xingchen would occasionally let out a couple of cackling laughs — "Jie jie jie!" — before launching into wild claims about how he’d once dominated the world, killing anyone he met, refining anyone he pleased.

After listening for a while, Bai Xuanling had gathered that Chu Xingchen had massacred two cities, eaten human hearts raw, had a fondness for eating children under the age of one, and derived particular pleasure from giving people hope only to crush them instantly — the portrait of a supervillain of truly apocalyptic proportions.

The kind of monster who’d be getting off easy if he were skinned alive, boiled, and eaten.

His specialty was a lifetime of wickedness with appetites so depraved that even evil cultivators found him disturbing.

The Black Crow Sect Master listened through a barrage of this flattery, a strange wariness creeping into his gaze.

Clearly, when someone was depraved enough, even evil cultivators started baring their teeth.

Chu Xingchen seemed to have gotten carried away with the conversation, growing increasingly outrageous.

The Black Crow Sect Master had gone from blindly believing to thinking — Wait, could that actually be true?

But whenever the Black Crow Sect Master voiced a skeptical question, Chu Xingchen would simply extend a hand and release a wisp of pure blood energy, restoring the Black Crow Sect Master’s trust to levels where doubting him felt absurd.

"Little brother, it’s not that I don’t want to teach you." Wisps of immaculate blood energy drifted from Chu Xingchen’s hand one after another, holding the Black Crow Sect Master’s gaze in a stupor. "Being an evil cultivator requires purity! If your heart isn’t pure enough, how could you possibly refine blood energy this pure?"

The Black Crow Sect Master nodded repeatedly, not once pressing the issue of how Xu Si had been beaten into hiding by Xuanqing Heavenly Sect all those years ago.

Whatever happened back then, the blood energy before his eyes — this pinnacle of purity — was nothing short of a supreme treasure!

Of course only a truly evil heart could produce blood energy this pure.

The Black Crow Sect Master nodded vigorously, then cupped his fists with a humble expression:

"Senior, this junior has come in person."

Chu Xingchen nodded casually, his gaze drifting naturally toward the west.

A dozen or so streaks of multicolored light came soaring toward them, each radiating a distinct aura.

The leader wore an azure dharma robe whose effect was also to block spiritual probing.

The rest wore their own prepared robes to conceal their features, none showing their faces.

But while these robes could block spiritual consciousness, they couldn’t block the system’s detection.

Chu Xingchen’s gaze settled on the leading figure.

[Target: Zhao Xuan]

[Cultivation: Integration Late Stage]

[Purple Attribute: Blood Sea Within]

[Purple Attribute: A Heart Full of Doubts]

[Blue Attribute: Unburdened Heart]

[Blue Attribute: Exceptionally Steady]

[Black Attribute: Corruption Entering the Spirit Root]

Chu Xingchen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He said nothing, simply waiting for the other side to speak.

Zhao Xuan stepped forward, his expression proud. Behind him stood cultivators each revealing the aura of at least the Integration realm. He began introductions:

"This is the Evil Spirit Sect’s Left Envoy — Wuzhong. Integration realm, Great Perfection."

"This is the Evil Spirit Sect’s Chief Enforcer — Youlei. Integration realm, Late Stage."

Zhao Xuan gestured and began introducing each person standing around him — their roles in the Evil Spirit Sect and their respective cultivation levels.

Chu Xingchen’s expression didn’t change as he watched Zhao Xuan proudly present a group of Integration realm cultivators with depleted cultivation and unstable auras — weak fish who looked the part but weren’t worth much.

He could see their real names.

Wang Zhao, Li Laifu, Xu Bufeng, Zhao Youmei.

Zhao Xuan deliberately saved one Mahayana cultivator for last. His tone grew much more solemn, offering the respect due:

"This is the Evil Spirit Sect’s Vice Sect Master — Ling’e. Mahayana realm, Initial Stage."

Chu Xingchen regarded the somewhat diminutive figure beneath a black dharma robe who cupped his fists in greeting. Seeing this, Chu Xingchen nodded with satisfaction.

What an apt name — "Evil Spirit."

The attribute tag [Demon Race] hung in plain sight.

A foreign demon had risen to become the Evil Spirit Sect’s vice sect master, reaching Mahayana realm no less.

This wasn’t a Heavenly Demon — nothing like that caliber.

It seemed the so-called Evil Spirit Sect had, at minimum, more than half its influence fallen into demon hands.

Taking out the Evil Spirit Sect in one fell swoop would be like severing one of the demon race’s hands.

Sixteen Integration realm cultivators. One Mahayana cultivator.

Short of the Tribulation Transcendence peak sects of Central Continent, they could walk over just about anyone.

Demonic cultivation advanced quickly, but its ceiling was brutally easy to hit.

For an evil cultivator sect, fielding this level of power was genuinely exceptional.

Zhao Xuan was visibly proud of the lineup he’d assembled. He cupped his fists once more:

"I am the Evil Spirit Sect’s Sect Master — Black Crow. Integration realm, Great Perfection!"

Chu Xingchen had expected the Black Crow Sect Master wouldn’t come alone, and would prepare at every level. But he truly hadn’t expected Zhao Xuan to bring the Evil Spirit Sect’s entire trump card force.

Even a Mahayana vice sect master had shown up.

If some ordinary Mahayana evil cultivator had tried to pull a double-cross, they genuinely couldn’t have pulled it off.

To be absolutely safe, I’m bringing everything I’ve got.

The nickname "Black Crow Runs-a-Lot" really did live up to its name — the man refused to take even the slightest unnecessary risk.

But bringing everyone along was perfect. Now Chu Xingchen had identified every last one of them at a single glance.

The only pity was that today’s meeting didn’t involve any additional surveillance assets — they didn’t want to startle the snake by beating the grass. So after this group left, keeping tabs on the location would be difficult.

But identifying them was what mattered.

Chu Xingchen’s gaze settled on Zhao Xuan, a smile curling at his lips:

"So you’re the genuine article — the Evil Spirit Sect’s Sect Master, the Black Crow Sect Master?"

Zhao Xuan paused in thought, then shook out one hand. A wisp of blood energy drifted forth, matching the blood energy contained in the Black Crow Direct Decree down to the last detail.

This was the most solid proof there was.

Chu Xingchen nodded, even more satisfied.

He had looked into Eight Directions Valley’s records afterward.

Who would have guessed that the valley master of Eight Directions Valley — the charitable and benevolent Zhao Xuan — was in truth the Evil Spirit Sect’s Sect Master.

Truly hard to predict. The deputy they’d encountered before hadn’t been running multiple contacts — it had been the simplest single-line connection.

Who could have imagined that the supremely cautious Black Crow Sect Master would put on such an amateur show? Chu Xingchen had actually wasted mental energy worrying about it.

But it didn’t matter. As long as the outcome was good.

Chu Xingchen gave a slight bow in return, his own pure blood energy surging forth:

"I am the Blood Butcher True Lord, Xu Si. My cultivation is Mahayana, Late Stage!"

With those words, a wave of pure blood pressure radiated outward.

Trees withered. Birds shrieked and beasts howled.

The sounds of fleeing wildlife echoed ceaselessly from all directions.

Zhao Xuan’s heart raced with excitement — this was clearly a Mahayana elder who had glimpsed the chance to break through to Tribulation Transcendence, and would stop at nothing to seize that one thread of opportunity to ascend.

Only such a chance could draw a blood-energy cultivator who’d been dormant for so long back into the world.

Every speculation he’d held was confirmed. This could work!

Chu Xingchen said nothing more, his gaze sweeping across the assembly:

"You should all know what this Seat intends to do. I only want this one opportunity. Once it’s done, whatever I have, I will share. The opportunity to break through to Tribulation Transcendence — I will share it all with you."

"This Seat is also willing to serve as the vanguard, testing whether this method succeeds or fails on your behalf."

Zhao Xuan cupped his fists: "Things have reached this point. What does the Senior need us to do?"

Chu Xingchen swept his arm wide, a cold laugh escaping his lips:

"Refine a nation!"