High Martial: I Can Copy All Root Bones!

In the current era, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy had been in continuous decline since the beginning of the Near Antiquity period.

When the Near Antiquity period first began, even though the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy had started to wane, the mindset of the Human Race had yet to change. They still followed the traditions of the Ancient Era, believing one had to reach the Blood Forging Ninth Layer to advance to the Tendon Transformation Realm.

Back then, Blood Forging Treasures were exceptionally precious, and bloody battles were fought over them almost daily.

Now, however, with the further decline of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, the consensus in the Martial Arts Realm was to advance to the Tendon Transformation stage from the Blood Forging Sixth Layer.

Blood Forging Treasures were still precious, but they were far beyond the reach of ordinary Martial Artists. Many lived their entire lives without ever seeing one of these legendary items.

Ordinary people relied more on medicinal herbs and the meat of Exotic Beasts that were, in turn, raised on such herbs.

Even so, only the scions of powerful families could afford to consume Exotic Beast Meat consistently. Martial Artists from common backgrounds could hardly shoulder the expense.

Only the Major Sects and great Martial Arts Families possessed the records and methods for finding Blood Forging Treasures.

This Tai Sui Meat, for instance, had been preserved by a hidden Demonic Sect in Jiangnan Prefecture, passed down within its gates for over a hundred years.

This time, to fulfill his promise to Lu Changfeng, Luo Tianhao had spent a fortune to buy information on this Demonic Sect.

He then stormed their gates, annihilated the entire sect, and seized this piece of Tai Sui Meat.

This just went to show how seriously Luo Tianhao took his promise to Lu Changfeng.

Though this Demonic Sect wasn’t well-known, it was a genuine Demonic Sect with a lineage stretching back several hundred years.

In the ensuing battle, Luo Tianhao confronted and killed the sect’s leader, but not without suffering serious injuries himself.

After hearing Yane Song’s account, Lu Changfeng was filled with gratitude.

Lu Changfeng gave Yane Song a respectful bow. "Please thank the Sect Leader for me. Once he emerges from his secluded cultivation, I will personally visit him."

With the Blood Forging Treasure delivered, Yane Song took his leave.

Carrying the box with the Tai Sui Meat, Lu Changfeng once again entered closed-door cultivation.

He hoped to make another breakthrough before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

.....

The sun shone brightly.

At a dock somewhere in Jiangzhou, countless cargo ships and busy merchants created a scene of peace and prosperity.

A small boat drifted toward the shore, moving as if without wind.

A pale, gloomy young man in a red robe slowly stepped ashore. His long bangs obscured much of his face.

Once ashore, the red-robed youth quickly melted into the Jiangzhou crowds and vanished from sight.

After some time, a nearby boat captain noticed something was wrong with the small boat.

He poled his raft closer and shouted, "Anyone on board? You can’t moor here for long!"

When no one answered, the captain peered into the cabin.

"BLEGH!" The boat captain gagged, stumbled backward, and tumbled into the water.

Fortunately, most Jiangzhou people were good swimmers, and the captain quickly swam back to shore!

The moment he scrambled ashore, the captain started yelling, "Disaster! A terrible disaster has struck!"

The captain’s panicked cries attracted the attention of the Prefectural Yamen constables on duty at the docks.

Several constables jogged over and dispersed the gathering crowd.

They vaulted onto the small boat. When they looked inside, even these constables, who were used to the sight of dead bodies, turned deathly pale.

Inside the boat’s cabin, dozens of corpses lay crisscrossed, their facial features twisted in agony.

The victims included men, women, the elderly, and the young.

The one thing they had in common: their abdomens had all been sliced open, their internal organs gone.

A massacre of this scale was a rare occurrence in the Jiangzhou region.

Soon, the details of the case were sent to the Prefectural Yamen to be personally reviewed by the Mansion Master.

Mansion Master Hongg Ying was no fool. He was worldly and well-informed, and more than that, he was a powerful expert in the Martial Arts Realm, at the Bone Refining Fifth Layer.

"Heh, interesting. The Saint Demon Sect Master issued his proclamation just half a month ago, and now, half a month later, someone from the Gluttony Demon Sect shows up in Jiangzhou to commit a crime?"

Hongg Ying’s tone was light, but his gaze gradually turned cold.

The modus operandi was obvious. Ripping open abdomens to eat the victim’s entrails—only the Saint Demon Sect’s Gluttony Demon Sect specialized in such things.

"It seems to me this demonic fiend is likely acting in defiance of the Saint Master. The Saint Demon Sect hasn’t been unified in centuries; I suspect the major Demon Sects have long since fractured in practice," said a smiling, silver-haired old man, Hongg Ying’s trusted confidant.

"Mm. But regardless of his motives, I cannot permit such behavior," Hongg Ying said calmly.

He would not allow Jiangnan Prefecture to fall into chaos.

This fiend from the Gluttony Demon Sect must be executed to make an example of them! Otherwise, every demonic Tom, Dick, and Harry will come running to Jiangnan Prefecture to stir up trouble. How can the people of Jiangnan Prefecture have any peace then?

"Deploy all five of the Prefectural Yamen’s Gold Medal Chief Constables. Give them ten days. I want this mess cleaned up before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Hongg Ying thought for a moment, then added, "Also, have the Prince’s Mansion newspaper publish a detailed report on this case. I’d like to see how that Saint Master, the one lurking in Jiangzhou, reacts when one of his own underlings provokes him so blatantly."

"As you command." The silver-haired old man accepted the order and left to quickly relay the Mansion Master’s commands.

The administration in Jiangnan Prefecture was efficient and its decrees were carried out swiftly. Soon, all five Gold Medal Chief Constables of the Prefectural Yamen were deployed, launching a massive city-wide investigation across Jiangzhou.

「The next day.」

In the back courtyard of Changle Martial Arts Hall.

Lu Changfeng, Sikong Jue, Zhisha, and Xuansha, who had just arrived, sat facing each other.

They were discussing Demon Sect affairs.

Teng Xiaofan, of course, had been shunted off to the front courtyard to sweep.

"Xuansha, have your injuries fully healed?" Lu Changfeng began, showing concern for his loyal follower from the Dark Buddha Demon Sect.

Xuansha placed his palms together. "Our sect has wondrous medicines. I have already recovered for the most part. It is no cause for concern, Sect Master."

The moment Xuansha heard that someone from the Gluttony Demon Sect was causing trouble, he had rushed to Changle Martial Arts Hall to help ease the burden on Lu Changfeng, who had not yet reached his full strength.

At this moment, Lu Changfeng’s brow was tightly furrowed.

This was a painful slap in the face.

’These brats from the Saint Demon Sect... not all of them are as loyal and obedient as the Dark Buddha Demon Sect.’

The Gluttony Demon Sect’s provocation was a direct, public slap in the face to Lu Changfeng.

If he didn’t respond, Lu Changfeng was certain to face immense resistance in his future attempts to command the Saint Demon Sect.

His prestige in the Martial Arts Realm would also plummet.

At this thought, Lu Changfeng’s gaze gradually turned cold.

The nine great Demon Sects of the Saint Demon Sect had constantly evolved throughout history and were not a fixed group.

Lu Changfeng wouldn’t mind erasing this so-called Gluttony Demon Sect from the roster and establishing a new, more loyal Demon Sect in its place.

"Xuansha, tell me about the Gluttony Demon Sect," Lu Changfeng said.

Xuansha nodded and began to explain slowly. "The Gluttony Demon Sect is one of the nine great Demon Sects. It was absorbed by the previous Saint Master several hundred years ago."

"Its predecessor was another demonic family, seemingly called the Taotie Family."

"The Gluttony Demon Sect cultivates the Taotie Demon Technique. This technique is exceptionally cruel, requiring the user to consume one person per day during the Blood Forging Stage."

"Because the cultivation process is so monstrous, one cannot master this Demon Technique without exceptional talent and mental fortitude."

"As a result, the Gluttony Demon Sect has always had very few members—likely in the single digits. Most disciples either die from cultivation deviation or are killed after losing their minds."

Sikong Jue’s expression was hidden by a mask, but their tone was laced with disgust. "So even the disciples of the Gluttony Demon Sect who manage to survive their training are just a bunch of madmen!"

Xuansha nodded. "The Cyan Dragon Guardian is correct. They are all madmen."

For even the somewhat neurotic members of the Dark Buddha Demon Sect to call them madmen, it was clear just how unhinged the Gluttony Demon Sect truly was.

The disciples of the Dark Buddha Demon Sect were, at worst, spiritually afflicted by a kind of religious mania; they could still be saved if their beliefs were changed.

The members of the Gluttony Demon Sect, on the other hand, were cannibalistic lunatics from the moment they began their cultivation. They were completely irredeemable.

"However," Xuansha continued, "although the members of the Gluttony Demon Sect are all madmen, their strength is their immense Combat Power. A single one can often fight several opponents of the same realm. Furthermore, their Ultimate Technique is terrifying—they can detonate themselves to take their enemies down with them."

"It was for this very reason that the previous Saint Master recruited them. He used the Gluttony Demon Sect as living bombs in battle, unleashing them on the enemy’s critical points to achieve devastating, unexpected results."

After listening to Xuansha’s explanation, Lu Changfeng had already made up his mind.

’Setting aside the question of whether the Gluttony Demon Sect could even be reformed and brought into the fold... this member of the Gluttony Demon Sect who came to Jiangzhou had to be killed. Otherwise, how could he, the dignified Saint Master, ever show his face again?’

"This fiend who came to Jiangzhou... we must find him before the Prefectural Yamen does and twist his head off."

"Find him and kill him."

"Xuansha, I’ll have to trouble you with this."

Xuansha placed his palms together. "Amitabha Buddha. Saint Master, you jest. This beast has undermined your authority, which makes him a traitor to the Saint Demon Sect. I will find this fiend immediately and present his severed head to you."

After speaking, Xuansha put on a wig and departed.

He had no choice; he had promised the Lan Family he would not appear in Jiangzhou City, so a disguise was necessary. Besides, given the circumstances, he doubted the Lan Family’s Rebirth Realm ancestor would make a fuss over it.

Lu Changfeng watched Xuansha leave, his brow furrowed. Entrusting this to Xuansha was a move born of helplessness; his own strength was simply not enough.

This fiend from the Gluttony Demon Sect dared to cause trouble in Jiangzhou Prefecture City, which meant his strength was at least at the Bone Forging Realm.

Only Xuansha had any certainty of being able to take down this fiend.

During this time, Lu Changfeng had been cultivating with the Tai Sui Meat, and his progress was extremely rapid. He was only a hair’s breadth away from breaking through to the Ninth Layer of the Fengtian Saber Technique.

But no matter how fast his progress, he was still in the Blood Forging Realm.

After all, Lu Changfeng was young, and the Bone Forging Realm was still a long way off.

Given enough time, Lu Changfeng was confident that with his replication interface, he would be second to none.

But history marches on, time waits for no one, and pivotal events don’t wait for you to slowly grow stronger.

「For the next few days.」

When not cultivating in the martial arts hall, Lu Changfeng spent his time waiting for news from Xuansha.

Unfortunately, it was as if that fiend from the Gluttony Demon Sect had vanished into thin air. Three days passed with no news whatsoever.

Just when both Lu Changfeng and Mansion Master Hongg Ying were beginning to wonder if the fiend had simply hit and run, leaving Jiangzhou behind...

...the fiend from the Gluttony Demon Sect reappeared!

This time, he surfaced at the Misty Rain Tower!

He certainly knew how to enjoy himself.

Disguised as a wealthy patron at the Misty Rain Tower, he spent a fortune to summon more than a dozen of the top courtesans to his room at once.