Chapter 416: Sacrifice to Heaven

‘I gained over fifty thousand Tribulation Points. That’s not too much. Is it because Yu Yunlan could have resolved this even without me?’

‘Perhaps most of it was just a reward for snagging the kill. If so, just over fifty thousand Tribulation Points for a mere phantom of an Evil God is a bit stingy.’

‘So, the manifestation of the Black Tai Sui’s image… was it because it was in a dreamscape that my interference wasn’t deep, and the damage I dealt to It was limited?’

‘And another thing…’

A shadow crossed Fang Rui’s eyes. ‘This matter is still far from being completely resolved!’

‘Pinghu County is just where Yuwen An got his start. If the two prefectures he occupies are all like this, then…’

‘Not likely!’

He shook his head. ‘This world hasn’t fallen yet, after all. It strongly rejects the Great Black Heaven. Creating an environment like the one in Pinghu County would surely require an enormous price.’

In a way, everything in Pinghu County was more like a test site.

‘But, this test site was clearly a success. In the two prefectures Yuwen An occupies, it’s unlikely they had enough time—or could afford such a great cost—to set up the other places just like Pinghu County.’

‘But his main base, Divine Wood Prefecture City, probably has a similar setup.’

With this in mind, Fang Rui once again performed a Divination on the prospect of going to Divine Wood Prefecture. The result was still a chaotic mess.

‘Knowing the truth doesn’t let me break through his Divination-blocking, nor does it change the disparity in power between us. Under these circumstances, I still don’t dare take the risk!’

‘Great Black Heaven, Black Tai Sui…’ He sighed.

‘My original plan was to investigate Pinghu County, and if I found any traces of the Great Black Heaven, I’d report it anonymously to the Great Yu authorities. Now that Yu Yunlan already knows, I can skip that step.’

‘That said, Yu Yunlan represents the Great Yu authorities. With the backing of an entire realm, dealing with a mere Yuwen An shouldn’t be difficult.

However, after what happened in Pinghu County, they must have been alerted. This is a matter that demands swift action, not delay. It requires a decisive battle. Otherwise, who knows what other stunts they might pull.

She’s a smart one, that Yu Yunlan. I doubt she needs me to remind her of this… Besides, it’s not like I have any say in what Great Yu does!’

Fang Rui shook his head, casting the thoughts aside, and suddenly looked down. ‘There’s the lake again, and there’s that boat. What a coincidence.’

After a moment’s thought, he gestured to the Purple Feathered Crane.

With Xin Xue’Er in tow, they whistled down through the air.

…

At this time, the Helmsman and his family were still awake, and voices drifted from the cabin.

“What’s that smell? Why is it so foul?” the Helmsman’s voice called out.

“Let me check… Dear, it’s the Black Mushrooms! They’ve spoiled! Oh, they’ve turned into ooze, we can’t eat them even if we wash them.”

“Did they get damp? Woman, how could you be so careless? Don’t you know how to appreciate what we have? Food is so precious these days!”

“But I just checked on them before we went to sleep…” the woman’s voice was tinged with hurt.

“Are you trying to argue with me? Fine, fine! Just hurry up and throw it out!”

…

Keeping their voices low, the couple carried the putrid Black Mushrooms outside the cabin.

Just then—

“KREEE!”

Beneath the glittering starlight, a giant purple Immortal Crane swooped in, and two figures—one tall, one small—floated down from the sky.

“Sir… no, Immortal!”

The Helmsman, who had ferried Fang Rui and Xin Xue’Er just two days prior, remembered them well. Overcome with excitement, he quickly pulled his wife down to kneel and bow.

“There’s no need for such ceremony. We meet again, Helmsman.”

Fang Rui looked at the rotten Black Mushrooms and shook his head slightly. “These Black Mushrooms are no good. The fact that they’ve rotted has nothing to do with how your wife stored them. In any case, it’s best not to eat them from now on.”

‘He had a suspicion. Yu Yunlan must have shattered the Array of Heaven and Earth in Pinghu County, cutting off the Black Tai Sui’s influence. That’s what allowed these Black Mushrooms to revert to their true form.’

“This…”

The Helmsman hesitated, clearly skeptical.

‘We’ve eaten so many of these Black Mushrooms before without any problems, haven’t we?’

‘Besides, poor folk like them didn’t have the luxury of being picky. Who cares if it’s “no good”? As long as it fills your belly, that’s all that matters.’

“Go!”

Seeing the Helmsman’s disbelief, Fang Rui flicked a finger.

SWOOSH!

A bead of Spiritual Essence shot out, transforming into a bluish-purple light that enveloped the Helmsman like an electric net. The man began to convulse, his body shaking uncontrollably.

“Immortal, please, spare my husband! We’ll never eat those Black Mushrooms again!”

The woman fell to her knees, bowing her head to the floor again and again.

“Now look,” Fang Rui said, shaking his head, knowing she had misunderstood.

“COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!”

The Helmsman coughed violently, spitting out a large mass of fungal filaments. The filaments writhed like tiny snakes before finally melting into a puddle of putrid black slime.

This was the residue of the microorganisms from the Black Mushrooms. It was what remained after the “disinfection”—a form of contamination in its own right.

‘Before, the contamination from the Black Mushrooms in their bodies was likely dormant, only activating within Pinghu County. But that doesn’t mean it was harmless at other times.’

‘If this contamination isn’t removed, it will linger in the body like a cancer clinging to the bone, amplifying the dark side of a person’s heart and greatly shortening their lifespan… When the negative energy in the world rises and the Great Black Heaven’s interference in the Hongyu Realm deepens, they would have directly transformed into followers of the Black Tai Sui—or rather, its livestock.’

He thought to himself.

“Good heavens… there’s really no such thing as a free lunch. These Black Mushrooms were cheap, alright, but they’re poisonous!”

The Helmsman, now clear-headed, stared in horror at the puddle of black slime. Then, as if remembering something, his face paled further. “Please, Immortal, save my wife and daughter!”

“That’s easily done.”

After Fang Rui administered the same disinfection treatment to the Helmsman’s wife and daughter, he accepted their earnest invitation to stay the night on their boat.