The Myriad Path Sect was located in the northern part of the Myriad Valleys province. Traveling there from the Celestial Sword Sect’s territory required walking across countless miles. At least, for those on foot.

Cultivators in Foundation Establishment and above could use flying artifacts to shorten the time spent traveling. However, Yue Xing was not in Foundation Establishment. Not only that, but he was just a body cultivator at the moment.

While this meant he had unparalleled battle prowess compared to other kinds of cultivators in the same realm, that was all he was good for.

Body cultivators paid for their strength in battle with a lack of versatility. They couldn’t control artifacts, cast spells, set up advanced formations, etc. For this reason, many body cultivators also became spiritual energy or soul cultivators if they could.

Of course, Yue Xing didn’t have to travel on foot. He had other options. Transportation services existed in the cultivation world. If he spent enough spirit stones, he could arrive at the Myriad Path Sect within a matter of days. However, he chose not to.

Yue Xing didn’t mind traveling on foot. In fact, he rather enjoyed it. It gave him a new appreciation for winter. When he first woke up, after the Celestial Sword Sect expelled him, he found the snow-covered landscape barren and desolate.

However, after going through a rebirth and becoming a cultivator again, he saw that winter had its own beauty. Snow blanketed the land as far as the eye could see. It made everything look pristine and pure.

As Yue Xing traveled, he sometimes felt as if he were the only living being still awake in the world. Nothing else stirred. Not plants, not animals, not people. It was just him, with the wind and the snow for company. Despite this, Yue Xing didn’t feel alone. Rather, he found the solitude peaceful and quiet.

So much so that he went out of his way to avoid civilization and traveled through the wilderness. While this slowed him down somewhat, he found the trade-off more than worth it.

Besides, as a cultivator, it was best to avoid interacting with the mortal world too much. There were exceptions of course, such as protecting mortals from rampant spirit beasts or demonic cultivators, but they were just that, exceptions.

As for cities and towns for cultivators, Yue Xing decided to avoid them as well. Both because he wanted to enjoy his journey, and because he wanted to minimize his chances of running into someone from the Celestial Sword Sect.

Of course, Yue Xing made sure to diligently cultivate everyday. Thanks to the seed of the Divine Vitality Lotus, and the cultivation pills his mother gave him, he progressed by leaps and bounds. Soon, he reached the second layer of the Verdant Spring Art.

While each small realm took longer to reach than the last, Yue Xing estimated that he would reach peak Qi Refining within a few short years. This speed astonished him. Last time, it took him nine and a half years to reach that point, with half a year spent on breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Yue Xing traveled like this for a couple of weeks, until he saw a thin plume of black smoke in the sky. He stopped for a moment to observe it, before he headed towards the source of the black smoke.

While Yue Xing wasn’t the most righteous of cultivators, he wasn’t one to turn a blind eye to those in need. If he witnessed injustice and could do something about it, he would. This had been true before the Celestial Sword Sect expelled him, and it remained true now.

When Yue Xing drew closer to the source of the black smoke, he slowed his steps and moved with caution. He wanted to observe the situation first before making a move. Otherwise, he might end up in trouble himself, making it more difficult to help others.

Soon, a small village came into view, situated at the bottom of a large hill. At least, what remained of it. Most of the buildings were nothing more than burnt and charred ruins. Corpses laid in the snow, covered in soot and blood. Yue Xing counted a few dozen of them, which accounted for most of the village’s population. He didn’t know if there were any survivors.

Nothing stirred in the burnt village. Everything remained cold and silent. The only hint of movement came from the thin plume of smoke rising in the air. From what Yue Xing observed, there were no living beings left in the village. Only the dead remained.

Yue Xing took a few moments to make sure of this, before he headed into the village itself. The smell of blood and ash lingered in the air, mingling with the stench of fear and despair.

A thread of anger wrapped around Yue Xing’s heart. However, he reminded himself to remain cool and collected. As angry as this all made him, he couldn’t let his anger control him.

Composed once more, Yue Xing examined the bodies. It soon became clear that this hadn’t been the work of mere bandits. The people of this village died at the hands of cultivators. Yue Xing recognized the traces of artifacts and spells. Not only that, but he sensed the presence of demonic energy.

Yue Xing’s lips curled with disgust.

Demonic cultivators were vile and evil. They used heinous methods to support their cultivation, from blood sacrifices to refining people into pills. They had no bottom line. No method was too profane, too evil, for them. If it suited their purposes, they used it.

Demonic cultivation offered quick and easy access to power. That was why most demonic cultivators practiced it. However, this resulted in unstable cultivation bases and unsteady mental states.

Most demonic cultivators often lost themselves to madness, becoming little more than rabid beasts that needed to be put down. Many even became victims to their fellow cultivators.

Of course, these weren’t the most dangerous ones. No. The most dangerous demonic cultivators were the ones that maintained their sanity and stabilized their cultivation bases. These demonic cultivators were true threats.

After half an hour, Yue Xing finished searching through the whole village. The demonic cultivators had killed almost every living being, including the animals. However, he found traces of some kind of wagon or cart.

The demonic cultivators hadn’t looted the village of its mortal valuables, which suggested that they needed the cart to carry prisoners. Yue Xing didn’t know why the demonic cultivators had bothered taking prisoners, but he knew it couldn’t be for a good reason.

Thankfully, the snow made it easy to track them down. Some of the buildings were still warm, meaning the demonic cultivators left not too long ago. They were also burdened with prisoners, which slowed them down. If Yue Xing hurried, he’d be able to catch up to them.

A part of Yue Xing felt tempted to ignore this whole situation altogether. After all, this had nothing to do with him. He didn’t come from this village, nor did he know any of its residents. Why risk his life for the sake of strangers?

Yue Xing ignored that part. He vowed to live a life without regrets, and he knew that he would regret it if he did nothing. If this resulted in his death, so be it. Besides, it was the duty of every righteous cultivator to hunt down and eliminate demonic cultivators. Turning away now meant betraying his principles.

With that, Yue Xing followed the demonic cultivators’ tracks and chased after them.