Qin Ao very quickly realized the true power of the Seven Kills Technique. Setting aside the spells and sword techniques contained within for a moment...
When he attempted to kill a few passersby, he suddenly discovered a phenomenon: with every person he killed, an invisible force would surge into his body. The victim's cultivation base, memories, and even their aptitudes were devoured by him as if plundered.
This was especially true when he used a petty trick to launch a sneak attack and crushed the throat of his first fellow cultivator. The opponent's True Essence flooded his meridians like a raging tide.
There was no need to refine it—it was directly converted for his own use. His cultivation base actually skyrocketed by a massive margin in the span of a single breath!
So that's how it is... this makes things easy!
Qin Ao licked the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth, a hint of imperceptible crimson flashing through his eyes.
He was naturally a cautious man; at first, he had intended to hide his light and bide his time, joining a small sect to cultivate in obscurity. But after repeated testing confirmed that slaughter was the fastest method of cultivation, all reason and hesitation were quickly cast to the wind.
The first to die was a senior brother within the sect who loved to make things difficult for him.
That night, using the pretext of asking for guidance on a technique, he drove a blade into the man's Dantian while his guard was down. The senior brother stared with wide eyes, never understanding until his dying breath why this usually submissive junior brother had suddenly erupted in murderous violence.
Yet, the instant the corpse fell at his feet, Qin Ao felt a surge of majestic spiritual power rush into his body. His cultivation base instantly broke through from the Object Manipulation Realm to the Profound Connection Realm!
He was immediately wild with joy.
One must know that the fastest cultivator in the sect to break through to the Profound Connection Realm had taken a full eighty years! And he? He had taken only five minutes.
The cost was merely the other person's life.
The thrill of such rapid improvement was like a drug—it was impossible to stop once you had a taste. Once experienced, there was no turning back.
It was as if his body were controlled by a mighty force, driving him ceaselessly forward.
Simultaneously, every time he absorbed a victim's cultivation, his heart was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He became intoxicated and unable to extricate himself.
Thus, naturally, the second unlucky fellow appeared.
This was an steward elder who always liked to embezzle the disciples' resources. For someone who had made him suffer so much humiliation, he spent enough patience to finally find an opening.
Then he raised the sharp blade in his hand without hesitation and slew him beneath the sword.
The third was a senior sister who had always treated him with cold sarcasm.
One after another, his slaughter did not stop.
In the beginning, he still tried to find reasons why they deserved to die. But then... the fourth, the fifth...
He suddenly realized: rather than racking his brains for a reason to kill, it was better to just kill more people.
A reason?
Even if these people didn't die by his hand, they were just pitiful bugs in a cage anyway. Better to benefit himself!
By the time he finally came to his senses, the entire sect was already shrouded in his bloody massacre.
The once lively and bustling sect was now dead silent, leaving only the ground littered with corpses and the pervasive stench of blood.
And he himself had unknowingly broken through to the early stage of the Return Origin Realm! A realm that was originally out of reach in the eyes of ordinary cultivators was now easily achieved amidst his crazy slaughter.
Not enough... still not enough!
Qin Ao stood amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, feeling the surging spiritual power within him. The killing intent in his eyes grew even stronger.
Possessing power, he became even more unscrupulous.
Those who quarreled with him—kill! Those who cheated him of money—kill! Those who hated him in secret—kill!
Even a female cultivator who expressed admiration for him had her skull crushed by a single palm—simply because he found her too noisy.
A hundred years passed.
While cautiously selecting targets, he killed people everywhere, actually hacking his way all to the Longevity Realm! He became a top-tier cultivator in the Spirit Realm!
However, after the Longevity Realm, advancement became increasingly difficult.
Cultivators of this realm were sect leaders or pillars of major sects; they rarely ventured out and their movements were secretive. Moreover, having lived for so many years and experienced all manner of things, they were difficult to deceive for a hunt.
And the cultivation provided by ordinary people was simply too little.
Helpless, he finally decided to take a desperate risk.
He would not be picky; even a mosquito, small as it is, is still meat. As long as he killed enough, he could accumulate the small amounts into something large.
He began the taboo act tacitly forbidden among all cultivators of the Spirit Realm—slaughtering mortals.
Mortals were especially fragile; a casual move could easily kill them. Large-scale slaughter even gave him a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Thus, one city, two cities...
After consecutively slaughtering seven mortal cities, he finally accidentally exposed his identity, becoming known to the entire cultivation world.
Blood Hand Butcher—this was the title the cultivation world bestowed upon him!
Demon! This beast has lost all conscience; he must be killed!
The major sects jointly issued a kill order, swearing to hack him into ten thousand pieces.
But soon, those hunting him began to disappear without a trace. Subsequently, several sects that participated in the encirclement were wiped out one after another.
Only then did the cultivation world realize with a start—they were not hunting a demon; they were being hunted by the demon!
Qin Ao stood atop the ruins of the last sect to be exterminated, with a river of blood flowing at his feet. He looked up at the sky, the corner of his mouth hooking into a ferocious smile.
Stupid ants... you simply don't know that this world is merely a cage.
The records from the Seven Kills Technique surfaced in his mind—This realm is a cage created by the True Immortal Chen Chang'an; all living beings are merely livestock to be fattened for the slaughter.
The so-called cultivation was just fattening the livestock before the slaughter.
And he alone was the truly awakened one!
Killing people is saving you... he muttered softly, the crimson in his eyes deepening.
Just as he prepared to continue the slaughter, a cold voice suddenly sounded:
"No matter who you are, proving the Dao through slaughter is ultimately an evil path."
Qin Ao whipped his head around to see a white-robed cultivator standing in the air.
The man had handsome features, sword-like brows, and the aura around him had also reached the Longevity Realm!
"And who are you?"
"Zhao Xin." The white-robed cultivator announced his name, his voice calm. "Today, I have come specifically to stop your murderous sins."
Qin Ao narrowed his eyes, then suddenly laughed.
"Another one seeking death."
His figure flashed, and he was already in mid-air.
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