Lordi Payne was more than happy to keep the conversation going. He quickly replied, "I'd love to hear the details."
"Cough, cough, cough…" Woods Tinshee coughed violently again, subtly swallowing a pill as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He continued, "My master was an outer sect elder of the Abyss Pit Sect, a Core Form cultivator. In the outer sect, he lived a relatively carefree life. However, my master was determined to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage. Not long ago, he obtained a superior cultivation technique and decided to switch his cultivation path… At first, this seemed like a good thing."
His expression darkened as he spoke. "Out of expectation, my third Senior Brother, Lu Shun, turned out to be a spy planted by a rival. He leaked the news while my master was weakened during the transition, leading to an ambush at his secluded cultivation site. My master was killed on the spot."
What followed was almost inevitable. The Abyss Pit Sect operated on the principle of the strong devouring the weak.
If Elder Leo had survived and successfully switched his cultivation, his faction would have thrived. But with his death and his disciples still too young to protect their assets, other outer sect elders and even inner sect disciples like Kinson Wexford swooped in to divide his resources.
Woods Tinshee, being the most recent and weakest disciple of Elder Leo, hadn't even been informed of his master's seclusion. It was only after Elder Leo's death, when the vultures predator descended, that his Senior Brothers fled with him in a panic.
Ironically, because he was the weakest, no one paid him much attention, allowing him to survive until now.
"I never imagined that the Abyss Pit Sect, which claims to be a sacred sect, would stoop to such despicable acts," Lordi Payne said righteously. "Thank you for sharing this, FellowDao Woods. I used to admire the Abyss Pit Sect, but now I see it's nothing more than a den of wolves! Treating their own Sect elders like this is truly shameful."
His words were sincere. After all, even an outer sect elder of the Abyss Pit Sect lived such a precarious life. Demonic sects were indeed demonic sects—this place was far too unfriendly to someone like him who valued caution and survival above all else!
All he wanted now was to flee as far away as possible.
But before he could make his escape, there was one more thing he needed to clarify. "By the way, FellowDao Woods, what's the deal with Kinson Wexford's Bone Raksha Painting?"
"Did you ever consume any heavenly treasures in the past?" Woods Tinshee countered instead of answering. "Or do you have any unusual physical traits?"
Lordi Payne thought a while. "I've been suppressed by my stepmother since I was a child. Even if there were heavenly treasures, they wouldn't have come my way. As for unusual physical traits… what exactly do you mean?"
Hearing this, Woods Tinshee concluded that Lordi Payne must have a special constitution. A flicker of envy crossed his mind, but he replied calmly, "It's hard to say. The mysteries of creation are vast, and there are countless special constitutions, many of which aren't even recorded in the Abyss Pit Sect's archives. But given your background in this remote backwater and your desperate situation—so desperate that you dared to steal from Kinson Wexford—yet you managed to cultivate perfect-grade Iron Bone, it's likely you have an unusual constitution. Otherwise, you wouldn't have survived the Bone Raksha Painting's absorption."
He explained further, "That painting was something Kinson Wexford obtained by chance during a mission to an ancient ruin. It's said to be extremely sinister—even a late Foundation Building disciple once fell victim to it. As for the specifics, Kinson Wexford has been tight-lipped, so I don't know much. But given your cultivation level, since you've seen the painting, it must have marked you."
"Generally speaking, unless Kinson Wexford releases you personally, once the Bone Raksha Painting has locked onto your aura, it will follow you like a shadow, draining your essence, energy, and spirit… To be honest, I've never heard of a Qi Refinement cultivator marked by the painting surviving."
Seeing Lordi Payne's gloomy face, Woods Tinshee's thoughts shifted, and he added, "Well, there was one exception."
"That was also a disciple of the Abyss Pit Sect. He fled dozen thousands of miles away in a short time and stayed outside for over a year. By the time he returned, the Bone Raksha Painting had grown too hungry and moved on to its next target, giving up the guy alone."
"Thank you, FelllowDao Woods," Lordi Payne said, though he wasn't sure how much of this to believe.
As he pondered Woods Tinshee's words, the man suddenly gave him a sly smile. "Dude, since we're both trying to avoid Kinson Wexford, how about we make a deal?"
Lordi Payne was inwardly wary inside but outwardly calm. "What kind of deal are you proposing, FellowDao Woods?"
"This is the cultivation technique my master intended to switch to," Woods Tinshee said, pulling out a jade slip and waving it in front of Lordi Payne. "It's also the reason the Abyss Pit Sect is hunting me, a mere Qi Refinement cultivator. To be honest, I'm at the end of my rope. If you can help me escape Mountain Grimvale, I'll let you make a copy of this technique. How do you think?"
~ Ding! *System Notification Chime*
Before Lordi Payne could respond, a system notification sounded in his mind.
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> Detected external data.
> Analyzing...
> Pattern identified: [External Cultivation Technique]
> Technique Recording initiated...
> Progress: 10%...
Holy crap!
Such a stroke of luck?!
Lordi Payne was overjoyed but worried that Woods Tinshee might take the jade slip back before the system could finish recording. He quickly said, "So this is a jade slip? This is my first time seeing one. FellowDao Woods, how exactly do you use these jade slips?"
Woods Tinshee was momentarily stunned, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. "Once we escape, I'll definitely teach you. What, you don't trust me?"
"No, no, FellowDao Woods, you misunderstand," Lordi Payne said, racking his brain to buy more time. "It's just that I've never seen a jade slip before… By the way, FellowDao Woods, which direction do you think we should go after escaping Mountain Grimvale? To be honest, I've never left Deerspring in my life. If we need to flee tens thousands of miles, I have no idea where to go."
Seeing that Lordi Payne wasn't pressing the issue of the jade slip, Woods Tinshee secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As he put the jade slip away, he said casually, "We head west first… I'll guide you when the time comes."
Lordi Payne watched his movements with growing anxiety, desperately trying to think of an excuse to slow him down. Fortunately, the system chimed again:
~ Ding! *System Notification Chime*
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> Progress: … 50%... 100%
> New cultivation technique added to database: [Untitled Technique #0001]
> Recording complete.
> Please rename the technique!
"Just call it the Nameless Technique," Lordi Payne replied, too preoccupied to care about naming it properly. He turned to Woods Tinshee and said, "Alright, I'm familiar with Mountain Grimvale. Don't worry, FellowDao Woods, I'll make sure you get out safely!"
Woods Tinshee smiled faintly, his voice weak. "Then you'd better hurry. If Kinson Wexford arrives in person, things will get complicated. Oh, and I'm badly injured, so I'll need you to help me up."
"Don't worry, FellowDao Woods," Lordi Payne said, finally regaining enough strength to struggle to his feet. He panted, "We're on the same side now. Your problems are my problems."
With that, he stood up, tested his limbs, and decided he was good to go for the short term. Then, he turned around and ran away without hesitation!
Woods Tinshee: "?!"
A mix of fury and disbelief flashed across his face. He quickly dismissed the Five Poisons Finger technique he had been preparing and started chasing.
Lordi Payne stumbled through the dark, unfamiliar passage, praying that Woods Tinshee's injuries were severe enough to slow him down or that his fear of Kinson Wexford would keep him from pursuing. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before he heard rapid footsteps closing in from behind.
"FellowDao Woods, I'm going to find help! You're too badly injured to move!" Lordi Payne called over his shoulder, picking up speed.
Woods Tinshee sneered. "Do I look like an idiot to you? You little brat, so young yet so cunning and ruthless. No wonder you're a lackey of the Abyss Pit Sect!"
Lordi Payne didn't respond, focusing all his energy on running.
But soon, he encountered a problem: the passage split into multiple paths!
In the heat of the moment, Lordi Payne didn't have time to think. He chose a path that seemed to have a slight breeze and ran into it. However, it wasn't long before he heard Woods Tinshee's cold laughter behind him.
He soon realized why: the path ended in a solid rock wall after a short distance. The breeze he had felt came from a few small holes in the wall, no larger than a fist.
It was a dead end!
Lordi Payne's heart sank. He quickly turned around, only to see Woods Tinshee approaching with a mocking smile, a green light flickering at his fingertips.
"Keep running." Woods Tinshee teased. "Why did you stop?"
Before Lordi could react, Woods Tinshee's finger snapped up—a flash of movement, cold against his forehead.