In the old Taoist's opinion, if their ancestor could be brought out, the young man before them was surely doomed.
Therefore, no matter what, he had to do his utmost to incite Mu Feng to seek trouble with him.
"My lord, you can't say that. These medicinal herbs, in the strictest sense, do not belong to our ancestor!"
"In reality, these are all things we have collected for him over the years. An untold number of blood debts were incurred in the process. Therefore, if you make a move, my lord, you will be acting on behalf of Heaven!"
The old Taoist rubbed his palms together. His words were indeed true. So many medicinal herbs, some centuries old, some millennia old, any single one of them could be worth a fortune in the outside world.
And now they were all gathered in the Qingyu Taoist Temple. Without resorting to unsavory means, collecting so much would have been an impossible fantasy.
Mu Feng crossed his arms and looked down at him, "Your intentions are far too obvious. Are you sure you want me to get these medicinal herbs, rather than using me to kill someone with borrowed knife?"
The old Taoist was so scared that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, "Heaven can bear witness. This old servant harbors not the slightest ill intent towards my lord. If I harbored any ill intent, may Heaven strike me with lightning!"
He paused and continued, "The reason I want to tell you this is entirely for your benefit. If you feel I have ulterior motives, please kill me on the spot immediately!"
Mu Feng had a knack for judging people. If this old Taoist was truly without ulterior motives, then it would be a ghost.
However, the origin of these medicinal herbs was likely as they had said, indeed impure.
With that, he would be able to obtain these medicinal herbs with justification.
Thinking of this, Mu Feng couldn't help but nod slightly and say, "Then I'll believe you for now. Where is this so-called ancestor of yours?"
The old Taoist was overjoyed. He could already envision the bloody scene of Mu Feng being killed by his ancestor.
However, he did not show this delight on his face, but instead said calmly, "It's on the mountaintop. There's a cave up there. Our ancestor has been in secluded cultivation inside for two years!"
"Alright, then lead me there!" Mu Feng was quite confident in his own strength.
Even though the other party had lived for so many years and surpassed human limits, even if he couldn't forcefully snatch them, he could still retreat with his whole body intact with ease.
Upon hearing this, the old Taoist's heart was filled with delight. He nodded repeatedly, "Good, good, good, my lord, this way please!"
Thus, led by the old Taoist, Mu Feng soon arrived at the mountaintop where the Qingyu Taoist Temple was located.
The mountaintop had treacherous terrain and had not been developed at all.
After passing through an inconspicuous steep mountain path, the old Taoist stopped at the entrance of a cave.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, he couldn't help but cower and hide behind Mu Feng.
He said nervously, "My lord, our ancestor is cultivating inside this cave. It's better for me to hide behind you. After all, if he unleashes his power, my old bones will fall apart!"
Mu Feng could feel waves of medicinal herb scents emanating from the cave.
Just by smelling the aroma, one could tell how potent these medicinal herbs were.
It seemed the old Taoist wasn't lying; there were indeed many precious, aged medicinal herbs inside.
"What do you mean by hiding behind? Hurry up and lead the way!" Mu Feng said in a commanding tone.
The old Taoist said with difficulty, "This... this isn't good. He's very strong. What if I die here?"
Mu Feng chuckled, "If you don't lead the way quickly, I don't mind turning you into a dead man right now!"
Feeling a suffocating chill, the old Taoist trembled. He had no choice but to steel himself and walk into the cave.
Mu Feng followed closely behind. However, to his surprise, as soon as he entered the cave, he found that there was no place for his feet.
To his shock, the entire ground was covered with numerous scattered skeletons.
A dense expanse of white bones, it made even Mu Feng tremble slightly.
"What's with all these skeletons?" he frowned.
The old Taoist said as if nothing was wrong, "My lord, you may not know this, but our ancestor cultivates a certain immortal art that allows him to absorb human essence and blood!"
"You mean these people had their essence and blood absorbed by him?" A chill rose in Mu Feng's heart.
These were living lives, one after another. To think they all lay here, it was too cruel.
The old Taoist nodded, "That's right. This dual approach is what allows our ancestor to survive for so long. My lord, if you can, you should also cultivate such an immortal art. If you can seize this cultivation method, then you can also live to two hundred years old, there will be no problem at all!"
Mu Feng snorted dismissively, "You call this an immortal art? It's nothing more than a monstrous demonic art! These people weren't all captured by you, were they!"
The old Taoist scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, "My lord, you've guessed correctly. Every month, we contribute ten people to the ancestor. Sometimes the ancestor also wants to absorb the essence of virgin boys and girls. Who knows how many people have been abducted over the years!"
Mu Feng's expression changed. Ten people a month, so in the long river of time, how many people lost their lives because of this?
This Qingyu Taoist Temple looked like a place of serenity, but in reality, it was no different from hell.
Thinking of this, Mu Feng felt relieved. These wicked Taoists deserved to die. What he was doing was entirely acting on behalf of Heaven.
"These are all lives! Do you know what you're doing?" Mu Feng glared at him.
The old Taoist lowered his head in fear, "My lord, we also have our difficulties. If we didn't do this, the ancestor would kill everyone. He wouldn't spare useless people!"
At the same time, in the deepest part of the cave, there was a pool of water.
An old man wearing a Taoist robe, with disheveled hair, was facing a dozen strong men with their upper bodies bare.
These men were trembling with fear. Bound tightly, they were unable to escape.
"Please don't kill me, don't kill me!" someone cried out in fear.
Some were even weeping incessantly, their cries filled with despair.
The old man licked his lips and said, "Don't worry, there will be no pain. After absorbing all your essence and blood, this seat can gain another six months of lifespan. This is your contribution, the greatest value of your existence. You should all feel honored!"
"Monster, you're a monster!" someone shouted.
The old man narrowed his eyes and slowly walked over, "This seat enjoys being called a monster. After all, monsters can live for thousands of years. Thank you for the compliment. Who shall I absorb first?"