???
Outside Wang Xiu Pavilion, Wang Xiu had just finished bathing in the Merit Rain and was about to fly back on his sword to the Three Purities Immortal Sect to complete his mission.
But then.
The system notification sound that echoed in his mind made him freeze on the spot.
Someone was bragging nearby!
And this person was very powerful.
Having had the system for a while, Wang Xiu had a general idea of its rewards.
The higher the cultivation of the person bragging, the more generous the Spiritual qi Points reward for Wang Xiu would be.
Generally speaking:
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator bragging, unless it was a critical hit with a triple multiplier, Wang Xiu's Spiritual qi Points reward wouldn't exceed 10;
For a Core Formation cultivator, it was usually between 10 and 30 points;
For a Golden Core cultivator, it was between 30 and 100, and for an Nascent Soul cultivator, it was between 100 and 300.
Of course.
Jiang Yourong was an exception. Her cultivation in life had reached the Out-of-Body stage, but now she was just a remnant soul, so the standard reward for hearing her brag was usually around 50-80 Spiritual qi Points.
Now.
This mysterious bragger, after a critical hit, awarded Wang Xiu 233 Spiritual qi Points.
That means before the triple critical hit, the reward should have been around 77. This implies that if this mysterious bragger weren't a remnant soul, their actual cultivation would be at least at the Golden Core stage or higher.
"A Golden Core cultivator is hidden in Feng City?"
Wang Xiu couldn't help but frown. A Golden Core true person was hidden in Feng City, and he was unaware of it.
This... was definitely not good news.
After all, Feng City was under the jurisdiction of the Three Purities Immortal Sect. Disciples of the sect wouldn't easily leave the mountain unless on a mission.
For other sects, such as the Great Vajra Temple or the True Martial Immortal Sect, if a disciple's cultivation reached the Golden Core stage or higher, they would also notify the other sect in advance before entering their territory.
Otherwise, if discovered, it could easily be seen as a provocation, triggering a diplomatic conflict.
"Something's not right!"
"This doesn't add up!"
"The waters of Feng City run deeper than I imagined!"
Wang Xiu's senses sharpened instantly. He glanced imperceptibly towards the back of Wang Xiu Pavilion and then flew towards the eastern part of the city.
East City.
An abandoned Daoist temple, once a residence of the Three Purities Immortal Sect.
It was of the same lineage as the current Qingyun Temple, but it had fallen into disrepair over the years and was gradually abandoned.
This place was desolate and remote, with few people around.
Wang Xiu landed on the Xuanwu Mirror and set up a Qinglian Covering the Sky Formation around the Daoist temple to conceal his aura.
Instantly.
This Daoist temple was now completely cut off from the outside world. Even a Nascent Soul-stage elder would find it nearly impossible to peer in.
Wang Xiu took out a communication token, adjusted its frequency to match the array's, and began to message Xiao Qingyu, requesting a video call.
Answered in a second.
Xiao Qingyu stared at Wang Xiu with a grim expression. "The mission deadline is in two hours. Why are you still dawdling in Maple City?"
Oh, come on.
Was she really starting off by telling me to come home?
Wang Xiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Senior Sister, I need your help with something."
"Can you check if, besides the Li brothers from the Sword Vein and myself, there are any other disciples from our sect currently on missions in Maple City?"
Maple City?
Xiao Qingyu's gaze sharpened. After a moment of thought, she said, "No. The only ones on missions in Maple City right now are the Li brothers and you, Junior Brother."
"What's wrong? Did you notice something amiss in Maple City?"
Wang Xiu nodded slightly. "I suspect there's a Golden Core-stage expert hiding in Maple City."
"And," he continued, "after hearing about the Lady of the Nie family from Qingyun and Changfeng, something felt off. The tragedy of the Lady of the Nie family seems rather suspicious."
"A 'Nine Yin' maiden, a 'Third Lady's Bane' day, hanging herself in her wedding robes at the stroke of midnight—it's all too coincidental."
"While it's true that coincidences make for a good story,"
"the fact that a mysterious Golden Core-stage expert has now appeared in Maple City at this exact time..."
"...is enough to make one worry."
Unnecessary.
Wang Xiu said no more. He believed that with Xiao Qingyu's wisdom and experience, she would be able to connect the dots.
Meanwhile.
After hearing Wang Xiu's words, Xiao Qingyu's expression also grew solemn.
As the head of the mission hall of the Three Pure Immortal Sect, her experience was far beyond Wang Xiu's; what kind of mission mishaps hadn't she seen?
Upon hearing Wang Xiu's report.
Xiao Qingyu didn't bother with pleasantries or asking for more details. Instead, she said decisively, "This has nothing to do with you. You're only at the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation. Don't get involved."
"I will contact the Sword Vein now and have them send reinforcements to Maple City as quickly as possible to support the Li brothers."
"As for you, don't dally. Return to the sect immediately, right now!"
Click~
Wang Xiu ended the communication. The Great Azure Lotus Heaven-Encompassing Array once again completely enveloped the abandoned Daoist temple.
Let's calculate the time.
It is currently the Xu hour, and there are still nearly two shichen until the Zi hour, when the Yin Qi will be at its heaviest. There should still be enough time.
"System, help me merge the 'Heavenly Demon Myriad Transformation Manual'."
Rumble~
As clusters of golden light merged into Wang Xiu's body, countless profound, esoteric, and wondrous cultivation mantras were branded into his mind.
Demons!
They are of two types: Postnatal Demons and Innate Demons.
Postnatal Demons mostly cultivate demonic Qi by defying the Heavenly Dao or practicing various evil demonic arts. They then use this demonic Qi to break through bottlenecks in their cultivation and enhance their own strength.
Innate Demons are different. They are born with a will that is the opposite of the Heavenly Dao of Order, making them inherently perfectly suited to the laws of the demonic path.
Innate Demons, and their bloodline descendants, will see their demonic Qi grow with normal cultivation, even without defying the Heavenly Dao. They possess the power to crush and wither all opposition.
Any single Innate Demon, once fully grown, can wreak havoc across the entire cultivation world, even giving headaches to the great powers of the Immortal Realm.
The demonic cultivators wreaking havoc in the cultivation world today, and the so-called 'evil gods' they worship, are actually the power projections of higher-dimensional Innate Demons.
At the same time.
There are many types of Innate Demons, each with different abilities.
For example, the 'Six Desires Heavenly Demon' worshipped by the Joy Union Sect can stir up the seven emotions and six desires in all cultivators, causing them to be bewitched by evil thoughts and become slaves to their desires.
The 'Underworld Blood Heavenly Demon' worshipped by the Blood Shadow Sect can devour essence and blood to rapidly grow stronger, and also possesses the ability to be reborn from a single drop of blood, making it indestructible.
The 'Destruction Heavenly Demon' worshipped by the Asura Sect grows stronger simply through destruction.
In short.
Each type of Heavenly Demon possesses extremely troublesome innate abilities, and can grant part of their own abilities to demonic cultivators who worship them in the form of blessings.
The reason demonic cultivators often perform the 'Heavenly Demon Grand Sacrifice' is to communicate with these so-called 'evil gods' and receive Heavenly Demon blessings.
Demonic cultivists who receive Heavenly Demon blessings will see their strength greatly enhanced, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
...
The 'Heavenly Demon Myriad Transformation Manual' that Wang Xiu obtained was not a blessing.
In essence, it is a cultivation art, a technique passed down within the bloodline of the [Formless Heavenly Demon].
The Formless Heavenly Demon.
Among the many types of Innate Demons, this is the most cunning and troublesome race.
They are extremely few in number; one might not be born even in hundreds of thousands of years. But whenever one is born, it becomes a thorn in the side of countless powers.
This is because they possess the ability of a thousand transformations, able to disguise themselves as anyone or anything, and upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, they can even disguise the void itself and the laws of nature
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