Translator: CinderTL
If this old geezer doesn't hurry up and reincarnate, I might just have to give him a little nudge myself!
"Heh heh... This old one takes his leave..."
As if unwilling to prolong his unwelcome presence, the old man's voice faded, and the discipline ruler clattered to the ground, its white glow instantly extinguished.
Gone?
Xu Sanyan picked up the discipline ruler and examined it closely, probing it with his spiritual power. Finding nothing amiss, he concluded that the old man had indeed departed.
According to the old man, he had gone to reincarnate. Could it be... does the Underworld truly exist in this world?
Xu Sanyan shook his head. It was too early to dwell on such matters; he would consider them later.
Only now could he calm his mind and carefully sense the changes within himself.
After this ordeal, Xu Sanyan felt remarkably refreshed, his mind sharper than ever. Beyond that, little else had changed.
Next, he opened the dozen or so storage pouches, laid them out in a row, and began sorting their contents into neat piles: spirit stones, magic artifacts, books, and miscellaneous items.
Among them were over five thousand spirit stones, most of which he had seized from the Lu Clan elder's storage pouch. For a Soul Refining Realm cultivator, such meager spirit stone holdings were rather pitiful.
There were eight magic artifacts in total: four longswords, a halberd, a golden bracelet, a large banner, and a red silk ribbon.
Xu Sanyan infused each item with his Spiritual Power, but only the banner responded. This indicated that the other artifacts had already been nurtured by someone else and required specific cultivation methods and techniques to activate.
Still, one was enough. Xu Sanyan was content; this was the first magic artifact he had obtained since beginning his cultivation journey.
As he continued to channel Spiritual Power, the banner billowed in the wind, rapidly expanding until it blotted out the sun and sky in a magnificent display.
Xu Sanyan silently sensed its capabilities. It seemed designed to capture people. When unfurled, the banner could envelop heaven and earth, leaving its targets nowhere to escape.
After carefully stowing the banner away, Xu Sanyan turned his attention to the two books:
Demon Suppression Sutra
Lu Clan's Spirit Refining Force
Both cultivation methods had been retrieved from the Lu Clan elder's storage pouch. Xu Sanyan first opened Lu Clan's Spirit Refining Force and began studying it intently.
The more he read, the brighter his smile became. He couldn't help but exclaim, "What a treasure!"
This was a Mystical Art that allowed one to condense their divine soul into invisible, soul-damaging needles—a truly treacherous and venomous technique.
Xu Sanyan relished such underhanded methods. In his view, all strategies were equally valid; any means that could kill an enemy was a good method.
Xu Sanyan picked up the other book, the Demon Suppression Sutra, but couldn't help but feel disappointed. This scripture was only meant to suppress one's own evil thoughts and held no practical use for him.
"I have no evil thoughts to suppress," he reasoned. "Why would I need this?"
Next, he turned his attention to the pile of miscellaneous items nearby. It was a chaotic assortment of everything imaginable, including women's spare clothing and intimate undergarments.
Xu Sanyan picked up a few pieces and examined them with the experienced eye of a man who had seen countless women. Judging by his experience, they appeared to have been worn. He casually tossed them aside.
Finding nothing of interest in the pile, he abandoned it and walked away.
As he traveled, Xu Sanyan absorbed Spirit Stones while checking his status panel. With his ample supply of Spirit Stones, he could now fully master several Mystical Arts.
He was particularly eager to refine the newly acquired Lu Clan's Spirit Refining Force, a perfect tool for underhanded tactics.
However, the Life Coffin Technique was becoming obsolete. Its effectiveness had diminished, and the puppets it created served little purpose beyond carrying his belongings. Even the Blood Demon Corpse Refining Method was falling behind his progress.
Lost in thought, Xu Sanyan continued onward. He had no destination in mind, intending to find a populated area to inquire about directions.
Four months later, Xu Sanyan gazed at the endless mountain range before him, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
He had finally arrived. Over a year had passed since he set out from the Qi Kingdom, and now he stood at the foot of the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range.
"Brother Xu, let's go in," Li Zuoxing said, his voice laced with anticipation.
Two companions flanked Xu Sanyan: Li Zuoxing and Wang Lulu, a married couple he had met along the way. Like him, they were bound for the Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect.
According to the couple, they had once been disciples of a Righteous Path Sect. After being ostracized by their Senior Brother, they killed him in a fit of rage and were forced to flee. Desperate for refuge, they joined a demonic sect.
Xu Sanyan neither knew nor cared about the truth of their story. Li Zuoxing had once mentioned that their situation wasn't uncommon; many joined demonic sects after being driven out by righteous path sects.
Xu Sanyan recalled a memory fragment he had seen in the Soul Realm: the young man Qin Manyang had saved had also been forced to leave his righteous sect. It seemed life wasn't easy, even in righteous sects.
"Let's go," Wang Lulu said, her delicate face tinged with melancholy. "Stepping into the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain means severing all ties to our past." She had never imagined her life would lead her here.
Xu Sanyan nodded and followed the couple into the mountains.
The moment they stepped inside, the surroundings plunged into darkness. Even the summer breeze carried a bone-chilling coldness, a spine-tingling chill that seeped deep into their marrow.
"Be careful," Li Zuoxing warned solemnly. "Ten Thousand Demons Mountain is teeming with demonic beasts, and many demonfolk lurk within. We can't afford to let our guard down for a moment."
"Mm," Xu Sanyan nodded lightly.
The trio advanced steadily in a triangular formation, each vigilantly watching a different direction.
Wang Lulu glanced at Li Zuoxing. Their eyes met, and they exchanged subtle nods.
In truth, Wang Lulu and Li Zuoxing were not a married couple, but merely fellow disciples from the same sect. Their defection hadn't been due to internal strife, but to patricide—they had murdered their master!
As senior brother and junior sister, they had conspired to ambush their master for a powerful cultivation method. Though they succeeded in killing him and obtaining the technique, their secrecy failed, exposing their crime and forcing them to flee the sect, pursued by its wrath.
After enduring countless perils, they had finally reached the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range.
Upon meeting Xu Sanyan, Wang Lulu and Li Zuoxing secretly plotted to eliminate him at the first opportunity. After all, they reasoned, whether there were three of them or two, it wouldn't make much difference. Getting rid of Xu Sanyan wouldn't change anything.
As they ventured deeper into the mountain, the distance between them gradually narrowed, with Wang Lulu and Li Zuoxing deliberately closing in on Xu Sanyan.
Xu Sanyan's eyelids drooped slightly, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Ah!" Li Zuoxing suddenly roared, his eyes turning bloodshot as he clutched his head and collapsed to the ground, writhing like a maggot.
Wang Lulu's face paled with shock, but she didn't suspect Xu Sanyan. Instead, her gaze darted around frantically as she asked, "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
"It hurts! My head feels like it's going to explode!" Li Zuoxing snarled, his face contorted in agony.
Xu Sanyan frowned deeply. He had just used the Lu Clan's Spirit Refining Force to condense his divine soul into a piercing spike and hurl it at Li Zuoxing, but it had only managed to wound him.
My divine soul cultivation is still insufficient, he thought. If I had reached the Soul Refining Realm and solidified my divine soul, a single strike would have shattered his soul and scattered his essence.
Li Zuoxing gasped heavily, slowly regaining his composure. His gaze swept around the area before lingering on Xu Sanyan for a moment.
He suspected Xu Sanyan of ambushing him, but he couldn't be certain. Xu Sanyan's cultivation level was too low—only early Foundation Establishment. How could someone with such a weak foundation possess such sinister methods?
Yes, in Li Zuoxing's eyes, Xu Sanyan was merely at the early Foundation Establishment stage. This was thanks to Xu Sanyan's Breath Concealment Technique.
"Brother Li, are you alright?" Xu Sanyan asked anxiously.
"I'm... I'm fine," Li Zuoxing forced himself to stand, his eyes scanning the dense forest around them.
Though it was Great White Heaven, the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain remained shrouded in perpetual twilight.
(End of the Chapter)
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