Regardless of Buddhism or Daoism, despite both that did not get along, they existed in harmony. Though, a lot of powerful demon kings of the demon clans had faced defeats against the both of them.
After all, the scenic and peculiar locations in the mountains and waters were not only conducive for the cultivator’s cultivation, they were also good for the demon clan s to attain spiritual wisdom, and most were even the nests of Demon Kings. Throughout the years, the cultivators who considered themselves as authentic Xuanmen invaded and took over those great spots. Due to the talented younger generations amongst the cultivators, and the lack of organization on the part of the demon clan, a demon king who was not powerful enough would not be able to protect the clan.
A talented human cultivator could attain Dao in a couple hundreds of years. However, those in the demon clan needed at least one thousand years to become a demon king. If it was not for the big size of the world, in another ten thousand years the demon clan might not even have a place in this world anymore.
Of course, there were still powerful ones amongst the demon clan, and they had their own spots. Moreover, the bigger sects had taken over much of the good spots, and most of the time, both sides existed in harmony. So long as the demons did not commit heinous deeds in the mortal realm, the cultivators would not go out of their way to exterminate them.
Although the Buddhist sects were strong, the Nine-Headed Demon King did not fear the Jinguang Temple. Still, he found it hard to trust Mister Hai fully.
Mister Hai was not surprised by the Nine-Headed Demon King’s hesitation.
To become a demon king, a demon had to go through a lot. Besides those who got lucky, most of the demon king went through a lot of danger and hardship to attain the ability to shapeshift into a human.
However, he believed that the Nine-Headed Demon King would say yes eventually. Demon kings did not indulge in enjoyment out of choice, but out of necessity. After going through hardship to shapeshift into a human, for them to reach greater heights in cultivation, it was not just about clocking in the hours anymore.
The attainment of the Nine-Headed Demon King was not founded on pure luck.
Without further insights, it was no wonder that he let himself go and spent his days in indulgence.
If an opportunity to get stronger presented itself, it would be hard to say no to.
“Brother, it’s not that I don’t believe in you, but I can’t act on empty talks and I can’t rest easy without some solid proof. Even though I have nine heads, it still wouldn’t be nice to lose one.” The nine heads represented one life each, and that was his biggest insurance. It was a supernatural power that he was born with, he was especially proud of the fact that unlike him, not a lot of demons and monsters in this world had nine lives.
At the same time, it served as a warning to Mister Hai to not trick him, and trickery would not be able to kill him.
Mister Hai lifted his head and looked at him calmly. “If Brother Nine does not believe in me, let’s make an oath in front of the bier,” said Mister Hai.
Upon hearing this, the Nine-Headed Demon King felt better. The bier came from the existence of spiritual beings, and it was the heart of Dao as well. The binding power and effect of bier oaths were not as strong as that of karma oath, but the bier oath pointed to one’s heart. If one were to break the oath, one’s nature would be tainted and clouded by dust, resulting in the loss of value. Even though there were ways to overcome it, it would take a lot of effort and time.
As for why Mister Hai did not suggest for the more binding karma oath, he had his own considerations. If the binding power of the oath was too strong and the two of them were bonded too tightly, and if the Nine-Headed Demon King were to change his mind, he would have to pay a hefty price as well.
The Nine-Headed King asked for the details before he committed himself to the bier oath. Anyhow, the oath would only be binding if there was actually a Buddhist relic in the Jinguang Temple to begin with.
******
After killing the female demonic snake, Shen Lian left immediately. Despite that, he did not know about Mister Hai when the female demonic snake mentioned his name, but he was not stupid enough to wait around after killing her.
The island was not big, and Shen Lian went to the other side of the island. After he found his bearings, he rode on the wind and sailed across the sea.
Half a day after he had left, a young man in gold clothes appeared at the spot where the female demonic snake was killed. The young man was Mister Hai.
Mister Hai looked at the soil on the ground and mumbled some phrases. It was an especially difficult and complicated chant. He drew a circle in the air, and a mirror appeared out of thin air.
This was the supernatural power of “Yuan Guang Retrace”, and he could see everything that had happened on this particular spot.
Mister Hai looked in the mirror. He saw Shen Lian pointed his finger at the female demonic snake, and she stood frozen. “The Daoist sword from Qing Xuan? No, this should be just basics, and yet he attacked someone’s mind and spirit with it. This was exactly what people meant by buying a casket and returning the pearl that was in the casket – what a lack of judgment!”
If Shen Lian did not have an impressive background, Mister Hai would have captured him. However, since he was up to something big, he decided not to stir up conflict unnecessarily.
Although Qing Xuan was not as strong as it once was, it was still a big sect with ten thousand years of history. There might still be some immortals lurking around in the galaxy.
He waved his sleeve and the entire forest was encapsulated in mist. The mist extended outwards gradually, and the entire island was shrouded by it. In the end, the island disappeared miraculously, and there was no sign of it from the outside.
The sea monster too was sinking slowly into the sea; only the singing of the sea monster remained.
******
Shen Lian was unaware that he got away from troubles due to Qing Xuan’s reputation. Despite that he recognized the direction, to get back on the right track in the vast sea took him a lot of effort.
When he finally got back to the mountain gate of Qing Xuan, a month had already passed.
Taiyi Peak was shrouded by the misty clouds, and it looked the same as usual.
Zhang Ruoxu sat cross-legged on the stone couch as he observed the return of Shen Lian.
There naturally would not be many changes within the short span of time that elapsed. Zhang Ruoxu would not be evaluating Shen Lian’s cultivation too.
“Did you know that almost everyone on the Flying Celestials Island died?” Zhang Ruoxu sighed and spoke in a pitying tone.
“What happened? I have eliminated the demon before I left,” replied Shen Lian, who was not pleased by what he heard.
“Someone cultivated the “Blood Dissipating Sword” with the Qi and blood of the Islanders, and the sole survivor is a little girl. She was saved by my Uncle-Master,” Zhang Ruoxu elaborated.
“Blood Dissipating Sword?” Shen Lian was confused, as he had never read about the Blood Dissipating Sword, and there was no record of it in the Taiwei Pavillion.
“It is a supernatural power that could snatch the Qi and blood of others to nourish one’s Qi of vitality, which will speed up the cultivation process. Even though it reduces the insufficient portion to build up the excessive portion and is against the natural way of things, one could still attain Dao with it,” Zhang Ruoxi spoke while gauging Shen Lian’s reaction.
“Is there any other disadvantage with this method of attaining immortality?” Shen Lian queried casually.
“No, there isn’t. However, it will be difficult to pass the trial of Divine Thunder in the future. If one killed enough living creatures and snatched their Qi, one could Huandan within twenty years and could attain the Absurd State within fifty years. If the person was naturally devoid of emotional ties, he could even break through the Absurd State. By then, only the heavens would be able to pass their judgment unto him,” Zhang Ruoxu illustrated with a helpless tone.
“Survival is an instinct. I guess there were a lot of people who tried to cultivate this before?” Shen Lian asked after a moment of contemplation.
“There was a sect who cultivated this, and everyone in the sect ended up killing each other. The sole survivor was stuck by the Five Thunders, and his spirit was exterminated.”