“You can’t go to sleep just yet. You still have to watch over the disciples.” Elder Jadeflame jokingly said as his eyes wandered to the glowing spheres at the corner of the control room.
Within each sphere existed a figure in a fetal position. If Xia Yushan or any of the other disciples who participated in the battle against the demons of the Golden Crow Clan were present, they would recognize the cultivators within the sphere as those who had ‘died’ due to Ragingflame Crow’s sneak attack.
As the realmlord of the Demon Cage Realm, Realmlord Demonseal had near-absolute control of everything within. So plucking a few mortal cultivators without anyone noticing was as easy as lifting a finger for the elderly immortal. Even those in the Extremity Immortal Realm will be suppressed by him in the Demon Cage Realm.
“That boy Yushan was too greedy and pushed the bottom line of one of the demon elders.” Realmlord Demonseal said with a snort.
“Don’t be too hard on him.” Elder Jadeflame said. He moved away from the sphere in the center of the room and sat down in front of a tea table. “We’ve been watching Tianyi for over six months without moving. Come and have some tea.”
Realmlord Demonseal sat in front of Elder Jadeflame and accepted the cup of poured tea from his fellow elder. After taking a sip and sighing in satisfaction, he continued. “He’s like a brilliant diamond, glamourous and seemingly full of potential. But he is too hard, too brittle. He will eventually shatter if he continues to push himself above his abilities.”
“Don’t be too pessimistic. If Xia Yushan succeeds, then he can be another strong pillar for the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Aren’t all sword cultivators brittle in comparison to other cultivators?” Elder Jadeflame said as he set his cup on the table with an audible clack.
“Perhaps. Everyone calls Elder Xi a sword cultivator, but the truth is that is she is only a sword user. If she truly cultivated the sword, I’m afraid with her willpower. She would have suffered a major setback. Maybe even perish along her path. On this matter, you should be even clearer than me.” Realmlord Demonsealed sighed and glanced at Elder Jadeflame with a meaningful look.
“As I’ve said, don’t be too pessimistic.” Elder Jadeflame said, his gaze focusing on the image of Vast Heaven Islands within the sphere in the center of the room. “Grand Elder Xi might have become the immortal emperor with the shortest lifespan, but I have a feeling that won’t be the case anymore.”
Realmlord Demonseal turned to look towards the sphere as well. “Perhaps. But if he died, what are the chances of Elder Xi’s heart collapsing?”
“Very high,” was Elder Jadeflame’s evaluation. After that, a silence descended before he broke it again. “What do you think of the disciples from the vassal sects?”
“Not bad,” Reamlord Demonseal closed his eyes as he recalled everything the disciples died within the Demon Cage Realm. As the Realmlord, nothing could escape his eyes, whether it be the birth of natural treasures or the cultivator’s secret actions. “The Leakless Sect’s disciples are subpar, not befitting of their status as the strongest first-rate sect.”
“That is only natural. Most of their outstanding scions went missing a few years ago, so they don’t dare to send their top talents outside without supervision from their own.” Elder Jadeflame said.
“Is it possible to be an inside job?” Realmlord Demonseal asked, his attitude carefree as if he didn’t put the Leakless Sect in his eyes at all.
“Unlikely from our investigations.” Elder Jadeflame then revealed a sly smile as he glanced at the hibernating disciples within the spheres. “The current climate of Heaven Continent is a bit tense. If something were to happen to the disciples of the vassal sects, a war might just break out.”
“Those fellows are just inconsequential. Their life and death won’t make any big waves.” Although Realmlord Demonseal hadn’t left the Demon Cage Realm for thousands upon thousands of years, he still received information concerning the happenings of the Huang Realm. “To increase the likelihood of war erupting, the target of death will have to be someone else.”
“Who do you have in mind?” Elder Jadeflame asked as he took another sip of tea as if he was asking how the weather was and not which disciple to kill to start a war.
“Ji Wutong.” Realmlord Demonseal decisively said. “His talent in alchemy is astonishing. I haven’t heard of any of our disciples having similar talents in recent years. If he were to allow to grow, the chances of the Bright Ascension Sect increasing their strength by a small percentage is not low.”
Realmlord Demonseal then poured another cup of tea for himself. “Of course, compared to the Buzhou Immortal Sect, his danger is minuscule, but for the other sects? He is a huge target of elimination.”
“I’ll leave it up to you then.” Elder Jadeflame said as he also poured another cup of tea. He took a sip before recalling some information. “Right, have you heard of Bao Ling of Numious Sword Sect?”
“You mean the hegemon of the Numinous Realm?” Realmlord Demonseal asked, and a tinge of envy and wariness appeared in his eyes.
The Numinous Realm was the only other immortal realm besides the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Both the Huang and Numinous Realms were the strongest realms within the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, and the two were on par in terms of strength.
If there were a difference, then it would be that the Numinous Sword Sect had conquered and united all of the forces under their leadership, unlike the Buzhou Immortal Sect, which only controlled the Heaven Continent.
The Buzhou Immortal Court descended from the Immortal Court, the former ruler of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System when it was still one world and was from the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginnings’ lineage. In contrast, the Numinous Sword Sect descended from the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasure’s lineage. Even in the primordial era, the two forces had competed for the hegemony of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, with the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginnings rising on top in the end.
Because of this, even in the contemporary era, the Buzhou Immortal Sect and Numinous Sword Sect were still competing. There was no doubt that one or the other would eventually swallow the other and become the sole ruler of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System.
Elder Jadeflame nodded. “Exactly that Numinous Sword Sect.”
“Is he a promising junior?” As he asked, killing intent appeared within Realmlord Demonseal’s eyes.
“Forget about killing him. The Numinous Sword Sect pays heavy attention to him. I heard that he could even control one of the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasure’s four immortal extermination swords.”
“What?” Realmlord Demonseal exclaimed in shock.
The immortal extermination swords consisted of four famed swords. When all four are gathered and used in the Immortal Extermination Formation, it is said that even the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginnings and Heavenly Lord of Way and Virtue might perish under it.
Luckily for the Buzhou Immortal Sect, the Immortal Extermination Formation was said to have been lost during the primordial era. However, the truth of the matter could not be ascertained.
What the Buzhou Immortal Sect did know was that the Numinous Sword Sect controlled two of the four immortal extermination swords. Even one of the swords could easily slay an immortal emperor without using the formation, so it was no wonder that Realmlord Demonseal would be shocked.
“Tell me more,” Realmlord Demonseal said, his voice heavy.
Elder Jadeflame complied.
From the information gathered from the Buzhou Immortal Sect’s spies, Bao Ling was under heavy scrutiny the moment he became a disciple of the Numinous Sword Sect. It was no wonder since he became a core disciple under one of the Numinous Sword Sect’s grand elders immediately upon entering the Numinous Sword Sect.
Bao Ling entered the Foundation Establishment Realm at age ten, Core Formation Realm at age twelve, Nascent Soul Realm at age eighteen, and Unity Realm at age thirty-five. It was predicted that he would enter the Immortal Realm before sixty.
Bao Ling’s future accomplishment could equal Mengfei’s, but his current threat level was on the same level as Sword Empress Xi. The reason for this was due to his ownership of an immortal extermination sword, so despite being only a unity venerable, he had a chance of slaying immortal emperors.
“Bao Ling, Bao Ling, Bao Ling…” Realmlord Demonseal said as he tried to engrave the name into his mind. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he stared straight into Elder Jadeflame’s eyes. “Does he have any relationship to the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasure?”
Bao meant Treasure, and Ling meant Numinous, so Bao Ling could be read as Treasured Numinosity. If someone told Realmlord Demonseal that such a name was not related to the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasures, he would not believe it.
“Unsure, our spies are still investigating the origin of Bao Ling.” Elder Jadeflame said.
Realmlord Demonseal frowned, causing his crease lines to appear on his forehead. In the end, he could only sigh. He had half a foot in the grave, and it was unlikely he had the power to make any changes. So he should focus on what he can do, nothing more.
After the creation of the fortress town, the skirmishes between the cultivators and the demons seemed to have entered a stalemate. The cultivators could not penetrate into the Golden Crow Clan’s core territory, while the demons could not invade the nameless town.
“Benefactor, why must you continue to err?” A monk solemnly said in front of a mountain.
The monk seemed to be talking to himself as there was no one in the direction he was facing, but there was no hint of madness within his eyes. In fact, the monk’s eyes were exceptionally bright and clear. Behind the monk were tens of other monks, each one reciting sutras with their heads bowed low.
Time passed, and just as it seemed that the monk who had spoken had really gone crazy, the ground began to tremble, and a voice could be heard. The voice itself did not resemble any noise a living being could make and rather seemed to have come from the very mountain itself.
“Go back to your hidey-hole, baldies. I refused to become those daoists’ pet. What makes you think you baldies can make this old monkey submit?”
“Amitabha, do you truly not want to consider?” The monk asked again. “If you continue like this, you will eventually fade away into red dust, forever trapped.”
For a moment, there was no response before the demon sealed within the mountain could be heard again. Only this time, the voice was scratchy, as if it was created from rocks grinding against one another. “Scram, I won’t become a hypocrite like you baldies or anyone’s pet!”
The monk sighed and looked off into the distance. Even one who has tempered their willpower like him would grow tired after getting rejected continuously for years. He only hoped that his comrades had more success than him.
“Go away. If you come any closer, I won’t be able to hold back.” Hun Jusang gasped out through gritted teeth as he hugged himself, his nails digging into his flesh.
A dark aura that didn’t resemble that of humans or demons’ was being continuously emitted from his body. Rather, the aura was insidious and filled with maliciousness. It was the aura of a devil.
When Hun Jusang was a baby, his clan had sealed an immortal monarch equivalent devil into his body. He wasn’t the only one with a devil sealed within, but the devil sealed within was the strongest, and he was also the only one to survive.
Due to his unique Evil Extermination Constitution, the devil’s malicious energy within him was continuously being purified and converted into qi for Hun Jusang’s cultivation.
But Hun Jusang was still a mortal in the end, and the devil sealed within too powerful.
As a result, negative thoughts and emotions would constantly bombard Hun Jusang. Sometimes, the threat of endless pain, other times it was the sweet whispers of temptation, but there was not one moment that the devil within him had not tried to take over Hun Jusang’s body.
Sometimes, Hun Jusang succumbed to the devil’s powers and entered a berserk state that made him attack both allies and enemies.
Had it been anyone with weaker willpower, they would have long succumbed or committed suicide like Hun Jusang’s fellow experimental subjects. Every day was akin to torture, but Hun Jusang never gave up. As long as he entered the Immortal Realm, all the pain that followed him would disappear.
Standing in front of the hunching Hun Jusang was a female disciple wearing the uniform of the Jade Cauldron Sect. Her hair was tied up in a tidy ponytail, her eyes were like a pair of daggers, her face wasn’t the most exquisite, but she had a valiant air and gave her a unique charm.
The woman was Jiang Chunye.
The matter of her almost killing Jiang Daoyi had spread to the other sects due to the Fortune Banquet. As a result, aside from Yi Dongli and Tong Lizi, no one had wanted to be in the same squad as her. Luckily, Hun Jusang didn’t mind and entered the same squad as her.
The four had adventured in the Demon Cage Realm together and even managed to slay countless Nascent Soul Realm level demons despite only Hun Jusang being the only nascent soul grandmaster.
Due to some fortuitous encounters, Jiang Chunye had managed open over three hundred and sixty acupoints, making her a hair’s breadth away from the peak of the Acupoint Opening Realm. Aside from Hun Jusang, she was the only one who had slain demons at the Nascent Soul Realm level.
Yi Dongli and Tong Lizi had also grown in strength, but they were only able to tie down Nascent Soul Realm level demons and not defeat them.
A few days ago, due to the sneak attack by a group of demons, the squad of four had been separated. Yi Dongli and Tong Lizi had stayed together while Hun Jusang and Jiang Chunye had stayed together.
Not only that, but Hun Jusang had also received a lethal injury. Although the injury had been healed with a pill, the aftereffects caused the devil within him to run rampant.
“Run while you still can, Chunye.” Hun Jusang’s voice began to quiver as sweat coated his entire body. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to suppress the devil inside of him anymore. Eighty years, he had suppressed the devil for eighty years, but now, it seemed that all his hard work would go down the drain.
Jiang Chunye frowned and said, “I won’t. We’ve been together through life and death. What else do I have to fear? Death? I laugh in the face of death.”
Saying so, Jiang Chunye placed her hand on Hun Jusang’s shoulder. Instantly, the malicious aura traveled up through her arms and attacked her mind. Jiang Chunye’s mind entered a daze, and the whites of one of her eyes were dyed black.
Hun Jusang released a mournful cry. He had seen the corruption of devilish power kill his friends. The first sign of being devoured was the sclera becoming black, and now he needed to watch another friend die due to the devil inside of him. Because of this, he had been afraid to get close to others and lived a lonely life.
Just as Jiang Chunye seemed to be overtaken by the devilish aura, her eyes regained clarity, and the black color in her eye began to recede. She released a deep breath. Earlier she had almost succumbed to the corruption.
Seeing Hun Jusang show a dumbfounded look, Jiang Chunye showed an impudent smirk. “What’s wrong? This is nothing. Are you really going to be corrupted by such a weak thing?”
Hun Jusang released a pained chuckle and only said one word. “Liar.”
However, due to Jiang Chunye’s siphoning some of his burdens, Hun Jusang managed to overcome the danger and suppress the devil within him once more.
Furthermore, he also gained something from the danger. Fortune hides within misfortune was not an empty phrase.
The devil sealed within was equivalent to an immortal monarch and had long attained the state of harmonizing with heaven and earth. After being bathed in the devil’s aura, Hun Jusang managed to grasp a faint trace of harmonization. If nothing happened to him, Hun Jusang would be able to enter the Unity Realm within ten years.
When Yi Dongli and Tong Lizi reunited with Jiang Chunye and Hun Jusang again, they discovered that the two had become more intimate. This naturally sent alarm bells in both of Jiang Chunye’s pursuers.
We thought of you as a comrade, but it turns out you were after our woman!
“Senior Brother, what’s wrong?” Bai Weiwei asked, looking away from the campfire where she was cooking lunch.
Ji Wutong, Bing Huoyuan, Bai Ningwei, and Bai Weiwei had formed a squad and adventured together. Throughout this time, the Bai sisters grew closer as they made up for the lost time. In contrast, Bing Huoyuan and Ji Wutong began to grow more hostile to each other.
“Weiwei, ignore him. He’s probably not hungry. I’ll eat his portion too.” Bing Huoyuan immediately said.
Ji Wutong, who had been lost in thought, immediately glared at Bing Huoyuan. “Who says I’m not hungry? I love Weiwei’s food the most, don’t think of stealing my portion!”
“Hahaha, Senior Brother and Brother Bing’s relationship is so good.” Bai Weiwei gave an innocent laugh as she watched the interaction between the two. Off to the side, Bai Ningwei, who was already eating her portion, nodded in agreement.
After digging into his portion, Ji Wutong began to think of the killing intent he had detected earlier. The killing intent was so fleeting and light that he had almost thought it was his imagination.