Code Name: Night Demon

Fang Che recited it earnestly.

It had to be said: Mu Linyuan's Ice-Clear Spirit Platform was nothing short of a treasure trove for Fang Che.

After hearing it only once, he knew that although this technique had no other uses, it was unparalleled for calming the mind, maintaining composure, and thinking at ease in any environment.

It was a notch above the Ice Heart Mantra he had cultivated in his previous life.

Since that was the case, there was no way he could pass up this opportunity to fleece them.

Next, Hou Fang taught him the Thirteen Styles of Divine Ape Heart Snatching.

Qian Sanjiang, meanwhile, taught him a set of techniques called Shape-Shifting Bone Art.

"Traveling the martial world is fraught with danger. Once this technique is cultivated to a high level, you can freely change your body shape and appearance. You can even disguise and alter your bone age. There are seven stages in all, and I've only reached the second. Cultivate it well. This is a true life-saving art for traveling the martial world."

Even without him saying so, Fang Che knew that.

Therefore, he did not underestimate this technique in the slightest. He made up his mind that if an opportunity arose, he had to cultivate Shape-Shifting Bone Art to the seventh stage first!

This was a genuine life-saving skill. There was not a word of exaggeration in that.

Looking at Qian Sanjiang, Fang Che suddenly understood that this appearance might not be Qian Sanjiang's true appearance at all.

That bastard had probably relied on this technique to escape the pursuit of the Guardians countless times, hadn't he? Hmph, a fish that had slipped through the net!

At last, a full two hours passed.

The six of them finally emerged from the secret chamber.

It was a remote village.

"The Guardians are about to arrive."

Yin Shen Gong looked back at the village they had just left, his face cold and gloomy. "Every time the Doctrinal Baptism takes place and the divine will of the Heavenly Centipede God descends, the Guardians can track us by following the aura. I've reported this matter to the main sect many times, but it has never been taken seriously."

"It has left us far too passive!"

He drew his sword and suddenly slashed.

With a boom, a streak of Sword Qi shot into the village like lightning.

The small village of several dozen households was reduced to dust beneath that single sword strike!

Sword Qi raged. Men and women, old and young—not a single one survived.

The overwhelming stench of blood spread through the air.

With another boom, the underground secret chamber where the baptism had taken place collapsed. That trace of the Heavenly Centipede God's divine essence also vanished completely.

Yin Shen Gong touched the Space Ring on his hand. Inside was the statue of the Heavenly Centipede God.

"It should be fine now."

Mu Linyuan, Sun Yuan, and the others all looked relieved. They had long since grown accustomed to massacring hundreds of people at the drop of a hat.

They did not find it strange.

Fang Che's face was expressionless.

His right hand quietly clenched into a fist.

More than a hundred lives—innocent, uninvolved, living peaceful lives—had died horribly in an instant! They had died for no reason at all.

It was only because Yin Shen Gong wanted to erase the aura. But they could have erased it without slaughtering these people. Why had he insisted on doing this?

He could see a young woman in the ruins, blood flowing from all seven orifices, still clutching a one- or two-year-old infant in her arms. The mother and child had both lost their breath. They were dead.

The infant's face was deathly pale.

Its innocent eyes were still open.

It had not yet understood that, having only just arrived in this world and not even learned to speak, it had already encountered death.

The clear gaze had stiffened like the eyes of a dead fish.

Yin Shen Gong turned his head and looked at Fang Che's expressionless face.

He said indifferently, "Fang Che, what do you think?"

Fang Che drew in a breath and said, "We could have erased the traces without killing them."

His current appearance was still that of a vigorous young man in the prime of youth. It was only natural for him to feel indignant, so he said it outright, unconcerned about what Yin Shen Gong might think.

That was what fit his current persona.

He was also using those words to vent the anger in his heart.

Yin Shen Gong said coldly, "There is always the slightest possibility of something going wrong. Besides, we did this to show the Guardians. If they track us again in the future, even more people will die!"

"We don't care how many people die, but the Guardians do."

"Foolish justice! Heh... What a bunch of rigid Guardians."

Yin Shen Gong looked at Fang Che and said, "You're young, and you've only just undergone the baptism, so I won't blame you for saying that. But if you've been tempered for some time and still say those words, I'll kill you!"

"Because the One Heart Sect is facing the experts of the entire world. The slightest negligence could result in none of the six of us surviving."

"Although we didn't see anyone when we entered, there's no guarantee that someone didn't see our appearances through a crack in the door. One day, if we let our guard down, that appearance might cause the Guardians to lock onto us, and then we'd die without even knowing why."

"As long as there is the slightest possibility that we might be exposed, I will not spare them."

Yin Shen Gong smiled, but his eyes were ice-cold as he looked at Fang Che. "Tell me, whose life is the most important in this world?"

"Whose life is the most important?" Fang Che fell silent.

Yin Shen Gong shouted coldly, "Raise your head and look into my eyes!"

Fang Che raised his head and saw a pair of cold, ruthless eyes.

Like those of a carrion vulture.

Yin Shen Gong said, "In this world, my life is the most important! Mine! Do you understand?"

Fang Che nodded. "Yes. In this world, my life is the most important! If I'm dead, I have nothing left!"

"Good. You're teachable!"

Yin Shen Gong turned and walked away. "You must remember this at all times!"

Sun Yuan led Fang Che and the others, and they reached the top of a small mountain in the blink of an eye.

Just then, a long, thunderous howl of grief came from the direction of the distant village.

"The Guardians have arrived."

Yin Shen Gong sneered. "Unfortunately, they're a little too late."

He turned and looked at Fang Che. "I heard you want the Blood Burning Art?"

"Yes."

Yin Shen Gong walked forward with his hands behind his back. "If you enter the Guardian Martial Academy as the top-ranked student from the Southeast Road this time, I'll make the decision to give you five hundred contribution points. I'll also waive some other requirements so that you can learn the Blood Burning Art."

Sun Yuan said from the side, "You should thank the sect master."

"Thank you for your grace, Sect Master."

"Mm. Since you've already joined the sect and become one of us, you'll need a codename when carrying out missions in the future. You can't exactly appear under your real name and flaunt yourself."

Yin Shen Gong said, "What codename would you like?"

Fang Che lowered his head. Suppressing the surging fury in his heart, he used the Ice-Clear Spirit Platform technique he had just learned to restrain the killing intent in his chest and keep his mind clear.

He said, "I haven't thought about it."

Yin Shen Gong said calmly, "Since you haven't thought about it, your codename from now on will be Night Demon."

The moment those two words were spoken, Sun Yuan, Mu Linyuan, and the others all wore strange expressions.

"Night Demon?"

Fang Che murmured to himself.

"Yes, Night Demon."

Yin Shen Gong said, "I hope you can understand that being a demon is actually far more carefree than being a human. You must ponder the word 'demon' carefully. Once you truly comprehend it, you'll be worthy of those two words."

He spun around and was already several dozen yards away. His indifferent voice drifted back. "You can only use the name Night Demon after you take first place and obtain the Blood Burning Art. Before that, you're not worthy of it. If you fail to take first place, you're not worthy of this name either."

His voice faded away.

Yin Shen Gong had already vanished without a trace.

Mu Linyuan, Hou Fang, Qian Sanjiang, and the others had also disappeared at some point.

Only master and disciple, Sun Yuan and Fang Che, remained on the mountaintop.

Sun Yuan finally let out a sigh of relief.

His face brightened into a smile. "Che'er, you really made a killing this time. Not only did you successfully undergo the baptism and join the sect, you also obtained three techniques. More importantly, you earned the favor of the sect master and the three Attendants. That will be immensely beneficial to your future path."

Fang Che exhaled heavily and said, "Master, do you have nothing to say about killing innocent people at the drop of a hat?"

Sun Yuan was silent for a moment before saying indifferently, "I know what you're thinking. When I was young, I thought the same way. But now, I don't feel that there's anything wrong with it."

"The martial world is a matter of life and death. You have to see through it. As long as you don't want to lie there and rot like those corpses, you'll get used to it sooner or later."

Sun Yuan patted Fang Che on the shoulder. "It's normal! It's commonplace! It happens all the time!"

Fang Che nodded.

He lowered his head.

His heart was roaring.

I will never get used to it!

You're all a pack of devils! Executioners! Demons! No wonder your organization is so powerful yet forced to hide and skulk everywhere. You simply can't show your faces! You don't deserve to live beneath the sunlight!

One day, I'll make you pay the price!

One day, I'll tear you out by the roots! I'll make sure the people of this world never again have to fear losing their lives for no reason!

You want me to get used to it, but after seeing all this, the only thing that has happened is that my resolve to wipe you out has become even firmer!

He turned his head.

From the mountaintop, he gazed into the distance toward the small village.

He did not say a word.

I'll avenge you!

I swear I will!

Sun Yuan led Fang Che down the other side of the mountain, and they made their way back to the Fang Family.

Fang Che remained silent for half the journey.

At last, he asked, "Master, what level are the sect master and the Great Offering at?"

Sun Yuan smiled bitterly. "You can ask me that, but under normal circumstances, never ask anyone else. It's taboo! Even I can only tell you that they're above me—far above me."

Fang Che nodded. "I understand."

"Your performance today was actually quite good."

Knowing that Fang Che was depressed, Sun Yuan tried to console him. "The sect master is actually very satisfied with you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taught you, much less given you the name Night Demon."

"Oh?"

"This was probably your first time seeing someone killed, wasn't it?"

Sun Yuan smiled. "To see such a massacre for the first time and remain unmoved—that was already very satisfactory. After all, you're only seventeen, and you've never experienced any martial-world slaughter before."

"Your state of mind is already vicious enough."

"Many people who undergo the Doctrinal Baptism for the first time, like you, vomit, faint, or are scared witless. Some even drew their swords on the spot and tried to fight us to the death... Heh..."

"So the sect master was very satisfied with your performance this time."

Sun Yuan was clearly quite pleased.

Fang Che asked, "What happened to those who tried to fight to the death on the spot?"

"Nothing happened to them, because before long, they became just like the sect master and the others."

Sun Yuan spoke meaningfully. "They soon understood the truth that the lives of everyone in the world combined were not as important as their own."

Fang Che suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

Truth?

"Vicious enough, calm enough—a fine seedling for the One Heart Sect!" Sun Yuan laughed heartily.

Fang Che also smiled, looking as if his mood had completely recovered.

But inwardly, he felt only absurdity.

The bloodshed, mountains of corpses, and seas of blood I experienced in my previous life were far greater than anything you've gone through.

What's wrong with being calm? How did that become vicious?

This misunderstanding is truly... perfect for my long-term infiltration!

The two walked along the main road toward the Fang Family.

Sun Yuan was already considering finding an excuse to leave.

After all, there was nothing more he could teach now, and Fang Che had also obtained plenty of techniques—enough to keep his disciple busy cultivating.

Sun Yuan felt that he should leave now, go out to find some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and return every ten days or half a month to check on his disciple's progress.

No, not progress. It should be advancement.

Fang Che, meanwhile, was furious and did not want to see these people from the One Heart Sect for even a moment longer. The sooner you leave, the better. Stop waving yourselves around in front of me.

Seeing them made him want to kill them, yet he did not have the ability to do so.

It was unbearably agonizing! It would be better if they left.

Just as master and disciple were each harboring their own schemes...

Suddenly.

Bang...

A scream rang out.

From the brothel beside them, a petite figure fell from the air and slammed heavily into the ground in front of Fang Che.

With a retch, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

It was a young girl. Blood streamed from all seven orifices as she fell from the building and landed not far from Fang Che. Without making another sound, she fainted.

I'm here at midnight to ask for recommendation votes.