Basic Demonic Art Mastery

In the house, Lin Fan lit an Everlasting Lamp, dispelling the chill that drifted in from the darkness.

Zhou Wanqing took off her outer clothing, revealing her graceful curves. Her skin was as fair and delicate as snow, her waist slender and supple, and her legs straight and long.

Before Lin Fan could react, Zhou Wanqing eagerly threw herself into his arms.

Her delicate, boneless hands wandered constantly over Lin Fan's body, pinching and grabbing with astonishing familiarity.

"Brother Lin, do you think those people can still come back?"

She suddenly stopped moving and asked cautiously.

Lin Fan was stunned, then quickly shook his head. "Who knows?"

He guessed that those people probably would not be coming back.

Blackwood Cliff strictly forbade Menial Disciples from harming one another, but the lives of Menial Disciples were as worthless as grass. Someone died mysteriously almost every day or two, yet Lin Fan had never seen a Formal Disciple investigate the true cause.

Zhou Wanqing's delicate body trembled slightly, as if she had been frightened, and she curled up in Lin Fan's arms.

"Brother Lin, you must become a Formal Disciple."

"Hurry and absorb from me. Absorb a little more..."

She came to herself and looked at Lin Fan with burning eyes.

Zhou Wanqing's hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her stiff body began to writhe like a water snake.

She grew increasingly clearheaded. If she wanted to escape this situation, her only hope was to "hope her husband would become a dragon."

"You..."

Lin Fan had just opened his mouth when something soft blocked it. The clothes on his body were also peeled away one after another by Zhou Wanqing's deft hands.

For a time, delicate moans rose and fell.

Lin Fan experienced heavenly bliss once more.

Zhou Wanqing fell into a deep sleep. Under the lamplight, her originally exquisite face had taken on a visible pallor.

"Every time we share a bed, the cultivation art circulates on its own and draws out her yin essence."

"If this continues, it won't be long before her body can no longer bear it."

Lin Fan thought to himself.

He and Zhou Wanqing indulged their bodies but not their hearts. Still, she had been willing to follow him, and Lin Fan was not like those other old Menial Disciples, utterly devoid of humanity, who drained their women dry and then threw them into a corner to fend for themselves once they had no more value.

Even in a demonic sect, one still had to retain a little conscience.

"I heard the Market Below the Mountain sells Foundation Replenishing Pills, which can make up for the loss of yin and yang essence."

"Also, the Qi Concealment Method I need can only be obtained at the market. I can't wait any longer. I have to make a trip there in the next few days."

"But to be safe, I should raise my strength first."

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately communicated with the panel.

Would you like to consume fifty years of lifespan to pre-emptively advance the Basic Demonic Art to mastery?

The next second, a line of glowing text appeared before Lin Fan's eyes.

"Agree to pre-empt the advance."

Soon, new insights regarding the "Basic Demonic Art" surged into Lin Fan's mind once more.

At the same time, another image automatically surfaced in his mind. A youth with features similar to Lin Fan's was practicing the fist techniques contained within the cultivation art amid violent winds and torrential rain.

Unlike last time, the fist techniques and movements were not fast.

But Lin Fan soon noticed something strange. The seemingly ordinary techniques and movements appeared to resonate with the celestial phenomena. Despite the rain pouring down from the sky, not a single drop could land on the youth.

"Fist Momentum!"

Lin Fan's heart jolted.

No matter how fierce and formidable a fist technique was, its power was ultimately limited. "Fist Momentum," however, was different. In a certain sense, it could already affect the surrounding environment to some extent.

"I understand. Use Fist Momentum to affect the surrounding environment, then accelerate the refinement and absorption of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy once more."

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

Following the scene in his mind, he involuntarily practiced the fist techniques.

Lin Fan's movements were slow, yet an invisible force spread unconsciously, quickly enveloping the entire house.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy was drawn by some intense force, surging madly from all directions toward the house where Lin Fan was.

Within Lin Fan's dantian, the Internal Force that had originally coiled there began to grow wildly once more. Like hemp ropes, the two or three strands he had possessed became four or five.

His eyes shone brightly, and his entire body was brimming with vitality. Compared with moments ago, he was several times more vigorous, like a living dragon and a fierce tiger.

Lin Fan immediately summoned the panel to inspect his latest changes.

Name: Lin Fan

Lifespan: 400

Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit

Realm: Spirit Gathering Realm Fourth Grade

Cultivation Art: Basic Demonic Art (Mastered)

"I'm only one minor realm away from having a chance to become a Formal Disciple of the Blood Demon Sect."

"Most Menial Disciples spend a year, or even two or three years, struggling to reach my current height, while I only needed half a month."

The higher his cultivation rose, the more clearly Lin Fan realized just how heaven-defying the panel and his Pre-emptive Dao Fruit talent were.

"The closer I get to this point, the more cautious I need to be."

"But come to think of it, when the Spirit Testing Stone tested cultivation last time, could there have been other people besides me hiding their cultivation?"

"There should have been. Otherwise, why would Formal Disciples have to personally inspect the Menial Disciples' conditions every one or two months?"

Lin Fan spoke thoughtfully.

In a house not far from Lin Fan's residence, a delicate-looking young woman suddenly sat up.

"What an astonishing disturbance!"

"Sister Qiao'er, what happened?"

Beside her, Feng Ling had been awakened by the girl's movements. She rubbed her bleary eyes and asked.

"Junior Sister, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy has gathered here, as if someone is cultivating an extremely terrifying evil art."

The girl named "Qiao'er" spoke with a solemn expression.

Feng Ling froze, and soon she became fully awake as well.

"That can't be, right?"

"Everyone living nearby is a Menial Disciple of Blackwood Cliff. Who else could cultivate such a terrifying evil art?"

She did not doubt the girl's words. After all, this girl's constitution was special and her senses astonishing. In her former sect, she had been an exceptionally exalted figure.

If not for infiltrating the demonic sect, someone like her would never have taken such a risk.

"Could we have been discovered?"

Feng Ling's heart tightened as she asked.

"Probably not. Unless we expose ourselves, those little bastards of the demonic sect won't be able to detect anything unusual about us."

"Strange. That enormous disturbance has disappeared again."

Qiao'er's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she murmured.

Early the next morning.

Wu Hai came running back in tattered clothes, looking utterly distraught.

He seemed to have suffered some kind of fright. The moment he returned, he said, "Yesterday, just after we left the market, we were ambushed on the way back. Everyone else died. I was the only one who desperately escaped back alive."

His voice trembled, and his lingering fear looked entirely genuine.

After the other Menial Disciples learned of this, they were all deeply uneasy and began discussing it noisily.

Only some veteran Menial Disciples who had guessed the truth shot Wu Hai an unfriendly look. Yet no one contradicted him. They merely lowered their heads and silently copied books. No one asked more, and no one interfered.

The dozen or so missing Menial Disciples seemed never to have existed at all.

Many of the newer Menial Disciples suddenly understood: human lives were as worthless as grass here.

Zhou Wanqing clenched her small hands, overcome with lingering fear. If she had accepted Qi Hui's invitation yesterday, perhaps she too would have vanished by now.

Lin Fan remained silent. As he watched Wu Hai pretend to be crazy and foolish, his gaze grew somewhat cold.

He had guessed that something would happen to those people, but he had not expected Wu Hai to be the only one to return.

A demonic sect was indeed a demonic sect. With the slightest carelessness, one became someone else's stepping stone.

After this incident, many newcomers no longer dared to casually go down the mountain. Staying in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion at least let them survive a little longer. Once they went down the mountain, who knew whether they would be "disappeared."

Lin Fan wanted very much to go down the mountain, but he did not act rashly. Instead, he quietly waited for the veteran Menial Disciples to make their move.

Those veteran Menial Disciples who could remain in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion for a long time were nearly all cunning old foxes. Only when they went down the mountain would it mean the danger had fallen to its lowest point.

Two days later, Wang Biao and the other veteran Menial Disciples finally moved.

At daybreak, the veteran Menial Disciples set off for the foot of the mountain in groups of three or five.

They went quickly and returned just as quickly, as if racing death itself.

When they came back, the cloth bags at their waists had all become bulging, filled either with pills or weapons.

Lin Fan did not wait any longer either. Taking advantage of the early morning, he quickly left the house and headed straight for the Market Below the Mountain.

The journey was not short, but fortunately, he reached the market.

According to what some veteran Menial Disciples had casually mentioned, this market could only be considered a relatively low-level market.

Even so, it looked quite decent. Crowds streamed through it, making it rather lively.

Many people casually laid weapons, pills, and secret manuals out on their stalls.

All kinds of goods were available, and Lin Fan was dazzled by the sight.

Moreover, nearly every item had a fixed price, marked with the required Contribution Points.

Naturally, transferring Contribution Points was also simple. As long as both parties agreed, they only needed to bring their respective tokens together and complete the transaction with a few simple operations.

Clearly, most of the people here were Formal Disciples of the demonic sect, selling surplus pills, weapons, and even secret manuals in exchange for Contribution Points.

Lin Fan did not delay. He walked toward the nearest stall, which was covered with all kinds of pills.

"Infatuation Pill. Once consumed, it makes a person willingly become a slave who can be commanded at will. Price: 2 Contribution Points."

Lin Fan glanced at it and clicked his tongue in amazement.

As expected of a demonic sect—even this kind of pill was available.

Lin Fan had no intention of buying such a pill. Instead, he directly purchased a bottle of Foundation Replenishing Pills, spending 3 Contribution Points.

Then Lin Fan quickly left and turned toward another stall that primarily sold secret manuals.

He had only 7 Contribution Points left, and his goal was clear: to find a method of concealing his cultivation and restraining his aura.

Lin Fan was prepared to inspect several stalls. In his view, even many Formal Disciples of the demonic sect might not possess a method for restraining their aura.

Who could have expected things to proceed so smoothly?