Demon Emperor Skin

"Hello sir, this is the City Seven branch of Treasure Forest's Immortal Items shop. You recently inquired about the Purple Jade Branch at our store. We've confirmed that a piece is indeed in stock at our main city store. However, this item has already been designated as one of the lots for the Treasure Forest auction next week. We apologize, but we cannot directly transfer the stock for you."

Our shop's annual grand event, the Double Eleven Auction, will be held at the City Seven branch this year. If you are still interested in purchasing this Purple Jade Branch, we look forward to your esteemed presence then.

"We apologize if this news is disappointing. As a gesture of apology, if you win the bid for the Purple Jade Branch, our shop will offer a 10% discount on the auction price."

"We wish you a pleasant day. Thank you."

"..."

Early in the morning, a call from Treasure Forest shattered Yue Wen's peace of mind.

He had indeed inquired about the Purple Jade Branch at that Immortal Items shop before, and the main city store really did have stock. But according to the phone call, they couldn't sell it directly.

An auction?

Yue Wen scratched his hair, looking troubled.

Treasure Forest held its auction annually on Double Eleven, rotating among the branches in Jiang City. It was a regular celebration, something he had heard of. But the word "auction" sounded rather high-class. Where had a common rogue cultivator like him ever been before?

Rumor had it that the tickets alone were incredibly expensive.

The treasures worthy of being put up were already the finest items Treasure Forest had collected throughout the year. After going through an auction, something worth 100,000 might end up costing several hundred thousand to acquire.

The Purple Jade Branch was no exception.

If it had a clear price tag, he might have been able to save up enough over time. But putting it up for auction made the price unpredictable.

For the vast majority of people, such a top-tier fire-attracting spiritual item was unnecessary. However, for those cultivating top-tier techniques, it was an indispensable material for breaking through to the Gang Realm.

What if there were competitors at the auction? That would be troublesome.

After all, there probably weren't many people like him who could cultivate top-tier techniques yet were dirt poor. Normal inheritors of top-tier techniques usually had powerful backgrounds and resources; being wealthy was the standard.

He wasn't as powerful as them, nor as wealthy...

Would he have to stand up at the auction and flip the table, saying, "If it's too difficult, let's not do it"?

Money.

The word echoed repeatedly in Yue Wen's mind as he felt the troubles brought by poverty.

Never mind that he had taken on jobs at low prices before to snatch opportunities for exorcism, leaving him with little savings. Even if he took on jobs at high prices like other cultivators, the Demon Suppressing Coins he earned would be much less, and the money saved would still be far from enough for the Gang Refining materials.

The Blazing Flame Powder on the other side cost 500,000, and that was the cheapest of the Gang Refining materials. The Purple Jade Branch, according to his previous searches, would start at least at a million, and that was the normal market price, not the auction price.

To gather all four Gang Refining materials would cost at least several million, enough to buy a house in the main city area—a lifelong dream for many.

And this was just for one breakthrough. If he failed, he'd have to start all over again.

Ultimately, it was because the materials required for the True Dragon Dao Method were all top-grade, making them incredibly expensive. Other rogue cultivators breaking through used ordinary materials, which might cost more than ten times less.

Of course, the level of Gang Qi refined and the strength of true qi after breaking through would also differ.

It was a case of gaining something and losing something.

Gain money, lose pain...

The auction was next week. To earn enough money for the Purple Jade Branch in a week, besides getting hit by luxury cars every day or donating sperm 500 times at 2,000 yuan a pop, Yue Wen couldn't think of any more realistic ways.

Even if he sold off the immortal items he possessed, their combined value wouldn't reach that price. The most valuable might be the first three chapters of the True Dragon Dao Method. Although the Visualization Diagram was in his mind, he couldn't copy it; he could only cultivate it himself and couldn't sell it.

After thinking about it, he decided to ask Qi Dian later. He was an Immortal Sect disciple and might have some tasks that could earn a lot of money. He wondered if Qi Dian could bring him along.

However, the hope was slim.

If he really couldn't gather enough money, he could only hope the Purple Jade Branch wouldn't sell, or he could look for another one after saving enough money in the future.

"Sigh."

Yue Wen let out a long sigh of regret for his lack of avenues to sudden wealth.

Whether rich or poor, life had to go on.

After pondering for a short while, Yue Wen closed his eyes again and began to study the Visualization Diagram in his mind.

His Spiritual Sense sank, and he arrived in a sea of purple filled with demonic shadows. All around were thick, foul-smelling liquid. He felt this strange purple sea, where everything boiling and churning was dark and evil.

Yue Wen had not yet encountered demons. They were said to be more difficult to deal with than monsters or nightmares.

The demon race was foolish; even after centuries of cultivation, they struggled to grasp profound techniques. The cunning and sly demonic beasts in the mountains were somewhat simple before humans. Nightmare Objects were incomplete, often following the rules of a certain lingering regret, making them easy to deal with once their patterns were understood.

But demonic creatures possessed superior intelligence and were more adept at disguising themselves as humans. It was said that pure-blooded demons had snow-white skin and could change it to human skin color at will, making them indistinguishable by appearance.

They would also develop followers in the human realm, infusing them with demonic blood to turn them into demonic pawns. After their large-scale invasion of the realms failed, these demons and their followers turned to spreading plagues in secret, inciting internal strife, and bewitching people's hearts, ensuring the human realm never knew peace.

Now, it was unknown how many demons had infiltrated the major cities of the human realm, with some even holding high positions.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them humanity's most terrifying enemy.

Just this one diagram contained many profound mysteries, which was a testament to its nature.

After two days of contemplation, Yue Wen had gradually discerned the Dao rhythm contained within this purple sea—a madness hidden beneath order.

Simply put, the Visualization Diagram was a world constructed on the foundation of Dao rhythm; it was the surface appearance.

The process of contemplation was to work backward from the surface appearance, find the underlying code that built this world, and master it. This would signify successful cultivation.

The reason why it's difficult to replicate a Visualization Diagram is that simply mastering it isn't enough. You also need the ability to recreate the world using its Dao charm. This not only requires understanding the underlying code but also having sufficient True Essence.

As Yue Wen immersed himself in the Dao charm of the Visualization Diagram, his thoughts grew increasingly violent and wicked.

He wanted to rob banks, eighteen of them, and throw all the money to the poor in the slums; he wanted to kill people, hanging all the unscrupulous capitalists from lampposts; he wanted to indulge his desires, finding twenty beautiful female cultivators and forcing them to join him for an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet...

So evil.

He was shocked by his own wicked thoughts.

These were ideas he wouldn't normally have, perhaps only a nascent evil thought would be suppressed by morality. But immersed in this ocean of the demonic path, these nascent thoughts erupted fiercely.

As he became more and more wicked, the demonic shadow before his eyes became clearer and clearer. Finally, bridges of purple and gold rose from the sea.

"Found it."

Yue Wen murmured. He had finally found the Dao charm's profound mystery for constructing this world.

Everything became clear!

When he opened his eyes, his heart had already returned to peace. He was no longer influenced by the Visualization Diagram, and his emotions stabilized once more.

He felt a slight excitement within.

It was done.

The Method of Breaking Curses given by Big Dragon had been mastered, and the information on that demonic skin was no longer a secret. Although it took an extra two days, he had still succeeded.

He took out the purple skin and unfolded it in his hand again. Then, he cast the newly mastered curse-breaking spell, drawing several obscure runes in the air with his right hand.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh--

As if unlocking something, the runes landed on the blank purple skin, and golden characters suddenly appeared above it. The characters weren't written but floated on the purple skin like living things, as if dancing with flames.

[Purple Throne, this Demon Emperor Skin and the Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron represent our sincerity. Please accept them.]

[The Demon Emperor Skin can be used to contact us, and hidden within the Bronze Cauldron is the greatest gift we can offer, and the key that will lead you into the Tiger Tomb.]

[I know it's difficult to achieve all this, but you can trust that we will never disappoint you.]