Entering the Sect, Affection Weighs Heavily; Becoming a Rogue Cultivator Again, Intent is Hard to Meet

After one night.

Outside the cave abode, the Black Cloud Leopard, its eyes brimming with tears, hugged its leg, which had been whipped until it cramped, looking quite aggrieved.

Inside the cave abode, Chen Dengming activated the Blood Sha Qi within his body, feeling countless scorching and ferocious strands of Blood Sha Qi penetrating into his flesh Flesh and Blood.

Instantly, his already strong muscles bulged up as if engorged with blood, resembling a statue sculpted by a master, rugged and powerful.

His clothes were quickly stretched taut, revealing his bulging chest muscles like a small mountain, a solid iron plate, faintly glowing with a reddish light, as if cast from steel.

"The demon's Physical Body strength is greatly enhanced by the stimulation of the Blood Sha Qi on the Physical Body, resulting in a rapid increase in physical strength, defense, and endurance. Moreover, this Sha Qi can also affect a person's mind, helping me resist attacks from other demons' Blood Sha Qi or Devil Qi."

Chen Dengming remained deep in thought, maintaining his incredibly strong physical condition.

"However, while such Physical Body is very strong, it is ultimately no match for Technique Method. I only need to summon the Golden Gang Spirit Venerable, and with my current Physical Body, there is no way he can resist. And I am still Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Therefore, in general, as long as the Blood Demon is prevented from taking advantage of its close combat skills, ordinary disciples at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Level can easily contend with it.

Those at a lower level are not without resistance either; the key difference lies in their mindset.

Chen Dengming clenched his rough, large hands, and the air seemed to explode in his hands, producing a whooshing sound.

Such terrifying power is nothing more than another punch for Golden Gang Spirit Venerable.

Therefore, an individual's Physical Body strength is completely inadequate in the face of the power of Technique Method to move heaven and earth.

However, as a support, it's sufficient. At least the physique has become stronger and more durable, so if there's a real danger that can't be avoided, even if it gets hit, it won't be so easy to die.

Chen Dengming sensed that the demons' power was likely more than just this crude.

There should be even stronger special applications of Blood Sha Qi, or combinations with Spiritual Qi in combat.

Otherwise, this kind of power might be enough to overwhelm some rookies from the Evergreen Sect who haven't yet experienced harsh environments and combat training, but it would be completely insufficient against the elite Evergreen Sect disciples who left with Senior Sister He and the others.

The fact that the Devil Cultivator and demonic kingdoms of the Western Regions have been suppressed for so many years and have never been destroyed suggests that they must have many hidden strengths and powerful individuals.

He dissipated his Blood Sha Qi, and his intimidating appearance returned to normal.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment, his foundation became even stronger, and his State of Mind was also improved because of his fearless spirit in overturning the Five Elements Mountain last time.

Currently, the Blood Sha Qi can hardly cause him any emotional or rational disturbance.

Upon entering the room, one would see that the Little Array Spirit was already immersed in the Soul House, comfortably lying down and using Red Rhombus tassel as a straw to absorb spirit energy.

She even crossed her little feet, swaying them as she sucked, which, combined with her loosely fitted skirt, made her look quite charming.

Chen Dengming glanced at it twice, then couldn't help but snap, "Little girl, mind your manners!"

The Little Array Spirit was startled. Seeing it was Chen Dengming, it rolled its eyes like the Black Cloud Leopard and stammered, "Again, there's no one else here."

Chen Dengming was speechless.

Isn't he just another person?

Then he suddenly realized that the Little Array Spirit could say such a thing, which seemed to indicate that its intelligence had recovered considerably.

A little testing confirmed it.

"Did my IQ drop before? No, it can't be."

Chen Dengming carefully observed the Little Array Spirit's puzzled expression, which seemed genuine, and immediately said, "No, it must be a mistake."

Of course it would be strange if it didn't. After its IQ dropped, this Little Array Spirit always refers to itself as "I," never as "this humble servant."

It now appears that the spirit of the formation is completely unaware of its own transformation, but he's too lazy to explain.

Now that they have rested overnight, the disciples should have recovered. According to the plan, they will continue their journey to the area they are responsible for, and carry out a siege on other locations where traces of demons or requests for help have been found.

Chen Dengming changed into his magic robe, took the Soul House with him, and left the cave abode.

This time, he didn't even bring the Black Cloud Leopard.

This silly leopard is strong enough to deal with minor demons, but if it encounters Foundation Establishment demon, it will likely perish. Plus, it just donated several kilograms of blood, so it needs to rest.

He first flew to the main peak on his weapon to meet with the deputy sect leader Liang Yunsheng and Guan Le.

Five days ago, after arranging for the sect's top ten Foundation Establishment and over three hundred disciples to go out in batches, Liang Yunsheng himself stayed in the sect to guard against the enemy taking advantage of the sect's vulnerability.

With his strength False Core Great Cultivator, he controlled the Evergreen Sect's protective "Withering and Flourishing Fire Array," which prevented even Golden Core Mid Stage cultivators from breaching the sect's Mountain Gate.

Yesterday, after Chen Dengming and the others returned, they reported in detail about their encounter with the demons and showed Liang Yunsheng the information recorded in the Sound-Image Pearl. Guan Le also apologized for this.

Liang Yunsheng then solemnly left the injured Guan Le behind, saying he would treat her wounds.

He then arranged for his disciples to rest and recuperate, and personally checked to ensure that none of them were possessed by demons before allowing them to leave.

At this moment, with the Evergreen Hall in the distance, its glazed tiles shimmering in the sunlight, Chen Dengming suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered something very important, causing him to frown.

"Senior Brother's injuries should be minor. Why does Vice Sect Master Liang want to keep him here alone to heal? Could it be..."

His expression changed slightly as he pondered.

Is it possible that Guan Le is possessed by a demon, and that Liang Yunsheng noticed it yesterday?

Yesterday, since the Foundation Establishment demon had been eliminated by the two, and Chen Dengming and Guan Le communicated freely during the process, and each of them also performed an exorcism and exorcism on themselves, he did not realize the possibility that Guan Le could be possessed.

But now that I think about it, it's quite possible.

Liang Yunsheng kept Guan Le around all night not necessarily to punish him, but to expel the evil spirits from his body.

"With False Core Great Cultivator, if he really discovers something amiss, expelling it will be a piece of cake. I might even be able to secure some food for the Little Array Spirit."

Chen Dengming felt relieved and secretly mocked him.

He hasn't even managed to provide food for his children in the mortal realm yet, but he's already busy finding food for the Little Array Spirit every day.

In the blink of an eye, he flew to the Evergreen Hall.

The vermilion palace doors were tightly shut, and in the High Antiquity the square in front of the palace, a stick of Longevity Incense was burning.

This incense was personally lit by the Supreme Elder of the Longevity Sect Qiu Feng, after his arrival.

It is said that any Golden Core Cultivator with an extremely close relationship with the Longevity Sect can receive Longevity Incense from the Longevity Sect.

With this incense burning, even if a Golden Core cultivator encounters misfortune outside, their scattered soul will gradually be attracted back by the Longevity Incense connected to them, and their soul will be reunited. In the future, when the first ancestor of the Longevity Sect awakens, there will be hope for reincarnation and cultivation.

Whether the rumor was true or not was unknown. Chen Dengming found it quite mysterious, but that didn't stop him from wanting to ask that Supreme Elder to light a life-protecting incense stick like this after he reached the Golden Core stage.

At this moment, he stood in the square outside the gate for a while. Seeing that he had not attracted Liang Yunsheng's attention, he hesitated for a moment, then raised his hands in a gesture of respect and sent out his Divine Sense.

"Senior Brother Liang, your Junior Brother Chen Ming requests an audience. May I ask how Senior Brother is doing these days?"

As soon as his Divine Sense entered, the doors of the Hall of Longevity creaked open, and Liang Yunsheng's slightly tired voice came from inside.

"Come in, your Senior Brother. Yesterday, that Nightmare Beast invaded the depths of his consciousness, planting a seed of nightmare within him. I spent the entire night trying to expel it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Dengming's heart tightened at first, but then he relaxed and stepped into the hall.

At a glance, you could see two figures sitting cross-legged facing each other in the center of the hall.

One of the figures was Guan Le, whose face was rosy and glowing with a faint Treasure Light, clearly indicating that he was unharmed.

Liang Yunsheng, who was opposite him, looked tired, but he was basically fine; he just seemed to have lost too much Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Chen Dengming stepped forward and asked solemnly, "Senior Brother Liang, are you alright?"

Liang Yunsheng smiled and shook his head nonchalantly, saying, "It's just that I've overexerted myself; I'll recover in a few days."

"In a few days?" Chen Dengming frowned slightly, puzzled.

It was just a Foundation Establishment demon, and it was obviously already dead. Even if there were any remaining Curse or evil spirits, Liang Yunsheng, a False Core Cultivator, shouldn't have had such difficulty exorcising it.

Seemingly noticing Chen Dengming's confusion, Liang Yunsheng smiled and said, "Junior Brother Chen, you probably haven't heard of the Nightmare Seed, which is normal. This matter is a secret, and it's not even recorded in some books."

The Nightmare Seed is the power of the Nightmare Country's ruler. When planted into the body of a Nightmare Beast he favors, it can help the beast rapidly grow stronger and become Foundation Establishment Demon.

Not only that, once this seed invades the consciousness of a righteous cultivator, it can frequently lead them into dreams, gradually distorting their thoughts and using the power of their pain and fear to bewitch and control them into a new nightmare beast.

Liang Yunsheng paused, "And it's no easy task to expel this nightmare seed. It contains a trace of the Nightmare Country Lord, and it's difficult to completely expel it without erasing that will."

"I see, no wonder."

Chen Dengming suddenly realized why Liang Yunsheng was so tired, and then bowed with admiration in his eyes.

"Senior Brother Liang is truly amazing; he actually spent the entire night battling the will of the Nightmare Country Lord."

Liang Yunsheng chuckled and shook his head self-deprecatingly, "Junior Brother Chen, you can use your sweet-talking skills on Master Crane. Don't you know my own limitations?"

"Even a sliver of the Nightmare Country Lord's will has exhausted me."

"Not at all, Senior Brother Liang is too modest."

After exchanging a few polite words, Chen Dengming inquired about the next steps.

When he learned that Guan Le needed to be observed for a few more days and that he would need to lead his disciples on patrols himself, he couldn't help but think to himself that this was troublesome.

Although Guan Le wasn't very bright, he was still Foundation Establishment cultivator.

With the two working together, safety is absolutely guaranteed.

Now that Guan Le is gone, it might be difficult for him to protect so many disciples.

"Junior Brother, rest assured. These nightmare demons of the Nightmare Country are all elites from the Western Region Devil Country. Once this batch is wiped out by you, there probably won't be any more. As for the other demons, Junior Brother your abilities, you can definitely handle them."

Chen Dengming didn't even need to stick his butt out; he just frowned slightly, and Liang Yunsheng knew what he was thinking. After comforting him, Liang Yunsheng said that the Sect Contribution could be settled ahead of schedule.

Chen Dengming has made a great contribution this time. The process of warning about the danger in advance was also recorded in the Sound-Image Pearl, which reduced the casualties of the disciples. With this merit added to his merit, Liang Yunsheng waved his hand and directly awarded Chen Dengming 1,500 Sect Contribution.

Adding to the 500 Sect Contribution he received for defeating the Blood Ghost Daoist Chen Dengming, he has now accumulated another 2,000 Sect Contribution.

Having achieved this, Chen Dengming said no more.

In these extraordinary times, he is also consciously taking on his responsibilities and fulfilling his obligations.

Of course, one's own safety should be the top priority.

But both the Evergreen Sect and his Senior Brother treated him well.

When he first arrived in the Cultivation World, he saw devastation everywhere, human lives were as worthless as grass, immortals were no longer immortals, and the world was in dire straits. He often felt oppressed and frustrated, and had a strong sense of Xianxia in his heart that he had to express. He once wanted to cultivate his Xianxia and carve out a vast world with his sword, but unfortunately, his strength was too weak, and he could not express it.

Now that the environment is better and he is stronger, the many Senior Brothers and sisters around him are less calculating and harsh in reality than before. Instead, he has gradually rediscovered the Immortal Qi spirit that he had never forgotten in his heart.

If the sect is in trouble, how could he, who enjoys so many benefits and protections from the sect, shirk his responsibilities and fail to do anything worthwhile? If he does, it will be difficult for him to join the Longevity Sect in the future.

As instructed, Chen Dengming channeled his Spiritual Qi and activated the rallying order, immediately gathering his disciples in front of the sect's spirit boat.

Taking advantage of the disciples' gathering, he went to the Transmission Hall and used his Sect Contribution to exchange for a new Foundation Establishment Daoist technique, <Reverse Glory Spring Return Technique>, which corresponds to a low-level second-tier Foundation Establishment.

After his previous battle with the Foundation Establishment demon, Chen Dengming clearly realized that his Law Power was still far too weak.

After all, he had only recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and his Law Power was even inferior to Guan Le's. His only strengths were his proficiency in various Daoist techniques and his high combat skills.

However, if one is aware of a weakness in one's Law Power and fails to address it in time, one will inevitably stumble because of that weakness sooner or later.

Chen Dengming has always been cautious and had long coveted the <Reverse Glory Spring Return Technique>.

The two thousand Sect Contribution that he had just received and hadn't even had a chance to warm up were immediately used up to exchange for the <Reverse Glory Spring Return Technique> cultivation.

"Junior Brother Chen, congratulations on your numerous contributions to the sect! But are you really going to learn this <Reverse Glory Spring Return Technique> this time?"

Inside the Dharma Transmission Hall, Old Man Mo politely reminded Chen Dengming with a smile.

Seeing how quickly Chen Dengming had accumulated so many Sect Contribution, he was naturally aware that some of the rampant rumors were probably true. This Junior Brother Chen was quite capable, so he dared not be negligent and even took the initiative to remind him, drawing on his own experience.

Chen Dengming looked at Old Man Mo in surprise. "Oh? What do you mean by that Senior Brother Mo? Doesn't this technique allow one to quickly recover depleted spiritual energy in a short time after learning it?"

Old Mo nodded and said, "That's right. However, this Technique Method is extremely difficult to improve upon. Even Sect Master Qiu put a lot of effort into cultivating it back then, but later felt it was against the natural order and simply abandoned it."

"Is this against the natural order?"

Chen Dengming immediately thought of the spellcasting methods related to this technique and couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"The way of Heaven is to take from those who have more than enough and give to those who have less than enough. The way of man is to take from those who have less than enough and give to those who have more than enough."

As human beings, we must follow the principles of humanity. The Technique Method themselves are merely methods; it's the person using them who matters, not the Cultivation Method itself!

He picked up the Jade Slip Cultivation Method, placed it between his eyebrows, and began to concentrate on reading and comprehending its meaning and Mnemonic.

This Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method was personally inscribed by the True Person Changchun Qiu Feng, making it extremely valuable.

Two thousand Sect Contribution points are a reasonable amount for this low-level Foundation Establishment Technique Method.

It should be noted that within the Evergreen Sect, there are currently only thirteen Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method in total.

Once a Foundation Establishment cultivator learns a Cultivation Method, it weakens the spiritual energy in many cultivation Jade Slip. It would also take time and effort for Qiu Feng, a Golden Core Cultivator, to copy it again. The cost of learning such a technique would not be low.

After a cup of tea.

Chen Dengming's panel status has changed.

"Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator [Chen Dengming]"

Lifespan: 84/338/624

Spirit Root: Metal, Wood (Superior Grade 50/100)

Martial arts: Omitted

Daoist Techniques: <Evergreen Merit> (Level 2, 157/6000), <Golden Gang Spirit Venerable> (Beginner, 15/100), <Reverse Glory Spring Return Technique> (Beginner, 0/100), others omitted.

In such a short time, Chen Dengming had already learned this Foundation Establishment Dao technique.

With his current affinity at a mid -High-grade Spiritual Root, he can learn this Wood Element Foundation Establishment Technique Method much faster than ordinary cultivators with mid-to-low-grade Spirit Root.

His Lifespan Limit was thus extended by another ten years.

His breakthrough to the second level of the Foundation Establishment Daoist technique, "Evergreen Merit," also extended his Lifespan Limit by fifteen years.

This increase was more than double that of Technique Method.

In addition, he recently mastered the Golden Body Proficient Level and learned the Golden Gang Spirit Venerable, so his Lifespan Limit has now reached 624 years, which can be considered as making up for some of the losses from practicing the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique.

"Junior Brother Chen is truly a prodigy. With a High-grade Counteracting Spiritual Root, at least in terms of learning Technique Method, his speed is in no way inferior to that of an ordinary person with High-grade Spiritual Root."

Seeing that Chen Dengming had learned the Daoist arts so quickly, Old Man Mo smiled and complimented him, then took the Jade Slip from Chen Dengming's hand.

Chen Dengming said something polite, then drifted away.

Now that he has learned the Daoist arts to quickly restore Spiritual Qi, he only needs to practice diligently to quickly eliminate any weaknesses. Not only will his own strength improve, but in the current turbulent times of war, this will also provide him with more resources to protect himself.

Mountain Gate.

At the sect's spirit boat, more than thirty disciples had already gathered.

Upon seeing Chen Dengming arrive, they all respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, Martial Uncle Chen!"

Chen Dengming flew onto the spirit boat and looked at the group of more than thirty people. He could see the determination in the eyes of some people, and the lingering fear in the eyes of others.

Regardless, none of these disciples were absent; they all rushed to the assembly point as soon as they heard the call to gather, proving that even though they were afraid, they still overcame their fear and mustered their courage to come.

At this moment, Chen Dengming couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion, suddenly realizing that his previous view of these disciples had been somewhat biased.

At first, he only saw the fragility of these Evergreen Sect disciples as hothouse flowers, and their lack of resilience.

They believed that these disciples were inferior to the independent Rogue Cultivator in the Gathering Place in terms of temperament.

But now, he saw other shining qualities in these disciples that the Rogue Cultivator in the Gathering Place did not possess: a strong sense of cohesion and belonging to the sect.

They may be weak, but they will not scatter and abandon each other when the sect is in trouble.

On the contrary, if they cannot be defeated immediately, these seemingly soft flower buds will grow at an extremely fast speed and bloom into full-blown flowers.

As for the Gathering Place, not to mention the Rogue Cultivator, even Cultivation Family like the Luo Family, after suffering a great calamity, many of the Lineage retainers who had signed the Dao Heart Contract would rather suffer the backlash than scatter and flee, each with their own ulterior motives. Their temperaments were strong, but they lacked cohesion.

This is the difference between sects, Rogue Cultivator, and Cultivation Family.

Chen Dengming took a deep breath, summoned more than thirty disciples to the spirit boat, and then recounted Guan Le's situation in a reassuring tone. Seeing that the disciples were calm and none of them backed down, he was immediately gratified and waved his hand.

"Set off!"

He channeled his Spiritual Qi for the first time, propelling the spirit boat. A flying boat carrying more than thirty disciples streaked across the sky and sped away.

Before this, Chen Dengming had imagined that one day he would also own a spirit boat and soar through the sky on it.

Little did he expect that his first time piloting a spirit boat would be on a boat that could determine the fate of thirty people, making him captain to hunt demons. It truly shows how once you enter a sect, your heart is drawn to its bonds; as Rogue Cultivator, such opportunities are rare. There is still a spirit of Xianxia in the mortal realm; why not join hands and sail together?

(It's almost the end of the month, everyone can use up their votes. There will still be an extra chapter tomorrow if you get 200 Extended Net Moon.)

I highly recommend this work by a friend. It's about entering a harem-like world in a cultivation game's second playthrough. The character designs and plot structure are quite good. If you like this kind of thing, you should give it a try. This author has two manga adaptations, which should be pretty good too.