Matters of the Xuanhui Realm / The Side Effects of the True Explanation of the Heavenly Demon's False Body

With gritted teeth, he mobilized the restless spiritual energy to force back the mutations in his body. His Spiritual Sense, extended to its limit, rapidly contracted, revealing astonishing insight into these mutations. The spiritual energy supplied to the mutated areas was gradually withdrawn, yet a considerable amount still forcibly connected to them. Even though most of the mutations had dissipated, his limbs still bore a fine layer of scales like those on a fish's surface, and the protruding mouths continued to utter strange inflections.

Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but close her eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, his golden pupils shone brightly, radiating an indescribable majesty.

It was like the eye of some being, casting a judgmental gaze and issuing a warning to these external things. That unquestionable attitude ultimately drove back these alienations.

No one noticed what was happening, except for one outsider.

Natsukawa Yuki silently gazed at a spot, the nauseating stench prompting her to hide.

So, the host's body was obediently thrown to the ground.

Chapter 221 Matters of the Xuanhui Realm

This body is no longer usable.

Back home, while enjoying a late-night snack, "Natsukawa Yuki" encountered something that annoyed her.

She slowly got up from the ground, gazing out the window at the direction from which the aura emanated. Undoubtedly, there was only one existence in the world that could make "her" feel nauseous.

Given the arrival of that thing, it probably already discovered itself within this body long ago.

"A scheme, a terrible scheme."

"Natsukawa Yuki" rubbed the bump on her head. Because cutting off control of her body was a matter of no hesitation, her body fell to the ground without any warning, making intimate contact with the ground.

The pain from this was also transmitted to her senses, but that wasn't her biggest concern at the moment.

"Damn it, how could it suddenly unleash its will?"

This was all too sudden, so sudden that "Natsukawa Yuki" was completely unprepared. Even if "she" wanted to take any precautions, she couldn't stop this will from spying on her. But as long as this will left again, "she" could still possibly escape this surveillance. And it would be best if it happened quickly.

"Tomorrow... no, it's best to find a new host as soon as possible, tonight, otherwise that thing will definitely do something that conforms to its own operating rules, that kind of troublesome, terrible scheming."

The thought of what would happen if he were discovered gave this person from beyond the realm a headache.

For such wills, their existence is more despicable than the parasitic insects that infest their bodies; they are demons, monsters, celestial demons, evil gods—all sorts of derogatory terms would be bestowed upon them. And those who are given such vile names will face the hostility of the entire world, suffer the disgust and slaughter of all living beings, with the Heavenly Mandate Holder often being the active participants in this.

Indeed, what they did was despicable and shameful for these wills.

"I have no intention of stealing your essence, or stripping you of your matter and energy. What's there to take away from a fabricated world?"

It murmured, feeling troubled by the unexpected disaster.

In any case, it has likely been exposed to the gaze of this World Consciousness. As long as it remains in this world, the malice of the entire world will follow, targeting its current host and itself. To put it bluntly, after it is discovered, the owner of this body will face the most unfortunate and desperate situation.

Betrayal by loved ones, the breakdown of social connections, threats to life... No, it doesn't need to go that far. What it needs to do is actually quite simple: completely alter the [essence] of this body.

"But what exactly makes you cast your gaze?"

Despite seemingly facing a dangerous situation, its thoughts suddenly turned to something else.

"The death of the Heavenly Mandate Holder? The appearance of the Heavenly Mandate Holder? Or the betrayal of the Heavenly Mandate Holder?" (Izaki Ryuu, Isamu, Erjiu)

For a World Consciousness to act in this way, it's highly likely that something has happened to the Heavenly Mandate Holder. Even these "demons," or let's call them Heavenly Demons, wouldn't cause a World Consciousness to act so drastically. Even if a Heavenly Demon killed half of the world's living beings, the World Consciousness wouldn't fluctuate like this.

Although such actions would provoke their anger, it would be insignificant compared to the Heavenly Mandate Holder. Those Heavenly Mandate Holder were not beings recognized and cultivated by the World Consciousness, but rather opportunities for the world to advance. The World Consciousness could only guide and nurture these Heavenly Mandate Holder, not create Heavenly Mandate Holder.

Those Heavenly Mandate Holder are parasites of the world, and so is the World Consciousness. The only difference is that those Heavenly Mandate Holder can detach themselves from the world, but the World Consciousness cannot. The only difference is that the former treats the world as a means of sustenance, while the latter treats the world as their entire world.

Therefore, every Heavenly Mandate Holder is of paramount importance to the World Consciousness. Many World Consciousness weave a destiny trajectory for these Heavenly Mandate Holder, using Heavenly Mandate Holder to help the world advance. Occasionally, exceptions occur, such as in the Xuanhui Realm, where the World Consciousness does not intend to nurture Heavenly Mandate Holder because it can no longer advance. The ultimate result is that the Heavenly Mandate Holder transcends the world and suffers a loss.

"The Deity of the Silver Ball, a cultivator with the inheritance of the Xuanhui Realm... should be the Heavenly Mandate Holder of this world."

The Heavenly Demon's gaze hardened as he pondered this.

It didn't know how the Xuanhui Realm and this world were connected, or how it had come here from the Xuanhui Realm. But the cultivators from the Xuanhui Realm were indeed extremely skilled in this world, posing a great threat to it in its current state. However, that cultivator was probably a so-called demonic cultivator.

Although it couldn't obtain much information from this body, the existence of the previous host made the information more coherent. It recognized the original appearance of the so-called "Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method" and knew that it was a technique used by demonic cultivators in the Xuanhui Realm, and that such beings had some connection with them.

Xuanhui Realm is a powerful world. Even though its potential has been exhausted, its foundation remains. The power of those Enlightenment Cultivator is still troublesome for them, which they call "extraterrestrial demons," especially that Heavenly Mandate Holder from back then.

Although unwilling, it had to admit that the Heavenly Mandate Holder was indeed the strongest it had ever seen. And the connection between this world and the Heavenly Demon was also caused by this Heavenly Mandate Holder.

He realized the suppression he was facing from the Xuanhui Realm, and thus placed his hopes for escape on these "extraterrestrial demons".

Before him, the Heavenly Demon merely used the guise of powerful cultivation techniques to bewitch those mentally corrupt demonic cultivators or righteous cultivators, using their bodies as keys to enter the Xuanhui Realm. Based on this, some techniques and spells were developed to allow them to control these bodies even faster. Although such methods were tantamount to slow suicide, cultivators with no other options cared about such things.

After he became aware of these phenomena, the Heavenly Demons suffered greatly. Countless Heavenly Demons became his experimental subjects. With his genius-like ideas and powerful strength, this Heavenly Mandate Holder forged a path that allowed him to harness the power of the Heavenly Demons without being harmed by them.

Even though this path didn't spread far, his slaughter and fishing of the Heavenly Demons quickly turned the Xuanhui Realm into a demon-free land. Even the most reckless and brave Heavenly Demons never considered stepping into the Xuanhui Realm. Because of this, the cultivation techniques and spells that were originally meant to control the physical body lost most of their risks and became a major path for demonic cultivators in the Xuanhui Realm. Although this path was not easy to navigate, and even without the influence of the Heavenly Demons, it would still turn these cultivators into something neither human nor ghost, it was still much better than before.

How did it know that?

"Natsukawa Yuki" looked up at the sky. Before the Xuanhui Realm, it was still confused about World Consciousness. It knew of such an existence, but did not know its purpose and intention.

It went through many things before it was completely sealed away.

Chapter 222 Side Effects of the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding

What's wrong with me?

Completely unaware of her predicament, Yotsuya Miko looked at her limbs, which had long since shed their altered state, and a sense of powerlessness rose within her.

The mutated scales tore at her clothes, scattering fabric everywhere, but she clearly didn't need to care about such things at the moment.

Guided by spiritual energy, the hands and feet reappeared their original mutations, but this time the strange appearance was gone. No mouthparts grew on the scales; it was just a normal mutation.

Her gaze fell on the mutated limbs, then she glanced helplessly at the full-length mirror beside her.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but earlier she had a sudden feeling that her eyes were displaying a strange light again.

However, at this moment, those eyes appeared dull and lifeless, reflecting the owner's mood and lacking any sparkle.

"Why is the spiritual energy suddenly restless? Why is the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding...?"

She murmured, unable to understand what had happened. But soon a clear idea came to her.

Yotsuya Miko recalled the events surrounding Kawamori, and the events that occurred when she dealt with the Xuanming Python. In the world created by the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record, the mutated organs tore apart the desires within those Soul Extract, completely resolving the problem of the Soul Devouring Tribulation.

Clearly, this kind of alienation is not benevolent; while it solved the problem of the Soul Devouring Tribulation, it brought about an even more serious issue: the spiritual energy turmoil and sudden alienation that we now face.

"My body is undergoing a deeper transformation."

Touching his neck, which was now covered in scales, Miko frowned.

She forgot, because the backlash came too late and too suddenly.

She completely ignored the question she had originally been pursuing, Miko looked at the notebook on the table before closing it.

"This situation will happen a second time, a third time. But I have absolutely no idea when it will happen."

After returning from Kawamori, Yotsuya Miko, who had relaxed, once again felt a sense of urgency. However, this time, there was no one to help her.

The Soul Devouring Tribulation problem had been resolved by her cheap master Zhang Qiudao, who had completely dissipated the influence of the Heavenly Demon's False Body. However, she was now completely at a loss regarding the mutated reactions brought about by the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding's Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding. The Soul Nourishing Artifact Path Understanding made no mention of such reactions; at most, it stated that practicing the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding made one susceptible to the Heavenly Demon's invasion. Its upgraded version was the Heavenly Devil Corpse Unraveling Great Method, which truly allowed the Heavenly Demon to enter the body and be controlled by it.

"It seems I need to carefully review the descriptions of these extraterrestrial demons."

The power she relied on went wrong, which made Yotsuya Miko realize once again her weakness in the art of cultivation.

Looking at her mutated limbs, all thoughts about Divine Gate were completely banished from her mind, becoming unnecessary ideas. Before her body developed problems, these things were no longer important, and any desire she had originally harbored towards Divine Gate was extinguished.

Miko had hurriedly straightened her tattered clothes, she focused her attention on the knowledge that Zhang Qiudao had imparted to her. Originally, she had mainly focused on the theory of cultivation techniques recently. Because of the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method, she was thinking about whether she could create a more advanced cultivation technique than the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method and make it available to the people around her.

Although this technique cannot reach the level of the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record, it avoids the trouble of the Soul Devouring Tribulation and prevents these relatives and friends from suffering undeserved disasters.

However, although she had such ideas, these theories were still too tedious and complicated. Even if she tried to learn a little bit every day, she wouldn't make much progress. However, she could optimize the efficiency of the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method. In the past few days, she updated the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method several times, improving the extraction efficiency slightly.

Now, she had to shift her focus, turning her attention to another part of her studies: the explanation and introduction of extraterrestrial demons. While this knowledge wasn't as lengthy as the theories of cultivation techniques, it was still quite rich in content, covering Zhang Qiudao's lifelong classification, dissection, and experiments on extraterrestrial demons—hundreds upon hundreds of experiments alone. This research on extraterrestrial demons might not solve her current problem, but by drawing parallels, it would still be somewhat helpful in her current situation.

Having thought this through, she had no more hesitation. She simply began to peruse the vast amount of information in her mind, extracting the section about the extraterrestrial demons. She studied it from night until dawn, and even as it was almost time to go to school, she still hesitated about whether to skip class.

But when I thought that this wasn't something that could be accomplished simply by skipping a day of school, and that my unusual behavior might arouse suspicion from those around me, I put the idea aside for the time being. I just thought to myself that even if I went to school, I wouldn't need to attend any classes; I could simply focus on studying the material during class time.

The real trouble...

Regarding the mutation of the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding, although Zhang Qiudao's knowledge did not include relevant information, when she thought of the situation that the Soul Devouring Tribulation had caused her, and how those symptoms were erased by the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding, she guessed that this mutation was probably more troublesome than the Soul Devouring Tribulation.

Who knows when, her entire body might be completely transformed, turning into the form of a demon and never being able to return to human form. If it were merely the inability to revert to human form, that would be one thing, but if her body had been transformed into a demon, what about her thoughts and desires? Would she still be herself at that point?

This isn't just Yotsuya Miko being overly pessimistic. In Zhang Qiudao's knowledge, descriptions of Heavenly Demons are mostly that they are inherently cruel, killing without hesitation, or treacherous and cunning, devoid of any sense of loyalty or righteousness. Many demonic cultivators who possess techniques similar to the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding are also said to have undergone drastic personality changes, becoming terrifyingly ruthless, largely due to the influence of these techniques and the corruption of external Heavenly Demons.

Zhang Qiudao claimed that his Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding had no side effects like other such techniques, but rather relied on the power of the Heavenly Demon without any of its calamities. She had believed him before, but now she was less inclined to believe him. Perhaps it was indeed much better than other techniques, but the side effects probably didn't manifest in Zhang Qiudao himself, hence the appearance of having no side effects at all.

Ultimately, her experience differs from that of Zhang Qiudao, a powerful figure who first Enlightenment Realm and then cultivated the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record. Killing the Xuanming Python was entirely by chance, involving countless coincidences that led to her current situation. And perhaps it's precisely because the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding has manifested its side effects on her?

That's what Yotsuya Miko was thinking, and then she couldn't help but sigh again.

Chapter 223 Car Accident

"Finally, I've arrived in this city again..."

He pulled away from the crowds at the airport and followed Oune Tatsu out of the airport exit. Looking at the vibrant city, the man couldn't help but show a hint of seriousness.

"Although I've never been here before, this visit has left me with mixed feelings."

He felt no sense of neglect towards the city before him; in his view, all cities on this land, within the jurisdiction of this country, were the same, each with its own interests, disputes, and struggles.

Profits bring prosperity to cities, adding their own unique characteristics to their development.

He wasn't a tourist, and he wasn't interested in the local customs and culture of these different cities. No matter how the cities changed, no matter how spectacular the scenery was, in the end it would all just become a little bit of souvenir, mixed in with those contracts and agreements.

However, while the city itself doesn't evoke much emotion in him, one person within it can.

"Lord, there's no time to lose. Let me go and see Okita- kun again first."

"I understand, the vehicles have been arranged."

Oune Tatsu beside him, didn't say much, simply following the middle-aged man. A black sedan was already parked on a nearby street, quietly waiting for the two of them to board.

After getting into the car, the two remained mostly silent. It was only when the atmosphere suddenly became too oppressive that the middle-aged man finally spoke, asking a few questions.

"You've been away for a while, Okita- kun must have had a tough time. I'm so sorry to have troubled him."

"There was a slight mishap, and they probably panicked a bit."

Oune Tatsu replied that he had also learned about the previous handover incident while he was away. When he learned of it, his emotions were no better than Okita Qishen's, but because he hadn't faced the matter directly, he had managed to retain some clarity of mind and had managed to find out some things.

"Yamada Mukawa's intervention at that time was indeed a disaster. Fortunately, Miss Yotsuya Miko didn't investigate further. However, Shimakawa Kameyo's death afterward... is probably inextricably linked to Yamada Mukawa."

"Is that so?"

The middle-aged man remained noncommittal, simply looking at him before carefully considering his words before speaking.

"The Divine Gate branch is getting a new leader. Let's put the responsibility for Shimakawa Kameyo on Yamada Mukawa; he's been let go. If Okita- kun is willing, he can compete for the position of director."

"Okay, I understand."

Without even lifting an eyelid, Oune Tatsu simply agreed. After returning from out of town, upon learning that this man had once again visited Okita Qishen, he understood the Wagen Family's intentions.

Within the Wagen Family, there were differing voices. Some were hardline, some were compromising, some favored change, and some favored maintaining the status quo. Facing him were the hardline change faction, the one closest to the head of the family.

Once the joints are open, obstacles need to be removed.

Regardless of what happened before or what has happened now, only members of the Wagen Family can remain at the Divine Gate branch here. Let's just pretend we didn't see those unclear things.

Regardless of whether Yamada Mukawa actually instructed Shimakawa Kameyo to do that, and regardless of whether Shimakawa Kameyo's disappearance or death was related to Yamada Mukawa, it can be assumed that they were related. Evidence can be presented to support this.

Sometimes, things really don't need to be so complicated.

Like Yotsuya Miko, like the Wagen Family.

After their conversation, they had traveled a certain distance. The two remained silent, but then something unexpected happened.

The car, which had been moving smoothly, gradually slowed down and came to a stop.

Something seems to have happened up ahead.

The driver stopped pretending to be deaf and dumb. He saw the truck involved in the accident with his bright eyes and heard the shouts from not far away.

"It looks like a speeding truck hit and killed someone."

Someone died?

Oune Tatsu frowned, about to instruct the driver to change routes. However, the middle-aged man beside him stopped him and opened the car door.

"Gentlemen?"

"Let's go take a look,"

The middle-aged man's words dispelled his confusion.

"Meeting with Okita- kun isn't urgent, but this whole thing seems rather abrupt. And the strange event is just around the corner, so let's go see what's going on, and treat it as a walk."