Sky Patrol Sect and Demon-Slaying Sect / The Theory of Variables

Suddenly, the illusory demon teleported in front of a phantom of Spirit Manifestation Cultivator, slicing open the phantom's head with its claws before retreating swiftly. The remaining phantoms quickly moved away, casting Magic Tool and using magical artifacts towards the decapitated phantom, gathering together once more. This scene was virtually identical to what had actually happened.

The Nascent Soul cultivator paid no attention to the phantoms of these Spirit Manifestation Cultivators; his gaze was fixed intently on the phantom of the Heavenly Demon. After a moment's thought, he used his technique to reenact the scene where the phantom's head had been severed earlier.

"Such terrifying speed... it doesn't seem like Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil should have; rather, it's like they used some kind of movement technique... How strange."

His insight was naturally extraordinary; he immediately recognized that something was amiss in what was happening.

"Such movement technique is probably unusual. At least my movement technique is slightly inferior. Where did this inner demon get such a superior movement technique?"

This was his first question, and then he repeated other scenes. Looking at the several illusory figures in the middle seemingly having a conversation, he frowned again, finding it quite strange. He considered asking them what kind of conversation they had after they woke up. However, although he didn't know what they were talking about, judging from the Heavenly Demon's appearance, they were probably just stalling for time.

"Is such a movement technique a great burden for it? No, it doesn't seem so. It's something else entirely..."

He looked again at the part where the skull had been cut open, but he really couldn't see anything strange about it. After all, his recollection was only based on his own understanding, and it was indeed difficult to describe things he couldn't think of.

Based on experience, I did have some guesses.

"Some highly intelligent inner demons, after killing someone, will inevitably seize the heart of the cultivator and devour it. Although I haven't simulated such a scenario... I'm afraid it's doing the same thing, reveling in the act of killing—"

After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke his mind.

"This cultivator's soul... that Spirit Manifestation Cultivator's body was quite clean, leaving little trace of his soul. It seems it broke through this cultivator to seize his soul as sustenance. But inner demons don't grow stronger by devouring cultivators' souls; rather, such a demon doesn't exist at all, otherwise the Xuanhui Realm would have been destroyed long ago. Such an act... only that demon could do it."

At this point, he paused for a moment and changed the subject.

"Let's just assume it's devouring divine souls. The Heavenly Demon is unpredictable; it's not surprising that it would do something like this."

So he continued to read through the scenes that followed. First, the inner demon used his movement technique to pretend to leave, and then concealed his aura—this was quite simple, otherwise the two sects would not have been destroyed because of the Heavenly Demon, and they would have known long ago that it was the Heavenly Demon who did it.

So these Spirit Manifestation Cultivator scattered, only realizing the Heavenly Demon had left when they panicked and remembered their mission, trying to find the direction it had gone. At this point, they were once again ambushed by the cunning Heavenly Demon. Because of the Magic Tool artifacts, they weren't instantly killed, but they still died with a scream.

This inner demon struck with considerable method, choosing the disciple among these Spirit Manifestation Cultivators who possessed the fewest defensive Magic Tool artifacts, and for some unknown reason, targeting the weakness of that Magic Tool directly.

"... His origins are extremely unusual, and his intelligence is also extraordinary."

Then, another cultivator died. This cultivator fared slightly better, but because of the deaths of the first two cultivators, the inner demon finally had the opportunity to unleash its power to wreak havoc on people's hearts. It caused these already extremely panicked Spirit Manifestation Cultivator to be afflicted by the gray energy, and they could only watch helplessly as the inner demon broke through the cultivator's defenses in a few moves, but they did nothing about it.

Fortunately, the demon suddenly realized something and hurriedly left, refraining from killing the cultivator after breaking through his defenses, thus allowing him to survive.

Such calculations are remarkably precise, perfectly utilizing the current situation to its fullest extent.

"That's true."

Looking at the two unconscious Spirit Manifestation Cultivator, a hint of mockery appeared on the face of the Nascent Soul cultivator.

"I thought I was here to gain experience and prestige, but I never expected to run into such trouble."

He was familiar with these Spirit Manifestation Cultivators. There were only a few types of people in the Demon Extermination Gate: one type was those who were afraid of death and did not want to go to the Heavenly Devil Battlefield; another type had someone behind them who came to take power; and the third type came to gain prestige after already having a position.

After all, the Heavenly Demon War is both a calamity and the best way to advance. The Heavenly Devil Battlefield is dangerous, but the Demon Extermination Gate is not so dangerous. However, the two are nominally equally important.

These four Spirit Manifestation Cultivator probably never imagined they could lose a four-on-one fight before they arrived.

So, I added a debuff to these Spirit Manifestation Cultivators. After all, truly powerful individuals would have already gone to the Heavenly Devil Battlefield; they wouldn't be staying in the rear. Those currently remaining are nothing more than seasoned veterans and high-ranking cronies. This volume's portrayal of righteous cultivators might be a bit stereotypical, mainly because... if it weren't so stereotypical, the cultivators themselves (censored word) would have been driven back to their homeland by the Heavenly Demons long ago; they wouldn't be causing trouble in the Xuanhui Realm. If even the combined efforts of the cultivators couldn't defeat them, the plot wouldn't be able to progress.

Demonic Path cultivators are comparable to righteous cultivators, only their nature is even more heinous. It's just that in the story, there are still a few strong righteous sects, but on the Demonic Path side, only the Demon Prison Hall is capable of fighting, which is even more absurd.

Chapter 325 The Xuntian Gate and the Demon Extermination Gate

When the Nascent Soul cultivator returned to the sect with the two surviving spirits and the remains of the long-dead cultivator, the cultivators in the Enforcement Hall learned of this unfortunate event.

"Where is that demon?"

Although the death of a few Spirit Manifestation Cultivator is only a minor setback for a major sect like the Jade Pure Sect, these cultivators did indeed come from the Demon Extermination Gate and were considered part of the Enforcement Hall's lineage, thus affecting the reputation of the Enforcement Hall.

Before the Nascent Soul cultivator could even settle down, a cultivator dressed in green robes asked him about the whereabouts of the Heavenly Demon.

"Too cautious, they left long ago."

The Nascent Soul cultivator shook his head and casually tossed the two unconscious Spirit Manifestation Cultivator to the ground. Now that there were no outsiders present, there was no need to worry about their feelings.

"When I arrived, the demon seemed to have sensed something. He was about to kill another person, but he hurriedly fled halfway through, which was extremely cunning."

In his moment of "cunning," his gaze involuntarily drifted to the two Spirit Manifestation Cultivators at his feet.

"While these are not very useful, they are still at the Spirit Embodiment Stage, so they shouldn't have been forced into such a predicament. Fortunately, due to the haste of our escape, we didn't have time to manage the battlefield, Heavenly Observation Calculation Book is still usable. It was only when that scene was recreated that I glimpsed the extraordinary nature of this inner demon."

"Oh? What's unusual about it?"

The blue-robed cultivator became interested and looked at the cultivator in front of him. This person was also straightforward, and since they were in a place like the Enforcement Hall, he was not afraid that what he said would have any impact.

"I suspect that inner demon has resided in the Xuanhui Realm for a long time, possessing several remarkable techniques and seemingly quite familiar with Magic Tool. One Spirit Manifestation Cultivator was caught off guard and beheaded because this inner demon's sudden surge in speed, aided by these techniques, caught him off guard. That speed was no less than the movement technique I cultivate, but due to limited retrospection, I couldn't detect the peculiarity of this movement technique, only knowing that it greatly increases speed."

"Furthermore, this inner demon seems to have a particular fondness for spiritual beings. After killing Spirit Manifestation Cultivator, it ignores them and begins to devour them, only killing another person after it has finished eating. I can't explain why it behaves so strangely. However, it said something to these Spirit Manifestation Cultivator while eating, causing them to hesitate and fail to respond decisively, which led to them being at a disadvantage."

"So after the inner demon finished its meal, it took advantage of their inattention and killed another person."

"Another person killed?"

The monk in blue couldn't help but frown.

"The first one is easy to explain; without a protective Magic Tool, one would indeed be killed by inner demons. But how did this cultivator die after that? Could it be that these Spirit Manifestation Cultivator don't even have Magic Tool, and yet they didn't know how to use Magic Tool after their colleague was killed?"

"That's the main point I wanted to make."

The Nascent Soul cultivator sighed.

"The inner demon targeted the weakness of this Spirit Manifestation Cultivator's defensive Magic Tool, thus breaking through its Magic Tool and causing his death."

"... Is this what you meant by knowing about magical Magic Tool?"

The blue-robed cultivator remained silent for a moment after hearing these words. Only when the image of this inner demon gradually materialized in his mind as the Nascent Soul cultivator spoke did he finally realize how terrifying this inner demon was.

"With such an understanding of Magic Tool, and possessing a movement technique no weaker than the true teachings of the Jade Pure Sect, if this demon were to wreak havoc right under our noses... it would be far from a good thing for the Jade Pure Sect. Such Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil would likely require more than ten Spirit Manifestation Cultivators or two or three Nascent Soul cultivators to subdue. They deserved to die, serving as a prelude to this Great Demon. Brother Zeng, even with your Heavenly Observation Calculation Book, you couldn't detect where this demon went?"

"Of course not."

The Nascent Soul cultivator shook his head.

"If it were an ordinary Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil, I could make some judgments based on the traces left at the scene. However, this demon possesses such sophisticated movement techniques, which naturally interfere with the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book. You are also familiar with this kind of technique; the more variable there is, the harder it is to calculate clearly. This demon is a genuine variable; being able to glimpse some of its power is already considered lucky, and seeking more is unlikely. However—"

He turned his gaze to the still unconscious Phosphorous Forest Spirit Manifestation Cultivator at his feet.

"They are survivors of this incident, and they possess information about the inner demons that I cannot deduce. Having this information as evidence would be helpful. If not, then it is simply fate. We should extract a portion of their Spiritual Sense as a trigger, a warning. The inner demons used their mind-disrupting powers on them, naturally leaving their aura within their souls."

"This is the only way for now."

The cultivator in blue nodded, not denying what the Nascent Soul cultivator had said.

After the arriving cultivators carried the two unconscious Spirit Manifestation Cultivator back into their room, the Nascent Soul cultivator also landed beside the house and stood with the blue-robed cultivator.

"Brother Zeng's Heavenly Observation Calculation Book is truly miraculous. If the Enforcement Hall were to lack someone like Brother Zeng, things would likely be much more difficult."

The matter of inner demons involves many things, and there's no point in discussing it now. It's better to wait until this news breaks and everyone responds before making any plans. Therefore, the blue-robed cultivator stopped focusing on inner demons and instead shifted the topic to the Nascent Soul cultivator beside him.

The Nascent Soul cultivator's name was Zeng Yuan, and he was a sect leader in the Enforcement Hall.

The Jade Pure Sect is a very large sect, with a large number of disciples, resulting in a rather large sect structure. The Jade Pure Sect has several halls under it, managing things such as finances, cultivation techniques, elixirs, and formations. The Enforcement Hall is one of them, and under the Enforcement Hall are many departments with different functions such as Crime Sentencing, determining, and carrying out actions. The Demon Extermination Gate is a newly added department.

Because of this structure, there are positions such as Hall Master, Sect Master, and Steward, as well as other positions, but these positions are not as clear-cut as the ones mentioned above, so we will not discuss them for now.

Hall masters are generally cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, while sect masters are senior Nascent Soul cultivators. Zeng Yuan, due to his mastery of the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book, is the sect master of the Xuntian Gate under the Enforcement Hall, responsible for matters such as finding evidence of crimes. The disciples and stewards under his jurisdiction are also among the best cultivators of the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book. Logically speaking, someone of his status shouldn't be mobilized for such matters.

However, among the Spirit Manifestation Cultivator sent out this time were his clansmen, as clearly indicated by the jade token. Furthermore, because the Demon Extermination Gate was originally tasked with combating the Heavenly Demons but had become involved with Ling Qiersi, it was already quite complicated, which is why he had the idea to personally investigate. It should be known that the Demon Extermination Gate had no weak disciples; all its members were cultivators at the Golden Core Spirit-Possessing level or higher, and there were even several Nascent Soul cultivators among them.

"Is that so?"

Zeng Yuan glanced at the blue-robed cultivator beside him, having no intention of saying much.

As for the sect leader of the Demon Extermination Gate, he really didn't have much to say, since it was this person who sent these four cultivators, even though he had long since become indifferent to blood ties.

Chapter 326 The Theory of Variables

What happened in the Enforcement Hall was no small matter. By the time Zeng Yuan returned to his own Xuntian Gate, the higher-ups of the Jade Pure Sect were already aware of what had happened.

Before he could rest for even a moment, he was summoned to the Enforcement Hall, where he was told that he had something to be instructed.

What is it?

It's naturally a matter of inner demons.

The upper echelons of the extraordinary world and the upper echelons of the technological world share many similarities, but in terms of the nature of power, they are completely different.

Because of the existence of realms, these high-level individuals possess immense power that resides within themselves, and those who cannot be contended with by their subordinates require them to personally intervene.

After all the leaders under the Enforcement Hall had gathered, the hall master coughed and got straight to the point.

"Who will deal with the matter of inner demons?"

"It's naturally something the Demon Extermination Gate should handle themselves. Why does Hall Master Liu need to summon us?"

A burly man said with dissatisfaction,

"Once the war against the Heavenly Demons began, the Jade Pure Sect was thrown into complete chaos. Because it had accepted many disciples from smaller sects, a host of troublesome matters arose for no apparent reason. We were already too busy with these matters to deal with the Heavenly Demons. Besides, it was just a Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil. Did they really think the Jade Pure Sect was without anyone? Not to mention the Enforcement Hall, which of the other halls in the Jade Pure Sect didn't have Nascent Soul cultivators stationed there, along with dozens of Core Formation cultivators?"

That makes sense. After all, a spirit-possessed demon is nothing special. The ones who previously disturbed the two sects were several Nascent Soul Inner Devil, who weren't very vigilant and just happened to be caught in the Heavenly Demon War. The Jade Pure Sect, on the other hand, is far stronger than those two sects and, having learned from their previous experience, is extremely cautious. How could a Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil possibly be a match for them?

In the eyes of this burly man, this Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil might cause some trouble, but it would only result in the deaths and injuries of many low-level cultivators, at most a few dozen Spirit Manifestation Cultivator. As long as it didn't harm any Nascent Soul cultivators, it wouldn't be a major blow to the current situation. Besides, he already harbored resentment towards the four Spirit Manifestation Cultivators who died or were injured, or rather, he was dissatisfied with the existence of the Demon Extermination Gate.

The Demon Extermination Gate didn't come earlier or later, but of all times, at this crucial Enforcement Hall. Anyone with eyes can see that the Demon Extermination Gate is trying to seize the interests of the old factions within the Enforcement Hall. If it were just a group of elite cultivators, he would have reluctantly accepted it, knowing the principle of admitting defeat when you can't win. But the Demon Extermination Gate is a mixed bag, good and bad, and they've often caused disagreements with his disciples.

Because of the Demon Extermination Gate's original reputation, they could only instruct their disciples to be patient. Now that the Demon Extermination Gate has made such a fool of itself, these cultivators finally have the means to retaliate.

"In my opinion, it's best to let the Demon Extermination Gate deal with them as soon as possible. The sooner some useless cultivators die, the more like the Demon Extermination Gate should look!"

"Haosheng!"

These words were quite harsh, and the blue-robed sect leader of the Demon Extermination Gate frowned. Just as he was about to lash out, Hall Master Liu, who was in charge of affairs, reprimanded him.

"We're all brothers, how can you talk like that?"

"Heh, our own brothers?"

The burly man merely chuckled coldly and said nothing more.

Zeng Yuan, standing beside the burly man, simply listened without saying anything.

He originally cultivated the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book, a technique that requires a thorough understanding of the measurement of things. At his level, nothing could confuse him.

At first glance, it wasn't an argument at all; it was clearly exclusion.

"Sect Master Hao is unaware of the hardships endured by the brothers of the Demon Extermination Gate. They are newcomers to the Enforcement Hall, and the current disciples are not very familiar with its affairs. Entrusting such an important matter to them is somewhat inappropriate."

A white-robed monk stepped forward with a smile to smooth things over.

"Calm down. Since Hall Master Liu has said he wants to deal with the inner demon, how about we each send a few cultivators to handle it together? Although that inner demon is powerful, it probably can't withstand more than a dozen Spirit Manifestation Cultivator. How about this, my Enlightenment Gate will send three Spirit Manifestation Cultivators, and each of you sect leaders will have to do your part by sending two. As for the Spirit Manifestation Cultivator Demon Extermination Gate..."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he lunged at the blue-robed monk like a snake.

"Since several Spirit Manifestation Cultivators have been killed or wounded, we'll only send one."

Upon hearing this, all the sect leaders present turned their gazes toward the leader of the Demon Extermination Gate.

This action was intended to force him to agree to this idea.

The sect leader, whose expression was already not good, looked even more unpleasant upon hearing these words.

Just when Zeng Yuan thought this man was about to succumb to the pressure, the blue-robed cultivator suddenly grinned, stood up, and bowed to Hall Master Liu, who was sitting in the main seat.

"To be honest, the disciples of the Demon Extermination Gate had already set off to hunt down this Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil. However, due to Hall Master Liu's summons, we were unable to report this matter, and therefore I apologize to Hall Master Liu. Qin Mou am truly sorry to have troubled you brothers with such a trivial matter. Please do not worry, the Demon Extermination Gate has dispatched twelve Spirit Manifestation Cultivator, along with one Nascent Soul cultivator, and they will definitely capture and kill this inner demon."

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy meeting fell silent, especially the burly man and the white-robed cultivator.

The big man opened his mouth, scratched his head, and made a silly face.

"What? You already sent people?"

The white-robed cultivator wore a wry smile, looking rather helpless.

"Oh dear, why didn't Brother Qin say something like this sooner? I was just being presumptuous by saying all this."

As she spoke, she glanced at Zeng Yuan.

"Presumably, Sect Leader Zeng's composure indicates that he already knew about this matter, right?"

Are you suspecting me of using the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book to work for the Demon Extermination Gate?

Zeng Yuan calmly took a sip of tea. He did not answer the white-robed cultivator's question immediately, but paused for a moment before speaking.

"It's not like I'm the only one in the Jade Pure Sect who knows this Heavenly Observation Calculation Book."

"Oh? Who else can achieve such extraordinary feats as Sect Master Zeng?"

"Who knows? Perhaps Sect Master Qin knows a little bit, otherwise... how could he know the location of the inner demon just from a portrait and a faint aura?"

The words were spoken softly, but they stated a fact.