Encountering a Nascent Soul Heart Demon / The Dao Pursues People ...

"Considering the time, those dazed Spirit Manifestation Cultivator should have been awake for some time by now. However, I don't know what gives Sect Master Qin the audacity to be so certain that this is the direction the inner demon departed. You must know that the inner demon is an extremely unpredictable variable, and how can such a variable be calculated so accurately?"

The white-robed monk couldn't understand this riddle, nor could the burly man; only one person present could understand it.

The cultivator in blue chuckled softly.

"Since it's a variable, it's bound to cause a big uproar sooner or later."

Chapter 327 Encountering Nascent Soul Inner Devil

The meeting of the Enforcement Hall ended unhappily, as the sudden move by the Demon Extermination Gate rendered their prepared methods useless.

When Zeng Yuan returned to his own Xuntian Gate, he was struck by the calculations of the scholar in blue.

He had assumed that the sect leader of the Demon Extermination Gate had sent people to deal with the Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil because of the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book, but who knew that this person was so audacious and reckless, sending his disciples without knowing anything.

"But that's true; unexpected changes are bound to cause some trouble."

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly turned eastward toward the Jade Pure Sect.

The Jade Pure Sect is the second most powerful righteous sect in the world. Above it is the number one sect, the current leader of the righteous path— the Profound Sky Sect.

"If a major disturbance were to occur, it would undoubtedly be the Profound Sky Sect. I once thought that the inner demons wanted to wreak havoc on the sect, but I truly didn't understand their motives, given the current state of the Jade Pure Sect. If an inner demon were to cause trouble, it would actually unite the sect's members, which would be a good thing for the sect. As it stands now, it seems their target is probably the Profound Sky Sect."

As he spoke, the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book also began to activate.

"Currently, the Supreme Elder of the Profound Sky Sect intends to cooperate with the Demon Prison Hall Master of the Demon Prison Hall, seeking to forge an alliance between righteous and demonic cultivators. Because of this, disciples from both sects frequently interact, creating a facade of harmony. However, most are unwilling, their relationship merely a facade. This presents a perfect opportunity for the Heavenly Demons to wreak havoc. If I were a Heavenly Demon, I would not let such an opportunity pass. But... do the Profound Sky Sect and the Demon Prison Hall not understand this principle?"

After saying this, Zeng Yuan's face turned pale and yellowish, and with the power of the Heavenly Observation Calculation Book, he had many guesses in his mind.

...(divider)...

"Indeed, plundering the soul of Spirit Manifestation Cultivator is most beneficial for cultivation."

Some distance from the Heavenly Dragon Sect, "Yotsuya Miko" sat on the trunk of an ancient tree and swung his legs.

After killing one or two Spirit Manifestation Cultivators, it caught a glimpse of the jade pendant flashing on the dead body. Only then did it realize that these Spirit Manifestation Cultivators had summoned someone. It regretfully held back and used the Falcon Spirit Wind Control Incantation to escape.

Having nowhere to go, it simply ran wildly eastward, not knowing how far it had gone before finally stopping to rest and recover its spiritual energy.

It was only at this moment that it had the mind to examine the increasing Profound Nether Qi within its body and discovered that it had increased considerably.

Although the current "Yotsuya Miko" is now completely like a Heavenly Demon, she is not caused by the corruption of a Heavenly Demon, but by the mutation of the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record, and also by the mutation of the Heart Demon, a peculiar Heavenly Demon. At present, she can use the techniques and cultivation methods naturally like a human cultivator, and also possesses the abilities that a Heart Demon should have.

When it killed the two Spirit Manifestation Cultivator earlier, it didn't waste the opportunity. It used the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record to devour their souls, extracting their Soul Extract and transforming it into Profound Nether Qi. This transformation was quite efficient, and the quality was much better than the Profound Nether Qi in its body. So it simply dispersed the original Profound Nether Qi in its body, hoping to kill a few Spirit Manifestation Cultivator to make up for the original amount.

The Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record has finally revealed its formidable power upon arriving in the Xuanhui Realm. Because there are no restrictions on its refinement of Profound Nether Qi, it can improve its cultivation by killing as many Spirit Manifestation Cultivator as possible. If it kills several hundred more Spirit Manifestation Cultivator, it will only take "Yotsuya Miko" several months to reach the Yang God Undying Realm, which is equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm. At that time, killing Nascent Soul Cultivators will be extremely easy.

As for side effects... now that it's in the identity of a Heavenly Demon, what side effect is there to worry about—a weakened divine soul?

"This is clearly an excellent technique for dealing with inner demons; I was completely unaware of its limitations before."

Thinking this way, the "me" who once wanted to commit suicide because of the mutated demon felt even more bewildered, not understanding why she would do such a thing.

"Just because of those sealed memories?"

It murmured to itself, not feeling that these memories had much impact on its original self, even though the memories had been completely destroyed—it couldn't access them, so they were utterly ruined.

"Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore. Wouldn't it be better to use that time to kill a few Spirit Manifestation Cultivator?"

They slid down the tree trunk and continued walking eastward.

From the memories of the two Spirit Manifestation Cultivator it devoured, it gained a much deeper understanding of the Xuanhui Realm. It knew that cultivators at the Spirit Embodiment Stage. Therefore, it did not need to panic.

As long as one pays a little attention to their aura and doesn't recklessly venture into the territory of those major sects, protecting oneself shouldn't be a problem.

"Nascent Soul cultivators don't act rashly. Even if the Jade Pure Sect values my strength, they probably won't send more than one Nascent Soul cultivator. And before that, they'll have to find my whereabouts first. And how do they find my whereabouts?"

A smile appeared on its lips as it slowly extended its Spiritual Sense toward a hilltop in front of it. Although there were only a few cats and kittens there, there were still a few Golden Core cultivators among them.

"I act with remarkable cleanliness. I know any technique that could track my movements. After all, no matter what, you can't possibly understand the principles of tracking techniques better than Zhang Qiudao. Even your most prized 'Heavenly Observation Calculation Book' has a superior version by that old demon Zhang Qiudao, called the 'Heaven Imprisoning Desire Calculation Scripture.' You merely rely on the traces at the scene and your understanding to make calculations, or construct your own theories. This old demon is far more powerful; he uses the entire universe as the foundation for his deductions, directly conjuring a world in his mind."

As it spoke, it had already teleported to the front of that mountain. Just as it was about to use its methods to turn all the cultivators of this sect into resources for its own cultivation, it suddenly realized that something was unusual.

"Hmm? What's this aura?"

As her Spiritual Sense invaded the mountaintop, suppressing the cultivators whose strength was far inferior to hers, a powerful aura suddenly entered her Spiritual Sense from within this small sect. It was an aura that she was not very familiar with, but recognized because of her own circumstances.

The aura of a celestial demon, and also the aura of a heart demon that looked exactly like it.

Its strength was slightly higher than its own, and it was exactly a Nascent Soul realm inner demon.

By the time it realized this, the inner demon had already rushed out of the sect, looking furiously at its location.

"You fool! Who sent you, some powerful being, to act so rudely? If these human cultivators were to learn of our existence, our plan would be severely hampered!"

However, her words implied that she considered him a member of her own camp, which surprised Yotsuya Miko.

Soon, they lowered their heads in a state of "trembling with fear and trepidation".

"My lord, please calm down."

Chapter 328 The Way Pursues People

The Profound Sky Sect is the leader of the righteous path in the Xuanhui Realm.

Before Zhang Qiudao, countless sects rose and fell. Even the Jade Pure Sect went through several twists and turns before finally becoming the second largest sect in the world. However, the Profound Sky Sect was not like that.

Since the beginning of recorded history in the Xuanhui Realm, the Profound Sky Sect has always stood in the world of the Xuanhui Realm, and has been the undisputed overlord for all eternity.

Logically speaking, such a transcendent status should have given rise to many troubles, but the Profound Sky Sect is different. This is because the cultivation method they practice makes the cultivators of the Profound Sky Sect detached from worldly affairs and indifferent to personal gain.

The sect elders are like this, and so are the sect disciples.

The Profound Sky Sect values not only the aptitude of its disciples but also their character. Character is considered more important than aptitude, which is why many cultivators' aptitude is not particularly outstanding and seem unworthy of the world's number one sect.

The Profound Sky Sect recruits disciples in this way. Although its scale is slightly smaller than that of the Jade Pure Sect or other sects, it has a much larger number of Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation cultivators, who are truly dedicated to solitary cultivation.

If any of its disciples encounter any perplexing issues, the Profound Sky Sect will send them down the mountain to experience the mortal world and vanquish evil. As a result, the disciples of the Profound Sky Sect have the best reputation among the righteous sects, representing the true face of the righteous path and the only pure stream in the Xuanhui Realm.

However, in Zhang Qiudao's eyes, their Profound Sky Sect was the strangest sect in the world.

"Distinguished guests have come from afar; I have failed to provide adequate hospitality. This humble Daoist priest can only greet you with this simple tea."

A guest arrived at the Profound Sky Sect today, a guest who required the presence of the Supreme Elder. Thus, this elder, who is still the most powerful cultivator in the world besides Zhang Qiudao, personally served this guest who had traveled from afar a cup of green tea.

It's just ordinary green tea, nothing special.

Having reached the level of Supreme Elder, he no longer needed any divine objects to enhance his cultivation. Furthermore, due to the favor of Heaven, he advanced to the Enlightenment Realm. Thus, spiritual objects and mundane objects were equal to him. He simply abandoned his original resources and cultivated a tea tree in his own field.

Now that the war between the Heavenly Demons has been going on for several months, this tea tree, nourished by the unique spiritual energy of the Profound Sky Sect, has also sprouted new buds, which are perfect for making tea.

"Lord, please."

"Very well, then I shall respectfully comply."

Sitting on one side of the tea table, opposite the true leader of the Profound Sky Sect, was a person whose appearance was obscured by a Malevolent Ghost mask, and whose voice was so hoarse that it was impossible to tell whether he was male or female.

He was completely wrapped in a black robe, even his head was covered by a thick layer of cloth. Because this black robe was Magic Tool artifact, even if Enlightenment Cultivator tried to use their Spiritual Sense to peer inside, they would not be able to see anything.

However, the Black Robed Person removed his mask, revealing a handsome face. He picked up a teacup with his jade-like hands and took a small sip.

"Good tea, good Profound Sky Sect."

He put down his teacup and then covered his face with a mask.

"Now that we've had tea, it's time to continue discussing what I mentioned earlier. What do you think?"

"How is it? Not so."

The old man with the white beard shook his head, poured himself another cup of tea, and sipped it leisurely.

"What the Palace Master is talking about is far more difficult than getting the world to accept the joint efforts of righteous and demonic cultivators to fight against the Heavenly Demon. If the cooperation between righteous and demonic cultivators is like an ordinary person fighting a tiger, then the Palace Master's actions are like asking a mortal with no power to kill a dragon in a deep pool. How can that be accomplished?"

"Can't it be done?"

The person addressed as the Palace Master retorted,

"What if I were to remove the dragon's tendons and bones, strip it of its sharp teeth and claws, and strip it of its essence, blood, and magical power?"

"Then we'll make a decision then; there's no need to say anything more now."

"Okay, then I'll take that as a yes."

Having said that, the Palace Master stood up, intending to walk outside, but then suddenly looked at the Supreme Elder in front of him.

"I originally thought you would never agree, but I didn't expect you to be as esoteric and detached from worldly affairs as Zhang Qiudao said. It seems he doesn't know everything."

"To be so profound that one forgets the world?"

Upon hearing this, the old man raised his head and looked at the palace master in front of him, thus discerning some of the reasons.

"It seems the Palace Master truly shares my belief that he has received the inheritance of the Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable."

"Aren't you going to go and hurl insults at him? That old devil wiped out the entire Xuanhui Realm once!"

"Otherwise, the Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable is indeed the Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable."

The Supreme Elder suddenly sighed.

"During the destruction of the world, I was fortunate enough to witness the actions of the Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable and spoke with him. This man's desire for the Dao far surpasses mine, and even surpasses that of all cultivators under heaven. He is willing to pay any price for the Dao, even if it means destroying the world. Therefore, he does not follow the righteous path but enters the Demonic Path, and is feared by both the Demonic Path and righteous paths. He once said something to all cultivators under heaven, do you know it?"

"Oh?"

The temple master was somewhat tempted, but he withdrew his original intention to leave and turned his gaze back to the old man in front of him.

"But what about the saying— 'The Demonic Path fears the strong and dreads the weak'?"

"Indeed, he has always disapproved of those who refuse to cultivate themselves and instead indulge in pleasure, and he also disapproves of my solitary cultivation, believing that the former cannot fear the strong, and the latter cannot fear the weak."

"Then may I ask, Elder, what is meant by fearing the strong, and what is meant by being afraid of the weak? Is it not that one fears the powerful and intimidates the weak?"

"Of course not. It's the fear of the powerful that makes one stronger, and the fear of the weak that makes one increasingly uneasy. In the Xuanhui Realm, fear carries the connotation of reverence, while anxiety carries the connotation of worry. The Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable feels that those who indulge in pleasure lack reverence for the powerful, thinking that they can stop once they reach a certain level of cultivation. As for us who cultivate quietly and slowly seek improvement, he feels that we lack concern for the weak."

The Supreme Elder sighed again as he spoke.

"The cultivators under heaven only think that fearing the strong means making the weak fear their own strength, or that they should fear the strong; and fearing the weak means intimidating the weak, or feeling fear because of their own weakness. However, such an understanding is far from his true thoughts, and even I have only now finally grasped the meaning behind his words."

"Because of the war between the Heavenly Demons?"

The temple master chuckled.

"I've heard a saying that it's not people who seek the Tao, but the Tao that seeks those who know it. Those who seek it without knowing it either become anxious and fearful because they can't obtain it, or they hinder others from seeking the Tao because of their own jealousy. But those who know it yet don't want to be pursued by it, even if they want to escape, cannot avoid it and can only accept it sadly. Why? Because pursuing the Tao is not what it desires, but what it is unwilling to do."

"Because of this pursuit of the Dao, she was forced to fear the strong and the weak, until she was finally ensnared by the Dao and became a form she did not wish for. Elder, may I borrow your Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding Elixir?"

Chapter 329 The Scapegoat

The Heavenly Demon has its own title, which is a broad adjective.

Even with supernatural beings like inner demons, the Heavenly Demons still lack their own language—because the vast majority of this group is devoid of intelligence. Therefore, intelligent Heavenly Demons, like inner demons, prefer to use adjectives to refer to themselves, which then translate into the language of the worlds they inhabit.

The Nascent Soul Inner Devil before "Yotsuya Miko" was just like that. It described itself as "terrifying, cunning, and elusive," which, in the language of the Xuanhui Realm cultivators, became three words—Jingming Xuan.

But Jing could not become a surname, so he planned to call it Jing, and read it as Jing Mingxuan.

Jing Mingxuan was the name of this Nascent Soul Inner Devil in the Xuanhui Realm. Its eyes looked at the Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil before it, feeling strange about this suddenly appearing kin.

According to the original plan, the task of disrupting the Profound Sky Sect and the Demon Prison Hall should have been undertaken by a dozen or so Nascent Soul Inner Devil, not Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil. Both of these human sects were extremely powerful, and involving Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil would only ruin the plan.

The Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil that's currently in existence doesn't seem fake, but how did it get to the vicinity of the Profound Sky Sect?

"Tell me your name and tell me your story."

Its eyes narrowed slightly, its two scarlet pupils scrutinizing its fellow human from head to toe.

Although inner demons are of the same kind, they still differ slightly in form. They can be distinguished only by their intelligence and supernatural abilities, or by their aura. Jing Mingxuan recognized the Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil before him because of its methods. Only inner demons could use such methods, which were similar to those of human cultivators in using Spiritual Sense. Other celestial demons could never do it.

"My name Yotsuya Miko. I came here to escape the Nascent Soul cultivators of the human race. I was filled with resentment, which is why I ruthlessly attacked this sect."

"Yotsuya Miko" did tell half the truth, but the pronunciation of the name was not the language of the Xuanhui Realm. Instead, it was a language that she did not know, but her body remembered. Perhaps she could find some clues in her memories, but those memories had long been destroyed, so she had to give up.

"Four... Valleys... see you?"

Jing Mingxuan muttered the tongue-twisting name, and quickly realized that it was not the language of the Xuanhui Realm. It was probably brought out by the inner demon in front of him from some other world, and he couldn't help but frown.

"It's better to change it to the Xuanhui Realm as soon as possible, so that the human cultivators won't notice anything amiss. It was because of what happened before that those human cultivators became wary. Now, they can only hide their tracks. Even if they transform into human form, it will probably be difficult for them not to recognize them. And if they hide in people's hearts... those human cultivators will still have ways to track them down."

"Hmm, you said you were being hunted down by Nascent Soul cultivators from the human race. What did you do, and why did you come to this eastern part of the Xuanhui Realm?"

These questions were indeed meant to force an explanation about the origins of "Yotsuya Miko," but faced with the questioning of this Nascent Soul Inner Devil, it was not particularly alarmed and readily found a reason for itself.

"Originally, I entered and exited through a gap in this world because I had glimpsed a flaw in it, which led me to the eastern part of this world. Out of concern for the humans in this world, I temporarily hid in a small sect. Who knew that Spirit Manifestation Cultivator would come to visit this sect? I only scanned it with my Spiritual Sense, and before I could react, the Spirit Manifestation Cultivator knew me. Just as I was about to kill the Spirit Manifestation Cultivator, after his death, he used the items on his body to summon other cultivators. One of them had the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator, so their relationship must be quite close."

"... A flaw in the Xuanhui Realm?"