Divine Palace

Although he was already quite familiar with the working styles of the Three Great Sects, Li Fan still couldn't help but be somewhat surprised when he heard the phrase "extermination of an entire sect."

"Why go to such lengths? Hasn't it been said that the False Moon has been shining brightly in the sky for many years, and haven't all the sects been adapting to the natural order and changing their Cultivation Method? What's wrong with being inclusive? At worst, we can have an academic exchange. Exterminating entire sects is a bit too much, isn't it?"

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Your methods of Tai Su transformation have blurred the lines between humans, gods, demons, monsters, spirits, and ghosts. The paths you can take are far too wide. If your Dao Seed is an exception, that's fine, but if even ordinary people with average aptitude, or those who don't even reach the highest rank, can walk your Tai Su Dao, then where will the Three Great Sects stand in the long run?'"

After so many generations of inheritance, it has been quickly surpassed by these Demon Path and heretical sects. As the sect leader, I absolutely cannot stand idly by. Let me put it this way: if it were five hundred years ago, or if my Sword Sect were still around, I would be the first to eradicate your Mo Shan lineage.

In truth, based on my examination of your current Dao Body, it's clear that the Dao Body of Mo Shan's transformations is faster, more inclusive, and has more potential than the Immortal Venerable's Immortal Dao Body. Given the current celestial phenomena, perhaps this path is indeed the right one to follow, but only the core disciples selected by the Three Great Sects can walk it. The unorthodox cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain and the demons and monsters of the Ten-thousand-mountains, even if they wanted to, were not allowed to. Do you understand what I mean?

Li Fan understood. "If Ink Bamboo Mountain is just a group of rogue cultivators, it doesn't matter. But if the Three Great Sects discover that Mozhu Mountain is a righteous path suitable for future cultivation, we must take advantage of their current strength and advantages to seize it by force and control it in our own hands before we feel at ease."

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'That's right. In the struggle for the orthodox Daoist Tradition, there is no right or wrong, only the victor and the vanquished. The winner is orthodox, the loser is demonic. This has been the rule in this world for thousands of years.'"

I estimate that your abbot's intention is to delay as long as possible. The stronger the sect's disciples become, the greater the chance of preserving the sect's existence. At least when the sect is wiped out, a few can escape so that the lineage is not broken. When it can no longer be concealed, then choose one of the Three Great Sects to cooperate with.

However, judging from your intentional or unintentional distancing from the Nangong Family, he probably doesn't intend to continue receiving a salary from the Immortal Palace. And the Xuanmen sect has too high a threshold, with too many old men and women; he's likely more inclined towards the Divine Sect.

Li Fan was taken aback. "What? The abbot is more inclined towards the Divine Sect? What the hell?"

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'I am also making this estimate from the perspective of the sect leader. You brat, don't you think about how deeply the Lu Family was involved in Ink Bamboo Mountain before? They were able to get their hands on the secret medicine of the mechanism and the Dragon Fetus Feathering Pill. Their actions must have been tacitly approved by your sect leader.'"

The Xuanmen and Immortal Palace were completely kept in the dark about the Divine Cult's sneak attack on Kun Country, but the abbot had already noticed. He probably thought that if you hadn't interfered with so many things of the Divine Cult, Ink Bamboo Mountain would have already surrendered to the Divine Cult.

Of the Three Great Sects, only the Divine Sect seems willing to peacefully annex Ink Bamboo Mountain. If Ink Bamboo Mountain's allegiance allows the Divine Sect to quickly establish itself in the Kun and Li kingdoms and gain access to the Tai Su Dao, they might reward them for their contributions, not only bestowing upon them the Blood Record Heavenly Book but also appointing their abbots and mountain lords as Dharma Kings or something similar.

Li Fan was dumbfounded. "Then why should I bother with the Divine Cult?"

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, times have changed. The Abbot is clearly still on your side. A one-on-one fight against the Three Great Sects like the Luo Sect has absolutely no chance of victory. Joining the Divine Sect is merely your sect's last resort for self-preservation. But that doesn't mean Ink Bamboo Mountain has no chance of rising independently. Your Dao Seed, isn't it a symbol of the Ink Bamboo Mountain lineage's destiny?"

As long as your fortune continues to flourish, it means that the destiny of Ink Bamboo Mountain still exists and there is still a possibility of its rise. So you don't need to care about what the abbot is thinking. He has to consider the survival of all the disciples of the mountain. You just need to focus on seizing your own opportunities.

The more severely we attack the Divine Cult, the more they will value us. Heh heh, even the Emei Sect is starting to take you seriously now, isn't they?

Li Fan frowned and thought for a moment, then asked again to confirm, "But if we reveal our true strength now, will the Three Great Sects still choose to wipe us out without hesitation?"

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'Definitely. Back then, what did it matter that Luo Sect had one Ascension, seven Enlightened Ones, and forty-nine Nascent Divine Transformation? Once Ancestor Luo went mad, his disciples and grand-disciples were still not enough to be besieged by the Three Great Sects.'"

"Your Ink Bamboo Mountain is still too weak. You're not even worthy of the attention of the many sect leaders above. Wiping out your entire sect is the simplest way. To put it bluntly, even I, five hundred years ago, could have single-handedly defeated you all, seized your Cultivation Method, and taken them back to Nine Yin Mountain to study. Wouldn't that have been wonderful?"

"And now?" Li Fan couldn't help but ask, "If Ink Bamboo Mountain really sides with the Divine Cult, Sword Intent, for the sake of the Xuanmen..."

'The Dao of Profound Heaven Sword Intent, so be it.'

Ah?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'I have no personal grudge against the Divine Sect. It's all my doing chasing them. Most of my disciples actually fell into the hands of demons...'"

Besides, do you think that if the Xuanmen (Daoist sect) discovered me, they would still treat me like royalty? I'd be grateful if they didn't erase my primordial spirit to forge a sword!

Sword Intent, you're such a weirdo...

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Don't think too much about things that are too far away or too big. Thinking about it is useless. When you encounter something, just act according to your conscience. The world is unpredictable. Even the most powerful strategist can make mistakes. The only opportunities you can grasp are right now.'"

No matter what obstacles I encounter, I will overcome them with a single sword stroke. By adhering to my principles, naturally, whichever path I choose, will lead to a smooth and successful journey.

Li Fan said solemnly, "I've learned a lot."

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Hmm, too much nonsense. Quickly destroy these diagrams! Don't leave them for demons! Also, memorize the Tai Su Transformation Technique and let me comprehend it.'"

What happened to the promise of overcoming all obstacles with a single sword strike, disdaining unorthodox and heretical Cultivation Method...?

While reciting the transformation techniques passed down to him by Fairy Wangshu, Li Fan destroyed the eighty-one Nine Li paintings on the mural. In fact, he had learned and memorized them all, and there was no problem in redrawing them exactly as they were. However, at this moment, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.

If the Dao bodies created through the Tai Su Transformation Method can continue to cultivate and attain the Dao, and demons can also cultivate into humans, then what exactly is the difference between humans and other animal demons? Are we really all the same kind of carbon-based life form?

Incidentally, after Li Fan scratched off the Nine Li Map, he found that he had made a profit again. Every time he destroyed a map, just as the sword intent had said, he was destroying the fortune of the Demon Race.

Li Fan's mood improved slightly.

Li Fan's mood improved slightly.

Wow, the Nine Li Map! I feel like it should increase in value by more than just a little.

However, climbing down the tunnel for body tempering gave me a total of 400 points, and destroying the Nine Li map here gave me over 500 mood points in a short time. This dungeon run wasn't a complete loss, right? And it's not over yet!

Li Fan continued through the tunnel inside the stone chamber, diving deeper beneath the Demon God Palace. This section of the tunnel was noticeably deeper and longer, and it seemed to have been damaged when the Demon God Palace was suppressed, causing the tunnel to be flooded. In the latter part, many rubble blocked the way, and Li Fan had to revert to his human -Head-Snake to barely pass through.

After walking like this for half an hour, he finally saw the exit.

It really was the exit; Li Fan discovered that he had crawled out of the mouth of a Gonggong demon statue in a mural.

In front of this demon statue was probably Gonggong's temple, with what appeared to be some kind of altar underneath. The space was quite large, as if it had originally been a place for sacrifices and prayers.

In the very center of the altar was a deep pit, its opening sealed by chains bound with talismans. Li Fan, perched atop the statue of Gonggong, peered into the pit, which was bottomless, yet he could sense faint fluctuations of divine thought emanating from within, very similar to those of the demon god from before.

No way? They've been suppressed for so many years, how come there are still demon gods from the Gonggong clan alive?

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent is not alive; it is an unborn eggshell, sealed away.'

Egg sheaths? The egg sheaths of the Four Fiends? Their entire clan was wiped out, yet they still sealed a bunch of eggs here?

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent, strictly speaking, is the egg sheath of the Four Sins. Exterminating a race carries a heavy karmic consequence; once their life force is exhausted, there's a risk of backlash. Therefore, these Demon Race and alien races are usually not completely wiped out; they are often sealed and suppressed, leaving them a sliver of life. Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life.'

Wow! This is considered a glimmer of hope? What kind of compassion is this? It's downright immoral!

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'You can't say that. Look at the surrounding array. This design is to guide the life force and resentment of the remaining demon god eggs of the Gonggong clan to slowly spread out to the Lei Marsh Swamp over the years, thus dissipating their resentment and preventing them from giving birth to any evil gods.'"

Therefore, while Lei Marsh nurtured boundless vitality, it was also perpetually plagued by raging storms and rampant resentment. This was the destiny of the Gonggong clan; their fortune and their resentment had been poured out, at least preventing them from wreaking havoc on the world.

Surely it's not meant to bring disaster to the human world? Well, the Celestial Venerable of that time certainly had ruthless methods, but at least from a human perspective, the Immortal Palace truly spared no expense to secure this land for Human Race to thrive and multiply...

However, after a quick glance, Li Fan realized that the seal seemed to be working perfectly, which explained why Nangong had withdrawn his army.

Beneath this Demon God Palace, aside from the cultivation methods of the Gonggong clan, which are barely suitable for Snake Demon, there shouldn't be anything worth fighting over for Human Race and demons, right?

Why would a cult collaborate with demons to break the seal on the Demon God Palace? Are they really going to release the Gonggong clan? Just to create some trouble for Ink Bamboo Mountain? That's utterly depraved!

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'It's been so many years, what's the use of releasing it now? Perhaps it wants to eat itself. After all, it's an ancient demon god, it should be quite nutritious. Why don't you want one?'"

???

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, judging from the Ink Mountain Dao Technique you just recited, it seems to be able to devour a demon Devil Embryo and absorb its creation for one's own use. Why don't you eat an egg first so I can study the principle? It's alright, this seal is very old-fashioned, we can just break it and then reseal it."

Holy crap, stealing someone else's credit, robbing them of their achievements, and taking away their destiny—isn't that a bit too much?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent, wasn't that what they wanted to teach you themselves? Who begged them? So, are you going to eat it or not?"

It tastes delicious...

Guided by the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, Li Fan unlocked the chains sealing the nest and swam down to the bottom of the cave, where he discovered a large pile of enormous snake eggs. Each nest contained about fifty eggs, totaling more than twenty nests. Each giant snake egg was oval-shaped and larger than an ostrich egg. They actually had a strong fishy smell, but Li Fan's mouth watered uncontrollably.

There are so many, eating two shouldn't be a problem, right? At least they're oviparous, so they're snakes, not humans, right? Maybe like eggs, many are unhatched, spermless eggs, aren't they?

Making excuses for himself, Li Fan opened his mouth and swallowed a mouthful.

Li Fan's mood improved slightly.

Well, to be honest, it didn't really taste like much. Maybe it would taste better if it were fried, boiled, or cooked. But I could definitely feel a strange Dao Breath spreading from my stomach throughout my body... Have you figured out anything about sword intent yet?

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao, try combining it with the previous Nine Li Diagram.'

Li Fan also understood its meaning, and once again transformed into the Gonggong Dao Body. Then, he danced in coordination with the Nine Li Diagram, digesting the power of the snake egg in his belly. The feeling was indeed very obvious. To describe it, it was as if the Jiuli Dance had previously stimulated his own potential, while now, he was completely digesting and absorbing the power of the entire Gonggong egg sheath and making it his own.

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, the Tai Su Transformation Method is indeed profound. You are clearly a Dharma Body created through magical transformation, yet you can cultivate and grow in the same way as the real Gonggong Dao Body. How interesting...'

Suddenly the temple shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

What happened? Is Gonggong angry?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'It's alright. The people outside are fighting. The path they took was probably designed for thieves; it likely has many traps and mechanisms. It won't be easy to get through. Let's continue. This Dao Body is still far from becoming a Demon God; don't waste this opportunity.'"

"Then let's continue," Li Fan shrugged, and continued eating and dancing.

After consuming another eighty eggs and performing the Nine Li Diagram once, completely stabilizing Gonggong Dao Body, Li Fan decided to stop while he was ahead. He took seven or eight eggs back for Kunbao to try, then swam up into the cave. Following the guidance of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, he resealed the sealing array and kindly helped the Nangong Family improve the barrier, adding one hundred and eighty layers of restrictions. He also secretly planted Gu poison in the shadows before leisurely swimming back to the secret passage in front of the Gonggong Demon God statue and hiding himself away.

Then, just as Profound Heaven Sword Intent had predicted, the people outside blasted open the gates of the Demon God Palace broke into it.

The first to break through the door was Nascent Soul Stage demon, a humanoid demon general dressed in armor, with pointed ears, yellow eyes, a yellow face, fangs, and a face covered in fine hair; it was difficult to discern his true form at first glance.

However, it was covered in blood, and its armor was covered in dust and water stains. It looked disheveled and covered in dirt. It was unknown how many traps it had broken through on its way in from outside the palace. It had obviously fought a fierce battle. Its humanoid form was almost unable to hold on. It must have been quite a lot of the Demon Palace guards left behind by the Immortal Palace to make a Nascent Soul stage cultivator like this.

The Divine Cult cultivator following beside him wore a veiled hat to cover his face and black robes. If it weren't for the Profound Heaven Sword Intent that he was using a secret movement technique of the Divine Cult, judging from his attire alone, he would probably be considered a 'rogue cultivator from Ink Bamboo Mountain '.

However, this person was clearly the strategist, able to unravel so many traps and mechanisms, reaching the core of the Demon God Palace's seal—truly a talent worthy of the Three Great Sects. But after clearing so many obstacles, he was inevitably exhausted, even failing to notice the poison at the entrance, probably assuming the strange smell was simply due to the palace being sealed for too long. His voice was quite weary as he spoke.

"Alright, there are no other traps in the temple. The Gonggong Demon God's lair below contains the eggs laid by the demon god. You can break the seal and eat them yourself."

The yellow-faced demon glanced at him but remained silent.

The cultist snorted coldly, "Now that you're here, do you still think I'm bluffing you?"

The great demon also said in a hoarse voice, "No... I just cast a spell on the magic circle at the entrance, and I'm a little dizzy... What were we supposed to do again?"

The cultivator from the Divine Sect choked for a moment, then said irritably, "I'll say it again, although you have cultivated into human form, which is equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm, it is an inferior form of cultivation acquired later in life. It is not comparable to those born Divine Beast who have attained enlightenment. Being able to manifest a sentient human form has already exhausted your good fortune. Your future destiny and fortune are not enough to continue cultivating and defying fate, let alone compete with the True Cultivator of the Central Plains."

"Only by consuming the ancient demon god's egg in this temple and seizing the creation of gods and demons can you become worthy of being my pawns. Right now, you are just a bunch of useless trash with brute force, good for nothing and good for nothing. This is to help you improve your aptitude. I haven't even recouped my costs yet, so I won't harm you."

"Oh..." The great demon was confused for a moment, "But I seem to remember you saying that there are cultivation methods for Demon Race in the Divine Palace or something, why haven't I seen any treasures or divine skills? After passing so many trials, all I get is a few eggs?"

The cultivator sighed, sat down cross-legged to regulate his breathing, and said, "Of all the things I've said, you only remember one thing: magic treasures? I already told you that was just to bluff the other Demon Race. Those two snake kings outside probably have ancestral inheritances and have been plotting against the Gonggong Temple for a long time, but they've always been blocked by the Immortal Palace's formations and haven't been able to enter. So every time the Lei Marsh opens, they circle around the Demon God Palace. If they don't spread rumors and lure people away, how could you bunch of good-for-nothings have any opportunities?"

Alright, stop sniffing around. You chose this path yourself. To put it bluntly, it's because you have little fortune that you haven't encountered any good things. That's why we're replenishing your destiny now. With the remaining luck of the Gonggong clan by your side, you might encounter the opportunities in the temple when you return by the same route.

"I'll summon them over with my divine sense now. You go first and eat, but don't be too greedy. Finding this Demon God's main temple is enough; eating more won't do any good. One or two is enough. Leave some for them."

The yellow-faced demon scratched his head, but after thinking about it, he realized that his cultivation journey had indeed been arduous, and he had gotten used to bad luck. At least this time he had a demon god egg to eat, which was good. So he didn't insist and came over to break the seal, wanting to eat the demon god egg.

But it took a while to solve it...

"I can't solve it..."

The meditating cultivator stood up in annoyance, "You're truly hopeless! I've been teaching you formations for so long, and you can't even handle such an old seal..."

He couldn't solve it either.

That would be incredibly awkward.