The Taiyin Devil Cavern

No way, your ancestor needs me to go and invite him out of seclusion? He might not care, but what are you disciples and grand-disciples thinking? Did you even consider his feelings? Old people are very sensitive, you know. You should care for this lonely old ghost...

The gods seated above were also shrewd; Li Fan understood his meaning with just a glance.

Then the Seven Non-Gods, wearing flowers, spoke up, "The Taiyin Heavenly Demon Cave leads directly to the Void Abyss Demon Ravine. Not only is there rampant evil energy, but also Celestial Devil ravaging the land, devouring human souls and harming people's primordial spirits. Our master has been in seclusion in the Demon Cave for a long time, and we do not know his whereabouts."

If one were to use their Nascent Soul Realm stage would likely be insufficient, and they might be harmed by these celestial demons. Furthermore, their divine sense at the Transformation Stage would be too strong, requiring the breaking of the seal on the Heavenly Demon Cave to enter and exit. The opening and closing of the magic array would be time-consuming, laborious, and extremely noisy. If enemies were to take advantage of this and launch a sneak attack, or if any celestial demons were to escape, the consequences could be severe.

However, if one were to descend directly into the ravine in their Dao body, they would inevitably be tainted by the evil energy, thus diminishing their cultivation. Among the six Daoist Tradition of Luo Feng, only the Heavenly Immortal corpses refined by the Tai Sha Heavenly Palace can freely enter and exit the Demon Ravine. However, they cannot delve too deep into the Demon Cave. If they were to encounter a Heavenly Demon of the Divine Transformation or above, and were to be possessed and taken over by those Celestial Devil Demons, thus creating a demonic Devil Embryo, it would likely cause great trouble."

The green-robed deity interjected, "Moreover, we are still responsible for guarding various parts of Baiyue Mountain and preventing the suppression by the Xun Kingdom. We cannot spare the time to personally descend into the cave. We have long heard that the disciples of Moshan can absorb evil energy for cultivation and are professional exorcists, freely entering and leaving the Void Abyss. Therefore, we request that you and your companions help us tour the Ancestral Master. The four flying immortals here will also accompany you down into the cave to lend you a hand."

Li Fan stroked his chin after hearing this. So, the mountain lord did indeed order him to return the concubines to the old ghost. Apparently, they couldn't be left in a parcel locker; he had to personally go and have them signed for before the mission was considered complete.

"Our Moshan sect is adept at traversing the Void Abyss, and we are indeed professionals at dealing with the Tai Su Heavenly Demon."

Then he stopped talking.

A moment of silence fell over the palace.

Jueyin Shenjun also knew that Li Fan was asking for payment, and said, "Our sect has been fighting with the Immortal Palace for many years. We don't even have enough magic treasures and pills for our own use, but we have no shortage of Dao techniques."

"If you agree to help, I will grant you three supernatural powers from my Luo Feng Immortal Palace. What do you say?"

Li Fan smiled and said, "I appreciate the Divine Lord's kindness, but as a disciple of Moshan, I haven't even had time to cultivate my own unique skills. Why should I covet so many of other people's techniques?"

That smile was a polite yet subtle smile that said, "Don't get me wrong, I usually cultivate either the Tai Su Heavenly Scripture or the Xuanmen Secret Manual. I really look down on those outdated trash from the Immortal Palace."

Unexpectedly, the Jueyin Shenjun also laughed, "I originally wanted to ask a junior to show off a few moves, but you've underestimated me. You don't even take my Luo Feng's Daoist arts seriously. Do you want me to personally demonstrate a couple of moves for you?"

"Ahem, Divine Lord, please don't misunderstand. When I encountered your sect's disciple Xie Mingchen on the road, I already learned from Brother Xie's skills, so naturally I wouldn't dare to underestimate your sect's abilities. It's just a matter of asking the Ancestor to go home and take a look; leave it to me. I'll go and fetch someone right away. Which way is the Heavenly Demon Cave again?"

Li Fan realized that this time he had no choice but to go, so he might as well stop dawdling.

The Jueyin Shenjun maintained his ambiguous smile, saying, "Since you've agreed, then come with me."

With a flick of his robe, the Jueyin Shenjun let out a strange "Hey!" A strong wind swept across his face, and the smoke and clouds shifted. A flash of light appeared before Li Fan's eyes, and he found himself transported to a side hall by some kind of supernatural power. The God Lord who had been seated there and the many True Persons on either side had vanished without a trace. The bookshelves on both sides of the hall were filled with jade slips Cultivation Method; judging from this, it was probably the place where the Luo Feng lineage's inheritance was located.

Is this some kind of teleportation technique? No, this is the soul leaving the body...

"Senior Brother, spare us!" "Please have pity on us sisters' lifelong cultivation!" "We're willing to be your slaves! Just please let us go!" "Senior Brother, please have mercy! We know we were wrong!"

Li Fan turned his head and saw that the primordial spirits of the four concubines had also been summoned by the same force. The four of them had disheveled hair and were prostrating themselves on the ground like ghosts, tears streaming down their faces, trembling, just like four terrified rabbits.

"... Divine Lord, is this journey to the Heavenly Demon Cave really so dangerous, with no chance of return?" Li Fan frowned, noticing that their fear seemed genuine.

The Jueyin Shenjun, seated above, was also in his primordial spirit state, but at this moment his physique was clearly that of a normal human. No strange beastly form followed beneath his yellow robe, and his speech was relaxed and casual, reflecting a state of enlightenment.

"Ignore them. These four maids, relying on Master's favor, acted recklessly and ruined the relationship between our two families. Master originally wanted to destroy their primordial spirits, but I advised the Mountain Lord to deal with them. Today, their advice has come in handy."

Hmph, only now do you know to call me senior brother! Too late! Sigh

But the Jueyin Shenjun snorted coldly, glared, opened his mouth, and golden light flashed from his seven orifices, divine light bursting forth, as if he had pulled a flashbang on the spot, shining it on the faces of the four people, illuminating the entire room! In just an instant, he annihilated the primordial spirits of the four concubines, leaving only four pale purple jade beads!

Immediately, the Divine Lord beckoned with his hand, summoning the four Soul Beads into his palm. He then performed two hand seals, using golden runes to string the four Soul Beads together, and tossed them to Li Fan.

"The demons in the Demon Cave are treacherous and cunning, ever-changing, and they especially love to devour human souls. If you encounter a powerful one, just throw one of them out as bait; surely you can escape that way?"

If Master were nearby, he should be able to sense their souls and come to investigate. Since you can use the Ghost Hand, you shouldn't be mistaken for a Celestial Devil and killed by Master for a few moves.

"Furthermore, those four flying immortals outside should have already been refined into Dao bodies by them, right? With this Four Soul Jade, I will teach you a Dao technique for controlling souls and refining immortals, so that you can refine those four flying immortals into guardians."

As the deity spoke, he took three jade slips containing Daoist scriptures and tossed them into Li Fan's arms.

Well, no wonder they ran away. I thought they were sent to warm Luo Feng Old Lord's bed, but it turns out they were used as bait. Even if they didn't die at the hands of the Heavenly Demon, they wouldn't fare well in front of the Ancestor. Now it's even worse; they've been sealed inside the bead. Although they're not completely dead, they're basically at the mercy of others, truly living a life of unbearable suffering.

Li Fan glanced at the three Daoist books in his hand: <The True Transmission of the Jueyin Zhoumie Xian Guang>, <The Tai Sha Dengyun Feixian Method>, and <The Zhaoming Ninghun Lianpo Technique>.

Well, they were just demonstrating a couple of moves to show him how good they were.

The move that annihilated the four maids in one blow was the Jueyin Zhoumie Xian Guang; the Daoist technique that refined the remnants of their souls and fragments into Soul Jade for sealing was the Zhaoming Ninghun Lianpo Technique; and the supernatural power to refine and manipulate immortality was naturally the Tai Sha Dengyun Feixian Method.

Believe it or not, these aren't actually Ink Bamboo Mountain's specialties. As for spells involving the soul, Li Fan only memorized the Rebirth Mantra and the Seven Sacrificial Scriptures used by the Lou Guan for making a living through rituals.

It seems that Luo Feng Palace is quite straightforward, offering a deposit upfront. They probably fear that Li Fan might be harmed by the demons of the Demon Cave. His death would offend Ink Bamboo Mountain, which is a minor matter, but delaying the ancestor's return from seclusion would be a much bigger problem.

Seeing that the other party was so quick and decisive, Li Fan didn't bother to make excuses and become a laughing stock, so he went straight to the point and asked, "What if I find the Ancestor, but he doesn't want to come out of seclusion?"

Jueyin Shenjun smiled, "This is precisely what I wanted to remind you of. When you see the Ancestor, tell him that the spies I sent to Xun Kingdom have discovered that the Ruler of Xun Country obtained a heavenly book from the Central Plains."

Li Fan was shocked. "A celestial book! Could it be the celestial book of the Tai Su Dao Ancestor?"

"My people have never seen the actual object, but the current royal family of Xun Kingdom was supported by the Three Palaces. Back when their power was not yet strong, they were extremely loyal. Whether it was besieging the Luo Sect or attacking the Yellow Heaven Dao, they would obey the Three Palaces' orders even if it meant exhausting the nation's resources. Therefore, they did indeed send troops to the Central Plains many times, and perhaps they obtained the Heavenly Book of the Tai Su Dao Ancestor by chance."

"Wait, wait a minute, it's not that I don't trust you, Divine Lord," Li Fan was dumbfounded, "But you're just telling me, an outsider, about such a confidential matter?"

The Jueyin Shenjun chuckled coldly, "Do you think I wanted to? It's just that there are spies among my disciples, so I had no choice but to do it!"

"You guys have spies here too? Cough cough, that seems pretty normal, huh? Excuse me, please continue..."

"Hmph, you've probably heard about it. Two years ago, my Luo Feng Liu Gong planned a counterattack. The original plan was to wipe out the outer camps of Baiyue Mountain in one fell swoop. It was supposed to be foolproof, but at the last moment, the Xun Kingdom's reinforcements arrived in advance! In the end, I had no choice but to lead my army back, missing the opportunity to annihilate the Ruler of Xun Country!"

If I hadn't launched that battle ahead of time, I wouldn't have achieved any significant results. Otherwise, if it had been a day later, I, Luo Feng, would have crashed into an impenetrable wall, suffering heavy losses and returning empty-handed!

The Jueyin Shenjun said with a sinister smile, "After much thought, I believe that the reinforcements sent by the Xun Kingdom were ultimately too slow and underestimated our strength, resulting in the deaths and injuries of many of our men."

It's clear that my six fellow disciples can be trusted. However, when the order to send troops was given, the core disciples who obeyed the order must have been spies from outside the Immortal Palace.

The six of us are too busy to personally go see our master, and all the true disciples outside are suspects, so we can no longer trust them. The matter of the Heavenly Book is too confidential; if I were to reveal it in public, it would surely expose that our sect has an inside agent in the palace. That's why we're borrowing a trustworthy person from your Moshan sect this time.

Besides, Mountain Lord isn't short of one or two celestial books. My master mentioned to me that he once had the chance to borrow one of your celestial books. Well, I can just get one from Xun Kingdom this time and make a copy for you to take back as repayment."

Holy crap! So those three copies of the true Daoist teachings were just a deposit! The bulk of the money is in there!

A celestial book! And judging from what the Jueyin Shenjun said, the Mountain Lord also has a copy! It definitely isn't the Key Scroll or the Mount Tai Scripture! And it sounds like there's more than just one or two! Well, the Thousand-Faced Immortal himself is there; the Ink Mountain inheritance is, in a sense, the Chaos Celestial Book...

Li Fan hadn't received any Heavenly Books in a long time! This delivery mission actually rewarded him with one! How could he miss it!

He immediately patted his chest and assured them, "Your Majesty, rest assured! I, Qingyue, will definitely deliver the message and help your sect obtain this heavenly book!"

The Jueyin Shenjun continued to sneer, "I knew it. Your lineage and Master are all the same, obsessed with the Great Dao and indifferent to power. But I am different. What I want is to revive the hegemony of the Luo Feng Immortal Army. That's why Master passed this mountain to me, and my fellow disciples are willing to obey my orders."

If you handle this matter well and deliver the message to me, you will naturally be rewarded. After we destroy the Xun Kingdom and confiscate the property of the noble families, I'm sure you'll reap many benefits, not just some damned heavenly book.

"I don't care about the Tai Su Dao. As long as our two families are allies, whatever Luofeng Mountain gets, Mo Shan will also get."

Li Fan laughed and said, "Alright, Divine Lord, you're so generous! Everyone gets what they need, it's a deal."

The Jueyin Shenjun is quite generous; after all, a true hero with the world in his heart and ambition is never stingy with rewards.

After reviewing the secret agreement and the Divine Lord giving him some pointers on the situation in the Heavenly Demon Cave, Li Fan was resurrected in the Jueyin Heavenly Palace. The other Divine Lords had already led their disciples away, and the attendants of the Absolute Yin Palace came to guide him to the Demon Cave.

In fact, it wasn't far at all. The location of the Taiyin Heavenly Demon Cave was right in the abyss-like black hole where seawater was pouring in, just as you saw when you first entered this Luo Feng Cave Heaven.

Legend has it that this pit leads directly into the Void Abyss Demon Valley, where the malevolent energy is so dense that no spiritual energy can be used. Only those who have cultivated special Cultivation Method can freely enter and exit.

You know what, the Tai Su Transformation Technique of the Mo Shan Sect is actually quite suitable for going down to find people, and using the Gui Xu Nascent Soul is also perfect for going down to cultivate.

So Li Fan gave the two maids a few instructions, telling them to follow the arrangements and go back to the ship to stay for a few days.

He hoisted the coffin onto his shoulder, closed his eyes, and leaped with faith, plummeting from the Jueyin Heavenly Palace straight into the Demon Cave!

As Li Fan plummeted into the deep cave, he simultaneously unleashed his blind Divine Sense. He could not sense any physical objects such as rock walls, seawater, or earth veins around him; the space was empty and boundless, making him feel as if he were traversing Void Abyss.

This Taiyin Heavenly Demon Cave was indeed some kind of interdimensional tunnel. To Li Fan, it felt just like the sphere of his Vacuum Home, the Void Star Vacuum. When he swept his Divine Sense out, it was like a kite with a broken string; he couldn't detect anything except a void. It was exactly the same feeling as a blind man.

This is indeed a good place to cultivate blindness and the Gui Xu Nascent Soul.

However, the Jueyin Shenjun had specifically reminded him that time and space within the Heavenly Demon Cave were chaotic. If his primordial spirit flew down, he might be attacked by the Celestial Devil. Those with insufficient Dao heart might be torn to pieces and their souls scattered. Those who entered the cave in their true form might be bewitched by the demons, causing their primordial spirit to leave their body, or even losing their Dao body and never being able to find it again.

However, no matter how alluring the Heavenly Demon may be, as long as Li Fan remains steadfast in his Dao heart and uses the Gu Guan Method to see through the illusion, he can break free. He doesn't need to infiltrate too deeply; Luo Feng Patriarch will surely reveal himself once he senses the concubine's soul pearl. The only thing to be careful about is distinguishing whether this revealed 'Ancestor' is Celestial Devil in disguise.

Sure enough, after flying down in the boundless Demon Abyss for a while, Li Fan suddenly found himself in a bright light, carrying a coffin, in a bamboo forest.

There were stone chairs and benches in the bamboo forest. On one of the benches, with his back to Li Fan, sat what appeared to be an elderly man with white hair.

This is a Heavenly Demon.

Li Fan snapped his fingers, and the illusory image before him shattered like a mirage.

Just as the Divine Lord said, never use Daoist magic to fight the Heavenly Demon. Fighting it is just feeding it with your own true Qi Dao Breath. As long as your Daoist heart is firm and you can clearly see through the opponent's illusion, the weak Heavenly Demon will naturally be killed.

What? How did he figure it out? He must have cheated...

'Detected the spirit attack of the demon'

Li Fan's mood dropped a little.

'Li Fan saw through the demon.'

'Li Fan's emotional threshold has increased slightly.'

Li Fan's mood improved slightly.

Current mood: 4551/4551

This Heavenly Demon is like the Ephemeral Flower Demon; killing it directly increases your maximum potential by a small amount, and then your Gui Xu Nascent Soul replenishes it by absorbing the evil energy...

This place isn't just good for Nascent Soul Stage Cultivation Method; it also has a great mood-cultivation system. You could even rent a house in Luo Feng and stay there permanently!

So Li Fan continued his descent, encountering illusions along the way. These demons and monsters were truly unwilling to give up, taking turns to appear in various forms, including women, children, gods, humans, ghosts, and monsters. They came from Luofeng Mountain Ink Bamboo Mountain. As long as Li Fan had seen any character before, they would make an appearance, making it like a slideshow, flashing and switching back and forth.

Li Fan was speechless. "You guys are coming way too often! Even without the system, you can tell it's an illusion! Add some plot, some lines, some dialogue before you try to fool us. This repetitive cycle is really ominous..."

As Li Fan continued scrolling through his progress, just as his mood reached around 4700, he suddenly heard a series of slapping sounds coming from inside the coffin!

Are you here...?

Li Fan suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked at a mummified corpse wearing a blue robe that was falling with him not far away.

The mummified corpse grinned at Li Fan and nodded.

Li Fan smiled and nodded at it.

The mummified corpse pointed to Li Fan's left wrist, then to its own mouth.

Of course, it wasn't about begging for Li Fan's hand to eat. Although Li Fan's left wrist appeared empty to the naked eye, one could see four soul beads with Divine Sense, flashing wildly like light bulbs, the kind of flashing that indicated someone had been driven mad by fear.

No wonder the four maids were afraid. Countless corpses floated in the Demon Abyss within the Heavenly Demon Cave. There were disciples who had fallen into demonic possession by Luo Feng, as well as immortals they had created. In short, they were all unlucky souls who had failed in their cultivation in the Demon Cave, whose hearts were attacked by the Heavenly Demon, and whose bodies were taken over by it.

Those who can possess a Celestial Body as their own are naturally much stronger than ordinary demons.

The mummified corpse wanted the Nascent Soul Stage Jade of the four maids.

The Jueyin Shenjun knew that he would definitely encounter such a being when entering the Demon Cave. He couldn't harm it with immortal techniques, and even with his Dao Heart alone, he couldn't dispel the flying immortal body that the being had taken over his body. So he prepared four Soul Jade for Li Fan in advance. If he really encountered such a powerful being, he could just grab one and throw it to it to eat.

But Li Fan shook his head, raised his left middle finger, and made a face by pulling at the corner of his eye.

The mummified corpse paused for a moment, then flew into a rage, its hair and beard bristling, baring its fangs!

Li Fan smiled and opened his Crimson Eyes, glaring at Li Fan.

Clang! A sliver of red light appeared, like a sword drawn from its sheath, its Sword Light radiating outwards, piercing the dried corpse's brow like a sharp needle.

The mummified corpse's neck snapped to the side, and like a kite with a broken string, it was blown into the sky by the malevolent energy, drifting into the darkness and disappearing into who-knows-where.

'Li Fan killed the Great Demon'

'Li Fan's mood cap has increased by ten points.'

Li Fan's mood improved significantly.

Current mood: 4711/4711

Tch, what garbage...