The Art of Deception

"Host, don't waste your energy on these insignificant people. Hurry up."

"Insignificant people? A cultivator at the Golden Core stage? Killing a Golden Core level Fiend Corpse with one punch is considered insignificant? Then what should I focus my energy on? And hurry up? Hurry up for what? What earth-shattering scheme does a mental health system like you have! Are you contributing your part to the mental health of humanity across the multiverse? ...System? System! Hey, are you dead! Who can stand being told half a sentence! What exactly am I supposed to hurry up and do!"

But the system remained silent. It was unclear if it was deliberately hiding information, or if there was some kind of setting like, 'Host's permissions are insufficient.'

However, Li Fan was truly speechless. He felt like he was about to collapse. This system actually had a lot of hidden information it wasn't sharing. If things were going this way, there might be some huge conspiracy behind it. If he didn't want to be led astray, he really needed to quickly improve his cultivation realm to unlock more permissions and obtain information from the system!

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, hurry up and practice your heart by chopping Thunder Monkeys, Host. Your true qi at the Foundation Establishment Realm is unstable, and talismans have a time limit. The spiritual energy will dissipate within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.'

Then Kun licked the yellow talisman, grabbed it with its mouth, jumped up, and slapped it onto Li Fan's back.

You two, stop interrupting! Huh? Wait... Sword Intent! What talisman did I just draw!

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, it's a Veil of Obscurity Talisman, also known as a common folk illusion.'

Li Fan was completely stunned. He didn't even have time to ponder the system's nonsensical words because, appearing before him, emerging from the bamboo forest in groups, were those eunuch demons with clean faces and no beards! And there were more than a dozen of them! They were illusions of the Thunder Monkeys from earlier! No, that's not right, Li Fan was seeing the monkeys as demons!

"Illusion... tempering the heart..." He understood. Using an illusion to make monkeys appear as humans was to train his killing intent, thus reducing the initial psychological barrier. Once he became proficient, when fighting humans in the future, he wouldn't hesitate to kill his own kind due to the kindness instilled by his past life. But...

"This illusion is too shoddy!"

Because the 'demons' in front of Li Fan only had that kind of face. Below their necks, they still had the muscular, bodybuilding physique of Thunder Monkeys, capable of smashing containers with one punch. They looked even more disgusting...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, this spell was specifically designed for young children like the Host, progressing layer by layer. The illusions will become more realistic as you go further. Practice first to familiarize yourself with the sword techniques.'

The Sword Intent stuck to Kun's head, ordering it to pat its fins and swim to a nearby bamboo leaf to observe.

Alright, at least facing these human-faced, ape-bodied, monstrous-looking demons, he could still make a move. He'd just treat it like playing a VR game.

Li Fan secretly recalled the sword manual, meridian charts, and killing technique essentials from the Profound Heaven Sword Method Remake Edition. He adopted a left-foot forward stance, shifting his weight to his right foot, stepping sideways. He held the wooden sword upright in his right hand, condensing Return to DustSword Qi on the blade. With his left hand, he formed a mudra, lightly pressing his ring finger to guide his vital energy. He assumed the starting posture of the first sword technique.

A group of 'demons' let out furious roars. Seeing their comrades just annihilated by the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword, they pounded their chests, flexed their arms, and leaped forward! Their jump covered three zhang in an instant! And more than a dozen of them leaped together! It was as if they had formed a battle formation, covering the sky and earth, coming one after another! Their shrieks and roars were truly terrifying!

No wonder the disciples at the Qi Condensation stage were all hiding in the cafeteria drinking soup... Ordinary people couldn't possibly fight these monkeys...

Moreover, with so many enemies, forming a wide fan shape, closing in from the sky and the ground, if he used the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword, it could only strike a limited width and depth. It was indeed inconvenient to deal with them, and it wasted too much Sword Qi, making it inefficient.

While thinking, Li Fan closed his eyes, his divine sense sweeping out, instantly locking onto the 'demons' lunging at him. Then he snapped his eyes open, his pupils darting like swift stars. Simultaneously, his qi circulated throughout his body, his eyes shining brightly. He exerted force on his right foot, pushing off the ground, twisting his waist and extending his arm to thrust the wooden sword forward. At the same instant, he flicked his left hand's mudra, imprinting true qi onto the sword.

This flick did not affect the wooden sword itself, but it disturbed the sharpness of the Sword Qi attached to the blade!

In an instant, the Return to Dust sword qi emanating from the blade rippled outwards as if blown by the wind, appearing like rows of palm leaves. As it swept out along the path of the sword, although he only thrust once, the Return to Dust sword qi attached to the blade shone with a green light, connecting with the surrounding misty sword light. As Li Fan advanced with the footwork depicted in the sword diagram, twisting his waist, leaping, and dancing his sword up and down, the rows of green light also formed a swirling green ball of light, accompanied by a sharp green edge. It was as if the entire person had suddenly transformed into a rolling ball of light, spinning towards them.

It swept through the human-faced ape demons charging at him, slicing off limbs and disemboweling them upon contact. Their flesh and bones were shredded by the sword light, carving a bloody path in an instant, even knocking down a large swath of bamboo in the forest.

When Li Fan finished his set, he sheathed his sword and looked back. He saw a smear of crimson behind him, with disemboweled, limbless monkeys lying on the ground. Upon death, their faces reverted to their ape forms.

Truly, the "Immortal Ball Sword Technique"...

Cough, cough, just kidding. This move is actually called 'Scattering Strike Style' in the Profound Heaven Sword Method, specifically designed for dangerous situations with attacks coming from all directions. It's most suitable for dealing with a swarm of weak enemies attacking at once.

However, all this jumping and spinning, thrusting and dancing, while constantly concentrating on circulating qi, was quite tiring. If his physical strength hadn't greatly improved after Foundation Establishment, he wouldn't have been able to use such physically demanding moves more than a few times.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, the Host's movements still have some stiffness. The right-hand sword thrust was a bit slow, and the path of the sword was also off when sweeping to the right. This is due to old injuries, but it's not a problem. Just move more, and the accumulated Sha will be expelled. But speaking of which, Host, aren't you being quite ruthless? You must have overcome a bit of your inner devil?'

Is not wanting to hurt people considered an inner devil? But to be honest, when he started dancing with the sword, spinning left and right, it made him dizzy. Maintaining the sword form meticulously, coordinating it with the corresponding qi circulation, and then swinging his sword according to the enemy's position took all his effort. How could he possibly pay attention to what he was cutting!

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, the talisman's time is limited, don't delay! Continue! There's another wave about a mile to the northwest! Kill them and go! Quickly, quickly, quickly! Run!'

This guy is really a bit like a Devil coach...

Li Fan glanced sideways at the string of 'Li Fan's mood increased by 1' notifications on the system panel. At least he knew this method of training and grinding points was feasible, so he didn't mind continuing to grind monsters and level up.

He immediately put on his sword and hurried, flashing through the dense bamboo forest. The bamboo stalks blurred past his face, and then a bright light erupted, revealing a clearing in the forest.

The change in light made it difficult to see clearly at first, but when he closed his eyes, he first used his divine sense to pinpoint the enemy's location.

"Hah!" Li Fan relied on the sword diagram's technique for preemptive strikes and assassination. He gathered his qi, raised his sword, and lunged forward, swinging his sword down to chop at the monkeys who were gathered together resting!

This move was the 'Rising and Falling Style' from the remaining five sword diagrams. Simply put, it was like breaking through bamboo, charging out, leaping, and chopping with immense power, unstoppable, and decisive.

Of course, just this one move, described like this, sounds simple. It seems like an ordinary person could do it, and similar moves probably exist in most martial arts. But the power displayed varies greatly depending on the user. Some people could kill an enemy with a single leaping sword strike, while others might leap up and be unable to dodge, getting killed by a counterattack.

The reason for this lies in the unique qi circulation route and specific acupoints stimulated during the Rising and Falling Style's execution. Combined with breathing and exertion techniques, the power, speed, and accuracy of this first strike are maximized. These unseen secrets are precisely what differentiate martial arts techniques as 'trash' or 'somewhat interesting.'

At this moment, the group of Thunder Monkeys gnawing on bamboo shoots in the forest were completely unaware. They only heard Li Fan's roar as he exhaled, and instinctively turned their heads.

Just as the sword edge was about to strike, intending to deliver a fatal blow to the largest leader of the monkey group.

Li Fan's pupils suddenly contracted, his hand trembled, and he slanted his sword. The strike changed from a direct chop to a diagonal slash. With a sideways cut, against the muscles and bones, he tore off half of the Thunder Monkey's shoulder, making it howl in agony. The surrounding monkeys were also terrified.

Li Fan stared, breathing deeply, veins bulging on his neck.

He hesitated.

Because the monkey that turned its head had, in an instant, transformed into the innkeeper of the Dragon Gate Inn! Not just the head, but the entire body was dressed the same! Exactly like the real person!

His heart jolted at that moment, and he subconsciously shifted his sword path, missing the mark!

He looked up again, and the surrounding monkeys' appearances also changed, transforming into the travelers who were killed by the Fiend Corpses and the patrol guards in the inn, all with the same panicked expressions. Just like how they died in the inn!

The Veil of Obscurity Talisman was taking effect! Tempering the heart... This is tempering the heart...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, life and death are the way of heaven! All things are but straw dogs! Why should humans be exempt from killing!

Qingyue! If you are stuck at such a basic hurdle as flesh, color, and bone lotuses!

If you cannot break even a single obsession! Then do not even dream of cultivating the Dao!'

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent struck like a sudden admonishment, like an icy stream erupting from Li Fan's spine, making his scalp tingle.

Before he could react, the monkeys, or people, or inner devils, just as the sword intent described, bared their teeth and claws, their faces contorted in ferocity, like specters from hell, lunging towards the frozen Li Fan!

Li Fan panicked, instinctively drawing his sword to strike at the attackers. However, because his target was a 'person', he was a beat too slow. His wooden sword was caught, and a monstrous strength surged up his wrist! In an instant, the wooden sword was about to be twisted and wrenched from his grasp, and the skin on his palm was scraped raw!

The stinging pain from his torn skin instantly jolted Li Fan awake! These were not mere inner devil illusions! They looked like 'people', but they were real Thunder Monkeys! The muscles on their arms were no less tough than those of a Sha Corpse! If they caught him, they would tear him to shreds in moments!

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, attack! Do you really want to die, you useless, blockheaded fool!'

"Ahhh!" Prompted by the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, Li Fan roared, unleashing his Sword Qi. He reversed his sword, shattering the 'person's' fingers, arm, and head in front of him. Then, he shouted loudly, swinging his sword to kill, instinctively unleashing the sword techniques he had memorized for close-quarters combat and chaotic brawls, the 'combat forms', at will.

These combat form sword techniques were not particularly profound or complex. They were simply close-quarters fighting arts for when the enemy was within arm's reach, entangling blades within sword range, and engaging in close combat. The circulation route of his spiritual energy during these duels differed from the previous two forms. This one focused on brevity and speed, aiming to unleash the strongest Sword Qi in the shortest time to inflict swift damage on nearby enemies. It even included some parrying and blocking techniques, and the art of condensing Sword Qi onto fingers and claws for close-quarters combat, seizing weapons and striking vital points.

Now, the 'crowd' was within arm's reach and kept charging, giving Li Fan no chance to breathe. He couldn't afford to be indecisive anymore. He moved left and right, forward and back, using the Three Talents Steps while simultaneously slashing with his sword and striking with his claws. In an instant, his sword flashed, Sword Qi swept wildly, and blood sprayed everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, no, in the time it took to blink, Li Fan had killed over a dozen 'people'. Each was beheaded or dismembered, with no time to even recoil in fear before being chopped into bloody chunks that fell to the ground, revealing their monkey forms.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..." Li Fan was drenched in cold sweat, the hot spray of blood, whether human or monkey, drenching him from head to toe.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, that's about one talisman's worth. Host, rest for a bit. How are you feeling mentally?'

Then, Kun swam over and began to suck the lightning crystals from the heads of the monkey corpses.

Li Fan glared at the sword intent remaining on the treetop, "Pah! What can I say? It's bloody and smelly, and I'm exhausted. Is this what cultivation is? To master it until you can kill everyone you see with a single sword? This is madness!"

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Host, don't get stuck in a rut. I'm not teaching you to kill. If you want to kill, a burst of sword energy can take down ten or a hundred. Why exhaust yourself like this? I'm teaching you to ensure you survive first, so you have the leisure to talk nonsense.

You must know that illusions are hardly the most formidable of spells. Nowadays, there are countless demonic arts involving physical transformations, possession, and the like.

In duels between cultivators, life and death hang in the balance. It is crucial not to be hesitant and indecisive, like you were just now, because of a mere visible skin. If an enemy discovers your weakness of being unwilling to kill, what kind of despicable tricks won't they use?

Of course, when the Host gets serious, your actions are quite decisive. I'm not worried about your dueling skills. I'm worried that in the future, if you let a hidden Devilish Cultivator go out of misplaced kindness, and it leads to a great catastrophe, and you realize you've harmed all living beings, that's when you'll truly fall into demonic ways.

Carrying too much right and wrong in your heart can easily lead you astray. I had two disciples back then who ended up like that...'

Li Fan wiped the blood and sweat from his face, frowned, and fell silent for a moment. After being interrupted and killing monkeys for half the day, he finally got a moment to rest. He then suddenly recalled some hints from the system. "Sword Intent, what is a Devilish Cultivator? Is it a Devil Embryo?"

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent flashed on the bamboo tip.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Devilish Cultivator? Back then, our three major sects all accused each other of being Devilish Cultivators, followers of the Devilish Dao, demonic lords. But now, it specifically refers to cultivators who have lost control due to the influence of the innate Great Dao.

Fine, you'll have to learn sooner or later. For most of us cultivators, once one loses control under the moonlight, or is tainted by Sha Qi and cannot control the transformation of their Dao body, if they can't revert by the time the sun rises the next day, they are considered to have entered the Devil Form, become a Devil Embryo, and must be decisively slain.

But this doesn't mean these fallen cultivators are dead. Although they can't control their power, and most have lost their minds due to physical disfigurement, this is temporary. Some of them may regain their sanity after some time, even three to five hundred years.

There are even some who, though they reverted to human form at the time, were only hiding their monstrous forms. At first glance, it might not be apparent, but their essence has been completely transformed into a Devil Embryo, hidden away.

These are the current Heavenly Devil cultivators under the Great Dao of Taixu.'

Li Fan was stunned, his brow furrowed. " Heavenly Devil cultivators..."

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Heavenly Devil cultivators, let alone cultivating, even their mere existence, their breathing and circulation, will continuously convert the spiritual energy of the Human Dao into Sha. If they injure someone and draw blood, they can also infect other living beings. Therefore, they absolutely cannot be allowed to roam freely and corrupt the foundation of the Human Dao.

Usually, great cultivators in the Golden Core or Nascent Soul Realm, whose Dharma bodies are earth-shattering, find it difficult to conceal themselves once they fall into demonic ways. Nearby cultivators are also watching their every move, so major incidents are rare.

Cases of transforming into Devilish Cultivators and hiding Devil Embryo are more common among lower-level cultivators, such as Sha Corpses. People think that because Sha Corpses have the word 'corpse' in their name, they are transformed from corpses infected by Sha Qi, but this is not so.

Death is like a extinguished lamp, leaving only a handful of earth. Sha is not some insect or parasite that can puppeteer your corpse to come back to life.

In reality, those Sha Corpses are not truly corpses; they are closer to temporarily dead living people.'

Li Fan exclaimed in shock, "Living people! Then that Prince in the tomb!"

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Correct. The Sha Corpse King in the tomb that day was not suppressed after death and then mutated by Sha Qi. Instead, it was infected by Sha while alive, becoming a Sha Corpse, and then suppressed in the tomb. It was continuously nourished by Sha, allowing it to cultivate and never truly die.

Such a Devilish Cultivator, suppressed for who knows how many years, if it had escaped, would have truly caused endless harm. Fortunately, it was eliminated.'

Li Fan listened, cold sweat streaming down his face, "Then, then that Fourth Young Master from the inn, is he still alive? And that Xuan Niang, could she have been infected by Sha..."

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Host, don't overthink it. Sha Corpses aren't formed by just anyone getting infected by Sha. Besides, I scanned that woman with my divine sense. If she were truly a hidden Devil Embryo, I would have acted then, and you wouldn't have been able to stop me.

Li Fan swallowed, "No, but the system clearly said... Sword Intent, think again. Is there any possibility that the Sha Corpse, Fourth Young Master, whom I killed with the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword, didn't fully die, and then revived through Xuan Niang, but you didn't notice it at the time?"

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent impatiently circled, snapping off a bamboo tip and showering Li Fan with leaves, making him run away covering his head.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Would I misjudge! I, the dignified master of the Beichen Sword Sect, would fail to recognize a Devil Embryo? And let it slip through my fingers? Ha! The greatest... oh... hmm... hiss... It should be fine, trust me.'

Who would dare to trust you with such hesitation!!