Mastermind, Visualizing Demon Art

Locust Flower Old Lane, Ge Family Courtyard.

A man and woman, extremely intimate, arrived abruptly.

The fox woman, named Qiu Niang, frowned immediately after surveying her surroundings. As Yelü Yuyan's maidservant, she had enjoyed wealth and status since childhood, and this shabby courtyard certainly didn't impress her.

So, she immediately looked at her Peddler Brother with pity and said:

"You've suffered so much in the past. How can anyone live in a place like this?"

"Just leave it to your sister. Sleep in my bed for the next few days, and I'll find you a nice house in a few days."

Ge Xian hadn't expected this fox woman to offer him a house right off the bat.

Even though the prerequisite was sleeping with her for a few days, it was still generous enough.

He glanced at her, sighing inwardly:

"The power of my Qi Fragrance is truly terrifying. It's fortunate I didn't increase the dosage, or it would have surely led to disaster."

"It's still a bit troublesome now!"

"This fox woman is infatuated with me and only wants to be with me, seeking Intestinal Entanglement. I'm afraid she won't give me a chance to quietly slip out of Qiantang County. And I can't just kill her. If a maidservant is gone for half a day, Yelü Yuyan will react quickly and come after me. I won't be able to escape far then."

"I'll have to waste another mystical item to completely subdue this woman and turn her into my 'Soul Slave Puppet.' She can cover for me, and I can also extract that last bit of intelligence and secrets from her."

"It's not a loss at all. If that Yinglong Immortal Lord Scroll were leaked, it would drive any Dragon Race Cultivator of the same level, or even Foundation Establishment cultivators, mad. Mortal Transformation Realm cultivators would still be tempted."

"Tonight, I can view it at my leisure."

These thoughts, though complex, actually passed in the space of a single breath.

Ge Huolang didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Qiu Niang with deep affection and said with a mysterious smile, "Sister, please wait here for a moment. My home is a bit messy. Let me tidy up, and then you can come inside and be intimate with me."

With that, he left the fox woman and hurried into the house first.

Poor Qiu Niang behind him still didn't suspect anything was wrong, thinking her Peddler Brother was just playing a game.

How could she have imagined?

As soon as this guy entered the house, without any delay, he went straight for the wooden chest guarded by the Pretty Young Woman.

He took out the Gray Pottery Soul Bottle. Without even a second glance, he initiated the process of charm and soul absorption.

With a tremor, this Jin Dynasty Antique Ghostly Object, which had caused the deaths of many, turned into dust in an instant.

And within Ge Xian's body, a gray, eye-like Dao Qi appeared.

As soon as it circulated, his black pupils instantly turned gray.

It was like a strange vortex within, capable of drawing in the soul and spirit, bewitching them into obedience.

"Outer Sky Gray Eye!"

"Eh, this one lasted longer. Forty-eight hours before it finally dissipated."

After sensing the result, Ge Xian immediately sent a telepathic message, summoning the fox woman into the room.

The moment Qiu Niang pushed the door open, her tall, alluring body was embraced by a sturdy young man's frame, and seductive words sounded in her ear:

"Sister Qiu Niang, since you are a fox woman, could you reveal your Fox Clan True Form and be intimate with me?"

"I never expected you to be so wild, little brother. I'll listen to you."

The fox woman, blinded by lust, was almost completely obedient to Ge Xian when it came to such matters.

She didn't hesitate for even a breath when asked to reveal her true form.

Thus, Ge Xian first saw the fox woman's clothes tear in his arms, revealing a delicate, snow-white, voluptuous and tempting body. Immediately after, he saw her skin sac invert, bloody fox fur sprouting, and a large flesh tail slowly moving aside, revealing a body far more exaggerated than a Human Woman's, but covered in fur.

Bloody, yet possessing a strangely captivating allure.

An ordinary man, upon seeing it, would feel fear mixed with intense arousal.

Ge Xian stared intently at her chest. In Qiu Niang's eyes, this meant her Peddler Brother was mesmerized by her.

Little did she know, Ge Huolang was confirming something.

His senses were correct!

This Qiu Niang, just like "Chun Niang" whom he had killed before, also cultivated the Fox Woman Plain Heart Stealing Yuan Art.

Her cultivation was much higher than Chun Niang's. On her fox heart, it was likely that the pained faces of nine women and ninety-nine men were already embedded.

"Sister Qiu Niang, quickly look at my eyes."

"Look, I'll look at whatever you want me to..."

The fox woman was having fun and obediently looked at Ge Xian's eyes.

She had expected to see a pair of eyes burning with lust. Who knew that the next moment, she met a pair of cold, sinister eyes, gray and dusty like grave soil.

These gray eyes had a strange origin.

If one wasn't careful, even someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm could fall prey to them, let alone a fox woman at the peak of Dao Entry.

She first showed panic, then in the blink of an eye, it turned into confusion, and finally into an expression of extreme ecstasy and joy, as if all her desires had been fulfilled.

She couldn't help but murmur:

"I, Qiu Niang, belong to Peddler Brother."

"I will do whatever Master asks me to do."

Although this was Ge Xian's own doing, seeing this bizarre scene and the horrifying change in the fox woman Qiu Niang, he couldn't help but shiver.

He felt a chill himself and thought in his heart:

"What an evil divine ability!"

"My Qi Fragrance is already strange enough. If paired with this [Outer Sky Gray Eye], I can't do anything to cultivators beyond the Mortal Transformation Realm for now, but Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators probably can't withstand my sneak attack at all."

"When I step into Foundation Establishment, if I can still get divine abilities and demonic qi like the Gray Eye, wouldn't even those in the Mortal Transformation Realm accidentally fall into my scheme?"

After a few thoughts, Ge Xian clearly saw another shortcut for magic combat.

Ge Huolang found it very strange, but he deeply remembered it.

Then, he began to do the main business.

He could have forcibly searched Qiu Niang's soul and seen all the memories of her life.

However, if he did that, the fox woman would become a dolt. He was counting on this fox woman to return to Willow Oriole Alley as a "normal" person to cover up for him, so he wouldn't give himself away. Therefore, he couldn't search her soul.

But it didn't matter much. It would just be a waste of breath, asking a few more questions.

Ge Xian was not polite. He first ordered the fox woman to hand over the Yinglong Immortal Lord Scroll and asked about its origin.

The next moment, Qiu Niang opened her mouth and "vomited" out the scroll. Ge Xian, not minding the disgust, eagerly reached out and took it.

As he opened it to look, he heard the fox woman say:

"This scroll is a book hidden in Master's study. Before Miss moved to Qiantang, she looted Master's study, treasury, and other places. This scroll was one of the harvests."

"However, this scroll is neither the original nor the complete volume, only a fragment."

"It contains a Yinglong Immortal Lord Visualization Diagram and two demon arts. One is called Water Summoning Incantation, and the other is Mist Summoning Incantation."

"Although it's a fragment, it comes from the Dragon Race Secret Canon. For cultivators below the Mortal Transformation Realm, it is a supreme scroll that must be fought for desperately... Those above the Mortal Transformation Realm have already cultivated other meditation methods. Although they cannot change their cultivation, they can use it for reference. The power of the two demon arts is also quite great."

Ge Xian was a little disappointed when he heard it was a fragment.

But after hearing the rest, the excitement on his face could not be concealed.

Meditation Method!

It was truly timely help.

As soon as he thought of this secret technique, he obtained it easily.

Once again, Ge Xian wanted to praise his Charm Talent, finding it too useful.

Fearing that rashly observing the visualization diagram would cause abnormalities, he directly flipped to the later pages to examine the two demon arts.

Their names were ordinary, so Ge Xian originally thought their power would be limited.

But he soon knew he was wrong.

"Water Summoning Incantation: No matter where you are, as long as you recite the name of the Yinglong Spirit God and chant the secret incantation, you can summon great waters. Whether it's rivers and swamps, heavy rain, or underground springs, it's even enough for Dragon Race Cultivators to perform the Dragon Transformation Technique, with plenty of room to spare."

"Mist Summoning Incantation: Just like summoning water, recite the Spirit God's name and chant the secret incantation to summon dark clouds and sea mist, covering the sky and sun, blocking light and sound. Beings shrouded by the spirit mist will have their minds and souls in chaos, losing all sense of direction."

"What powerful divine abilities!"

"What powerful demon arts!"

Ge Xian was overjoyed.

He couldn't wait to find a good place to perform the Dragon Transformation Technique and cast the demon arts.

Fortunately, he was quite restrained and knew there was more than one important matter.

He solemnly put away the treasure scroll first. This item had some potential trouble, but with the help of Yelü Yuyan's maidservant to conceal it, he could still keep it for a few more hours.

After thinking for a moment, Ge Xian suddenly returned to his previous question:

"Who exactly did Yelü Tianzheng sell the Jiangzhe Province to?"

"The Eternal Life Cult!"

Qiu Niang answered without hesitation.

When she was in Willow Oriole Alley, she had only been affected by Ge Xian's "charm" and still had the reason to withhold the truly big secret.

Now, completely hypnotized and bewitched, she had no self before Ge Huolang and regarded him as her master. No matter what he wanted to play, she would not resist.

Her original secrets could now be spoken freely.

Ge Xian asked in detail, and she replied even more so, revealing everything she knew:

"My master is a Spirit Connection Realm expert who has cultivated many Innate Divine Abilities. Among the many spirit officials in Jiangzhe Province, only Bao Hanzhang, the Minister of State of Jiangzhe Province who worships the [Straight and Curved Spirit God], can hinder him somewhat."

"It was precisely that Bao Hanzhang who noticed that my master had been trapped in the Spirit Connection Realm for too long, causing his mind and soul to change, his moral decay, and the resurgence of his vicious habits... Thus, through the Straight and Curved Spirit God, he secretly reported to the Myriad Laws Celestial Pivot Supreme Minister Spirit God, causing my master to be inspected by his own Spirit God. Not only did he almost get exposed, but he also completely lost the possibility of deceiving the Spirit God and stepping into the Manifestation Realm."

"My master had no choice but to switch to other spiritual meridians, making many connections, and finally reached a deal with the Eternal Life Cult."

"My master will secretly act to help the Eternal Life Cult establish [Eternal Life Altars] everywhere and refine a Demonic Army called the 'Red Pill Army.' Once successful, they can swallow the entire Jiangzhe Province overnight, thus compensating for the Eternal Life Cult's disadvantage of late start and contending for the world."

"As compensation, Master will be promoted to the Manifestation Realm with the help of the Eternal Life Cult, and at the same time, he will become one of the Spirit Desire Great Priests of the Eternal Life Cult."

Hearing this, Ge Xian felt his horizons broadened and found it utterly absurd.

He had witnessed both the hidden secrets of the upper echelons of the Cultivation World and the bureaucratic system of the Dayuan Dynasty.

Yelü Tianzheng, who claimed to worship the Myriad Laws Celestial Pivot Prime Minister, was actually Bai Ze, who was said to understand all matters of ghosts and gods.

And that high official named Bao Hanzhang worshipped the legendary Xie Zhi.

Bao Hanzhang sensed Yelü Tianzheng's "fall," so he quietly reported him to Bai Ze through his own spirit god. As a result, Yelü Tianzheng lost both his Dao Path and his official career.

He might as well have switched allegiances.

You can play it like that?

Political infighting and backstabbing?

Theocracy?

A strong sense of déjà vu arose in Ge Xian's heart at this moment.

His desire for curiosity surged uncontrollably.

Seizing the remaining time, he continued to ask rapidly:

"Is Li Wa, the sect leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect, also a member of the Eternal Life Cult? How is she going to build that Flesh Altar, and how will she refine the Red Pill Rebel Army?"

"Not only is Li Wa a member of the Eternal Life Cult, but according to Miss, this lowly servant is also the daughter of a Spirit Desire Great Priest within the Eternal Life Cult. Her status is extremely high; even Master dares not offend her lightly."

"This lowly servant is ambitious. Relying on her noble status, she completely disregards the rules that the construction of the altar and the refining of the Red Pill Army must be kept strictly confidential. She is making a grand spectacle of herself by holding a Martial Arts Competition for Marriage and a Grand Martial Arts Tournament."

"Heh, those Guǐ Wǔ Cultivators are also foolish. If the Guǐ Wǔ methods explored by the common people over the years could break through the upper limit to the Mortal Transformation Realm, if such a secret technique truly existed, let alone the Eternal Life Cult, the Pure Land Cult, and other Evil God Dao Lineages, even the major sacred lands and the Myriad Laws Sect would not permit it."

"The scene a few days ago was just an act. This lowly servant Li Wa has long been a Mortal Transformation Realm cultivator. Her so-called Mortal Transformation method is actually the Eternal Life Cult's lifespan-gathering secret technique."

"And that White Snake demon was originally a Buddhist cultivator from the Song Dynasty who had borrowed benefits from the Eternal Life Cult and survived until now under the Leifeng Pagoda. Li Wa just happened to drag her out to repay the debt."

"She found a good excuse. Many Guǐ Wǔ Cultivators willingly surrendered. Once they are all refined into Red Pill Soldiers, they will undoubtedly become the elite of the elite. Li Wa can then take the lead, and perhaps Master will have to value her and give her a significant share of the benefits."

"I don't know the specific refining secret technique, but I only know that because of this lowly servant's unauthorized actions, Miss's and Lu Hualong's plan to sell off Qiantang County has failed, and they had to stop accepting Refugees, lest Li Wa find out. If she were to report it, it might even implicate Master."

"Lu Hualong, this cuckold, is the most ridiculous. Just as he stabilized his Mortal Transformation Realm, he was forced to switch to the Eternal Life Cult with Miss and Master. He will have to endure the Soul Shattering Pain, which is why he has been so out of sorts lately, repeatedly provoking Miss... I'm too lazy to bother with him. Once things settle down, he'll have his comeuppance."

With each sentence that reached his ears, Ge Xian's doubts were dispelled.

At the same time, he felt an even greater chill.

His initial premonition was correct; that darn Li Wa was no good woman.

So shameless!

Too sinister!

Ge Xian cursed inwardly a few times, then asked again:

"What's the origin of the Eternal Life Cult? They dare to bewitch provincial governors to defect, aren't they afraid of offending the Myriad Laws Sect?"

"Reporting to Master, the Eternal Life Cult is a lineage of evil gods. Its history is as long as that of the [Myriad Laws Sect]. They have constantly fought the Myriad Laws Sect throughout the long years. Although they have lost more than they won, they have had occasional victories."

"I once saw a page from the Myriad Laws History Book in Miss's study. It recorded that in the Late Western Zhou Dynasty, the Eternal Life Cult bewitched the then-ruler King You, playing with the feudal lords with beacon fires, causing the ruler to lose virtue. The rebel army under the Eternal Life Cult took the opportunity to capture Haojing and kill King You. That Saintess of the Qingqiu Fox Clan was then made a scapegoat, ruining her reputation."

The familiar name of the Secret Manual piqued Ge Xian's interest even further.

Myriad Laws History Book!

He had already developed a strong interest in this history book, which was not a cultivation manual.

A single page could record such a secret matter.

If he had the chance, it would be best to find the complete volume.

Ge Xian pondered as he continued to ask questions, clearly intending to squeeze every last secret from the Fox Woman's heart.

However, as he asked more questions and learned more, he began to feel uneasy, and his expression turned grim.

He seemed to recall something, paused his questioning, and then went to the wooden chest to retrieve the Secret Manual previously given by "Yang Bi," the former spy chief under Zhu Hongwu.

He opened it and quickly flipped through it, cross-referencing it with what the Fox Woman had said, and soon confirmed one thing:

"Even if I am lucky enough to escape Jiangzhe Province safely in two or three days, I will still run headfirst into the chaos and conspiracies of other provinces."

"At this time, there is no peaceful place in the [Dayuan Dynasty]."

"At least for Human Cultivators, that is."