Illusory Demon Movement Technique, Shifting Forms, Changing Shadows

Deducing...

Zhu Yingxiong stared at that line of text, his heart surging with excitement.

This was the Illusory Demon Movement Technique. Any martial artist who saw it would surely be captivated.

It was the supreme movement technique created by the "Evil King," Shi Zhixuan, through combining the two extreme martial arts of the Flower Interwoven Sect and the Mending Heaven Path, along with Buddhist martial arts.

Together, the Illusory Demon Movement Technique and the Deathless Seal Technique formed Shi Zhixuan's Seven Deathless Illusions, which had allowed him to dominate the martial world.

He held his breath, his eyes fixed on the golden characters slowly flowing through the void. He feared missing even the slightest detail, feared that the deduction might abruptly stop at any moment.

At last, the text in his field of vision changed.

Compatible martial art discovered: Shadow-Following Leg

Fuse and deduce?

Zhu Yingxiong's heart stirred, and he silently answered yes.

As the golden light flowed, the principles of the Shadow-Following Leg and the Illusory Demon Movement Technique seemed to merge together.

A moment later, his field of vision displayed:

[Illusory Demon Movement Technique]

Core principle: Ever-changing, with illusion and reality giving rise to one another. Form moved with thought; its mysteries were unfathomable as gods and ghosts.

[First Form: Shifting Forms, Changing Shadows] (cultivation diagram...)

[Second Form: Thousandfold Phantoms] (cultivation diagram...)

Zhu Yingxiong held his breath, staring at the slowly unfolding diagrams, so absorbed that he momentarily forgot where he was.

Deng Yin stood to one side. Seeing Zhu Yingxiong holding that thin fragment without moving, his eyes shining with unusual brightness, he was puzzled but said nothing. He had flipped through that fragment countless times himself. With only a few scattered pages, what could anyone possibly make of it?

While he was still pondering this, Zhu Yingxiong set down the incomplete volume and began searching the shelves for other martial arts manuals.

After a brief hesitation, Deng Yin said, "Young Master, continue reading here. I shall wait outside."

Zhu Yingxiong merely waved a hand to show that he understood. His mind was being drawn in by the latest developments of his golden finger, and he was eager to confirm the suspicion in his heart. He had no attention to spare for further conversation.

...The text is too severely incomplete. Deduction cannot continue.

More related martial arts manuals may be found to complete the deduction.

He remembered seeing something earlier and began searching. Sure enough, he found a fragment of the Record of Mending Heaven and picked it up to examine it.

Record of Mending Heaven discovered. Recording...

The Record of Mending Heaven is connected to the Illusory Demon Movement Technique. Re-deduction in progress...

Zhu Yingxiong's pupils contracted slightly, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Just as I thought!

Since the Illusory Demon Movement Technique had been forged from the Flower Interwoven and Mending Heaven sects, the fragments from those two sects could surely verify one another and fill in each other's gaps.

He immediately picked up Twelve Flower-Interwoven Branches and Wandering Among Flowers as well.

Twelve Flower-Interwoven Branches recorded. Analyzing...

Wandering Among Flowers recorded. Analyzing...

Multiple related martial arts manuals discovered. Integrating and deducing...

Watching the deduction progress as martial arts diagrams continuously emerged, Zhu Yingxiong could not help but immerse himself in them.

He began attempting to cultivate the first form, "Shifting Forms, Changing Shadows," circulating his true qi according to its key principles.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally raised his head and swept his gaze across the rows of bookshelves once more.

Those incomplete manuals that had disappointed him moments ago now looked like an unopened treasure vault.

His heart was in turmoil.

If he deduced these broken scrolls and incomplete fragments one by one, how many complete martial arts manuals could he restore?

Unfortunately, it was already late. The night beyond the window was so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve, and he had no idea how many watches had passed.

He gently returned the incomplete booklet in his hand to its place, then put the other volumes back in order as well. He had already made up his mind to return tomorrow night and continue. He would not overlook a single book in this secret chamber.

He turned and walked out of the secret chamber.

As expected, Deng Yin was waiting outside. He stood quietly beneath the corridor, like a piece of dead wood. No one knew how long he had been there, yet there was not the slightest hint of impatience on his face.

Zhu Yingxiong stepped forward and clasped his hands. "Elder Deng, thank you for waiting so long."

"Young Master is too polite." Deng Yin shifted slightly aside and made way for him.

The night wind blew through the corridor, making the lanterns sway gently. Zhu Yingxiong's gaze passed over Deng Yin's aged yet tranquil face.

This Yingui Sect elder, who had once placed tremendous pressure on him, now seemed far less intimidating in his eyes.

It was not that Deng Yin had changed.

He himself had changed.

His cultivation had improved, and his spirit had gradually grown stronger. Looking at the same person now no longer gave him the same feeling as before.

Zhu Yingxiong looked up at the sky and said, "It is already deep into the night. It seems I should head back first."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yin stepped forward. "Allow me to see you off, Young Master." As he spoke, he turned sideways to lead the way and raised a hand in invitation.

The two walked one before the other through layer after layer of courtyards, heading toward the side gate through which they had entered.

At the side gate, Zhu Yingxiong covered his eyes with black cloth again. Deng Yin personally pulled open the gate and stepped aside.

"Travel safely, Young Master."

Zhu Yingxiong nodded in acknowledgment, then flashed away and leaped onto the roof.

He raced over rooftops through the night, leaving the manor far behind him.

The night wind made his robes snap loudly. Rooftops rose and fell beneath his feet, and each light tap upon a tile carried him silently onward.

The entire city of Luoyang stretched quietly below him. Its streets and alleys formed a chessboard, its lights had grown sparse, and the occasional sound of a watch drum drifted over from afar, long and desolate.

After crossing an unknown number of rooftops, he suddenly halted atop an eave.

He did not turn around. He merely stood there quietly, letting the night wind stir his robes.

"How much longer do you intend to follow me?"

After his words fell, a figure emerged from the darkness a moment later and landed steadily upon the opposite roof ridge. It was the young man carrying a saber from earlier.

Zhu Yingxiong turned around, his gaze settling on him as he spoke calmly.

"I presume you are not following me merely because you have nothing better to do."

The saber-bearing youth's lips moved as he prepared to speak—

"Do not waste time with nonsense." Zhu Yingxiong raised a hand to cut him off, his expression unreadable. "I am in a hurry to get back and rest. Make it quick."

The young man's expression froze for an instant, as though he had not expected such bluntness. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. In the end, he said nothing and merely slowly gripped the hilt of the saber at his waist.

Zhu Yingxiong was not surprised by his actions.

In truth, while they had still been inside the manor, Zhu Yingxiong had already known from the man's eyes that this would happen.

Just as well. He needed a display of strength, too.

Within the demonic sects, the strong devoured the weak. That was the only rule. Showing the necessary strength would save him much trouble.

Deep within the manor, inside a waterside pavilion.

Candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of two figures onto the window paper, lengthening and shortening without end.

Deng Yin stood below with his hands at his sides. His voice was quiet, yet every word clearly reached the ears of the man seated cross-legged in the center.

"The successor of Ghost Blade, Li Jie, has followed him."

Xie Guangran kept his eyes closed and remained motionless for a long while. Only after some time did he reply indifferently.

"It does not matter."

He opened his eyes, and an inscrutable glint flashed through those clouded pupils.

"If he cannot even deal with the successor of Ghost Blade, then he is not worthy of being this Young Master."

His tone was calm, as though he were discussing something utterly insignificant. Clearly, he had not taken the matter to heart.

Deng Yin nodded slightly and was about to speak when Xie Guangran continued.

"What concerns me, though, is the name he chose for himself."

He paused and turned his gaze toward Deng Yin. "Tell me, is it a coincidence, or...?"

Deng Yin pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"It should only be a coincidence."

"Heh heh."

Xie Guangran suddenly laughed. His voice was hoarse and low as it echoed through the waterside pavilion. "Coincidence or not, when that time comes, it will no longer be up to him."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the night outside, so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve. His voice gradually lowered.

"But I fear I will not live to see that day."

The waterside pavilion fell silent for a time. Only the faint crackling of candle flames and the occasional cry of a night bird outside could be heard.

After a long while, Xie Guangran abruptly changed the subject and looked up at Deng Yin.

"How are your preparations for the matter in the city?"

Deng Yin was slightly startled, then lowered his head. "Is this not too hasty? A great upheaval in the martial world is imminent..."

Xie Guangran raised a hand to interrupt him. "I do not have much time left." His voice was low and weary, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve. "Nor does the Sacred Gate."

Deng Yin fell silent for a moment before finally lowering his head.

"Yes."

Xie Guangran was silent for a long time before speaking again, his voice noticeably weaker.

"For now, do not expose his identity. We must continue making use of the righteous path's resources to cultivate an unparalleled successor for the Sacred Gate."

With that, he wearily closed his eyes. Under the candlelight, his aged face appeared increasingly haggard.

Deng Yin bowed, then silently withdrew.

Elsewhere, beneath the night moon, atop the rooftops.

Li Jie stepped forward with one hand on his saber. Though the blade remained sheathed, a fierce aura burst forth as if tangible, bearing directly down upon Zhu Yingxiong.