"The Great Calamity Rises, Demons Are Born"

Four days ago, a conflict broke out at the headquarters of the Three Sages Dao. The two sides involved were Xiao Li and a disciple surnamed Zhao.

The Zhao family member held a very high position in the sect and had long harbored resentment towards Xiao Li. His outburst that day, triggered by some incident, clearly indicated that he had ulterior motives.

Similar incidents were not uncommon in the Three Sages Dao, and many disciples thought that Xiao Li would not fare well this time, but the final result surprised them greatly.

Xiao Li, who had always kept a low profile, unexpectedly emerged victorious after a fierce battle, even crippling the cultivation of the Zhao family disciple, though he himself was also severely injured.

The situation at the time tempted many people to take advantage of the chaos, but unexpectedly, a thunderous voice rang out, rebuking Xiao Li and intimidating the others.

After that, Xiao Li disappeared without a trace.

To everyone's surprise, just four days later, Xiao Li was completely recovered. He exuded an aura of authority, his muscles and bones throbbed, Qi and Blood surged, giving people a sense of vigor and strength. With the momentum of his great victory a few days ago, he intimidated his fellow disciples who harbored dissenting thoughts.

Xiao Li was not surprised by these emotional changes. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong is the same everywhere, only it is more direct and naked in front of us.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he returned to his room.

"I've made quite a bit of progress these past few days. Senior is indeed Divine Ability powerful, even able to sense these many spiritual objects from afar. With these medicinal herbs and a few spiritual treasures, all that's left is to start refining pills, and I'll have plenty of elixirs to produce. Once I enter the Broken Lotus Valley, I'll have a trump card."

As he spoke, Xiao Li raised his hand and formed a hand seal, setting up a barrier to isolate the inside from the outside. Then he took out a few pieces of grass and a few pieces of jade from his mustard seed bag.

Instantly, the room was filled with a pleasant fragrance.

Qiu Yan's voice followed. "Don't forget your promise. I lost a lot of my vital energy in the search for these spiritual objects. If I can't replenish it, it will be a great loss."

Xiao Li smiled and said, "Senior, rest assured. I will naturally remember these things. Once I enter the Broken Lotus Valley, I will do my best to obtain those items."

"That's good." Qiu Yan softened his tone.

He and Xiao Li appeared to be on good terms, but in reality, they were testing each other.

At the beginning, Qiu Yan taught them the methods of calming the mind and refining the essence of flesh and blood, and then refused to speak again. Unsolicited favors would always arouse suspicion.

On the other hand, to achieve their goal of infiltrating the forbidden area, they ultimately needed to enhance Xiao Li's combat strength, but they couldn't just give away benefits for nothing. So they used an exchange method, saying that they were unable to act and proposing to receive a so-called advance payment, promising to pay the "reward" after Xiao Li entered the forbidden area.

During their conversation, Xiao Li's expression changed slightly, sensing that the restriction he had set up had been triggered. He then put away the Ganoderma lucidum and other items and dispelled the restriction.

The next moment, a knock sounded at the door, and the voice of a woman in purple came from outside—

"Junior Brother Xiao, Martial Uncle sent me to call you over."

"Understood, thank you for your trouble, Senior Sister." After replying, Xiao Li set off and followed the woman out of the house.

As she walked, the woman slowed her pace, focusing her voice to reach Xiao Li's ears. "When you see your martial uncle, remain calm. You injured Senior Brother Zhao, and your martial uncle is quite displeased. He's going to enter the forbidden area this time. Senior Brother Zhao was carrying many responsibilities, but you injured him, so your martial uncle was angry and reprimanded him. Now that you've fully recovered and are back to your full fighting strength, I think your martial uncle won't make things difficult for you anymore."

"Thank you for reminding me, Senior Sister." Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Xiao Li's eyes, and she then expressed her gratitude.

"No need to thank me, come in." As she spoke, the woman stopped in her tracks, and the two had arrived at a door.

This gate is tall and made of a material that resembles jade, embedded in the mountain rock!

The Three Sages Dao's camp was located at the foot of a dense forest mountain, next to a steep cliff. However, there were no high mountains here before they came.

Gathering his thoughts and sensing the aura emanating from the door, Xiao Li took a deep breath and slowly raised his hand.

Qiu Yan, however, detected a slight fluctuation of Spiritual Qi and realized, "This door, along with what lies behind it, should be a Law Artifact or Law Treasure."

During his conversation with Xiao Li, Qiu Yan gained a deeper understanding of this Continent. He learned that although the people here cultivate the Life Cultivation, but they do not have the concept of preserving both their physical and spiritual life. Their cultivation of the Soul Dao relies entirely on the natural activation of the power of heaven and earth when they advance in their Life Cultivation. Not to mention the Divine Soul Spirit Projection the body, even their Divine Sense and Heart Fire are beyond their ability to condense. In battle, whether killing enemies or conducting reconnaissance, they rely entirely on Law Treasure.

In contrast, this continent has a well-developed system for refining weapons and alchemy, with many concepts and techniques that are very valuable for reference.

In the past two days, while Qiu Yan was making excuses to teach Xiao Li Cultivation Method, he also used this excuse to obtain several methods of weapon crafting and alchemy, which he planned to study later.

With various thoughts in mind, Xiao Li raised his hand and pushed open the door. The door was icy cold, and as soon as his palm touched it, a chill rushed in, filling his entire body and calming Xiao Li's mind considerably.

"This fruit is forged from Mystic Ice that can calm the mind. Outer disciples would have to expend countless efforts to touch it and eliminate distracting thoughts before they could finally get their wish." Perhaps touched by something he had been thinking, Xiao Li suddenly sighed as he pushed open the door.

Behind the door was a deep, secluded passageway, at the entrance of which stood a stone tablet inscribed with four sharp, large characters—

The Path of Seeking the Dao!

"Oh? These four characters, though lacking in spirit, contain a sharp Sword Qi, engraved on the stone tablet without dissipating. It's almost like the Martial Dao Spirit. It seems that Xiao Li's martial uncle is at least at the peak of the Third Realm."

The Martial Dao Spirit is equivalent to the Daoist practice of Nature Cultivation. It requires the condensation of True Essence, Core Fire, and Kidney Fire, which must be combined into one before it can be manifested. It can interfere with Yin-Yang with willpower, projecting the image in the mind, and lasting forever.

To condense the Core Fire, one must nurture the Golden Core and refine the Three Souls. This is the Third Tier of the Third Realm of Life Cultivation. Qiu Yan's Fleshly Body has just condensed the Golden Core and has not yet reached this stage.

A cultivator with this level of cultivation possesses combat power comparable to Fourth Grade deity.

Although Qiu Yan had never met Xiao Li's senior uncle, after the conflict four days ago, when Xiao Li risked serious injury to cripple the Zhao family disciple, this person sent a message from afar, his voice like thunder, rebuking Xiao Li.

"But I don't know how to ask about this question?"

With that thought in mind, Xiao Li stepped into the passageway.

The moment they stepped inside, the scene changed dramatically. They saw flashing swords and clashing blades, a scene of fierce battle. One after another, cultivators, like demons, charged forward recklessly.

One moment the passageway was empty, the next it was a bloodbath between life and death. Although Xiao Li had a firm will, he did not cultivate his mind and was unable to resist. He fell into the illusion in an instant.

"This illusion is crude, and its transformations are even less refined. It's released stiffly without any targeted changes," Qiu Yan thought to himself, shaking his head as he experienced the murderous illusion. "A true illusion should be more flexible. It's not just about setting up a setup, but about mobilizing the memories, senses, and emotions within the bewitched person's heart, using their own mind to refine and drive the illusion's development..."

The illusion that captivated Xiao Li at first glance was riddled with flaws in Qiu Yan's eyes. He easily saw through its mysteries and knew that it was meant to hone Xiao Li's willpower through endless slaughter.

"Time is precious, how can we waste it in a place like this? We might have to take action, but it's not appropriate to directly use divine power within someone else's Law Treasure..."

With a change of heart, a Heart Demon Fragment flew out from the Soul Aperture the Divine Pool, spun in mid-air, and landed in Xiao Li's heart.

Qiu Yan taught Xiao Li many Cultivation Method and Mnemonic, such as the Mnemonic for calming the mind. This was not a mental cultivation method in the general sense, but rather a method similar to Contemplating the Deity in the Heart.

As a cultivator, Xiao Li was naturally more knowledgeable than the tribespeople of the Land of the Divine Remains. If he were to completely copy this visualization method, he would surely be discovered. Therefore, Qiu Yan chose to smuggle it in, which was very discreet, leaving only a trace in his mind.

Following the trail, the Heart Demon Fragment easily fell into his heart, disintegrated, and transformed into the senses of the Five Aggregates. In an instant, it expanded his perception more than tenfold, allowing Xiao Li to instantly see the flaws in the illusion and awaken his deluded mind.

"This..." He was first confused, then shocked, realizing what had happened, and couldn't help but feel even more awe for "Old Qiu", but this thought was quickly interrupted--.

"Huh?" A soft exclamation came from deep within the passageway. "I didn't expect your will to be so firm. You truly deserve to be an outstanding disciple of the Three Sages Dao. Come here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the illusion around him dissipated. He then dispelled his distracting thoughts, walked forward, passed through the passageway, and arrived at the spacious hall.

Compared to the Great Rui Palace, this hall was much more spacious, devoid of carved beams and painted rafters, just a desolate expanse. Only in the depths sat a withered old man, cross-legged on a futon, his narrow eyes gleaming. His gaze swept over Xiao Li, causing the latter's muscles to tense up instantly, as if afraid of having his secrets exposed. He then silently recited Mnemonic to calm his State of Mind.

Fortunately, the gaze swept over him and then disappeared, which made Xiao Li secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

However, relying on the lingering thoughts of his Heart Demon, Qiu Yan discovered a trace of emotional fluctuation in the old man's eyes, a mixture of doubt, inquiry, and greed.

However, on the surface, the old man still maintained a calm and kind demeanor.

"In a few hours, I will drive this Peak Palace to conquer the Broken Lotus Valley. During this time, you will recuperate in this hall. When we arrive, the major sects will each send their outstanding disciples to lead their teams, and you will be in charge of our Three Sages Dao."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li's expression changed, and he bowed his head to accept the order.

The gaunt old man nodded slightly, about to speak again, when the main hall suddenly shook. A beam of light came from outside, stopped abruptly in front of the old man, and hovered in the air. It was a paper crane!

"Hmm? What urgent matter could require a paper crane to deliver a message!" Startled, the withered old man opened his palm, and the paper crane landed in his hand. It turned out to be a letter.

As soon as the characters were unfurled, they rose up. The gaunt old man did not shy away from Xiao Li, and with a flick of his fingers, the characters were arranged in a row. The first few characters, however, made his expression change drastically.

"A great calamity has begun, evil spirits have been born, and High Antiquity Devil Creature have returned to Zhou Rao!"