Bad Woman

In the replayed footage.

Liu Ruyan openly arrived at the underground main entrance.

Spiritual patterns circulated across her palm as she broke the stone door's restriction.

She then pushed open the main entrance and strode into the underground library. After feeling around the formation for a moment, she found Reverend Guiqi next door and said in surprise:

"Both of us are in Fireburn Kingdom, yet this is the first time I've heard of you, Reverend Guiqi, and the Demi-Immortal's Book!"

She then frowned and glanced at the traces left throughout the library.

"Demonic aura, devilish aura, a formation that absorbs the aura of demons and devils... Could it be that you old man laid this trap here, using the so-called Demi-Immortal's Book to lure demons and devils here to become food on your plate?"

If so, why didn't you invite me?"

Reverend Guiqi slowly opened his eyes.

From the spiritual power Liu Ruyan had used to break the restriction, he sensed fox spirit energy.

In Fireburn Kingdom, there was only one legendary fox demon capable of breaking his door's restriction.

Moreover, the clues he had left in Gray Castle were only meant for demons and devils below Nascent Soul Peak. Thousand-Faced Fox specialized in illusions and was mysterious beyond measure, so she did not fall within that category.

"This old man would have liked to invite you, but regrettably, no one has ever seen Thousand-Faced Fox's true form... Are you her?"

Liu Ruyan thought seriously for a moment before saying:

"More or less."

Jiang Chen thought, What do you mean, more or less?

He was certain that Liu Ruyan's body belonged to Thousand-Faced Fox herself.

She merely looked like Liu Ruyan... As for who Liu Ruyan's original form had been, he had no way of knowing.

Reverend Guiqi could not judge her identity for the moment, so he probed further.

"I have long heard that Thousand-Faced Fox excels at illusions and can divine opportunities. Did you divine your way here, then?"

"More or less."

"There is no enmity between us. The Demi-Immortal's Book is useless to Demonkind as well. You should seek another opportunity. This old man will pretend nothing happened."

"That isn't for you to decide. I need to take any two manuals from here and examine them before I know. As payment, I can give you an opportunity."

Take any two manuals... Reverend Guiqi was greatly startled. This woman's identity was definitely far from simple.

At present, he was not confident he could defeat Thousand-Faced Fox, so he could only listen to her terms first.

"Oh? What opportunity?"

Liu Ruyan casually picked up two manuals.

"Five days from now, Tian Mingye, sect master of the Heavenly Demon Sect, will lead the demon forces in an assault on the Azure Mist Sect to seize the Demi-Immortal's Book.

You can set an ambush for her in advance.

Though Tian Mingye is called the greatest genius of the demon race in a century, she is merely a hundred-year-old child at the Early Nascent Soul Realm. If you devour her, you will surely reach Spirit Severing in one stroke."

After saying that, her slender figure vanished like a shattering illusion...

Even Reverend Guiqi could not accurately locate her!

Jiang Chen was impressed.

Selling out the Demon Sect and profiting from both sides—Thousand-Faced Fox, you really were a bad woman...

Could Liu Ruyan of Tranquil Heart Peak have been possessed by that demoness?

Luckily, he had the simulator.

"Start the third simulation!"

The third simulation repeated the second simulation up until the point before he parted ways with Liu Ruyan.

Tranquil Heart Peak. The evening breeze was intoxicating, and the sky was filled with sunset clouds.

Jiang Chen began his experiment in cozying up to a rich woman.

"Have you ever considered that the opportunity we divined might not be a cultivation method or treasure, but a person?"

Liu Ruyan's heart skipped a beat. Her beautiful eyes reflected the sunset and Jiang Chen as she asked calmly:

"With a body like yours, how could you divine anything?"

Jiang Chen was not good at pursuing girls, but fortunately, he knew Thousand-Faced Fox inside and out. He spun a story with ease:

"Divining things has nothing to do with the body. It only requires sufficient cultivation and soul arts—or a chosen one, or perhaps a soul that traveled back from the future to the present.

Three years ago, I divined that my opportunity was a demoness who would appear on Sunset Glow Peak of the Azure Mist Sect.

So I worked hard to earn money in the mortal world, exchanged it for spirit stones, bribed an outer sect steward of the Azure Mist Sect, and only then entered the sect.

Since Sunset Glow Peak did not accept male disciples, I had no choice but to join the neighboring Stubborn Stone Peak and stare at Sunset Glow Peak every day.

Then one day, I saw Senior Sister Setting Fire to the Mountain..."

Liu Ruyan's gaze shifted slightly. She truly had investigated Jiang Chen's background in secret, and it matched his words perfectly.

"So your opportunity was me?"

Jiang Chen pretended not to understand and asked with a smile:

"Is Senior Sister a demoness?"

Liu Ruyan shook her head.

"No."

You lied far too readily, without even changing expression... Jiang Chen did not mind and continued:

"Then that is truly a pity.

The reason I wanted to obtain the Demi-Immortal's Book was so I could dual cultivate with that demoness without suffering harm from her.

Yet the Demi-Immortal's Book offers no benefit to demons and devils. It might even cause them to be drained dry by humans cultivating the same technique... That is precisely what Reverend Guiqi has been doing."

Liu Ruyan lightly touched her chin, appearing deep in thought. Then she suddenly gave a dazzling smile.

"Thank you for the reminder!"

Then, to his surprise, she reached out and cupped Jiang Chen's right cheek, studying his features and eye color.

"As for dual cultivation... If I really were that demoness, do you think I would believe a man's words?"

With a faint, nearly imperceptible smile on her face, Liu Ruyan turned and left.

It seemed this fox demon would not be easy to win over.

Jiang Chen remembered that in the previous simulation, Liu Ruyan had only pretended to agree to dual cultivation. In truth, she had used it to investigate his physique and identity.

Only after he vaguely revealed his identity from beyond this realm and the worldview of the simulated plot had she suddenly been moved and given herself to him...

Now, although she had rejected him, she had not rejected him completely. She had even revealed a womanly side.

It seemed this wealthy demoness would not be easy to win over.

But why did he have to win her over? Why not shamelessly hold out his hand and ask for things instead?

Before Liu Ruyan had gone too far, Jiang Chen hurriedly sent her a strand of divine sense.

"I need some demonic aura and devilish aura to verify the effects of the Demi-Immortal Method."

Without even turning her head, Liu Ruyan casually tossed over two pills the size of quail eggs.

Jiang Chen caught them and opened his palm to look.

One was a black pill.

One was a red pill.

He placed them in the inventory.

[Items]:

Demonic Obstacle Pellet ×1 (low-grade spirit);

Demonblood Pill ×1 (low-grade spirit);

Jiang Chen sighed inwardly. Neither pill emitted any demonic or devilish aura, showing just how profound her pill-refining skill was.

He turned and returned to the disciples' quarters.

He immediately tested the Return-Form Method.

He needed to determine as soon as possible whether the Demi-Immortal's Book truly suited him and whether it contained any hidden backdoors.

The effects of the Demi-Immortal Art were minor, and the manual was mixed with many useless garbled cultivation methods. It would be difficult for anyone to notice while cultivating it, so there was no need to hide it deliberately.

Jiang Chen read through the manual's main text, then sat cross-legged in meditation and circulated the spiritual veins through his body according to the Return-Form Method.

Ordinary cultivation usually brought a sensation of floating.

Yet when cultivating the Demi-Immortal Art, Jiang Chen felt his body become immensely heavy, as though it were sinking underground.

At the same time, he felt his soul being dragged toward the Abyss by an invisible force.

Jiang Chen had to bring up the system panel and stare at the data to anchor his soul.

Only after steadying his mind did he begin cultivating the Demi-Immortal Method.

If the Five-Element Spiritual Roots were compared to a five-fingered mountain, then good talent meant one finger stood tall and supreme, allowing one to absorb spiritual energy most efficiently through their strongest spiritual vein.

Jiang Chen's Five-Element Talent, however, was like uneven, interlocking canine teeth, with no discernible pattern at all.

It could not be called poor. It was merely too ordinary.

As he circulated the Return-Form Method, Jiang Chen suddenly felt the uneven five-fingered mountain gradually being leveled, slowly becoming nearly the same height...

This meant his talent was declining even further.

Only once it became a completely even Five-Element Endowment would it be unable to decline any further.

Jiang Chen was not worried. After all, this was only a simulated plot. He could go all out.

He even found the circulation speed too slow, so he took out the spirit stones and Qi-Refining Spirit-Nurturing Pill Liu Ruyan had given him, accelerating the Form-Returning Technique.

Only after he had used up all the spirit stones and the Qi-Refining Spirit-Nurturing Pill did the interlocking teeth become nearly indistinguishable in height.

For a brief moment, Jiang Chen felt as still as water, free of desire and want.

So he decided to devour demonic and devilish aura and see what would happen.

He took out the red and black pills and swallowed them together!

The two pills melted the instant they entered his mouth. Surging devilish aura and demonic aura rushed into his dantian, churning through his sea of qi and swiftly overwhelming his own spiritual energy.

Jiang Chen felt terribly uncomfortable, as if he were suffering the double torment of hellfire and abyssal frost...

He hurriedly swallowed a Spirit-Healing Pill meant for treating injuries to balance the demonic and devilish aura.

Very quickly, spiritual energy, demonic aura, and devilish aura... the three reached a delicate balance.

Like three magatama chasing one another head to tail, they rotated faster and faster.

Gradually, they formed a vortex visible to the naked eye!

**Boom—**

Jiang Chen's vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

Dawn was just beginning to break.

Jiang Chen climbed up from the straw mat and discovered that he was completely unharmed.

His whole body was soaked, his muscles fair with a rosy glow, and his physique had become much stronger.

His sea of qi in particular surged mightily, his spiritual veins were unobstructed, and he felt as though he had advanced a realm.

He hurriedly opened the system panel.

\n[Cultivation]: Qi Refining, Third Layer.\n```