Demi-Immortal's Book

Jiang Chen carefully considered the words: Main storyline two, "Demi-Immortal's Book," was now online. Would he watch it immediately and participate in the plot simulation?

In other words, once he watched it, he would have to simulate participating in the plot three times and choose one ending to merge with reality.

Once it began, there would be no turning back.

Even if he chose an ending where he did nothing, merely learning part of the future would, to some extent, alter it.

Perhaps that was the true meaning of the [Butterfly Effect].

Of course, for Jiang Chen, every main storyline would be an opportunity. It all depended on whether he could seize it.

For now, he would first look at this main storyline.

"Watch the plot!"

Time and space instantly froze, leaving only Jiang Chen's divine sense able to move.

The scene began in a dim archive room.

There were no windows on any of the four walls, yet it was not completely dark. A broom could be seen in the corner, along with dust and cobwebs covering the bookshelves.

In the cultivation world, cultivation techniques were generally preserved in jade slips.

Books kept in archives were mostly incomplete or sealed ancient texts.

No one had mastered these ancient texts, or they could no longer be recreated. They could not be inscribed into jade slips, nor could the books be imbued with spirits and stored in Storage Ring, so they were kept in the Scripture Pavilion.

There were actually many such ancient books and forbidden arts. Most were worthless scraps, but occasionally, one could still strike gold.

An elderly man sat cross-legged inside a hollow in the wall, a book resting on his knees. He had caught a firefly to borrow its light.

He manually turned through the ancient text page by page, trying to recreate the technique within.

Unfortunately, repeated failures had nearly driven the old man mad. His face twisted into indescribable squirming flesh as he roared furiously with his divine sense:

"Where exactly is the Demi-Immortal's Book?!"

Jiang Chen had not expected that watching the original plot would let him hear the characters' divine senses, though not their inner thoughts.

From the old man's facial features twisting into squirming flesh, Jiang Chen could tell that this was a demon hiding here.

As for this so-called demi-immortal cultivation method... could it be a method for becoming immortal?

Could it be that Tian Mingye and Thousand-Faced Fox wanted the Heavenly Demon Sect to take down the Azure Mist Sect for this very technique?

Where was this place?

Jiang Chen controlled the scene and pulled the view back.

Only then did he realize that this was the basement of the Myriad Laws Peak Scripture Pavilion... not particularly famous, but still considered a forbidden area of Myriad Laws Peak.

Judging by the current temperature and the height of the sun, it was basically the same as Tranquil Heart Peak, where he was.

Jiang Chen was certain that this was the plot that was about to unfold.

Jiang Chen even swung the scene's perspective over a wide area, all the way to Tranquil Heart Peak.

He really did see himself and Senior Sister Liu...

This godlike perspective was too wondrous!

The plot over the next twelve hours showed that if he did not participate in this incident, he would merely chat with Liu Ruyan for a few words before they each went home and continued cultivating.

Neither of them would participate in the main storyline, nor would any spark beyond friendship ignite between them.

"Am I really that boring?"

Jiang Chen mocked himself, then immediately rewound the timeline. His view returned to the basement of the Myriad Laws Peak Scripture Pavilion.

After a bout of impotent rage, the elderly man in the wall hollow could only emerge from the deep recess, return the book, and choose another.

Suddenly, besides the old man's hand, a sharp claw pressed down on the book.

Just as the claw was about to pierce through the book, the old man looked up at a humanoid-headed Jiao Serpent and said in a low voice:

"Old Flood Dragon, don't block my path. Demonkind can never become immortal!"

Looking closely, it was a Jiao Serpent less than a zhang long, yet it carried an imposing aura.

And as a demon beast, it seemed that only its head was human. The rest had degenerated into a flood dragon's body.

"This old man has the bloodline of the Elder Dragon Clan. How can I be compared to a petty demon like you? From the moment you became demons, your bodies were stained with human blood. How could you possibly become immortals? This old man has never eaten a human!"

Jiang Chen was dumbfounded. A demon beast and a demon had actually come to the Azure Mist Sect's Scripture Pavilion in search of a method to become immortal.

And why had no one discovered demons and demon beasts appearing on the inner sect's Myriad Laws Peak?

At that moment, the demon beast and demon could not settle their dispute. Yet neither dared release demonic aura or Demonic Flame, so they could only keep increasing their physical strength.

Soon, with a ripping sound, the book was torn apart.

Only then did they discover that it was a blank book whose writing and internal spiritual patterns had been erased.

The more it was like this, the more extraordinary it seemed!

"Demi-Immortal's Book!"

The two lunged at it and fought fiercely over the blank heavenly book, knocking the bookshelves into disarray.

Suddenly.

The torn heavenly book began burning on its own, its fragments turning into specks of ash.

By the firelight, the two finally saw a book-sweeping boy standing at the entrance, holding a broom.

"This is the first fight in half a year. Demons as well-behaved as you are already rare."

As he spoke, the book-sweeping boy waved a hand, restoring the toppled bookshelves to their original places.

The leaking demonic aura and Demonic Flame were also sealed within the basement, without the slightest bit escaping.

The atmosphere underground abruptly turned grave.

Looking at the boy again, he appeared eleven or twelve years old, with graying temples, calm eyes, and an air of ancient weariness.

Jiang Chen was equally astonished. He had heard of sweeping monks, but he had never expected there to be a book-sweeping boy.

"Who are you?"

The two asked in unison.

In truth, this boy came every month to clear away dust and cobwebs, but he clearly had another identity.

The boy asked in return:

"How did you two learn that my Azure Mist Sect possessed this so-called Demi-Immortal's Book?"

"That is none of your concern!"

"If you two tell me truthfully, I will tell you the contents of the Demi-Immortal's Book."

"How would a mere book-sweeping boy know?"

"Because this old man is the first Elder of Myriad Laws of this sect, as well as the creator of the so-called Demi-Immortal's Book."

As he spoke, the boy's spiritual pressure suddenly surged. His body hunched over, and his delicate features gradually transformed into an old, firewood-dry face etched with countless furrows.

"Nascent Soul Peak!"

The two exclaimed.

The aged book-sweeping boy clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head.

"You two also possessed Nascent Soul cultivation half a year ago. Unfortunately, there is no spiritual energy here, and you cultivated the wrong forbidden arts, causing your cultivation to fall to Peak Golden Core."

Knowing they could not escape, the two confessed:

"No harm in telling you. This old man's information came from Gray Castle's Xihe Prefecture branch, from an informant named Guiqi."

"You too were referred by Guiqi... I never expected Gray Castle, known for its credibility, to sell the same intelligence twice!"

Jiang Chen had also heard of Gray Castle's great reputation.

It was a merchant association that dealt in rare treasures, issued bounty missions, and gathered intelligence. Known for its credibility, it operated independently of the Dagan Dynasty's rule.

The old book-sweeping boy suddenly relaxed and sighed.

"Unfortunately, Gray Castle's intelligence was false. The Azure Mist Sect has no so-called Demi-Immortal's Book. There is only the cultivation method I created, the Form-Returning Book.

"As the name suggests, when demon beasts cultivate this method, they slowly lose their human form and return to enlightened spirit beasts.

"When demons cultivate this method, they gradually shed their demonic forms and return to human bodies.

"When humans cultivate this method, it causes exceptionally gifted single spiritual roots to degenerate into Five-Element Endowment. That is also a form of returning to one's original shape."

The demon beast and demon simply did not believe him.

"Then why did you create this technique?"

The old book-sweeping boy gave a dry laugh.

"There is another kind of cultivator, one with extremely poor spiritual roots, nearly evenly balanced across the Five-Element Endowment. If such a person cultivates this method, an inwardly concave Abyss qi sea will form within their dantian."

"Their rate of absorbing spiritual energy will not change at all. After all, it cannot get any lower.

"Yet they can use that Abyss qi sea to gently absorb demonic aura and Demonic Flame, transforming them into their own spiritual power."

"In other words, their talent remains the same, but the menu of things from which they can absorb spiritual energy expands.

"Compared to their previous talent, their cultivation speed increases, and they can more easily master all kinds of forbidden arts."

Jiang Chen was somewhat confused and replayed this section over and over several times.

The Star-Absorbing Technique? But not nearly that exaggerated.

It was similar to the Nine Yin Manual: the way of Heaven diminishes the excessive and supplements the insufficient...

When someone with mediocre talent cultivated this method, their talent would become even worse, but they could also absorb demonic and monster aura—perhaps even dual cultivate with demons and demon beasts?

Take one step back, gain two steps forward. It was a solution born of having no better solution.

The old book-sweeping boy continued:

"This old man was merely of average talent in those days. I created this method and cultivated it, retreating in order to advance. Only then could I fuse the spiritual power of demon beasts, demons, and humans, practice all methods, successfully form a Nascent Soul, and live step by step until today.

"For someone with talent like mine, the Form-Returning Book was naturally a tremendous improvement.

"But for talents as extraordinary as those of you demons and demon beasts, the Form-Returning Book is merely of little use.

"Now... do you still want this book?"

Whether the demon beast and demon still wanted it or not, Jiang Chen wanted it.

The demon beast and demon suddenly froze where they stood. The more they listened, the more something felt wrong.

"Over the past half year, not only has our cultivation fallen, but our appearances have also been degenerating..."

"Wait, could you be Guiqi, the informant who provided intelligence to Gray Castle?"

Hearing this, Jiang Chen felt a chill run down his spine.