The Six-Desire Demon Banner

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

In a meditation chamber in the outer temple, Wang Ping sat cross-legged, his hands forming seals. The Six-Desire Chaos Demon sat behind him, its breathing like wind and thunder reverberating endlessly among the rafters.

As the product of merging the Six-Desire Beasts, the Six-Desire Chaos Demon possessed six supernatural traits.

The first was called [Breath Intake], inherited from Whale Swallower, one of the Six-Desire Beasts. As the name suggested, it inhaled spiritual energy, then fed it back to him, its master.

This supernatural trait was what allowed the Six-Desire Chaos Demon to function as a defective spiritual root. Unfortunately, its efficiency was limited, nowhere near that of a true spiritual root.

As he breathed in spiritual energy, the unusual changes in Wang Ping's body grew increasingly apparent. His skin gradually shifted from its original pale yellow to the tender yellow of jade. In the sunlight, it even gave the illusion of being made of gold, while the channels beneath his golden skin became distinctly visible.

These changes persisted for roughly an hour.

Only when Wang Ping stopped taking in spiritual energy did they gradually fade. Then he stretched his limbs a little, and a series of cracks and pops rang out throughout his body.

"Jingle, jingle!"

The silver summoning bell rang again. Not daring to delay, Wang Ping immediately rose and strode into the inner temple, anticipation appearing on his face.

"The Immortal Sect..."

Until now, his knowledge of the Immortal Sect had been limited to this Daoist temple where Daoist Nun You lived. He had never seen what the real Immortal Sect looked like.

Or the power of its cultivators.

All along, he had harbored a small doubt about whether the Immortal Sect's traditions truly far surpassed Great Shun's martial dao. This would be a perfect chance to find out.

Apart from that, there was the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman] Daoist Nun You had mentioned.

An Immortal Sect cultivation method... since it can circulate so widely, its grade shouldn't be low. Otherwise, those so-called marauder cultivators wouldn't target it.

Sounds like it has quite an affinity with me!

Entering the inner temple within the painting, Wang Ping soon spotted Daoist Nun You standing beneath a tree. She raised her eyes toward him, her gaze exceedingly kind.

"You're here?"

"My respects, my lady." Wang Ping bowed, but silently raised his guard. After all, Daoist Nun You had said she would give him a surprise.

Explain it to me. What the fuck do you mean by a surprise?

The next moment, Daoist Nun You reached into her sleeve and drew out a long rod, wreathed in black and gold radiance that mingled into a single mass.

"For you."

With a casual toss, Daoist Nun You sent the rod into Wang Ping's arms. Its radiance soared, the black and gold separating like the rising and sinking of clear and turbid qi.

The brilliant gold rose like clear qi, finally fluttering in the breeze and becoming a banner. Countless talismanic inscriptions in seal script that Wang Ping could not understand covered its surface. The dark radiance sank like turbid qi, merging into the rod in his hands. Amid the shifting light, he could faintly hear ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

"This is the [Six-Desire Demon Banner]."

Daoist Nun You smiled. "It contains six hundred and sixty-six demons and is perfectly suited to your cultivation method. I spent these past few days refining this protective magical artifact especially for you."

So this is the fucking surprise?

Looking at the black-and-gold banner in his hands, Wang Ping's heart stirred. Had he misunderstood these Immortal Sect disciples? Was Daoist Nun You actually a good person?

Though his instincts told him something still wasn't right.

But... what if?

Anyway, [Otherworldly Celestial Demon] has already finished its cooldown. I've secured the guaranteed minimum from this trip to the Immortal Sect. Anything else I gain is pure profit.

At that thought, Wang Ping relaxed.

"Come. Let's go to my room."

Daoist Nun You's alluring voice rang out again. Though she stood some distance away, it sounded as if she were whispering into his ear, making Wang Ping shudder.

"You've never seen a magical artifact before, have you?"

"I'll teach you how to refine it."

Wang Ping fell silent for a moment, then readily agreed. "Thank you for your kindness, my lady."

Following Daoist Nun You, Wang Ping soon reached a meditation chamber in the inner temple. The moment the door opened, a room densely covered in secret seal-script talismans met his eyes.

Yet Wang Ping's gaze did not settle on those inscriptions. Instead, he stared straight at a jade slip placed in the center of the chamber. At first glance, there was nothing special about it, but it drew his gaze like a black hole, making his mind unwittingly plunge toward it...

"Wake up!"

A thunderous voice instantly jolted Wang Ping awake. Only then did he realize that, at some point, he had taken three steps toward the jade slip. Cold sweat immediately streamed down his body.

"This is..."

"This is the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman]." Daoist Nun You's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Your cultivation is too low. You cannot resist its allure yet."

Wang Ping obediently took a step back.

But remembering the allure of an Immortal Sect cultivation method, he could not contain his curiosity. "This method is so powerful. Judging by its name, does it have something to do with theft?"

"Do not ask."

Daoist Nun You's tone was calm. "Do not be curious, and certainly do not investigate. Knowledge related to it is itself a terrifying poison."

"The more you understand, the more easily it influences you."

"Why else do you think that renegade disciple calls himself the [Heaven-Stealing Thief], openly displaying his cultivation method and divine abilities? It is precisely to strike at those who know."

With that, Daoist Nun You waved her hand somewhat impatiently.

"Enough. Go stand over there."

Wang Ping looked in the direction she indicated. The secret seal-script talismans there were terrifyingly numerous. Anyone with eyes could tell something was wrong.

"...Ah."

Wang Ping sighed, abandoning the last shred of fantasy in his heart. He stopped bowing, straightened his back, and turned to look calmly at Daoist Nun You.

The breathtakingly beautiful nun now looked utterly cold, her lovely face frosted over. Seeing Wang Ping refuse to move and even dare to raise his head and meet her gaze, her once-alluring voice turned imposing. Each word rolled like thunder across the sky. "What? You no longer want this rare opportunity?"

The normally tender, seductive nun had adopted a cold and distant air, which only made her seem more alluring.

Unfortunately, the prettier the woman, the better she was at lying.

"It's not that I don't want it. I simply don't dare."

Before his words had faded, Wang Ping moved. His real body remained still, but the shadow beneath his feet abruptly stretched toward the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman].

"...Insolence!"

Before her voice faded, heaven and earth shook, and all things disintegrated. The meditation chamber in Wang Ping's field of vision tore apart like a ripped canvas, collapsing with a crash!

The once-seamless chamber shattered into countless fragments, which then drew apart from one another. The distances between objects stretched from a hair's breadth to the ends of the earth. A space barely ten paces across instantly became a vast world, and Wang Ping stood within it, as insignificant as an ant.

Wang Ping was utterly stunned.

The Six-Desire Chaos Demon in his shadow could extend a little over ten meters at most. If it used its supernatural traits, it could move freely within a hundred-meter radius.

But what was happening now?

The [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman], which had been fewer than ten paces away just a moment earlier, was now nothing more than a tiny black speck in his vision.

By his estimate, it was at least ten kilometers away!

And as time passed, that distance continued to grow. Eventually, it passed beyond the reach of his spirit sense entirely, leaving no trace he could perceive.

"A frog at the bottom of a well knows nothing of the vastness of heaven and earth."

The cold voice drifted over. Wang Ping whirled around, only to find that Daoist Nun You had somehow appeared behind him and was slowly extending a finger toward him.

He tried to dodge, but though he was leaping backward, the distance between him and Daoist Nun You did not increase at all. Instead, it kept shrinking. Rather than her pointing a finger at him, it was as though he was actively throwing himself against it. It was simply unbelievable!

What kind of spell is this?

Before Wang Ping could react, Daoist Nun You's finger touched the space between his brows. Heaven and earth spun once more, myriad lights and shadows shifting around him.

By the time he came to his senses—

Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion. He was back in that meditation chamber ten paces across, standing squarely amid countless secret seal-script talismans.

"Stand still and behave."

Wang Ping instinctively tried to move, but felt as though his entire body had been locked in shackles. Even his strength, enough to split stone steles and shatter rocks, could not free him in the slightest.

"This is [Body Binding]."

Standing before Wang Ping, Daoist Nun You chuckled. "The previous one was called [Scene Transposition]. Both are spells I have mastered, so stop dreaming of breaking free."

With that, Daoist Nun You waved her hand.

The next moment, more than a dozen jade boxes appeared in the previously empty chamber, each shimmering with exquisite treasure light.

"Look. I prepared all of these for you." Daoist Nun You hummed a tune, her tone relaxed. "I originally thought I would have to raise you for a few years before the harvest. Who knew your comprehension would be so high that you would cultivate the Six-Desire Chaos Demon in just three months? You forced me to change my original plans."

"If I had a few more years, I could slowly save up incense offerings. But time waits for no one, so I had to take out a loan from the Heaven and Earth Pavilion first."

"For these precious materials, I nearly had to sign myself into bondage."

With every sentence, Daoist Nun You opened another jade box, filling the chamber with dazzling colors and brilliant treasure light that shone brightly on Wang Ping's face.

So many precious immortal dao materials!

Wang Ping had no doubt that any single material Daoist Nun You had produced would be enough to add a blank scripture scroll if tossed into the [Peace Scripture]!

At the same time, he understood what Daoist Nun You intended to do.

"You want to refine me into an artifact?"

Daoist Nun You smiled and nodded. "I have no choice. Superior force servitors are far too expensive. After thinking it over, I decided I would be better off buying some human material and refining it myself."

"Originally, human material suited to becoming a superior force servitor would have been ideal. Unfortunately, the Guardian Court strictly controls human material of that caliber, and my connections aren't sufficient. I had to settle for something more ordinary... but you've given me quite a surprise."

At this point, Daoist Nun You even licked her full red lips.

"A natural desire-realm celestial body, excellent comprehension, yet no hope of attaining the Great Dao—and a violent death here on top of it all. The resentment you produce in the end is bound to be exceptionally powerful."

"Combined with the precious materials I've prepared..."

"You should have a sixty percent chance of becoming a [Six-Desire Demon King]. You could even master a spell, before finally being refined into a superior magical artifact!"

"Excellent. Truly excellent!"

After hearing Daoist Nun You's words, Wang Ping suddenly felt his whole body growing hot. His vision gradually darkened, and intense dizziness swept over him.

This beast has already started while she's been talking!

"Don't be afraid. Dizziness is normal." Daoist Nun You chuckled.

Wang Ping let out a long breath. "What Immortal Sect? This is clearly the demonic path."

Daoist Nun You was entirely unbothered. "Only mediocre mortals call such practices the demonic path. In the Immortal Sect, we generally call it efficiency."

"Besides, mortals are tools for our Immortal Sect in the first place. You are merely changing from one tool into a better one. Why complain?"

"At least I haven't treated you as a disposable consumable. You should be thanking me."

"And I've allowed you to realize a hundred times your value as human livestock. Without me, you could only spend your life in mediocrity, never worrying about food or clothing."

"If you must blame someone, blame yourself."

"After all, I wasn't the one who forced you to cultivate."

"..."

For a moment, Wang Ping was so furious that he laughed.

Rumble!

Just then, the secret seal-script talismans surrounding Wang Ping abruptly lit up. Their light merged into a single mass, becoming soaring flames.

Immediately afterward, the black-and-gold banner Wang Ping had long since thrown aside flew up on its own, gleaming brilliantly. It settled squarely in the center of the secret seal-script talismans, then wrapped around Wang Ping. He felt as though his body were melting, and amid the excruciating pain, he sensed his life force steadily draining away.

"Ugh..."

Wang Ping gritted his teeth and formed hand seals. The Six-Desire Chaos Demon immediately stepped out of his shadow, taking on every injury inflicted on him.

Daoist Nun You nodded slightly at the sight.

"Very good. Truly excellent quality."

With that, she scattered the entire measure of gold-grained starshatter sand she had just mentioned into the formation. Like pouring oil onto a blazing fire, it instantly intensified Wang Ping's agony.

The Six-Desire Chaos Demon let out a wail as well.

Yet the next moment, the Six-Desire Chaos Demon's body suddenly shuddered. Its skin split, and it shed its outer layer like a snake molting.

With that shedding, the injuries it had taken from Wang Ping were shed as well. Beneath its shattered shell lay perfectly uninjured skin!

Daoist Nun You looked even more satisfied. "The supernatural trait inherited from Rock Serpent, [Armor Shedding]. It sheds its skin to lessen its injuries and restore its condition. Very good."

Then Wang Ping began struggling again.

Under his control, the Six-Desire Chaos Demon first rose into the air, trying to fly out of the chamber. When it found it could not escape, it swung its fists, attempting to break the restraints.

Then its figure began flickering.

Finally, it even condensed an exceedingly sharp battle axe in its hand. Cold light flashed as it hacked at the restraints again and again, but its efforts remained fruitless.

"Heaven Carving's [Skyflight], Deep Ape's [Ten-Thousand Jun]."

"Rock Serpent's [Armor Shedding], Whale Swallower's [Breath Intake]."

"Bandit Leopard's [Divine Speed], Steel Flood Dragon's [Flood-Dragon Battle Axe]."

Daoist Nun You rubbed her hands together, somewhat excited. "Its supernatural traits cover flight, strength, recovery, spiritual energy, speed, and weapons. Its quality is practically perfect."

"Could I refine a high-grade magical artifact this time?"

"If so, with a high-grade [Six-Desire Demon Banner], I'll surely be able to learn [Soul Pursuit] and [Soul Seizure]. Then that great divine ability will be within reach..."