Demon Cult Youdu Infiltrates Guixu Academy

The gray-robed cultivator was named Xuanyou.

That was the name he had registered when entering Guixu.

When the Book of Cause and Effect examined him, the past he displayed was exceptionally clean.

He came from a small aquatic clan on the edge of the Northern Sea.

His clan had been caught up in the war among the three clans.

He had fled alone for many years.

He had not committed many killings.

He was cautious by nature.

He was willing to abide by Guixu's rules.

Thus, he had been permitted to enter the outer city.

But the identity of Xuanyou was fake.

His true name was Youdu.

One of the demon envoys under Demon Ancestor Rahu.

He had come to Guixu not to escape calamity.

His purpose was to destroy the new order taking shape within Guixu.

The Demonic Dao loved great calamities most.

The heavier the slaughter, the more resentful souls there were, and the stronger the demonic aura became.

For the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans to slaughter one another was an unprecedented opportunity for the Demon Cult.

But Guixu's emergence made Youdu uncomfortable.

Because Guixu was allowing some living beings who should have entered the calamity to survive.

What he found even more unacceptable was that the branches of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans had actually begun letting go of some of their old grudges within Guixu.

That was dangerous.

If the three clans kept killing one another, the Demonic Dao would benefit the most.

If more and more sparks of the three clans entered Guixu, learned to follow rules, learned to avoid calamities, and learned not to be ruled by hatred, the Demonic Dao would lose countless sources of resentment and Heart Demons.

After infiltrating Guixu, Youdu did not act immediately.

He observed for a long time.

The Bureau of Cause and Effect was tightly guarded.

Dragon-Suppressing Pass was formidable.

The Northern Darkness Sea was guarded by the Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl.

Although the prototype of the Three Lives Gate had yet to fully take shape, it already possessed some power to reflect the heart.

Breaking in from outside would be difficult.

So he chose Guixu Academy.

Young people were the easiest to ignite.

Especially the younger generation of the three clans.

Ao Lie was torn between the Dragon Clan and Guixu.

Feng Li bore old scars between the Frost Phoenix and Phoenix Clans.

Lin Yue carried the responsibility of the Qilin Clan and its young branches.

Han Jue was even more sharp-tempered, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

As long as he stirred them up, Guixu would fall into chaos from within.

Youdu spent three hundred years in the academy.

Disguised as an ordinary auditing cultivator, he often attended lessons from corners of the academy.

He never took the initiative to provoke anyone.

Nor did he openly draw anyone to his side.

He merely spoke a few seemingly casual words whenever the young disciples were resting.

"The Dragon Clan will always be the Dragon Clan."

"Ao Lie follows the rules now, but if the Dragon Clan Main Lineage summons him in the future, can he truly refuse to return?"

"The Frost Phoenix Lineage of the Phoenix Clan has Yuanfeng's Frost Feather. Naturally, its status is different."

"When Guixu's resources are allocated in the future, will the three clans receive preferential treatment?"

"The Qilin Clan excels at earth veins. Now that Mysterious Peak Mountain has just risen, if the Water Qilin takes control of the earth veins, what will be left for the small clans?"

Those words were not intense.

Yet like fine needles, they pierced everyone's hearts bit by bit.

At first, no one took them seriously.

But after hearing them often enough, suspicion slowly took root.

Guixu's small clans began worrying that the branches of the three clans would monopolize resources.

The Dragon Clan's youths felt that Guixu's various clans were always wary of them.

The Frost Phoenix disciples felt that their Phoenix Clan identity was not trusted in Guixu.

The Water Qilin disciples believed that they worked hard to repair the earth veins, yet were always suspected of wanting to seize Mysterious Peak Mountain.

The atmosphere in the academy began to change subtly.

The old grudges that the Calamity-Resolution Hall had just suppressed surfaced again in another form.

Lan Shuang quickly noticed something was wrong.

Records from the Book of Cause and Effect showed that the number of disputes in the academy had tripled over the past century.

Though private fights had not yet occurred, verbal clashes were becoming increasingly frequent.

Han Jue patrolled with the Realm Guard and could clearly sense that the atmosphere was off as well.

"Why have these people started up again?"

He frowned.

Ao Lie stood beside him and swept his gaze over the academy square.

"Someone is stirring things up."

Han Jue looked at him.

"You sensed it too?"

Ao Lie nodded.

"It is too deliberate."

"Every dispute seems to be sparked by a trivial matter, but behind them all are the old grudges of the three clans and the distribution of resources."

Feng Li approached, her expression cold.

"The Frost Phoenix Lineage has encountered similar issues."

Lin Yue arrived as well.

"Among the Water Qilin disciples, some have begun worrying that Mysterious Peak Mountain will be pushed aside."

Han Jue sneered.

"Looks like someone truly wants Guixu to fall into chaos."

Lan Shuang summoned the four of them to the Bureau of Cause and Effect.

The Book of Cause and Effect floated before them.

"I have investigated the recent conflicts."

"The lines of cause and effect are in disarray."

"The instigator rarely appears in person."

"It is more like someone is magnifying emotions from the shadows."

Feng Li frowned.

"A Heart Demon?"

Lan Shuang nodded.

"It resembles a method of the Demonic Dao."

Ao Lie's expression darkened.

"The Demon Cult has already set its sights on Guixu?"

Lan Shuang said, "The Emperor has long warned us that the closer the great calamity comes, the more careful we must be internally."

Han Jue tightened his grip on his spear.

"Then we will drag the culprit out."

Lan Shuang looked toward the Book of Cause and Effect.

"For now, the Book of Cause and Effect has not detected any clear demonic aura."

"The other party should possess a treasure that conceals them."

Youdu indeed possessed such a concealing treasure.

It was the Demon Shadow Talisman bestowed by Rahu.

For a certain period, this talisman could deceive the inspection of cause and effect.

As long as he did not directly kill anyone or personally use powerful demonic arts, the Book of Cause and Effect could see only a layer of disguise.

Youdu was very patient.

He did not want to kill several people immediately.

What he wanted was for Guixu's people to suspect one another.

Once suspicion accumulated, Heart Demons would naturally grow.

That night.

At the Martial Practice Arena of Guixu Academy.

Han Jue cultivated alone.

He had been in a terrible mood lately.

The old grudges of the three clans kept resurfacing.

The pressure on the Realm Guard was growing greater and greater.

He clearly wanted to protect Guixu's rules, yet he always felt that the spear in his hand was not fast enough.

If anyone truly dared disrupt Guixu, he wished he could nail them dead with a single thrust.

Just as he circulated his mana, a thread of extremely faint demonic aura silently drew near.

The scene before Han Jue abruptly changed.

He saw Dragon-Suppressing Pass shattered.

Ao Lie transformed into a colossal black dragon and charged into Guixu with the Dragon Clan Main Lineage.

The Northern Darkness Sea was occupied by the Dragon Clan.

Guixu Academy collapsed beneath dragon claws.

Countless disciples from weak clans screamed.

Han Jue's eyes instantly turned red.

"Ao Lie!"

Within the illusion, Ao Lie looked at him coldly.

"I am Dragon Clan to begin with."

"You actually believed I would uphold Guixu?"

Han Jue's fury exploded.

He thrust out his spear.

In reality.

The ground of the Martial Practice Arena burst apart.

Cultivators of the Realm Guard were alerted.

Ao Lie happened to arrive.

He saw Han Jue's reddened eyes and the killing intent surging around him, and his expression immediately changed.

"Han Jue!"

Han Jue abruptly raised his head. The instant he saw Ao Lie, the killing intent in his eyes nearly burst free.

Illusion and reality overlapped.

The cold gleam of the spear in his hand flared as he truly thrust it toward Ao Lie.

Ao Lie's pupils contracted, and he raised a hand to block it.

Boom!

Dragon claw and spear collided.

The formation patterns of the Martial Practice Arena lit up at once.

Ao Lie snapped, "Have you gone mad?"

Han Jue gritted his teeth, his voice low.

"Dragon Clan..."

"Will always be the Dragon Clan..."

Ao Lie's expression darkened.

He understood in an instant that Han Jue had been affected.

But those words also stabbed at the most sensitive place in his heart.

The Dragon Clan.

Guixu.

Those two identities had already placed immense pressure upon him.

Now that Han Jue had shouted it at him, anger rose within him as well.

Text:

"Do you see me that way too?"

The demonic aura in Han Jue's eyes grew denser.

Black water dragon energy surged around Ao Lie.

Their auras collided wildly across the Martial Practice Arena.

The Realm Guard members were shocked.

"Quick, notify Fate Overseer Lan Shuang!"

Youdu stood in the distant shadows, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Good.

Han Jue was the easiest one to ignite.

The crack in Ao Lie's heart had never truly disappeared.

As long as those two started fighting, Feng Li and Lin Yue would inevitably be dragged in.

Then Guixu Academy would become the first spark to ignite the old grudges among the three clans.

Just as Han Jue was about to thrust his spear again.

Deep within Guixu.

Lu Chen suddenly opened his eyes.

The system's voice rang out.

"Detected Demonic Dao Heart Demon corruption invading Guixu Academy. Han Jue has lost control of his mind. Please choose, Host."