Demons possessed considerable intelligence, too.
That was all the more true of the Netherworld Beast, a great demon at the late stage of the Heavenly Balance Realm.
Over the years, countless human experts had died at its hands, and so its lair held a vast hoard of treasures.
Spirit stones littered the ground, though it could not directly absorb the spiritual power within them.
But with so many spirit stones gathered together, it could make use of the spiritual energy they released.
Beyond those, weapons of every kind stood embedded throughout the lair.
Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds were all present. Most were intact and gleaming, clearly fine treasures at a glance.
Fang Ling glanced around, and something immediately caught his eye.
It was a dark-gold stone tablet, embedded diagonally in the ground, its engraved characters shimmering with flowing colors.
He went over and dug out the entire tablet, but it was incomplete, with an obvious fracture along its bottom edge.
He searched the lair thoroughly but never found the remaining half.
Turning his attention back to the tablet, he carefully studied its writing, and what he discovered shocked him.
It was actually Ancient Sanskrit!
As far as he knew, this script had long since fallen out of use in the outside world.
He only recognized it because several of the white-browed Old Monk's Buddhist scriptures had been written in Sanskrit.
"The Heavenly Net Divine Art... this is what those people were looking for."
"It seems the Heavenly Net Church has quite a background. This divine art is no ordinary technique!"
Although the tablet was broken, the missing section did not seem to affect the overall cultivation process.
The Heavenly Net Divine Art was divided into two parts.
The first was the primary scripture, which only successive church leaders could cultivate.
The second was the subsidiary scripture, which all church members could cultivate.
Anyone who cultivated the primary scripture could instantly absorb the cultivation of those who practiced the subsidiary scripture, merging it with their own.
However, this was not permanent and could only last for a very short time.
Even so, it was an utterly heaven-defying ability, granting someone terrifying explosive power for a brief period.
But the price was steep as well. The body could hardly withstand the impact of instantly absorbing so much cultivation.
Using it would inflict permanent damage upon the practitioner.
Absorbing too much cultivation at once could even cause their body to burst apart, killing them outright.
He strongly suspected that the missing section of the tablet contained a solution to the divine art's drawbacks.
Unfortunately, that section was not here, so he had no way of knowing what it had originally said.
"No wonder they kept mentioning this divine art."
Whoever obtains the method for cultivating the primary scripture practically holds their lives in his hands, he thought.
Then he stroked the Netherworld Beast's golden horn and said, "Gather up everything in your lair!"
At his command, the Netherworld Beast immediately opened its mouth and sucked in all the spirit stones and treasures in the lair.
Its body contained an extraordinarily vast alternate space, capable of holding not just inanimate objects but living creatures as well.
However, there was nothing inside that space, so living creatures swallowed into it could not survive for long.
In the blink of an eye, the treasure-strewn lair was stripped bare.
Outside the Netherworld Beast's lair.
Yun Shuiqing and the others stood in separate positions, poised for battle.
As the saying went, never enter a vicious beast's den. Thus, after surrounding the place, they had remained on guard near its entrance.
Now, demonic energy suddenly surged out of the lair, making the atmosphere even tenser.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves. That vile beast is coming out!" Yun Shuiqing said gravely.
Azure spiritual light flickered around her, and a jade ruyi scepter hovered within her grasp.
Man Tianning merged with his gray snake, becoming a giant python.
Its body stretched over a hundred feet, looming like a mountain of flesh as it flicked its tongue and exuded a terrifying aura.
All traces of Master Qingye's earlier languor vanished. Dark-green spiritual power laced with deadly poison poured endlessly from him, forming a manifestation of his own image behind him.
Hu Yue's body grew several times more muscular, turning him into a small giant, his knotted muscles brimming with explosive power.
The valiant Water Guard, You Yu, stood on one foot atop a branch, the three spearheads behind her flashing with cold light.
Peach-colored flames ignited around the sinister Fire Guard, Lord Yan. Their searing heat gave the illusion that they could warp space.
Any one of these six could be considered a first-rate expert in the Southern Sun Kingdom.
Yet against a great demon like the Netherworld Beast, even with all six joining forces, they had little confidence.
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
The Netherworld Beast's four feet were coated in a layer of horn as hard as seventh-metal gold, making its steps ring out crisply.
Those hoofbeats echoed in the six experts' ears like the demonic music of death.
But the moment the Netherworld Beast emerged from its lair, they all froze!
Someone was actually sitting on its back. A demon of this caliber had willingly allowed someone to ride it!
And the rider was none other than Fang Ling, who had abruptly vanished earlier.
"What foul sorcery did you use, brat? You actually brought the Netherworld Beast under your control!" Man Tianning exclaimed in his giant-python form.
His words had barely fallen when he suddenly screamed and began rolling frantically on the spot.
The hundred-foot python's thrashing shook the ground violently and sent rocks tumbling down the mountainside, creating a terrifying spectacle.
But moments later, everything fell still again.
His ability to merge man and python had been broken, and he knelt on one knee, his aura feeble.
The gray snake lay flat beside him, not daring to move either.
The Python Venerable looked up at Fang Ling, and everything fell into place.
The gray snake had behaved strangely last night, and today it had outright disobeyed him, forcibly ending their merged state.
Fear was behind it all. It was not afraid of the Netherworld Beast, but of Fang Ling sitting on its back!
His heart lurched, and all color drained from his face.
I'm finished. To think I provoked someone like him...
Recalling his words and actions last night, he could already see the fate awaiting him.
"Just who are you?" Hu Yue asked, his expression grave.
"Who do you think I should be?" Fang Ling countered.
Hu Yue fell silent for a moment, unsure how to answer.
But Yun Shuiqing suddenly floated over to Fang Ling and knelt on one knee before him.
"Enchantment Envoy Yun Shuiqing greets the Church Leader!" she cried urgently.
Fang Ling's emergence from the Netherworld Beast's lair meant that the Heavenly Net Divine Art must already be in his possession.
And the Heavenly Net Church's rule was that whoever obtained the Heavenly Net Divine Art became its leader.
Fang Ling's strength was unfathomable. Even if they wanted to seize it from him, they could not.
Seeing Yun Shuiqing take the lead, Master Qingmu hurried after her and knelt in homage as well.
"Wood Guard Master Qingmu greets the Church Leader!"
Originally, Fang Ling had intended to use all these Heavenly Net Church experts to cultivate.
But after witnessing the marvels of the Heavenly Net Divine Art, he had other ideas.
With so many ready-made subordinates available, he would be foolish not to take them in.
Whether he was investigating his enemies or handling other matters in the future, he would always need helpers.
Hu Yue had a fierce, unyielding disposition. He suspected that Fang Ling merely happened to possess some special means of dealing with demons.
He was still unwilling to give up on the Heavenly Net Divine Scripture, even if it cost him his life.
"If you can withstand this punch, then my life is yours. Kill me or carve me up as you please!"
With a bang, he leaped into the air, his tremendous power triggering a sonic boom.
He halted in midair, every meridian in his body swelling with blood, his muscles brimming with explosive force.
"Tiger Baleful Force Fist!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! In an instant, he unleashed a hundred thousand punches!
The tremendous power and densely packed blows drove the ground downward, sending rocks tumbling and dust billowing everywhere.
Yet at the very center of the barrage of fist imprints, not even the hem of Fang Ling's clothes stirred.
How could a mortal physique compare to the flesh of the chaos saint body?
Moreover, his cultivation realm far surpassed Hu Yue's. Even standing there and letting him strike produced no reaction whatsoever.
Hu Yue saw all of this.
Lowering his gaze, he said self-mockingly, "I overestimated myself..."
"I have offended you. Kill me or carve me up as you please!"
"Your strength is quite good," Fang Ling said. "Are you willing to submit to me?"
"Of course!" Hu Yue stepped forward and knelt on one knee as well. "Tiger Venerable Hu Yue greets the Church Leader!"
The Water and Fire Guards, You Yu and Lord Yan, exchanged a glance, then hurried forward to pay their respects too.
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