Soon, inside the dimly lit hall.
A young man was dragged into the Demon Venerable Pavilion.
His body was covered in wounds, and one of his arms was broken.
The moment he reached the great hall, he dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead tightly against the icy floor.
Whooo!
Chill winds gusted through.
Inside the great hall, lamplight flickered.
The young man lay prostrate on the floor, drenched in blood, feeling a terrifying pressure descend upon him.
It seemed powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth, to crush everything beneath it.
He felt as though he had seen a god, had seen the King of Hell who governed life and death.
That King of Hell sat in the darkness, upon his throne.
Darkness was his cloak, and shadows were his mask.
With a single thought, that man could crush him to death!
His body shook, and his soul trembled.
This Outer Disciple of the Demon Cult was nearly frightened out of his wits, but in the end, he seemed to remember something, and his expression grew resolute.
"Who are you, and why have you trespassed into the Demon Venerable Pavilion?"
"I... I..."
The Outer Disciple's mind went completely blank.
Rustle...
Rustle...
Soft footsteps sounded, like the god of death knocking at the door.
With his head lowered, he sensed a shadow appear before him.
Then a hand seized his neck and lifted him off the floor.
After that, he saw a pair of eyes.
Eyes as deep as the abyss, capable of seeing through all things.
Before those eyes, none of his thoughts could hide, and they seemed so laughable.
"What, you refuse to talk?"
"Then die!"
Fang Yang's grip gradually tightened, threatening to snap the young man's neck.
The Outer Disciple's expression finally hardened with resolve, and he roared with almost every ounce of strength he possessed.
"Demon Venerable, someone sent me to probe your condition! To see whether your month-long secluded cultivation left you gravely injured or suffering from cultivation deviation!"
"..."
Thud!
Fang Yang casually tossed him to the floor.
He fell silent.
In the darkness, his expression shifted uncertainly.
What was coming would come. He had known those people would not hold back for long. Sooner or later, they would come to test him.
Before the mountain rain arrived, wind swept through the tower.
The storm would come, after all.
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Chapter 22: The Soul-Testing Stone
"What exactly happened? Tell me the truth, or you know what methods I'll use."
Inside the great hall, Fang Yang remained silent for a moment before asking hoarsely.
The Outer Disciple hurriedly replied.
"Demon Venerable, I know your rules, but I haven't married yet. I only have a sister-in-law. If I conceal even the slightest thing, I'll offer her to you."
"???"
Fang Yang was utterly dumbfounded. Even now, he could not fathom what sort of absurd impression the Demon Venerable had left on these disciples.
"..."
Seeing Fang Yang remain silent, the Outer Disciple grew even more terrified.
Recalling the Demon Venerable's infamous cruelty and lust, he shuddered involuntarily and knocked his head against the floor, thump after thump.
"Demon Venerable, I was wrong! Actually, my mother had a friend when she was alive. She has a voluptuous figure..."
"Shut up!"
Fang Yang cut him off irritably.
"Do you think just anyone can catch my eye?"
"I'm not so despicable and shameless as that."
"Hurry up and tell me everything, exactly as it happened. Who ordered you here? What precisely is going on? Leave out nothing, however small."
"Yes."
The Outer Disciple trembled as he recounted everything he knew, including how that Inner Disciple had threatened him and taught him how to test the Demon Venerable...
After hearing him out, Fang Yang fell silent.
An Inner Disciple?
He did not believe an ordinary Demon Cult disciple would dare scheme against him.
Clearly, someone else was pulling the strings.
Fang Yang remained silent, while the Inner Disciple trembled, feeling the Demon Venerable's aura grow increasingly terrifying.
It seemed to have frozen even the air around them.
It filled him with dread.
Finally, Fang Yang asked hoarsely.
"For an Outer Disciple like you, coming to test me means certain death. What temptation did these people offer to make them so confident you would submit?"
"A basic Demon Cult cultivation technique."
"What? Say that again?"
Fang Yang's face filled with astonishment. For a moment, he could not believe his ears.
"A... a basic Demon Cult cultivation technique."
The disciple repeated himself, leaving Fang Yang completely dumbfounded.
Had they gone mad?
Just how little did they think of him?
They wanted him dead with nothing more than a basic cultivation technique?
He found it utterly absurd, outrageously ridiculous. Yet the young man's trembling demeanor made it perfectly clear that he was telling the truth, without the slightest falsehood.
And that only made it seem even more laughable.
Or rather, infuriating.
The original owner of this body was dead. He was the Demon Venerable now!
This was a provocation against him!
An act of trampling his dignity!
Did they really think they could trample him underfoot just because he had suffered cultivation deviation?
When a common man raged, blood splashed five paces; when a sovereign raged, corpses stretched a thousand miles.
Fang Yang cultivated the Profound Heaven Strategy, and every movement he made carried terrifying pressure.
Now, as his anger flared.
Rolling thunder seemed to gather around him once more.
That ceaselessly rumbling thunder made the Outer Disciple even more terrified, and even more relieved.
As expected of the Demon Venerable!
With such strength, he could probably suppress the entire age and sweep all before him.
Thank goodness he hadn't acted like a fool and had made the right choice.
That Inner Disciple had offered him a basic cultivation manual and sent him to test the Demon Venerable.
He had even used his family to coerce him.
He had deluded himself into thinking he could control him completely!
How laughable!
As though he weren't an orphan.
He had slaughtered his gambling-addict father the moment he chose to join the Demon Cult.
There was no way to threaten him with that.
Besides, if he had to choose a side, why not throw his lot in with the Demon Venerable?
Wouldn't that earn him far greater rewards?
Before you continue