Cultivating Both Buddhist and Demonic Arts

"Um?"

Hu Mang raised an eyebrow, the glint of light in his eyes still lingering, yet a solemn and menacing Sha Qi was already subtly revealed on his face.

Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier and Devil-Suppressing Guard path!

Boom--!

Although there were no thunderclouds overhead, a series of muffled thunderclaps suddenly resounded within this small woodshed, each one heavier than the last, as if a thousand troops were arrayed and shattering the void as they marched in.

Each thunderous sound seemed to strike directly into the body's meridians. If an ordinary cultivator were here, just hearing this sound would probably cause their Law Power to stagnate and become completely unable to rise.

Hu Mang pressed down sharply with the web of his left hand.

"Buzz--!"

The rumbling thunder was no longer scattered; instead, it instantly converged, pressing down all three inches below the ground.

The entire woodshed trembled, and the spiritual wood paving the floor cracked one after another, the wood grain bursting open and fragments flying everywhere. On the ground, one black crack after another silently spread, as if something was breaking out of the ground.

The gun is drawn.

This shot was not merely fast, but Unity of Heaven and Man, unstoppable; the air itself was distorted and deformed by the point of the spear, as if space itself was about to collapse under this strike.

However--

The charred wooden puppet moved again.

Its body seemed weightless; with a slight tilt, it slid out of the almost fatal spear shadow.

"Interesting."

Hu Mang muttered to himself, staring at the charred wooden puppet. His originally narrow fox eyes were now deeply narrowed, and the scars on his face were even more prominent.

A dazzling yet chilling golden light shot out from between his brows, enveloping his eyes and outlining intricate and ancient Demon-Subduing Divine Runes.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment inside the cramped woodshed.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure rippled outwards like a tidal wave, pressing the dust on the walls inch by inch into the wood grain, and even the cracking fragments of spirit wood hovered in mid-air, afraid to fall.

Hu Mang stood there, motionless, yet he seemed to have instantly doubled in size.

The charred puppet, which had previously retained a lingering sense of etherealness, now seemed to be firmly held down by an invisible giant hand, even the divine light in its two eye sockets began to tremble violently, flickering uncertainly.

After a brief stalemate, the charred wooden puppet on the other side could no longer hold on and begged for mercy once again.

"Fellow Daoist, I am a purely Rogue Cultivator, and I have no prejudice against either righteous or demonic paths. Even if you are a demonic cultivator, it has nothing to do with me."

"I have just regained consciousness and my Divine Sense is in turmoil. If I have unintentionally offended you, I am willing to apologize."

"Moreover, of my Three Flowers of essence, energy, and spirit, only one 'Flower of Spirit' remains. My physical body is gone, and my soul is shattered. Let alone seizing another's body, even if you wanted to use my soul to refine a technique, you wouldn't be able to."

"... etc."

The grotesque look on Hu Mang's face was still intense, the golden lines hadn't faded, and the scar on his face was still menacingly visible.

But hearing this, my eye still twitched.

"I am a demonic cultivator?"

He was about to lose control; he tried to hold back but couldn't.

"You're the demonic cultivator! Your whole family are demonic cultivators!"

I just poked you a couple of times, why are you swearing at me?

In Heavenly Gate, the demonic path is synonymous with idiots.

The other party was also stunned.

"Fellow Daoist is not a demonic cultivator, so where did you comprehend this Profound Yin Realm from?"

"Are those who cultivate the Profound Yin the members of the demonic path?"

With a flick of his wrist, Hu Mang pulled out a handwritten copy of the "Profound Yin Body Refining Technique" from his Storage Bag and tossed it in front of the other man.

"Can't you study one thing as a side hustle?"

"Huh? Isn't this the same method used by Old Man Xuanyin? Where did you get it, fellow Daoist? Do you know Old Man Xuanyin? Where is that old man now?"

The charred black doll stopped hiding and crawled over, flipping through two pages to identify its target.

Now it was Hu Mang's turn to raise his eyebrows.

"Old Man Xuanyin? If you're talking about that old man with the dove-like staff, then he's most likely dead. What, didn't you see what happened earlier?"

"Didn't I say that my consciousness had been in a deep sleep the whole time, and I had no awareness of the outside world? That old ghost is dead? How did he die? Did Zhen'ezi fully recover from his injuries and kill him with his own hands?"

Hu Mang looked the other person up and down, then suddenly stuck the "Shattering Thunder" directly into the wooden floor and sat down with a thud.

"It seems we have quite a bit of information to exchange."

"That's right, that's right. As long as you're not a demonic cultivator, then it's all good. I am Rogue Person Yunxiu. Among these seven sects, who doesn't know that I am kind and have many friends? You can rest assured, young Daoist."

Hu Mang nodded casually.

"That's not important. Tell me first, what was the skill you had in dodging my gun before?"

The doll, supporting itself with one hand, sat down as well, and paused slightly upon hearing this.

"Fellow Daoist, are you not aware that after the Three Flowers Gather at the Cauldron, one can naturally deduce the destiny of heaven and calculate good and bad fortune? If one can comprehend the relevant methods, one can even understand the past and present lives of all living beings in this world. Although I now only have one Flower of Spirit left, I still retain some of this deductive skill."

"Is this prediction accurate?" Hu Mang pressed.

"If it were just a normal attack, I would be 80-90% confident. But if it were your attack that combined Unity of Heaven and Man and man, I would only be 50% certain. And if you combined your Heavenly Soldier Divine Office and used the 'Heaven and Earth Heavenly Eye,' in my current state, cough cough, I probably wouldn't be able to calculate it at all."

Big data computing?

Suddenly, a term popped into Hu Mang's mind.

The cultivators in this world are actually quite intelligent.

"Okay, what questions do you have for me?"

"I'm quite interested in what you just said about that old Daoist Mysterious Yin Old Daoist."

Hu Mang then briefly recounted his duel with the Devil-Slaying Bladesman, followed by the self-destruction of the heretical old monster, and the subsequent appearances of the Yang Spirit and the Thunder God.

The puppet opposite him stroked its chin with its last remaining small hand, only to find nothing. After a moment of contemplation, it asked for more details, especially those concerning the Yang Spirit, leaving no stone unturned.

Hu Mang didn't hide anything; he was extremely familiar with that Yang Spirit, having almost been roasted alive by him.

"Pure Yang and Immaculate, that shouldn't be the case. Zhen'ezi shouldn't have that ability, unless he has mastered part of the city's divine evolution, the Jade Cloud inheritance?"

The Hu Mang fell silent, its fox-like eyes, gleaming with divine light, fixed quietly on the puppet.

"I've heard that when the Demon-Subduing City first opened, a cultivator at the Three Flowers and Five Qi Great Perfection was struck by lightning and killed. Was that you?"

The charred puppet paused noticeably.

The light in his eyes flickered a few times, as if he were weighing his options, but finally the aged voice rang out:

"... I suppose you could call me an old man."

Is it considered?

"OK."

"Since I'm the one who pulled you out of this pile of rotten wood," he turned his head, a flash of his scar appearing, "Then you taking these two shots from me is even."

"You asked me two questions, and I asked you two questions. The transaction wasn't a loss; it was a fair trade."

Since there's no gratitude or resentment, and the cause and effect are settled, you continue with your work, I'm leaving.

After speaking, Hu Mang walked out of the woodshed without looking back.

The charred wooden puppet was clearly taken aback by the other party's actions.

That's a rather unusual tactic they're using...

If they are righteous people, they will most likely lend a hand; if they are demonic people, they will likely suffer a miserable end; if they are "remnants of the Divine Dynasty" in the city, they will most likely want to know the schemes of the Thunder Sect and the High Heaven Sword Sect.

But the other party just packed their bags and left?

He had even prepared his response to the other party.

The other party simply left.

This person doesn't play by the rules.

Rogue Person Yunxiu was stunned. He opened his mouth, but his teeth only made a dry "click" sound.

He wanted to call out to the fierce and inexplicable young man, but when the words came out, he realized that he didn't even know the other person's name or who he was.

So he could only rely on the puppet's remaining hand to struggle out of the woodshed, looking around to try and find the other person.

The result was unexpected again. The other party had not gone far. They were still in this compound, less than ten steps away from the "divine puppet," with a thoughtful expression on their face, as if they were pondering something.

He took a step forward.

Boom--!

The three-story-tall Lightning Puppet suddenly erupted with an extremely terrifying Blood Qi! It was not ordinary Qi and Blood energy, but a violent torrent mixed with thunder attribute Sha Qi, which exploded in the void with a visible semi-circular air wave, and even the surrounding air was compressed and made to make an unbearable explosion.

Thump!

Hu Mang crossed his arms, and the shockwave slammed into his forearms, causing the ground beneath his feet to instantly cave in.

"Snort."

Hu Mang snorted coldly and took a step forward with his right foot, causing the ground to tremble.

The rumbling thunder from Lightning Puppet's body grew louder, and a second wave of Blood Qi swept over everything; this time, the surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the weeds in the yard withered, curled, and turned to ash at a visible speed.

This time, however, Hu Mang learned his lesson. His palm instantly turned blood red, and five hook-like demonic armors sprang out. With a single grab, five sword cries rang out, tearing the blood wave apart.

"Another demonic technique?"

Rogue Person Yunxiu, who was about to say something, immediately changed his expression and became obedient.

Learning one demonic technique could be considered a coincidence, but two demonic Cultivation Method... surely that can't still be a coincidence?

And the other party even has Demon Race blood, which is truly... peculiar.

Using the "Blood-Piercing Essence-Reversal Art Pierce Blood to Form a Sword Reverse Yuan Technique, Hu Mang advanced five steps directly.

When it reached the sixth step, the Lightning Puppet remained motionless, but the ground beneath it suddenly exploded.

A surge of "Qi and Blood" far more violent than ever before erupted into the sky, transforming into a mirage of magma erupting like a volcano!

The crimson flames, carrying an aura of destruction, poured down on the top of the Hu Mang, as if to melt him completely, skin and bones.

The Hu Mang's eyes are focused on its nose, and its nose reflects its heart.

Pure Body, Immaculate Body

Jade Body Glazed Glass

His entire body shone with a bright, radiant light.

The magma illusion, powerful enough to melt steel, disintegrated inch by inch the moment it touched the Buddha's light, just like ice and snow melting away, leaving not a trace of heat behind.

"Buddhist Divine Ability!!"

"Cultivating both Buddhism and demonic practices!?"

Rogue Person Yunxiu felt like his eyeballs were about to pop out—if he still had any.