Free Web NovelChapter 738: Path Of Seeking Demon
"Chi..."
Exhaling softly, Song Yan slowly opened his eyes, a pair of golden Sword Pupils devoid of any emotion.
The skeleton of the Dharma Body slowly raised its head.
However, before Song Yan could savor the sensation, the Sword Qi and spiritual energy in his body were exhausted, and a sense of extreme emptiness and fatigue rushed in from all directions.
With a wave of his hand, he dispersed the Dharma Body.
The consumption of Void Spirit Bone Sculpting was truly immense.
But now that it was complete, the consumption when manifesting this Dharma Body in the future would be greatly reduced.
Looking back, for some reason, when the stage of Void Spirit Bone Sculpting was finally finished, he had inexplicably entered a state of emotionless indifference.
It was as if something had been extracted from his body, observing this world with a scrutinizing gaze.
So this is the Dharma Body.
Though the consumption was massive, he could indeed feel its overwhelming power that could not be faced directly.
Song Yan’s mind became active.
The bones of this Dharma Body originally required relatively stable spiritual energy to sculpt, but it had now been proven that his Sword Qi could replace spiritual energy.
So, what about Sword Yuan?
Now that the bones were formed, he could try to integrate Sword Yuan into them when he had time in the future.
The old saying that there is no sense of time in cultivation was truly not just talk.
Let alone proper Qi Refining; even just casually researching some secret techniques and spells would cause time to slip away unnoticed.
Sheng Nian had originally said he would wait a few days, but in reality, half a month had already passed.
On this day, Song Yan was sitting cross-legged in the mountains, the Unmoored Boat resting across his knees, as he meditated on the Sword Dao.
Since his battle with Li Yi, Song Yan felt that he had viewed Sword Intent too simply in the past.
Actually, he couldn’t be blamed. Previously, he had sought Sword Intent but failed, focusing all his mind on comprehending it to quickly condense his Lifebound Flying Sword.
This led him to place all his attention on the Lifebound Flying Sword once he had comprehended Sword Intent.
Consequently, his development of Sword Intent was far too little.
However, something like Sword Intent was profound and mysterious; he couldn’t exactly be expected to take another walk to the gates of Hell specifically for it.
He could only diligently practice his swordsmanship and meditate on the Sword Dao.
At this moment, Sheng Nian arrived with the Corpse Puppet A Yuan to find him: "Immortal Master Song, I haven’t seen you for a few days, and you are as elegant as ever."
Song Yan lifted his eyelids: "Finally healed from your injuries?"
"More or less."
Sheng Nian didn’t say he was fully recovered.
That way, when he revealed his strength in front of his good brother in the future, he could still say, "It’s a pity my injuries haven’t fully healed," to show off a bit.
A Jade Slip flew toward him, and he caught it casually.
Song Yan said calmly, "I found this in those three qiankun bags. It seems to be a Buddhist Cultivation Technique related to Evil Qi. If you want it, it’s yours."
Raising an eyebrow, Sheng Nian immediately immersed his Divine Sense into it.
After a cursory read, his expression revealed a hint of surprise: "Oh?"
Song Yan looked up: "What, can you actually use this Buddhist Cultivation Technique?"
"Hmm..." Sheng Nian pondered for a moment. "I can’t use it directly, but it does provide me with a new idea."
An idea? Song Yan raised an eyebrow.
Sheng Nian was indeed very clever.
He was in the Mortal world, and he still was now.
Song Yan looked at his childhood friend, feeling that many things had changed, yet many things remained the same.
But this actually made him even more curious. This kid clearly didn’t do evil deeds, so why did he insist on taking the path of the Demonic Path?
There was no need for secrecy, so he asked directly, "Before coming here, your maid called you the ’Xin Shan Young Lord.’ Do you have any relationship with Hermit Xin Shan?"
Sheng Nian was taken aback, then didn’t hide it: "Hermit Xin Shan can be considered my ’Master’ now."
"He is a False Core Realm demonic Cultivator and has some connections with the Seed Demon Path and Yellow Springs Path within the Demon Ruins."
"You’ve joined the sect of Hermit Xin Shan?" Song Yan frowned slightly. "What exactly are you doing now?"
Admittedly, out of absolute trust in Sheng Nian, he rarely questioned the other’s affairs, even when he called himself a demonic Cultivator.
However, encountering such a thing, anyone would find it baffling.
Sheng Nian’s expression was calm, his gaze imperceptibly glancing toward the Corpse Puppet A Yuan beside him.
He took a deep breath and smiled. "You’ll find out when the time comes."
Perhaps sensing the other’s confusion, he put away his cynical demeanor.
Causing Song Yan to have doubts was the last thing he wanted.
"A-Yan." Sheng Nian looked at Song Yan very seriously, but instead of offering an explanation, he asked him a profound question.
"What do you think a Demonic Path Cultivator is like?"
Song Yan was stunned; he had never truly delved into this question.
However, the Demonic Path in the eyes of the general public was probably quite conventional.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Nothing more than soul-stealing, blood sacrifices of living beings, and those who defy Yin and Yang..."
Sheng Nian shook his head.
"Using a few poisonous methods and treating the people of the world as resources for one’s Dao—those aren’t even worthy of being called demonic Cultivators."
"Even... don’t those so-called Righteous Path Cultivators often do the same?"
Song Yan nodded but didn’t speak.
What Sheng Nian said was absolutely correct; it was indeed so.
"The original Demonic Path was just a branch evolved from traditional Dao methods. The Demonic Path and Immortal Path were originally different paths to the same destination."
"The path of seeking immortality: the Dao follows nature, the unity of heaven and man."
"The path of seeking the Buddha: transcending Reincarnation, saving all sentient beings."
"And the path of seeking the demon..."
Sheng Nian’s expression was calm, but his tone was firm.
"Free and unconstrained, seeking the true self."
"It’s just that too many people have gone astray on this path of the demonic. Generation after generation, it has evolved into the version that the world’s Cultivators now despise upon hearing of it."
"Sacrificing Mortals for blood, killing Cultivators to seize their spiritual energy—thinking that this is the way to seek the True Demon Great Dao? Heh, laughable."
Sheng Nian sneered. "Cultivating the demon is not that easy."
"Those who pursue the Demonic Path need more than just the courage to plunge into the unknown abyss and face the world’s scorn and misunderstanding..."
He looked at Song Yan, his words heavy with meaning. "They also need the wisdom and determination to gamble with the darkness in their own hearts."
After hearing Sheng Nian’s words, Song Yan fell into a brief silence.
The phrase "Free and unconstrained, seeking the true self" sounded like an excuse for demonic Cultivators.
But these words... somehow faintly aligned with his own Sword Dao.
A Sword Cultivator must cut through shackles and pursue the extreme and the pure, which seemed to have no essential difference from the "true self" pursued by the Demonic Path.
"A true demonic Cultivator is not as crazed and chaotic as the world believes, but merely a seeker of the Dao on a different path."
"The desires and obsessions in a person’s heart are like fierce tigers in the eyes of ordinary Cultivators. But in this world, there is never an absolute distinction between good and bad."
"To a true Demonic Path Cultivator, these are aids on the path of seeking the Dao."
Inexplicably, Song Yan thought of that ghostly figure in the Ink Pool of the Liangyi Realm and the Devilish Qi all over his own body.
He thought of his increasingly cold slaughter when facing Mortal enemies.
If what Sheng Nian said was true, these changes were not a fall from grace, but an exploration of the ’true self.’
An inexplicable sense of relief washed over him, but he shook his head. "Such a ’Great Dao’ is only a thin line away from Qi Deviation."
"That is why it requires extraordinary will."
"It’s like wielding an incomparably Sharp Weapon; a slight lapse in caution will injure oneself. But if you can hold it tight, it is an peerless tool."
"Your set of arguments sounds like you’re sugarcoating the Demonic Path," Song Yan said, though there was no hint of mockery in his voice.
According to his logic, wasn’t this Sword Sect Legacy naturally walking on such a ’Demonic Path’?
"Let’s go."
Song Yan stood up. "Instead of giving me a passionate speech about your path of seeking the demon, it’s better to resolve the matters here sooner."
"I still have to travel the world; I don’t have time to mess around with you here."
Sheng Nian gave a carefree smile.
"As you wish."
...Qingfeng Gorge, Niubei Peak.
This place was originally a small mountain sect called ’Qingsong Temple,’ but the original Cultivators had long since been slaughtered by the Mo Xu Cultivators.
Now, the practitioners dressed as Taoists inside were all Cultivators from the Demon Ruins.
Inside the main hall.
Three demonic Cultivators were sitting in their respective chairs, their expressions uncertain.
"Senior Brother Zhao has been missing for over half a month, and he can’t be reached via transmission talismans." A tall, thin Cultivator whose face was covered in purple patterns spoke first, his voice hoarse. "Tell me, what should we do now?"
"We can’t leave this place, and we can’t go back to the Demon Ruins. Are we really going to just wait here?"
Opposite him, a demonic Cultivator as fat as a pig said indistinctly, "Could it be that Senior Brother Zhao really lost his mind after Qi Deviation, as the rumors say?"
"The secret technique Senior Brother Ziyang practiced is indeed dangerous. The last time I saw him, he was often talking to himself..."
"Watch your words." The remaining person was a delicate-looking young man. "Senior Brother Ziyang is a once-in-a-century genius of the Seed Demon Path. Do not make groundless speculations."
The hall fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sound of their breathing.
The fat demonic Cultivator felt awkward and changed the subject. "I wonder if that kid from Xin Shan is dead yet."
Speaking of this, the tall, thin Cultivator frowned. "Old Fourth went with those local Cultivators to hunt down that kid. Why hasn’t he returned yet?"
"I’ll have to go take a look in a bit."
The fat demonic Cultivator gave a chuckle. "Maybe he’s just arrived here from the Demon Ruins and is so happy he’s lost his way."
The tall, thin Cultivator’s brow furrowed, a bit displeased. "Does he really think he’s here for a vacation?"
"The matter with Senior Brother Zhao is hard enough to handle. Originally, I wanted to find that guy named Song Yan, kill him, and bring him back with us..."
"Big Brother, what kind of benefits did Elder Liu of the Yellow Springs Path actually promise?"
The tall, thin Cultivator held up one hand. "Five hundred Spirit Stones."
The fat Cultivator’s eyes darted around, guessing in his heart that it was probably around eight hundred Spirit Stones.
However, that person was at the Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level, and at most, he would be at the Level 8 Qi Refining now.
Killing a Level 8 Qi Refining Cultivator for eight hundred Spirit Stones, plus the person’s entire net worth, was indeed a very tempting deal.
Not to mention the other Middle Stage Qi Refining demonic Cultivators here, there were four of them at the Late Stage.
One at Qi Refining Perfection, two at Level 8 Qi Refining, and one at Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level.
Perhaps realizing that bickering here wouldn’t lead to any conclusion, the tall, thin Cultivator felt a bit frustrated and stood up to leave.
"I’m going to find Old Fourth."
Leaving those words behind, the tall, thin Cultivator left the temple.
He followed the winding mountain path down Niubei Peak.
"That stray dog Zhao Ziyang—the title of Dao Seed Candidate was really just a way to let him save face."
He thought to himself, feeling quite disdainful toward Zhao Ziyang.
"A piece of trash like that doesn’t deserve to have us waiting around here..."
His pace grew slower as his thoughts shifted.
"If you ask me, the most important thing is actually finding that Song Yan fellow, killing him, and bringing him back to the Demon Ruins..."
"Hmm?"
As he was pondering, he walked down the foothills and saw a black bird-like shadow flapping its wings, landing on a flowering tree by the roadside not far in front of him.
The tall, thin Cultivator looked up; it was a crow.
The crow tilted its head, its eyes surprisingly golden, staring straight at him.
He paused in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.
The crow’s feathers were a lustrous dark purple, and he could faintly sense a sharp spiritual essence flowing within them.
An inexplicable sense of alarm flared in his heart, and his fingers within his sleeve had already formed a hand seal.
Just as he was about to cast a Daoist technique to shoot the crow down...
...suddenly, everything around him began to darken.
Within moments, he was plunged into total darkness.
It wasn’t the darkness of nightfall, but an absolute pitch-black where all light had been forcibly stripped away by some existence.
The tall, thin Cultivator felt a slight chill in his heart. He abruptly formed a seal, and a blue protective light shield lit up around him, barely allowing him to see a little.
At that moment, a figure stepped slowly out of the darkness, unhurried and with a relaxed expression.
The person wore a black robe with its hem fluttering slightly. His hand rested casually on the hilt of a transverse saber, and his deep eyes held a hint of indifference.
"It’s you?"
The tall, thin Cultivator was momentarily stunned, then found it somewhat absurd.
This person was only at Level 9 Qi Refining, slightly weaker than himself. How did he dare to come here and attack him?
But on second thought, he found it somewhat amusing that those local Cultivators and Old Fourth combined hadn’t managed to kill him.
Truly useless trash.
Narrowing his eyes, the tall, thin Cultivator sneered, "Kid from Xin Shan, what business do you have coming here alone?"
"To kill you, of course."
Sheng Nian acted contrary to his usual behavior; he didn’t strike immediately, and his transverse saber remained in its scabbard. He merely pushed the handguard with his thumb, revealing a glint of dark red saber light.
The tall, thin Cultivator’s sneer froze on his face.
"Arrogant!"
He stopped pretending as well. Purple spiritual power flashed in his palms, and two purple-black chains slithered out of his sleeves, charging rapidly toward Sheng Nian.
Sheng Nian, however, seemed as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
He tapped the scabbard on the ground, and a wave of overwhelming Devilish Qi surged from beneath his feet in a circular blast, knocking the two purple-black chains aside.
Then, he drew his saber, closed the distance, and delivered a slash.
Buzz—
A violent and condensed Saber Qi swept through. The tall, thin Cultivator hurriedly formed hand seals, dodging while using the chains to protect himself.
"The technique you practice isn’t from the Seed Demon Path. The Xin Shan lineage truly isn’t orthodox," the tall, thin Cultivator said.
Sheng Nian remained silent.
After several exchanges, the tall, thin Cultivator felt something was off.
The opponent’s saber strikes seemed sharp and violent, yet they always lacked power at the critical moments.
Could it be that he was injured and couldn’t give it his all?
But if he was injured, why would he come alone to seek death... A cold smile crept onto his lips, and he slapped his qiankun bag, summoning a streak of black light.
It was actually a small banner.
The small banner suddenly grew larger and then plunged straight into the ground in front of the demonic Cultivator.
"I don’t care about your background. Dying under my Ghost Banner, your cultivation won’t have been in vain."
The Ghost Banner flapped loudly as countless wisps of distorted Devilish Qi, either grayish-white or pitch-black, surged out from within.
The moment the banner pole sank into the ground, faint demonic sounds began to echo within the previously silent darkness.
A demonic head emerged from the top of the banner, green-faced with fangs, and spectral blue ghost fires dancing in its eye sockets.
Even from a distance, one could clearly feel the terrifying Devilish Qi contained within it.
Seeing this, a dangerous smile suddenly curved on Sheng Nian’s lips.
The demonic head, carrying overwhelming Killing Intent, charged straight at him.
Sheng Nian didn’t strike with his saber; instead, he took half a step back, as if making room for someone.
At that very moment...
...a massive, pale white skeletal hand reached out from the darkness. Five phalanges sank deep into the Devilish Qi, grabbing the demonic head in one swoop!
The tall, thin Cultivator’s pupils constricted.
A sharp, peerless sword glow flashed in the palm of the giant skeletal hand, and simultaneously, the hand exerted sudden force.
Bang!
It crushed the demonic head into pieces.
"Pfft—"
The sudden turn of events left no time for reaction. The tall, thin Cultivator’s mind and spirit were severely jolted, and he spat out a mouthful of foul blood.
The Devilish Qi filling the air immediately stalled before collapsing and dispersing.
A whirlpool of ghostly light lit up in the palm of the skeletal hand. The dispersing Devilish Qi flowed like rivers to the sea, being sucked into the depths of the vortex.
On the originally pale skeletal hand, vein-like black patterns gradually began to appear.
A massive pitch-black palm gradually took shape as the wisps of Devilish Qi poured in.
Then, the entire pale white skeleton stepped out from the boundless darkness, like an Asura demon crawling out of Hell.
At the same time, two other figures walked out of the darkness.
Beneath the skeletal Dharma Body, a youth in a black and gold Daoist robe stood with a navy-blue sword chest on his back, his golden eyes looking at him with indifference.
The other was masked and slender—it was none other than Corpse Puppet A Yuan.
The moment he saw Song Yan, the tall, thin Cultivator collapsed on the ground, his pupils shrinking. "You..."
"You are..." He slightly raised a trembling finger.
Unfortunately, neither of them seemed in the mood to play with him any longer; he had already lost his utility.
"The night is deep."
Sheng Nian stood beside the tall, thin Cultivator, looking down at him as he slowly drew his transverse saber. "Brother Lei, you should rest early..."
The low voice seemed to surge from all directions. Every word was like a heavy hammer striking the heart.
To his horror, the tall, thin Cultivator discovered that the protective light shield he had summoned was swallowed by the boundless darkness almost instantly.
How could he not understand by now?
Both Sheng Nian and Song Yan were far, far stronger than they had imagined.
The initial restraint was merely to use his Demonic Technique as practice!
The most critical question was: why were these two working together?
One was a Disciple of the Six Major Sects, a target hunted by the Yellow Springs Path.
The other was a Disciple under Hermit Xin Shan of the Seed Demon Path... they were two people who shouldn’t have anything to do with each other!
Finally, a look of terror appeared on his face, and he screamed hoarsely, "Spare my—"
The blade, carrying the darkness of night, instantly filled his entire field of vision.
Buzz—
A flash of saber light passed, and the tall, thin demonic Cultivator’s corpse fell to the ground. The slash across his neck was hideous, and blood oozed out.
It soaked into this night.
Sheng Nian casually flicked the blood droplets off his transverse saber, an uncontrollable smile on his lips. "This saber you gave me is really good. Where’d you get it?"
"I killed a demon cultivator from the Corpse Bone Abyss and stripped it off him."
Song Yan glanced at it and teased, "He was called something like the Young Mountain Lord... his status was about the same as yours."
Sheng Nian was stunned, thinking to himself that those demon cultivators from the Corpse Bone Abyss wouldn’t come seeking revenge on him, would they... The conversation between the two Young Masters didn’t affect the progress of Corpse Puppet A Yuan’s work in the slightest.
By now, he had properly disposed of the tall, thin Cultivator’s remains and taken the qiankun bag for himself.
There were still many people on the mountain who needed to die; he might as well collect everything together and present them one by one when the Young Lord asked.
The three of them headed up the mountain path, with Corpse Puppet A Yuan silently following behind, his steps firm yet noiseless... Qingsong Temple, a side hall.
Inside the hall, the candlelight was dim, and the air was filled with a heavy, rank stench.
Layers of fur blankets and messy, torn undergarments were spread across a massive circular warm jade bed.
Heavy panting echoed within the side hall.
Three enchanting Mortal women were entwined around the Fat Daoist, but their eyes were vacant, like walking corpses.
The Fat Daoist lay on his back, reaching out a hand to roughly press down on a Mortal woman’s head.
Listening to her unconscious struggling sounds, he revealed a satisfied smile.
He turned his head toward the other side of the massive jade bed.
Beneath the delicate-looking young demonic Cultivator was also a Mortal woman, but he wasn’t enjoying himself like the Fat Daoist; instead, he had his eyes slightly closed as the Qi circulated within his body.
He seemed to be practicing some kind of Cultivation Technique.
The Fat Daoist watched as the young woman’s life force gradually withered away, feeling quite distressed.
"Old Third, I’m telling you, don’t just focus on Cultivating at a time like this. How much cultivation can you really gain from a few mere Mortals..."
"It’s just some superficial stuff obtained from the Hehuan Sect; it won’t increase my cultivation much."
The delicate-looking demonic cultivator slowly finished his work. "However, it’s still good for tempering the Foundation and refining Dharmic power."
Looking at the body before him, whose skin had withered like an old woman’s, a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.
Then, he tossed her into a corner like trash.
The Fat Daoist thought it was a pity.
The delicate-looking demonic cultivator casually threw on a cloak, got off the bed, and sat down in a chair.
The Fat Daoist reached out to both sides, rubbing vigorously.
Interest suddenly sparked in his eyes, and he formed a Daoist seal.
The three women’s expressions became dazed for a moment, and then they suddenly regained consciousness.
Seeing the scene before them, they all erupted into heart-wrenching screams.
"Hahahaha..."
The Fat Daoist laughed loudly, grabbed one of them, pulled her into his arms, and flipped her over.
The side hall was filled with miserable wailing and lewd sounds.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound of knocking came from the door.
"Hmm?"
The delicate-looking demonic cultivator frowned and looked toward the door.
He asked with some confusion, "Is Big Brother back?"
"Shouldn’t be so soon." The Fat Daoist’s hands and body didn’t stop moving as he panted, "Which blind bastard is looking for us at this time?"
The delicate-looking demonic cultivator stood up, walked to the door, and opened the side hall’s entrance.
Meeting his eyes were three unfamiliar figures under the moonlight.
The three stood at the door, and seeing someone open it, they all looked up at the same time.
Almost instantly, a boundless darkness surged in frantically, completely submerging his vision.
Within the boundless night...
...only a single bright, clear moon remained.
