Eternal Sacred King Chapter 181 to 185

 Chapter 181: River Undercurrent

The ground trembled and the stone coffin shook violently along. Slowly, it tilted and slid down a pitch black crack, falling over.

Moments later, the stone coffin fell into water with a loud splash and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Dust flew everywhere as boulders rolled down.

The sky was collapsing!

After a long time, the tremors finally calmed down. The original place was reduced to ruins without any sign of life.

In the middle of the ruins, there was a huge hole. It was pitch black and no one knew where it led to.

A gentle breeze gusted in the dark night, blowing away the dust of the ruins.

Not far away, four figures stood.

To be precise, there were five!

One of the figures was extremely blurry and indistinguishable in the night – it was the thousand-faced assassin.

The five fiend heirs looked at the ruins not far away, theirs gazes flickering with a lingering fear.

Feeling cold from the wind’s breeze, the five of them suddenly realized that their clothes were drenched in sweat.

There were hundreds of fiend sect cultivators with fiend heirs, all of them gathered for the inheritance of this place. This could be considered as a rare clash between the juniors of the fiend sects.

However, none of them expected the stark changes of this expedition. Notwithstanding the fact that they did not obtain the inheritance, it nearly even turned into a massacre.

Of the hundreds of fiend sect cultivators present, only the five of them survived.

The Malevolent Earth Sect heir was slain by an unknown green robed cultivator. Demoness Ji could not escape in time and was definitely buried in the ruins.

If not for the drastic change in terrain later on that dispelled the ancient spirit lock formation, even the five of them may not have been able to make it out.

With complex expressions, none of them spoke.

This ruin was caused by that terrifying skeleton.

However, for some reason, the person who left the deepest impression on everyone that night was the unknown green robed cultivator.

To be fair, if he had not ruptured the heart of that skeleton at the final moment, their fates might have been the same and they would have their essence blood absorbed by the skeleton.

“Who was that person?”

After a long time, Pang Yue suddenly asked.

Shangguan Yu shook his head. “He should be someone from the immortal sects. There’s only those few immortal sects that are strong in melee combat. Since his bloodline contained the power of thunder, I gather that he might be a legacy disciple of Zephyr Thunder Palace.”

“What a pity.”

Pang Yue smacked his lips as a look of pity flashed across hie eyes.

He was not discouraged over his previous defeat to Su Zimo. Instead, his fighting spirit burned even fiercer.

His strength was far greater than Su Zimo.

The fact that Su Zimo’s consecutive killing moves were unable to truly injure Pang Yue’s tendons, bones and essence qi was evident of how powerful and terrifying the latter’s physique was!

The reason why Pang Yue lost was because he had underestimated the enemy, giving Su Zimo the chance to take the initiative and suppress him to the very end without a chance to comeback.

Pang Yue believed that he would definitely not lose if they fought again!

Now that Su Zimo had fallen, Pang Yue had lost the chance to defeat him. He could not help but feel regretful and sighed.

In fact, Pang Yue was not the only one – the other four fiend heirs were similarly frustrated.

At the end of the day, there was an ancient spirit lock formation in this place and everyone’s spirit energies were restricted such that they could not unleash their true strength.

To them, the Malevolent Earth Sect heir had met with an unjust death.

“It’s a pity that man is dead. Otherwise, we’ll definitely come across him on the ancient battlefield in the future. At that time, I’ll definitely let him witness the power of Cloud Rain Sect!” Shangguan Yu harrumphed softly.

“What’s the point of saying all this?”

The Illusion Fiend Cult heir flicked his sleeve and left, replying coldly, “Time to go. See you on the ancient battlefield!”

The thousand-faced assassin flickered and disappeared on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, all five fiend heirs left one after another and peace returned to the ruins.

Not long later, a voluptuous and curvaceous figure descended upon the ruins. She had exquisite looks and exuded a mature aura, as if she could stir the deepest carnal instincts in one’s heart.

It was the chief steward of Sky Treasure Auction House, Gu Xi!

“What happened exactly?” Gu Xi murmured with a solemn expression.

“Swoosh!”

Gu Xi stood in midair above the ruins and a terrifying force surged out from her glabella. Releasing her spirit consciousness, she searched the ruins carefully, unwilling to miss any traces.

“Nothing?”

Gu Xi frowned and gazed at that bottomless pit beneath her. After hesitating slightly, she descended eventually.

Before long, Gu Xi arrived above a river.

She searched her surroundings once more but to no avail, looking at a river nearby.

Using her spirit consciousness, Gu Xi seeped into the river and searched through the depths of it.

After a while, her expression changed and she retracted her spirit consciousness.

She caught sight of a dark shadow flowing into the distance at the bottom of this river.

If she was not wrong, that should be the undercurrent of the river.

The undercurrent was extremely strong and turbulent. Any object that fell into it would be swept away.

The final position would naturally be at where the undercurrent ended.

“Yan’er, just where are you?”

The figure disappeared, leaving behind a soft sigh.

Not long after Gu Xi left, deep in the rubble beside the river, a pair of pitch black holes in the eyes of a skeleton emitted a scarlet, sinister glow!

...

Even though Su Zimo and Demoness Ji were hidden in the stone coffin, both of them still suffered a huge blow the moment it fell into the river.

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

Su Zimo grunted softly and Demoness Ji howled in pain.

The two sounds that emitted together from the stone coffin came across as strange.

Su Zimo felt a sharp pain in his chest. That sudden impact rattled his tendons and bones, causing him to gasp as it felt like his bones were falling apart.

Demoness Ji’s arm was previously injured by Shangguan Yu. It was a minor injury and was no longer bleeding after it was bandaged.

However, that impact tore the wound once more as Demoness Ji frowned and yelped.

Although there was a thick stone coffin between them, Demoness Ji could still feel the flow of the river outside.

She heaved a sigh of relief.

No matter what, they had managed to escape the place. Once the stone coffin sank to the bottom of the water, they would be able to break out from inside.

All of a sudden!

The stone coffin did not continue to sink. As though it was pulled by an external force, it continued to roll forward.

It was a sudden change of momentum and the two people who were caught off guard inside collided against one another.

Both of their hearts went aflutter as they retreated subconsciously. However, there was not much excess space within the cramped stone coffin.

After that, the atmosphere within the stone coffin turned odd immediately. The temperature seemed to be rising in a frustratingly hot manner.

In the darkness, both of them panted slightly and faced each other. Their eyes met but they did not speak.

Su Zimo turned his head and slanted his body slightly.

His body was still slightly swollen because the bloodline essence within it was not absorbed yet. It did not matter if he moved, but once again, he accidentally made contact with Demoness Ji.

Su Zimo quickly stopped what he was doing and laid rooted to the spot.

Chapter 182: Blood Refinement Fiend Sutra

Instead of sinking to the bottom, the stone coffin was brought away by an external force. There was only a single possibility – they had met with a river undercurrent.

Neither of them had an option in the river undercurrent.

Even if they were to leave the stone coffin now, they would not be able to get out of the river undercurrent. Furthermore, both of them were injured.

Right now, they could only leave it up to fate and leave the stone coffin after it left the river undercurrent.

Upon realizing that there was no danger, Demoness Ji was slightly relieved. She glanced sideways at Su Zimo who was lying beside her and rolled her eyes, curling her lips with a hint of playfulness.

“Hey, you did it on purpose, right?”

Demoness Ji suddenly asked.

Su Zimo closed his eyes and did not reply, feeling a tinge of guilt.

After all, the two of them had just bumped into one another and there was no avoiding physical contact.

“I didn’t expect that you’re no different from others despite looking refined and decent. You’re also as perverted! Hmph, to think that you would call yourself a righteous person of the orthodox path, aren’t you ashamed?”

The both of them were extremely close to each other and Demoness Ji’s body emitted a seductive fragrance of flower as she exhaled.

Su Zimo listened to Demoness Ji’s reproachful tone. Feeling the warmth by his ear, he could not help but feel restless and unable to control himself.

All of a sudden!

His heart skipped a beat as he bit his tongue to try and maintain clarity.

After what happened to Wu Xiangming, Yan Fei and the rest, Su Zimo had vaguely guessed what Pure Maiden Sect specialized in.

“No wonder those of the fiend sects call her a demoness.”

Su Zimo praised internally.

Even though he was prepared, he was nearly bewitched by her as well.

Every single frown, smile, action and emotion of Demoness Ji would cause one to be attracted to her unconsciously. If they were not careful, they would sink into her charms, unable to extricate themselves.

Noticing that Su Zimo kept his eyes closed and refused to answer, Demoness Ji could not help but grin and asked gently, “Hey, let me ask you. Why didn’t you get in first earlier? Why did you let me in first?”

Su Zimo suddenly opened his eyes and replied coldly, “I’m afraid you might be crushed to death because you’re too stupid.”

“Ugh... ”

Demoness Ji nearly choked on Su Zimo’s reply as she grit her teeth subconsciously.

However, on second thought, the situation was truly way too treacherous back then. If she were to stay behind, she would definitely not be as decisive as Su Zimo.

It was highly likely that she would be crushed to death by the boulders as Su Zimo had mentioned.

Even so, she was still a little angry.

She felt pent up for some reason.

Demoness Ji bit her red lips and pinched Su Zimo suddenly, saying coquettishly, “Go over there! Stay away from me!”

Even without her saying that, Su Zimo wanted to keep his distance from her – as far away as possible.

However, the stone coffin was extremely cramped and did not have much excess space.

Right now, the best solution was to refine away the bloodline in his body and return it to normal. That way, there would be more space.

If nothing unexpected happened, Su Zimo should be able to attain greater mastery of his Marrow Cleansing section after refining the bloodline essence!

Taking a deep breath of air, he channeled the mental cultivation technique of the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound and started his breathing and expiration in the stone coffin.

“Huff... hmm... bang! Boom! Boom!”

Strange sounds suddenly emitted from Su Zimo’s body. It got louder and clearer, like a tiger, leopard and thunder!

Su Zimo’s bloodline began to churn along with the rise and fall of the sounds.

The boundless bloodline essence was being refined and infused into Su Zimo’s own bloodline.

Demoness Ji watched silently at the side without saying anything.

She could naturally guess that Su Zimo was channeling an extremely strong blood swapping technique.

The reason why this refined man possessed such terrifying power should be because of that technique as well.

She listened intently at the side, blinking and planning on learning that secret skill herself.

However, that was a naive thought.

Su Zimo’s blood swapping technique was a combination of two top-notch Marrow Cleansing techniques. It was the one and only Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound in Tianhuang Mainland!

Putting aside the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound, how much time did Su Zimo spend to comprehend the sound of tigers and leopards?

Demoness Ji did not even have a mental mantra. It was truly wishful thinking for her to want to comprehend Su Zimo’s secret skill just by listening to it.

After a day and night, Demoness Ji finally gave up after multiple fruitless attempts.

She pouted and sulked.

The Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound was indeed extremely powerful. After just a day and night, Su Zimo’s body had shrunk considerably and it wouldn’t be long before it returned to normal.

The most surprising thing for Demoness Ji was that the wound on Su Zimo’s chest had already healed and was beginning to form a scab!

“What strong regeneration capabilities!”

She was secretly astonished.

That wound pierced through Su Zimo’s body entirely.

Even for body tempered cultivators, they might not recover fully without half a month at least.

However, Su Zimo had only spent a single day and night to recover all wounds on his body!

At that moment, the wound on Demoness Ji’s arm had only just healed and stopped bleeding – it would take a few more days for scabs to form.

“What sort of a monster is this?”

Demoness Ji stared at Su Zimo’s side profile, lost in thought.

After the blood swapping, Su Zimo’s complexion became even fairer and brighter. It was soft and tender like a newborn baby, crystalline like jade.

“No wonder sister can’t forget him. I’m impressed, this lad does have some capabilities.”

Pausing for a moment, Demoness Ji thought again, “Hmm... those aren’t small capabilities either for him to be able to teach Lunatic Pang a lesson.”

After enduring for so long, Demoness Ji was tired as well.

As she watched Su Zimo who was cultivating, her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted into sleep.

After a long time, she jolted awake from her dreams. Bouncing upright, she slammed against the lid of the coffin with a loud thud.

“Ouch!”

Demoness Ji rubbed her head and cried out in pain.

With that, she was completely awake and remembered where she was.

Instinctively, she looked to the side. Su Zimo’s body had returned to normal and he was staring at the lid of the coffin with a reared head.

Demoness Ji quickly checked her body and only heaved a sigh of relief after ensuring that it was fine.

As the pure maiden of the fiend sects, this was an amateur mistake that she should not have committed – she fell asleep beside a man!

If it was the fiend heir of Cloud Rain Sect, Shangguan Yu, beside her, the consequences would be dire.

“That was close.”

Demoness Ji stuck out her tongue lightly and subconsciously glanced at Su Zimo.

“Eh?”

This time, she discovered Su Zimo’s abnormality.

She had initially thought that his eyes were opened in a daze.

Now that she was taking a closer look, he seemed to have noticed something and was studying it carefully in a trance-like manner.

Demoness Ji followed his gaze and looked towards the lid of the stone coffin.

“Oh?”

Her eyes widened as she discovered something strange as well.

There were words on the lid of the coffin!

The handwriting was a little messy as if it was carved with something sharp.

Previously, the atmosphere between them was ambiguously flirtatious in the stone coffin. Coupled with the fact that it was completely dark, neither of them bothered to notice the lid of the coffin.

Now that they focused, they could vaguely make out the words on the coffin lid.

There were four words on the first row... Blood Refinement Fiend Sutra!

Chapter 183: Buddha Bead, Hand Seal

Upon seeing those words, Demoness Ji’s heart palpitated as she continued reading hurriedly.

Gradually, her eyes widened and she was engrossed as well.

Even though it was pitch black in the stone coffin, Su Zimo had extremely strong eyesight after cultivating The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness. Everywhere his gaze was, it would be clear like daylight.

This was a cultivation technique for one’s bloodline and it detailed many strange spirit arts. Profound secrets of the bloodline were depicted and there were many novel techniques in stimulating and making use of the bloodline’s power – this was something completely unheard of.

The spirit art used by the skeleton to devour many of the fiend sect cultivators previously was the Blood Devouring Technique, one of the many detailed in this Blood Refinement Fiend Sutra.

Even though many of the spirit arts in this Fiend Sutra were vile and evil, some of them caught Su Zimo’s interest. He secretly memorized and pondered over them.

Even though this trip with Demoness Ji was filled with many surprises, it was a blessing in disguise.

Now, Su Zimo had attained greater mastery of the Marrow Cleansing section. His bloodline flowed quietly in his body, giving birth to immense power and shimmering with a crystalline luster such that his blood vessels were almost transparent.

From now on, Su Zimo could start to cultivate the Organs Refinement section!

Only, it was much more difficult to cultivate than the Marrow Cleansing section!

The Marrow Cleansing section gave mention of the sound of tigers and leopards.

However, the Organs Refinement section merely contained obscure and complicated scriptures without any mention of demon beasts and whatnot.

Su Zimo had no clue at all how he should go about refining the Organs Refinement section.

After a long time, the stone coffin began to shake violently.

It was thrown out by an external force before calming down and sinking gradually.

Su Zimo’s heart stirred – he realized that the stone coffin had already left the river undercurrent.

At the side, Demoness Ji was already at the limits of her endurance. Wearing her veil again, she channeled her spirit energy and pushed with her palm heavily against the coffin lid.

With a bam, the lid was blown away as river water surged into the stone coffin.

In the blink of an eye, Su Zimo was drenched.

Demoness Ji was already prepared as a nearly transparent barrier was conjured around her body, repelling water.

Turning to look at Su Zimo’s sorry state, she could not help but laugh.

In the river, Su Zimo floated. He looked a little dazed, as if he had yet to regain his senses.

In truth, it wasn’t because Su Zimo’s reaction was not fast enough.

It was because after water gushed into the stone coffin, Su Zimo caught sight of a Buddha Bead around the size of a longan 1 floating.

The Buddha Bead was extremely old. Even though it was made of wood, there was no sign of decay.

A palm was etched on the Buddha Bead that had its middle finger and thumb touching to form a hand seal. Every single line on the palm could be seen clearly and it was bedazzling.

Su Zimo had merely taken a single look at the Buddha Bead when he felt his vision blurring into an extremely shocking scene.

It was like a battlefield in purgatory. Corpses piled into mountains and blood flowed like rivers everywhere. The smell of blood filled the air and black clouds were overcast in an atmosphere so repressing that one could barely breathe.

A cold wind blew in the surroundings, sending chills down one’s spine!

A man covered in blood stood atop the mountain of corpses. With his back facing Su Zimo, he was laughing with his head lowered like an unparalleled fiend.

It was a sinister and terrifying laughter, sounding as though it was ringing right inside Su Zimo’s ears – it was extremely unsettling!

A moment later, bits of golden light shone through the gaps in the black clouds, scattering some warmth across the battlefield.

With the passage of time, the golden light grew more and more intense, almost tearing the pitch black clouds away.

All of a sudden!

A dazzling golden pillar of light descended from the sky, seemingly tearing the heavens and shining on the fiend.

“Roar!”

The fiend was furious and reared its head, bellowing towards the heavens in wrath. The veins on its necks were exposed and its blood vessels were protruding in a terrifyingly ferocious manner, akin to a living ghost from hell!

Boom!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, a bedazzling golden palm descended from the sky. It crushed down gently with its middle finger and thumb touching one another to form a hand seal.

“Fiend Suppression Seal!”

A deep voice sounded.

Before the golden hand seal even descended upon the fiend’s head, its body suddenly exploded as though it could not withstand the pressure, spraying blood all around the place in a horrifying manner.

Su Zimo felt his eyes sting from the splattered blood and he snapped out of the illusion.

The entire process seemed very slow but in fact, it occurred in the split of a moment.

Looking at the Buddha Bead nearby that was sinking, Su Zimo broke into a shudder.

There was a flash of struggle in his eyes. After some hesitation, he swam into the river and chased after the Buddha Bead, clasping it in his palm.

There was nothing unusual when he retrieved it.

Su Zimo heaved out a sigh of relief.

It seemed that as long as one did not look at the pattern on the bead carefully, they would not fall into the illusion from before.

“Fiend Suppression Seal.”

Those three words flashed through Su Zimo’s mind.

Needless to say, that must be an extremely powerful secret technique.

Even though the illusion had lasted for a moment, that golden hand seal left a deep impression in Su Zimo’s mind and he could not forget about it.

Kicking his legs, Su Zimo swam towards the river surface and before long, he arrived at the shore.

At that moment, his upper body was nude and his pants were sopping wet.

Demoness Ji pursed her lips and swept her gaze across Su Zimo’s lower body. Just as she was about to tease him, Su Zimo’s body shivered and he churned his bloodline.

With the power of the bloodline, a white mist emitted from Su Zimo’s body suddenly.

All the water droplets were vaporized!

Under the veil, Demoness Ji’s mouth opened into a circle.

Su Zimo retrieved a clean green robe from his storage bag and wore it. He also tossed the Buddha Bead conveniently into his storage bag.

Demoness Ji’s eyes shifted. Recalling the abnormality of Su Zimo at the bottom of the river, she approached him and blinked. “What did you find down there?”

“It’s nothing.”

There was naturally no way Su Zimo would tell Demoness Ji about the Buddha Bead as he replied casually.

“How stingy!”

She harrumphed.

Summoning a flying sword, Su Zimo leaped on it and flew into the air, surveying the place.

He did not know where the river undercurrent had brought them.

Demoness Ji arrived in midair and looked down as well.

Su Zimo pondered for a while and looked at the river behind him. His heart stirred and he had a vague guess where they were.

This was Yongxing River, a tributary of Jishui River that originated from the Great Zhou Dynasty and passed by Yan Country.

In other words, Su Zimo and Demoness Ji had arrived in Yan Country’s territory!

Su Zimo looked over at the capital of Yan Country with longing in his eyes.

“I’ve been away from home for two years. I wonder how elder brother is doing.”

The scene of leaving Ping Yang Town two years ago felt like yesterday in his mind.

Su Zimo did not have many relatives. Other than him, the Su Family only had Su Hong and Su Xiaoning as descendants.

Su Xiaoning was far away in Azure Frost Sect and it was not easy to see her. Su Zimo decided to visit his brother in the capital of Yan Country.

Chapter 184: Obsession

After a rough analysis, Su Zimo rode his flying sword and sped towards the direction of Yan Country’s capital.

When Demoness Ji saw that Su Zimo turned around to leave and ignored her, she could not help but feel agitated. Stomping her foot, she chased after him on her flying sword.

As the pure maiden of the fiend sects, her status was unimaginable – it was not something an Ethereal Peak disciple like Su Zimo could compare to.

Furthermore, she was born a charming woman. After cultivating the supreme mystic classic, Pure Maiden Sutra, every single frown and smile of hers would exude the power to bewitch all living beings.

Even for cultivators who were a realm above her, they could easily fall under her skirt if they were slightly careless.

Any cultivator who had the slightest bit of evil intent when they saw Demoness Ji would inadvertently fall under the bewitchment of the Pure Maiden Sutra.

The entire process was subtle and difficult to detect, causing one to sink deeper and deeper.

That was the true terror of the Pure Maiden Sutra!

Even a single thought would work!

They would be controlled by the pure maiden of the fiend sects!

What made Demoness Ji upset was how Su Zimo had not been interested in her right from the beginning. Moreover, he was extremely wary.

He was even more so after discovering her identity, wanting nothing more than to keep his distance and never see her again.

That made Demoness Ji question her charms or whether there was a problem with the Pure Maiden Sutra.

Both of them sped through the air one after another. Just like that, half a day was gone.

Su Zimo stopped and turned to look at Demoness Ji behind him, frowning.

She came to a stop as well, ignoring his gaze. With her hands behind her back, she pretended to be nonchalant and looked at the scenery below in a seemingly relaxed manner.

Su Zimo turned back and left and Demoness Ji followed him again.

Even when he changed directions and routes, she followed accordingly.

Stopping in his tracks, Su Zimo turned around and asked, “Why are you following me?”

“Tsk.”

Demoness Ji rolled her eyes and pouted. “That’s odd. You’re going your own way and I’m going mine. Who’s following you? Stop thinking so highly of yourself!”

Su Zimo nodded. “Alright then, where are you going?”

“I...”

Demoness Ji was at a loss for words. She rolled her eyes and retorted, “Why do you care where I go? The world is huge and I can go anywhere I want!”

Because this woman was Ji Yaoxue’s younger sister after all, Su Zimo could not do anything to her.

Furthermore, back in the inheritance ground, Demoness Ji had the chance to escape but she did not abandon him. That proved that she did not have a bad nature despite being someone of the fiend sects.

Su Zimo turned to leave and she followed hurriedly.

After a short while, Demoness Ji suddenly asked, “Hey, you seem to hate me?”

“I don’t have a good impression towards those of fiend sects,” Su Zimo replied.

“Fu...”

Demoness Ji smiled as a look of mockery flashed in her eyes. She shook her head. “I thought you were different from others. To think that you’re a fool as well.”

“Oh?”

Su Zimo raised his brow and replied, “You’re a young brat who has been led astray. Why do you speak as though you know right from wrong? Does your sister know about this?”

“What do you mean by going astray?”

Demoness Ji was suddenly agitated as she stopped in front of Su Zimo and looked him in the eyes. “Since you don’t have a good impression towards those of the fiend sects, you think that the path of fiends is one that’s astray? Let me ask you then, do you know what fiends are? Do you understand anything about fiend sects?”

Su Zimo was stunned for a moment. He wanted to reply but did not know what to say.

Indeed, it was difficult for him to define fiends and he did not understand fiend sects as well. In fact, he had not even heard of the seven fiend sects before he met Demoness Ji.

After a moment, Su Zimo replied, “Indeed, I don’t know what fiends are. However, I know that Wu Xiangming, Yan Fei and the others were sincere about wanting to protect you. But, you got them killed.”

Demoness Ji scoffed coldly, “That’s where you’re wrong. Yan Fei was someone from Cloud Rain Sect and he had no good intentions following me! As for Wu Xiangming and the rest, I can assure you that they were only lured there because they had ill intents towards me. Such people deserve death!”

“If I didn’t have the means to protect myself, what do you think they would have done to me?”

Su Zimo thought for a moment before adding, “Back in the past, I encountered a sect named Joyful Sect here. Their disciples committed all sorts of evil and abducted women, using their Yin to raise their cultivation realms. If that’s not fiendish, what is? Joyful Sect is in the same league as Cloud Rain Sect, there’s no difference!”

“That’s where you’re wrong again.”

Demoness Ji revealed a look of disdain and shook her head. “I’ve never heard of any Joyful Sect before. Although I’m not a disciple of Cloud Rain Sect, I know that Joyful Sect is not even befitting of carrying the shoes of Cloud Rain Sect cultivators!”

She paused for a moment and asked again, “Also, do you know Cloud Rain Sect very well? Why do you claim that Joyful Sect and Cloud Rain Sect are in the same league and there’s no difference? On what basis?”

“Their cultivation techniques...”

“Just because you’ve seen Joyful Sect’s cultivation techniques, you understand the cultivation techniques of Cloud Rain Sect?”

Su Zimo remained silent.

Demoness Ji continued, “Let me tell you, even though the disciples of Cloud Rain Sect are frivolous and always have sex with women, they don’t force any women at all! Otherwise, they will be punished heavily by Cloud Rain Sect and even sentenced to death!”

“Moreover, copulation between men and women is a fusion of Yin and Yang, the universe’s natural path and the primordial Dao. What’s wrong about that? If that’s fiendish, you’re telling me that all married couples in the world are fiends?”

Upon hearing this, Su Zimo frowned.

In that case, Cloud Rain Sect and Joyful Sect truly had a difference.

Cloud Rain Sect would not force others. If the women were willing, there was nothing to say about that.

“Also, the real fiend sects are only the seven of us. In fact, six! Even Malevolent Earth Sect cannot be considered as a true fiend sect, let alone some rubbish like Joyful Sect. Do you think they’re fit to be called fiends?”

Demoness Ji continued, “Since you don’t know what fiends are, let me tell you!”

“There’s a reason why the Dao of fiends can be ranked alongside the immortal and Buddha Dao and be passed down through the ages. The Dao of fiends is the Dao of obsession... the Dao of extremity!”

“Dao of obsession, Dao of extremity...”

Su Zimo repeated and frowned in deep thoughts.

What Demoness Ji said had indeed given Su Zimo a new understanding of the term ‘fiend’.

The fiend mentioned by Demoness Ji seemed to depart largely from his previous impression of the term.

Furthermore, there would definitely be some degree of obstinateness in everyone’s hearts. If they were to take a step more and reach the state of obsession, they would turn into fiends.

Obsession turns one into fiends!

Su Zimo asked, “Since it’s the Dao of obsession and extremity, what does Cloud Rain Sect cultivate?”

“The Dao of indulgence.”

Demoness Ji explained slowly, “In the Cloud Wind mental sutra, indulgence is at the basis of it. However, there are two major taboos. One is to not force others, the other is to not be stirred by emotions!”

“The reason why Yan Fei died in my hands was because he had violated the two great taboos of the Cloud Wind mental sutra, resulting in him exposing a fatal opening. As such, his death comes as no surprise.”

If one wanted to indulge in lust, they would have to be heartless!

That was the obsession and extremity of fiend sects.

One would have to forsake many things to tread on this path.

Fiends were incomplete and imperfect.

Su Zimo’s heart was shaken. After a brief pause, he asked, “What does the Pure Maiden Sect cultivate?”

“Not telling you.”

Demoness Ji smiled slyly.

Chapter 185: Four Years On

After Demoness Ji’s words, Su Zimo had a new understanding and impression towards her and fiend sects.

Just like immortals and Buddha, fiends had a Dao of their own.

After pondering for a while, Su Zimo suddenly thought of something and asked, “A few months ago, I met a cultivator in a spirit mine with ruthless methods. He massacred an entire city of living beings and uses a vile cultivation technique that can suck a living person into a dry corpse. Is he someone from the fiend sects?”

“From what I know, there’s no such cultivation technique in the fiend sects,” Demoness Ji shook her head.

She paused for a moment and continued, “The reason why the reputation of fiend sects is bad in the cultivation world is all because of you people from the orthodox path. As long as it’s something that goes against humanity, you guys accuse us of the fiend sects for it. It’s truly despicable!”

“If it’s not done by the fiend sects, you guys can come forth and explain yourselves,” Su Zimo frowned.

“Fufu.”

Demoness Ji scoffed coldly, “There’s no way the fiend sects will do that. Demons have their pride.”

She thought for a moment and said, “A senior in the fiend sects once gave an example to describe the difference between immortals and demons. I think it’s rather apt.”

“For the same treasure, cultivators of the fiend sects would fight for it openly. However, cultivators of immortal sects would vie for it in secret and frame it onto those of the fiend sects.”

“That’s a little extreme.”

Su Zimo shook his head. “I don’t wish to argue with you anymore.”

With that, Su Zimo turned to leave.

Demoness Ji followed him again. But this time round, Su Zimo did not chase her away.

“Where are you going?” She asked.

Su Zimo remained silent for a while before replying, “Back home to take a look.”

...

As Su Zimo sped towards the capital of Yan Country, more than ten cultivators arrived at a small town on the border of Yan Country.

They were led by a man and woman.

The man wore sparkling white robes. He had a smile on his face, looking handsome and elegant.

The woman was dressed in a long, emerald dress. Her black hair swayed in the wind and she had beautiful features, looking gentle and quiet.

The both of them rode on their swords and their clothes fluttered in the wind. Like a match made in heaven, they were dazzling and could not be ignored.

More importantly, both of them were at perfected Foundation Establishment realm!

The ten odd cultivators that followed them were all Foundation Establishment Cultivators as well, varying from early to late-stage.

On their waists hung a badge with the words ‘Iridescent Clouds’.

It was daytime at the moment with many citizens walking on the streets. Their expressions changed starkly with the sudden appearance of the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators above them.

The citizens hurriedly knelt on the ground and shouted, “Greetings, immortals!”

Someone in the crowd with sharp eyes recognized the gentle woman and whispered, “It’s that girl from the Shen family!”

“It’s really her! I wouldn’t have been able to tell if you hadn’t said it. She’s changed drastically after four years. She’s just like a fairy now!”

“Shh! Shut up! Stop looking at her! She’s an immortal now! If you anger her, she’s going to gouge out your eyeballs!”

The gentle woman in the emerald dress was none other than Shen Mengqi who was taken away by Perfected Being Cang Lang four years earlier to join Iridescent Clouds Palace.

The white robed cultivator beside her was her senior brother, Xu You.

“So this is your home, junior sister?” Xu You looked at Shen Mengqi beside him with a gentle gaze and asked softly.

“I see.”

She seemed distracted as she responded. Looking at the small town beneath her, she sighed in a dazed manner, letting out a reminiscing expression.

Unknowingly, four years had passed.

Four years ago, she stood with Perfected Being Cang Lang in midair looking at Ping Yang Town the same way.

However, that afternoon, a stubborn youth stood with his chest puffed and head held high on this familiar long street. He did not kneel nor fear.

At the thought of that youth, Shen Mengqi smiled faintly.

Right after, she sighed gently and shook her head.

No matter what, immortals and mortals were different – she was no longer on the same level as that youth.

Decades later, her youth would still be present and she would be in her prime. However, that youth would have entered his later years and await death of old age.

Even though they had unforgettable memories together, that could only fade and disappear along with time.

“Junior sister, junior sister?”

Xu You’s voice pulled Shen Mengqi back from her memories.

“Ah, sorry,” She replied apologetically, neither too intimate nor unfriendly.

Xu You was considered as one of the top ten inner sect disciples of Iridescent Clouds Palace. He had courted her for a long time, but she never agreed to it.

She made the decision to return home for a visit in a low profile. However, Xu You volunteered to accompany her and brought more than ten juniors along.

Before long, Shen Mengqi and the others descended at the Shen residence.

She only had a single kin – her brother, Shen Nan.

The Shen family had changed drastically. Even though the Zhao and Li families were eradicated and removed from Ping Yang Town, Shen Nan had benefited greatly from following the two families in the past. As such, he had long expanded into a luxurious mansion.

Because of Su Xiaoning’s kidnapping incident back then, Su Zimo went on a killing spree and killed many people, except Shen Nan.

Even so, Shen Nan did not dare to continue being brazen.

After all, Su Hong’s conferment as king happened in Ping Yang Town. Although no one knew what was going on behind the scenes, everyone witnessed the outcome.

“Mengqi?”

When Shen Nan caught sight of Shen Mengqi, he was rooted on the spot with a look of disbelief.

“Brother, it’s me,” Shen Mengqi smiled and nodded.

“It’s good that you’re back, it’s good.”

Facing more than ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Iridescent Clouds Palace, Shen Nan’s heart was trembling with fear. He looked uneasy as he remarked with a smile.

From Shen Mengqi, Shen Nan could feel an unfamiliar aura.

It was as though their relationship through blood had faded after she entered the path of immortality.

“The family has changed quite drastically.”

Shen Mengqi walked around the Shen residence casually with a smile. Shen Nan followed behind her, not daring to walk in front.

After walking around, Shen Mengqi asked in a seemingly casual manner, “Shen Nan, are the four major families of Ping Yang Town still around? Such as the Su family?”

“Ah?”

Shen Nan froze for a moment and shook his head with a strange expression on his face. “N-Not anymore.”

“The Su family is not around anymore?”

Shen Mengqi stopped in her tracks and suddenly turned around, frowning.

“Yeah, they’re all gone.”

Shen Nan nodded and related everything that happened four years ago.

Shen Mengqi listened intently.

“That Su Zimo must have taken on an expert in the pugilistic world as his master. His strength grew by leaps and bounds and he destroyed the Zhao and Li families almost singlehandedly!”

Shen Nan glanced at Shen Mengqi. “However, he did not kill me. I think it’s on account of your relationship.”

Shen Mengqi did not reply.

She knew very well why Su Zimo did not kill Shen Nan. Even though it had something to do with her, it was definitely not because of their relationship!

“Junior sister, who is that Su Zimo? Where is he now?”

At the side, Xu You could vaguely tell that Su Zimo seemed to have a close relationship with Shen Mengqi in the past. Because of that, he was long frustrated and asked with a scowl.