Chapter 892: The Path of Demonry
Chapter 892: The Path of Demonry
The nature of the Demon Sect is entirely different.
Since Mo entered the Qian Province, he has frequently worked with the Dao Court to hunt bounties. Now, he has a much clearer understanding of these demonic and evil cultivators.
Sin Cultivators are those who have violated the Dao Laws.
These cultivators might originally be righteous, practicing orthodox cultivation techniques, but due to selfish motives or momentary impulses, they commit crimes such as murder, theft, plunder, defilement, and vampirism, leading to their being hunted and captured by the Dao Court.
Sin Cultivators operate in a gray area and are often indistinguishable in terms of their cultivation techniques.
Some Sin Cultivators can even commit crimes, cover their tracks, and present themselves as respectable individuals, living a glamorous life in public.
The condition is that their crimes remain undiscovered and are not traced by the Dao Court.
The nature of Demonic Cultivators is even more sinister, and their cultivation techniques and Dao Laws can be easily distinguished.
Demonic Cultivators are those who have strayed from the righteous path, either due to a deviation in their cultivation or by learning certain Demonic Techniques and spells.
Demonic Cultivators who turn to the dark side often act alone.
Occasionally, they might form groups, but each member operates independently, and their cultivation techniques and Dao Laws are different.
Demon Cultivators, however, are different.
They gather with a clear purpose, under a unified leader, and commit evil deeds systematically and with organization.
These Demon Cultivators have a structured lineage, practicing the same type of Demonic Cultivation Techniques, nurturing the same kind of evil Artifacts, and wielding the same source of Dao Laws.
The structured lineage of Demonry is the most distinct difference between Demon Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators.
Initially, Simo didn't pay much attention to this, but as he encountered more of them, he found the Demonic Cultivation Techniques to be rather peculiar.
He consulted Gu Changhuai and some front-line Dao Court officers who hunt Demon Cultivators, and only then did he understand the sinister and terrifying aspects of the Demonry Lineage System...
Regardless of whether they are righteous or demonic, cultivators need "resources" to practice.
Righteous cultivators' resources are Spirit Stones.
Demonic Cultivators' resources are people.
Or, more precisely, "people" are the "Spirit Stones" of Demon Cultivators.
Righteous cultivators, through their own efforts, extract Spirit Stones, refine spiritual energy, and steadily advance on the path of the Dao, though the process is slow but stable.
This process is righteous but tedious, arduous, and too slow.
Thus, Demon Cultivators take a different path, resorting to killing, robbing, and exploiting others' hard-earned blood and spiritual energy.
This method of cultivation is faster and more powerful in combat.
However, at a certain level, this path hits a bottleneck.
That is, relying on one's own strength to kill, rob, and exploit is still too slow.
Therefore, some powerful Demon Lords develop "Subordinates."
These Demon Lords pass their Cultivation Techniques to several Disciples, sending them out to kill, rob, and absorb blood and spiritual energy on their behalf.
The blood and spiritual energy absorbed by these Disciples are partially digested by them, but most of it is "contributed" to the Demon Lord.
This is because the Demon Lord's techniques are what the Disciples practice, and their cultivation progress, the strength of their Dao Laws, and even their life and death are controlled by the Demon Lord.
They have no choice but to submit.
If these subjugated Demon Disciples want to grow stronger, they must become independent and develop their own "Subordinates."
They must take on Disciples, pass on their Techniques, and absorb spiritual energy and blood from their Disciples to gradually become stronger.
Their Disciples' Disciples, and so on...
As the layers of Disciples grow, the Demonic Techniques spread wider, the number of Demon Sect members increases, and the amount of blood and spiritual energy absorbed from righteous cultivators also grows.
Thus, the original Demon Lord receives more contributions, and his cultivation naturally becomes more powerful.
This is the "Lineage System" of the Demon Sect.
This system has some exceptions, but the overall structure remains unchanged.
Layer upon layer, the exploitation and absorption of blood and spiritual energy move upward.
The end goal for Demonic Cultivators is to become a Demon Sect Cultivator who passes on Techniques.
The end goal for Demon Sect Cultivators is to form a Demon Sect that passes on the path of Demonry.
And the ultimate goal of the Demon Sect is to be led by a Demon Lord, reigning above millions, nurturing countless "Blood Slaves" and "Spirit Slaves," consuming people to the bone, and monopolizing everything—the "Grand Demon Temple"...
This secret was uncovered by Simo through a combination of Sect Records and inquiries from various sources.
Of course, now that the Dao Court has unified and enforced righteous laws, hunting Demon Cultivators and destroying all Demonic Techniques and records, the "Grand Demon Temple" has been erased from the history of the cultivation world, rarely mentioned by anyone.
However, as long as there is greed, anger, and delusion in human nature, there will be Demons.
It is difficult to completely eradicate Demon Cultivators.
The Lineage System of the Demon Sect naturally persists.
Compared to the gray-area Sin Cultivators, solitary Demonic Cultivators, and the mixed multitude of ordinary Demon Cultivators, the Demon Sect, with its large scale, shared Lineage, and tight structure, spreads like a plague through the "Lineage Transmission" of Techniques.
Even a small Demon Sect has stronger organizational power, greater destructive potential, and higher danger...
"The recent emergence in the Qianxue Province is a Demon Sect practicing Blood-Based Demonic Techniques."
"The Demon Cultivators in this Sect feed on the blood and flesh of cultivators and have already committed three major crimes: the destruction of a Second-Rank Minor Clan, a small village outside a city, and a gathering of nearly a thousand cultivators..."
Gu Changhuai's expression was grave.
Simo also frowned.
"It's not just that," Gu Changhuai added, "These Demon Sects are developing 'Subordinates,' spreading Demonic Techniques, and expanding their influence. The difficulty for the Dao Court in handling them is continuously increasing..."
"Is the leader a Great Demon Cultivator at the Golden Core Stage?" Simo asked.
"Yes," Gu Changhuai nodded, his expression stern, "And there is more than one. The Demon Sect has over a dozen Golden Core Elders..."
Over a dozen Golden Core Cultivators...
Simo sucked in a breath of cold air.
In the surrounding areas of the Qianxue Province, over a dozen Golden Core Demon Cultivators are a formidable force.
Among the various cultivation forces, those at the Cave Void Stage are considered ancient patriarchs who rarely move or interfere.
Those who have reached the pinnacle of cultivation, known as Feathered Ascension, are the most formidable figures in the world.
Back when the demon and righteous cultivators of Lishan City in Dali Mountain Region besieged his master, the highest cultivation level involved was Feathered Ascension.
At that time, he was still young, with low cultivation and limited experience, so the impact wasn't deeply felt.
Now, reflecting on it, most of the Feathered Ascension realm True humans are the top-tier combatants that major forces can mobilize.
Even the mysterious "Mr. Tu," the hidden and unpredictable leader of the Demon Sect believers in the Great Desolate Evil God, is likely only at the Feathered Ascension realm.
Feathered Ascension realm true humans aren't rare, but Mo Hua is only at the Foundation Establishment realm, making him feel insignificant in comparison.
If he were to truly cultivate himself, it would be like chasing a mirage, a distant and unreachable goal.
Below Feathered Ascension is the Golden Core realm.
Even in some major family clans, Golden Core cultivators are considered the backbone of the family.
This is even more true in the smaller immortal cities of the second and third ranks around Qianxue Region.
In these regions, even peak Foundation Establishment cultivators like Fire Buddha and Water Yanluo can dominate an area.
These Golden Core realm demon lords, with their organized and planned sect legacies, are undoubtedly a "great calamity."
Mo Hua sighed.
But this is a Golden Core realm affair, and at his Foundation Establishment level, he can do little to nothing.
If he were to truly step into the fray, he would be dead in a matter of moments.
A peak Foundation Establishment Fire Buddha can already fight for so long; how much more so for a dozen Golden Core demon sect cultivators?
"Will the Dao Court send more reinforcements?" Mo Hua asked.
Gu Changhuai replied, "I can't give you specifics, but the Dao Court has already begun to mobilize Golden Core cultivators from nearby regions to lend a hand. After all, the emergence of a demon sect is a major event, especially in a region like Qianxue, where sects stand in the open."
Mo Hua nodded and then looked at Gu Changhuai with concern.
"Uncle Gu, you need to be careful too."
This isn't a laughing matter.
"Relax, I have a plan," Gu Changhuai said.
Though he spoke with confidence, his expression was grave, indicating that the situation wasn't easy.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
Uncle Gu was like this, with a bit of pride in his bones. He would bear his own burdens and wouldn't speak up unless necessary.
"Alright, just be careful," Mo Hua said.
With a dozen Golden Core demon sect cultivators, he could do little to help.
Gu Changhuai nodded, "Don't worry."
...
After the New Year's banquet, the head of the Gu family personally sent Mo Hua back to Tai Xu Sect in a carriage.
A few days later, the New Year festivities ended, and the new year began.
This was Mo Hua's seventh year at Tai Xu Sect.
From this year on, it would be the late Foundation Establishment phase.
Mo Hua was the only one at the mid Foundation Establishment phase.
He officially became the first and, to date, the only disciple to enter the late Foundation Establishment phase directly from the mid Foundation Establishment phase.
This made Mo Hua feel somewhat "out of place."
Even more out of place was the fact that a group of late Foundation establishment disciples would have to call him "Little Senior Brother," which put a lot of pressure on him.
As Little Senior Brother, he not only failed to set an example but also lagged behind, becoming the "tail end."
He only didn't get held back because of connections.
More importantly, all the disciples Mo Hua knew, whether it was Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, Hao Xuan, Yang Qianjun, Linghuxiao, or Xiaomutou, had all smoothly advanced to the late Foundation Establishment phase.
Only he remained at the mid Foundation Establishment phase.
Mo Hua felt very uncomfortable.
Thus, his foremost task thereafter was to break through to the late Foundation Establishment phase as soon as possible.
From then on, Mo Hua focused on cultivation.
Finally, one morning a month later.
Mo Hua was in his routine cultivation.
Spirit stones were refined into pure spiritual energy, flowing through his meridians, completing a grand circulation, and converging in the sea of qi, where they condensed into a mercury-like form of spiritual energy.
Over and over again, Mo Hua cultivated steadily, without haste or anxiety.
Finally, water wore through stone.
Mo Hua's sea of qi trembled, his spiritual energy boiled, and his meridians and acupoints felt somewhat heated.
This was a sign of encountering a cultivation bottleneck.
Mo Hua's spirit stirred.
But breaking through with the Heavenly Derivation Art was different from ordinary cultivation techniques.
After all, this was an ancient and obscure cultivation method that took an unconventional path.
After his spiritual energy boiled, it didn't break through immediately but instead dispersed into tiny threads, overflowing from his meridians and flowing through tiny channels, gradually converging at his Baihui point.
At the Tianmen point, these threads of spiritual energy, like fine silk, formed a curtain, breaking through the barriers of flesh and bone, penetrating the sea of consciousness.
Finally, the spiritual energy intertwined with the sea of consciousness, manifesting as intricate array patterns, forming complex array formations, continuously merging and weaving, like rivers converging into the sea, spider webs spinning silk, transforming into a vast spiritual curtain-like puzzle array.
Mo Hua had seen this scene many times, starting from the Qi Refinement realm.
Now, the entire process was largely the same but with minor differences.
But this bottleneck was somewhat different.
The array patterns were more advanced, the puzzle array more complex, and the volume much larger.
These weren't the most critical points; the most crucial was that the color of the puzzle array was pure gold.
This was the color of the divine essence.
In other words, it was the color of "divine essence transformation."
Mo Hua approached the puzzle array, comparing the color of his divine essence with the puzzle array's color, finding his own "shimmery gold " far less pure than the puzzle array's golden hue.
This meant that his divine essence transformation level didn't meet the requirements of the Heavenly Derivaion Art.
Mo Hua tried to communicate with the puzzle array using his divine essence, attempting to break through the array.
But the puzzle array, formed by the interweaving of spiritual energy and divine essence in the sea of consciousness, was like a stroke of gold, heavy as a thousand catties.
Mo Hua exerted his utmost effort, but with his divine essence, he couldn't even mobilize it.
This meant he didn't even qualify to "break the puzzle array."
Mo Hua took a deep breath.
Though he had some mental preparation, the "abnormality" of the Heavenly Derivation Art still exceeded his expectations.
Even with his current divine consciousness, he still didn't meet the qualifications for cultivation?
Just who in the ancient era was actually able to learn this ancient technique?
Such a high threshold, is it really reasonable?
It can't possibly be for divine beasts or deities, right?
Or perhaps, the cultivators of the ancient era were all beings with divine consciousness so powerful that it was considered "monstrous"?
Mo Hua was speechless.
He sat down, gazing at the golden maze array in the sky, feeling a sudden sense of helplessness. He couldn't help but sigh.
However, no matter how difficult it was, he had to find a way to overcome it. Sighing wouldn't help.
Moreover, this was the final major hurdle before reaching the Golden Core stage. Once he crossed this threshold, the next step would be forming his Golden Core.
Forming a Golden Core!
Mo Hua felt a surge of energy and began to calm down, considering how to break through this bottleneck.
From what he understood, the bottleneck of the Heavenly Derivation Technique had two requirements:
1. The quality transformation of divine consciousness, which was the "Dao-ization" of divine consciousness that Huang Shanjun mentioned. This transformation was indicated by the color of the divine marrow.
2. The creation of the maze spirit curtain using spiritual energy and divine consciousness.
However, the maze was relatively easier for Mo Hua to handle.
His mastery of second-tier array formations, especially in the realms of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, was already at a level of perfection, even earning high praise from Master Xun.
So, he could solve the maze, though it might take some time.
The real problem was the "Dao-ization" of his divine consciousness. Mo Hua was still far from achieving it.
To enhance the "Dao-ization" of his divine consciousness, he needed to consume "divine marrow."
And it seemed that just a little bit wouldn't be enough. He needed a large amount of divine marrow.
Divine marrow again...
Mo Hua felt a headache.
He thought for a moment. If he wanted to consume divine marrow, the first method was still to target the Great Wasteland Evil Deity.
Find the altar, kill the deity's remains, refine the divine marrow, and then consume it to achieve the "Dao-ization" of his divine consciousness.
But the current situation was rather dire.
By using the authority of the Dragon King Temple altar and his "evil fetus" identity, he had erased the blood oath list, extinguishing the life souls of all the deity's followers.
Mr. Tu had become desperate. Since all his second-tier followers were dead, he decided to directly use a third-tier Golden Core.
Mo Hua couldn't handle a Golden Core level setup.
Additionally, he still had the threat of the evil fetus within him.
Even without the evil fetus, it wasn't a good time to wander around.
He was now the "First in Qian Studies, the Array Master," a "famous" person.
People say that humans fear fame as much as pigs fear getting fat.
He was now "fat" with attention, being watched by many people, both openly and secretly.
Mo Hua never imagined that he, once an unknown disciple, would one day be constrained by his own fame.
Because of this, he had to stay within the Tai Xu Sect for the next period, avoiding going out as much as possible.
With this in mind, it seemed there was only one way out:
Killing the evil fetus.
By slaying the evil fetus within his life soul, he could refine its divine marrow, further "Dao-ize" his divine consciousness, break through the bottleneck of the Heavenly Derivation Technique, and reach the late Foundation Establishment stage.
However, the idea of "killing the evil fetus" had crossed Mo Hua's mind many times.
The problem wasn't whether he wanted to kill it, but that he hadn't yet perfected his divine slaying technique. With his current means, he couldn't kill the evil fetus.
He had been cultivating the Tai Xu Divine Slaying Sword Technique all along.
Every day, he would strike his divine soul with the sword.
Each strike weakened the evil fetus a bit.
But despite his efforts, the evil fetus remained stubbornly attached, showing incredible resilience.
Mo Hua wasn't sure how many more strikes it would take to kill the evil fetus.
He could speed up the process by striking more times each day.
But that would increase the burden on his divine soul, requiring more "divine marrow" to repair it.
This created a vicious cycle.
He needed divine marrow to cultivate the divine slaying sword and kill the evil fetus.
But he could only get divine marrow by killing the evil fetus.
Without divine marrow, he couldn't kill the evil fetus, and without killing the evil fetus, he couldn't get divine marrow...
It was almost a "deadlock."
Mo Hua sighed. For the next few days, he pondered this dilemma.
But this "deadlock" wasn't easy to break.
...
A few days later, it was the seventh day again.
Mo Hua drew an array, reviewed his sword techniques, and sat in his disciple's quarters, waiting for Ancestor Dugu to come and take him.
A moment later, a rift in the void appeared.
Mo Hua felt a moment of dizziness, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the forbidden area at the back of the mountain, surrounded by ancient sword graves.
Ancestor Dugu, as usual, began teaching Mo Hua sword techniques, then tested his sword skills, and finally had him use a bamboo sword to chop at a piece of wood as hard as stone.
Mo Hua did as instructed.
While Mo Hua was chopping the wood, Ancestor Dugu frowned slightly, watching him.
After half an hour, Ancestor Dugu suddenly shook his head. "No good..."
Mo Hua was startled and turned around. "Ancestor, did I chop incorrectly?"
"You chopped correctly," Ancestor Dugu said, "but it's too slow. At this rate, it will take ages for you to achieve any significant progress in sword techniques."
"And by the time you master the technique of transforming divine consciousness into a sword, I might be long dead."
Mo Hua: "..."
"Ancestor, you are a Void Transcender, you can live for thousands of years," Mo Hua said.
Ancestor Dugu's expression was calm. "Don't flatter me. I am very clear about my own life and death."
"Then..." Mo Hua scratched his head, "should I stop practicing?"
Ancestor Dugu shook his head. "I have thought about it. You need to change your method of practice."
"Change the method?"
"Yes." Ancestor Dugu's gaze was sharp, as if he could see through everything. "You are different from others. You need to take a unique path, or your talents will be buried and wasted."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
