Chapter 40: The Golden Decree Revitalizes the Cultivation World (40% complete)
The moment the demonic energy solidified, the surrounding cultivators erupted in chaos. Some drew their weapons without a word and became alert.
"Demonic energy! How could there be demonic energy on Kunpeng Mountain!" someone screamed frantically.
Some people were deathly pale, their lower lips trembling uncontrollably, and they could barely speak: "Could it be...could it be that the cultivation world has been corrupted by evil forces again, just like it was ten thousand years ago?"
Demonic energy is an evil entity that grows stronger by attaching itself to a person and absorbing their distracting thoughts; it is immortal and indestructible.
"The future of the cultivation world is bleak now, how can it withstand another blow! Could it be that the Heavenly Dao really intends to destroy the cultivation world?" someone said in despair.
No one knew that the will of Heaven was powerless. All they saw was that the cultivation world's fortunes had not improved in the past two thousand years, and the appearance of demonic energy amidst the panic was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, crushing the faint hope in everyone's hearts.
One of the medicine cultivators was relatively composed. After a brief moment of panic, he calmed himself down and thought about it a bit more: "The Demon Suppression Well is far away in the deep sea. If anything is to be harmed, it should be Yongzhou, which is on the shore, that suffers first. How could demonic energy suddenly appear at the grand gathering in Lingzhou, which is thousands of miles away? Moreover, judging from the withered state of the demonic energy, it doesn't look like it has ingested evil thoughts. It was probably brought here by someone."
A single word awakens one from a dream.
"There must be a demonic cultivator present who intends to disrupt the cultivation world!" The crowd exclaimed in disbelief.
Among the crowd, the Buddhist practitioner's eyes were full of compassion, but the prayer beads in his hand spun twice as fast as usual: "Amitabha."
A holy light emanated from his body, capable of purifying some impurities.
Even Buddhist monks were tempted to kill.
The Demonic Dragon is not a true dragon, but a giant dragon skeleton parasitized by demonic energy, wreaking havoc on the human world. It was the culprit who repeatedly ravaged the cultivation world ten thousand years ago. In the end, it was suppressed in the abyss of the deep sea by the united efforts of righteous cultivators. Once the demonic energy selects a host, it cannot automatically escape unless the host dies. Since the bone dragon is a corpse, it could not possibly escape the seal alone. Someone must have deliberately taken it out with malicious intent.
The cultivators present miraculously reached a consensus—
If the cultivation world ceases to exist, how can we talk about cultivating and ascending to immortality? Right now, nothing is more important than eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path!
Shui Fan, who was being stared at by everyone, seemed quite relaxed. He picked up the demonic, curled-up body and swung it around a couple of times, his eyes filled with curiosity: "The journey from the seabed to Lingzhou is long. How did you get here? Did you grow legs?"
He knew, of course, that demonic energy couldn't have escaped on its own; otherwise, the cultivation world would have fallen starting from Yongzhou. But that didn't stop him from asking. He wanted to know who had the ability to bypass their Merfolk clan and steal the demonic energy.
The reason why the demonic dragon and its demonic energy were suppressed in the deep sea is twofold: firstly, because there is no evil thought to be drawn from such a desolate place; and secondly, because the merfolk, who have lived on the seabed for generations, are the nemesis of the demonic energy that humans fear so much.
The mermaid race's tears turn into pearls, and their eyes are hailed as the clearest blue sea. No matter how demonic energy hides, it cannot escape their detection. Moreover, their claws are incredibly sharp, capable of tearing apart intangible evil beings.
If the demonic energy had grown up, it might have posed a threat, but Shui Fan had often wandered around the Demon-Suppressing Well since he was a child. Not only was he a natural nemesis, but he had also learned to suppress demonic energy early on. In his eyes, this wisp of demonic energy was like a skinny rat whose tail had been stepped on before it even had a chance to eat, and it was nothing to be afraid of.
The "local specialty" that had been squeezed and played with in the palm of my hand had given up struggling and was now playing dead.
Helian Yi's eyes, suppressing his anger, coldly shot towards the Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master.
It's not that local specialties have grown legs; it's clearly that someone's hands have overstepped their bounds!
"Why did everyone suddenly draw their swords?" Completely unaware, Shen Suqi opened her eyes, rubbed her slightly numb legs, and stood up.
When the demonic energy was captured, she was at a critical juncture, busy digesting the spiritual energy continuously flowing into her dantian, and couldn't hear anything.
She took a moment to feel it, and now she felt as if she had entered a completely new world. Her senses had become exceptionally sharp, and even the gentle breeze and the falling dust could not escape her ears.
The joy of advancing to the Golden Core stage far outweighed the worry about the perilous situation.
She blinked, about to ask another question, when a powerful burst of spiritual energy struck her face, startling her.
Before she could react, the sacred defensive artifact in front of her raised a blue barrier, blocking the sudden attack.
"You audacious demonic cultivator! Surrender now!" The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace, slightly panicked, preemptively struck, flicking his whisk to send out an attack. After being blocked, he gritted his teeth and locked his sinister gaze on Helian Yi. "Young Master Helian, are you going to protect the demonic cultivator?"
"A demonic cultivator? Me?" Shen Suqi pointed at her nose, unable to control her voice, as if she was unsure and needed to get to the bottom of it, "Fang Hong, if I were a demonic cultivator, would I have allowed Shen Qirui and the Holy Prayer Palace to live so freely until now?"
"The demonic energy was detected on you. So many eyes have seen it, and you still dare to deny it!"
The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace turned to the crowd below and declared righteously, "Everyone, I was unaware that my wicked disciple had betrayed the palace and joined the demonic path. Demonic cultivators are to be killed by everyone. Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven!"
"Wait, although the demonic energy was taken from her, it's clear that someone else is trying to use it to harm her," Helian Yi interrupted.
The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace sneered: "Who can make a move under the nose of the Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect without being detected? This wisp of demonic energy could only be carried by her."
The Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master's eyelids twitched, and he had a strange premonition that the situation was getting out of control.
He extricated himself from the situation, but Fu Hong, that fool, dragged him into it again with just a few words. His cultivation level does indeed allow him to see things that others cannot. If it is found that the demonic energy was deliberately harmed, he, as the leader of the righteous path, will lose his responsibility for failing to supervise the scene.
Now he has no choice but to help the Palace Master of Shengqi Palace, even if he doesn't want to.
Xiao Tingyuan drew his sword immediately, and as the most righteous person, he stepped forward to stand up for his friend: "The appearance of demonic energy is suspicious and should be investigated carefully."
Huangfu Mian hated those who bullied others by abusing their power, and said loudly, "You're jumping to conclusions so hastily, are you hiding something?"
Su Xiaoyao feigned surprise and covered her mouth, her expression and movements extremely exaggerated: "Oh dear, if no one had noticed, Sister Suqi would probably have already gone mad and exploded to death without anyone knowing. Who would have benefited from that... Palace Master, you should clean up your own mess before you speak."
"You! Your language is foul!" No one has ever dared to speak to him like that in hundreds or thousands of years. The exchange of words between them made the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace turn red with anger.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm still here. Is nobody paying attention to me?" Shui Fan pushed aside her black robe and raised her arm high. Her arm was so smooth and lustrous, like jade, that it almost made people dazzled.
He belatedly realized that he was wearing a magical artifact that reduced his presence, which made everyone subconsciously forget to investigate his existence, which allowed him to see demonic energy.
He removed the magical artifact that concealed his aura, casually took off his black robe and stuffed it back into his storage space, revealing his dazzlingly handsome face.
Having been cooped up in his robe for a long time, his cheeks flushed slightly. He tossed his long, light-gold hair and blinked his sparkling blue eyes before finally adjusting to being exposed to the air again.
At this moment, no one was in the mood to appreciate Shui Fan's stunning good looks; they recognized his race.
Merfolk, no wonder they can see demonic energy.
Shui Fan stood with her hands on her hips, her voice crisp and clear: "Shouldn't you ask me what the facts are? What right do you have to draw conclusions?"
The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace sneered: "You came here with Shen Suqi, you must be in cahoots to cover up the truth."
Shui Fanqi laughed: "If I wanted to cover up the fact that she's a demonic cultivator, would I actively expose her demonic energy? Use your brain, okay?"
"Alright." The Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master spoke up at the right moment, his majestic and turbid eyes looking at Shui Fan. "The Merfolk live far away in the deep sea, isolated from the world. I wonder what your intentions are in suddenly coming ashore."
"What's it to you?" Shui Fan rolled her eyes.
“Of course it’s related.” He lowered his thick eyebrows. “I didn’t detect any demonic energy just now, which means that no one else wanted to harm Shen Xiaoyou. So it can only be that Shen Xiaoyou’s spiritual energy is impure, or that the demonic energy came from someone who was very close to her just now, which is why I was not paying attention.”
This is practically saying that the demonic energy was brought by Shui Fan.
The merman prince could not tolerate such slander and immediately retorted, "It is not your place to slander me. It is not difficult to find out who controls the demonic energy. There is only one kind of spell in this world that can control the demonic energy. Its drawback is that the controller will suffer the same damage when the demonic energy is injured. You will know once you try it."
The Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master was unsure whether what he said was true or false, but his gaze dimmed after sensing the unstable aura of the Holy Prayer Palace Master.
The matter of demonic energy was a secret they shared. Because the Holy Prayer Palace possessed the spiritual incantation to control demonic energy, it entrusted it to Daoist Fu Hong. This fool actually kept such an important side effect a secret!
The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace turned to the Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect for help, but his heart skipped a beat when he met the other's cold gaze, which was as cold as if he were looking at a dead person.
It's over! He's been abandoned!
One wrong step leads to another! He can only save himself! There are too many people here today; he can't kill them all. He has to think of a way!
He was in a predicament where he couldn't back down, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Let him think about it... I've got it!
"How can you prove what you're saying is true? The incantation to control demonic energy was destroyed by the Heavenly Dao Ancestor ten thousand years ago. Even I, the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace, have never heard of such a secret. You are the only one here who is related to demonic energy." He forced himself to remain calm. "Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different intentions. You wouldn't be planning to use demonic energy for evil purposes!"
Shui Fan was stunned by his ability to distort the truth. Just as he was about to defend himself, the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace shouted, and a force as heavy as Mount Tai spread out from him instantly. The spiritual energy in the air rippled like water, suppressing all the cultivators in the Qi Condensation stage present.
Everyone was stunned by the immense pressure; under the overwhelming pressure of the early stage of the Fusion Realm, no one dared to make any unnecessary movements.
"A demonic cultivator and a monster, my dear nephew. Today, even if Patriarch Helian were here, he couldn't have protected them. You'd better keep your eyes open when making friends in the future." The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace exhaled a breath of turbid air, regaining his upright and noble demeanor, and rebuked Helian Yi, the only one who was protected by a sacred artifact and not restrained.
He secretly regretted it. With such overwhelming strength, why waste words on some brats? He should have listened to the Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master and secretly taken the person away to steal the cultivation technique. With such strength, he wouldn't care what others say. Why did things have to come to this?
Thinking of the sect leader of the Xuantian Sword Sect, he glanced back and gritted his teeth in resentment.
Helian Yi's expression darkened slightly.
A single act of greed unexpectedly unleashed demonic energy. Fortunately, he had instructed his family to sever ties with those stagnant old fogies and prepare to serve the Heavenly Evolution Academy; otherwise…
The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace watched his changing expressions and smiled contentedly. He deliberately made a hand seal in front of him and threw an attack that was enough to annihilate the souls of all the other young cultivators on the arena.
No old man had ever dared to overwhelm him with strength before, and he was unrivaled among his peers. For the first time, the proud son of heaven, Helian Yi, felt so powerless. He was equipped with countless treasures, but he didn't have time to take out his magical weapons to protect others. Under the huge gap in strength, all he could do was pour out all the protective gear in his Qiankun bag and storage space to resist.
The others weren't afraid; they weren't reckless fools who didn't consider the consequences. The reason they dared to challenge them was because they all had some means of self-preservation.
However, at that very moment, all the magical artifacts and talismans became ineffective!
The confident mission takers stared in shock at the Xuan Tian Sword Sect Master, who had a slight smile on his lips.
"boom!"
The domineering spiritual energy exploded, and the blinding white light caused even highly skilled cultivators to shed tears.
The intense light faded, the arena remained intact, and none of the youths had even a scrap of clothing missing.
How could this be!
The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace widened his eyes and hurriedly waved his whisk again.
A burst of spiritual energy struck from the stands, not only shattering the full-force attack of the Nascent Soul cultivator, but also striking the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace right at his feet, startling him so much that he involuntarily took a step back.
The arena and the ground were scorched with a bottomless hole. If the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace hadn't retreated in time, he would have been crippled by this attack.
The restraints on everyone loosened instantly, and the pressure from the Nascent Soul stage dissipated in an instant. They looked towards the source of the spiritual energy and were all stunned.
As dusk fell, golden light cascaded down, gently caressing the handsome young man with the fan, whose unopened folding fan pointed directly at the arena.
The moment he made his move, the veil covering his face was blown off by the reverse flow of spiritual energy. His eyes behind the white veil were calm, and a faint smile was habitually on his face, which made him very likable. It was as if he was not the one who had just stopped him. Only the sleeves that were swaying in the wind still had a faint killing intent.
Lin Ming slowly withdrew his hand, pressed his thumb against the main fan rib, and opened the folding fan that had just unleashed a killing move with a "whoosh." He calmly waved it, completely ignoring the surprised or angry gazes cast around him.
Using his spiritual power, he spread his voice throughout Kunpeng Mountain and said softly, "Chen Suxi's cultivation technique has a clear origin, but as far as I know, the cultivation technique that my master gave to Shengqi Palace was destroyed five thousand years ago when your palace was fighting amongst itself."
"Furthermore, Fang Hong, you are the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace, so why do you possess demonic energy?"
Lin Ming maintained his gentle and polite tone, speaking at a measured pace, sounding calm and composed. Even when addressing the Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace by his real name, he remained incredibly gentle.
However, the sharpness and bluntness surging beneath his words dispelled his usual gentleness. Every word he uttered struck the hearts of the leaders of each faction, who held extraordinary positions, with an unquestionable authority, like the unconscious rebuke of someone who had long held a high position when speaking to someone in a lower position, a rebuke that held the power of life and death over them.
The Holy Prayer Palace had a connection with "that person." The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace recognized the Pixiu gold token worn by Lin Ming at his waist better than anyone else. Every pattern on the gold token was deeply engraved in the minds of every Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace.
—Seeing the Golden Token is like seeing the Heavenly Dao Ancestor. Before each successor of the Holy Prayer Palace, one must swear to obey all arrangements made by the holder of the Golden Token; otherwise, one's Dao heart will be lost and one's path to immortality will be severed.
The golden token that disappeared ten thousand years ago has reappeared...
The Palace Master of the Holy Prayer Palace lost all color in his face, and only one thought remained in his mind.
It's over, completely over.
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