Cang Hai didn't understand why his junior brother had changed his mind so quickly. "Alright, alright then."
Although his junior brother was young, he remained calm in the face of adversity and was more reliable than himself in certain situations. Cang Hai felt somewhat reassured going to find their master together with him.
The two headed toward Taixu Immortal Mountain.
Powerful Immortal Venerables naturally suppressed weaker Demonic Beasts, and similarly, powerful Demonic Beasts naturally intimidated weaker Cultivators.
As soon as Cang Hai entered Taixu Mountain, he felt his hair stand on end.
Not far along the way, Tantai Jin saw several corpses of Immortal Sect disciples on the ground.
Cang Hai's expression was complicated, and he was about to say something when Tantai Jin walked straight ahead without even glancing at them.
"Hey, hey, junior brother, wait for me! You're still injured, you need to be more careful."
...
Su Su jumped down from Chongyu, which rapidly shrank into an exquisite pendant hanging from her neck.
Su Su's sword had been contaminated with Demonic Energy during the demonic descent in the Secret Realm. As she cultivated the Immortal Path, she naturally could no longer use it. Fortunately, it wasn't a high-grade Immortal Artifact, so she didn't need to feel too heartbroken about it.
She didn't know where Chongyu came from. When she asked it while flying earlier, it hemmed and hawed: "It's just... your opportunity in the Cangyuan Secret Realm. Ah, I'm just a very powerful Divine Artifact, don't feel pressured."
Divine Artifact...
This world actually still had Divine Artifacts. Su Su couldn't help but think of the curved jade. Unlike the Heavy Feather Konghou, the curved jade wasn't an artifact spirit but an ancient jade naturally formed by heaven and earth.
Chongyu chattered excitedly: "Let's hurry inside and take a look! Chongyu can't wait to show off its skills!"
Even without its urging, Su Su was also very anxious. The voice from the communication compass made her uneasy - her senior brother's safety was still uncertain.
Before her stood the gray stone gate of Taixu Sect. Su Su cautiously stepped inside.
Behind the mountain gate lay an injured disciple.
There was a pool of blood in front of her, and she was coughing.
Su Su walked over, intending to help her up: "Are you alright?"
The female disciple pulled a strange smile at the corner of her mouth, raised her head to reveal a face half-covered with Demonic Marks, and struck at Su Su.
The person before her was clearly a Demonic Cultivator. Demonic Energy surged ominously from her palm as several foul-smelling earthen needles shot out from her hand.
Chongyu shouted: "Su Su, be careful!"
Just as it was about to release sound waves toward the Demonic Cultivator, it saw Su Su's True Fire collide with the earthen needles in the next moment. The needles fell to the ground, and a True Fire cage had already silently formed around the Demonic Cultivator, trapping her.
Su Su looked at the Demonic Cultivator with a smiling expression: "I knew you were suspicious from the start. The Demonic Energy fills the entire Taixu Mountain, so even if there were survivors, they wouldn't be lying openly at the mountain gate. Don't move - if you move again, you'll be burned to ashes by the True Fire. Tell me, where did you come from? Where are the disciples who entered earlier?"
Chongyu: "?"
It withdrew its sound waves resentfully. No way, it hadn't even had the chance to perform yet.
The Demonic Cultivator accidentally touched the True Fire and instantly lost an arm. She screamed sharply and looked at Su Su with venomous hatred.
Su Su stared at her for a moment, the smile disappearing from her face.
This person before her...
She recognized her.
She had even seen her not long ago at the Immortal Sect competition. This wasn't some Demonic Cultivator disciple, but a female disciple from an Immortal Sect, reportedly known for her gentle temperament.
Yet now, the Demonic Marks on the female disciple's face writhed like snakes, extremely ugly, covering her originally delicate face.
How could it have come to this?
Chongyu was also quite puzzled, vaguely feeling that something was very wrong.Unlike the curved jade, which could penetrate heaven and earth and knew a little about everything but lacked combat prowess, Chongyu was a purely formidable divine weapon. Having been sealed in the Secret Realm for ten thousand years, it only had a superficial understanding of many matters.
The female disciple clutched her head and collided with the True Fire. In an instant, her body turned to ashes.
Su Su withdrew her hand. The female disciple had indeed become a Demonic Cultivator.
But her death was too sudden. The only thing Su Su felt grateful for was that she had released True Fire instead of Karmic Fire. True Fire was not as domineering as Karmic Fire and would not harm the Soul.
Her thoughts were heavy, but since she had yet to find Gongye Jiewu, she had no choice but to press onward.
Before the Tai Xu Sect flowed a river, now filled with the stench of blood. Su Su glanced at it once and could not bear to look again.
The entire courtyard was barren, devoid of even a hint of green. Occasionally, spirit swords dropped by disciples and toppled utensils lay scattered on the ground.
The deeper Su Su went, the thicker the Demonic Energy became. She wondered where all the disciples had gone. Apart from the few corpses she had discovered earlier, she saw no one else.
This shouldn’t be, Su Su thought. Each sect had sent over a dozen disciples, so logically, there should be many people here. How could there be no one? Not even any corpses.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a faint sizzling sound seemed to reach her ears.
Su Su’s eyelids twitched, and an inexplicable chill ran down her spine. She was about to summon the Heavy Feather Konghou when the ground beneath her gave way, plunging her into an underground chamber. Someone covered her mouth and pulled her into a dark corner.
Su Su widened her eyes at the person who had grabbed her.
Senior Sister Yaoguang?
The Yaoguang before her looked haggard. Though she had always been radiant, her eyes now brimmed with tears. Realizing Su Su had recognized her, Yaoguang released her hand and gestured for Su Su to peer through a crack in the corner.
Following her gaze, Su Su was shocked to see an enormous purple demonic silkworm!
The creature’s eyes were larger than lanterns, and a pair of bizarre fleshy antennae sprouted from its head.
Before the demonic silkworm sat a man in purple robes, cross-legged. The silkworm obeyed him, meekly crouching at his side.
He toyed with a few shimmering objects while his gaze remained fixed on a pile of purple stones before him.
No… those weren’t purple stones.
Upon closer inspection, Su Su realized they were actually a heap of silkworm cocoons.
Yaoguang grasped Su Su’s hand and transmitted her voice.
"Those cocoons… they are all Immortal Sect disciples."
"What?" Su Su was horrified. "All of them… turned into cocoons?"
Yaoguang’s tone was sorrowful, devoid of the spirited confidence she had when they set out. "They killed the low-level disciples without talent and transformed the rest into cocoons, trapping them in this chamber. That purple-robed Demonic Cultivator is holding something called a Demon Core. He implants it into the Immortal Sect disciples. Most can’t withstand the Demonic Energy and die, but those who survive… become demonic creatures."
To outsiders, this might sound absurd. Gods and demons were distinct—only Demonic Beasts could harbor Demonic Energy. Yet now, this purple-robed man could actually turn Cultivators into demonic beings!
The Demon Core… something capable of turning Gods into demons—where did it come from?
"What about Senior Brother?"
Yaoguang’s eyes instantly dimmed with grief. "To save me, he was taken by the Demon Emperor. His fate is unknown."
Su Su squeezed Yaoguang’s hand in return.
No one could be more heartbroken than Yaoguang about their senior brother’s misfortune. Blaming anyone now was pointless.
Watching the purple-robed man continue to insert Demon Cores into the cocoons, Su Su couldn’t help but say, "I’ll go rescue those disciples."Yaoguang quickly said, "No! We can't defeat him. Brother Gongye said he has already reached the late Fusion stage."
Late Fusion stage!
Equivalent to the late Deity Transformation stage in immortal cultivation.
No wonder. Probably only Qu Xuanzi would stand a chance against him. No wonder Yaoguang could only hide here, watching helplessly as her fellow disciples either died or turned into demons under the torment of the Demon Core.
Su Su finally understood what had happened to the female disciple she saw at the mountain gate—she was a failed product ravaged by the Demon Core.
Devoid of consciousness, her appearance destroyed, knowing only slaughter.
Such cruelty left the two young women in the corner of the secret passage with grim expressions.
Were they really supposed to wait for the purple-robed disciple to finish harming people and leave?
Suddenly, Chongyu around Su Su's neck spoke up: "I can do it! Su Su, use me. We have a fighting chance!"
Su Su wasn't yet accustomed to having Chongyu. Hearing its childish voice now reminded her that she possessed this great weapon.
She had never been one to hesitate. Since there was a chance to save people, she wouldn't hide to protect her own safety. The pain of demonic energy entering the body was already unbearable, let alone that of a Demon Core.
Among those tormented by the Demon Core, probably only one in ten survived.
Su Su flew out and shouted, "Chongyu!"
The Divine Artifact Heavy Feather Konghou emitted an icy blue light, transforming into its true form and landing in Su Su's palm.
The moment Su Su grasped the Heavy Feather Qin, the instrument sensed her Karmic Fire attribute and turned fiery red. The strings emitted a light whistle, resembling a phoenix's cry.
As Su Su's fingers plucked the strings, torrential sound waves shot forth from Chongyu.
The entire secret chamber was instantly engulfed in the burning temperature of the heavy flames.
A fire phoenix, carrying the momentum of the heavens, charged toward the purple-robed man.
Startled, the purple-robed man opened his eyes and found there was nowhere to hide. He hastily summoned his demon blade. When the fire phoenix collided with the purple demon blade, the man staggered back a step, feeling a dull pain in his chest.
Meanwhile, Su Su in the air wasn't faring well either. It was her first time using a complete Divine Artifact, but her current Cultivation couldn't match the Heavy Feather Qin. After just one strike, the immense power of the Heavy Feather Qin backfired, causing her to fall from the sky.
Yaoguang couldn't help but cry out, "Su Su!"
Below was that terrifying demonic silkworm, staring intently at Su Su. If Su Su fell, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Just as Yaoguang was about to rush over regardless, she saw another swift white shadow flash past.
"Junior Brother!" Cang Hai shouted.
The Heavy Feather Qin in Su Su's arms turned back to a listless icy blue.
Su Su landed in a scorching embrace.
She looked up and saw the boy's exquisite jawline.
The youth wore white robes and a Jade Crown, his raven-black eyelashes lowered. Without looking at her, his expression was completely cold. After setting her down, he gave her a cold glance, showing no particular favor, as if he had merely caught Su Su in passing.
Tantai Jin turned around, positioning himself in front of Su Su, confronting the enormous demonic silkworm and the recovering purple-robed man.
Remembering something, Cang Hai quickly threw an object over: "Junior Brother, catch! The 'Primordial Chaos Sword' given by our master."
This precious treasure was something Cang Hai couldn't bear to bring out unless absolutely necessary.
It was also their master's finest treasure. This time, when Cang Hai and Tantai Jin went on their training journey, their stingy master had finally relented and given it to them for self-defense.
Tantai Jin caught the Primordial Chaos Sword. Without waiting for the demonic silkworm to attack, he took the initiative, swirling a sword flower before charging forward.
His techniques differed from the peaceful style of the Carefree Sect—every slash and strike radiated a fearless arrogance and ferocity.The demonic silkworm was massive in size. Tantai Jin dodged the silk it spat out and sliced off the antennae on its head with a single sword stroke.
The purple-robed man said coldly, "Two mere brats dare to challenge me."
He also knew the demonic silkworm was cumbersome in this place, so he simply withdrew it into his Universe Bag and faced Tantai Jin's Primordial Chaos Sword with his blade.
Chongyu said apologetically yet proudly, "Sorry Su Su, Chongyu didn't know Su Su was so weak and couldn't unleash Chongyu's full power."
A vein throbbed on Su Su's forehead.
She had no time to bicker with Chongyu now. Gripping the Chongyu Qin once more, she plucked its strings to assist Tantai Jin against the purple-robed man.
When blade met sword, Tantai Jin was forced back several steps, steadying himself with his sword. His gaze toward the purple-robed man was icy cold.
The Primordial Chaos Sword... still wasn't enough. But the God Slaying Crossbow couldn't be used.
Su Su knew that neither she nor Tantai Jin could defeat a Demonic Cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage.
She had Divine Artifacts, while Tantai Jin had nothing but a low-grade Immortal Sword, yet he stood blocking everyone's path.
While dodging the soundwaves from the qin, the purple-robed man slashed a wound across Tantai Jin's chest with his blade.
Tantai Jin grunted in pain but raised his sword and continued chasing after the purple-robed man with reckless abandon, hacking as if his life depended on it.
He was practically using the sword like an axe.
If not for knowing his own Cultivation was several realms higher than this white-robed youth, the Demonic Cultivator might have thought he was the one being overpowered.
The Demonic Cultivator frowned deeply.
Chongyu exclaimed, "Su Su, you big fool! Quickly release the Karmic Fire! Don't let the soundwaves break!"
Su Su gritted her teeth. "Stop talking!"
After plucking the Chongyu Qin just a few times, her heart ached unbearably. After all, she had been awake and cultivating the Path of Ruthlessness for less than a year. Being able to use Chongyu at all was already a miracle.
Yaoguang and Cang Hai joined the battle.
Tantai Jin still stood shielding everyone. Covered in countless blade wounds, he finally managed to pierce through the purple-robed Demonic Cultivator's arm.
The Demonic Cultivator glared at them with malevolent eyes, then swung his blade down fiercely. This strike carried intense baleful energy, arriving with overwhelming force.
"Chongyu!" Su Su shouted.
Chongyu flew over and blocked the attack for everyone. The qin strings vibrated sharply, but the Chongyu Qin remained completely undamaged.
The Demonic Cultivator glanced at Tantai Jin, covered in wounds, then at the Chongyu Qin. With unwillingness in his eyes, he vanished from the spot in an instant.
As soon as he left, Tantai Jin collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. Refusing to fall weakly, he supported himself with the Primordial Chaos Sword.
Su Su watched him from a distance, tightening her grip on the Chongyu Qin.
Chongyu whispered to Su Su, "He's quite impressive."
And impressive he was—a Golden Core stage disciple daring to wield the Primordial Chaos Sword against a Divine Transformation stage Demonic Cultivator in direct combat.
No matter how high one's Cultivation, everyone fears those who fight without regard for their life.
Chongyu felt the young man's fighting style was practically suicidal.
Yaoguang asked Su Su, "The Immortal Sect disciples are all inside these cocoons. What should we do?" She tried cutting them with her own spirit sword but found it ineffective.
Su Su raised her hand, intending to pluck Chongyu again.
Chongyu said, "You can't use me. I'll destroy the people inside too."
Tantai Jin, supported by Cang Hai, watched everything with cold eyes.
Yaoguang grew anxious, almost pushing the cocoons in frustration. After a long silence, Su Su walked over to Tantai Jin.
Their eyes met.
Su Su's fingers curled slightly. She asked softly, "Can you..."
Looking at him covered in blood, she found it difficult to complete her sentence.
But Tantai Jin stared back at her unblinkingly, pressing aggressively, "You want me to go?"
Su Su parted her lips, about to speak."Enough! Don't say it, don't speak..." He suddenly realized he didn't want to hear her say it. As long as she remained silent, he could deceive himself into believing she hadn't made any choice.
Tantai Jin smiled self-mockingly and walked toward the silkworm cocoons. He cut his finger, letting droplets of blood fall upon the cocoons. Slowly, the cocoons opened, revealing the disciples inside.
He repeated the process to save another person.
Cang Hai said, "Stop saving them. If you continue, you'll lose your life too."
Tantai Jin turned back to look at the young woman standing in the distance. He didn't know what he was hoping for—even just a little concern would suffice.
But the young woman merely watched him in silence.
Tantai Jin could no longer deceive himself. She doesn't care about you, not in the slightest.
Just like back then, whether he lived or died, he still couldn't stir even a ripple in her—the Glazed Goddess statue.
In his heart, this young woman before him outweighed the entire world, yet in her presence, he was more insignificant than any living being.
He pushed Cang Hai aside and continued melting the cocoons.
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