*Thump! Thump!*
By an unnamed riverside, Qin Sang confirmed there were no river gods or earth gods around, then flicked his sleeves and tossed the two demons onto the ground.
The snake demon lay unconscious.
The bei demon rolled over, shock and confusion lingering in its eyes. It had waited a long time without receiving any orders, never expecting Qin Sang to suddenly capture the snake demon. Heaven's might was truly unpredictable, and its fear of Qin Sang deepened by several degrees.
At that moment, Qin Sang shot the bei demon a glance.
A shiver ran down the bei demon's spine. Without needing Qin Sang to give an order, it understood the meaning behind his look. Conjuring a gust of demon wind, it drew up river water and doused the snake demon head-on.
The snake demon slowly revived, shaking its head groggily.
Because the Heavenly Eye Butterfly was inherently fragile, Qin Sang tried to avoid having her face enemies head-on, rarely giving her the chance to hold the line alone.
However, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's cultivation was already at the peak of the late Fourth Metamorphosis, only half a step from the Fifth Metamorphosis, and the divine abilities she unleashed possessed formidable power.
Because Qin Sang had instructed her to spare the snake demon's life and ordered her to conceal her ability to devour tribulation lightning at all times, the strike of heavenly thunder hurled at the snake demon had not employed the power of tribulation lightning.
Even so, the snake demon had nearly perished under the heavenly thunder.
As its consciousness gradually returned, the snake demon recalled what had just transpired. Looking up, it caught sight of Qin Sang standing on the bank and immediately paled with fright. Just as it was about to speak, the bei demon astutely leaned in and whispered a few words into its ear.
Upon hearing them, the snake demon's eyes reddened and fury surged within it. It spat fiercely at the bei demon. From the look in its eyes, had Qin Sang not been standing nearby, it would have devoured the bei demon whole in a single gulp!
The bei demon simply let the spit dry on its face without wiping it away or retaliating, merely chuckling coldly at the snake demon.
Once the snake demon calmed down, its gaze flickered uncertainly before it finally let out a soft sigh and chose to submit. Slithering over to Qin Sang's feet, it prostrated itself on the ground. "This humble demon pays homage to the exalted immortal! Whatever treasures the exalted immortal desires, this humble demon will present them with both hands. I beg only that the exalted immortal show leniency and spare this humble demon's life!"
Qin Sang pulled his gaze back from the distance, looked down at it, and said, "Display your demon register."
"This..."
The snake demon froze. This man was surely a Daoist Perfected. Daoist dharma registers were unrivaled in the world; could a mere demon register catch a Perfected's eye and warrant him going to such lengths?
It glanced subconsciously at the bei demon. Receiving no hint, it dared not hesitate any longer. Taking a deep breath, an illusory silhouette materialized behind it.
The silhouette was a giant serpent nearly a hundred zhang long, coiled on the ground like a small hill.
The serpent's phantom was identical in appearance to the snake demon, and the color of its scales was no different from the demon's own, differing only in its colossal size.
Seeing the snake silhouette, Qin Sang initially thought it was the snake demon's dharma idol, but upon closer inspection found it completely different from his own Azure Luan dharma idol.
The serpent silhouette seemed to be condensed from the snake demon's qi and blood. As its gaze swept about, it brimmed with spirit and vigor, devoid of any stiffness and full of lifelike vitality.
"This is a demon register?"
Qin Sang studied the serpent silhouette with an intrigued gaze. Sure enough, it was starkly different from human dharma registers and register altars.
The snake demon nodded submissively. "This is the inner true form I visualized through cultivating my demon register."
Visualization...
Qin Sang's heart stirred slightly.
The method of visualization was likely shared with Daoism, but what Daoists visualized were altar-protecting divine generals, whereas what the snake demon visualized was a serpent phantom virtually identical to itself, with an aura completely identical to its own.
Outer deities, inner true forms!
Could this be the distinction between Daoist dharma registers and demon registers?
Qin Sang focused his attention to observe closely and inquired about the functions of the demon register.
The snake demon dared not conceal anything, nor was there any need to, for the demon register had only one paramount function: visualizing the inner true form, also known as the inner spirit, which could protect one's mind from being bewildered by heaven and earth's chaotic impulses.
The greatest difference from a dharma register was that the demon register lacked the ability to pacify origin qi. However, demon cultivators mostly cultivated the Dao of Strength, so chaotic qi was actually beneficial to them.
The Dao of Strength was the local demon cultivators' interpretation of the path of body refinement, which was quite apt.
Qin Sang pondered for a moment and asked, "Where did you obtain this demon register?"
"This..."
The snake demon hesitated. "Back when this humble demon's spiritual intellect was still benighted, I inadvertently stumbled into a karst cave. It was the cave dwelling left behind by an almighty expert of my serpent spirit race, and within that dwelling, I obtained an opportunity..."
The snake demon recounted its past experience in detail.
That day, it had been roaming aimlessly when it arrived at a karst cave. Drawn by an unseen pull, it intruded into a grotto deep within the cave. Suddenly, a streak of spiritual light shot into its glabella, awakening its spiritual intellect on the spot. Immediately afterward, cultivation mantras appeared in its mind, and thus it began cultivating in an ignorant daze.
When the snake demon broke through to the Transformation stage, it gradually noticed an anomaly: the inner spirit's protective effect on its mind seemed to be weakening.
Because it had not yet cultivated the technique passed down by that senior to its end, it could not be certain at first. Only after cultivating for a while longer did it finally confirm this fact.
Only then did the snake demon remember something: that senior of the serpent race had also left a keepsake in the grotto, stating that if a junior of the serpent race could cultivate to the Transformation stage, they could take the token to search for him in the Guifang Kingdom of the Twin Mountains region.
Because the snake demon had been cultivating alone in its dwelling and paid no heed to worldly affairs, it only discovered upon venturing out to inquire that the Guifang Kingdom was the demon-ghost realm standing in opposition to the Daoist Court.
The Twin Mountains referred to Jushan Diocese and Gangshan Diocese.
Legends said that the territory controlled by the Daoist Court originally comprised four dioceses. For reasons unknown, it had lost the two dioceses of the Twin Mountains, which were usurped by demons and ghosts to establish the Guifang Kingdom, standing as equals against the Daoist Court.
That senior had not described the demon-ghost realm in detail, and the snake demon dared not provoke the Daoist Court's celestial officials, so it knew little about the situation in the two dioceses of the Twin Mountains, only that relations between the Daoist Court and the demon-ghost realm were far from peaceful, with constant conflict year after year.
Hearing this, Qin Sang interrupted the snake demon and turned to question the bei demon instead.
The bei demon ought to know more.
The bei demon had once followed a Daoist Perfected. Though it could not access true secrets, it had heard a thing or two.
Within the Daoist Court, there was also a saying of the "Two Dioceses and Twin Mountains": Zhongmao Diocese, Baishi Diocese, as well as Jushan Diocese and Gangshan Diocese.
Zhongmao Diocese and Baishi Diocese were governed respectively by the Tianshu Courtyard and the Arctic Exorcism Bureau.
The one truly occupied by the Guifang Kingdom was Gangshan Diocese, while Jushan Diocese was situated between the Daoist Court and the Guifang Kingdom. It was the most chaotic of all, having long served as a battlefield contested by both sides.
When the bei demon was subdued by its former master, that master had only recently returned from Jushan Diocese.
The personal troops under its former master often boasted of the illustrious military exploits they had achieved on the battlefield, leading the bei demon to view them as demon traitors and despise them immensely.
With relentless warfare between the Daoist Court and the Guifang Kingdom, it was clear the legends held some truth.
Journeying to the Guifang Kingdom was no easy task.
The snake demon naturally did not dare cross through the Daoist Court's territory, and skirting the borders was hardly safe either. Daoist cultivators referred to the wilderness outside the Daoist Court as the Sin Plains and Sin Seas.
Having cultivated here, the snake demon knew the Sin Plains and Sin Seas were fraught with perils; it feared it would lose its life halfway before ever finding the Guifang Kingdom.
Having cultivated for many years, whenever it had spare time it focused on refining those nine shed snake skins, leaving its other abilities quite mediocre. Little did it expect that even the meticulously refined skins would fail to help it escape danger, and it had been captured alive by Qin Sang.
Having learned the full story, Qin Sang ordered the snake demon to lead him to the karst cave grotto.
One human and two demons retraced their path.
The karst cave was situated in the center of the snake demon's nine deceptive dwellings. After the legacy had been taken by the snake demon, the place had nothing special about it, which was why the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had not paid it particular attention.
*Drip, drop...*
The grotto was serene, the sound of dripping water clearly audible.
The snake demon shrank in size, turning into a seven-foot-long fine-scaled brocade snake that slithered along the ground, passing between thick stone pillars, before plunging into a subterranean river. After advancing for a short while, it found the entrance to the grotto.
The snake demon turned its head. "Exalted immortal, this is the place."
Qin Sang stepped forward and found the grotto very narrow. In its center lay a circular stone pool whose water was incomparably limpid. Next to the stone pool lay a flat black stone, the only furnishing in the entire grotto.
Qin Sang released his divine sense and had the Heavenly Eye Butterfly probe around, finding no hidden restrictions.
The snake demon could no longer remember how many times it had searched this place. Worrying that the senior of the serpent race might return here, it had stayed nearby to cultivate all this time.
"You plotted against the branch altar master of the Daoist Court because you believed there was a connection between dharma registers and demon registers?"
Qin Sang stared directly into the snake demon's eyes and asked abruptly.
The snake demon was terrified, trembling with fear, and gave a difficult nod.
With the route to the Guifang Kingdom impassable, after careful deliberation, the snake demon had decided to set out only when its cultivation grew higher, which would be safer.
At the same time, it actively sought a way to save itself. Noticing the dharma registers cultivated by Daoist cultivators, it felt the two were remarkably similar and that it might gain insight by analogy to resolve the looming dangers ahead.
It had secretly captured a few low-level cultivators, but reaped minimal results.
Though he had not experienced it firsthand, merely listening to the two demons' descriptions of dharma registers and demon registers led Qin Sang to believe there was definitely a connection between them. They had likely diverged due to differences in their cultivation methods, manifesting in distinct ways.
After pondering for a while, Qin Sang summoned the bei demon and ordered the snake demon to confer the demon register upon it, wishing to observe the bestowal process with his own eyes.
The bei demon was overjoyed.
Even if it had to live under someone else's roof once more, it could finally continue cultivating!
Unexpectedly, the snake demon let out a bitter sigh, not daring to look at the bei demon as it shook its head. "This humble demon does not know how to bestow registers on others. Back then, when my spiritual intellect awakened, I learned it spontaneously without a teacher..."
Qin Sang had yet to react.
The bei demon's eyes bulged, grinding its teeth in fury at the snake demon, though it dared not vent its rage in front of Qin Sang.
Qin Sang waved his hand to dismiss the two demons, then sat cross-legged upon the flat black stone and fell into contemplation.
Having captured both demons, he had gained a certain degree of understanding regarding the cultivation methods of both Daoism and the demon race.
Whether in the Daoist Court or the demon-ghost realm, the methods of transmitting and conferring registers seemed to be tightly controlled by major powers.
Consequently, the internal rigidity of factions in this realm and the level of control high-level cultivators held over low-level cultivators were unimaginable.
In the Storm Realm, even if one offended a major sect, one could still become an itinerant cultivator and retreat to a remote region to cultivate away from the world. But in this realm, offending the Daoist Court would make it difficult to take a single step.
That senior of the serpent race hailed from the Guifang Kingdom, so the demon register passed down to the snake demon should be the orthodox demon cultivation path. Since the demon register possessed no ability to stabilize origin qi, it indicated there were no adverse side effects to using chaotic qi to temper the physical body.
Thus, he could safely cultivate the Heavenly Demon Refining Form, continuing to temper his flesh and seek a breakthrough.
Yet this was not a permanent solution after all; he would eventually have to return to the path of spell cultivation.
"Jushan Diocese..."
Qin Sang tilted his head slightly and looked eastward, his expression sobering.
It would be difficult to find a way to break through the predicament from within the Daoist Court, and the more chaotic a place was, the easier it was to operate!
The collision between the two great powers—the demon-ghost realm and the Daoist Court—and between demon registers and dharma registers filled Qin Sang with curiosity.
Thinking up to this point, Qin Sang formed a clear plan for his subsequent actions. There was no need to rush into contact with the Daoist Court; he could first travel east to Jushan Diocese!
However, there was one point he had to consider.
The Daoist Court and the demon-ghost realm had waged war against each other for years, which was no petty clash of pride. There might well be experts with cultivation above Deity Transformation active on the battlefield. While his current strength was not weak, he was by no means guaranteed safety.
Each time the Heavenly Demon Refining Form broke through a major realm, it required drawing astral essence into the body; chaotic qi and Dragon Transformation Pool spiritual liquid alone were insufficient, and he currently had no leads on that front.
Before that, however, he could first open spiritual apertures within the Dao Manifestation Tree, integrate it into his flesh, and forge the spirit wood body.
With his mind made up, Qin Sang exited the grotto and returned to the karst cave, only to find the two demons brawling at some point.
The bei demon's jaws clamped down on the snake demon's vital seven-inch mark, while the snake demon coiled tightly around the bei demon's neck. Both were covered in mud and grime, in an utterly wretched state.
Fearful of disturbing Qin Sang, the two great demons—both formerly demon kings—had regressed to beastly instincts, fighting cautiously so as not to snap a single stone pillar.
The snake demon had been forced to scatter several streaks of demonic light, severely depleting its cultivation, and had ended up fighting to a standstill against the bei demon.
Seeing Qin Sang approach, the two demons froze. They broke off their scuffle resentfully and stood respectfully at Qin Sang's sides.
Qin Sang made no comment on their antics and said, "This poor Daoist intends to travel to Jushan Diocese before long. Are you willing to accompany me?"
The two demons nodded repeatedly in unison.
They thought to themselves that daring to utter a single "no" would mean certain death.
Qin Sang saw through their thoughts completely and smiled faintly. "This poor Daoist is no tyrant, nor do I wish to maintain any divine troops. If you execute my orders scrupulously, restoring your freedom will not be difficult. When the time comes, you may join the Guifang Kingdom directly, and I will not interfere. Should you render great merit, this poor Daoist will bestow additional handsome rewards."
The two demons exchanged a glance, deeply tempted.
They dared not harbor wild hopes for any handsome rewards, but being able to join the Guifang Kingdom held immense allure for them.
As for whether Qin Sang would keep his word, they could not be certain, but their current plight could hardly get any worse.
"We are willing to follow the exalted immortal!"
Both demons bowed in submission together, a touch more sincerity in their voices.
Qin Sang nodded inwardly. Jushan Diocese was the battlefield of the two great powers; the two demons might prove useful assistants.
Before long, one human and two demons arrived at the finest among the snake demon's nine deceptive abodes.
"Stand guard here."
Leaving behind these words, Qin Sang entered the abode to cultivate.
The snake and the bei stood guard to the left and right of the cave dwelling. Their eyes met, and fury flared up once again.
...
Two years later.
The cave dwelling opened from within, and Qin Sang stepped out with a smile on his face.
Though he had known that using the Dao Manifestation Tree as a spirit medium might make cultivating the Postcelestial Wooden Figurine Stele easier, he had not expected that in just two years, he would completely open all the spiritual apertures and integrate it into his body.
Back then, the scar-faced man had spent over twenty years opening spiritual apertures within the ancient red mystery tree.
Moreover, the scar-faced man had tempered his own acupoints well in advance.
The more thorough the preparations, the greater the chance of success; even so, fusing the ancient red mystery tree into his body had been arduous in the extreme, nearly ending in failure.
Yet Qin Sang had only begun tempering his acupoints two years ago. Just now, he had made a casual attempt, only for it to fall smoothly into place, merging effortlessly into his body.
Qin Sang had not anticipated it would be so easy either, and could not help being astonished. This was naturally thanks to the Dao Manifestation Tree, which had saved him a great deal of time.
Completing this step was equivalent to preliminarily forging the spirit wood body, but using it in combat would still require nourishing it within his body for some time.
As his realm advanced, it would gradually reveal even more wondrous marvels.
Glancing left and right, Qin Sang saw the two demons had stood guard diligently here for two years and remained in a weakened state, so he abandoned the thought of testing his skills on them.
Qin Sang pointed toward the east. "Let's move!"
Chapter 1753