Chapter 178: The Supreme True Demon, Immortal and Demon as One

Seeing this scene, especially the special protective air wall that had appeared around Qin Haoxuan, Xing was so shocked his jaw dropped. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and his lips trembled. A tempest raged in his heart as he thought to himself, The Dragon Demon Golden Body! It’s actually the Dragon Demon Golden Body! The technique Qin Haoxuan is using is actually one of the supreme protective divine arts of the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, the Dragon Demon Golden Body!

Although there wasn’t the slightest hint of gold when Qin Haoxuan executed it, and it couldn’t even be considered to have reached the entry-level, Xing’s keen eye still caught the faint aura it emitted, and he was able to identify it immediately.

In the Aqueous Manor, Xing had known that Qin Haoxuan had obtained the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, but he had thought it was only a small fragment. He never expected him to have even obtained a supreme protective art like the Dragon Demon Golden Body. It seemed that the version he had was not just a small piece, but possibly the entire manual.

At this thought, Xing felt his mouth go dry. In the Netherworld, the Dragon Demon Golden Body was one of the ten great protective divine arts. It was said that when cultivated to its peak, one’s entire body would turn golden, like a deity cast from gold, immune to all poisons and impervious to all arts. It was an extremely powerful technique.

Xing even thought that if he could learn this art, even upon returning to the enemy-infested Netherworld, he would no longer have to flee like a stray dog. He could even escape with ease from the encirclement of numerous Nether-Creatures.

He secretly lamented that the one cultivating it was Qin Haoxuan and not him. Qin Haoxuan had only a human body. If he, with his demonic physique, were to cultivate the Dragon Demon Golden Body, he would surely be even more powerful than Qin Haoxuan at the peak of the art.

Beside them, Ye Yiming, who was also watching the test, could not see any “Dragon Demon Golden Body.” He was just amazed that the Thousand-Mile Talisman could be so fast, and that Qin Haoxuan could control it with such ease, stopping whenever he wanted. His admiration for this junior brother grew, and his confidence in his “Entering the Mortal World” trial also increased.

After stopping, Qin Haoxuan tried to cultivate the two incantations of the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art. He only knew that they were for a protective art, but he did not know it was called the Dragon Demon Golden Body, nor how powerful it could be when cultivated to its peak. He discovered that he was completely unable to cultivate them. He still could not comprehend their meaning, let alone use them to drive his spiritual energy and form the protective air wall.

He thought to himself, This protective art feels as vast as the sea. It could protect my body in the face of such strong air resistance and allow me to push the Thousand-Mile Talisman to its limit without injury. It must be exceptionally profound. It’s definitely not something that can be mastered with just a little practice. The state I was in just now couldn’t even be considered entry-level. How powerful would I be if I could cultivate it to its peak?

After trying several times, he had to give up. Just then, he tried to activate the Thousand-Mile Talisman again. The moment he started running and reached a certain speed, the protective art automatically kicked in. He wondered to himself, Can this protective art only be cultivated while running continuously?

Just then, Xing sidled up to him and began to probe. “I’ve never seen you cultivate this protective art before.”

Seeing his keen interest, Qin Haoxuan guessed that he must know something about it. “You know of it?” he asked.

“Of course I do,” Xing said, his face a picture of greed.

Qin Haoxuan nodded with a look of understanding.

“But this protective art comes from the Netherworld. If I were to cultivate it, I would definitely be even more powerful. Why don’t you teach it to me?” Xing finally couldn’t hold back any longer.

Qin Haoxuan gave him a sidelong glance. He thought to himself, This creature is full of secrets and has many good things on him. For him to take a fancy to this protective art, it must be extraordinary. Although he hasn’t shown any bad intentions for now, that’s only because I can still suppress him. If he learns this art and his body becomes even stronger, then I certainly won’t be able to control him anymore.

At this thought, he shook his head without hesitation. “I can’t teach you.”

…

After testing the Thousand-Mile Talisman, Qin Haoxuan was overjoyed. It was just as light and fast as The Great Art of Talismans had described. Although his control was not yet skilled, its speed was enough to leave one dumbfounded. Even Xing was stunned. He estimated that even if he reverted to his true demonic form and chased after Qin Haoxuan with all his might, he would only be left eating his dust.

Xing and Ye Yiming walked over to him. Xing said with a serious air, “Not bad, not bad. Although it’s not as fast as this demon, it should be no problem to shake off one or two early-stage Spirit Sprout Realm cultivators.”

Qin Haoxuan just chuckled, not bothering to reply to the boaster.

Just then, Ye Yiming asked with a gratified expression, “Junior Brother Qin, now that the talisman is refined, there are only eight days left before we ‘Enter the Mortal World.’ How are your preparations coming along?”

Qin Haoxuan nodded slowly and put the talisman away in his robes. “With this talisman complete, my preparations are basically finished. There is nothing else I need to prepare.”

“The rules for ‘Entering the Mortal World’ are similar to the first trial. For disciples who have already sprouted a leaf, a senior from the sect or their hall will guide them one-on-one. Our Master’s lifespan is short, and he is anxious to break through. For this trial, how about I take you?” Ye Yiming asked, looking at him with great sincerity.

Qin Haoxuan gently shook his head, rejecting the proposal. “Senior Brother Ye, for this trial, I do not plan to have our Master, nor you, nor any other senior brother from the Nature Hall accompany me.”

Ye Yiming was taken aback. “That’s not acceptable. This trial is different. Training outside is not as safe as being in the Taichu Sect. You could encounter demon cultivators, or even Nether-Creatures at any time.”

“I understand your meaning, Senior Brother. But if you were to accompany me, I’m afraid it would be even more inappropriate,” Qin Haoxuan explained. “You know that Master Chi Lian is watching me like a hawk. Within the sect’s territory, he wouldn’t dare to act rashly. But the moment I leave, he will surely make a move. Now that I have refined a Thousand-Mile Talisman, I have a chance to escape. But if you or our Master are with me, this one talisman can’t be used by two people. At that time, if you were captured by him to threaten me, we would both be dead.”

As Qin Haoxuan explained, Ye Yiming nodded in agreement. He sighed softly. He knew that if he insisted on going, he would not be of any help and would only be a burden. “What you say is reasonable, Junior Brother. It is only because my own strength is low and I cannot contend with Master Chi Lian that I have to let you worry about me. I am truly ashamed.”

Seeing his self-reproachful tone, Qin Haoxuan comforted him. “Senior Brother Ye, the other disciples of the Nature Hall and our Master also need you. With Master basically in seclusion, the affairs of the hall are all on your shoulders. I am entrusting him to your care. So, for both public and private reasons, you should stay in the Nature Hall.”

Thinking of the threat his junior brother was facing, and his own inability to help, Ye Yiming’s heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife. His voice was slightly choked as he said, “Junior Brother Qin, there is one thing you must remember. Only when you become stronger will our Nature Hall have hope. Our Master, myself, and all the other disciples will be waiting for your safe return.”

“Mm, I will definitely return safely,” Qin Haoxuan said. He then suddenly remembered Senior Brother Pu’s final request and asked, “Senior Brother Ye, do you know where Senior Brother Pu’s hometown is? In his last words, he asked me to go to his old home and see how his descendants are doing.”

Ye Yiming was surprised that even with his own future so uncertain, he still remembered Pu Hanzhong’s last words. He had seen many heartless cultivators in his life; those like Qin Haoxuan, who were so full of emotion and kept their promises, were a true rarity.

“I know. It’s in the northern part of the Soaring Dragon Nation, in Nanshou County, Xiaohua Village. At the foot of a solitary stone mountain, there are three thatched houses. If there is a large pond in front, that is Han Zhong’s home.” Recalling the past, Ye Yiming was lost in thought for a moment. “Every time Han Zhong got drunk, he would talk about his hometown, his old parents, his siblings, and the big yellow dog that bit onto his luggage and wouldn’t let go when he left home. So many years have passed, and he was never able to go back and see them. His parents have surely passed away long ago. If you find his home, please offer a stick of incense at their graves for him.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded somberly. “I will.”

“There are still some matters in the Nature Hall that need to be dealt with. We should head back,” Ye Yiming said, looking up at the sky.

After returning to his room, Qin Haoxuan sat on the edge of his bed, playing with the Thousand-Mile Talisman, his gaze falling, as if by chance, on Xing. “This Thousand-Mile Talisman,” he asked, “should I refine another one for you?”

Xing was taken aback. “Why would you refine one for me?”

“When we ‘Enter the Mortal World,’ aren’t you going to be with me? I won’t be in the sect, and I don’t feel at ease leaving you here. Besides, every new disciple has to participate. But if you’re with me, and Master Chi Lian can’t catch me, he’ll surely try to catch you to threaten me. At that time, you’ll be in danger.”

“Once we’ve left the sect’s territory, you still won’t let me eat people?” Xing grew anxious and began to argue. “You never said I couldn’t eat people outside the sect before!”

“I didn’t? Alright, I’m adding it now. No eating people, anywhere.”

“You’re a cultivator. Why do you even care about the lives of mortals?”

“I am cultivating, but I am also a mortal. Besides, they are all people!”

“I think you’ve lost your mind! You’re a cultivator; how are you a mortal? How are you a person?”

“A cultivator is also a person! I think it’s you who’s lost his mind.”

Not wanting to argue about it any longer, Xing changed the subject. “Would you be so kind as to spend ten thousand spirit stones to refine a talisman for me?”

Qin Haoxuan curled his lip. “What do you take me for? Am I the kind of person who only does things for personal gain?”

“For others, maybe not. For me… heh heh…” Xing gave him a very pointed look.

Not bothering to reply to his incessant chatter, Qin Haoxuan sat cross-legged on the bed and began to contemplate the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art. His practice of the Sea-Gathering Art was going smoothly, and he was about to break through to the third level. But his progress with the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art had stalled; he still couldn’t comprehend its obscure incantations.

As Xing’s incessant chatter continued, and seeing that Qin Haoxuan wasn’t paying him any attention, he grew bored and stopped. He saw his furrowed brow and asked casually, “Is there something you can’t figure out? Why don’t you tell me about it, and I’ll enlighten you?”

Qin Haoxuan looked up at him. He thought to himself, This creature is full of mysteries and seems to know a little about everything. What if I tell him a couple of lines of the incantation and see if he can explain them?

After a moment’s consideration, he decided to give it a try. He slowly recited, “To give rise to all good dharmas is fundamentally illusion; to create all evil karma is also illusion. The body is like gathered foam, the mind like the wind; from illusion arises that which is rootless and without true nature.”

Hearing these two lines, a look of astonishment appeared on Xing’s face. This… this is… the supreme True Demon, the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art of the Myriad Demon Lord! He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, a look of ever-increasing delight spreading across his face, as if he had just solved a great puzzle.

“Marvelous! Marvelous! These two sentences are exceptionally profound. If you hadn’t asked a genius demon from the Netherworld like me, you would never have been able to comprehend them!” After speaking, he began to explain in great detail. “…The true focus is on the last two lines, ‘The body is like gathered foam, the mind like the wind; from illusion arises that which is rootless and without true nature.’ It means that we should not regard our bodies as a single entity, but as something composed of countless spiritual energies. Every part of the body should accumulate and store spiritual energy. Only when the accumulated energy reaches a certain level can one be as free as the wind… this… this is completely beyond my previous concepts…”

Xing swallowed hard, his shining eyes looking at Qin Haoxuan. “This should be the beginning of an extremely profound art. The first two lines are the general outline, ‘the body is like gathered foam, the mind like the wind’ is the main point, and the last line is the specific cultivation detail. It means the body of a cultivator is both real and illusory, and the immortal root should be treated as rootless, and the rootless is also the immortal root. There should be more incantations after this, about how to absorb spiritual energy.”

In his mouth, the two simple lines had become a long dissertation, but it also allowed Qin Haoxuan to understand them instantly. Many of the difficulties he had encountered in his cultivation were now resolved.

After finishing his explanation, the excited Xing began to pester him. “Is there more? Is there more? If you have anything else you can’t understand, just tell me. I will certainly explain everything I know to you without reservation!”