CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE SCENES, TEN THOUSAND DEMONIC TRANSFORMATIONS ART_1

Hmm?

Outside Wangbei Tower, Wang Xiu, having bathed in the Merit Rain, was preparing to ride his sword back to the Sanqing Immortal Sect to report his mission’s completion. The system notification that suddenly echoed in his mind, however, made him freeze on the spot.

Someone nearby is boasting! And their cultivation level is very high.

Having had the system for a while, Wang Xiu had a rough understanding of its rewards. The higher the cultivation level of the person boasting, the more generous the mana reward. Generally, if a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator was boasting, Wang Xiu wouldn’t receive more than 10 mana unless a critical hit tripled the amount. For the Core Formation Stage, it was typically between 10 to 30 mana; the Golden Core Stage ranged from 30 to 100, and the Nascent Soul Stage was between 100 to 300.

Of course, Jiang Yourong was an exception. Her cultivation had reached the Emergence Stage before she died, but now only a remnant of her soul remained. The usual reward for listening to her boast was about 50 to 80 mana.

Now, this mysterious boaster, after a critical hit, had provided Wang Xiu with a 233 mana reward. That meant before the threefold critical bonus, the base reward would have been around 77 mana. If this mysterious boaster wasn’t a remnant soul, their actual cultivation level had to be at the Golden Core Stage or higher.

Is there really a Golden Core expert hidden in Maple City?

Wang Xiu’s brow furrowed. The existence of a Golden Core Stage Perfected Person hiding in Maple City was unknown to him.

This... was definitely not good news.

After all, Maple City fell under the jurisdiction of the Sanqing Immortal Sect, and sect disciples would not casually leave the mountain unless on a mission. If disciples from other sects, like the Great Vajra Temple or Zhenwu Immortal Sect, reached the Golden Core Stage or higher, they were expected to give prior notice before entering another sect’s territory. To be discovered without such notice could easily be seen as a provocation, potentially leading to diplomatic conflict.

Something’s not right! Something’s not right! The waters of Maple City run deeper than I imagined!

Wang Xiu became instantly alert. He glanced inconspicuously toward Wangbei Tower before flying toward the eastern part of the city.

In the east lay an abandoned Daoist temple that once served as a station for the Sanqing Immortal Sect. It shared its lineage with the current Qingyun Temple but had been gradually deserted due to disrepair. The area was desolate and remote, with a sparse population.

Riding the Black Tortoise Mirror, Wang Xiu descended and set up the Green Lotus Sky-covering Array around the Daoist temple to conceal his presence. Instantly, the temple was completely isolated from the outside world, making it difficult for even a Nascent Soul Stage Venerable to spy on it.

Wang Xiu took out his communication token, adjusted its frequency to match the formation’s, and initiated a video call with Xiao Qingyu.

The call connected instantly.

Xiao Qingyu looked displeased as she gazed at Wang Xiu. "In two more hours, the mission will be overdue. Why are you still lingering in Maple City?"

Good grief. Is she already nagging me to go home?

Wang Xiu gave a wry smile. "Senior Sister, I need your help with something. Can you check whether there are any other disciples from our sect, besides the three Li Family brothers and me, currently on a mission in Maple City?"

Maple City?

Xiao Qingyu’s gaze sharpened slightly. After a moment of thought, she replied, "No. The only ones on a mission in Maple City are the three Li Family brothers and you, Junior Brother."

"What? Have you discovered something amiss in Maple City?"

Wang Xiu nodded slightly. "I suspect that there is a Golden Core Stage expert hidden in Maple City."

"Furthermore," he continued, "after hearing about Miss Nie’s situation from Qingyun and Changfeng, I felt that something was off. Her tragedy is suspicious."

"A Nine Yin Girl, born on a Sanniang’s Death day, hanging herself in a wedding dress at midnight—it’s too much of a coincidence."

"Although it’s said that without coincidences, there would be no story, another cultivator of unknown origin at the Golden Core Stage has appeared in Maple City at this exact time. It’s hard not to worry."

Wang Xiu said no more, believing that with Xiao Qingyu’s wisdom and experience, she would be able to make the necessary connections.

「On the other side.」

After hearing Wang Xiu’s words, Xiao Qingyu’s expression also became grave. As the one in charge of the Sanqing Immortal Sect’s Task Hall, her experience was far beyond Wang Xiu’s. What kind of mission complications hadn’t she seen before?

She didn’t waste time asking for proof but said decisively, "This matter has nothing to do with you. You’re only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, so don’t get involved."

"I will contact the Sword Sect right now and have them send reinforcements to Maple City as quickly as possible to support the Li brothers."

"As for you, don’t delay. Return to the sect immediately!"

CLICK.

Wang Xiu cut off the communication. The Green Lotus Sky-covering Array once again completely enveloped the abandoned Daoist temple.

He checked the time. It was currently the Hour of Xu, nearly two hours away from the Hour of Zi when the Yin Sha Qi would be at its peak. There should be enough time.

"System, integrate the Demonic Myriad Transformation Scripture for me."

RUMBLE.

As clusters of golden light merged into his body, countless profound, abstruse, and enigmatic cultivation incantations were imprinted upon his mind.

Demons!

There are two types: Acquired Demons and Innate Demons.

Acquired Demons are mostly formed by defying the Heavenly Dao or practicing various evil Demonic Techniques to condense Demonic Qi. They then use this Demonic Qi to break through cultivation bottlenecks and enhance their strength.

Innate Demons are different. Born from the will of the Chaotic Demon Path, which stands in opposition to the orderly Heavenly Dao, they are inherently in perfect harmony with the laws of the Demonic Path. For Innate Demons and their bloodline descendants, the demonic qi in their bodies increases with normal cultivation, even without defying the Heavenly Dao, granting them devastating power.

Any Innate Demon that reaches maturity can throw the entire Cultivation World into chaos, enough to vex even the great powers of the Immortal Realm. The Demon Cultivators rampant in the Cultivation World today worship so-called ’evil gods’, which are in fact power projections from higher-plane Innate Demons.

Furthermore, there are many types of Innate Demons, each with different abilities. For example, the ’Six Desires Heaven Demon’ worshiped by the Hehuan Sect can arouse the seven emotions and six desires in any cultivator’s heart, causing them to be deluded by evil thoughts and become slaves to their own desires. The ’Mingxue Heaven Demon’ worshiped by the Ming Blood Sect can devour essence blood to grow stronger rapidly and can be reborn from a single drop of blood, making it immortal and indestructible. The ’Destruction Heaven Demon’ worshiped by the Asura Sect grows stronger simply through destruction.

In short, every type of Heavenly Demon possesses extremely troublesome innate abilities. They can also bestow aspects of these abilities upon the Demon Cultivators who worship them in the form of blessings. The reason Demon Cultivators often perform the ’Great Demonic Sacrifice’ is to communicate with these so-called ’evil gods’ and obtain a Heavenly Demon’s blessing. A Demon Cultivator who receives such a blessing will have their strength increased dramatically, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

The Demonic Myriad Transformation Scripture that Wang Xiu had obtained was not some kind of blessing. Essentially, it was a cultivation art passed down through the bloodline of the Formless Demons.

The Formless Demon.

Among the many Innate Demons, they are the most cunning and troublesome race. They are exceptionally rare—one might not be born for hundreds of thousands of years—but whenever one appears, it inevitably becomes the bane of countless factions. This is because they possess the ability to change into anything or anyone. When their cultivation reaches a certain level, they can even imitate space and the very laws of nature.