CHAPTER 293: HEART DEMON INCARNATION, MASTER JINGCHEN

But truly cultivating the convergence of the Longhu Golden Alchemy Method required more than just comprehension. It also demanded a vast ocean of spirit qi and an incomparably profound stroke of opportunity.

Just like the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram Visualization Method, it was a grind like water-wear on stone, something that could not be rushed. Even so, this qi vortex already possessed wondrous qualities. With just a shift of thought, his spirit power swelled instantly and poured forth from the vortex in his dantian, surging endlessly through his meridians.

Compared to ordinary second-realm cultivators, Li Yanchu’s physical body was incomparably robust, almost brutish. His meridians, further tempered by the Golden Pill and Bodhi Pill, could withstand an even stronger output of spiritual force.

Without alarming the Daoist cultivators in the courtyard, Li Yanchu refrained from invoking the Calming Heart Mantra from the Eight Great Divine Mantras, or activating the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman, or even relying on the Clearheart Jade Pendant.

Instead, this Longhu Golden Alchemy Method was a fine way to temporarily enhance his strength. In just an instant, his Qi Sight extended farther and probed deeper!

“Hm!?” Li Yanchu’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

A strange force was cloaking He Yu’s body, and black qi coiled around him. Moreover, on his back there writhed a shadowy mass, which was twitching against him, as though trying to force its way inside. Was he being disturbed by an evil spirit?

Li Yanchu’s brows knit tightly. What in the world was that thing!?

At that moment, as though sensing Li Yanchu’s gaze, He Yu turned his head slightly and looked back. Unable to hold back, He Yu shot Li Yanchu a glare. But his eyes were dark and gloomy.

In Li Yanchu’s Qi Sight, the demonic qi on He Yu’s body had nearly solidified to the level of spirit sha[1].

“What is it? Why do you keep staring at him?” Ding Rou asked softly.

“Just find him unpleasant to look at. What’s this He Yu’s background?” Li Yanchu smiled faintly at her.

At this time, Ding Rou’s life-threatening calamity had already dissipated, and her fortune was abundant. Now, the pure qi on her body grew denser, even carrying divine radiance. She was a Daoist seedling with exceptionally strong innate foundations.

Hearing him, Ding Rou replied quietly, “He Yu is a Daoist cultivator from Mount Danxia, disciple of Wang Qingzi. I’ve met him a few times before. At first, I never thought he was so distasteful. But after we returned from Mount Jinting, when he accompanied Wang Qingzi to visit my master, the look in his eyes was... very unsettling.”

Master Kumei was a recluse beyond worldly affairs, and she was solemn and dignified. Although Ding Rou was her disciple, she still dared not speak of her likes or dislikes casually, especially about matters of this sort.

However, in front of Li Yanchu, she had no need to conceal her thoughts. One could tell just from how she casually called him “Yanchu.”

In her heart, Li Yanchu was someone who put her at ease.

“You mean, it was after he came back from Mount Jinting that he seemed strange?”

“Exactly. He also went to Mount Jinting’s Blissful Land, though we didn’t cross paths. According to him, while exploring the divine mountain, a flash of white light suddenly appeared before his eyes, and he was expelled immediately.”

Li Yanchu suddenly turned his head, his tone filled with surprise.

“You’re saying he also went to Mount Jinting’s Blissful Land?”

Originally, he had thought Ding Rou was referring to her own return from Mount Jinting.

Ding Rou was slightly startled. “That’s right.”

Li Yanchu fixed a deep gaze on He Yu, and a thought surfaced in his mind. No wonder this person had felt somewhat familiar to him!

The evil being within Mount Jinting that bewitched hearts, manipulating the three souls and seven spirits to seize control over one’s will. It was a heart demon!

“So one of those demons really did escape from Mount Jinting’s Blissful Land!”

He was inwardly astonished. Yet, his brows furrowed tightly. That heart demon should have already been slain by his own hand, and he had even received the merit prompt!

Was it a clone of the heart demon, or another one altogether? He couldn’t help wanting to make a move. But with so many Daoist cultivators gathered around, acting rashly would very likely cause an unwanted reaction.

And with remnants of the Thousand Illusions Sect hidden among them, acting without caution might only alert the enemy.

So, he maintained a calm facade, drinking wine and sampling the dishes while quietly sizing up the Daoist cultivators in the courtyard. His Qi Sight swept across them all, one by one.

Soon, he picked out a very unusual figure. That person’s aura was turbid and indistinct, as though shrouded by some unseen force.

“It’s him!” Li Yanchu’s gaze sharpened.

Although he had sat through half the banquet without gaining much else, he had at least learned the names and backgrounds of most present.

That man was called Master Jingchen. He was a handsome monk with rosy lips and gleaming white teeth dressed in moon-white robes. His aura was ethereal and otherworldly, and he stood out conspicuously in the crowd.

It was said he was originally the son of a wealthy family, yet he had renounced his fortune to become a monk, devoting himself to the study of the Dharma, and was hailed by the elders as one with profound wisdom from past lives.

Only when Li Yanchu looked at this Master Jingchen did he sense something was wrong. He immediately informed Duanmu Xuan of what he had discovered.

Duanmu Xuan took it very seriously, her eyes flashing with surprise.

“So quickly!?”

For the first time, she found herself doubting her innate Spiritual Eyes. Li Yanchu only smiled faintly and offered no explanation.

As to whether the Qi Sight or innate Spiritual Eyes was superior, there was no absolute conclusion. The Spiritual Eyes required no cultivation, saw things with remarkable clarity, and consumed almost no strength, for it was an innate gift. The Qi Sight, on the other hand, could perceive a person’s fortune and aura, sometimes producing effects similar to the Spiritual Eyes, though not always.

Yet Duanmu Xuan valued his words greatly, and did not question Li Yanchu simply because his discovery had come quickly. She immediately sent someone to report the matter to the senior monks of Jinguang Temple.

“I truly never expected that the one with a problem would turn out to be Master Jingchen.” Duanmu Xuan’s delicate brows furrowed.

By reason, even if the Thousand Illusions Sect’s techniques were profound, allowing them to master transformations, it made far less sense to take the form of someone high-profile and attention-grabbing than to simply become an ordinary person. Therefore, Duanmu Xuan had focused most of her attention on those unaffiliated cultivators and eccentrics.

Especially people like Master Jingchen, who had arrived together with his fellow disciples and was well acquainted with members of many sects. Coupled with his strikingly handsome looks, he was bound to draw glances, which made him all the more likely to slip up.

Until the banquet came to an end, however, nothing untoward had occurred.

Li Yanchu had half-expected a Hongmen Banquet[2], with some fool stirring up trouble, but to his surprise, nothing of the sort happened.

Though He Yu and the others envied Li Yanchu, they also feared him deeply. After all, the words Duanmu family carried immense weight. And anyone who could be invited by Duanmu Xuan into a private meeting inside the meditation room, who knew what background that person might have?

To shake off the martial fanatic Xiao Ce’s pestering, Li Yanchu had no choice but to agree to spar with him after leaving Jinguang Temple. He then followed after He Yu. Since the demon from Mount Jinting’s blessed ground had escaped, he would simply slay it again!

After leaving the banquet, He Yu did not return to his own meditation quarters. Instead, he wandered toward the deeper parts of Jinguang Temple. He strolled as though casually, yet seemed to be searching for something.

Gradually, he made his way to the rear mountain, where the terrain grew steep and imposing, backed by a towering cliff. There, by a waterfall cascading down into a clear pool, the scenery was tranquil and secluded.

He Yu stood alone, staring at the falls in a daze, as though lost in thought. Hearing footsteps behind him, He Yu suddenly spun around.

“It’s you?!”

He looked at Li Yanchu in astonishment, clearly not believing for a moment that his appearance here was mere coincidence.

1. In ancient Chinese legend, a Sha is a spirit closely tied to death, sometimes referred to as a ‘Sha Ghost’ or ‘Corpse Soul.’ ☜

2. The Hongmen Banquet was a pivotal, near-assassination attempt at a banquet in 206 BCE, where Liu Bang escaped an assassination plot by Xiang Yu's advisor, Fan Zeng, and his commander, Xiang Yu, orchestrated to kill Liu Bang at Hongmen Gate (or Swan Goose Gate). The event led to the Chu-Han Contention, with Liu Bang ultimately defeating Xiang Yu and founding the Han Dynasty. It is a famous historical event recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian and signifies a turning point in Chinese history. ☜