Infinite Professions

Chapter 178 - 88: The Truth Behind It All

The Core Formation battle has thus come to an end.

In the marketplace, a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Profound Spirit Island cleaned up the aftermath. Xuanji Zi, having stabilized his injuries, led Shen Hex to a nearby restaurant, where they arranged a tea banquet in a private room.

"Brother Dao, please!"

"Please!"

Shen Hex drank the tea like wine and finished it in one go, then chuckled lightly, "It’s worthy of being overseas Immortal Tea."

"Brother Dao overpraises it!"

Xuanji Zi also chuckled, then got straight to the point, "The inland Cultivation Realm’s demon chaos is just a reflection. The real root cause is the magic calamity of the entire Taiyuan Realm!"

"Taiyuan Magic Calamity?"

Shen Hex frowned, "What do you mean?"

"This traces back to twelve hundred years ago."

Xuanji Zi sighed, "Twelve hundred years ago, in the Great War of Righteous and Evil, the Sect Leader Master of Taihua Mountain led the orthodox sects to a great victory over the Demon Dao, even beheading the West Sea Demon Venerable Mo Yunzi, establishing a long-standing situation of Dao flourishing and magic waning for the next twelve hundred years."

"Taihua Mountain?"

"Mo Yunzi?"

Shen Hex murmured, his eyes thoughtful.

Xuanji Zi continued, "But unexpectedly, Mo Yunzi, like a centipede that doesn’t die easily, coincidentally gained aid from a great demon in the Upper Realm, rebuilt a Purple Mansion Primordial Spirit, entered the Returning Void Realm, and came for revenge with a Nine-Class Rank Demon Treasure, the ’Demon Heaven Banner.’

"Demon Heaven Banner?"

Shen Hex’s eyes were sharp, "An Upper-Grade Demon Treasure?"

"Indeed!"

Xuanji Zi nodded, "This Demon Heaven Banner is an Upper-Grade Demon Treasure, corresponding to a Venerable of Integration with its Nine-Class Rank, yet it also possesses Tier Eight Returning Void Cultivation, making it unmatched in Taiyuan Realm."

"Fortunately, this Taiyuan Realm is an Ancient Cultivation Realm. When the Ancient Immortals and Gods left, they set Heaven and Earth Laws prohibiting Returning Void beings from staying in the world, so Mo Yunzi cannot enter Taiyuan Realm but can only lay out the Demon Heaven Array outside the realm."

"Demon Heaven Array?"

Shen Hex frowned, "What does he intend to do?"

"Refine Taiyuan alive!"

Xuanji Zi said solemnly, "That Demon Heaven Banner, as the core of the Demon Heaven Array, is of a Nine-Class Rank. Mo Yunzi set up such an evil array outside Taiyuan Realm to refine it alive."

"Refine Taiyuan Realm alive?"

Shen Hex’s frown deepened, "Can a Tier Nine Array truly refine an entire realm?"

"Certainly not."

Xuanji Zi shook his head, "Not to mention Taiyuan is an Ancient Cultivation Realm; even ordinary worlds cannot be refined by a Tier Nine Array. At least the might of a Twelve-level Immortal Demon is required."

"Though it cannot refine the world, it can refine its creatures."

Xuanji Zi said solemnly, "Under the influence of that Demon Heaven Array, the primordial spirits of Taiyuan Realm constantly mutate, gradually becoming Demon Elemental Spirits. The creatures within are also corrupted by Demonic Qi, becoming violent and cruel, turning into the claws of the Demon Dao."

"If this continues, Taiyuan Realm will eventually become demonic land. The creatures within, influenced by the Demon Dao, will slaughter each other until a batch of demons at the Divinity Transformation Realm emerges, exploiting all living things as demon fruits for ascension, only to be devoured by that Demon Heaven Array."

"This is Mo Yunzi’s aim, seeking revenge against the righteous cultivators who once slew him and transforming Taiyuan’s creatures into demon fruits to consume and enhance his own Demon Skill."

"..."

Upon hearing Xuanji Zi’s narrative, Shen Hex frowned even more, "Where did this information originate?"

"A hundred years ago!"

Amid his words resided doubt, but Xuanji Zi was not concerned, "A century ago, Mo Yunzi returned and set the Demon Heaven Array outside. The Seven Taiyuan Cultivators, led by the Sect Leader Master of Taihua Mountain, ventured out intending to break it, but failed before the might of Demon Heaven."

"After the Seven Taiyuan Cultivators retreated, Mo Yunzi transmitted his voice from outside the realm, reaching the Nascent Soul Cultivators within, making them aware of the Demon Heaven’s scheme, further verified by Primordial Spirits of Divinity Transformation Venerables from both the Righteous and Evil Dao venturing out to confirm the truth."

"Thus began the magic calamity, causing turmoil across Taiyuan!"

Xuanji Zi sighed, "Now you should understand why the Netherworld Demon spreads Demon Path Techniques, causing chaos in inland Cultivation Realm, right?"

Shen Hex’s eyes focused, "He aims to cultivate Divinity Transformation Demon Fruits this way?"

"Precisely!"

Xuanji Zi nodded, "If he acted this way in the past, a Great Cultivator from overseas would have returned to eliminate him. Yet now, the catastrophe brought by Demon Heaven has fully unleashed the hidden menace of the Demon Dao."

"Now, in the overseas Cultivation Realm, whether east or west, north or south, Demon Cultivators are causing havoc. Not only Nascent Soul Demons but even those Divinity Transformation old demons, long hidden in seclusion, are rampaging again, doing the same as the Netherworld Demon."

"Currently, the overseas Cultivation Realm is even more chaotic than inland. All sorts of demon cultivators spread Demon Path Techniques recklessly, with many loose cultivators shortsightedly joining in, dismissing the impending downfall of Taiyuan."

Xuanji Zi sighed, his words full of helplessness.

Shen Hex also frowned, "What about the various orthodox sects?"

"The orthodox sects are willing but powerless!"

Xuanji Zi shook his head, "Originally, with Dao flourishing and magic waning in Taiyuan Realm, the orthodox sects led by the Seven Taiyuan Cultivators could suppress the various demon cultivators. But after the battle outside a hundred years ago, they were defeated by Mo Yunzi, suffered severe injuries, and although not dead, were deeply wounded."

"Following Mo Yunzi’s transmission, the Demon Dao of Taiyuan erupted into chaos. The Seven Taiyuan Cultivators each went to suppress it but could only contain the strongest Divinity Transformation old demons of the Demon Dao, preventing them from emerging, and were powerless beyond that."

"Now, in the overseas Cultivation Realm, from Divinity Transformation and Nascent Soul down to Golden Core and Foundation Establishment, the battle between Righteous and Evil Dao continues uncontrollably. Even knowing the Netherworld Demon causes harm inland, no one can spare themselves to eliminate him."

Xuanji Zi sighed, "Our Profound Spirit Island is the same. The Nascent Soul patriarch must guard the mountain gate to prevent those mad old demons from attacking. After receiving a call for aid from the Xuanshao Sect, all we could do was send people like us to try to stabilize the situation."

"Thus, I set up this Golden Light Array under the guise of an auction to trap and kill inland Demon Cultivators. Yet, I didn’t expect Xin Chenzi and Ding Weiyin to play the roles of mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole lurked behind, and without your intervention, Brother Dao, our lives would have been in jeopardy!"

Having said that, he bowed to Shen Hex again.

"I didn’t expect there to be such a reason behind it!"

Shen Hex helped him up, his expression more solemn, "Is this calamity solvable?"

"This..."

Xuanji Zi hesitated for a moment before finally responding, "To be honest, Brother Dao, I don’t know either. However, Taiyuan Realm is an Ancient Cultivation Realm, and our orthodox sects inherit the bloodline of Ancient Immortals and Gods. Though constrained by Heaven and Earth Laws, making it difficult to break through the Returning Void Realm, it doesn’t mean there’s no way to counter the Demon Heaven Array."

"The Sect Leader Master of Taihua Mountain has issued a Demon Slaying Order, instructing orthodox disciples and Taiyuan Cultivators to sweep away the Demon Dao and Evil Cultivators. Subsequently, the sects will unite to oppose the Demon Heaven Great Tribulation. So despite the rampant Demon Dao overseas, the Righteous Dao is also exterminating demons."

"Apart from this, all sects of Taiyuan have ancestors from the Upper Realm. This Taiyuan Realm, an ancient cultivation world, has profound causes and connections. Mo Yunzi has lost his sanity, attempting to refine Taiyuan alive. It’s impossible to hide this forever."

"As long as we stabilize the situation, sweep away the demonic cultivators and evil sects in the realm, preventing them from collaborating with Mo Yunzi inside and out, once the ancestors from the Upper Realm arrive or the Seven Taiyuan Cultivators master the demon-breaking method, we can dissolve this tribulation."

Xuanji Zi’s words offered various methods to counter the tribulation, yet they sounded lacking in confidence.

But it’s understandable, given the current circumstances, no one would feel confident.

Shen Hex furrowed his brows as well.

He had just emerged from seclusion, intending to gradually develop in the Inland Cultivation Realm, then expand his influence overseas, building an immortality empire step by step. But now this happened.

Mo Yunzi?

Demon Heaven Array?

Refine Taiyuan alive?

What is all this!

Even though the heavens may fall, tall ones will hold it up. His worries as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator are futile. But looking at the current situation, it seems those tall ones can’t hold it up.

What should I do?

Is it necessary to abandon this foundation?

How can that be, not to mention Taiyuan is an ancient cultivation realm with immortal inheritances and other treasures to uncover, as a teacher and master to those Spirit Beasts and disciples cultivated on Fish Dragon Island, Shen Hex must take responsibility. He cannot abandon them.

Therefore...

Shen Hex shifted his gaze back, "Do we know approximately when this Demon Heaven Great Tribulation will occur?"

"It’s difficult to determine."

Xuanji Zi shook his head, "However, since Taiyuan is an ancient cultivation realm, and with all orthodox sects united, it can be delayed for several hundred years, preserving for a millennium is also possible."

"A few hundred to a thousand years?"

Shen Hex murmured, then looked at Xuanji Zi, "What are your plans next?"

"What plan is possible?"

Xuanji Zi spoke solemnly, "Under the collapse, no egg remains unbroken. This is Taiyuan’s creatures’ calamity. We cannot retreat and must fight to the death. I, a Core Formation cultivator, can’t handle those demons overseas, but in this Inland Cultivation Realm, I have some influence."

Shen Hex’s eyes narrowed, "You plan to assist Xuanshao Sect?"

"Not yet."

Xuanji Zi shook his head, "The Netherworld Sect is a branch of the West Sea Netherworld Demon Sect. The Netherworld Demon is a true demon cultivator, having now reached the Demon Infant stage, no trivial matter. I am merely a Core Formation and not their match, so I must clear out the inland demonic cultivators until overseas reinforcements arrive."

Then he looked at Shen Hex, "Though your divine techniques are the most extraordinary I’ve ever seen, I must caution against recklessness—challenging Nascent Soul with Core Formation is beyond human capability."

Shen Hex nodded, "Thank you for the warning."

"I’m glad you understand."

Xuanji Zi smiled, "What are your plans? If we join forces to sweep out the evil demons, then aside from the Netherworld Demons, no one could stand in our way in this inland."

"Thank you for the offer!"

Hearing this, Shen Hex shook his head, "I am a wanderer, used to solitude. Please forgive me."

"I was too forward-minded,"

Xuanji Zi did not insist, "If you need my help, feel free to ask. I would venture through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Uncle Master!"

Before his words were finished, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Xuanji Zi uttered softly, and the door was pushed open by another Foundation Establishment cultivator with a similar bearing to Xuanji Zi.

He came in holding a jade plate in both hands, filled with various storage pouches of all sizes, and placed it before Xuanji Zi, "Uncle Master, the battlefield has been cleaned, and these are the spoils from those demonic cultivators."

"Hmm!"

Xuanji Zi nodded, then turned them towards Shen Hex, "These spoils should rightfully belong to you."

"This..."

"Please don’t refuse!"

When Shen Hex was about to be modest, Xuanji Zi stood up and spoke, "I won’t feel at ease until you accept them."

"In that case, I will accept them!"

Hearing this, Shen Hex no longer declined, waved his hand to collect the storage pouches, and then stood up to take his leave, "This is a grave matter, I must inform a few friends, so I shall leave first."

"Take care!"

"Farewell, Daoist friend!"

"..."

Xuanji Zi escorted Shen Hex out of the tavern and then stopped, watching his escape light disappear into the distance.

"Uncle Master!"

After watching the escape light vanish, the Foundation Establishment disciple couldn’t hold back and spoke softly from behind: "This Elder Li, is he truly an inland cultivator? Even the likes of Xin Chenzi and Ding Weiyin, who are the very orthodox of Demon Dao, can’t last three rounds against him. Isn’t he a top figure even among the overseas Core Formation cultivators?"

"What do you know?"

Xuanji Zi glanced at him, "Though Primordial Spirit is scarce in the Inland Cultivation Realm, it nonetheless remains the ancient central hub and land of the highest virtue, with untold opportunities, including inheritances from ancient immortals and gods. It’s only natural for such a figure to exist, so how dare you look down on them?"

"How would I dare to look down on them!"

The disciple replied with a bitter smile, "Earlier, whatever technique he used, he broke Xin Chenzi’s Wooden Dragon Stake with one strike, and Ding Weiyin’s Blood Demon Division Technique couldn’t escape his grasp. I wouldn’t dare underestimate such a person even if I had ten times the courage."

"Good that you don’t!"

Xuanji Zi shook his head, then sighed, "This inland is filled with too many ancient relics, leading to a frenzy for immortal fate, which has resulted in much evil and sin. It makes him wary of us, unwilling to join our group, huh..."

Saying this, he left with resignation.