Chapter 175: Chapter 8: Emotional Demon, Demon Cauldron, Treasure Scripture

The Emotional Demon was contained within a Jade Bottle from the Thousand-Faced Insect. It appeared as a cloud of resplendent, seven-colored mist, so dreamlike and illusory it seemed almost intangible.

This was the lust-filled Evil Qi that the Thousand-Faced Insect normally refined, perhaps as material for cultivating other Secret Techniques.

The moment Fang Cheng saw this bottle of Emotional Demon, he was reminded of his Love Gu.

He hadn’t refined this Gu since becoming Daoist partners with Ye Yan.

Yet for the Love Gu, this bottle of Emotional Demon was an incredible tonic!

’This item is destined for me!’

With a flip of his hand, a Gu Insect the size of a copper coin appeared in his palm.

The Gu Insect’s body was like fine white jade, but its pair of small eyes were a bewitching, powdery pink, exuding a soul-snatching allure.

This Love Gu could improve a cultivator’s romantic fortunes and excelled at seducing, attracting, and bewitching the opposite sex.

For several years, Fang Cheng hadn’t specifically refined the Love Gu, but it had still managed to reach the Tier One Peak State on its own.

Fang Cheng placed the Love Gu into the Jade Bottle, then put it away, paying it no further mind.

He then opened the storage bags of the Black Cat Taoist and Jiang Nianjun.

He knew nothing of the two Tribulation Cultivators’ backgrounds and couldn’t be bothered to care; he simply emptied their storage bags of all Spirit Stones and treasures.

Between the two of them, they had a total of 280,000 Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, with Jiang Nianjun having contributed the majority.

There were two Second-Order Magical Artifacts. Jiang Nianjun’s was a strand of Buddha Beads, quite similar to the Magical Artifact used by Jiang Nian’an, whom Fang Cheng had previously slain.

The Black Cat Taoist’s Magical Artifact, on the other hand, was a Gathering Spirit Platform. It was a three-tiered stone dais that had the effects of Gathering Spirit, stabilizing one’s mind, and protecting the body.

This was a support-type Magical Artifact, not of much use in combat.

Fang Cheng went ahead and refined the Gathering Spirit Platform. Sitting atop the Spirit Platform, he immediately felt the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi become five to six times denser, as if he were inside a Spirit Gathering Array.

For a Loose Cultivator, this treasure was a wonderful find.

Before long, his Magical Power was fully restored, and he once again pulled Lady Qinxue out from the Water Cloud Bead.

This promiscuous Female Cultivator, who had aged by more than a decade, had now become a middle-aged beauty who still retained a mature charm.

She looked at Fang Cheng without a word, a pensive expression on her face.

Fang Cheng sat on the Gathering Spirit Platform, looking down at Lady Qinxue. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Are you a Demon Buddha Inheritor?"

Lady Qinxue chuckled softly, her gaze fixed on the mask on Fang Cheng’s face. "I see now," she said. "You must have received the legacy of that traitor, the Dragon Elephant Wanderer. Otherwise, it’s impossible for you not to know of the Demon Buddha."

Having his secrets exposed, Fang Cheng’s mood instantly soured.

Two Vajra Gu flew from his sleeve and landed on Lady Qinxue. They stared viciously at the Female Cultivator, their intent ravenous and greedy. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He said coolly, "If you are unwilling to speak further, Fellow Daoist, then you can feed your body to these two insects of mine."

Lady Qinxue replied nonchalantly, "I was originally thinking of bringing you into the fold. A pity that you’re an heir of the Dragon Elephant Wanderer..."

As she spoke, the bizarre rune between her brows began to flicker. The next moment, she opened her mouth and exhaled a breath toward Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly. The Li Hen Demon Light surged out, forming a watertight defense around him.

And yet, he felt a sinister wind bypass his Divine Techniques and physical body, lightly brushing against his soul.

A wicked smile spread across Lady Qinxue’s face. "From now on, you are my prey. The next time we meet, I’ll be sure to have some fun with you."

The moment she finished speaking, the rune between her brows burst into flame, quickly setting her entire body alight. In the blink of an eye, she was reduced to ash, leaving only a skeleton behind.

Fang Cheng’s expression was as dark as a stagnant pool. He stared at the skeleton on the ground without a word.

He retrieved the Immortal Binding Rope and the Vajra Gu. Lifting his head, he gazed toward the distant Divine Pillar Mountain as three words silently surfaced in his mind.

’Demon Dao Incarnation!’

He didn’t know which Demon Cultivator had refined this Lady Qinxue to be their incarnation.

Perhaps she had once been an ordinary Loose Cultivator on Divine Pillar Mountain, but after being refined by that person, her strength had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shaking transformation.

Fang Cheng was curious about Demon Dao incarnations, but this Divine Technique was far too treacherous. The slightest misstep could get him burned, and he vowed to himself that he would never cultivate a similar Divine Technique in the future.

’It seems I have no choice but to return to the Immortal City. I have to get to the bottom of this Demon Buddha business!’

’The Demon Buddha has inheritors, and they seem to hold a grudge against the Dragon Elephant Wanderer. If I don’t get this sorted out, I’m afraid I’ll run into a great deal of unwarranted trouble in the future.’

’I just happened to obtain the Xuanyuan Illusion Body Technique. I might as well practice it a bit, then assume a new identity to enter the Immortal City and sneak into Cen San’s manor...’

After a moment of thought, Fang Cheng made up his mind.

...

「The moment Lady Qinxue perished.」

On the South Shore of the Abyssal Marsh, deep at the bottom of the lake, a palace constructed from fine white jade stood amidst the pitch-black darkness.

Deep within the palace, inside a Quiet Chamber, stood seven bronze cauldrons, each about ten feet tall. Purplish-black Demon Flames burned within them.

The flickering flames cast a multitude of ghostly shadows across the chamber, making it feel like a spectral realm.

A bald Nun sat cross-legged before the great cauldrons, turning a string of bone-white Buddha Beads in her hand.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the Buddha Beads were all human skulls. A spiritual light flickered upon them, and they radiated an oppressive Evil Qi. They had clearly been fashioned by forcibly refining Cultivators’ skulls down to the size of prayer beads.

The Nun’s expression was icy, her skin as white as porcelain, unlike that of a living person.

She was barefoot, and strange, glowing patterns were inscribed upon the tops of her feet.

At the very instant Lady Qinxue perished, the flames in one of the seven bronze cauldrons suddenly leaped and flickered violently.

The Nun lifted her gaze to the bronze cauldron, her eyes fixed coldly on the Demon Flame within as it flashed once, then died out.

Her dark brows furrowed. She let out a cold snort laden with anger and, with a flick of her finger, shot a beam of spiritual light out of the chamber.