Chapter 201: Chapter 144: An Evil God Is Worthy of Locking My Heart?

Like a frog at the bottom of a well, staring at the sky.

Unable to leap out.

With no solid ground to push off from, all one could do was struggle within the well.

Jiang Man felt the lock and mused with a sigh, "So this is what they felt. Oppression, gloom, powerlessness, and despair.

"How difficult it must be."

’Success,’ the Demon King thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

Although this person was exceedingly strange, he was now truly bound by her power.

"What’s your name?" the Demon King asked.

"Jiang Man, of Cloud Mist Peak’s Eighth Courtyard. Soon to be the Seventh Courtyard," Jiang Man answered truthfully.

"When the time comes, someone will come looking for you." As she spoke, the Demon King’s power flared, trying to force Jiang Man to use his Hidden Spirit.

——

The three who had originally left returned to the great pit, bringing a group of people with them.

When they arrived, they found the place had already been reduced to ruins.

The stone forest had collapsed, and the great pit was even more dilapidated.

The bodies of numerous Demon Beasts lay scattered all around.

And besides that, in the center of the pit, a man stood over the fallen body of the Demon King.

Everyone gasped.

Thirty-eight Demon Beasts, plus one Demon King.

Killed, just like that?

What kind of monster was this guy?

A Demon King was comparable to a cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection. Although its power was one-dimensional, it still required several cultivators at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment working together with a specific strategy to even have a chance of killing it.

"He used his Hidden Spirit," a more experienced man said.

Hearing this, everyone understood.

Hidden Spirit.

An ability every Foundation Establishment cultivator possessed.

The longer one cultivated, the stronger their Hidden Spirit became.

That’s why a person’s Realm could sometimes be misleading.

The Hidden Spirit was the true killing move.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, no one was willing to carelessly offend others.

You could never be sure how much power the other person had hidden away.

Even someone at Foundation Establishment Perfection had to be cautious.

"Team Leader?" the slender man from before called out hesitantly.

Jiang Man was just standing there, which made them a little worried.

But soon, Jiang Man turned to look at the group behind him and asked, "Do I need to transport this corpse back?"

He had been pondering this very question.

’They can’t just take my word for how many I killed, right?’

Thirty-eight Demon Beasts and one Demon King.

A total of sixty-nine thousand.

He had only been here for a single day, and his earnings were already this substantial.

’Looks like I need to find a way to stay here longer.’

——

"I have to leave tomorrow?" Jiang Man was baffled.

He looked at the Steward and said, "I thought we were supposed to stay for fifteen days before we could leave?"

"There’s been an incident. In any case, you have to leave first. It’s the same for everyone who killed a Demon King." The Steward looked at Jiang Man. "You’re actually pretty lucky, getting to leave right after you arrived.

"I imagine the effect on you won’t be too great. Once you get back, get plenty of sleep and rest.

"Maybe the influence will fade away.

"Whatever you do, don’t stay up late.

"Let your Heart Spirit calm down.

"It might wash away the aura left by that ’well.’"

Jiang Man nodded, thanked him for the reminder, and then asked about his reward.

"It’ll be settled for you shortly." The Steward paused while looking at Jiang Man, then asked, "What were you thinking at the time?"

Jiang Man was confused.

’What was I thinking about what?’

"Letting those three leave while you stayed behind alone," the Steward clarified.

Jiang Man answered truthfully, "This way, the reward for the Demon Beasts would be all mine, and I could also get some combat experience."

Hearing this, the Steward was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head. "So you really did come here for training."

After that, the Steward said he wouldn’t ask for any more details.

Jiang Man understood. Someone would ask once he returned to the Sect.

Leaving so quickly must have something to do with the Evil God.

’They’re treating me like a suspect.’

Jiang Man felt it was a bit of a shame.

He couldn’t stay here any longer.

「The next day.」

Jiang Man bid farewell to the Steward.

"We’re all in the same Sect. I’ll be transferred back in a while, so we’ll have a chance to meet again," the Steward said with a smile.

Only after Jiang Man had left did the smile disappear from the Steward’s face.

He ended with a sigh.

He had already spoken with the others.

As things stood, Jiang Man was the prime suspect.

He had likely come into contact with the Evil God.

However, being this obvious, it was also possible he was a decoy released by the Evil God.

Someone meant to mislead everyone.

All to hide the person she truly had her eyes on.

———— 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

「September 2nd. Noon.」

Jiang Man returned to his residence.

The Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man and said, "Got kicked out of the Secret Realm?"

Jiang Man shook his head. "Old Huang, you’re not going to believe this, but I met one of your kind."

He then recounted what had happened in the Secret Realm.

He even mentioned the part about the lock being placed on him.

In the courtyard, the Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man, somewhat surprised. "Are you saying the Secret Realm you went to contains the lingering might of an Evil God, which acts like a well that locks a prodigy’s Heart Spirit?"

Jiang Man nodded.

"And you went in?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.

Jiang Man nodded. "I did."

The Old Yellow Ox fell silent for a moment.

Then, Jiang Man told it about the Evil God girl and the deal they made.

"And you even let her place the lock on you?" the Old Yellow Ox stared at Jiang Man.

"That’s right," Jiang Man nodded.

The Old Yellow Ox narrowed its eyes. "Why am I seeing a shadow of your former self?"

Jiang Man suspected Old Huang was calling him an idiot.

"Is this kind of Evil God very dangerous?" Jiang Man asked curiously.

"A dead Evil God isn’t dangerous, but one that can lock a person’s Heart Spirit is something you should steer clear of," the Old Yellow Ox said calmly. "This type of Evil God loves to play with people’s minds and manipulate them for their own use.

"This lock is a tool for control.

"There’s no escape. You become a puppet at their mercy.

"But she’s a fool. After the Great Order of the Immortal Sects, she shouldn’t be acting so recklessly and flaunting her power.

"They think the Great Order of the Immortal Sects is nothing special.

"In reality, it’s because of the Great Order that the Immortal Sects still can’t spare the manpower to deal with them.

"To an Evil God, the Great Order restricts human freedom, which is not a good thing.

"But for ordinary people, the Great Order is saving countless lives.

"Three hundred years ago, corpses littered the land.

"If not for the world-shaping prodigies who emerged from the Four Major Immortal Sects to rewrite the system of Immortal Cultivation and unify the Cultivation Methods...

"...the people you see today would be few and far between.

"That’s why the people of the Immortal Sects are still spreading out, erasing the lingering influence from that era. They simply don’t have time to deal with a long-dead Evil God.

"But if an Evil God’s aura flares up, it will attract the attention of the right people.

"That Evil God is probably starting to regret it now.

"But her methods won’t be retracted just because she is weak.

"Especially that lock."

The Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man and said, "Fortunately, you have something she left on you. I can borrow its aura and see if I can open this lock.

"But if I use it, the next time your wife comes to kill you, you’ll have to figure it out on your own."

Jiang Man looked at the Old Yellow Ox with a smile. "Old Huang, are you saying you’re going to unlock the lock on my heart?"

"With a lock on your heart, you can’t truly advance. Even if the Evil God is powerless to control you, the lock will remain," the Old Yellow Ox explained.

Jiang Man said softly, "Then aren’t you curious? Why, when that place can lock a prodigy’s Heart Spirit and an Evil God can lock a prodigy’s future, would I go in and let that Evil God place her lock on me?"

The Old Yellow Ox looked at Jiang Man but didn’t answer.

But its gaze seemed to ask, ’Isn’t it because you’re still an idiot at heart?’

Jiang Man chuckled, then connected with his Heart Spirit.

In that instant, an invisible power manifested around him.

This power bound him like a well, and the sound of chains followed.

An extremely bizarre lock materialized before Jiang Man.

It seemed to have locked away his future.

"Old Huang, is this the lock you were talking about?" Jiang Man asked, looking at the ox.

But before Old Huang could speak, Jiang Man grabbed the lock and gave it a sharp twist.

CRACK!

BANG!

The chains snapped, and Jiang Man held the broken lock as he faced the Old Yellow Ox.

The Old Yellow Ox, which had been about to speak, froze on the spot, its pupils contracting.

Jiang Man gazed at it calmly and said, "There may be thousands upon thousands of Evil Gods in this world, but there is only one Unparalleled Celestial Pride—me."

As he spoke, Jiang Man carelessly tossed the large lock aside. "They might be strong enough to take my life, but on what grounds can they lock the heart of an Unparalleled Celestial Pride?

"Lock a prodigy’s spirit?

"That just means the prodigy isn’t prodigious enough."

Jiang Man casually waved away the aura around him, shook his head slightly, and said, "Old Huang, you still don’t believe that I am an Unparalleled Celestial Pride."

The Old Yellow Ox stared blankly at Jiang Man, completely stunned.

It subconsciously lowered its head and began to graze.

As if only by doing so could it soothe the shock in its heart.

It had never seen someone so confident, so arrogant, so utterly certain of their own Talent and Heart Spirit.

Jiang Man looked at the Old Yellow Ox. "Are you done being shocked? Because if you are, I’m going to pick it up."

And with that, he picked the lock back up.

’I forgot to check with the Celestial Book.’

Then, the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books flipped open.

It landed on the last page.

[Not worth mentioning.]

Jiang Man nodded. ’Indeed, not worth mentioning.’

————

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