Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

Master and disciple met, creating an undoubtedly joyous scene.

Surrounded by thick, lush greenery, the area was enveloped in a serene atmosphere.

In such a scene, master and disciple should have had much to discuss. However, in the thick of their joy, Tan Shuchang chose to strike first.

All that Tan Shuchang had learned, he had learned from the Heartless Old Man.

From the Heartless Old Man, he acquired the "Sevenfold Demonic Body Scripture," which the Heartless Old Man had practiced for a hundred years, and the "Blood Refining Lotus Technique," which the Heartless Old Man had fortuitously obtained from a direct descendant of a demon sect.

The former could be learned by any disciple of Black Heart Mountain, as it was a cultivation technique that grew in power the longer one practiced it. Of course, it could also be that all the disciples on Black Heart Mountain were merely fodder, and by practicing this technique, they would enable the Heartless Old Man to absorb them more effectively.

The latter was only taught to those who had earned the qualifications to "ascend through fasting to demonhood." So far, only three people had been imparted this teaching by the Heartless Old Man.

These three individuals were the top three sources of fodder of Black Heart Mountain: the eldest sister, the second senior brother, and Tan Shuchang.

At this moment, the Heartless Old Man had not expected to be attacked by this disciple. However, ultimately being a centennial demon, he reacted promptly.

"How audacious of you, rebellious disciple!" the Heartless Old Man exclaimed, blocking the attack and becoming furious.

"Master must be joking," Tan Shuchang replied.

That his strike had been ineffective was within Tan Shuchang's expectation, as all he knew was also known to the other. When he made his move, the Heartless Old Man had definitely sensed it coming.

"Very well, very well, do you think that after a few years of practice, you can be my opponent?" The Heartless Old Man was a slightly plump old man with a kind and benevolent appearance, but now, in his anger, his eyes began to faintly emit a green glow.

A ghastly chill surged from all directions all at once.

The temperature of the area visibly fell. Although the originally bright green leaves did not instantly turn yellow, they were now coated with a thick layer of frost. The frost was poisonous, and a few insects that had just frozen to death instantly turned into flickering ghostly shadows that lunged at Tan Shuchang.

This was the Shadow Devouring technique; once struck by it, one would become a shadow puppet controlled by the caster.

At that moment, as Tan Shuchang was surrounded by a black glow, a shadowy figure started to condense behind him.

This was the "Sevenfold Demonic Body Scripture."

When activated, it produced a black glow and formed a shadow of the demonic body.

This shadow possessed the Authority of the Law and the Power to Subdue, but these were only possible after reaching at least the fifth level of the technique. The initial shadow of the demonic body only rendered its practitioner immune to blades, fire, water, and all poisons.

The Heartless Old Man, after a hundred years of cultivation, had only cultivated the demonic body to the sixth level.

However, even though Tan Shuchang was only manifesting the first level of the demonic body, black runes emitting black smoke unexpectedly appeared in the void around, directly shattering those Shadow Devourers.

This was the hallmark of the technique's formidable prowess.

In the Jiawu Realm, any cultivation technique, whether it initially only offered the Power of Prohibition, the Authority of the Law, or as in the case of the "Sevenfold Demonic Body Scripture," offered both—could reach a level where the technique, law, and power were fully integrated when mastered.

And this categorization of techniques within the Jiawu Realm stemmed from that capability. After all, while any technique could be cultivated to attain the integration of technique, law, and power, starting with more would significantly reduce the difficulty of mastering it, and consequently, increase the divine powers gained from such cultivation.

A technique that only offered one type of power was considered a superior cultivation technique.

Those that offer two types were deemed superior treasured scripture techniques.

Rumors had it there were three types, but as for how, Tan Shuchang did not know the details since he had also heard it through the grapevine.

As for the cultivation techniques that possessed not even a single type of power, they were naturally classified as inferior. These techniques could be cultivated, but after doing so, one would not attain the true essence of the path of immortality, and even after a hundred years, it would all be an illusion.

At that moment, seeing Tan Shuchang display the ultimate power of the "Sevenfold Demonic Body Scripture" surprised the Heartless Old Man. After all, this was a level of cultivation technique he had not achieved even before his body was destroyed!

"You indeed have undergone a remarkable transformation!" the Heartless Old Man said bitterly. He had discovered the strange power that Tan Shuchang produced during his cultivation two months prior.

The discovery had genuinely taken him by surprise.

For the strange power was such that even he could not break through the barrier!

At that time, the Heartless Old Man had even considered directly taking action to capture this disciple and seize his fortune. However, he feared that his disciple from Mount Sword would relentlessly seek to kill him, so he dared not show himself.

After all, he had spotted disciples from Mount Sword in Qinghe City numerous times.

Who would have thought that in such a short span, this disciple would have fully matured!

"There's no need for you to worry about me any further, Master. Please be on your way," Tan Shuchang said pointedly, locking down the energy in all directions to prevent the Heartless Old Man from escaping.

However, when he spoke, his tone was not only gentle, but he also did not skimp on the honorifics.

And as Tan Shuchang's words fell, several white-as-jade lotuses instantly overlapped with the figure of the Heartless Old Man.

The Heartless Old Man, who was originally slightly corpulent, became immediately emaciated and his entire figure unnaturally darkened as if he had been dyed in a vat of soy sauce.

"Blood Refining Lotus Technique?" Despite being severely injured, the Heartless Old Man recognized the demonic technique used by Tan Shuchang.

"Master has good eyesight!"

Tan Shuchang said, nodding with a smile. His smiling expression was because the augmentation he received after refining that ghoul was somewhat beyond his expectations.

With one step forward, blood began to seep from the ground.

This blood quickly gathered into a pool, making this corner of the courtyard look like a small pond. In this blood-colored pond, lotuses silently bloomed.

These lotuses, white as jade with layers of golden halos accompanying them, looked quite divine.

However, within those halos, there were streaks of blood light and blood-colored runes.

At this moment, as these lotuses bloomed, the might of the technique's Forbidden Power, the might of the Authority of the Law, and the might of the power to suppress, all appeared simultaneously. A Blood Refinement Great Array also fully formed as a result.

Now, seeing Tan Shuchang employ the powerful anomalies of the "Blood Refining Lotus Technique," the Heartless Old Man indeed felt like his soul was in peril.

Because normally, deploying this lotus technique would only cause a few blood-colored lotus phantoms to appear around the body, each phantom possessing some might of technique and law.

"Shuchang, I am your master. If you kill me, you will have no place in the world of cultivation!" the Heartless Old Man hurriedly played the emotional card.

Tan Shuchang's face bore a light smile as he spoke in a calm tone, "Master, why are you speaking nonsense? Isn't deceiving the master and destroying the ancestor a fine tradition passed down through the generations of our Sacred Gate?"