Dao of The Demonic Cultivator

In the hall of the Thousand Insects Sect, a masked cultivator took a seat. At the head of the hall sat an elderly man with white hair and a beard—none other than the Hundred Gu Daoist, one of the sect's Golden Core cultivators.

The Hundred Gu Daoist growled, "I need a thousand Beast Spirit Talismans, not one less! The survival of our sect hangs in the balance!"

The corners of the masked cultivator's mouth twitched. Did you think Beast Spirit Talismans were mere scraps of paper, easily produced in the thousands?

Struggling to maintain a smile, the masked cultivator replied, "Fellow Daoist, a thousand talismans is too many. At most, we can provide three hundred. But as a friend, I can offer from my own resources ten sets of Foundation Establishment killing arrays and fifty mid-to-high-grade Foundation Establishment magic tools. How does that sound?"

The expression of the Hundred Gu Daoist softened slightly. After a pause, he said, "Didn't your sect say they would pressure the Heavenly Seal Sect to pull back some of their cultivators? If the Heavenly Seal Sect continues their current offensive, our lower-ranked cultivators won't last long."

The masked cultivator smiled slightly, "That has already been arranged. If nothing goes wrong, within half a month the Heavenly Seal Sect will slow their assault and recall Zhao Wuya and Huang Yuanwu to their headquarters, replacing them with two other Golden Core cultivators. You can rest assured."

The Hundred Gu Daoist nodded slightly, "Very well then."

The masked cultivator then produced a jade slip and flicked it towards him, "The matter you asked me to look into has some developments. Your disciple, Chen Zhaofeng, intentionally spread the word that he was trapped at Ironwire Mountain. The leading disciples of the Extreme Yin Cave, Li Xuanming and Liu Zhenxiong, along with the cultivator Zhou Yu from the Heavenly Seal Sect, went to his aid.

However, when they returned to the Extreme Yin Cave, they were accompanied by an additional person—Chu Xuan, the fourth disciple of the Extreme Yin Cave, who had been missing for several months. The deaths of your disciple and the seven Foundation Establishment cultivators are closely tied to them. This jade slip contains their information."

The Hundred Gu Daoist pressed the jade slip to his forehead and, moments later, crushed it in his hand. Veins throbbed on his forehead as his anger surged.

"It was indeed those Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Extreme Yin Cave! I must avenge my disciple!"

The masked cultivator encouraged, "Those young upstarts deserve death, and their master, Wan Wuying, even more so! If you are willing to play a part in a ploy, I assure you we can eliminate Wan Wuying! Once Wan Wuying is dead, those younglings from the Extreme Yin Cave will be at your mercy."

The Hundred Gu Daoist's gaze sharpened, "Is that so?"

The masked cultivator nodded emphatically, "Truly! The Imperial Spirit Mountain only wants that magic treasure!"

The Hundred Gu Daoist clenched his teeth, his expression dark and undecided. However, the masked cultivator remained composed. He knew the Hundred Gu Daoist's character well and was confident in his agreement.

"Very well! I agree! How shall we proceed?"

Leaning closer, the masked cultivator's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, whispering the plan, "Here's what we'll do... When the time comes, I'll give you the signal. It will be a trap."

Moments later, the Hundred Gu Daoist burst into laughter, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Let's proceed with this plan! You righteous cultivators sure know how to set a trap for someone to fall into!"

The masked cultivator smiled slightly, unfazed by the remark.

...

At the nameless market, Chu Xuan, disguised as a gaunt middle-aged man, mingled among the crowd.

The market had expanded significantly since his last visit months ago. Being near the boundaries of the Extreme Yin Cave, the order here was maintained by the sect's cultivators. With a Golden Core cultivator like Wan Wuying nearby, few dared to cause trouble.

Some cultivators no longer bothered with disguises and openly used their real identities to purchase blood pearls, Gu insects, corpse puppets, and ghosts.

Clearly, as the war progressed, many from the Heavenly Seal Sect had shed their pretense of upholding the righteous path. If it meant gaining strength, embracing the demonic path was a small price to pay!

It was likely that the sect's Golden Core cultivators had turned a blind eye to these practices, perhaps even engaging in similar methods themselves.

"Uncle Master," greeted a cultivator at the market entrance, bowing respectfully.

Chu Xuan nodded slightly, casually handing over several storage bags, "Sell these for me." He glanced at the man and chuckled lightly, "Not bad, Qi Refining Level Seven."

The man, Chen Ge, could barely conceal his excitement, "All thanks to the spiritual stones Uncle Master gave me last time. They helped me survive several battles and even led to some fortuitous encounters, pushing me into the late stage."

He then sighed, "Sadly, Senior Brothers Wei Hua and Bai Feng were not so fortunate; they perished in the war. I heard their bodies were likely strung up by Ironwire Worms."

Chen Ge shuddered at the thought.

Chu Xuan nodded solemnly, feeling a pang of melancholy. Qi Refining cultivators were the lowest stratum in the cultivation world. In the ongoing war between the Heavenly Seal Sect and the native sects of Wu Province, they likely fell every moment.

Chen Ge continued, "Senior Brother Xu Ming is striving hard, now at Qi Refining Level Eight, above me. Even the elder has said that Xu Ming might have a ten to twenty percent chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."

He chuckled bitterly, "As for me, that's unlikely. I'm already thirty-nine, and my potential is nearly depleted. Reaching the late stage of Qi Refining is satisfying enough. In a few years, I plan to go to Plain City to establish a family, hoping to bring some spiritual seedlings to the Extreme Yin Cave."

Chu Xuan nodded gently. Qi Refining cultivators had lifespans not much different from ordinary humans. If they couldn't reach Foundation Establishment by sixty, the likelihood of advancing afterward was minimal. Thus, many Qi Refining cultivators chose to leave their sects after sixty to start their own cultivation families.

For Chen Ge, starting to accumulate familial heritage early was a wise move, providing him with a satisfying resolution to his cultivation journey.

Chu Xuan felt a pang of wistfulness as he listened to Chen Ge's plans and apologies. If it weren't for his Blood Mirror, which allowed him to traverse between two realms, even if he managed to cleanse his demonic cultivator identity by luck, he might end up like Chen Ge, establishing a cultivation family and ending his journey with regrets after a century.

Chen Ge covered his mouth and whispered, "I apologize, Uncle Master, for speaking out of turn and delaying your time."

Chu Xuan waved a hand dismissively, "No matter, go on with your business." With a casual gesture, he sent Bao to accompany Chen Ge. Chen Ge nodded and took his leave, setting up his stall on the territory of Qi Refining cultivators.

Chu Xuan continued leisurely through the market, making his way to a teahouse at the center of the market. Along the way, he overheard numerous Qi Refining cultivators discussing the current state of the war.

"...If you ask me, it's definitely Duan Feipeng who is under Ancestor Zhu Taigi's command! He's a formidable cultivator at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment!"

"It's not necessarily him. Zhao Wuya's top disciple, Wang Jianyu, is also at the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment and is a master of stealth and assassination. Maybe he infiltrated the Thousand Insects Sect and wiped out those seven cultivators in one fell swoop!"

"Heh, you're forgetting about the third of the Heavenly Seal Trio, Han Liuyun, who's also at the seventh level!"

"It's hard to say, it could also be a group of sixth-level Foundation Establishment masters teaming up to take down those from the Thousand Insects Sect in one go."