Chapter 25: The Night Reaper of the Heavenly Demon Sect
“Senior Brother Lu, is it true there are demonic cultivators active in Wanqing Mountain?”
“I heard demonic cultivators use fellow cultivators to refine pills, strip their tendons, and skin them to craft artifacts. They’re said to be cruel and ruthless—though that might be an exaggeration.”
A group of Qingyun Sect disciples descended from their mountain base. Since entering the Foundation Establishment Stage, they had primarily traveled via flying swords, leaving little time for casual conversation. But today, with the leisurely pace of their journey, they seized the rare chance to chat.
“Silence!” Lu Changtian’s cold snort cut through the chatter. His indifferent gaze swept over the group as he said dismissively, “So what if there are demonic cultivators? Wanqing Mountain is the Qingyun Sect’s territory. Even if a patriarch from the demonic sects shows up, they’d have to bow before us!”
The disciples nodded vigorously, their expressions filled with flattery.
“Senior Brother Lu is right!”
“Indeed, Senior Brother Lu is the strongest among the new generation of Qingyun Sect’s direct disciples. His talent far surpasses those demonic cultivators!”
“If we run into demonic cultivators, we’ll just slaughter them all!”
True, there had been a time when the Sect Leader’s favored disciple, Zhao Lingtian, overshadowed him. But now, with Zhao Lingtian’s Dantian crippled, Lu Changtian was unquestionably the top disciple of his generation—the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Qingyun Sect. The mere thought of demonic cultivators seemed laughable.
The previously clear night sky abruptly darkened.
Lu Changtian looked up, spotting a mass of black clouds rising from the mountains, blotting out the moonlight as they surged westward at alarming speed.
Within the black clouds swirled ominous crimson demonic energy. Even from afar, its oppressive aura sent chills down their spines.
“It’s a demonic cultivator!”
“Such terrifying demonic energy!”
“Quick, notify the Sect!”
Lu Changtian’s face turned pale, his earlier arrogance evaporating.
This level of demonic energy, capable of forming a cloud, could only belong to a powerful elder-level demonic cultivator. To confront such a monster as mere Foundation Establishment disciples was nothing short of suicide.
One of the Qingyun Sect disciples from the Enforcement Hall fumbled with his communication jade slip, attempting to activate it. But before he could, his body froze, immobilized.
“Jie jie jie… Little ones, I can’t let you go spreading news so freely.”
A chilling voice echoed from behind them.
Lu Changtian’s blood ran cold as he realized the black cloud had disappeared from the sky.
The demonic cultivator was already behind them.
In an instant, the disciple attempting to send a message was engulfed in a mist of demonic energy. He didn’t even have time to scream before the mist consumed him, leaving behind only a twisted corpse.
“Don’t have time to deal with you brats today. Here, have a little toy to play with. Jie jie~”
The demonic energy dissipated, leaving no trace of the demonic cultivator except for the grotesque remains of the fallen disciple.
“Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Zhang?”
“Don’t bother. He’s dead! We need to return to the Sect immediately and report this!”
The jade slip was destroyed, and Wanqing Mountain was no longer a safe place for disciples of their level. The matter required senior disciples or even elders to resolve.
One of the disciples stepped forward to collect Junior Brother Zhang’s remains.
“Don’t touch him! Step back!”
Lu Changtian, his gaze fixed on the corpse, noticed something amiss and shouted a warning, but it was too late.
Suddenly, red fur sprouted all over Junior Brother Zhang’s corpse. With a predatory leap, the reanimated body lunged at the nearest disciple like a leopard, its blood-stained maw revealing sharp fangs.
With a sickening crunch, the monster bit through the disciple’s neck, tearing flesh and spraying blood everywhere.
The horrific scene left the surrounding disciples frozen in fear, unable to react.
The bloodthirsty creature, now empowered by its kill, grew even more ferocious.
“It’s a Redfur Ghoul!” Lu Changtian drew his flying sword, his expression grave. “Form up! This is a dangerous enemy. If we don’t destroy it, none of us will make it out alive!”
As the ghoul snarled and advanced, Lu Changtian felt a chill in his heart.
This demonic cultivator had casually turned a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s corpse into a Redfur Ghoul, a monster equivalent to a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Just who was this demonic cultivator?
Inside a small house at the base of the mountain—
“The elixir Senior gave me is more than just precious…”
Li Qingran was in utter disbelief as she examined her Dantian through inner sight.
The nascent Dantian, bathed in golden light, defied her expectations. As the reconstruction neared completion, a spinning golden lotus platform appeared before her.
“This… is my new Dantian?!”
The lotus-shaped Dantian radiated a faint green glow, its intricate petals etched with mysterious Daoist scriptures.
This was no ordinary Dantian—its quality was unheard of.
Though she had read many records in the Sect’s library, none described a Dantian of this caliber. The closest comparison was the Grade-One Dantian, the pinnacle of innate Dantian quality. Even so, legends spoke of an even higher grade: the Supreme Dantian, attainable only through extreme effort and rare resources.
Li Qingran’s intuition told her that her current Dantian was Supreme-grade.
“What kind of extraordinary elixir did the Senior give me…?” Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at the golden lotus blooming around her. She felt overwhelmed by gratitude. Restoring her Dantian alone was an unrepayable favor, but the Senior had also granted her such a profound opportunity.
“Jie jie! A Supreme Dantian indeed! My fortune has arrived!”
A sinister, elderly laugh broke the silence outside.
Li Qingran turned toward the window and saw a dark cloud in the sky, swirling with demonic energy. A shadowy figure loomed within.
“A demonic cultivator!”
The intruder exuded malice and formidable power.
“Senior, a demonic cultivator is here!”
Without thinking, Li Qingran picked up her broken sword, her eyes fixed firmly on the threat outside.
“Jie jie jie!” The figure in the cloud laughed maniacally. “I am Ye Futian, Patriarch of the Heavenly Demon Sect! None of you will escape tonight. You will become the foundation of my ascension to the Dao!”
Li Qingran’s gaze sharpened, and she gripped the broken sword, ready to fight.
But before she could act, a gentle force pushed her back.
In his hotel room, Chen Huai’an smirked as he observed the black cloud and the glowing red dot on the game map.
Pressing a communication talisman, he spoke with a devilish grin: “Girl, step back and get under the covers. Your Senior is about to show off.”
What Li Qingran heard, however, was:
“Do not worry. Mere ants…
can crush them with ease!”