Chapter 125: Demon Realm Sol Seizure (Part 18)

When they first met, the Elder Taishang immediately showered Fu Shao with praise.
Fu Shao glanced at the newcomer and said, “You are all high-ranking figures; your cultivation far surpasses mine. I am merely a small disciple of the Wanfu Sect, and it’s impossible for me to switch to another sect. If you have something to say, just say it directly.”

The Elder Taishang smiled and said, “Why be so wary, my young friend? I speak with sincerity.”

Fu Shao took a swig of wine. “Oh? Even my master hasn’t noticed anything extraordinary about me. If you are talking about the ability to craft a Shura Eye, I only have two eyes, and I’ve already lost one. I’d like to keep the other one.”

Yin Xiangjun spoke gently, “Young friend, you misunderstand. While it is good that you can craft magic tools, refining them with your own body is harmful. In our sect, there are specialized instrument cultivators who handle the forging of magic tools. Why would we force our disciples to harm their own bodies?”

Then he shifted the topic, saying, “We have heard of your diligence in cultivation. Unfortunately, your spiritual root was harmed by poison in your youth, preventing further progress. It is a shame. We have a way to help you.”

Fu Shao’s anger flared, and he radiated a killing intent. “What way?”
Yin Xiangjun casually replied, “We can replace your spiritual root.”

This not only shocked Fu Shao, but even the onlookers, including You Yin, widened their eyes. “The spiritual roots can be replaced?”

The Elder Taishang said, “There’s no need to be so surprised. Such things have long been practiced within the Xianmen (Immortal Sect). If you don’t believe me, look at Xiangjun and Luo Shi sitting across from you. Luo Shi’s spiritual root was transferred from Xiangjun to her. Now, Xiangjun’s cultivation has reached half a step into the divine transformation, and Luo Shi has already attained the Golden Core and Yuanjun stage.”

Luo Shi lowered her eyes demurely, meeting the gazes of the others. The pair of striking siblings sat together like a beautiful painting. The aura they emitted matched their cultivation, proving that the Elder Taishang had not lied.

Yin Xiangjun pushed a box of pills in front of Fu Shao. “This method of replacing the spiritual root is a secret technique developed by my younger sister. It contains a water spiritual root identical to your original one. After consuming three pills, your spiritual root will naturally regenerate. Here is one pill; you can take it and try. Naturally, if you don’t trust us, you can choose not to try it.”

The jade medicine box was placed on the table.
Yin Xiangjun shook her fan, smiling as her gaze drifted into the distance. The others appeared relaxed, but the only one tense was the small disciple.

“No merit, no reward,” Fu Shao’s lifeless gaze lingered on the medicine box for a while before speaking, “What exactly do you want me to do? I need to know in order to decide.”

Elder Yi, sitting opposite, straightforwardly said, “This shouldn’t be difficult for you. I’ve heard you can use an embroidery needle to stitch demons, ghosts, and poisonous creatures together, creating ghostly servants. Can you teach us this technique?”

“This is a personal divine art and cannot be passed on.” Fu Shao was not foolish and didn’t want to become a pawn. “If you want something, I can do it myself.”
Yin Xiangjun nodded. “That works too.”

Fu Shao’s remaining eye flickered, and he couldn’t help but ask, “But what exactly do you want it for?”

After all, his master had always said that the things he stitched were evil, offering no benefit to the world.

Yin Xiangjun closed her fan and waved her hand across the table. Illusions appeared under her palm to explain her words. In a small world, a few chess pieces stood, and as the wind blew, the sand shifted, with the chess pieces drawing in all the surrounding grains. “The spiritual energy in the world is becoming increasingly thin. We are planting a few chess pieces simply to collect more spiritual energy.”

Fu Shao responded, “I’m curious. Aren’t you trying to piece together the Celestial Ladder? Why not wait until it’s completed, and the spiritual energy will naturally spread to the mortal realm? That would be better than creating these monsters and adding chaos to the world.”

Yin Xiangjun flipped her hand, and grains of sand symbolizing spiritual energy fell. “Once the Celestial Ladder is complete and the heavenly gates open, spiritual energy will spread, first purging the world of evil and impurities, then nourishing mountains, rivers, and trees, creating spiritual mountains, spiritual waters, and spiritual fields. Finally, it will form new spiritual roots in the bodies of newborns.”

Spiritual energy will first bless all beings and be close to the weak, while the higher-level cultivators will be the last to receive it.

By the time it reaches them, there may be nothing left.

Yin Xiangjun paused, “Naturally, we are speeding up the collection of the Celestial Ladder’s fragments, but we don’t know when it will be fully pieced together. In the meantime, we need other ways to make the strong even stronger, to protect everyone. If we can have higher-level beings ascend here and open the heavens, returning the favor to the mortal realm, you will have accumulated great merit.”

Fu Shao understood that ascension had nothing to do with them low-level disciples, and whether it would truly protect the world after ascension was debatable. A hint of sarcasm involuntarily spread across his lips.

However, he wasn’t a good person to begin with.

He grew up in the swamp forest, surrounded by poisonous beasts, and lacked human compassion. Everyone feared him, including his senior sister, who had always treated him like family.

Right now, he just wanted to become stronger—stronger than those high-ranking individuals who clinked glasses with Hua Liangyu at banquets, more worthy of her attention.

Fu Shao took the pill.

He then remembered something. “My master once said that fate is difficult to defy. Since cultivators go against the heavens, creating these ghostly servants, doesn’t that invite heavenly punishment? Will this punishment fall on me or on you?”

“No need to worry,” the Elder Taishang calmly said. “Your master only has some knowledge of divination and is stuck in his ways. If one is strong enough, fate can be altered.”

He looked toward Elder Yi. Elder Yi cupped his hands. “I may not be talented, but I am skilled in the Wind and Thunder Eight Trigrams Formation. Below our Penglai, there’s a large formation that can observe the flow of heaven’s will, even connecting to realms beyond.”

“Oh? How does it connect?”

“This formation can summon people from beyond, borrowing their heavenly influence to harmonize the current flow of energies.” Elder Yi’s gaze was sharp and bright. “I manipulate this formation as one adjusts a balance scale when selling fruits, always achieving balance. Thus, we can change things as we wish, avoid heavenly punishment, and even bypass ascension’s thunder.”

Fu Shao didn’t understand, tilted his head, and walked away.

Yin Xiangjun smiled and shook her fan while the Elder Taishang sipped his tea. They were not surprised that Fu Shao would agree.

For a small disciple, cooperating with the greatest power of the present was an opportunity to rise quickly. Who would refuse such an offer?

Fu Shao walked far away, but a wisp of primordial spirit blocked his way.

He turned around, and it was Luo Shui Yuanjun, the female cultivator who had been silent at the banquet like a fine porcelain vase, now standing behind him as if she wanted to speak with him alone.

Fu Shao: “Do you have something to say?”
Luo Shui’s primordial spirit spoke, “I came to remind you of something.” She pointed at Fu Shao’s sleeve.

Fu Shao looked down, and a phoenix chick chirped, peeking out from his sleeve, its eyes shining brightly. Fu Lingsha was very reliant on people, treating him like a father, so Fu Shao had always kept her in his sleeve for care.

Fu Shao stepped back cautiously. “What is it?”

“Can’t you tell?” Luo Shui looked at the little phoenix for a moment, sighing, “Its eyes are made of two ice spoons.”

The so-called “ice spoons” were fragments of the Celestial Ladder.

Fu Shao froze, a shock running through him. “So, the two Golden Core disciples who were chasing this chick weren’t just after her because she’s a rare phoenix chick?”

“Though rare, a phoenix chick is not as precious as these ice spoons,” Luo Shui Yuanjun said, placing her finger to her lips. “With these two fragments, you’ll have the capital to establish your own realm in the future. This is a priceless item, and you must protect it well, so it doesn’t fall into the hands of wolves or tigers.”

With that, she smiled slightly, and her primordial spirit dissipated.

Fu Shao broke into a cold sweat, realizing that Luo Shui had just helped cover up the phoenix chick’s tracks. He quickly took Fu Lingsha out and used black mist to cover her eyes.

…
Shen Suwei thought to himself, “So that’s how it is.”
Fu Lingsha’s eyes were divine because the Celestial Ladder’s fragments recorded the changes in heaven and earth, and strange visions appearing in them were not unusual. Fu Lingsha knew that he was the “heavenly punished one” because she had seen his past but not necessarily the future.

At that time, the truth in the flower realm was more or less clear:
The evil spirit, which had been sewn together with a dog from the Zhao family, should have been the work of Fu Shao, and the people who instructed him were four: the Elder Taishang, Elder Yi, and the brother-sister duo, Yin Xiangjun.
It turned out that the Elder Taishang had long been in chaots with Yin Xiangjun.

Yin Xiangjun and the others had a method to exchange spiritual roots, while the Elder Taishang had instructed Elder Yi to use the Wind and Thunder Eight Trigram Formation to help them avoid heavenly punishment.

However, Elder Yi’s powers were far greater than expected.
Shen Suwei closed his eyes and thought carefully.

In his memories from his past life, he saw that Junior Sister Lu You carried a different kind of fate. Her appearance had brought about the decline of Xu Qianyu. It was because of Lu You that Elder Yi summoned a worldly outsider from the grand formation.

The killing intent surrounding them drained one’s energy, but what was more shocking was the content of this scene.

You Yin murmured, “High-level cultivators created evil spirits to ascend? If this truth were to spread, the four great sects would be shaken. No wonder Yin Xiangjun and Luo Shui had to decide on this mission. No wonder Yin Xiangjun said Fu Shao must die. They probably intended to kill him and silence him, but something went wrong.”

Shen Suwei thought of what Xu Qianyu had told him about Luo Shui being controlled and said, “It looks like Luo Shui Yuanjun has already turned against them and betrayed Yin Xiangjun. With her interfering, there might still be a chance. However, for safety’s sake, don’t say anything when you return.”

You Yin endured for a moment and said, “Understood.”
Chu Linfeng scratched his head and nodded. “I only care about when we can leave.”

“I have another guess,” You Yin said. “The method to exchange spiritual roots has side effects. For example, I saw demonic runes on Yin Xiangjun’s face. Does that mean the master of the Demon Domain, now trapped in the Nightmare, is also because he once exchanged spiritual roots?”

The mirage realm began to grow dark and fierce from this day on, with the white mist swirling rapidly, just like time rushing forward.

After Fu Shao swallowed three pills, his cultivation progressed rapidly, and the killing intent seemed to pierce through the mist and into one’s skin like needles.

Fu Shao moved like needles, and ghostly figures appeared like shadows on a screen, walking in twisted movements. Eventually, this evil act was discovered by his master.

Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed.

You Yin and Chu Linfeng looked up in surprise. This was the most intense shift in Fu Shao’s state of mind since they entered the Mirage Realm, and it was terrifying.

Fu Shao had a long-standing grudge with the headmaster of the Ten Thousand Talismans Sect, and the time for a showdown had come.

The two fought with talismans, but Fu Shao had reached the Nascent Soul realm, and this headmaster fell at Fu Shao’s hands on this stormy night.

Rainwater slid down Fu Shao’s nose, and the lightning illuminated his pale, one-eyed face, making him look like a demonic figure.

But there was no joy on his face. Trembling, he said, “You could have beaten me.” He grabbed his master’s collar. “I’m the disaster your senior sister summoned; didn’t you say that? Now it’s been proven. Why didn’t you kill me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll bring calamity to the world?”

“You always think I treat you badly, that I look down on you.” The headmaster glared at him with his phoenix eyes, his breath weak. “In fact, if you were my biological son, I would have treated you like this. I don’t like you, but I can still do this. How much more so for your senior sisters? Think about it carefully.”

The headmaster kept spitting blood but stared at Fu Shao and even laughed. “Fu Shao, killing your master is a great sin, but I’m willing to die for you, not wanting the heavenly punishment to fall on you. If you cross over my body today, think carefully about whether you still want to become an evil person.”

With that, he opened his eyes wide, tilted his head back, and died with a final breath.

Fu Shao held his master’s corpse and trembled in the rain. The headmaster’s words echoed in his ears like thunder:

“I don’t like you, but I can still do this. How much more so for your senior sisters?”
“I’m willing to die for you, not wanting the heavenly punishment to fall on you.”
After a while, Fu Shao stood up and stepped over his master’s body.
However, from his already hollow right eye, a tear fell.

This tear fell into the deep pool.

The wind in the Mirage Realm stopped, and the mist moved in an eerie, quiet calm. Light flickered faintly in the mist, and rotating petals fell, accompanied by the faint sound of bells.

Green trees and houses reappeared in all directions, and Fu Shao sat under a tree, receiving a letter from Fu Lingsha.

“What does this mean?” You Yin looked around, confused. “Isn’t that a secret letter from our Heavenly Mountain?”

Shen Suwei said, “After this, the Ten Thousand Talismans Sect disbanded, and its disciples went their separate ways. Fu Shao didn’t join the Elder Taishang, but rather set himself up as the master of the Demon Domain. This must have been unexpected for them.”

“Are you saying the master of the Demon Domain isn’t in cahoots with them?” You Yin said. “So, Fu Shao established the Demon Domain, pretending to cooperate with the Elder Taishang, but secretly, like Luo Shui, he’s already turned against them.”

Shen Suwei lowered his eyes and saw the marriage contract on the spiritual butterfly.
“Fu Shao made a soul-binding oath and sealed the ghostly figures within paper people. At least, when he’s sober, he didn’t bring calamity to the world. These sons and daughters he created might be to confuse Yin Xiangjun and the others and secretly build up forces to fight against them.”

His long eyelashes moved slightly: “Hua Liangyu did go to the Demon Domain, and she married Fu Shao.”

Chu Linfeng clapped his hands: “So, when my relative said that the little dragon she gave birth to was Master’s disciple’s child, it was the truth.”

“Hua Liangyu might not be without feelings for Fu Shao,” Shen Suwei raised his eyes, and for a moment, he understood Hua Liangyu’s words as a senior sister: “When she said she liked the strong, she was only advising Fu Shao to rise, not to belittle him.”

“I guess she went to the Demon Domain, hoping to forcibly bring Fu Shao back to the right path by leaving her consciousness behind, but discovered he had already turned. So, she stayed in the Demon Domain. She married Fu Shao and had a child, perhaps to use herself as a lock, to prevent him from doing evil. But Hua Qingsan hated Fu Shao, and Hua Liangyu couldn’t explain it.
She could only secretly stay with him, with her consciousness leaving her body. Eventually, Fu Shao entered the Nightmare, and Hua Liangyu’s consciousness was lost.”

At this moment, Shen Suwei saw the words “I want to eat snow skin mooncakes” and remained silent for a while. It turned out that the one who had contacted him earlier was Xu Qianyu.

Communication here is not easy, and I must thank You Yin and Lin Shuyue for their accidental yet fortunate exchange. His fingertips brushed over it for a while, suppressing his emotions, and he said to You Yin, “When you go back, have Lin Shuyue eat some snow skin mooncakes.”

You Yin was suspicious. “Huh? Did she say that? Fine… alright.” He lowered his head, his expression uneasy.

Had his bottom line lowered again?

Now, compared to the great evil and treachery, Lin Shuyue seemed less detestable.
Shen Suwei said softly, “Chu Linfeng, come over here.”

Chu Linfeng, unsure of his meaning, bent forward. Shen Suwei placed a finger on his forehead, a flash of white light, and Chu Linfeng’s body changed drastically. His hair grew long, and he shouted, “What are you doing? Why did you turn me into a woman!”

In the blink of an eye, Chu Linfeng disappeared, replaced by a figure in a long flowing dress, “Hua Liangyu,” staring at Shen Suwei in bewilderment.

Shen Suwei said, “You are also half-dragon. It is safest for you to impersonate Hua Liangyu.”

You Yin’s heart skipped a beat, and he intervened, “Hua Liangyu is Fushao’s weak spot. If you do this… you might anger the Demon Realm’s master.”

Shen Suwei replied, “I’m here to kill him, not to please him. What does it matter if I anger him?”
The signal from Xu Qianyu had made him lose patience. He directly pushed Chu Linfeng into the mist. Transformed into Hua Liangyu, Chu Linfeng tangled his long hair, walked awkwardly forward, and flexed his chest muscles uneasily.

“Ah!” This outfit, just moving a little, and it tears.

Chu Linfeng covered his chest with one hand, a sword qi bead rolling out from his chest, sweeping through the mist!

The mist, which had been flowing calmly, indeed began to stir and shake. After a moment, Chu Linfeng’s figure moved swiftly, dodging an attack from the descending runes.

Shen Suwei looked up. “So, the Demon Realm’s master is finally willing to show himself?”
Behind the mist, Fushao’s illusory figure materialized, towering like a giant.

His long hair, mixed with silver strands, fluttered in the air, his face covered in demonic markings, staring at everyone with a cold, sinister expression. He pointed, breaking Chu Linfeng’s transformation spell and causing the earth to tremble as he spoke, “What are you, to dare impersonate my senior sister’s likeness? Don’t you fear me killing you?”

Chu Linfeng retorted, “Tired of watching the show, was wondering if you’d come out!”
Fushao sneered, and countless ghostly figures appeared in front of him, all clawing and growling.

The three of them became serious.
But after a moment, a golden-glowing teleportation array appeared beneath these ghosts, and they vanished in an instant.
Chu Linfeng asked, “What does this mean?”

Fushao froze for a moment. “You cultivators have some skill, managing to gather the dragon and phoenix.”

“Good. I swore back then that someone would save my son’s life. These ghosts aren’t necessary. I’ll deal with you three.”

With that, he closed his giant palm, and killing intent surged. Immediately, the mist swirled like a whirlwind, shooting upward, blocking the sky and the sun. Every droplet of water in the air turned into a sharp blade, attempting to drain all life from the surroundings.