Chapter 114: How Could This Not Be Considered a Rescue?
Yu Le withdrew his hand, his expression somewhat dissatisfied.
This He Ni wasn’t a born demon, just a demonic cultivator.
His cultivation level was only slightly higher than Yu Le’s, but the demonic energy within him was incredibly weak and mixed with impurities, making it of poor quality.
Using such demonic energy to refine a demonic pill would be too much trouble.
It was like trying to smelt steel with a fire barely over a hundred degrees.
It seemed that he would have to seek out a high-level demon to absorb demonic energy from, or else find another demon who also had a demonic pill.
With that thought, his mind naturally turned to his senior brother.
That bone was close, but hard to chew.
However, if no better option presented itself, he’d have no choice but to try and gnaw on it.
In an instant, Yu Le made up his mind and heard a weak groan at his ear. He lowered his gaze.
It was his first time directly using the demon core to absorb demonic energy, so he wasn’t very skilled at it. And since he was experimenting, he hadn’t been mindful of his strength, leaving He Ni in a miserable state.
His dantian had cracked from being so dry of demonic energy, and his meridians had shattered from the strain. Even his once-handsome face had sunken and grown pale.
He looked at Yu Le with both fear and hatred in his eyes.
“You… where did you… come from, demonic cultivator!” He Ni forced out two weak sentences. “I… belong to… Xiao Niang!”
The Xiao Niang he mentioned was likely someone of some renown among demonic cultivators, but Yu Le didn’t know, nor did he feel much threatened by it.
“Sigh, Eldest Brother said I can’t kill anyone,” Yu Le sighed, looking at him in frustration. “But if I let you go, that Xiao Niang of yours is definitely going to come after me.”
He Ni was the kind of person who knew when to yield and when to stand firm. Realizing his attempt at a threat had backfired, his survival instincts kicked in, and he suddenly became much more eloquent:
“No, Xiao Niang loves handsome men! If she sees you, she definitely won’t want to kill you. Let me go, and I promise I won’t give you any trouble. I’m already crippled—just spare me my worthless life…”
“Alright, I’ll spare you.” Yu Le readily agreed.
“Ever since I got here, I’ve been really curious about what the soul is all about. But, being a disciple of the Immortal Path, I couldn’t just research it freely. So, I’ll have to trouble you for that.”
“What? No!” He Ni realized what Yu Le meant and struggled even more frantically in terror.
Yu Le grabbed his head.
By the time Yu Le had finished his rough examination of a cultivator’s soul, He Ni had been reduced to an idiot, drooling senselessly.
Yu Le let go of his head, wiped his hands, and cheerfully said, “Thanks.”
After that, Yu Le remembered something else and searched He Ni’s body, pulling out two storage bags.
One looked ordinary, containing spirit stones and other miscellaneous items. The other was more concealed and could only be opened with demonic energy.
Yu Le spent some effort opening it and emptied its contents.
There were two formation discs that could block demonic energy, a few bottles of pills used by demonic cultivators, several demonic cultivation manuals, a jade slip, and some other random bits and pieces.
What Yu Le lacked most were demonic cultivation techniques. With demonic energy and cultivation, it was like having the strength, but you couldn’t rely on brute force alone in battle. He needed to refine his skills and techniques, which meant cultivation methods.
The Wuyue Immortal Sect didn’t have these kinds of demonic cultivation techniques, so he figured he’d have to search for them outside.
The few manuals He Ni had were basic and shallow techniques. Yu Le skimmed through them, unimpressed, and casually stored them away. They were better than nothing, he supposed.
Only the jade slip piqued his interest.
Ordinary, rough techniques could be recorded in books, but using a jade slip indicated that the technique held some mysteries that ordinary paper couldn’t record—a higher-grade technique.
Yu Le pressed the jade slip against his forehead and activated it. After reviewing its contents, he felt a mixture of surprise and amusement.
It turned out to be a dual cultivation technique.
No wonder He Ni’s demonic energy was so weak—his cultivation had been gained through this dual cultivation method.
After absorbing energy from others, he likely hadn’t taken the time to consolidate his own cultivation, resulting in such poor-quality demonic energy.
The technique was quite interesting. Through the exchange of yin and yang, it allowed for the absorption of energy from not only immortal cultivators but also demonic cultivators.
In fact, it seemed that the technique was originally designed to siphon demonic energy, particularly from demonic cultivators who were more powerful than the user.
But the demonic path was chaotic and ruthless, where killing was common and ethics were nonexistent. Absorbing energy from those weaker was one thing, but trying to drain energy from stronger demonic cultivators was extremely dangerous.
No wonder He Ni had come to the immortal cultivator territory to deceive cultivators.
Yu Le stowed everything away and stepped over the half-dead He Ni, walking away with a spring in his step.
Next, he needed to explore the Linzhou Immortal Market and find places where he could trade for useful supplies.
Hopefully, he would run into a couple of demonic cultivators he could handle.
*
Two days later, Mo Cunzhi, carrying the severed head of a demonic cultivator, strode into the bustling Task Hall of Linzhou Immortal Market, dust clinging to his robes.
His aura was icy and exuded the aftermath of a fierce battle. His oppressive presence hadn’t fully dissipated, and those nearby instinctively moved away, feeling as if they were being cut by sword energy just by glancing at him.
The head wrapped in his bundle clearly belonged to a powerful demonic cultivator.
Even in death, the severed head was surrounded by black energy, laced with lingering resentment.
This indicated that the demonic cultivator had taken many lives, and even the demonic energy was infused with hatred.
Who could have possibly killed such a formidable demonic cultivator?
Among those submitting their tasks at the hall, a mix of low-level rogue cultivators and renowned disciples completing black-list and red-list missions couldn’t help but size him up.
Many admired Mo Cunzhi and wished to make his acquaintance. Others, filled with fighting spirit, wanted to challenge him. Some found his murderous aura too oppressive and unpleasant, frowning as they avoided him.
Mo Cunzhi treated them all the same—he ignored them entirely.
“Senior Brother,” a clear, youthful voice called out.
Mo Cunzhi, having just submitted his task, glanced at his junior disciple who had approached him. Seeing the healthy glow on Yu Le’s face, he surmised that his time in the market had been well spent.
“What is it?”
“Senior Brother, you returned so quickly. I thought I’d have to wait a few more days,” Yu Le said with a smile. “Wouldn’t you like to rest for a few days?”
“There’s no need.”
Mo Cunzhi strode off, with Yu Le following behind. He noticed the bloodstains on Mo Cunzhi’s clothes, and the black boots were soaked in blood at the edges. A faint smell of blood lingered around him.
But Mo Cunzhi seemed oblivious to it. He entered the task hall once more and reached for another black-list mission.
Yu Le stopped him briefly. “Hey, I think Senior Brother should take a rest first.”
Mo Cunzhi’s hand was cold as he turned his eyes toward Yu Le. His junior disciple’s hand, in contrast, was warm, carrying a faint scent of grass that made Mo Cunzhi’s gaze shift slightly.
On the surface, he appeared calm and composed, but no one knew that his mind was consumed with bloodshed and slaughter.
Influenced by the demon core within him, Mo Cunzhi was barely able to suppress the demonic energy, still believing that he was merely struggling with his heart demon.
After fruitless attempts to meditate in the snow-covered peaks, he had resorted to slaughtering demonic cultivators to release his pent-up bloodlust, painstakingly holding it back without letting any of it spill out.
“Move aside,” Mo Cunzhi said coldly, tearing down another black-list mission.
Yu Le didn’t press him further, watching from the side as he sighed inwardly, shedding crocodile tears. What a pity.
The mission on the black-list was about the “Old Demon Dansha,” residing on Mount Huangye in Baiyun Province.
The Old Demon Dansha had been using mortal women to refine demon cores, having already abducted the young women from several surrounding counties. Unsatisfied, he had also kidnapped female disciples from several small sects and even attacked disciples from larger sects, which finally landed him on the black-list.
In Mo Cunzhi’s long career of vanquishing demons, this old demon was just another ordinary foe.
Yet, it was this seemingly routine mission that marked the beginning of Mo Cunzhi’s downfall.
The demonic energy he had been suppressing for so long finally became uncontrollable. According to the story, during this mission, he was influenced by the demonic energy of the Old Demon Dansha, which triggered the demon core inside him, causing him to lose consciousness for a brief moment.
When he barely regained his senses, he found that not only had he killed the Old Demon Dansha, but he had also slaughtered over a hundred mortals and several dozen female cultivators who had been abducted by the demon.
For decades, Mo Cunzhi had been the Senior Brother of the righteous Immortal Sect, a protector of the weak. Yet now, he had raised his blade against innocent, defenseless women, committing a sin that could never be washed away.
Standing amidst the corpses and blood, his long-held beliefs crumbled in an instant. He could no longer see the difference between himself and the demonic cultivators he had slain.
Consumed by guilt and self-loathing, he returned to the Wuyue Immortal Sect to confess everything to the sect master, pleading to be punished and expelled from the sect.
However, after a harsh punishment, his master chose to cover up the incident.
But this was not out of kindness. Mo Cunzhi saw the disgust and regret in his master’s eyes.
His master said, “I knew from the beginning that you would end up like this.”
Mo Cunzhi couldn’t understand why his master said such things, just as he couldn’t understand, even as a child, why the man who had raised him—the person closest to him—had always looked at him with a gaze of judgment.
His master no longer wished to see him and confined him to the cave at Hanya Peak.
Later, when demonic cultivators infiltrated the Wuyue Immortal Sect, killing disciples and spreading fear, Mo Cunzhi reluctantly emerged to protect the sect’s disciples.
But soon after, he was accused of being a demonic cultivator himself. He was wrongfully blamed for the murder of his fellow disciples, misunderstood by his junior brothers and sisters, and ultimately abandoned by his sect.
Even Yu Le couldn’t help but feel pity for him after hearing his tragic fate.
Yu Le wiped away crocodile tears.
So, if he could help Senior Brother avoid this misfortune, wasn’t it only fair for Mo Cunzhi to repay him with a little sacrifice?
Yu Le reached out to stop Mo Cunzhi, who was about to leave after taking the mission from the board. “Senior Brother, this time I’ll go with you.”
“With your current cultivation level, you won’t be able to handle it,” Mo Cunzhi replied.
Yu Le insisted, “Then I’ll assist you from the sidelines. Senior Brother can consider it as giving me some experience and allowing me to broaden my horizons. Don’t worry, I won’t distract or trouble you.”
Mo Cunzhi silently rejected him.
In the past, he had always hunted demons alone, a habit formed because their master had forbidden him from interacting much with the other disciples.
Later, he continued working solo, as during his bouts of bloodlust, he would often reveal a violent, terrifying side of himself. He didn’t want anyone to witness that.
Seeing Mo Cunzhi refuse, Yu Le pretended to give up. “Fine. Since Senior Brother won’t take me along, I’ll have to try taking on a mission myself.”
As he reached for another black-list mission, Mo Cunzhi’s iron-like grip caught his arm. Yu Le immediately withdrew it with a smile. “What’s this? Has Senior Brother changed his mind and decided to let me come along after all?”
Mo Cunzhi, not wanting to waste time arguing with his stubborn junior, simply said, “Stay close.”
Yu Le clasped his hands behind his back and followed, his gaze fixed on the figure ahead of him.
Although he found Mo Cunzhi’s rigid, self-sacrificing, and repressed nature irksome, he had to admit that his Senior Brother’s physique was impressive.
Years of rigorous training had given him a tall, broad-shouldered frame with smooth, fluid movements. His aura was sharp and cold, much like the sword at his waist.
A pity, Yu Le thought, that such a fine sword was dulled and tainted by blood, with no one to polish or care for it.
…
They left Linzhou Immortal Market and headed for Huangye Mountain. This time, Mo Cunzhi didn’t slow his pace, forcing Yu Le to exert all his strength just to keep up.
Huangye Mountain was far from Linzhou, located in a remote area devoid of any major cultivation sects. Even small sects were few and far between, and the spiritual energy in the region was sparse.
It was precisely because of this isolation that the Old Demon Dansha had been able to slaughter so many mortals in the area without anyone noticing, and with no one stepping in to deal with him.
The demonic cultivators listed on the blackboard each had crimes too heinous to be fully described, and many were far more infamous than the Old Demon Dansha, offering greater rewards for their capture.
But Mo Cunzhi didn’t concern himself with the reputation of demonic cultivators or the value of the rewards. He simply took whichever mission he came across. Today, it just happened to be the Old Demon Dansha’s turn to face his reckoning.
At the top of Huangye Mountain stood a place called Baiyun Manor, built like a Daoist temple. Mist swirled around it, and yellow leaves covered the mountain. Despite being the lair of a demon, it looked more like a paradise for immortal cultivation.
