Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 356 The Greatest Good Person in the World

When things are normal, Xu Zhen is quite normal, and even makes Li Wuxiang experience a bit of the feeling he had when he was with Mei Qiulu.

For example, when dealing with the affairs of the Shangchi Sect, he no longer made things difficult for anyone—not only did he let Li Jianbai and Xie Qi go, but he also asked Xie Qi to issue condolences to the relatives and friends of the disciples who died at his hands in the name of the sect elders.

“We do things differently in the Eastern Continent than in the Central Continent, at least in Fangju City. We have a clear system of rewards and punishments. Now that the Shangchi Sect has submitted to us, they were our opponents before yesterday, and they are our servants after today. Naturally, we can't cause any more harm.” Xu Zhen sat on a stone bench in the courtyard of the alchemy room and smiled at Li Wuxiang. “Now you must be remembering some things about your past in Fangju City, right? How much do you remember?”

How much do you remember? I remember it all!
However, Li Wuxiang knew why Xu Zhen asked that question. He used to be Xu Zhen's favorite younger brother in Fangju City, back when he was called Xu Chen. Why did Xu Zhen like him? It was because he seemed to be a composite of Xu Pianpian and Xu Zhen himself.

Xu Zhen, the great demon king, always felt that his authority was not to be challenged and that he needed a loyal subordinate. He himself had been loyal since he was Xu Chen, even to the point of being blindly loyal. However, this blind loyalty was not due to stupidity, but rather to naivety and simplicity.

When someone's authority is strong enough, they will feel lonely. Therefore, Xu Chen's naivety and simplicity are very much to Xu Zhen's liking—but it will cause him some dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction stems from Xu Zhen's excessive bestowal of favors on others, from his respect and affection for Xu Zhen, and is a kind of reassuring dissatisfaction.

However, unlike Xu Pianpian, he was more willful and knew his limits, so he wouldn't cause any real trouble that would make him angry.

Therefore, Xu Zhen's initial fondness gradually turned into trust, and then into indulgence. This indulgence led to trouble—Xu Chen figured out how he got there, and that's why he ran away.

However, Xu Zhen didn't tell him that yesterday; he only said it was because he was "playful." Li Wuxiang guessed that Xu Zhen was asking him this now to see if he had remembered everything from the past.

This shows that he is still very vigilant about himself, and that he is clear-headed—it would be problematic if he were not vigilant about a Nascent Soul Sword Immortal who had cultivated the Great Calamity Sword Scripture.

He smiled—a smile that couldn't be too natural, nor too forced. Ideally, Xu Zhen would think, "My little brother thinks I didn't realize he was forcing a smile," that would be perfect.

Then he said, "No, brother, my mind is a mess right now. I remember some things, but I've forgotten others."

The memories of the otherworldly visitor he had swallowed were working. Xu Zhen saw his smile and heard his words, so she just smiled slightly and stared at him silently.

"Really, brother, I really don't remember."

Xu Zhen shook his head: "Little brother, you should know that I don't like being lied to."

"I don't like it either."

Xu Zhen raised her hand and gently tapped the table: "Then tell the truth."

Li Wuxiang stared at him until Xu Zhen's eyes showed some seriousness and hostility, then suddenly waved his hands: "Why do you have to ask this? I've traveled all over the Central Continent, seen so many people and so many things, and I've even met the Emperor. I would never do the foolish things I used to do again!"

These words startled Xu Zhen, and the dangerous glint in his eyes vanished: "Absurd things? What absurd things have you remembered doing in the past?"

"I used to be a bit playful and liked to wander around. But I've been in the Central Continent for so long. Go ask around, who doesn't know the name of Little Divine Lord Li Wuxiang? I don't want to do those things anymore!"

Xu Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. What Li Wuxiang was talking about was actually what Xu Pianpian had done. The string of Immortal-Binding Ropes hanging around his neck actually contained the names of nineteen people. Xu Pianpian's thoughts and ideas in the past were not entirely her own, but rather a combination of her own thoughts and those of the previous eighteen.

Li Wuxiang, a sword immortal with the Nascent Soul cultivation level, possessed a steadfast mind. He had never tried refining people before, so he truly didn't know whether this person could be subdued or not. But now, hearing what he said, he knew that Li Wuxiang had fallen into the spell and was still under control.

However, refining is a slow and gradual process; one cannot rush it, nor can one be too careful in nurturing it. The matter of the Immortal-Binding Rope will slowly seep into his consciousness. As a little is infused, he will "remember" a little, until finally he remembers everything and forgets everything else.

In reality, Li Wuxiang must now feel that he has remembered everything. However, this "remembering" will be a very chaotic state—he will feel that he was indeed born in the Eastern Continent, and he will also feel that he was indeed adventuring and cultivating in the Central Continent. He might even harbor some bad intentions, like he is now, and want Li Wuxiang to lower his guard against him.

This is the most wonderful part—when a person is so engrossed in worrying about something, they neglect other things. His inherent humanity will cause him to feel hostility towards himself, and this hostility will constantly remind him of his identity as the "younger brother." Unconsciously, he has refined himself.

In this process, one must use a combination of gentle persuasion and firmness, like coaxing a child. Few demons on the Eastern Continent possess this kind of patience, but the effort truly pays off—demons are generally less virtuous than humans. He does this partly because it's interesting, and partly as a method of tempering his mind.

However, this time we can't afford to raise them incorrectly. Pianpian was raised incorrectly, and Achen was raised incorrectly even earlier.

Xu Zhen waved his hand at him: "Why are you angry with me? I was just afraid that you would get carried away with your playfulness and cause trouble again. Now that you know how to reflect on your actions, that's good. Little brother, stay by my side these days and don't go anywhere. You just came out of your trance and your mind is still confused. If something goes wrong, it might affect your cultivation."

Li Wuxiang waved his hand and said, "You don't need to look at me like you did in the Eastern Continent. Before you came, I did a lot of things here, and every single one of them was a near-death experience. I'm much better off than you now, and I might even see some things more clearly than you—for example, brother, what do you think of Tong Xu?"

Xu Zhen smiled and said, "This person thinks she's clever, but she's actually quite easy to control. There's no need to worry about her."

Li Wuxiang laughed too: "No need to worry? Last night when you were talking to the Lord, I ran to find her and Xie Qi and told them that my infatuation was all an act, that I was still sober and the same old Li Wuxiang. Tong Xu thought I was still crazy, which scared me to death. I told her everything she asked me. Guess what she was really thinking?"

Xu Zhen's expression turned serious: "What are you thinking?"

"She didn't truly submit, not even out of necessity. What she wanted was to get the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique from you, pretending to send it to the Blood God Sect, but actually to offer it to Mei Qiulu—she wanted Mei Qiulu to see this technique and figure out how to control those people in the future. If I hadn't found out, you'd be in for a headache!"

Xu Zhen's face turned cold, and he sneered, "That's what she said? Interesting. But when I said she was easy to control, I was also wary of this kind of thing. The Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique... Ha, the Xuan Sect asked me to pass it on to the Blood God Sect, and I do know how to teach it. However, I won't have someone else teach it; I'll personally deliver the technique." Li Wuxiang was taken aback: "Brother, you're going to go to the Blood God Sect yourself to deliver it?"

“I’m going, and you’re going too. But not to give it to them, but to get them to give us the Blood God Cult.”

"The Blood God Cult has Yang Gods, the two of us..."

"Do you know what His Majesty said to me last night when you went to see Tong Xu and Xie Qi?"

What did you say? You were just talking to yourself.

Li Wuxiang breathed a sigh of relief. He could still sense the tribulation of delusions on Xu Zhen's body, and knew that the seed of this tribulation had already begun to sprout.

Xu Zhen's supernatural powers allowed him to call a deer a horse and turn falsehood into truth, so yesterday he actually conjured up the Ninth Prince. With the Ninth Prince's appearance, his belief became even stronger, and the great calamity befell him intensified.

Xu Zhen, a powerful demon with the Nascent Soul cultivation level, was considered to have a firm mind. He had never tried to place a tribulation seed on someone at the Nascent Soul level before, so he really didn't know if he could subdue him. But now, hearing his question, he knew that Xu Zhen had entered the tribulation and that it was still developing.

However, given Xu Zhen's cultivation level, it is possible for him to break through illusions. But guiding one through tribulations is a slow and gradual process that cannot be rushed. It must be done slowly, allowing him to gradually realize his desires and let his delusions become reality, until he is completely trapped in his own delusions and illusions, sinking into depravity and unable to find liberation.

This is the most wonderful part—a person who firmly believes in something will go blind and ignore all sorts of irrationalities. His own demonic powers make him especially confident in what he sees, and this confidence, in turn, eliminates all doubts and irrationality. Unconsciously, he has refined himself.

Li Wuxiang then asked, "How would I know? You wanted to ask last night, but you chased me away and wouldn't let me hear it."

Xu Zhen laughed and said, "That was His Majesty's will. Didn't you hear him telling you to leave? It's not that His Majesty doesn't like you anymore, but the His Majesty you met in Lingshan before is different from the one you see now."

"The current ruler can no longer be called the True Lord of Wei River. He has obtained the authority of the True Lord of Fate of the Central Continent and acquired other things. His current realm is between True Immortal and Golden Immortal. The Blood God worshipped by the Blood God Cult is both the True Lord of Fate and the ruler—but in reality, the ruler is the master. Ha, because this True Lord of Fate was, after all, the ruler's disciple in the past."

"My suggestion to have them hand over the Blood God Sect to us was the idea His Majesty had last night. Now that the people from the Thirty-Six Sects have become Corpse Immortals, they seem very powerful, but they actually have a huge flaw. Their original minds were already quite firm, but when a group of them are put together, their individual thoughts become entangled, and they become stupid because they were originally smart—you've dealt with them before, so you should understand."

"The Heavenly Demon Dissolution Technique can restore their minds and allow them to cultivate properly. But people are still people after all. Even if their minds are truly clear, they will still consider themselves human. They might end up making peace with the Six Departments of the Mysterious Sect. Your Majesty's idea is that it would be best for the demon race of the Eastern Continent to become the leader of the Blood God Sect, so as to prevent them from having second thoughts after regaining their minds."

Xu Zhen really dares to think outside the box. Li Wuxiang was practically laughing his head off as he listened to him spout such nonsense with such a straight face—he kept saying "Your Majesty said," but it was all just his own ideas.

If he went to the Blood God Cult with this idea in mind and said, "The Blood God asked me to be the leader," I wonder what an interesting scene it would be.

But we can't let him do that. If he goes there and finds that the actual situation is different from what he said, doubts will arise in his mind, and he might be dispelled from his illusions—what I need to do now is to make Xu Zhen believe that everything he sees and feels is true.

Li Wuxiang nodded: "What Your Majesty says makes sense. It's just that the people of the Central Continent may not be sincere in what they worship. When the Blood God bestows supernatural powers upon them, they naturally listen to whatever is given to them. But if it conflicts with their own needs—Brother, Mei Qiulu is the leader of the Taiyi Sect, and before I remembered who I was, I was the sect leader of Ranshan. The True Lord of Fate is the patriarch of Ranshan. But when the True Lord of Fate descended to the mortal realm, Mei Qiulu and I killed him. If the Blood God insists that they hand themselves over to a demon king of the Eastern Continent, I'm afraid they won't obediently comply."

Wait a minute, there's a flaw in this statement—I should notice it! Otherwise, it will arouse Xu Zhen's suspicion!

Li Wuxiang immediately frowned: "Wait, elder brother, Your Majesty... if the True Lord of Fate was a part of the Blood God back then, why didn't Your Majesty tell me that I was—"

Xu Zhen quickly frowned and said, "That's a secret of heaven. How could you possibly fathom the Emperor's thoughts? You mustn't—."

We can't let Li Wuxiang keep bringing this up! Otherwise, it will arouse his suspicion!
Xu Zhen immediately smiled and said, "Alright, little brother, I'd have to tell you sooner or later anyway. So I'll tell you now, but don't get too cocky—"

"It's natural that it would be difficult for the Demon King to win over the Blood God Cult. But what if it were a human? What if it were a human, like you, Little Divine Lord? You were once the Sect Master of Ranshan, serving the True Lord of Fate. Now, you've gradually been moved by the True Lord and have returned to your faith?"

You're really something, Xu Zhen! You even thought of that!

Li Wuxiang was stunned for a moment, then Xu Zhen laughed: "These are the words His Majesty said to me last night. Now you have the backing of the Shangchi Sect, the Golden Scroll of the Ranshan Sect, the Pointing Moon Mystic Light of the Tianxin Sect, plus the Qingpu Fan of the Qingpu Sect here—"

Xu Zhen flipped his hand, revealing a small fan in his palm: "You've already obtained four of the original artifacts from the thirty-six sects of the Central Continent. I've heard that the Blood God Sect has twenty-four—once we gather the remaining eight, we'll have the complete dragon body for the Sovereign. Let's get the remaining eight and take them to the Blood God Sect together. At that time, with the Sovereign's approval, with you, a junior deity of the Taiyi Sect, and the thirty-six original artifacts to refine the dragon body, wouldn't that be exactly the kind of advantage they've been talking about?"

A thought popped into Li Wuxiang's mind—

It's like a pie fell from the sky!

Wonderful!

What merit or ability do I, Li Wuxiang, possess that the Great Demon King would actually take the initiative to work for me!

Ha ha ha ha! !
(End of this chapter)