After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 368 is required.
"The Demon Scripture?"

The Fiery Cloud Evil God narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the Jade Daoist before him, and said:
"This is very interesting. Could it be that even the Taoist priests of Qingyun Temple have fallen into demonic ways?"

Upon hearing this, Master Qingyu did not deny it, but sighed and said:

“I had no intention of cultivating demonic arts, but the demonic scripture is different from ordinary demonic cultivation methods. Every word is a profound and orthodox Daoist method, but the deeper one cultivates, the easier it is to go astray.”

"As the Buddhists say, one thought can lead to becoming a demon or a Buddha. The Demon Scripture is just like that. If one's thoughts are slightly off during cultivation, one will fall into the demonic path forever. By the time I realize it, it will be too late."

Zhao Kuang frowned, glanced at his father's corpse not far away, and asked:

"So you mean you resisted Father's Soul-Searching Technique by relying on that demonic scripture?"

Master Qingyu nodded slightly and said:

"Indeed. Ever since I learned that it was a demonic scripture, I have stopped practicing it and at the same time used the orthodox Taoist methods of Qingyun Temple to suppress the demonic power in my body and my own demonic nature."

"Originally, I shielded my six senses, so if the Great Xuan Emperor had taken my life, nothing would have happened."

"However, things are unpredictable. I never expected that he would use the demonic Soul Searching Technique, which triggered the backlash of the demonic power that I had suppressed for many years."

At this point, Master Qingyu glanced at Li Musheng and said:
"This also led to the fact that although the Great Xuan Emperor obtained the Longevity Scripture from me using the Soul Searching Technique, he was also severely injured by the demonic power within my body. He even accidentally broke through my self-imposed six senses, thus allowing me to regain consciousness."

"However, although I have regained consciousness, I am still very weak and unable to fight against the Great Xuan Emperor. After suffering a serious injury, he is only concerned with recuperating in seclusion and has no time to care for me either."

"It wasn't until you broke into this place and the young master killed the Great Xuan Emperor that I was able to get out of the trap."

After listening to Master Qingyu explain the whole story, Huoyun Evil God and Zhao Kuang and the others all looked thoughtful.

"So... Father really died like that?"

Crown Prince Zhao Kuang's eyes flickered uncertainly as his gaze swept over the corpse of the Great Xuan Emperor before finally settling on Daoist Qingyu.

At this moment, Zhao Kuang's feelings were undoubtedly extremely complicated; the death of the Great Xuan Emperor had caught him somewhat off guard.

He couldn't accept that his father, who had ruled the Great Xuan Dynasty for decades and wielded immense power, had died so easily at the hands of Li Musheng.

At the same time, Zhao Kuang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and even felt a hint of excitement.

After all, once the Great Xuan Emperor died, he, as the Crown Prince of Great Xuan, would be able to rightfully inherit the throne.

Faced with Zhao Kuang's question, Daoist Qingyu hesitated for a moment, glanced at the corpse of the Great Xuan Emperor, and frowned.

"I am not willing to speak rashly. Although the Great Xuan Emperor before me was indeed killed by your finger, I cannot be sure whether he is truly dead."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuang, Huoyun Xieshen, and Zhao Muning were all visibly taken aback.

Soon, Zhao Mu Ning suddenly remembered what Daoist Qing Yu had said earlier, and asked with a look of surprise and doubt:
"Does what you're saying, Daoist Master, have something to do with that Soul Searching Technique?"

"exactly."

Master Qingyu nodded slightly and said:

"The Soul Searching Technique originates from the Devouring Heaven Demon Art cultivated by the Grandmaster of the Demonic Path. It is a supreme demonic art within the demonic path, extremely unpredictable."

"This humble Taoist dares not underestimate its power. If the Great Xuan Emperor were to use the Soul Searching Technique to escape and find another way to survive, it is not impossible."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuang's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

If the Great Xuan Emperor were to truly die, so be it. Although he and his father had some affection for each other, he might still feel sad for a while.

But it only lasted for a while. What Zhao Kuang wanted most was to sit on the throne of Da Xuan. As long as he could become the emperor of Da Xuan, he didn't care about anything else.

However, Master Qingyu then told him that his father might still be alive.

How could he possibly accept this?

As long as there is even the slightest possibility that the Great Xuan Emperor is still alive, he will be restless and unable to eat or sleep even if he ascends the throne.

"Taoist Master, do you have a way to confirm whether Father Emperor is truly dead or feigning death?"

Zhao Kuang asked with a gloomy expression, while Master Qingyu shook his head, indicating that he was powerless to help.

At this moment, Zhao Muning stared at the Qingyu Daoist in front of her, her brows furrowed, and asked:
"I just saw the Taoist priest manipulate my father's corpse. Could it be that the Taoist priest also practices the Soul Searching Technique?"

Upon hearing this, Master Qingyu did not deny it, and nodded, saying:

"The demonic scripture that I unintentionally cultivated back then has a very strange characteristic: as long as it is a demonic cultivation technique, I can easily learn it with just one glance, almost like an instinct."

"When I examined the Great Xuan Emperor's secret chamber before, I had read through the demonic cultivation techniques he practiced, and I even learned a bit of the Soul Searching Technique."

At this point, Master Qingyu looked helpless, turned to look at Li Musheng, and said:
"Ever since the Great Xuan Emperor activated the demonic power within my body using the Soul Searching Technique, I have been unable to suppress the operation of that demonic scripture."

"This has also caused my demonic nature to grow continuously. Although I can still control it now, I'm afraid that the longer it goes on, the more I will be devoured by it and become a complete demon."

Upon hearing this, the Fiery Cloud Evil God gave Daoist Qingyu a deep look and said:
"There is such a powerful demonic scripture in the world. If the people of the demonic path knew about it, they would fight tooth and nail for it. It would probably be even more coveted than the demonic legacy of the founder of the demonic path."

"That demonic scripture, I destroyed long ago, and no one in the world knows about it anymore."

Master Qingyu slowly shook his head, but continued to look at Li Musheng, cupped his hands in a Daoist bow, and said:
"Young Master's martial arts prowess is unfathomable. Forgive my impertinence, but could you please help me suppress the demonic power within my body? If you agree, I will be eternally grateful."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng stroked his chin, glanced at the Qingyu Daoist before him, and shook his head, saying:
"You should prove your identity first. If you can do that, even if you really become a demon, I will not despise you and will definitely rescue you unharmed."

Li Musheng was speaking from the heart; he didn't care whether the Qingyu Daoist in front of him was human or demon.

His only concern was to rescue the real Daoist Qingyu from the palace and then exchange the key to the Heavenly Revelation Treasure with Daoist Qingye.

Aside from that, he had no interest in the entanglement between Daoist Qingyu and the Great Xuan Emperor, or the truth or falsehood of the matter.

Master Qingyu remained silent for a moment, showing no displeasure at Li Musheng's seemingly heartless refusal of her request. After a brief thought, she sighed softly and said:
"Although I do not know what price my junior brother paid to get you to help me, given my current condition where I could fall into demonic possession at any moment, even if I were rescued, I would only be a dangerous threat to Qingyun Temple and the martial arts world."

"I do not wish to become a demon who harms others because of my own life. I feel that perhaps being confined in this palace is my future destiny."

As he spoke, Master Qingyu gazed calmly at Li Musheng and said:
"Or perhaps, if you believe that I am not the person you are looking for, and would like to help me along, I would not have any complaints or resistance."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng remained silent, and the entire underground space was silent for a long while, until the Fire Cloud Evil God spoke up to remind him:
"Young hero, the time for a cup of tea has come to an end."

Li Musheng waved his hand, gave Qingyu Daoist a deep look, and said:
“Interesting. To be honest, even if you can provide something to prove that you are Daoist Qingyu, I still can’t tell the difference.”

"However, your attitude of 'facing death without fear' and 'sacrificing oneself for others' does indeed have a bit of the air of a wise and enlightened person."

As he spoke, Li Musheng flicked his wrist, and an invisible aura instantly entered the body of the Qingyu Daoist in front of him.

"Before this, I had already found two Qingyu Daoists tonight. You are the third, and the most likely one to be the real one."

Li Musheng spoke slowly, then beckoned to Daoist Qingyu and said:
"Your junior brother asked me to help him. Besides the conditions he offered, there was something else he wanted: the Longevity Scripture that you possess."

"If you give me the secret of immortality, I will stop looking for you tonight. Whether you are real or fake, I will take you out of the palace."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Qingyu's mind stirred. She sensed the energy that Li Musheng had injected into her body, only to discover that the energy was merely dormant within her dantian.

It neither helped suppress the demonic power within her nor harmed her in the slightest. It made no sound whatsoever, and we had no idea what its purpose was.

"Although the Longevity Scripture can prolong life, it actually has great drawbacks. Young Master is still young, so in principle, there is no need to rush to think about prolonging life."

Master Qingyu seemed puzzled, while Li Musheng said calmly:
"Whether I need the Longevity Scripture or not is not important, but whether you give it to me or not is something that was agreed upon in advance. That is my reward, and of course it cannot be less."

Currently, within the Great Xuan Imperial Palace, the only ones who truly know the contents of the Longevity Scripture are probably the Great Xuan Emperor and Daoist Qingyu.

If the Taoist priest Qingyu in front of me can hand over the complete Longevity Scripture, then it's a matter of choosing one or the other.

As for whether the Qingyu Daoist in front of us is real or fake, or even if he is the Emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty, that remains to be seen.

That's not Li Musheng's business. He can simply take the person out and wait for the Taoist priest Qingye to arrive so that the priest can identify the person himself.

At this moment, Daoist Qingyu pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said:

"Young master has taken such a great risk to rescue me, so it is no problem to hand over the Longevity Scripture to you. However, this scripture has many drawbacks, so I hope you will practice it with caution."

After saying that, Master Qingyu did not hesitate and immediately used his true energy to transmit his voice, silently reciting the entire Longevity Scripture to Li Musheng.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuang, who was standing to the side, showed a strange expression, and a hint of greed appeared deep in his eyes.

However, he managed to hide it very well.

Although he also coveted the Longevity Scripture that could extend one's life by two hundred years, he dared not make a move in the face of Li Musheng and Daoist Qingyu.

Moreover, what he was more concerned about at this moment was whether his father was truly dead or not.
It's like a thorn in his heart; if it's not removed, he's always worried that it will pierce through him at any moment!
Not long after, Master Qingyu imparted the entire Longevity Scripture to Li Musheng.

Li Musheng closed his eyes slightly, and in the blink of an eye, he had briefly comprehended the Longevity Scripture.

"Not bad, this cultivation method is quite interesting. It should be the real Longevity Scripture."

Li Musheng slowly opened his eyes, a look of satisfaction on his face.

It must be said that there has never been a shortage of geniuses throughout history. Although his comprehension was extraordinary, he was not omniscient or omnipotent.

There are countless martial arts manuals in the world, many of which are worth studying and understanding.

Thinking of this, Li Musheng's somewhat impatient mood, which had been due to the long and winding road of searching for Master Qingyu tonight, improved considerably.

"I'll accept this Longevity Scripture. As for your identity..."

Li Musheng glanced at Daoist Qingyu, then his heart stirred slightly, and he suddenly changed the subject:

"You just said that you were able to resist the Great Xuan Emperor's Soul Searching Technique because you had once cultivated a demonic scripture. I need to verify this myself to prove whether what you said is true?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Qingyu frowned slightly and asked:

"How does the young master intend to verify this?"

"If you recite that demonic scripture to me silently, I will be able to confirm whether you are telling the truth."

Li Musheng spoke calmly, but Daoist Qingyu waved his hands repeatedly, saying:
"No, that demonic scripture is no ordinary scripture. I have already fallen into the demonic path because of it and cannot extricate myself. You must not let this scripture cause you to repeat the same mistake."

Seeing this, Li Musheng narrowed his eyes and said:
"In my eyes, there has never been any distinction between righteous and demonic cultivation methods. To be honest, I have studied quite a few demonic cultivation methods, but do I look like a member of the demonic path?"

As he spoke, Li Musheng glanced at the tunnel in the stone chamber and said:
"I am a person who keeps my promises the most. Since I promised Master Qingye to save people, I will definitely do what I said I would do."

"To tell you the truth, in order to verify whether what you just said is true, I not only want the demonic scripture you cultivate, but I also want to see the Soul Searching Technique cultivated by the Great Xuan Emperor."

"Only by comparing the two demonic arts can I confirm whether the demonic scripture you speak of can truly counter the Soul Searching Technique."

Li Musheng's words were naturally not true, after all, it would be difficult for him to compare the two demonic arts in a short period of time and determine which was stronger.

He said this only for the demonic scripture in Master Qingyu's hands; in fact, he already had his own plans.

Not only does he want to obtain the Demon Scripture and the Soul Searching Technique, but he also plans to study the entire legacy of the Demonic Ancestor that the Great Xuan Emperor obtained.

After all, once the rescue at the Great Xuan Palace is over and he gets the key to the Heavenly Revelation Treasure from the Green Leaf Taoist, he still has to travel to White Emperor City.

The journey was long and he had nothing to do for entertainment, so these demonic cultivation techniques were just what he needed to pass the time.

(End of this chapter)