Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 520 Secrets of Demonic Cultivators
Master Yuxiao couldn't remember how many times he had said, "This is a sign of the sect's great prosperity," but he felt that with each time he said it, his belief became stronger, because he truly saw the hope of a flourishing future.

In a few years, when Lin Jiuxiao and Lin Qiubai return, if another Golden Core cultivator can be added, it will not only be a sign of great prosperity, but a real indication of great prosperity.

Master Zhengyang handed him the spirit disc, saying, "Fulfill your promise."

Master Yuxiao took the spirit plate, took out his identity jade token, and began to operate it.

Ji An interjected, "Senior brother deducted six thousand merits, which can be considered as paying off some of his debts."

"Hehe, there are still two top-grade spirit trees waiting to be cultivated to the third tier. Will my senior brothers reward me with a great contribution?"

With the rewards from cultivating spiritual plants, plus additional bonuses, it's easy to pay off the great merit owed to the sect.

Master Zhengyang shook his head and laughed as he scolded:

"You're really ungrateful, but of course there will be a reward!"

Cultivating a second Tier 3 Treasure Plant will reward you with 800 merit points, and cultivating a third one will reward you with 500 merit points.

From now on, cultivating any Tier 3 spiritual plant will reward you with 300 merit points.

He has many great achievements, so keeping them in his possession wouldn't be of much use.

"Brother is so generous!"

Ji An offered a compliment, then looked at Master Yuxiao and smiled:
"Senior brother, isn't it your turn to make a statement?"

"I've never seen anyone chase after someone asking for a reward; you're the first."

I'm poorer than my senior brother. For each third-tier spiritual plant I cultivate, I'll be rewarded with two hundred merit points, no more than that.

Ji An nodded seriously, "I don't mind if it's too little."

"Screw you!"

"Ha ha!"

The atmosphere at the scene was joyful.

After chatting for a while, Ji An said:
"It is estimated that it will take several years for the purple-gold paulownia tree to fully transform. We just need to wait patiently."

"It's getting late, senior brothers, I'll take my leave."

"Junior brother, walk slowly!"

Ji An flew on a cloud to a cave not far away, where the teleportation array was located.

Centered around Ningcui Cliff, the sect built three teleportation arrays, leading to Chaoyang Peak, Chitong Mountain, and Yunhe Mountain respectively.

Ningcui Cliff is the center because it is not far from any of the destinations.

The shorter the journey, the fewer spirit stones are consumed for teleportation. Even though the sect is large, it should still be frugal where necessary.

Master Zhengyang withdrew his gaze and sighed softly:

"I wonder how long this magnificent scene can last. I hope it lasts as long as possible."

Master Yuxiao asked suspiciously, "Senior brother, what do you mean by this?"

Master Zhengyang did not answer directly, but instead asked:

"I was four hundred years old when I broke through to the Golden Core stage. How old was my junior brother when he broke through?"

"Four hundred and twenty years old."

How old is Junior Brother Ji this year?

"Just turned two hundred years old."

"A Golden Core cultivator who is two hundred years old is a very promising cultivator even in a prosperous place like the Central Continent."

In Nascent Soul sects, these cultivators are qualified to compete for core disciple positions, serving as future candidates for Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Master Zhengyang paused, then let out another soft sigh, "If I were him, I wouldn't want to stay in the sect and cultivate in hardship."

Without cultivation techniques and sufficient resources, it's impossible for him to become a Nascent Soul cultivator, but currently, it seems he has the potential to achieve Nascent Soul status.

Regardless of the circumstances, he would choose to venture out and explore, with the Central Continent likely being his first choice.

However, during my trip to Central Continent, I heard news that the seal on one of the demon caves had loosened, and true demonic energy was leaking out.

Master Yuxiao frowned: "True demonic energy? Senior brother, what are you saying? I don't understand."

He had never heard of the term "devil's den" before.

Master Zhengyang waved his hand, "This matter is confidential. I was also shocked when I first heard about it. Let's go back to the cave and talk about it."

The two rode the clouds back to their cave, and True Man Zhengyang used a hand seal to open the magical barrier.

After taking his seat, he pondered for a moment, then slowly began to speak:

"When I was traveling in the Central Continent, I once saved a cultivator from the Taixu Sect by chance."

She was about my age, and we gradually became friends. Later, I returned to my sect, and we lost contact.

As luck would have it, we bumped into each other at an auction in Zhongzhou, and now she is a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Why."

A long sigh escapes, and countless stories are left untold.

"I learned this secret from her."

Everything in the universe has a yin and yang aspect, and the world we live in is also divided into yin and yang.

The Demon Cave is like the Yin side of the world, while the cultivation world is like the Yang side; Yin and Yang are opposites. But Yin and Yang not only have opposition, but also transformation; one waxes as the other wanes.

"When the Yang side has the upper hand, the true demonic energy in the Demon Cave is scarce, and it cannot give birth to powerful demons and true demons. True demons are equivalent to cultivators."

Cultivators are descended from humankind, but true demons are born naturally and nurtured by nature.

When the yin aspect gains the upper hand, demonic energy flourishes, giving rise to various demons and true demons. Once the demonic energy reaches a certain concentration, the seal outside the demon's lair will be broken.

"According to the records that have been passed down, in ancient times, when the True Demon Calamity broke out, the earth was devastated and the cultivators and the transformed great demons were always at a disadvantage."

In order to deal with the calamity of the true demons, the cultivators created the methods of demonic cultivation, and the forces on the surface gradually gained the upper hand in the war.

This technique takes an unorthodox approach, using demons as sustenance for cultivation.

"However, this inevitably creates a new problem: when the Yin side is in the Lower Wind Demon Cave, it will be completely sealed, and the demon cultivators will have no resources for cultivation."

Among demonic cultivators, there are many who have reached the Nascent Soul level. The original demonic cultivators were created by the most talented group of cultivators.

Those demonic cultivators who wielded power were naturally unwilling to perish, and successively created various cultivation techniques that used the flesh and blood, and souls of living beings as sustenance.

After that, things spiraled out of control, and battles inevitably broke out between orthodox Taoist cultivators and demonic cultivators. There was no turning back in the struggle for the Tao.

The number of demonic cultivators was relatively small, and their techniques of plundering flesh and soul were instinctively abhorred by all living beings. They were suppressed by Daoist cultivators and ultimately became universally reviled.

"The demonic cultivators we see now are tyrannical and insane, but they are still human cultivators. The demons bred in the demon cave are completely alien creatures."

According to that old friend, our world undergoes a shift in Yin and Yang forces every tens of thousands of years.

The seal on the Demon Cave has weakened, and it's very likely that a new cycle of Yin and Yang transformation has begun.

Master Zhengyang spoke at length, and he was deeply shocked when he first heard these words.

This information overturned his previous understanding, and he could never have imagined that the true origin of demonic cultivators was like this.

Master Yuxiao was stunned for a long time before finally saying with difficulty:

"Is the information accurate? This kind of information should be highly confidential. Given the nature of those large-scale operations, it's impossible for them to let us know this early."

If a great calamity were to occur, the Nascent Soul sects would secretly prepare items for overcoming it, and then use other forces as cannon fodder to avoid the direct impact of the calamity.

Master Zhengyang seemed not to have heard him, and spoke after a long while:
"The information should be accurate. According to her, all the major Nascent Soul sects in Central Continent already know about it and have begun to plan for the future."

Before leaving, he made me swear a great oath, promising not to reveal this to anyone except the Golden Core cultivators of our sect.

They once loved each other, but unfortunately, their social status made all their feelings fade away, slowly disappearing into each other's dreams.

"So when do you plan to tell Junior Brother Ji?"

"When he was about to leave, the Demon Caves were in various continents. It is said that the Demon Cave in the Western Continent was located deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

Master Yuxiao pressed on, asking:
"Is there a precise time when the True Demonic Calamity will erupt?"

Master Zhengyang shook his head, revealing a rather strange expression:

"The fact that the seal on only one demon cave has loosened is just a sign. The true demon calamity is still a long way off. Neither of us will have the chance to witness what the true demon calamity is."

The cycle of the True Demon Tribulation is measured in tens of thousands of years. From the appearance of signs to the actual outbreak, several hundred years can easily pass.

Master Yuxiao smiled wryly, "There are benefits to having a short lifespan. Oh well, let the younger disciples worry about the future. We just need to do what we can."

What can they do when even Nascent Soul sects have to be careful to deal with this calamity? They can only go with the flow.

Master Zhengyang changed the subject, "Is everything prepared for the celebration?"

"Yes, Zhang Zizhao from the Diligent Work Hall came to report this morning that everything is ready."

"That's good."

At Crimson Flame Peak, the light on the teleportation array distorted. When everything came to a standstill, Ji An appeared on it.

He left the stone house, rode the clouds back to his cave, and after returning to his quiet room, he summoned the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and took out the Transformation Divine Mud to refine it with the Elixir Fire.

Repairing one's natal magic weapon is a long and slow process, but after half a year of perseverance, the damage to the magic weapon has been basically repaired.

The main reason is that the primordial fire is not strong enough, which restricts the speed at which the third-order spiritual object can be refined.

There's nothing that can be done about it. He's just a newcomer to the Golden Core stage who's only been at it for a few years, so it's perfectly normal for his primordial fire to be weak.

In fact, the intensity of his primordial fire was comparable to that of a cultivator who had broken through to the Golden Core stage decades ago, but he still found it difficult to refine third-tier spiritual objects.

After refining a drop of Transformation Divine Mud Spirit Liquid, he refined another drop of Wuhua Treasure Soil Spirit Liquid.

Only about one-third of the two earth-elemental spiritual items remain; they will be completely refined in a few more months.

Judging from the current progress, Ji An believes that it is not necessary to refine all the spiritual objects to repair all the damage to the magic weapon.

However, since these kinds of spiritual objects can enhance the power of one's natal magic weapon, he would choose to refine them all.

He took the gourd-shaped stone pendant off his neck and probed it with his divine sense to enter the small world.

The apricot-yellow flag in his hand transformed into a fist-sized Qilin, and auspicious clouds rose from its feet as it flew to the side of the Gathering Yuan Tree.

It burrowed into the dense foliage, like a mischievous squirrel darting in and out.

Ji An ignored it and began his routine check on the growth of the spiritual plant.

The Nightshade Tree and Soul Nourishing Wood are still low-grade second-tier spiritual trees, but the Earth Spirit Fruit Tree and the Mysterious Leaf Sword Bamboo have both produced mid-grade second-tier plants.

More and more spirit insects in the spirit-devouring insect swarm have completed their evolution, and Ji An has collected enough jade pupae to fill three or four baskets.

He had secretly sent people to inquire about what this jade pupa was and what its value was, but no one recognized it.

(End of this chapter)