Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 475 Shifting the Blame Eastward, the Insect Demon Suffers Injustice [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In the Fire Mountains.

The surrounding array barrier rippled, with three Core Formation cultivators guarding the outside, as well as some low-level Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Under the bright moonlight, two figures were illuminated in a cave with flickering candlelight.

A weak voice echoed as a demonic cultivator with a false core technique turned white-eyed, his pupils gradually becoming ashen.

At this moment, the figure holding this person slowly opened its eyes, revealing a cold glint.

"Fellow Daoist Sima Yuan, you barely escaped this calamity, yet instead of hiding away to cultivate, you chose to scheme against me. Today, it is your destiny to perish."

Lin Chang'an made a hand seal and used a secret technique, and his body slowly transformed into an exact replica of the fake Core Formation cultivator, even mimicking his aura extremely closely.

Inside the volcanic cave at this time.

"We've finally managed to suppress this chill for now."

Sima Yuan opened his eyes, revealing a weary expression. When he looked down at his own body, which resembled that of a demonic beast, a complex emotion welled up in his eyes.

"Heh, so what if I'm half-human and half-demon! So what if I'm a beast! Power is the only thing that matters."

He didn't care about his current appearance, after all, the power was real.

"This Lin fellow is quite powerful; it seems we can't avenge our family feud."

The thought of his family being wiped out and him ending up like this filled him with anger and bitterness, which quickly turned into deep resentment.

"This grudge is beyond my power to avenge. What's wrong with enduring it for hundreds of years? There will always be an opportunity. If this generation can't do it, then the next generation will..."

Recalling the teachings of his clan, his eyes gradually darkened.

Wasn't it the Sima clan that endured for hundreds of years before seizing the opportunity to turn the tables and take control?

Just as Sima Yuan was considering using his injury as an opportunity to retreat to the rear and avoid this evil spirit, the barrier suddenly rippled.

"Reporting to Elder Sima, these are healing pills sent by the sect."

Lin Chang'an, disguised as a fake Core Formation cultivator, walked up respectfully, carrying a bottle of pills in his hand.

Sima Yuan, who was in the center of the cave and had barely managed to suppress his injuries by exhausting his magical power, looked at the bottle of pills and, without expression, raised his hand and grabbed it from thin air.

Lin Chang'an, disguised as a fake Core Formation cultivator, retreated respectfully and slowly without the slightest hesitation.

The cave was filled with the pungent, hot smell of lava, and Sima Yuan's face lit up with joy when he opened the jade bottle.

"The best Fiery Pill can be used to clear the cold from the body in one fell swoop."

Although he had suppressed the cold energy within his body, the lingering, bone-deep poison still remained within his nascent soul, causing him immense pain.

Without much hesitation, Sima Yuan formed a hand seal and pointed to his brow, and a withered nascent soul with a bird's head and a human body slowly appeared.

The pill then floated up and was swallowed by the Nascent Soul.

The next moment, the rich fire-attribute energy nourished him, and the nascent soul was forced to expel waves of cold energy.

Just then, a cold light flashed in the previously empty cave.

There was no time to dodge; Sima Yuan's terrified Nascent Soul pupils directly saw a cold, gleaming flying needle magic weapon.

He was very familiar with this treasure; it was the magic weapon of his Sima clan.

"Forest……"

A flash of cold light disappeared in an instant, and Sima Yuan's nascent soul stiffened as a poisoned flying needle pierced through his protective spiritual light and stabbed into his brow.

Sima Yuan was terrified and screamed inwardly, but the medicinal properties hidden in the Fiery Pill within his body paralyzed his ability to mobilize his vital energy and magical power.

A flash of blood-red light appeared, and five fingers, like hooks, directly grabbed Sima Yuan's nascent soul.

"Fellow Daoist Sima, please continue on your way!"

Sima Yuan didn't even have time to utter a scream before he watched helplessly as his nascent soul was instantly refined in despair.

This mysterious power devoured Sima Yuan's short life of less than four hundred years, all of which flashed through his mind.

"If it weren't for the fear of exposure, it would be best if you refined your Nascent Soul into the Myriad Souls Ship magic treasure so that the whole clan could reunite."

As he opened his eyes, Lin Chang'an looked calmly at Sima Yuan, who was now just a body.

The Yuling Sect was previously known as the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, and most of the alchemy inheritance left by Elder Cheng consisted of poisons.

He was naturally skilled in using poison as well; the infant poison in the Fiery Pill had a paralyzing effect, and the Flying Needles were also coated with poison.

In addition, Sima Yuan's efforts to eliminate the cold poison had greatly depleted his magical power, and being in the rear, he was at his most relaxed.

In addition, his technique allowed him to conceal his presence without revealing any trace of his aura, making it a sneak attack.

With the help of various factors, things went so smoothly.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, even if he wanted to kill the opponent's Nascent Soul, it would be extremely difficult.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to form my Nascent Soul stage for very long using secret techniques, and these two magic treasures are the only ones I have that are still pretty good."

One is a fourth-tier magic weapon, the bronze halberd; the other is a treasure that Sima Yuan used to conceal himself on the battlefield.

"This is actually an ancient treasure."

An ancient-looking bead lay in his palm, its brilliance not gleaming. Only after seeing this treasure did Lin Chang'an feel somewhat satisfied.

Through his memories, he learned that this ancient treasure, the Spirit Gathering Pearl, was only temporarily lent to him by the Spirit Beast Sect.

Ancient treasures have a single function, but this Spirit-Gathering Pearl has only one effect: to conceal one's aura.

"The treasure is wonderful, but unfortunately it's useless to me."

His own spiritual body possessed a stealth ability that was in no way inferior to this magical artifact.

"Junior brother, is it over?"

Just then, the Ice Butterfly Fairy walked in and smiled when she saw that everything was over.

Lin Chang'an then threw the bead directly to the Ice Butterfly Fairy.

The two of them essentially divided up Sima Yuan's treasures.

"Good junior brother, now it's up to your senior sister."

After obtaining the treasure, Fairy Ice Butterfly was naturally all smiles. No cultivator would complain about having too many treasures, and this Spirit Gathering Pearl was actually quite good for her.

Immediately, the Ice Butterfly Fairy gently patted a spirit beast pouch at her waist, and a swarm of black-armored spirit insects flew out.

"These are black-armored poisonous insects. Although their power is ordinary, the bite marks are extremely similar to those of the Soul-Eating Insect."

After exchanging a glance, the two smiled.

"Senior sister, that's impressive."

Lin Chang'an nodded to himself, realizing that professional matters should indeed be left to professionals.

Although the whereabouts of Huang Tianxiao, the successor of the Insect Demon, are unknown, he doesn't mind making a name for his close friend.

Presumably, this fellow Daoist Huang will be grateful to him after he finds out.

"Coincidentally, after I traded with my senior sister, I still had a few corpses of spirit-devouring insects in my hands."

Back in the Demon Beast Sea Abyss Secret Realm, he and Su Miaoyin collected some corpses of Spirit Devouring Insects. Later, after they formed their Nascent Souls, they traded many of the poisonous insects they had obtained to the sect.

"One incomplete one is enough. Let those guys from the Six Demonic Sects search for the Insect Demon's whereabouts."

The mutilated corpse of a spirit-devouring worm was hidden in the dust at the edge of the barrier, with traces of other hidden spirit worms gnawing around it.

After doing all this, the two still felt they weren't cautious enough, so Lin Chang'an even brought out the Buddha's Light Relic, leaving behind some residual Buddhist traces.

"Junior brother, your skills are quite proficient."

"Likewise, senior sister, you're just as good."

The two then staged a scenario where the enemy was divided into two groups, and both sides clearly harbored malicious intentions while erasing traces, secretly using their own methods to preserve some evidence.

Whether it was an attempt to cover up the truth or a frame-up, the fact that both sides harbored ulterior motives and used these tactics was enough to make the Six Sects of the Demonic Path rack their brains but never guess that it was these two who were behind it.

The two then left silently, leaving only the empty lava cave. Sima Yuan's figure had vanished without a trace.

……

The next day, the demonic faction.

"Sima Zhenjun has been killed!"

"Even the Nascent Soul stage cultivator couldn't escape, and they didn't make a sound at all!"

The death of a Nascent Soul cultivator is nothing unusual, but to be killed in one's own rear, without even sending a distress signal, undoubtedly touches the hearts of all Nascent Soul cultivators.

"who is it!"

Inside the lava cave, one after another, Nascent Soul cultivators from the demonic path arrived, their faces extremely gloomy as they surveyed their surroundings.

Even if Sima Yuan was not the best, he was still a Nascent Soul cultivator. If he could be killed silently, wouldn't that mean they were also in danger?
"Did the Guardian Alliance do this?"

However, the Nascent Soul stage demons soon discovered some subtle traces inside the cave.

"These are marks left by spirit insects, but it seems that some traces were deliberately hidden when they were being erased."

"There is still a genuine Buddhist aura here. It was as if someone deliberately left a trace when they were trying to erase the aura."

"What kind of spirit insect is this? People from your Spirit Beast Sect should be quite knowledgeable about it."

Each of these Nascent Soul stage monsters was extremely experienced. In just a short while, the pale-faced Bat Demon True Monarch from the Spirit Beast Sect looked extremely ugly.

"These are Soul-Devouring Insects!"

"What!?"

Some were shocked, while others only realized what was happening afterward, their pupils contracting.

"You mean the Soul-Devouring Insects of the Insect Demon back then?"

"That's right! It's that insect demon who caused the decline of the Spirit Control lineage and resulted in huge losses for the six sects of the Demonic Path!"

"I've heard that the descendant of the Insect Demon appeared in the Abyss Sea a hundred years ago..."

"There's also a Buddhist aura..."

The eyes of the several old demonic cultivators present flickered, especially the Shangyuan Old Monster, who slapped his thigh and said angrily:
"Is there any need to guess? I admit that the two juniors of the Spirit Control Sect are quite strong, but as you have seen, their attack methods are more and more imposing than the other."

Although they possess the ability to kill Nascent Soul cultivators, can they keep it a secret from everyone? Moreover, their magical power was greatly depleted yesterday; would the two dare to risk coming here?

At this moment, the old monster Shangyuan's face was ashen and extremely ugly. He was not saddened by Sima Yuan's death, but he had finally found an ally, and now he was gone.

What annoyed the old monster Shangyuan the most was that, perhaps due to incompatibility with the Spirit Beast Sect, his luck was affected after he came into contact with them.

The series of misfortunes left him feeling extremely frustrated.

"It's not the Yu Ling Sect!"

Several Nascent Soul stage monsters present, including Blood Blade Demon, secretly shook their heads.

As Nascent Soul cultivators, they were all acutely aware of how intense yesterday's battle was, and they acknowledged Lin Chang'an's exceptional combat prowess.

But ultimately, it was a fierce battle between an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and their mana was greatly depleted. They were probably still recovering their mana last night, so they wouldn't have the courage to come.

More importantly, this person's methods, even when combined with those of the Ice Butterfly Fairy and the transformed demon, are still incredibly powerful.

It's impossible to do something so secretive, let alone kill a Nascent Soul cultivator. The Nascent Soul cultivator didn't even send out a message before being killed.

Those who can do this must be Nascent Soul cultivators skilled in concealment, disguise, and assassination.

It just so happens that both the Insect Demon and some cultivators in the righteous path are skilled at concealing and hiding their aura.

"The two from the Yuling Sect are not good at concealing their aura. On the contrary, judging from the traces at the scene, I think it was the work of those bald monks from the righteous path."

Blood Blade Old Demon revealed a look of disgust, only this group of hypocritical righteous people were good at this kind of method.

"Not bad, there aren't many people who can erase their aura so cleanly."

“These bald monks have been ruining our plans for hundreds of years.”

"damn it!"

This method was so familiar that even the Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators vaguely guessed what it was.

"These hypocrites are masters at framing others and colluding with outsiders."

The old monster Shangyuan's fingers, which were stroking his white beard, were trembling, but his cunning little eyes were fixed on the mutilated insect.

"I heard that after this insect demon escaped from the Great Jin Dynasty, it almost killed its way through both the righteous and demonic paths, and only disappeared after fleeing all the way to the Abyss Sea."

It is said that this person obtained a Nascent Soul stage opportunity, which is why he was hunted down by the Great Jin Dynasty..."

Thinking of this, the Old Monster Shangyuan felt a surge of excitement. What was all this talk about the war between the demonic and the mortal realms? Wasn't all his planning just for an opportunity?

This insect demon was once known as the number one person below the Nascent Soul stage. Even without the opportunity to become a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was still an opportunity for a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, which was attractive enough.

"These marks seem to indicate that two groups were secretly plotting against each other, each trying to frame the other..."

The cunning eyes of the Old Monster Shangyuan flickered involuntarily. At the same time, the Blood Blade Demon also cast his gaze. After exchanging a glance, the two saw the greedy look in each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Spirit Beast Sect, Tiger Fiend and Bat Fiend, were also burning with excitement, their eyes flashing as they discussed something via telepathy.

They struggled for centuries to break through the bottleneck, which is why they cultivated this secret technique. If they truly have the opportunity, what does this war matter?

If they win and reclaim Cloud City, the six sects of the Demonic Path will each get a share, and countless vassal forces will also want a piece of the pie.

In the end, how much of it would actually end up in their own hands? On the other hand, if they had the chance to obtain a Nascent Soul cultivator's opportunity, they wouldn't ask for anything else, as long as they could break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

The mere fact that lifespan increases by a hundred years out of thin air is enough to drive a Nascent Soul cultivator crazy.

"Judging from the remains of this Soul-Devouring Insect, its life force dissipated in less than a day, so it's impossible that it was a frame-up."

Framing someone is possible, but only the Insect Demon can control the Soul-Devouring Insect, and even if it is sealed after leaving its host, it will die in a very short time.

The Spirit Devouring Insects that the Spirit Control Sect auctioned off died as soon as they returned, and the same thing happened to other forces.

"Those righteous guys are probably colluding with the Insect Demon."

Several Nascent Soul stage experts ultimately deduced a highly probable result.

However, at that moment, an urgent message flew by, and when everyone saw the message, their expressions changed.

"Sima Yuan's body has been found at the headquarters of the Yuling Sect in Yunzhong City!"

This was intelligence relayed back by their spies planted within the Guardian Alliance, which immediately solidified the certainty of the several old demonic cultivators.

"Damn it, those despicable righteous people!"

"Damn bald monk!"

At this moment, they had confirmed it.

Instigating a war between them and the Protectorate Alliance would benefit the righteous path. Even if things are discovered like this, so what? No Nascent Soul cultivator would be unmoved by the Insect Demon inheritance.

After shifting their focus to the Insect Demon, the Protectorate Alliance firmly occupied Cloud City. The Demonic Path lost a piece of territory, and even allowing the Protectorate Alliance to grow stronger was also beneficial to the Righteous Path.

From this perspective, whether or not the truth is revealed, the righteous path is always a sure-fire way to profit!

For a moment, the two old monsters, Shangyuan and Blood Blade Demon, cursed the righteous path's methods in their hearts, for they were still so shameless.

Even knowing it was a calculated scheme, they still had no choice but to take the bait.

……

City in the Clouds.

Having just experienced a great battle against the demonic path, and whose faces were glowing with health last night, the Nascent Soul cultivators now have solemn expressions.

"Fellow Daoists, this morning Sima Yuan's corpse was hung in the territory of my Yuling Sect. How could this person have infiltrated so easily?"

Who exactly did this? Is there some kind of conspiracy involved?

Lin Chang'an's face was gloomy, looking like he had been framed and made a scapegoat. Who could laugh in that situation?

The other Nascent Soul cultivators also had faces so gloomy they could drip water.

"Judging from the body, it seems that there are only traces of yesterday's fight between Fellow Daoist Lin and Fairy Ice Butterfly, and no other injuries."

“Superficial. Look at Sima Yuan’s injuries. Most of them have already begun to heal. They were clearly yesterday’s injuries, but he was killed last night. It seems that his nascent soul was killed in one blow.”

"To kill a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Demonic Path and then frame us is clearly an attempt to make us and the Demonic Path fight to the death."

One by one, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs looked grim, while others felt a sense of unease, as if they were involved in some kind of conspiracy.

Jin Jianchuan frowned deeply. After Lin Chang'an told him about this important matter through telepathy, he activated the hidden Death Agent within the Demonic Path.

The Demonic Path harbors treacherous intentions towards the Protectorate Alliance, and the Protectorate Alliance has always been wary of the Demonic Path; how could they not have their own methods?

Not to mention that he had been planning this day for a long time, and naturally he intensified his efforts in this regard.

Just then, a message came back from the hidden spies in the demonic path.

"The demonic path has discovered that Sima Yuan's death is related to the Insect Demon!"

Upon seeing this news, Jin Jianchuan was first shocked, then his heart stirred with greed. After all, this was someone who had been hunted down by a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Great Jin Dynasty, so there must be a great opportunity for him.

I intended to keep it a secret, but I never expected that this information would be so strange.

Logically, a Nascent Soul cultivator in the demonic path would keep this secret, but it suddenly spread among the upper echelons of the demonic path.

Therefore, Jin Jianchuan had no choice but to make the news public. So many people already knew; it couldn't be kept secret any longer.

"What kind of insect demon!"

"Soul-devouring worms!"

The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Guardian Alliance were shocked upon hearing this, including Lin Chang'an; he was not faking it.

Even Lin Chang'an and Fairy Ice Butterfly exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.

It seems to be saying, "Junior brother, we don't seem to have this step, do we?"

When did this secret demonic path become so generous as to be willing to tell the cultivators below?

"Senior sister, there's a third party operating in the shadows!"

Lin Chang'an's expression shifted, finally revealing a strange look.

Sima Yuan's death must have been known only to the upper echelons of the demonic Nascent Soul realm. The fact that the news suddenly came out was obviously because someone was secretly taking advantage of the situation.

Only those who follow the right path have the ability and motivation to do so.

Good heavens, the righteous path has also infiltrated the demonic path quite a bit.

"Although a war has broken out between the Protectorate Alliance and the Demonic Path, the six sects of the Demonic Path will not commit too many forces in the short term, while the Protectorate Alliance will focus on defense..."

Both Lin Chang'an and the Ice Butterfly Fairy had the same answer in their minds: take advantage of the chaos.

The allure of the Insect Demon's successor is self-evident; no one can resist it.

"I never expected there to be such a master in the shadows."

Lin Chang'an thought to himself, but he felt even more at ease. The more he stirred things up, the less likely anyone would guess it was him.

"If the insect demon hadn't been exposed, wouldn't Sima Yuan's death have been pinned on us, inevitably escalating the conflict?"

The information that came back was limited. Everyone only knew that Sima Yuan's death was related to the Insect Demon, but they were unaware that there were traces of the righteous path in the shadows.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, it is said that you had dealings with this Insect Demon when you were in the Abyss Sea?"

The burly old monster with the demonic flames turned his head and asked in confusion, drawing the attention of the others.

Lin Chang'an didn't hide anything, but nodded solemnly and said:

"This person was originally Huang Tianxiao, the young master of the Huang family of Li Huo Palace. Later, he joined the Xuan Yin Demon Sect. I don't know how he got such a great opportunity, but he actually defected right under the nose of the Xuan Yin Old Demon."

We didn't directly fight within the secret realm; it was only after Fairy Su encountered this person that I arrived and discovered some corpses of Soul-Devouring Insects, which is how I learned of this..."

Lin Chang'an revealed almost all the information he knew about Huang Tianxiao.

Actually, this matter is no secret. It concerns a major issue, and every Nascent Soul cultivator is more concerned about it than anyone else. A hundred years ago, the successor of the Insect Demon appeared.

Huang Tianxiao's intelligence had already been thoroughly investigated.

"This person truly has exceptional luck!"

Upon hearing this, many Nascent Soul stage monsters reacted with greed, while others felt envious and jealous.

Which Nascent Soul cultivator didn't have their own special opportunities?

But compared to Huang Tianxiao, they are not even in the same league.

The young master of a minor sect, whose sect was destroyed, became a disciple of his enemy. Eventually, he seized an opportunity to rebel and escape, and one day he will become famous throughout the world for his supernatural powers.

Huang Tianxiao's fortuitous encounter is comparable to that of a chosen one in the stories of cultivation novels.

At first, everyone was shocked by Sima Yuan's corpse, but now everyone's attention is focused on the insect demon.

As for Sima Yuan's corpse, Corpse Valley wanted to test whether a trade was possible, but Lin Chang'an wanted to refine the Yin Sha Corpse Puppet, so the matter was ultimately dropped.

However, due to the impact of the insect demon incident, both the Guardian Alliance and the Demonic Path have tacitly increased their defenses in the war.

Although the war continues, the Nascent Soul cultivators are becoming more restrained.

After all, the Soul-Devouring Insect of the Insect Demon grows stronger by devouring countless flesh and blood bodies, and even the nascent souls of Nascent Soul cultivators.

At the same time, many Nascent Soul cultivators also realized that the insect demon must have been attracted by the war to come here in secret.

After all, cultivating the Soul-Devouring Insects requires a large amount of essence and blood resources. Although the Demon Beast Abyss is not bad, most of the demon beasts live in the sea, and the insects' power is obviously not as good as the fast sea beasts in the water.

……

Six months later, within the territory of the Protectorate Alliance.

A slender, white-browed scholar in a blue robe stood with his hands behind his back, holding a bundle of jade slips in one hand. He would sometimes nod and smile, and sometimes shake his head.

He possesses the composure of an elder, yet occasionally reveals a cunning or amiable expression.

"Hehe, young Lin, I've come to see you."

Looking at the latest intelligence, Lu Zhenjun smiled, but when he saw Lin Chang'an's intelligence, he frowned.

"How did this kid's skills improve so quickly? It seems he really did get a great opportunity back in the Abyss Sea, fusing the Profound Soul Yin Fire and the Profound Ice Cold Qi..."

He originally intended to use his mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation to suppress the brat's arrogance and let him know the consequences of secretly flirting with his precious daughter.

Upon seeing the intelligence, he couldn't help but grit his teeth, but a shrewd calculation flashed in his eyes.

"This young Lin seems to be quite good. It's not easy for a rogue cultivator to get to where he is today, especially considering that he also has to balance cultivation, crafting magic weapons, and raising spirit pets. Yet he still has such attainments in the art of array formations."

He is in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, a fourth-tier array master, and his combat power is not weak. Moreover, he also brought along a fourth-tier mutated demon.

If you do the math, it's not such a bad deal after all.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhenjun narrowed his eyes, gently stroking his white beard, seemingly pondering something.

"Over the years, I have benefited quite a bit from my precious daughter. Two palace masters have taken a liking to her and are even planning to use her talent in formations to make important plans."

With this kid's help, things will surely be much easier in the future.

He relied on himself for the first half of his life, but never expected that he would rely on his daughter for the second half.

His initial allegiance to the Azure Sea Palace, along with the cultivation resources provided over the past three hundred years, enabled him to break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage, a privilege not usually afforded to a Nascent Soul guest elder.

He was well aware of the favor shown by the Bihai Palace. Although his health was not bad, he was not worth the two palace masters' efforts to win him over.

"The two palace masters are truly astonishingly talented in the path of ascending to godhood."

He was initially drenched in cold sweat upon learning this secret, and after discovering it, he knew he was in deep trouble.

However, the treatment at Bihai Palace has been quite good over the years; at the very least, they have never lacked any cultivation resources.

"At my age, I might still be able to hitch a ride with the two palace masters. I hope I can get on this journey."

After a quick calculation, Lu Zhenjun couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He was not yet nine hundred years old, still in his prime, and there was still time.

"Lord Lu, this is the latest intelligence."

Just then, a Core Formation cultivator responsible for business within the Protectorate Alliance respectfully presented an intelligence jade slip with both hands from outside the pavilion.

"Such urgent intelligence? There are actually two reports from the Guardian Alliance and the Demonic Path."

When Lu Zhenjun saw the intelligence classification, he was still a little confused, but when he opened the two intelligence reports, his pupils shrank immediately.

"The Insect Demon has truly infiltrated the territory of the Six Demonic Sects!"

At this moment, Lu Zhenjun's expression changed, and a solemn look appeared in his eyes.

This is a big deal. He came here to see Lin Chang'an on the side, but there are only two truly important matters.

On the surface, he's here to investigate because he's on a mission from the Azure Sea Palace and suspects the Insect Demon has secretly escaped to the realm of the righteous and demonic realms and is no longer in the Abyss Sea.

The main reason for choosing him is that his methods can somewhat restrain the insect demon.

What was going on behind the scenes was his own private matter: secretly following the Xuan Yin Old Demon to this place.

"This is really causing me trouble. First the insect demon, then this Xuan Yin old demon. They're really going to break my bones."

At this moment, Lu Zhenjun, stroking his long beard, shook his head and then decided to send the information back using the precious Ten Thousand Mile Talisman, letting the Second Palace Master make the decision.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator has already perished. It's still too dangerous to keep tracking down the Insect Demon. It would be best to have the Second Palace Master send more people."

An investigation is one thing, but putting myself in danger is another.

"However, now that so many people know about the insect demon, it seems we can't hide it anymore. I might as well take this opportunity to come out into the open."

"To secretly see what that old ghost Xuan Yin is up to, that he would go to such lengths to travel thousands of miles to secretly meet with the Demon Flame Old Monster of the Protectorate Alliance."

Lu Zhenjun pondered silently. Although he had some vague guesses, he still needed to confirm them.

"Perfect timing! I'll go pay a visit to this young Lin and see what it is about him that makes him so charming."

The thought of his daughter's ambiguous relationship with this brat made Lu Zhenjun grit his teeth and feel a headache coming on.

"My good daughter, you really know how to cause me trouble. I'm afraid I can't control this kid."

……

The border between the Demonic Path and the Protectorate is nearly a thousand miles long.

A fierce battle broke out at a stronghold, and the demonic path, as the attacking side, clearly suffered greater losses.

As time went by, the Guardian Alliance gradually adapted to the war, focusing primarily on defense, which resulted in relatively fewer casualties.

In a valley, two Core Formation cultivators had just fought a great battle, but after arriving here, they mysteriously disappeared.

Deep in the valley, a soft yet dense grinding sound of teeth echoed.

A swarm of black insects was seen crawling on and gnawing at the corpses of two humans and a third-tier spirit beast.

The corpses began to disappear visibly, and even the bones, robes, and magical artifacts were being gnawed on.

"These old monsters from the Abyss Sea have been hunting me down for over a hundred years! How despicable!"

Since escaping from the secret realm, he hasn't had a single good day.

At this moment, Huang Tianxiao was wearing a tattered black cloak. Although he had become a Nascent Soul cultivator, he dared not reveal his identity at all.

"The great battle between the Demonic Path and the Protectorate Alliance is a rare opportunity, a perfect chance to feed the Soul-Devouring Insects for their evolution."

Thinking of this, Huang Tianxiao, who had been hiding and fleeing for a hundred years, couldn't help but grin.

"First, use soul-searching to understand the battlefield situation. If possible, it would be best to hide in the demonic path and then recover strength through the war."

There was a female cultivator at the Core Formation stage in front of him, her face filled with terror as she stared at the person before her, yet she was unable to move an inch.

These are monks who have come to search for the missing person.

With a press of his palm, various memories from the soul-searching process surfaced.

Just when he was looking forward to finally having a period of peace, Huang Tianxiao's smile gradually froze, and finally his face turned ashen and ugly.

"Who is it! And who is plotting against me in secret!"

Huang Tianxiao opened his eyes, his face full of resentment and frustration.

Before he arrived, the higher-ups of the Demonic Path and the Protectorate Alliance had already begun investigating the Insect Demon incident. It was clear that someone had framed him and was trying to make him take the blame.

Why is there a legend about him wherever he goes?

"Don't let me catch you, or I'll make you taste the torment of soul refining!"

Huang Tianxiao was filled with resentment. He had just arrived here, and this was too much of a bullying.

"No, we can't stay here."

Huang Tianxiao was also extremely decisive. He raised his hand and collected the dark mass of Soul-Devouring Insects. Then he transformed into a streak of light and headed towards the righteous path.

"The righteous path and the demonic path also have wars at the border. If it were in another place, I do not believe that the righteous path would be investigating me as well."

Huang Tianxiao felt aggrieved. If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to either, but the evolution of the Soul Devouring Insect requires a large amount of blood and flesh essence. Otherwise, the Insect Demon wouldn't have become the public enemy of the cultivation world.

　Wishing all fellow Daoists a prosperous and abundant new year, and may you grow ever younger!

　　Thank you to: Daoist 'Dao Gongzi Yajuster' for the 900 spirit stones, Daoist 'Shu Zhong You Sheng Dian' for the 100 spirit stones, and Daoist 'Mu Xingzi' for the 100 spirit stones.

　　I would also like to thank all my fellow Daoists for their continued companionship in the new year. The author will continue to walk this path with you all.

　　Finally, I'm asking for your monthly votes! These seven days will have double monthly votes, so please vote for me!
　　[Note: Do not post screenshots of your monthly pass in book reviews or group chats before the giveaway ends.]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)