In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 229 Now that the Demon Master has admitted it, things are much easier.

Pang Ban's feet seemed to be on the surface of water, with silent yet visible ripples spreading out from the soles of his feet, creating circles of purple ripples in the air.

The mountain wind was still blowing, making Pang Ban's long robe flutter. His strangely handsome face showed no emotion, only an extreme calm and indifference.

His gaze, like a blade cleaving the heavens, slowly swept across the area below.

Anyone who met Pang Ban's gaze felt as if they were being watched by a wild beast in the mountains.

At this moment, everyone on the mountaintop, including Miejue and Huang Xuemei, could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Pang Ban.

It's not just because of the oppressive feeling brought by the words "Demon Master Pang Ban".

There was also the oppressive aura emanating from Pang Ban himself at that moment.

After his gaze swept over the crowd in the square, Pang Ban's eyes finally settled on Gu Shaoan, who was holding Feng Xinglie's hand.

When those purple pupils locked onto that golden-white figure, they still carried a hint of looking down, but more than anything, they were scrutinizing him.

A hunter's keen observation of his prey after he has set his sights on it.

Just then, two figures also ascended the mountain from the southeast entrance and moved rapidly toward the Golden Summit Hall, accompanied by the sound of something cutting through the air.

The group moved extremely fast; many people on the mountaintop could only see two shadows.

It wasn't until the two figures stood five zhang away from Gu Shaoan that everyone could clearly see who they were.

The two figures stood side by side. One of them was a giant, nearly ten feet tall, with bare upper body and muscles that looked like cast steel. He carried a huge, ghost-headed sword, as wide as a door panel, with a blade that gleamed with a dark, bloody light, on his shoulder.

Beside him stood a man who was as thin as iron and whose face was deathly pale.

He held a long, narrow, jet-black sword upside down, its tip resembling a venomous snake's forked tongue.

The sword blade may seem unremarkable, but it exudes a deathly chill.

Since leaving Bright Peak, Abbess Miejue has been having the elders of her sect secretly gather information about the Demon Master's Palace.

Over the past two years of research, Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen have gained a clearer understanding of the situation at the Demon Master's Palace.

Looking at the two people standing beneath Pang Ban, he quickly identified them based on their appearance and weapons.

The head of the Ten Great Fiends of the Demon Master Palace, whose status and strength are only below Jue Tian and Mie Di, who are below Hong Liu Bai Fa.

They are also the only two remaining martial artists in the Demon Master's Palace who have reached the Qi Condensation stage, besides Hong Liu and Bai Fa.

Looking at the demon master Pang Ban standing in the air, Gu Santong, who was in the crowd watching the battle, became less relaxed and more solemn.

As the Heaven-Shattering and Earth-Destroying auras appeared, Pang Ban, who had been standing high in the sky, suddenly plummeted.

It wasn't a normal fall from the sky, but rather as if several chains were pulling Pang Ban down with a crash.

But when Pang Ban's feet landed on the bluestone floor of the Golden Dome Square, they made not a sound.

This strange lightness skill made the expressions of Abbess Miejue and Abbess Juechen in the distance become more solemn.

When his gaze fell on Pang Ban, Gu Shaoan's eyes remained calm and unwavering.

"The Demon Master really went to great lengths to create such a spectacle!"

Hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Pang Ban smiled.

"I'm curious, how did you discover these things?"

In response to Pang Ban's question, Gu Shaoan, while holding Feng Xinglie's shoulder and carrying him toward Shi Huolong and the others, said, "It's all about luck!"

"Gu happened to pass by the Beggars' Sect before and inadvertently witnessed this fake Chief Shi contacting people from your sect. It was from that time that he learned that the current Chief Shi of the Beggars' Sect was just a fake planted in the Beggars' Sect by the Demon Master Palace."

Upon learning that Shi Huolong was actually an imposter, the crowd in the distance cast astonished glances at him.

When they saw Shi Huolong looking at Gu Shaoan with a surprised expression, they all knew perfectly well that things were indeed as Gu Shaoan had said.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan's voice rang out again.

"It was precisely because I knew beforehand that this Chief Shi was an imposter that when I learned about the Beggars' Sect, the Sea Sand Gang, and the Evil Sect's antics, I already guessed that this matter was not so simple."

"But I've never understood why the Demon Master's Palace would go to such lengths to stage such a show when the Beggars' Sect, the Sea Sand Gang, and the Chang Le Sect, even if they were all combined, wouldn't pose any real danger to my Emei Sect?"

"Until I thought of the Evil Sect and of Feng Xinglie, who possesses an innate Dao heart."

"Thinking back to the Demon Master Palace's 'Great Method of Planting Demons in the Heart of the Dao,' I can get a general idea of ​​some of the questions."

As Gu Shaoan finished speaking, a young man in the crowd asked the middle-aged man beside him, "Third Uncle, what is an innate Dao heart?"

However, the middle-aged man standing to the side looked quite surprised when the young man asked him the question.

Clearly, they didn't know what this "Dao Xin" referred to.
Not only the young man, but many people present also looked bewildered.

Even Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo were the same.

Taking in the situation of her own disciples, Abbess Juechen said, "The so-called Dao Heart does not refer to the heart of the human body! Rather, it is the 'heart' of 'mind and spirit,' which refers to the seed of mind and spirit that a martial artist condenses by combining spiritual energy with authentic Xuanmen martial arts or Buddhist martial arts techniques."

"Once the seed of mind is successfully condensed, one will be able to control spiritual energy and even use it for one's own martial arts."

"However, to condense the seed of the mind on one's own requires extremely high spiritual energy. Even martial artists who have condensed their essence into qi cannot achieve this without special cultivation methods."

"Some people in the world are exceptionally gifted, born with extraordinary abilities, and their spiritual power is exceptionally concentrated, far surpassing that of ordinary people."

"Such extraordinary talent is like an uncut gem."

Abbess Juechen's gaze swept over Feng Xinglie, who looked emaciated and dejected, and she sighed almost imperceptibly: "If such a gifted person were to further cultivate the most refined and pure Xuanmen or the orthodox Buddhist teachings..."

"During the cultivation process, the purest and most righteous essence generated by internal energy will merge, be purified, and strengthened."

"Even if one is only at the Acquired Realm, one can still successfully condense a seed of mind, which is also known as an innate Dao Heart."

"Because of their innate Dao heart, these martial artists can become among the most outstanding talents as long as they embark on the path of martial arts, and their strength far surpasses that of ordinary people."

With the blessing of true energy, Abbess Juechen's voice also reached every corner of the plaza outside the Golden Cauldron Hall.

Through the explanation of Abbess Juechen, some people who were originally unaware of the term "Dao Xin" (Dao Heart) came to understand what it meant.
Zhou Zhiruo, Yang Yan, and Mei Jiangxue also looked enlightened.

As he listened to Abbess Juechen's explanation, Pang Ban glanced in her direction.

There was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"After all, it is a sect founded by the descendants of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Even though it is in decline now, its knowledge and experience are unmatched by other ordinary forces."

It was at this moment that Gu Shaoan walked up to Shi Huolong and the others.

At the same time, Gu Shaoan's voice rang out again.

"It's just that I haven't figured it out yet. If you just want Feng Xinglie to come, it wouldn't be difficult for the Demon Master to have Jin Bingyun find any excuse to make Feng Xinglie obediently come to the Demon Master's Palace gate alone."

"Why bother with all this trouble now?"

"It wasn't until I saw this girl, who had a close relationship with Feng Xinglie, fake her death and even asked Feng Xinglie to avenge her while she was faking her death, that I finally understood the reason."

"The Demon Master Palace's 'Great Method of Planting Demon Seeds in the Heart of the Dao' is special. After planting a demon seed into the furnace, it takes an extremely long time for the demon seed to grow stronger."

"If you want the demon seed to grow stronger, the best way is to put the furnace into a state of killing or madness, and then nourish the demon seed."

The word "demon seed" contains the word "demon," so it's obviously not a good thing.

Whether it's anger, murderous intent, jealousy, or any other emotion, all can cause the demonic seed within Feng Xinglie's body to grow rapidly, even reaching the level of fusion between his Dao heart and demonic seed.

Once the Dao Heart and Demon Seed are about to merge, it means that the Dao Heart and Demon Seed within the furnace body have reached a balance. It also means that the seed planted in the furnace body has successfully borne fruit and is ready to be harvested.

At this point, Gu Shaoan suddenly looked up at Pang Ban and asked, "After saying so much, doesn't the Demon Master want to offer a few words of explanation or refute me?"

Pang Ban laughed nonchalantly and said, "What you said is the truth, so why should I argue?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan nodded.

"Since the Demon Master admits it, that makes things much easier."

The moment Gu Shaoan finished speaking, the Yitian Sword in his left hand suddenly turned on his wrist.

The instant Gu Shaoan's wrist touched the hilt of the sword, his long, slender palm suddenly pressed down on the top of the hilt of the Yitian Sword, causing the tip of the scabbard to fall towards the ground. It was also at the spot where the sheathed Yitian Sword was stationed, the tip of the scabbard touching the bluestone floor beside his feet.

Centered on the point where the sword sheath landed, a terrifying pressure, pure to the extreme, violent to the extreme, and like an invisible, thousand-pound mountain collapsing, instantly formed and crushed downwards at a speed beyond perception!

This pressure is not dispersed, but precisely targeted!

The chaotic energy that had been swirling around Gu Shaoan suddenly seemed to have a target, instantly converging and pressing down on Shi Huolong and the others who were kneeling on the ground.

A terrifying, overwhelming force, like a mountain or a tsunami, forcefully penetrated Shi Huolong's body, then brutally shattered all the meridians in Shi Huolong and the others' bodies.

After their meridians and even their heart meridians were shattered, Shi Huolong and the others coughed up blood and collapsed weakly to the side.

Sensing the noise behind him, Zong Yue turned around with difficulty. Seeing Shi Huolong and the others, who were bleeding from all seven orifices and were already dead, Zong Yue's pupils constricted sharply. Fear overwhelmed everything at this moment, making Zong Yue forget the pain coming from his knees.

However, the trembling in his body became increasingly noticeable.

"I...I am the Vice Sect Master of the Evil Sect! Yes, I am the Vice Sect Master of the Evil Sect! You...you can't kill me! You can't kill me!"

Looking at Zong Yue, who was completely overwhelmed by fear, Gu Shaoan shook his head.

It must be said that the world is indeed unfair in many ways.

Even for those with sufficient mental fortitude, the limitation of talent makes it extremely difficult to reach the realm of returning to the innate state in terms of internal energy.

However, some people, like Zong Yue, although they have the internal skill of condensing qi into yuan, are not even as good as Mei Jiangxue in terms of temperament.

Sensing the fluctuations of the internal energy within Gu Shaoan, Pang Ban, whose expression had been calm, suddenly hardened and narrowed his eyes slightly.

With his gaze fixed on Gu Shaoan, Pang Ban's tone was no longer as calm and aloof as before, but rather tinged with surprise.

"I didn't expect that at your age, you would have already reached the level of Condensing Yuan into Gang in terms of internal energy cultivation. That's quite a surprise to me."

The four characters “凝元成罡” were like a thunderclap in a dry land, or like ice falling from the heavens, instantly shattering the oppressive silence on the Golden Dome Square, yet pushing it into a deeper, more suffocating cold!
Immediately afterwards, gasps of astonishment came from all directions.

Everyone stared intently at the golden-white figure, their hearts churning with a storm of emotions that lingered for a long time.

Even Huang Xuemei, standing in front of the Golden Summit Hall, looked somewhat surprised.

What the phrase "凝元成罡" means is something that every martial artist knows perfectly well.

Anyone who can reach this level in internal strength cultivation is considered to be among the "first-class masters".

Looking across the world, there are very few martial artists who can compare to him.

If it were someone else, it wouldn't matter.

The key issue is Gu Shaoan's age.

He's only in his early twenties.

At the age of just over twenty, to be able to enter the realm of returning to the innate state is already quite an achievement.

To be able to reach the level of Qi Condensation and Yuan Formation in internal energy cultivation is truly remarkable.

Moreover, at just over twenty years old, he had already reached the level of "condensing essence into qi" in his internal energy cultivation.

This one achievement alone is enough to make him "unparalleled".

If someone else had said this, people might have been skeptical.

But the one who spoke these words at this moment was the demon master Pang Ban.

Who in the world would doubt the words of the Demon Master Pang Ban?

Immediately afterwards, a series of thoughts appeared in everyone's minds.

"Could it be that the Emei Sect will produce a master at the Celestial Realm, just like the Wudang Sect?"

The others on the mountaintop were all shocked by Gu Shaoan's mastery of internal energy cultivation, and Pang Ban was equally astonished.

Even someone as arrogant as Pang Ban had never imagined that someone in their twenties could achieve the level of Qi Condensation.

Previously, when facing Gu Shaoan, Pang Ban's attitude was always superior, with a condescending air.

Now, in Pang Ban's heart, Gu Shaoan has the right to be his equal.

In the end, the martial arts world is still about "survival of the fittest, and the strong being respected".

This is also the truth that Pang Ban has believed in for the past hundred years.

Pang Ban's gaze swept over the corpses of Shi Huolong and the others on the ground before refocusing on Gu Shaoan.

His eyes were completely expressionless, without even the slightest twitch of his muscles; there was only a pure and utterly intent inquiry.

"So, all that talk you've given me just now was to kill them?"

Gu Shaoan looked calmly at Pang Ban, and his calm and gentle voice reached everyone's ears.

"nature"

After raising the hilt of his sword and moving his hand down to grip it again, Gu Shaoan continued, "After all, our Emei Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect, taking chivalry as its foundation. We cherish our reputation above all else, and our honor is more important than our lives."

Even if one is going to commit murder, there must be a "reason" and a "legitimate reason".

"If one takes and seizes things at will without sufficient justification, how is that any different from the Demonic Sects like the Demonic Master's Palace?"

"How will my fellow martial arts practitioners view Emei?"

A faint, almost supernatural, emotion flickered across Pang Ban's handsome face. A subtle shift in emotion, more delicate than the melting of millennia-old ice, was finally revealed. His voice, like an echo in an empty valley, pierced the oppressive plaza once more.

"Reputable sects, huh, they always like to do these meaningless things."

Pang Ban's voice was calm, without anger or sarcasm, as if he were simply stating his own thoughts.

Gu Shaoan shook his head without explaining, not because he was at a loss for words, but because there was no need to.

The Demon Master's Palace is a demonic sect, and the Demon Master Pang Ban is infamous for his evil deeds.

Gu Shaoan didn't come here today to make friends with Pang Ban.

Seeing that Gu Shaoan didn't respond, Pang Ban glanced at Zong Yue and asked, "So, are you planning to keep this guy?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "That's not it. It's just that besides what happened today, there are other reasons why I feel that it would be too easy for him to die like this."

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan glanced at Zong Yue.

The main reason Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan were attacked was because of Zong Yue.

Gu Shaoan remembered this.

It wouldn't be worth it to settle both old and new scores and kill Zong Yue outright.

Thinking it over, Gu Shaoan gently stepped on the ground with his right foot.

A terrifying surge of energy instantly entered Zong Yue's body through Gu Shaoan's kick.

The next moment, a sound like an airbag being punctured came from inside Zong Yue's body.

After the excruciating pain, Zong Yue suddenly realized that the true energy in his dantian was uncontrollably dissipating.

Gu Shaoan's attack actually destroyed his dantian.

He was already severely injured in both legs and was suffering from excruciating pain and fear.

Now the dantian is destroyed.

Without the protection of his true energy, the excruciating pain caused Zong Yue's body to tremble, and he immediately fainted.

After crippling Zong Yue's martial arts, Gu Shaoan grabbed Feng Xinglie's right hand and flung him aside like a piece of cargo before looking at Pang Ban opposite him.

"Now that the bystanders have been dealt with, it's time for the issue between Gu and the Demon Master to be resolved."

　The next chapter will be before 11 PM!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)