A Mortal's Journey: Starting as the Young Master of Demonic Cultivation

"Brother Man, you did a good job killing those men!" Ji Yin suddenly clapped his hands and said with a sinister smile.

"I also dislike having rats scurrying around before a major undertaking. A few Core Formation cultivators trying to fish in troubled waters are really asking for trouble. However…" His gaze shifted, fixing on Xuan Gu, "Besides Madam Wen's descendants and my disciple, there seems to be another person here. Why doesn't Brother Man eliminate him?"

Faced with this scene, Xuan Gu remained calm and showed no unusual expression, as if Ji Yin was looking at someone else, not him.

"This person has some connection with me; he's a descendant of an elder who was kind to me. Of course, I won't touch him. And neither of you are allowed to make a move on him either," the bearded man said expressionlessly, surprising everyone else.

"Since he is a junior related to Brother Man, Brother Qing and I certainly won't act rashly. It's quite surprising that Brother Man would also receive favors from others." Ji Yin's eyes flickered slightly, and he narrowed his eyes to carefully examine Xuan Gu. After confirming that he really didn't recognize this person, he said a few ambiguous words.

"Heh heh! You dare question me, Ji Yin?" The bearded man's face turned cold as he stared at the Ji Yin Ancestor and said menacingly.

"How could that be? I was just asking out of curiosity! If Brother Man doesn't want to talk about it, then forget it. Let's hurry inside and get the cauldron, lest Wan Tianming and the others get there first." Ancestor Jiyin chuckled and backed down.

Wen Tianren was very curious to see that Xuan Gu could get the barbarian to protect him.

Logically speaking, Xuan Gu was a powerful demonic figure in the mid-Nascent Soul stage before his death, and should have been from the same era as Man Hu Zi. It's not surprising that they knew each other.

However, at this moment, Xuan Gu, apart from the Xuan Soul Ghost Fire and the Golden Thunder Bamboo Arrow, was practically penniless. How could he possibly persuade the Barbarian Beard to protect him?

Could it be that Xuan Gu himself is the person the barbarian mentioned who had done him a favor, or that the barbarian also wanted to get rid of Ji Yin?

However, while Han Li was somewhat surprised that Xuan Gu had gotten together with Man Hu Zi, he was even more astonished that Wen Tianren had managed to get together with that Nascent Soul female cultivator.

He had originally worried that Wen Tianren was just a Core Formation cultivator, and how could Ji Yin and the others possibly let him into the inner hall? Now it seems that he had underestimated this Fellow Daoist Xiao.

However, before Han Li could think further, Barbarian Beard and the others had already entered the stone gate. Seeing this, Wen Tianren followed Madam Wen into the stone gate.

Gradually, Wen Tianren and the others disappeared into the distance within the bluestone passage.

Despite the strong restrictions in the inner hall, even with four Nascent Soul stage cultivators working together, everyone passed through unharmed.

Throughout the journey, Wen Tianren didn't make any moves, but simply followed behind silently, occasionally picking up the fragments that the puppets had dropped, just like Han Li did.

The methods for creating these puppets, created by ancient cultivators, are now rare in this world. By collecting some of them, we can replicate them if the methods become available in the future.

Although Wen Tianren and his group were not slow, the three Nascent Soul cultivators of the righteous path were even faster thanks to the Creation Instrument borrowed by Tian Wuzi.

Not far in front of Wan Tianming and the others, there was a massive structure: a magnificent and towering stone platform.

This high platform is over a hundred feet long and wide, and about thirty feet high, and is made of gray rock.

The outer layer was covered by a white light curtain, which also enveloped the steps. Strangely, the light curtain was filled with blue light, which became stronger the closer you got to the center. The shimmering light was so bright that it was impossible to look directly at it and you could not see the inside at all.

Thick frost had formed around the edge of the stone platform, and the ice, reflecting the light, was crystal clear, making the platform look exceptionally beautiful.

"How is it? Have you recovered your mana? If you're ready, let's get started! Although we used the Tianji Sect's creation device to avoid those puppet guards in advance, Manhuzi and the others are only a few hours behind at most."

"After all, the Bearded Man's Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art is incredibly effective against those puppets. They'll only need to spend a little more time on the fourth level. The rest won't take too long," Wan Tianming said in a deep voice from the stage.

"Brother Wan is right, let's go get the treasure." The old Taoist Tian Wuzi opposite them seemed to agree very much, with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

The dark-skinned, thin old man, who looked like a farmer, nodded silently without saying a word.

After a slight smile, Wan Tianming led the two towards the light barrier.

A thick purple aura flashed by, and the white light barrier crackled with a sharp "sizzle." Wan Tianming had casually cleaved a gaping hole, about ten feet high, in his sleeve, its edges crackling with electricity. The group seized the opportunity to file in.

Soon after, Wan Tianming and his companions disappeared into the blue light on the high platform.

The area where the light shield was broken slowly healed, and the steps returned to silence.

Several hours later, Wen Tianren and his group appeared below the platform.

"The golden-haired puppets on the fourth floor are really troublesome. If the four of us hadn't used all our best skills, it would have taken us even longer. But we've finally arrived at this godforsaken place." Qing Yi said, his eyes shining as he looked at the platform in front of him.

Ji Yin sensed through a secret method that someone had entered this place several hours ago, but had not yet come out. His expression was somewhat grim as he said, "Wan Tianming and his group entered several hours ago. They must have used some secret technique to break through the restrictions and traps. Otherwise, how could they have been faster than us? We've really been tricked by them."

The four Nascent Soul cultivators from the Demonic Path, Ji Yin, had assumed they would be faster than the righteous path in clearing the trials, but they were surprised to find themselves lagging behind.

"Hehe! Brother Wu, don't worry, this white light shield is no ordinary shield. It's the Heavenly Gang Shield, which was very famous in ancient times. Apart from this specially opened exit at the steps, there's absolutely no way to pass through it in a short time. Even if Wan Tianming and the others went in, they haven't left yet, and they definitely won't take the treasure away." Qing Yi said calmly, stroking his beard.

"Hmph, you old devil, always meddling. If they succeed in taking the cauldron, all the better. I'll just take it from them myself." The bearded man snorted coldly and strode towards the high platform.

Seeing that Manhuzi hadn't given Jiyin a good look along the way and had even secretly colluded with Xuangu, Wen Tianren thought to himself, "No wonder he ended up in Jiyin's hands and was tortured like that later."

When the group arrived at the front, several old demons were standing solemnly on the steps, looking up at the high platform.

The blue light on the high platform flickered incessantly, dazzling the eye, with faint golden rays reflecting off it as it swayed. Meanwhile, the surrounding area of ​​the stone platform thickened by several inches in just a short time, emanating a chilling aura.

When the bearded man reached the light barrier at the top of the steps, he leaped up and threw a punch at the barrier.

With a loud "boom".

The light barrier immediately cracked open, revealing a massive fissure several meters wide. The bearded man laughed loudly and walked in, looking up.

Afterwards, Wen Tianren followed Ji Yin and the others inside.

The bearded man didn't wait for anyone else at all, and strode straight towards the center where the blue light was strongest without even looking at anyone else.