Evil Immortal!

After enjoying the natural beauty, Meng Yuan returned to his cabin.

A somewhat pretty boatwoman was kneeling on the deck tidying up the cabin and mending fishing nets. When she saw him come in, she poured him a cup of tea and then presented Meng Yuan with a plate of salted dried fruit before silently leaving.

Meng Yuan took the other party's service for granted, took a sip of tea. It wasn't very good tea, slightly bitter, but it had a unique flavor.

"Disciples of the Tianmu Sect came to our door before; this must have been the work of Wu Xingkong."

As he sipped his tea, Meng Yuan began to ponder.

"Although I offended the Blood-Eyed Ancestor before and even killed a wisp of his demonic corpse that was a part of his spirit, given his status, he might not necessarily attack me personally. After all... the difference between a sixth-tier Yang God Dao Fruit and a second-tier Innate Martial Master is far greater than the difference between a dragon and a grass snake!"

"Moreover, the Blood-Eyed Ancestor instigated the true disciples of the Golden Rooster Temple to betray the sect and flee, causing the Golden Rooster Temple to lose face and stealing the sect's treasures. The Golden Rooster Temple will certainly not let this go. The Blood-Eyed Ancestor is too busy dealing with the Golden Rooster Temple to have time to care about a nobody like me. He can simply leave it to his disciples and grand-disciples to handle."

"As for Wu Xingkong, that's another story..."

Meng Yuan stroked his chin. "That fellow is petty, ruthless, and vicious. Although he's injured and can't act personally, he's already a disciple of the Blood Eye Ancestor, giving him a special position within the Heavenly Eye Sect. Sending a few disciples to cause me trouble is no problem at all. The death of that Heavenly Eye Sect disciple a few days ago will definitely alarm him. Knowing Wu Xingkong's style, this matter is definitely not over!"

"It seems we'll have to be more wary of this guy from now on... With his exquisite demonic heart talent, he's adept at cultivating any supernatural power or technique, and he can even use his mind as a mirror to steal others' thoughts. Now that he's joined the Heavenly Eye Sect and obtained its inheritance, he's like a tiger with wings. This makes him even more difficult to deal with!"

"However, Wu Xingkong and his ilk are manageable; they're just external enemies. We can simply deal with them as they come. As long as I can join the Demon Suppression Division and quickly advance my class, I won't have to worry too much. The key is..."

Meng Yuan tore off the long cloth around his neck, revealing a deformed tumor the size of an infant's head.

The distorted human face above only has a blurry outline of the mouth and nose, but the eyes have already emerged from the flesh and blood. The white eyes roll around, and the pupils are only the size of rice grains, making it look particularly evil and eerie!

At this moment, the malformed sarcoma looked at Meng Yuan with particularly hostile eyes, its gaze revealing a sinister and resentful intent.

Meng Yuan was not surprised at all by this.

Because he was always on guard against it, in order to prevent the malformed sarcoma from being exposed to the outside world too much and growing rapidly, and also to avoid frightening others, Meng Yuan often wrapped it in cloth.

However, the demonic and mutated tumor had already developed a sliver of self-awareness. Upon realizing that it was being restricted, it instinctively harbored resentment and hatred towards its host, Meng Yuan!

In fact, Meng Yuan's concerns were not unfounded.

Even though he covered it up every day, the deformed sarcoma still grew rapidly!

This growth is not limited to the size of the deformed sarcoma, or the changes in facial features of the distorted human face on the surface of the sarcoma, but more so to the consciousness, or demonic nature, that is born within it!

This demonic energy is constantly and instinctively absorbing what it sees, hears, speaks, and knows from its surroundings, while also adapting to everything around it.

The more it absorbs, the more it changes. Now it has acquired emotions such as anger and resentment and is gradually transforming into a "human" form!

Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, and their most precious qualities are wisdom and spirituality.

With wisdom and spirituality, the human race can summarize experiences, learn knowledge, accumulate resources, and grow stronger generation after generation.

They can create various tools, gather and hunt to obtain food, overcome the strong with the weak, defeat wild beasts and monsters far superior to themselves, and overcome natural disasters and man-made calamities!

Those sacred lands of immortals and their families of cultivators are also constantly developing and accumulating, often giving birth to exceptionally talented individuals who achieve immortality and ascend to become immortals!

In contrast, it is extremely difficult for pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, grass, trees, rocks, flowers, birds, fish, insects, or even some inanimate objects to attain enlightenment and prove their worth.

This is also the main reason why the human race has always stood at the pinnacle of the world!

The demonic nature within the malformed sarcoma is now stealing and learning from human wisdom!

Although this process was slow and restricted by Meng Yuan, it could not be stopped!

Because human wisdom is reflected in every aspect of life. A simple fishing action might embody fishing experience passed down through generations... An expression or glance might contain profound meaning... An oil lamp might embody the ingenuity and wisdom of a craftsman...

One day, when the demonic nature of the mutated sarcoma grows stronger and it acquires human wisdom and spirituality, it may urgently want to become "human," or break free from its shackles and replace Meng Yuan!

"The demonic energy on my body is too heavily polluted, and I don't know if the 'True Explanation of Ziyang' can cleanse it... However, this Taoist book contains the profound mysteries of pure Yang, dispelling evil, suppressing demons, and purifying, so it should not disappoint me."

Meeting the eyes of the mutated sarcoma and sensing the ferocious, demonic nature contained within them, Meng Yuan remained unmoved.

After examining it for a moment, he picked up a long cloth and wrapped it around his neck, silently pondering, "Whether it succeeds or not, we'll only know by trying. Besides, the *Ziyang True Explanation* isn't my only option. Even if it fails, I have other paths to take..."

"Young master, dinner is ready."

Just then, the boatwoman came in carrying a bowl of fish soup and a few flatbreads, and placed them on the low table next to her.

Meng Yuan tasted it himself and found that the fish soup was indeed delicious, and the pancakes were also crispy and tasty.

After Meng Yuan had finished eating and drinking, the boatwoman came in and cleared away the dishes. Looking at Meng Yuan's handsome face, she said with a hint of shyness, "It's getting late. Young master, you must be tired from your journey. Would you like me to make you a bed to rest in?"

"No need."

Meng Yuan shook his head, understanding what the other party meant.

Most boatwomen on the water live in poverty and often have part-time jobs to make a living.

Meng Yuan understood this, and he certainly didn't look down on it. Most people in the world, through all their hardships and difficulties, spend their entire lives just trying to survive.

He took out a silver ingot and tossed it to the other party, saying, "I apologize for taking up your resting place and disturbing you."

"No...you're too kind, young master! Thank you so much, young master!"

The boatwoman was initially disappointed, but upon seeing the silver in her hand, she was both surprised and delighted. This amount of money was enough for the couple to save for several years. She then left the cabin with profuse thanks.

The next morning, Meng Yuan awoke from his meditation.

After leaving the cabin and arriving at the bow, a massive city came into view in the distance.

The boatman rowing behind reminded him:

"Young master, Linjiang City is just ahead."

......