Why are all of us who transmigrated at the same time demons?

Inside Yuan Shan's body, an insect dragon was constantly devouring his essence, energy, and spirit, causing his originally purple body to turn golden.

"Loran, you actually plotted against me!"

"You...you'll...die...a...good...death!"

The enormous dragon ape was quickly devoured by the insect dragon, which then emerged from its skin and transformed into a golden streak of light, flying out of the cave.

The streaks of light flew through the air, drawing in large amounts of the earth's vein minerals and gold energy. The high-speed flight ignited a great fire, refining the gold energy.

When it flew into Loran's hands, it was a staff about two meters long, neither gold nor iron, dark and heavy, but with mysterious runes and golden hoops at both ends.

The club had a strange and imposing shape, just like the poem described:

The middle section is covered with stars, while the two ends are wrapped in gold sheets.

The dense patterns startle even ghosts and gods; the inscriptions above depict dragons and phoenixes.

The name "Lingyang Staff" is hidden deep in the sea, rarely seen by people.

Its shape and transformation are about to take flight, with five-colored rays of light appearing as it floats.

A smile appeared on the face of the monkey god Lei Gong, who had transformed from Loran. He weighed the "Ruyi Jingu Bang" in his hand. He had long coveted the indestructible body of the Ape Dragon Altar Master. He had deliberately sought an opportunity to trick the insect dragon into his body and began to devour him from within, thus stealing the immortal Vajra Qi that the master had refined, which he used to craft this treasure.

Upon seeing this, Master Langyue began to feel uneasy.

With her keen eyesight, she could tell that this golden cudgel-shaped magic weapon, which had transformed into a streak of light and flown towards her, was no ordinary object; it was not a common demon.

Just as she was about to strike first, the monkey god's malicious gaze fell upon her.

“A thousand cranes, their silver threads entwined, depart.”

Master Langyue immediately unleashed a powerful move, wielding her whisk, an extremely powerful magic weapon bestowed upon her by the Celestial Master of the Heavenly Heart Sect.

The countless whisk threads transformed into thousands upon thousands of silver cranes. These silver cranes sometimes appeared as cranes, sometimes as threads, and sometimes as swords, vaguely forming a mysterious sword formation that pounced towards the divine monkey.

The monkey god raised his golden cudgel menacingly.

"Big! Big! Big! Big! Big!"

With five consecutive roars, the two-meter-long golden cudgel instantly transformed into a colossal object, which slammed down upon him.

What are a thousand cranes, what are sword formations? They all vanished into thin air before this heaven-shattering, sea-stabilizing staff.

The divine monkey displayed its power, wielding its golden cudgel. Faced with a life-or-death situation, Master Langyue suddenly remembered where she had seen this pure and flawless gold before.

That was when she was a child, and her father, who was then the governor of the state, brought her to the capital of Yu. That year, the previous generation of Yu Tianxin Dao Celestial Master Xie Guanzi held the Dan Yuan Conference in the capital. He and the Daoists worked together and refined ten incomparably precious Dragon Tiger Golden Pills in front of everyone in the capital.

It was that pure, flawless, and sacred gold that inspired her to aspire to Taoism when she was young. Later, her father suffered setbacks in his official career and was imprisoned by his political enemies. The women in the family were punished by being made slaves and entertainers.

Once, they were ordered to perform a dance at an official banquet. She was too young and lacked the strength to do so, which angered the nobleman and caused her to be kicked off the stage. As a result, she was dragged to the backyard of the banquet by the officials of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) and beaten and scolded.

She collapsed to the ground, barely breathing, her hair soaked with sweat, her eyes unable to open, but the officials showed no mercy and raised their whips to lash her.

Suddenly, a voice as beautiful as a heavenly melody rang out from above her head, "Stop."

She struggled to lift her head, wanting to see which fairy was speaking for her.

In her near-exhaustion, the figure of the woman's voice was somewhat blurry. All she could see was that her benefactor was dressed in a black and white feathered robe, wearing a Taoist crown inlaid with golden dragons, and holding a whisk. Her figure shone brightly in the sunlight, as if she were a true fairy descending to earth.

She couldn't hear what the fairy said to the official of the brothel; she only saw the official, who was usually so fierce towards them, bowing and scraping before the fairy like a dog.

Later, after she was rescued, she knelt in front of the fairy's mansion for a day and a night despite her illness. Through her sincerity and perseverance, she became the fairy's disciple.

Recalling the beautiful and unrestrained figure in her memory, and then thinking about the ugly, mean, and acerbic Taoist nun today, Langyue couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

"Besides the misty clouds of the mortal world, let the sun and moon shine freely in the pot. When my merits are fulfilled, where shall I go? I shall ride a cloud chariot straight into the celestial realm."

"Master, when did you become like this?"

Life flashed by like a revolving lantern. Langyue Zhenren was smashed into countless stars by this terrifying blow. His scattered flesh and essence were restrained by the terrifying pressure of the blow, forming a layer of bloody light.

The power of this blow was not limited to that; it even smashed the protective array of the temples to pieces, and thousands of temples collapsed.

"Your turn, you witch!" Loran, holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, looked at Chen Xiulian, who was still stunned in the ruins due to the sudden turn of events.

"How dare you! You dare to destroy my Tianxin Dao branch temple and kill my disciples!" Chen Xiulian could no longer suppress her corpse aura, and she screamed like a madwoman.

"What are you saying? Stop babbling and go talk to my golden cudgel!"

A terrifying crash echoed above the ruins of Jiangning Temple, as if mountains were breaking apart. The people, officials, and even cultivators of the entire prefecture trembled with fear at the sight of this terrifying force.

When the Five Thunders Compassionate Saint Lord arrived with a large number of heavenly troops, he saw Chen Xiulian lying on the ground like a beggar, her bones broken and tendons tattered, and the divine monkey Luolan swinging his golden cudgel toward her head.

"Spare his life!" shouted the Five Thunder Compassionate Holy Lord.

Loran laughed maniacally, his golden cudgel never stopping, and with one blow, Chen Xiulian's beautiful head exploded like a watermelon.

"We can't waste it!"

The divine monkey transformed into a swarm of purple insect dragons, devouring all the blood, flesh, souls, and essences that filled the sky, while the Five Thunder Compassionate Saint Lord's eyes were bloodshot with rage!

"You demon monkey! Prepare to die!"

Chapter 143 Ancient Chen Realm: The Jade Sky Clears Across Ten Thousand Miles of Dust

"Look, you're in a hurry!"

Loran raised his golden cudgel and, with a playful laugh, blocked a thunder spear from the Five Thunder Compassionate Saint Lord, a spear imbued with rage.

"A demon is a demon. How can he still laugh after committing such a heinous crime!" The Five Thunders Compassionate Saint Lord reprimanded Loran with a cold face and without any mercy.

"Oh? A wicked deed?" Loran smiled nonchalantly. "The Holy King says I've committed a wicked deed? May I ask what kind of wicked deed? Tell me."

"Stop pretending to be confused! You destroyed the Six Yang Temple some time ago, and now you dare to kill my Heavenly Heart Dao High Daoist Qingfu Zhenren and Jiangning Jijiu Langyue Zhenren. How dare you! Do you really think my Heavenly Heart Dao's magic sword is ineffective?" The Five Thunder Compassionate Holy Lord's angry shout was like thunder, but Luo Lan wanted to laugh.

If the other party were to blame him for wiping out all the disciples of Tianning Temple, Luo Lan might just laugh it off. After all, a demon is always willing to take responsibility for his evil deeds.

But this old man didn't mention the disciples of the temple at all. He only had eyes for these damned Qingfu Zhenren and Langyue Zhenren. These two bastards allowed evil spirits to run rampant in their territory, and allowed their subordinates to practice heinous evil arts. They harmed the gods who brought blessings to the region for their own selfish gain. Anyone could kill such bastards without guilt.

In Lao Deng's eyes, the lives of all the disciples of Tianning Temple were not as important as these two bastards.

Such hypocrisy, such wickedness, such treachery—Loran looked at the imposing Five Thunder Compassionate Saint Lord with some emotion and exclaimed, "You are truly a gem of talent for my demonic path!"

Before the Five Thunder Compassionate Holy Lord could even speak, his generals grew impatient.

"You wicked demons, disregarding the law, defying the might of Heaven, and slandering the Holy Emperor, your crimes are unforgivable! I request permission from the Holy Emperor to execute you wicked demons!"

The Five Thunder Compassionate Holy Lord held a thunder spear in one hand and a silver sword in the other, with the Five Thunder Command Flag fluttering behind him. He pointed the thunder spear at Loran, giving him a lecture in a painstaking manner.

"I know what you're trying to say, that Qingfu and Langyue deserved their punishment, but is this something you should be handling? A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. If everything is left to personal vigilante justice, where is the law? Wouldn't the world then return to a chaotic world of ghosts and gods? Can you bear the responsibility then?"

"I am also a demonic being!" Loran's words left the Five Thunder Compassionate Saint Lord speechless.

However, just when everyone thought the two sides were going to have another round of verbal sparring, Loran suddenly moved. His Ruyi Jingu Bang was as fast as lightning, and with a single strike in several locations in the void, more than a dozen assassins dressed in strange clothes fell out of the void and were then smashed into mincemeat by the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

"Old Deng, not bad! He pretends to be a kind elder, patiently persuading the enemy while actually creating opportunities for the assassin. What a clever trick!" Loran gave the Five Thunder Compassionate Saint King a thumbs up.

Seeing that the plan had failed, the Five Thunder Compassionate Saint Lord stopped pretending and returned to his solemn and dignified appearance.

Without hesitation, the Five Thunder Compassionate Saint Lord issued the attack order. This old man, who had lived for so long and killed countless enemies, would never actually try to use any kind of love or persuasion.

Fifty thousand heavenly soldiers laid out a net that stretched across the sky, so dense it blotted out the sun.

Beneath the Five Thunder Banner, the Five Thunder Compassionate Holy Lord personally commands the central army, his command flags waving and his killing intent soaring to the sky.

To the left is the Seven Killings Demon-Slaying Saint Lord, treading on fiery clouds, clad in seven-star armor, wielding the Seven Killings Blade, with a face like a green lion, fangs like swords and halberds, and eyes shooting out cold stars;

On the right is the True Spirit Demon-Subduing Saint, clad in full armor, his helmet adorned with a golden top, wielding a blue dragon-patterned axe as if a mountain were shifting across the land.

Countless star officials and divine generals were arranged according to the military formation, each holding a weapon, their power and prestige shining brightly.

The Thunder God struck the heavenly drums, the Lightning Goddess drew her golden mirror, the Wind God opened his wind bag, and the Rain God hung his jade bottle upside down. Fifty thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, gleaming in armor, with spears and halberds like a forest and banners like a sea, surrounded the Jiangning Temple like an iron barrel, impenetrable!

"Only fifty thousand? Who do you think you are?" Loran sneered.

Undeterred, Loran leaped onto the clouds.

He swung his mighty cudgel, the golden cudgel rising—

Like the Milky Way pouring down, crushing the stars;

Like Mount Tai pressing down, shattering the heavens and earth!

With a sweeping motion, he deflected the Seven Killings Sword of the Seven Killings Demon-Slaying Saint Lord and knocked off his helmet!

With a single blow, the mountain shattered, and the True Spirit Demon-Subduing Saint Lord's axe was broken and his arm snapped, sending him crashing into the clouds!

With a roar, he shook the clouds in the sky, causing all the generals to fall to the ground.

Loran charged into the army formation alone, his staff flashing like a storm. Heavenly soldiers and generals were scattered like falling leaves, their swords broken, halberds snapped, armor shattered, and helmets askew! Golden light crisscrossed, and thunder, fire, and lightning could not get close. Even the wind bag and jade bottle paled in comparison!

The golden cudgel danced like a world-destroying golden light, charging left and right as if entering an empty field! Sweeping forward and backward, it was like a tiger among sheep! Wherever the cudgel's tip pointed, divine generals were defeated! Wherever the wind from the cudgel touched, heavenly soldiers scattered!

Despite the large number of 50,000 heavenly soldiers, not one of them could withstand their onslaught!

Outside the capital of Jiangning Prefecture, high on a mountain far from the battlefield, countless cultivators watched the battle.

"I never imagined that the little thief who stole the secret techniques of my Songhe Temple back then would actually reach such a level, fighting against 50,000 heavenly soldiers without being at a disadvantage. If Junior Sister Miaozhen knew this in the afterlife, she would be able to rest in peace." A white-bearded old man dressed in a pine-patterned Taoist robe, carrying a sword and a gourd, remarked Qingxiaozi, the head of Songhe Temple.

"Senior brother, what nonsense are you spouting?" The slightly plump Taoist Qing Xuzi, who looked much younger, was somewhat shocked and angry. "What good is the cultivation of such a demon if it is heaven-reaching? Cultivation without cultivating virtue is useless even if it is heaven-reaching."

"Hehe, junior brother, you're mistaken about that." Qingxiaozi shook his head, stroked his long beard, and asked, "Junior brother, you said cultivation requires cultivating virtue? Whose virtue?"

“Of course it is…” Qingxuzi was stunned.

Right? Whose virtue are we cultivating?

Among the six states, the people of Qin rejoiced at the mention of war. While the other states viewed warmongers as wolves and villains, the people of Qin regarded them as true warriors.

The State of Yu greatly promoted commerce, and merchants who made a lot of money were admired. However, in the eyes of some states, such as the State of Shu, commerce was a completely lowly profession.

The State of Yu had established a stable divine order and naturally abhorred chaos and slaughter. Some acts of evil condemned in Yu were considered acts of heroism and greatness in turbulent regions. The saying goes, "Killing one person is a crime, but slaughtering ten thousand is heroism." How can the moral values ​​of peaceful regions be the same as those of war-torn regions?

Not only in terms of space and geography, but also in terms of time, the Fangxian Dao was initially revered by various countries, who regarded them as enlightened immortals. However, after the rise of the Tianxin Dao and Taiping Dao, they believed that the Fangxian Dao disregarded the greater good of the world and was not the righteous path.

"Junior brother, have you figured it out yet?" Qingxiaozi patted Qingxuzi's shoulder in a roguish manner. "Let alone immortals, many people who have achieved success in cultivation can live for hundreds of years without any problem, and it is not surprising that some have even lived for more than a thousand years."

"In such a long period of time, dynasties have changed, years have passed, and moral views have been changed again and again. What virtues do you expect these immortal beings to cultivate? Whose virtues should they cultivate? You can't expect the immortals to change their moral concepts every ten years, can you?"

“Then he is not an immortal, but a sage. A sage has no fixed mind, but takes the mind of the people as his own.”

"If we really go by that logic, then by today's standards, our founder of Songhe Temple was a minor demon, wasn't he?"

“But…” Qingxuzi was momentarily confused, “There has to be some morality, right? Otherwise, the world will be in chaos.”

Qingxiaozi's smile faded as he solemnly admonished his junior brother, whom he usually considered to have gone astray.

"Therefore, immortals cannot cultivate the virtues of mortals; they should cultivate the virtues of the Heavenly Way. You cannot demand the virtues and conduct of mortals from immortals; that would be a grave mistake."

“Junior brother, you must distinguish between the divine path and the immortal path. Since the Heavenly Heart Path, people have always been unable to distinguish between the divine path and the immortal path. The immortal path seeks freedom and all living beings in the world can seek the immortal path. But the divine path seeks rule and is obviously exclusive.”

“What Xuanzong did was considered demonic and evil in the eyes of the gods, but not in the eyes of the immortals.”

"The so-called path to immortality is about defying one's innate nature and attaining eternal life. But since a person is born into this world, they have formed a great karmic bond with it. You cultivate along the way, enjoying the wonders of the mortal world, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, and savoring all things in the world. When you reach the point of becoming an immortal, do you want to transcend the Three Realms? No way!"

"Heaven gives all things to man, but man has nothing to repay Heaven. That is why immortals and mortals accumulate external merits to become celestial immortals. It is not that their cultivation is insufficient, but that they have not yet repaid the debt of gratitude owed to Heaven and Earth."

"Everything we have gained has a price tag attached to it by the Heavenly Dao. If you want to transcend and become a celestial being, then you must first return everything with something of equal value."

"Therefore, the demonic path of immortals refers to reckless behavior, destroying the results of cultivation, and even creating endless karma that is difficult to transcend in the end. Why do immortals pursue the innate path so much? Because by directly pointing to the innate path from the beginning, they can minimize the external power that is owed to heaven and earth."

“Xuanzong has already mastered the wonders of the innate, so in the eyes of those immortals he is the true master of the immortal path. At the very least, he can be called a demon immortal or a great sage. He is not a demon at all. Only the divine path would recognize him as a demon.”

Qingxuzi remained silent for a long time, and Qingxiaozi didn't say much either, knowing that his junior brother needed some time to digest what he had said.

On the battlefield, due to the excessive casualties, the Five Thunder Compassionate Saint King finally couldn't sit still and personally intervened.

But Loran was slippery and avoided direct combat. He transformed into a group of dragons and scattered across the battlefield.

If any celestial soldier had even the slightest wound, the insect dragon would transform into a tiny, mustard-seed-like form and burrow into the wound, devouring the soldier's entire physical body and soul. In no time, the 50,000 celestial soldiers on the battlefield were reduced to only 10,000, with countless soldiers becoming food for the insect dragon.

With a roar, the Five Thunder Compassionate Holy Lord summoned the Five Thunder Command Flag, causing the void to split open. A pair of precious swords fell from the void and were respectfully and steadily caught by Him.

His heart was bleeding. He thought he had overestimated his opponent, but he hadn't expected the opponent to be so much stronger than he had imagined. Just that moment of hesitation had resulted in heavy losses for 50,000 heavenly soldiers. He should have brought out the pair of innate male and female Four Seasons Demon-Slaying Swords from the beginning.

These two magical treasures are among the most treasured artifacts of the Heavenly Heart Sect. They were the swords of the ancestral Celestial Master Zhang Ze. Years ago, when the mountain was destroyed and the temple was destroyed, these swords were severely damaged by ancient gods. As a result, their power diminishes with each use. Therefore, the Heavenly Heart Sect is very careful when using these swords and will never use them unless absolutely necessary.

The Five Thunders Compassionate Saint Lord now fully understands that Loran has grasped the mysteries of the innate immortal path and is not far from achieving the status of a Celestial Immortal Great Saint. To completely kill him, one must use innate artifacts. And the pair of swords wielded by the Ancestral Celestial Master are a rare pair of innate killing weapons, having drunk the blood of powerful enemies.

"May the magic sword slay the enemy!"

The Five Thunder Compassionate Saint Lord activated his divine power, awakening the magic swords. The magic swords were divided into male and female, the female being a blue sword and the male a red sword. The two swords revived, unleashing sword light that resembled the cycle of the four seasons. The sword light split into countless sword energies, each locking onto a worm-dragon.

Faced with the innate sword energy, Loran's indestructible innate dragon scales shattered instantly. He was ultimately lacking the Metal Element Tribulation to truly reach the innate primordial chaos, and the sword energy, being a weapon corresponding to the Metal Element, was precisely his nemesis.

Therefore, the previous 50,000 heavenly soldiers were just an appetizer for this Golden Calamity; the Innate Killing Sword is the main event.