Chapter 306: A Demon Is a Demon

The Life-in-This-World Inn and the Earth Dragon Marsh had vanished.

“Impossible!” the Thousand-Eyed Centipede roared, his voice laced with fury. “You seven worthless fools can’t even handle this simple task! What good are you to me?”

Enraged by the news, he unleashed a wave of Demonic Qi that sent the seven spider spirits flying. The slowest of them was swallowed whole in a single gulp.

“Ahhh!”

The remaining six spider spirits fled in terror, never imagining the profound impact this failure would have on their Eldest Brother.

Poor Seventh Sister, they thought, gone just as she reached the second rank.

“Even if I’m alone, I’ll succeed!”

His carefully laid plans shattered, the Thousand-Eyed Centipede’s demonic eyes glowed crimson. He resolved to wager all his Demonic Qi in a desperate gamble—a do-or-die effort to steal the essence of the Heavenly Tribulation single-handedly. One by one, the eyes on his body awakened, and his Demonic Qi solidified into a tangible force, coalescing into a blood-red cloud that blotted out the sky above Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

The mountain trembled violently as massive chains erupted from the bedrock, crushing countless demonic creatures. Deep beneath the surface, a suppressed heart began to throb powerfully. The eerie aura of the Demonic Heart Tribulation, mingled with the surging Demonic Qi, radiated outward.

“Demonic fiend, cease your rampage!”

Outside Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, Patriarch Tai Xuan, the guardian of the mountain, sensed the disturbance. The Great Profundity Sword in his hand instantly blazed to life, unleashing a terrifying sword qi that descended like divine retribution, suppressing the mountain once more. At the summit, Patriarch Tai Xuan stood like an immortal, his sword radiating overwhelming power as he single-handedly subdued Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

He had previously ignored minor tremors, deeming them insignificant. But this new upheaval was different. If the Thousand-Eyed Centipede continued its rampage, the mountain’s protective barrier would crumble, and the Demonic Heart Ancestor’s heart, sealed deep within the mountain’s core, would reawaken.

Demonic Hearts are notoriously difficult to eradicate.

The Demonic Heart Ancestor was no exception. Given the slightest opportunity, his escaped power would inevitably possess a new host and be reborn. Within a few decades, a new “Demonic Heart Ancestor” would emerge.

BOOM!

The mountain gradually stabilized. Demonic creatures, having narrowly escaped death, gazed around in lingering terror, bewildered by what had transpired. All they knew was that the earth and sky had suddenly begun to tremble violently. Then came the mass deaths of their kin—a crimson demonic cloud erupted from beneath their feet, instantly killing anyone who touched it.

“Wait until I break free… I’ll slaughter every last one of you!” The Thousand-Eyed Centipede Spirit’s voice, seething with hatred, echoed from within the mountain. Though its demonic power still radiated outward, it could no longer suppress the Pass Transcendence cultivator through sheer cultivation level.

“Even without relying on my superior cultivation, a mere Core Formation novice is nothing more than child’s play.”

Patriarch Tai Xuan completely ignored the defeated cur’s pathetic whining.

The Qiong Hua Sect had stood for millennia, weathering countless threats. Those who dared threaten the sect—be they human or demon—were long gone, while Qiong Hua remained unshaken. The seven Divine Swords were its foundation, its very essence.

Though powerful, the Thousand-Eyed Centipede Spirit posed less of a threat to the Seven Patriarchs of Jade Purity than the Demonic Heart Ancestor, ranking lower in their list of priorities.

Enveloped in swirling mist, Chen Luo’s aura gradually recovered.

He had finally overcome the ninth Thunder Tribulation.

His vitality began to resurge, and the blessings of the Heavenly Tribulation descended upon him, officially elevating his cultivation realm to the Core Formation stage. He was now a Golden Core cultivator! His lifespan instantly expanded to a thousand years. Had he chosen to return and establish a clan, he could have immediately founded a millennium-spanning immortal cultivation dynasty.

However, Chen Luo paid no heed to these transformative changes. All his focus was on his surroundings.

When he had “devoured” the ninth Thunder Tribulation, the tribulation clouds had suddenly shifted, enveloping him in their chaotic embrace. Now standing within the heart of the tribulation clouds, he was surrounded by swirling Demonic Qi. These tendrils of Demonic Qi writhed like living serpents, desperately trying to intercept the spiritual energy the heavens were bestowing upon Chen Luo.

“The Thousand-Eyed Centipede’s demonic eyes can pierce through the void.”

The Demonic Heart Ancestor’s mind flashed with the thought. He had encountered the Thousand-Eyed Centipede in his previous life. Now that Chen Luo had supplemented his knowledge with the Grand Void Ancestor’s wisdom, the Demonic Heart Ancestor could recognize many things from his past, including the Thousand-Eyed Centipede.

“A crude interception technique, attempting to steal the essence of the Heavenly Tribulation to replenish itself.”

A similar thought emerged from the Mummified Brain.

“Steal the essence of my Heavenly Tribulation?”

“That belongs to me!”

Chen Luo’s gaze turned icy. He had risked so much to condense a Perfect Golden Core, not only to lay a solid foundation but also to claim the highest-tier rewards from the Heavenly Tribulation. Now, the Centipede Spirit dared to snatch his hard-earned tribulation rewards—a direct threat to his very foundation.

To sever his Immortal Path!

“Utilize the Three Talents Formation, compensating for the missing elements. By modifying the demonic energy structure, we can transform it into a teleportation array and simultaneously harvest the demonic power from the Thousand-Eyed Centipede’s hundred eyes.”

The moment the thought materialized, Chen Luo’s power surged into motion.

His fingers swiftly formed a hand seal, and a simple Flame Fire Incantation flew from his palm—a Foundation Establishment Realm spell.

“A mere Flame Fire Incantation.”

The Thousand-Eyed Centipede Spirit sensed the approaching power and chose to ignore it. Such a low-level divine ability was beneath its notice. Before the centipede could even finish its thought, Chen Luo’s index finger erupted in a kaleidoscope of light, manifesting the Five Elements Divine Ability, the Five Spirits Divine Ability, curses, gu techniques, toxic arts, and more.

Divine abilities poured forth one after another as if they were free, each displaying profound mastery.

Finally, these absurdly diverse powers coalesced in an incomprehensible manner, forging two entirely distinct forces. Before the Thousand-Eyed Centipede Spirit could react, they completed the Three Talents Demon Formation.

Who am I?

Where am I?

The Thousand-Eyed Centipede Spirit’s rudimentary demonic intellect simply froze. Unable to comprehend the situation, its blank mind went completely numb. How could so many low-level divine abilities combine without exploding? And why did they transform into entirely new forces?

This ludicrous combination of power had been unleashed by a mere Core Formation junior. The Thousand-Eyed Centipede Spirit began to doubt its very existence as a demon, even suspecting it was trapped in an illusion.

Buzz!

A bizarre tremor shook the air as the tribulation clouds vanished, their power swallowed whole by Chen Luo. He then seized the remaining demonic energy of the Thousand-Eyed Centipede in his palm.

How could someone grasp pure, flowing demonic energy like this?!

The Thousand-Eyed Centipede finally realized the danger and struggled to break free. The demonic power radiating from Chen Luo pulsed with the same essence as its own, and the unique bone patterns etched across his body were something it had only ever witnessed on the great demons of the Upper Realm.

“What happened to the Three Talents Demon Formation I meticulously prepared?!”

Crack!

Chen Luo’s mouth snapped open, devouring the demonic energy in a single gulp. Simultaneously, the incomplete Three Talents Formation in his hand began to rearrange itself in an impossible manner. When it stabilized, it had transformed into a teleportation array. The explosive power poised to erupt now pulsed with teleportation energy.

The Mummified Brain instantly locked onto a location deeply familiar to Chen Luo. After a brief, familiar warping sensation, his figure began to fade.

I’ll try to intercept the remaining Demonic Heart Tribulation and convert it into Tribulation Qi.

As his body contorted through the teleportation process, the thought flashed through Chen Luo’s mind.

The Demonic Heart Art can extract Tribulation Qi and store up to three strands.

The Demonic Heart Ancestor’s plan was finally coming to fruition. Chen Luo had always intended to extract the Tribulation Qi from his Tribulation Transcendence to fuel his future cultivation advancements, and now that the critical moment had arrived, the plan was firmly in place.

The Demonic Heart Ancestor’s consciousness began processing this new task. The impending Demonic Heart Tribulation, destined to descend upon Chen Luo, was gradually being converted and condensed into Tribulation Qi.

Chen Luo’s figure vanished completely, and the valley returned to its former stillness. A cold wind swept through the ravaged landscape, revealing the devastation wrought by the Thunder Tribulation: shattered mountain peaks, charred tree branches still flickering with flames, and debris scattered across the ground. At the heart of the former Tribulation Transcendence site lay a massive, spiderweb-like crater, surrounded by concentric rings of destruction.

The lingering Tribulation Qi in the air instilled awe and dread.

“Did that senior cultivator leave?”

Two Qi Refining realm Immortal Cultivators had been waiting outside for over an hour. Only after confirming that no more Heavenly Thunder would strike did they cautiously venture into the valley.

These cultivators hailed from a small neighboring kingdom. Within their realm, they were revered figures, holding titles such as Founding Ancestor and Imperial Preceptor. Yet in the vast Cultivation World, their Qi Refining status rendered them insignificant—mere cannon fodder at the bottom of the hierarchy. The Southern Heaven Domain was too vast; access to the Four Great Immortal Sects remained beyond the reach of most.

Rogue cultivators formed the overwhelming majority, comprising ninety percent of all Immortal Cultivators in the Southern Heaven Domain. The remaining ten percent belonged to the Four Great Immortal Sects.

This privileged ten percent controlled ninety percent of the domain’s resources, leaving the remaining ten percent to be fiercely contested by the ninety percent of rogue cultivators.

This was the stark reality of the Cultivation World:

The strong grew ever stronger, while the weak faced the extinction of their legacies.

“Such terrifying destructive power… Could that senior be on the verge of ascending to immortality?”

The two cultivators stared at the utterly ravaged valley. One of them approached the colossal crater at its center, touched the residual warmth on a stone, and couldn’t help but ask, “It must be immortal ascension! Twenty years ago, I witnessed a Foundation Establishment expert in action. Compared to that senior’s power, what we saw here is like a firefly beside the radiant moon—utterly incomparable.”

“If that’s true, then the senior must have ascended to the Immortal Realm.”

The two Qi Refining realm cultivators, drawing upon their limited understanding, pieced together what might have transpired. They resolved to record this extraordinary encounter in a chronicle upon their return, ensuring its transmission to future generations.

They would call it “A Record of Meeting an Immortal”!

Such a momentous event—an encounter with an immortal—would provide them with bragging rights for the rest of their lives.

The pair continued to scour the valley for a while longer. Rogue cultivators were like that—always seizing any opportunity to search for hidden treasures. With luck, they might stumble upon some “treasure.”

“There’s something over there!”

The tall, slender Immortal Cultivator flipped over a stone and discovered a discarded sword hilt beneath it.

“I found something too!” His companion unearthed a shattered bronze mirror.

“Fragments of a high-grade Magic Artifact!”

Their eyes lit up with excitement as they swiftly gathered Chen Luo’s discarded scraps, even the charred remains of the Spirit-Devouring Gu that had been struck by the Thunder Tribulation. They left nothing behind.

Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

“Who! Who dares to sabotage my plan?!”

The Thousand-Eyed Centipede, having barely stabilized for three minutes, erupted into a frenzy once more. But this time, it was suppressed even faster. Ancestor Taiqing, standing beside Patriarch Tai Xuan, thrust his Taiqing Sword directly into the mountainside.

A beam of azure sword light pierced through the rock with laser-like precision, striking the Thousand-Eyed Centipede squarely between its eyes. Already severely weakened, the demon spewed a mouthful of demonic blood. Its forcibly awakened eyes snapped shut one by one until only a single, malevolent eye remained.

“I will remember this grudge.”

Having exhausted nearly a millennium’s worth of accumulated demonic power in a single surge, the Thousand-Eyed Centipede was forced to retreat into hibernation once more.

“Demons will always be demons! There’s no point in reasoning with them,” Ancestor Taiqing said coldly, sheathing his Taiqing Sword.