Chapter 29 Part 1

Le Qingping only felt a chill run down her spine.

The greatest difference between Orthodox Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators lay in the fact that the Demonic Qi absorbed by Demonic Cultivators naturally stirred up the negative emotions in their hearts, subjecting them to the manipulation of the seven emotions and six desires, trapping them in illusions from which they could not extricate themselves.

Most Demonic Cultivators, especially those who cultivated mental strength, had hearts as hard as iron and stone, for they faced trials almost every moment.

However, among Orthodox Cultivators, there were also great experts who severed the seven emotions and six desires to walk the Emotionless Dao, and even greater virtues who viewed all beings as equal and bestowed grace upon all things.

It could only be said that when cultivation reached the highest depths, all three thousand great daos led to sainthood, and everyone converged upon the same destination by different paths.

After hearing Xie Linlang’s words, Le Qingping immediately judged that the heavy cultivator before her had certainly been an Orthodox Cultivator in the past, and one with a rather good personality—mild-mannered and kind-hearted.

Because only Orthodox Cultivators engaged in such self-torment, whereas if a Demonic Cultivator discovered their Dao Companion had died, the first thing they would do was not find a substitute to fill the void, but utterly destroy everything that might be an enemy, even if it meant being struck dead by Heavenly Tribulation in the end.

But this stunningly handsome Senior Xie had turned to Demonic Cultivation!

Le Qingping wailed inwardly. Under the agitation and drive of Demonic Qi, would Senior Xie pour out all the previously suppressed delusions and madness? Wouldn’t she be the one to suffer then?

Xie Linlang had no idea that Le Qingping had mentally tagged him as on the verge of going mad.

He continued chattering on: “Fortunately, Senior Brother’s power hadn’t completely dissipated at the time and could hold out for a while, long enough to get through the Dao Companion Ceremony with me. It’s just a pity that later… alas…”

No matter how he replaced them with new Heavenly Demons, the Heavenly Demons refused to merely serve as clothes racks and insisted on displaying their true nature by tempting him into depravity. Thus, Xie Linlang could only shatter one Heavenly Demon after another while summoning new ones.

After too many times, the spiritual power Pei Ji had left in the Xuanpo Sword finally exhausted itself, and Xie Linlang’s heart turned to dead ashes as he began to give up entirely.

Aside from Xie Linlang’s fellow sect sister, no one knew what the Dao Companion Ceremony entailed.

Familiar cultivators only knew that Xie Linlang had formed a Dao Companion bond with someone whose cultivation was low, and that the partner had soon reached the end of their lifespan and passed away.

“But the heavens still favored me in the end.”

Xie Linlang chuckled lightly, a heart-palpitating glint flashing in his pitch-black eyes. He gazed at the massive floating platform right before them, as well as the collapsed palace hall upon it, and let out a low laugh. “Look, do you know where this is?”

He recognized it—how could he not recognize this place?

This was the Nine Spirits Sect’s most important Inheritance Hall!!

Though the hall’s beams had collapsed by more than half, Xie Linlang recognized the nine Dripping Water Beasts perched on the beam’s eaves.

Legend had it that the forms of those nine Dripping Water Beasts were all derived from the Nine Spirits Totem manipulated by the founding ancestor of the Nine Spirits Sect, including a Phoenix, a Luan Bird, a Golden Crow, and other ancient demon beasts of strange shapes.

After Pei Ji went missing, Xie Linlang had once rushed here in haste.

Though the Nine Spirits Sect was reluctant to let Xie Linlang enter the core Inheritance Hall of their sect, he insisted, and eventually entered the hall to perform a tracking spell. Unfortunately, the Essence Blood Compass showed no reaction at the time.

Moreover, the Inheritance Hall was the foundation of the Nine Spirits Sect’s lineage, and Xie Linlang didn’t believe Pei Ji would barge into such a core area of another sect. With no feedback, he had left.

Xie Linlang stared at this familiar yet alien Inheritance Hall for a long time before suddenly reining in his smile. He said flatly, “Let’s go.”

The two soon used the Lotus Root Rope to reach the Inheritance Hall.

Traces of various battles littered the area in front of the hall, but they were not Pei Ji’s sword marks. Instead, they were remnants of demon power from demon beasts and surging Demonic Qi attacks laced with chilling killing intent.

If Xie Linlang and Le Qingping hadn’t been Demonic Cultivators, they could never have lingered in this place where Demonic flames blazed to the heavens.

Xie Linlang frowned tightly. Just as he was about to say something, Le Qingping cried out in surprise.

He turned to look at Le Qingping and saw the woman in the pink skirt pointing at a massive stone monument on the side of the floating platform. “I know where this is now. This is the Nine Spirits Sect’s sect gate that the Palace Lord smashed into the void back then!”

Xie Linlang immediately shifted his perspective and came before the monument, only then seeing a huge “zhen” character written on it.

The strokes of the character were savage and frenzied, like claw marks torn out, radiating killing intent and madness.

“The sect gate?”

Only then did Xie Linlang notice that, beyond the Inheritance Hall at the front, many buildings seemed piled up behind it.

Those buildings clung to the rear of the hall in a grotesque, tilted posture, as if they had been kneaded like toys and then discarded.

“Yes…” Le Qingping hesitated for a few seconds before saying in a low voice, “Silent Night Palace and the Nine Spirits Sect were once allied sects with a very good relationship.”

Xie Linlang was stunned. “What?”

Wait, he had never heard of this! There were no records in Jiuxia Mountain! Not even the orthodox immortal sects knew that the Nine Spirits Sect had a Demonic Cultivator ally!!

In that moment, Xie Linlang suddenly understood.

No wonder he hadn’t been able to find Pei Ji back then—because Pei Ji truly hadn’t been in the Nine Spirits Sect. After being subdued, he must have fallen into the clutches of Silent Night Palace!!

Le Qingping nodded. “Anyway, the sect records often mentioned predecessors from the Nine Spirits Sect visiting Silent Night Palace. Though the paths of Orthodox Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators differ, everyone is a cultivator at heart, and fundamentally the same.”

She paused, then gave an example. “Just like the currently famous Dream Flower Immortal Sect and Heavenly Charm Pavilion. Dream Flower disciples periodically visit Heavenly Charm Pavilion to temper their mental cultivation, while Heavenly Charm Pavilion disciples go to Dream Flower Mountain to broaden their horizons.”