Xie Linlang was a man of decisive action.
Although Shen He was only at Qi Refining Layer 1, the most novice level among cultivators, Xie Linlang had already decided on the name he would use after reconstructing his immortal body.
Under normal cultivation speeds, even for a Demonic Cultivator, advancing from Qi Refining to Soul Transformation would take at least a century.
Xie Linlang had no desire to spend a hundred years following Shen He before spending another hundred years recultivating to return to the Soul Transformation Realm.
While Shen He sat cross-legged in the quiet chamber, focusing on his cultivation, Xie Linlang pondered a question inside the jade pendant.
The Demonic Qi he currently used was all provided by Shen He. What if Shen He gave the jade pendant to a higher-level cultivator? Could Xie Linlang then control that high-rank cultivator’s body?
Xie Linlang thought deeply about it, his attention turning to the jade pendant left behind by Shen He’s father.
They were Demonic Cultivators now—why not take a shortcut?
That same night, in another place—the courtyard of the Pill Room where Shen He had worked as a helper during the day.
At the deepest part of the courtyard stood an enormous pill refining quiet chamber protected by layers of formations.
At that moment, Hong Kui, who held considerable authority in the Pill Room during the day, was reporting in a low voice to a person seated before a massive pill furnace.
“…I carefully questioned Shen He. That kid came from the Pang Family Restaurant and had seen Demonic Plants in the back kitchen before. He happened to recognize the Ghost Claw Spirit Mushroom on the material table, which led to this freak accident. He fixed Junior Brother Liu in place, and in the end, the pill furnace absorbed Junior Brother Liu’s life soul and refined…”
“Enough.”
The person facing away from Hong Kui spoke in an indifferent tone.
“A bunch of useless fools who can’t accomplish anything but are experts at ruining things. All they think about every day is taking shortcuts. Can’t they just honestly study the nature of Demonic Qi and research pill dao techniques?”
The man had shoulder-length gray hair streaked with black and white, tied up into a bun at the crown of his head with a White Jade Hairpin.
He wore a black daoist robe embroidered with sun-and-moon yin-yang patterns at the hem. Though he possessed the bearing of an immortal, a pair of Ink-Green Earrings dangled from his ears.
At that moment, the earrings emitted an eerie red glow, like an eye swaying back and forth, scrutinizing Hong Kui, who knelt behind him.
Hong Kui kept his head lowered. The burly man shrank into a ball, not daring to lift his gaze toward his Shizun.
This was none other than the Pill Room supervisor, the Silent Night Palace Nascent Soul Cultivator Lin Yu.
Hearing his Shizun’s disparaging words, Hong Kui grumbled inwardly. Yeah, everyone knows Human Pill Dao is an evil cultivation secret method, a shortcut. But since we’re all Demonic Cultivators, why not take it?
We had no choice! If we had spiritual roots, we’d have gone to cultivate immortality long ago. Who wants to be a Demonic Cultivator?
Besides, many Demonic Cultivators, realizing they have no hope of ascension, just want to gain immense power and have a thrill before dying. That’s still better than muddling through life as a mortal!
Junior Brother Liu was nearing the end of his lifespan. Without taking a gamble, he’d just dissipate into countless strands of Demonic Qi and return to the heavens and earth. No proper Demonic Cultivator would do something so self-damaging and beneficial to others!
Even so, though Hong Kui vented wildly in his mind, he didn’t dare voice it. He merely nodded obsequiously in agreement.
Compared to stuffing people into a pill furnace as materials, this master of his was far more terrifying.
Hong Kui didn’t dare recall the scene he had accidentally glimpsed and quickly banished the thought from his mind.
“Then, Shen He will come to the Pill Room to help out in the future. What do you think…?”
“You decide.”
“Yes.”
Hong Kui hurriedly stood and left, leaving Lin Yu alone to continue tending the pill furnace’s heat.
He remained motionless, steadily channeling Demonic Qi while occasionally adding or removing materials from the furnace.
Just like that, three days passed in a flash. Suddenly, the pill furnace emitted a clear ringing sound.
Lin Yu rejoiced and promptly cast a Magic Formula.
A golden pill flew out from the pill furnace and landed in a jade bottle nearby.
He inspected it carefully and found no abnormalities. He immediately took the jade bottle and vanished from the Pill Room.
Soon, Lin Yu arrived outside a heavily guarded room deep within Silent Night Palace.
Two black-armored, masked Giant Puppets stood at the entrance. One blocked the youth’s path.
“Halt. State your name.”
“Lin Yu.”
After Lin Yu reported his name, the puppet stepped aside. He cast a Magic Formula and entered the room.
The room was vast, but entirely empty. The edges and corners plunged into darkness, with the only light coming from the center, where a bird nest built from countless pieces of Heaven and Earth Spirit Wood stood.
A layer of thin gauze shimmering with golden light hung above the nest, the room’s sole illumination.
