Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 112 - 96 Descendant of the Demon Sect

Chapter 112: Chapter 96 Descendant of the Demon Sect

"So, I don’t need to compete with the likes of Jade Sword Buddha for the limited places anymore," Gu Wen mused to himself. This turn of events was unexpected, but it was also the first time Heavenly Spring Mountain had transformed in such a manner, so it wasn’t surprising that they suddenly opened up the Sword Pond to the public.

But why would Broken Sword Mountain make such an announcement? What was their intention?

Could it be that the struggles between the various forces behind the scenes had become too fierce? The suspected presence of the Immortality Pill within the Sword Pond could be both an opportunity and a hassle for Broken Sword Mountain. In comparison to Gu Wen and his companions, Broken Sword Mountain was the true center of the storm.

And Xiao Yunyi, without Yu Hua’s strength, naturally became the focus of attention for people from all sides.

To ensure the safety of their protégé, they directly announced that the Sword Pond would be open without limit on places, effectively taking Xiao Yunyi out of the limelight.

Gu Wen collected his thoughts as Hee Huan next to him confirmed his suspicions through secret sound transmission, saying, "Actually, there have been people sneaking into Heavenly Spring Mountain these past few days. Of course, they can’t break the Sword Array, but it’s been a constant nuisance for Broken Sword Mountain."

"So they shut down the Sword Array and let anyone go up. In this way, they not only conserve their strength but also prevent their protégés from being captured by some old monsters."

Hee Junyan also provided news, saying, "It is rumored that several old monsters have crawled out of their coffins in Burial Abyss. Among them, there is even a Great Demon buried ten thousand years ago, probably hoping to snatch a chance at immortality."

"What is this Burial Abyss?" Gu Wen asked bluntly.

Both already knew of Gu Wen’s background, so they were not surprised that he was unfamiliar with matters beyond this world. Hee Huan provided an answer.

"The Four Abysses and Eight Caves of the Demon Sect each represent a forbidden ground for living beings, believed to be formed from the remnants of an ancient Innate God who fell. These places are mostly filled with miasma and poison and conceal endless abominations and demonic creatures.

The cultivation philosophy of the Demon Path is to return to the ancient ways and seek the Innate.

For the Demon Path, these places are natural holy lands for cultivation. They absorb the remnants of some Innate God Demon dispersed in the world through their postnatal cultivation, obtaining the power of Innate God Demons either through their bloodline or their Magic Skills and Divine Skills.

The deathly energy contained within Burial Abyss can be utilized in a special way through Magic Skills to seal off vitality and delay life.

Upon hearing this, Gu Wen inexplicably thought of Hee Junyan’s huge arm. He glanced at him, and Hee Junyan calmly said, "I am from Divine Blood Abyss, and I cultivate one of the 108 Innate Demon Gods—the Long-Armed Ape."

"Among the Four Realms, no one of the same level can compete with my sect in terms of strength."

Hee Huan added, "The Divine Blood Path attains an Innate True Body in addition to their own when they reach the Fourth Realm. Based on this True Body, the dharma form they condense can be a hundred or even a thousand zhang high."

A hundred zhang, a thousand zhang?

Gu Wen showed surprise. His Flame Dharma form was only a little over ten zhang tall. He could only imagine how powerful a thousand zhang dharma form would be.

He asked, "Doesn’t that mean no one in the Demon Sect can be defeated in terms of dharma forms?"

"Of course,"

Hee Junyan proudly lifted his chin, then spoke unequivocally, "But other cultivators won’t limit themselves to competing in dharma forms only. For example, the Buddhist Sect is good at divine arts, and the Daoist Sect is proficient in their Daoist Skills. All have their strengths."

"Then who is the strongest among the Three Religions now?"

Before Gu Wen could finish speaking, Hee Junyan and Hee Huan had already replied in unison, "Naturally, it is our Daoist Sect (Demon Sect)."

"Hmm? You imitator of monkeys, you dare claim to be the strongest?"

"I’m ranked ninth on the Human List."

"The Human List is not yet finalized. Xiao Yunyi has a Daoist Soldier and is properly ranked fourth, yet he’s only seventh."

"You are eleventh on the Human List."

"Go to hell, come out with me and let’s see who is stronger!"

The two of them bickered and left to fight outside. With a series of thunderous noises, the skies of Luodu were filled with fireworks again, something the citizens had grown accustomed to.

Half a two hours later, the three returned to the inn, Hee Junyan and Hee Huan with bruises on their faces.

Once seated again, the trio returned to discussing Heavenly Spring Mountain.

The successors of the Buddhist and Demon Sects had already arrived in Luodu; they couldn’t possibly be here just for tourism. It was either for the opportunity of Heavenly Spring Mountain or for the Immortality Pill.

Gu Wen noticed that both were looking at him and said, "Speak your mind."

Hee Junyan cleared his throat and whispered, even less audibly with sound transmission, "Fellow Daoist, what is your relationship with the Heavenly Girl?"

"Why do you ask?" Gu Wen frowned slightly. "Isn’t our relationship obvious? I am her Guardian. Could there be any other relation?"

You still want another relation?

Hee Huan and Hee Junyan both took a sharp breath but also knew better that no extraneous relationship was likely.

The higher the level of the cultivator, the less contact there is between them. It’s not that the strong lack social connections, but not everyone is suited to develop relations at every stage or possesses the qualities to become a top powerhouse.

After reaching the pinnacle, any subsequent affection becomes subservient to cultivation.

Moreover, the concept of affection is too profound—it’s not something everyone has or necessarily needs.

Hee Junyan said, "I mean, can you speak on behalf of the Heavenly Girl?"

"Of course, I can," Gu Wen nodded.

Then Hee Junyan took out a letter and placed it on the table, implying somewhat obscurely, "The successor of the Demon Sect is called Hee Junyan, ten years my senior."

Gu Wen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He picked up the letter with increased interest and understood Hee Junyan’s intent.

He was seeking Gu Wen’s help in connecting with higher powers, and his older brother was the successor of the Demon Sect.

"You have such a background?"

Hee Huan opened his eyes wide, extremely surprised.

The successor to the Demon Sect was equivalent to the future Demon Lord. Even if they did not ultimately reach such a height, they were at least a titan of the Demon Path in their generation.

Gu Wen put down the letter and mimicked Hee Junyan, saying, "We need to increase the price."

"...." Hee Junyan reluctantly took out ten top-grade Earth Medicine Pearls, which contained half more Heavenly Marrow than the low-quality ones, about seven to eight years worth.

"Good."

Gu Wen smiled and accepted the pills, suddenly curious about the strength of the Demon Sect’s successor, so he asked Hee Junyan.

Hee Junyan looked troubled as he responded, "This is my elder brother we’re talking about. How could I casually reveal his strength and cultivation to outsiders? You’ll have to pay more."

Gu Wen’s mouth twitched; he returned the pills to Hee Junyan, deeming the intelligence clearly more critical than the worth of about seven years of Heavenly Marrow.

Hee Junyan answered, "Seventh Level foundation, Sixth Level fulfilled, adept at the art of creating doppelgangers."

"What counts as the art of doppelgangers?"

Gu Wen became oddly more alert. He observed Hee Junyan closely—his expression unchanged.

Hee Junyan explained, "It means he has countless doppelgangers and can easily disguise as others."

"Can he even disguise his Daoist Skills?"

"That is possible for someone with great talent."

Hee Junyan did not slip up at all, but Gu Wen’s vigilance had shot up several notches in that moment. Not detecting any anomaly was an anomaly in itself.

Gu Wen was not an investigator; he trusted his instincts more than evidence. After all, instincts were a form of self-preservation, a concern for safety, even if it meant being overly suspicious.

"Although Fellow Daoist has not cultivated for long, you should understand what it feels like to be a heaven-sent genius," Hee Junyan chatted casually. "Many cultivate by imitating, so it’s not difficult to emulate them."

By now, Hee Huan had also sensed something off. His expression was grave as he watched Hee Junyan, daring not to make any superfluous movements.

Gu Wen asked, "Am I also imitating?"

"Except for your gunnery, almost everything is imitation," Hee Junyan nodded, then shifted his tone, "But you imitate so well it’s almost indistinguishable from the real thing, which means you have great talent."

"Right, I heard you went demon hunting with that old nun today. That old wretch’s inheritance should be on you, right?"

Gu Wen nodded, "I could sell it. The price would be ten times that of the pill you just mentioned."

He did not care who the other party was or their intentions; as long as it was beneficial to his current situation.

Hee Junyan shook his head, "That’s too much. One usually consumes the Immortal Land Spiritual Medicines as soon as they get them and does not keep many. However, I have something that would definitely interest you."

Within Gu Wen’s puzzled gaze, Hee Junyan confidently stated, "You must have seen that old man’s inheritance. It’s the Demon Sword heritage, constantly restored and supplemented by countless generations of the Demon Sect. What you have are the last three levels, while I have in my possession the initial six levels."

I don’t know that.

Gu Wen nodded impassively.

Hee Junyan produced an ancient-looking black iron token, palm-sized, dark in color, engraved with the character for "Demon" written sloppily and possessing numerous notches.

But upon closer inspection, these were not mere notches but countless tiny sword scars, with a round gap at the edge.

"I can take the initiative to pass on the Demon Sword heritage to you, and if you cultivate it, the Demon Sect won’t hold you accountable. All it costs is the beads."

Hee Junyan’s tone was very sincere, not at all like a cultivator of the Demon Path known for their whims.

Gu Wen knew the source of his sincerity was not himself but Yu Hua, or the absolute power of an Immortal. Otherwise, they would already be fighting.

To live freely, it seemed only possible if one became an Immortal, truly carefree only after becoming an Immortal.

After some thought, Gu Wen agreed. He handed over the black pearl, and the other party combined it with the black iron token, causing a dim light to emerge and flicker several times before settling down.

The Demon Sect’s successor passed the Demon Sword Token to Gu Wen, squinting with a thick smile, "If you can learn even one-tenth of this sword technique, it will be enough to last you a lifetime, but I don’t recommend you learn it. The Yuqing Sword Skill is on par with the Demon Sword; it’s fruitless to learn too much, better to master one than to dabble in many."

’You advise me not to learn yet you still hand it over so easily? Trying to fool me!’

Gu Wen looked at Hee Junyan’s seemingly mocking expression, his face darkening.

But since he had agreed, he could only keep it as a collection. After all, having the Demon Sword heritage was troublesome; better to keep the Demon Sect’s successor from continually dwelling on it.

Gu Wen projected his Divine Thought into the Demon Sword Token; for just an instant, it seemed as if a myriad of demon shadows flashed by before converging into a dim light within his Qi Sea.

["Demon Sword, draws upon the gloomy energy of heaven and earth, forming a sword body tens of thousands of feet long, capable of splitting skies and shattering earth. The First Level requires fifty years of Heavenly Marrow."]

["Buddha Sword, derived from the great trends of heaven and earth, and with a single sweep can create three thousand realms. The First Level requires fifty years of Heavenly Marrow."]

Half the Heavenly Marrow?

Gu Wen was startled; this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

It was not unheard of for the demand for Heavenly Marrow to decrease; Gu Wen considered his talents to be top-tier. The amount of Heavenly Marrow needed for cultivation was not fixed, often subject to discounts.

But now, without even starting to cultivate the Buddha and Demon swords, simply by acquiring the techniques, half of the Heavenly Marrow was already accounted for, as if they were somehow meant to complement each other.

Gu Wen slowly opened his eyes, his gaze turning frosty as he looked at the one disguised as Hee Junyan and casually tossed the token back, clearly displeased.

The Demon Sect’s successor gleefully said, "Don’t be so upset, I’ll introduce you to a beauty, how about my younger sister Lu Chan?"

As his words fell, a great chill surged towards the top of the skull.

The Demon Sect’s successor immediately stood up, said no more, and hastily left the inn.

Hee Huan departed to check on Hee Junyan, while Gu Wen had already returned to his room upstairs, eager to immerse into his Qi Sea and examine the techniques of the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Sword.