Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 317 - 310 Demon Sect Part 2

Chapter 317: Chapter 310 Demon Sect Part 2

The Yuan Dou Demonic Technique eventually ended up in Lin Xin’s hands.

He was arranged to stay alone in a newly cold and desolate palace. Lin Xi had already been taken inside to wait.

Big sister Quan Sheying, full name Quan Sheying, is the First Princess of the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique.

Duan Chizi is the second senior sister, her real name long forgotten. She was originally an abandoned infant, found and raised by the master, and is the Second Princess of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect.

As for him, Lin Xin, he’s now somewhat forcibly become the Third Crown Prince of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect.

Although Lin Xin wasn’t clear about the practical use of this "Crown Prince" title, the name alone indicated that it must be a position of extremely high authority and status.

Perhaps ordinary people would be thrilled, thinking it was manna from heaven, a stroke of great fortune that brought support and the opportunity to enjoy endless glory and riches.

But Lin Xin didn’t think so.

In this world, for everything gained, something must be lost. Since he’d obtained such a great benefit, the corresponding sacrifices must be equally significant.

Such a position would definitely not be watched over by those of ordinary strength. The danger he faced had also multiplied several times over.

With these thoughts in mind and prepared, he began to formally test the extent of the power of his so-called integration of everything: the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique, and the Primitive Demon Body.

***********************

In the vast palace made of black obsidian.

At the very top of the palace sat a solitary and fierce black throne, with rows of huge black sculptures standing on both sides.

These sculptures protected the entire palace, none of which were human-shaped, but rather half-human, half-horse beings; the upper halves were human, the lower halves equine, each over two meters tall with bodies of knotted muscles, and each head adorned with a pair of bull horns.

The floor was etched with faint dark red demon patterns, constantly emanating a faint fragrance.

Lin Xin stood alone on the demon pattern, looking down and observing closely.

"I arrived only yesterday and didn’t have the chance to thoroughly examine the structure of this palace. It seems to be a unified special treasure, but the control hub isn’t here."

He was adorned in a golden dragon crown and black dragon robes, a jade belt around his waist intricately embroidered with various openwork patterns, sharp shoulder guards on either side of his shoulders, made into statues; on the left was a Qilin head, and on the right, a black dragon head, representing auspiciousness and slaughter respectively.

Also inscribed on his robe were countless large and small blood-red array plates, looking like eyes and all embedded with metal wire. They glinted and flickered with movement.

"It’s got grandeur, but the aesthetics are somewhat ghastly," Lin Xin appraised frankly, not dwelling on it further.

"Crown Prince, the Grand Steward requests an audience."

Suddenly, an icy female voice echoed within the palace, as if coming directly from the vast expanse of the air.

This was the palace’s guardian spirit, a special spiritual body with only basic functions, without emotions, only reason, and no personal thought.

It was like a preset program, not a living being.

"Grand Steward?" Lin Xin, while observing the demon pattern, instantly remembered what his big sister had mentioned about various matters he needed to deal with today.

"Let him in," he said softly.

"Yes," the palace spirit replied.

Without his consent, except for the master, no one else could enter unless they broke the palace’s restrictions.

The restrictions on this Demon Palace were connected to the entire Indeterminate Mountain array, which was an enormous treasure that Daoist Master Huang Yuan had been refining for many years. Though it wasn’t refined with heart’s blood, its power was at least at the Scenic Level. To break through without the power of a Nascent Soul at the Yuan Jing Level was unthinkable.

After receiving a response.

Suddenly, the sound of faint footsteps approached from outside the great hall, indicating more than one person was entering.

This palace included not only this grand hall but also three special palaces connected together: the main hall, an annex for living, and a Taoist Palace for cultivation practice. Together, they made up the Crown Prince’s Palace.

Because they were situated in a high place, outside the three palaces was a long series of black jade steps stretching downwards to the ground. On both sides stood poles with purple-black demon flags, which many Formation Talisman Masters of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect had refined into protective demon flags; each pole held a ferocious exotic beast, all formidable beings brought from the Outer Regions.

If an external enemy invaded and tried to force their way through without the Palace Master’s consent, they would need to contend with the numerous exotic beasts held by these demon flags.

Before long, the noise outside quieted down.

The voice of the Grand Steward carried in from afar.

"Your Highness, please step out of the palace door," the voice was slightly cold yet carried a hint of softness, not like that of a eunuch, but rather a chilling, effeminate male voice.

Lin Xin had seen this steward once at the Demon Liquid Pool, a handsome man who always had his face covered, pale-skinned as if rarely touched by sunlight. He was always dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, looking like an ascetic cultivator, with a black hood rimmed with silver, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes.

As for his cultivation, Lin Xin felt no power from the man, which could mean that his strength was far beyond Lin Xin’s imagination.

Hearing the voice, he took a deep breath and slowly walked to the grand doorway, placing his hand gently on the surface of the door.

The door was engraved with a dense array of flowers, birds, insects, fishes, mountains, rivers, and various special divine beasts and auspicious clouds. At the center was a huge handprint, marked right in the middle, strikingly noticeable.

Lin Xin gave a gentle shove.

Boom... The heavy bronze door, over three meters tall, slowly swung open.

"We welcome the Crown Prince with utmost respect!!"

"Greetings to the Crown Prince, may you be forever safe...!!"

On either side of the outdoor stairs, a dense crowd of Qi Cultivators wearing identical white robes stood densely packed. At a glance, the stairs stretched for hundreds of meters with four rows of people, totaling no fewer than a thousand individuals.

Everyone was kneeling on one knee, bowing towards him, and shouting in unison for his safety. Their voices shook the clouds in the sky, and the echoes of the words "forever safe" resounded continuously around the entire palace.

The Grand Steward stood to the left, still dressed in his original attire, calmly looking at Lin Xin.

"Crown Prince, these are the subordinates and guards specially dispatched for your service, a total of one thousand six hundred and thirty people. Among them are one hundred Palace Girls with the Light Spirit Body and five Golden Guards as Retainers," he said.

"Light Spirit Body Palace Girls? Golden Guards?"

Although Lin Xin was a Sect Cultivator accustomed to grand scenes, he couldn’t help but be slightly shaken by the revelation before quickly regaining his composure.

At this moment, the thousand people below were silent, with no one speaking out of turn; only he and the Grand Steward conversed.

"Only virgins of matched beauty who have undergone special modifications, reaching a point where their bodies and spirits are prepared to sacrifice their lives for you at any moment, can be called ’Light Spirit Body.’ They are young and can be molded by your will into any type of talented cultivator," the Grand Steward said, his voice cool and masked.

"So, they are talent seedlings," Lin Xin realized as he looked down again, indeed seeing a group of young girls kneeling at the front, appearing to be only in their teens.

"They all possess Heart Level cultivation and were chosen from among the Three Sects’ prodigies over the years, all voluntarily offering themselves to the Crown Prince. Knowing their limited aptitude and that even with desperate cultivation they could not attain great heights, they seek to climb by other means. As for how to treat them, you may decide," the Grand Steward transmitted.

Lin Xin understood

The message was clear yet served as a reminder.

While these young girls might seem pure, most were not of pure hearts, so he should be careful in selecting and cultivating them.

"A Golden Guard refers to those whose cultivation has reached the Intent Level, or the Foundation Establishment Stage. They are the Crown Prince’s subordinates that can be employed in practice. However, if you are not satisfied, you can recruit your own experts. The Sect Master has allocated sufficient resources for you. You may personally tally them later," he added.

Lin Xin nodded and glanced at five individuals among them who stood out from the crowd in their distinctive attire.

At this moment, a small head peeked out quietly from behind the palace’s grand doors. Lin Xi looked curiously outside; upon seeing the Grand Steward, she quickly withdrew like a startled rabbit.

"Since all are under my command, is there an inventory list?" Lin Xin asked nonchalantly.

"Of course there is," replied the Steward. Suddenly, he produced a dark golden slip which he handed to Lin Xin.

Lin Xin casually glanced at it

Initially somewhat casual, Lin Xin’s expression gradually turned solemn.

The first thing that caught his eye was the Spirit Jade mine.

Three Spirit Jade mines, all of superior quality, could produce over a hundred standard-quality Spirit Jade pieces and one Spiritual Marrow piece annually, on average.

The list continued with gold, silver, and gem mines—ten each, all high yield.

Just these alone meant the annual wealth far exceeded the combined income he used to receive at the Spirit Heart Villa, even considering the private smuggling channel and the unique exorbitant profits it brought. But those didn’t come close to the allocated resources before him now. The amount of Spirit Jade was one thing; the key was the Spiritual Marrow.

Spiritual Marrow was something that no sect would trade, no matter how much money was offered.

A single piece of Spiritual Marrow could cleanse and fortify the human body. Regular consumption over years could enhance one’s aptitude. The dense spiritual energy it contained was at least equivalent to the sum of thousands of pieces of Spirit Jade, and in terms of value, not even thousands of Spirit Jade pieces could be exchanged for it.

Next on the list were Divine Weapons and magical instruments—one hundred at the Heart Level and twenty at the Intent Level. There was also a list of various precious materials and mines with varying yields detailed on it.

Lastly, the territories were addressed.

A map clearly divided the Central Prefecture into different spheres of influence.

The Cloudtop Mountain Range stretched across the entire Central Prefecture, splitting it into two large sections to the north and south. The north was all marked in red, labeled with the words "Red Spine Sect."

The south was divided between numerous powers.

The Xian Sha Alliance occupied about a third of the territory, within which the Yuan Dou Demon Sect controlled one third of the area.

"This is our Sect’s current territory in the Central Prefecture. You may choose a place as a fixed residence, where subordinates will carefully arrange everything," the Grand Steward explained.

He then handed a Jade Slip to Lin Xin.

"Here are the true territories of our Sect in the Outer Regions. Just keep it in mind."

This amounted to a military map.

Understanding its value, Lin Xin didn’t say much but quickly memorized it. As for his residence, he chose a large city close to the border. He wasn’t too concerned; after all, cultivators rarely stayed in one place. The residence was more of a symbol than anything.

"Your territories must be developed by yourself. The nearby Outer Regions have already been mostly explored. You can use this map to find a more suitable area. An Elder from the Sect will come to assist you with this."

"Elder?"

"Only those at the Yuan Jing Level can be called Elders, enjoying the best treatment the Demon Sect has to offer," the Grand Steward spoke softly.

Lin Xin’s heart grew wary.

This was the key issue.

Yuan Jing Level experts! That’s equivalent to a Nascent Soul Qi Cultivator’s existence. The fact that one would come to help him develop new territories showed how high his status was and how much power he could wield.

He knew his own strength well. Whether it was Yuan Jing Level or even the very top Intent Level Dao Seeking experts, he wasn’t necessarily guaranteed to win; at best, he could match them evenly.

Not to mention, there were several more layers to Dao Seeking. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)