As night fell, the temperature dropped sharply. A few inconspicuous Xue flowers drifted in the air.
“Shift change.”
Several guards emerged from the underground prison, exchanging places with those above, completely unaware of the “uninvited guest” who had slipped in with them. The camp was generally tight on the outside but loose on the inside. Due to its hidden location, easy to defend and hard to attack, the interior faced almost no threats. Most of the defenses were concentrated on the surrounding mountains, and even if someone tried to escape, they couldn’t avoid the cultivators on the mountains. If it weren’t for the presence of “Red Snow Asura,” the number of patrol guards in the camp would be halved.
The dungeon was divided into three levels, with the value of the prisoners increasing the deeper you went. Someone like Su Ling, an officially recognized “top-tier genius,” was previously held on the third underground level. A few snowflakes drifted all the way down to the lowest level.
Thud, thud, thud—
“What’s going on? Where’s that noise coming from?”
Two guards responsible for this level heard strange sounds at the entrance.
Whoosh—Ah—
“Why does it sound like a haunting? No one’s died here, right?”
“You go check it out!”
“Why don’t you go?”
“I’m scared, let’s go together…”
Once the two guards walked away, the Xue flowers landed on the ground and transformed into a human shape.
“You need to lose weight,” Tang Xin said as she set down the girl in her arms, “You’re not that tall, but you’re quite heavy.”
The sword-wielding girl glared at her fiercely, without arguing. The effect of the Xue demon escape technique was beyond expectations, successfully bringing the two of them into the dungeon. Logically, even a lost-level escape technique shouldn’t exhibit such powerful capabilities in the hands of a Golden Core cultivator. But then again, it was a demonic technique.
Because she didn’t know many demonic techniques, Tang Xin couldn’t make an accurate judgment, but she estimated that whenever she used a demonic technique, its power could increase by about one major level. In other words, using it during the Foundation Building stage could achieve effects only seen in the Golden Core stage, and during the Golden Core stage, it would elevate to the Nascent Soul level. This situation could only be explained with four words: no explanation possible.
In the deepest part of the third-level dungeon, there was a separate cell far from the others, where the elder Su Ling mentioned was located.
“I only saw the senior once when I was taken out of the cell. Other times, the senior taught me through divine sense transmission,” Su Ling whispered in introduction.
“The senior didn’t tell me his name, only asked me to call him the Blind Old Man.”
“That’s a classic senior template…”
As they went deeper, Tang Xin and Su Ling slowly stopped. In front of them, in a cell, was an old blind man with disheveled clothes, white hair, and limbs bound by chains.
“Senior…”
Su Ling called out softly.
The old man slightly raised his head, “looking” in their direction with his closed eyes, and spoke in a weathered voice.
“You’ve come…”
“I’m sorry, senior,” Su Ling bowed, “I had no choice but to reveal your identity…”
“No matter,” the old man nodded slowly, shifting his “gaze” to Tang Xin, “Is this one… a demon cultivator?”
[Task completed]
[You have gained a card draw opportunity]
“Strange,” before Tang Xin could speak, the old man continued talking to himself, “Why do I sense a familiar aura from you?”
What the hell? Could it be that we knew each other before?
[Options generating…]
[Option 1: Use the Ten Thousand Insect Heart Devour technique to kill the old man, then leave with Su Ling.]
[Success rate 100%, reward: card draw luck +50%]
[Option 2: Use Summon: Thunder to destroy the cell and release the old man’s shackles, triggering a battle scenario.]
[Success rate 100%, reward: card draw luck +30%]
[Option 3: Use Snow Demon Escape to enter the cell and face the old man directly.]
[Success rate 100%, reward: card draw luck +1%]
For a villain like me, is there any difference between one percent and fifty percent?
Killing the old man would probably make Su Ling go berserk, and triggering a battle scenario would likely be a near-death experience. Tang Xin had no choice but to form hand seals and use Snow Demon Escape again to enter the cell.
“Demon Escape?”
Though the old man couldn’t see, he seemed to be fully aware of everything around him.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a pure Demon Escape technique… How did someone as young as you learn it?”
“Uh,” Tang Xin answered honestly, “I learned it by just looking at it…”
The old man fell silent.
After a while.
“You weren’t joking.”
He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I wasn’t joking.”
Tang Xin repeated after him.
“So,” the old man slowly exhaled a breath of white air, “could it be that when you learn other demonic techniques, you just take one look and you get it?”
“Eh, how did you know?” Xuanling Sect’s senior sister asked curiously.
Having received the answer, the old man stood up from the ground, took a few steps, pulling the chain taut, and looked at Tang Xin with a slight frown.
“I was wondering why there was a familiar aura about you,” he said in a hoarse voice, “turns out you are…”
“I am…?” Tang Xin held her breath.
Judging by the situation, was there some explosive clue about to be revealed?
“That kind of physique…”
“What kind of physique!”
What the heck, why do they always have to leave sentences hanging like this?
“A natural demonic body,” fortunately, the blind old man didn’t play the riddle game and finished his sentence, “or you could call it a perfect demonic body.”
“If I say I don’t know what a natural demonic body is, would that be embarrassing…” Xuanling Sect’s senior sister quipped.
“This kind of physique, at first, might seem inferior compared to other super physiques, but its most unique feature is its nearly limitless growth potential.”
“As you come into contact with more demonic techniques, the attributes of the natural demonic body will gradually manifest. If there are enough techniques, it can even grow to… unimaginable heights.”
“Do you have solid evidence for this, or is it just hearsay?” Tang Xin asked, resting her chin on her hand.
“Uh,” the old man was taken aback, “it’s hearsay…”
“These days, people like to exaggerate things,” the white-haired witch shook her head, “but where did you hear this? You seem quite familiar with demonic ways?”
“I used to be a demonic cultivator,” the old man said quite frankly.
Hearing this, Su Ling, who was outside the cell, almost jumped up.
The ultimate move she learned actually came from a demonic cultivator?!
“I have a request,” the blind old man said, “can you take Su Ling out safely?”
“Aren’t you a demonic cultivator?” Tang Xin asked, puzzled, “Why are you taking care of her?”
“Perhaps it’s just fate…” the old man said with a sigh.
“If I were to tell it, it would be a long story…”
“Alright, is it the protagonist’s halo? Or is it because she looks like your granddaughter?”
“I won’t let you help for nothing,” the old man said when he saw Tang Xin hadn’t agreed. “I have something in my possession. I wonder if you’re interested.”
“What is it?”
“The ‘Demon Desire Heart Sutra: Fragmented Chapter.'”
