Beneath the altar, all was silent.
A demonic cultivator at the Golden Core stage actually couldn’t defeat a righteous cultivator at the Foundation Building stage?
Shangguan Qing’er and the others didn’t show much surprise on their faces, but the demonic cultivators looked as if they had seen a ghost.
“If no one speaks up, I’ll assume you all want to give it a try,” Tang Xin casually pointed at someone and said, “How about you…”
“Retreat!”
The leader had been beaten black and blue; how could his subordinates, who were merely at the Foundation Building stage, possibly stand against this “mysterious” figure?
Before long, the demonic cultivators who had first broken into the altar vanished from sight.
“With Daoist Tang Xin here,” Liu Mei said with a smile, “I feel at ease.”
“Merely minor demons,” Shangguan Qing’er added, “how could they be a match for Daoist Tang, who is full of righteous energy?”
If I were full of righteous energy, we wouldn’t have been able to enter this cave dwelling…
After driving away the demonic cultivators, everyone’s attention returned to the altar and the red orb above it.
They were connected to the formation that enveloped the entire area, with complex energy fluctuations that prevented anyone from approaching within half a zhang.
“No wonder they got here first and couldn’t take anything,” Shangguan Qing’er looked at the red light at the top and said, “Do we need to solve this formation?”
The formation was profound and mysterious.
Due to the need for special talents and relatively rare inheritances, there were very few low-level cultivators who had any knowledge of formations.
“Shangguan senior sister,” Zhou Yu volunteered, “let me try?”
“You?”
Shangguan Qing’er looked puzzled.
She herself had no idea how to approach such a complex formation; what could an ordinary disciple from Qingxin Pavilion possibly do?
“Let her try,” Tang Xin said, “after all, we don’t have any other options.”
Shangguan Qing’er nodded hesitantly, stepped aside, and Zhou Yu stepped forward to observe the formation.
Deciphering the formation wasn’t a matter of a moment; Tang Xin and the others had no choice but to wait nearby.
During this time, Shangguan Qing’er’s gaze never left her junior sister.
Did she understand the art of formations?
Where had she learned it?
Why had she never revealed this before?
Her junior sister always seemed low-key and amiable, hardly ever drawing attention to herself.
In a cultivation sect, if one doesn’t have any outstanding abilities, keeping a low profile is definitely the best choice, as it avoids many troubles.
But if one has talent, they should showcase it to gain access to more resources.
Hiding one’s talent usually indicates some special purpose.
This person…
After a while, Zhou Yu slowly exhaled, turned around, and said to her teammates.
“I’ve managed to analyze some aspects,” she said, “This formation has the ability to create a mental space.”
“Mental space?”
“Simply put,” Zhou Yu thought for a moment and explained, “if we come into contact with this formation, it will draw us into a ‘dream.’ To reach the object at the top of the altar, we must withstand the influence of the dream.”
The group looked at each other.
Considering the attitude of the cave’s owner, “all demon cultivators are one family,” he probably wouldn’t set up a very dangerous test.
Having the rare chance to enter a demon cultivator’s cave with a righteous identity, how could they not give it a try?
The group gathered at the base of the altar, regulated their breaths, looked at the thin layer of red light in front of them, and prepared themselves mentally.
Then, they pressed their hands onto it.
In an instant, the marks on their hands emitted a dazzling red light, and their spirits were gradually dragged into the “Dream Realm.”
…
Tang Xin’s consciousness arrived in the Dream Realm.
“Let’s see just how devoted you are to the demonic path…”
The old man’s voice echoed, followed by a beam of red light that suddenly appeared, targeting her forehead.
【Playing plot preview “I, the Ultimate Villain Boss”…】
Huh?
Isn’t this the precognitive scene I exchanged in the last main storyline? Why is it appearing now?
Corpses everywhere, rivers of blood, Tang Xin commanding her dark army across the Nine Provinces continent, committing atrocities without restraint…
“You…”
The old man’s voice rang out again, filled with astonishment.
“You are too evil! Even the great Demon Lord of the past was not like this! Such strong demonic desires are hidden in your heart!”
Uh, can I explain that this was exchanged, and not really my own thoughts…
“Hmm,” the old man pondered, “Your heart of the demonic path is indeed something I’ve never seen before, it meets… no, it far exceeds the requirements.”
“But to verify its authenticity, I still need to test it.”
Swoosh—
Various creatures, monsters, and unknown entities were stuffed into the mental space.
“A normal person cannot withstand the negative energy from slaughtering too many lives at once, but someone with an exceptionally strong demonic heart would not be greatly affected.”
That sounds dangerous, can we not fight? I’m a peace lover…
Tang Xin raised her hand and scratched her head.
A burst of red energy shot out from her hand, landing right in the center of the spiritual space.
Boom!
Terrifying flames soared into the sky, and the creature at the center melted away amidst countless screams of agony. More and more creatures became sacrifices.
Waves of black energy surged from the dead creatures, transforming into countless arrows shooting towards Tang Xin.
“Damn,” Tang Xin quickly raised her hand in front and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that…”
Another beam of red light surged from the palm of her hand, forming an endless red barrier in front of her, blocking all attacks.
No matter how fierce the negative energy was, it couldn’t affect the girl in the slightest.
The creatures in the spiritual space could only wail in despair before finally vanishing…
The old man’s voice was silent for a while.
“Young one,” he finally spoke again, “you might have the potential to become the master of the demonic path… At least in terms of ‘evil’, you have reached a level I could only look up to in my lifetime.”
What did I do…
“You have passed my test,” the old man said, “Inside the altar are the demonic techniques and practices I collected during my lifetime, including fragments of the ‘Demonic Desire Scripture.'”
“How much reward you can get depends on your ability… A tip, try communicating with them using your demonic thoughts.”
As soon as his words ended, the blood-red spiritual space collapsed as if melting, and Tang Xin’s consciousness rapidly returned to her body.
Thud!
Next to the formation, Tang Xin opened her eyes.
The red mark on the back of her hand had disappeared, and the suppressive effect of the formation was completely gone.
Although the process of passing the test was a bit strange, achieving the goal was all that mattered…
She tapped her toes, a lotus pedestal appeared under her feet, and she moved above the altar, level with the red orb.
Inside the orb, one could see black beads, each emitting a distinctly evil aura.
Tang Xin took a deep breath, then reached her arm into the red orb of light!
