Chapter 1 The Deviant Path

The Deviant Path was a secret, heretical sect hidden deep within the hundred thousand mountains of the Southern Domain of Daqing.

Its leader, the Deviant Path True Man, had once been a master of his generation. His sect boasted seventy-two infamous, wicked arts, each exceptionally bloody, often involving the extraction of souls and the refinement of flesh.

The White Bone Human Demon was one such art, a heretical practice involving the combination of living souls, flesh, and white bones.

"If they only used the souls of mortals to sacrifice and refine their spells, it would be one thing. But, the disciples of the Deviant Path even dared to target Qi Refiners, leading to their annihilation by the masses. It's been hundreds of years since then.

These demonic arts haven't been seen in a long time..."

As the old Taoist spoke, he suddenly looked at the three coffins, his eyes widening:

"You, you're saying..."

At this moment, he also came to his senses.

Could it be that the souls of these corpses had been extracted?

What do you mean, the souls of mortals would be one thing?

An Qisheng frowned imperceptibly. Sa Wuling's tone was calm, as if he was used to it. However, it was this familiarity that was chilling.

Ding-ling-ling~

The old Taoist suddenly began to shake a bell around the three coffins, muttering something under his breath.

As the bell shook, waves of spiritual energy, invisible to the naked eye, shimmered, like a rain of light, sprinkling over the coffins.

It seemed he was using some kind of detection technique.

After circling a few times, Sa Wuling's face turned pale:

"It, it's true. Their souls were extracted..."

"Bitter, bitter."

The old Taoist sighed repeatedly, filled with sorrow: "Why would a wild Taoist like me, who has even received the Lu, encounter such a thing?"

The old Taoist was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, pacing back and forth in the courtyard.

An Qisheng pulled up a long bench and sat down, tearing a few pieces of cornbread to feed the dog, while also taking half for himself, eating slowly and deliberately.

A ripple flickered in his eyes.

He had already collected the spiritual imprint of this old Taoist. With his current mental strength, the old Taoist held no secrets from him.

The reason he kept the old Taoist around was because this world was very strange.

There were many strange things about this world, but the most peculiar was that the first step for cultivators, Qi Refiners, was to 'Receive the Lu' from the Heavens!

Without 'Receiving the Lu,' one could not sense the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, and could not cast spells!

This old Taoist, named Sa Wuling, had also not 'Received the Lu.'

The spiritual energy fluctuations on his body actually came from that bell. He himself did not possess any spiritual Qi.

Not to mention the mana he envied and craved in his memory.

As for how to 'Receive the Lu' from the Heavens, Sa Wuling did not know, and naturally, neither did he.

Of course, 'Receiving the Lu' was the Taoist term; the Buddhist term was 'Enlightenment.'

"You!"

After a long while, Sa Wuling seemed to have remembered something, and suddenly looked at An Qisheng.

An Qisheng glanced at him indifferently, his eyes shining like stars:

"What about me?"

At that glance.

Sa Wuling felt as if struck by lightning. In a daze, he felt that this corpse viewer, whom he had met dozens of times, had become unfamiliar, dignified, and sacred.

The entire person in his eyes seemed to become as towering as a mountain, impossible to look directly at.

His tattered clothes could not hide his extraordinary temperament.

Even more unfathomable than the True Men of the Taiyi Sect he had once seen. For a moment, he was stunned.

"Senior, save me!"

Inspired by a sudden impulse, Sa Wuling fell to his knees and begged for help with utmost decisiveness.

He remembered the protagonists in the novels and legends who were high-level experts playing among mortals.

Could it be that this corpse viewer was such a person?

Yes, if not, how could a corpse viewer from a remote village, who had never traveled far, know about the White Bone Human Demon?

And how could he make himself feel so dignified and sacred?

"You're not dead yet, what's there to save you from?"

An Qisheng responded indifferently.

With his mental cultivation, it was naturally as easy as flipping his hand to deceive a Sa Wuling who had no cultivation.

"Senior, you don't know."

Sa Wuling smiled wryly:

"This humble Taoist receives a salary from the imperial court and is in charge of the evil spirits within these three villages and five miles. With the White Bone Human Demon appearing nearby, this humble Taoist will definitely be the first to be affected..."

"Sophistry."

An Qisheng sneered:

"Although you haven't 'Received the Lu,' you have the imperial court as your backing. Even if someone cultivates the White Bone Human Demon, they wouldn't easily touch you to avoid attracting the court's interference!

The reason you're asking me for help is because you've been stationed here for more than nine years, and in another half a year, you'll be able to obtain the imperial court's method of 'Receiving the Lu.' You're afraid that the appearance of the White Bone Human Demon will affect your chances of obtaining the 'Receiving the Lu' method!"

Sa Wuling's body trembled, then trembled again. His belief in An Qisheng's identity as a high-level expert was now beyond doubt.

Stationing himself in a township for ten years to seek the imperial court's method of 'Receiving the Lu' was an absolute secret. Ordinary people would never know this secret.

Moreover, he had been here for almost thirty years. The only people who knew that he had only been truly stationed here for nine and a half years, besides himself, were just a few people.

"Senior, save me!"

Sa Wuling burst into tears, prostrating himself on the ground again: "This humble Taoist sought the Dao in his teens, and is now fifty-three. For more than forty years, I beg senior to help me, seeing that my heart for seeking the Dao is still firm!"

Sa Wuling howled.

The difficulty of seeking the Dao was even greater than ascending to Heaven. He had sought immortals and visited the Dao for decades. For these nine years, he had been running around every day, performing supernaturals for others, and presiding over rituals. Wasn't it all for the imperial court's once-a-decade 'assessment'?

If he missed this time, he would have no more chances.

Looking at Sa Wuling, who was crying like a baby in confinement, An Qisheng stroked his chin.

Was his hypnosis a little too much?

Or was this old man's mentality too fragile?

"Alright, get up."

An Qisheng waved his hand slightly:

"Since we've encountered it, we must take care of it!"

"Thank you, Senior!"

Sa Wuling was overjoyed and wept, crying again.

"Alright!"

An Qisheng frowned. It was disgusting enough for such an old man to cry so much.

"Yes, yes!"

Sa Wuling hurriedly got up, feeling greatly relieved.

He only felt that this senior was too easy to talk to. None of the True Men and Chan Masters he had encountered before were so easy to talk to.

"Senior, what should we do?"

Sa Wuling sniffed and asked.

An Qisheng finished the cornbread in his hand and said:

"First, prepare some materials..."

"What materials does Senior need?"

Sa Wuling's old face flushed red, and he muttered: "This humble Taoist, this humble Taoist is short of money. I'm afraid there aren't many materials..."

"Just some ordinary materials will do."

An Qisheng clapped his hands and picked up the dog:

"Such as chickens, ducks, fish, pigs, cows, and sheep. Bring some of each."

"These, are they useful?"

Sa Wuling's eyes were glazed over. He had never heard of these things being useful.

Seeing that An Qisheng was silent, he panicked again, and hurriedly agreed, trotting out of the village.

In the village, An Qisheng stroked the yellow dog's fur, looked up at the blue sky at sunrise, and muttered to himself:

"There's also a problem with this sky..."

To practice Qi, one needs the permission of the Heavens.

What kind of Heaven is this?

Faintly, An Qisheng felt a deep sense of dread towards this Huangtian World.

That was why he asked Sa Wuling to prepare chickens, ducks, fish, and the like, rather than herbs containing spiritual energy.

Before he understood the mysteries of the spiritual energy of this world, he would not absorb any trace of the spiritual energy of this world.

After all, once his foundation was established, even a spiritually barren place like Xuanxing could be cultivated in. In this Huangtian World, he could do the same without spiritual energy!

.......

Sa Wuling was an insignificant Taoist.

But no matter how insignificant he was, he was still a person of great prestige in the nearby villages, and had accumulated a considerable fortune over the years.

By noon, he had already brought a batch of poultry, and even led a fat and strong black pig.

After that, under the strange gazes of many villagers.

This highly respected Taoist Sa was huffing and puffing, slaughtering pigs and sheep, cooking chickens and stewing crows. Soon, the village was filled with the aroma of meat.

Many villagers swallowed their saliva, but smelling the faint smell of corpses, their faces turned green again.

They hurriedly took their leave.

Leaving Sa Wuling dumbfounded as he watched An Qisheng eat heartily, he was momentarily stunned.

Is this how you subdue demons?

An Qisheng was not picky about food. He could eat those anti-human medicinal meals in Xuanxing for a year without changing his expression, let alone some strange smells.

Not caring what Sa Wuling thought, he carried large basins of meat and began to eat heartily.

He ate very politely, but very quickly. With a grind of his teeth, he chewed the meat and bones into powder, swallowed it, and then his stomach rumbled like thunder. Under the powerful influence of his mental power, his stomach worked overloaded, rapidly consuming all the food.

Then it was transmitted to every tiny part of his body.

Not only was the consumption fast, but there was very little residue, and the utilization rate of food was more than ten times higher than that of ordinary people?

In his past life, in this life, and in the Jiufu Realm, he had practiced internal martial arts for more than a century, and his control over his body had reached an extremely deep level. This ability would not disappear because he changed his body.

As his abdomen filled, his body heated up, and the blood flow in his body became faster and faster. Faintly, one could see his skin turning red, and sweat rising from his hair.

Internal organs, bones, skin, blood, and even more subtle places, were undergoing a violent transformation!

Hu!

Xi!

Sa Wuling was still in a daze, wondering if he had been deceived, when he heard a faint breathing sound.

"This is..."

He looked around and saw that An Qisheng was simply sitting and eating meat, but his body gave him the feeling that it was constantly moving.

The pores of his skin, exposed to the outside, were expanding and closing, breathing like a nose and mouth!

Ka ka ka~

A moment later, the sound of breathing was drowned out by a series of low bone friction sounds, and then a series of sounds of gold and jade striking each other drowned out these friction sounds.

At a certain moment, Sa Wuling sat down on the ground, pointing at An Qisheng with his mouth agape, his tongue tied:

"Th, th, thunder..."

Substantial thunder could actually be heard from An Qisheng's body!

What is this?

The legendary Thunder Method?

Sa Wuling's eyes were full of awe, and he no longer had a trace of doubt in his heart.

He,

He had seen a true god!