“Patriarch?”
The Soul Suppressing Palace, less a palace and more a prison, Ji Xiang looked up, seeing only a few faint lights flickering at fixed positions.
Pure Yin energy drifted, the fierce demonic energy from before seeming like an illusion, no longer appearing.
Those imprisoned here were all individuals with demonic obstacles in their hearts. Those whose conditions had lessened, or those with mental abnormalities and moral collapse who still maintained their sanity, would be transferred to the adjacent Demon Locking Palace. This was because those individuals were no longer extreme fiends, and their minds had become different from humans, more akin to lawless monsters.
The Soul Suppressing Palace did not only hold Patriarch Dongyun. When Ji Xiang entered, the Chapter of Subduing Demons only sensed other demon-possessed individuals, though their numbers were not great. This prompted Ji Xiang to turn and place his hand on the door panel, sensing a powerful barrier within the Soul Suppressing Palace that isolated demonic energy.
If not for this barrier, lightning from beyond the heavens would have struck, killing all the demon-possessed individuals here.
“Who has entered… are you also demon-possessed…”
The fixed, floating faint lights around them were the halos displayed when the prison formations were active. Sensing the Soul Suppressing Palace being opened and someone else being sent in, several demon-possessed individuals looked up, gazing at Ji Xiang entering from outside.
However, Ji Xiang still carried powerful demonic energy, which made them feel a sense of pity.
Ji Xiang surveyed everything around him, including these demon-possessed individuals with weaker cultivation. Their possession was shallow, not as deep as Patriarch Dongyun’s, and they still retained their own mental will.
“To have entered the demonic path at such a young age, looking at you, you’ve only just entered the Earth Immortal realm, not even reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Yet your demonic energy is so profound. What troubles have made you so unable to let go, falling into such great delusion?”
“What are you wearing, black? Did you take a wrong turn? The path of sacrificing to the gods is not this way.”
“Where are your elders who escorted you? Why did you come in alone? Someone should have accompanied you to prevent you from suddenly going berserk and harming others.”
The demon-possessed individuals were puzzled. Ji Xiang’s body was surging with demonic energy, yet he entered alone and now stood still, observing them, the demon-possessed…
“Quickly go… go to your assigned formation position and eliminate the demonic energy on your body, otherwise, if your demonic deviation deepens and the demonic fire burns your Dao heart, you will be irredeemably lost.”
Some of the demon-possessed kindly reminded him. The formations in the Soul Suppressing Palace were jointly arranged by the sect leaders of various Wudang factions, and they had even invited the Heavenly Masters from the previous generation of Longhu Mountain to help. Their reliability was extremely high, and they were primarily placed there to resolve demonic obstacles. Outside, thunder rumbled, which could better cleanse the demonic fire in the hearts of the demon-possessed and suppress their demonic nature.
As a result, when Wudang established this grand palace, many sects followed suit.
Among the demon-possessed individuals here were those who encountered insurmountable inner demons during their ordinary cultivation and came to the Soul Suppressing Palace to use its formations to eliminate their demonic obstacles.
“Thank you all for your kind reminders…”
Ji Xiang responded to their well-intentioned reminders and then walked straight inside.
“Hey! Don’t go any further, that’s Patriarch Dongyun’s formation position! Outsiders are not allowed to approach!”
Someone saw Ji Xiang continuing forward and immediately called out to stop him.
“Patriarch Dongyun’s demonic energy worsened a few days ago. His Dao heart may have been completely burned by the demonic fire, and a demon has arisen in his heart. That person is probably no longer the Patriarch…”
“You shouldn’t ignore advice. Going further will put your life at risk.”
Ji Xiang nodded, “Thank you all for your guidance.”
“However, I have come in this time to help the Patriarch remove his demonic obstacles.”
“I’ve come to try, for now.”
As these words fell, the surrounding voices fell silent. After five or six breaths, someone said with disbelief:
“Who is your master to send you to do such a futile task?”
The tall, thin cultivator was full of confusion: “Your own body is surging with demonic energy, clearly you can barely save yourself, like a clay Buddha crossing a river. How can you talk about helping Patriarch Dongyun remove his demonic obstacles?”
“Since the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Wudang reopened, and no one has ever removed the demonic obstacles on Patriarch Dongyun. Legend has it that Patriarch Zhang Sanfeng himself tried, but returned without success. You? An Earth Immortal has this ability?”
“Don’t talk big. You are likely deeply demon-possessed, making you delirious! The priority is to dispel the demonic energy on your own body!”
Ji Xiang chuckled, but he accepted their good intentions, explaining, “I dare not say I have absolute certainty, so… I am merely trying for now.”
The tall, thin cultivator frowned deeply, while others noticed something amiss and muttered, “The demonic energy on this child is surging. If he were truly demon-possessed, there are some strange aspects…”
For a moment, various gazes converged from all the formation positions, focusing on Ji Xiang’s actions.
In the deepest formation position, demonic energy surged. An old man with faded, ancient clothes could be seen, his eyes blindfolded, suppressed within the formation by the power of the palace’s formations, unable to move.
He seemed to have lost consciousness. Even as Ji Xiang approached, he showed no hostility. His body was as terrifying as scorched charcoal, devoid of the color of flesh and blood.
This was a sign that the demonic fire had already eroded his entire body. At this stage, the Dao heart was almost beyond saving.
His aura was stable and firm, like a mountain rooted in the earth, unshakeable by external forces.
And three inches above his brow, on his forehead, a crack had appeared, tightly closed.
When Ji Xiang saw that crack, he narrowed his eyes, understanding something.
This crack was the source of the demonic energy that had leaked out, which he had sensed earlier from outside.
“Patriarch?”
Ji Xiang called out and then asked the other demon-possessed individuals in the rear formation positions, “Everyone, why are the Patriarch’s eyes blindfolded?”
“It is said that the Patriarch’s eyes have become demonic eyes. Once they see anything, it will greatly stimulate his ferocity, so his eyes were blindfolded with that talisman cloth a long time ago.”
“Sealing the eyes prevents the spiritual light from gathering, which can delay the erosion of demonic nature.”
“That is not ordinary cloth; it is the Nine Palaces Hidden Curse of the Shangqing Sect, which can protect the Dao heart and the Nascent Soul, preventing them from being invaded by external things in a state of stupor.”
Numerous demon-possessed individuals explained remotely, and Ji Xiang finally understood, but…
Is this truly the talisman cloth of the Shangqing Sect?
There is no spiritual power left on it!
“The talisman cloth of the Shangqing Sect has long since lost its efficacy.”
Ji Xiang stared at the black cloth covering the eyes, and these words caused a brief moment of held breath, followed by a clamor of voices.
“What did you say? The talisman cloth of the Shangqing Sect has lost its efficacy? That’s impossible!”
“The talisman cloth has at least three hundred years of efficacy, calculated from the moment it was applied. It has only been over a hundred years!”
“Could it be that the Shangqing Sect was sly when making the talisman cloth?”
Various voices arose.
“There is no spiritual power left on the talisman cloth, and even the divine script of the curse has disappeared, which is why I asked why Patriarch Dongyun was blindfolded with an ordinary black cloth.”
Ji Xiang stated the fact, and a wave of panic gradually spread around. Someone exclaimed in shock, that strange voice echoing in the spacious, dark Soul Suppressing Palace.
If that were the case, wouldn’t it mean that Patriarch Dongyun’s spirituality had not been suppressed for a long time?
Then, the consequence of this would be…!
A crack appeared on Patriarch Dongyun’s forehead.
And the crack opened, the flesh and blood within wriggling, accompanied by a half-formed eyeball rolling around inside.
Black and red demonic light was released in all directions!
“Third Eye of Heaven!?”
“No, that’s not a Heavenly Eye, it’s a Demonic Eye!”
The positions illuminated by the demonic light immediately caused the demonic obstacles in the hearts of those demon-possessed individuals to rise. They panicked and quickly circulated their spiritual power, and at the same time, they suppressed their demonic nature in conjunction with the formations. Someone cried out in fear:
“That young great cultivator! Quickly get out and find the sect leaders to come and rescue us!”
The demonic energy was fierce. At this moment, Patriarch Dongyun clearly underwent some change. The words "I want to kill" were almost written on the face of the demonized Patriarch. How could this not make the surrounding cultivators tremble with fear!
However, Ji Xiang did not react much to this.
“Everyone, do not worry. No matter how powerful, it will not surpass an immortal.”
“If it were an ordinary peak Pure Yang, it would be somewhat troublesome, but if it were an Earth Demon…”
Before entering the palace, Ji Xiang had already sensed that surging demonic energy.
But after entering, the demonic energy disappeared, leaving only pure Yin energy.
It was clear that this demon had suppressed its own aura. It had also sensed Ji Xiang’s arrival.
“Little demon of the mortal world, you need not lure me. I came for you in the first place.”
Ji Xiang’s tone was calm, and Patriarch Dongyun let out a sharp, inhuman howl!
*Boom!* The formation position shook violently, and the entire Soul Suppressing Palace trembled!
A black mist emerged from beneath the formation!
Demonic energy surged, causing the scorched and rotten flesh to forcibly break free from some of the suppression, leaping up from its original position.
*Crack… snap!*
The formation sealing Patriarch Dongyun shattered before Ji Xiang and the many demon-possessed individuals! This struck fear into countless hearts, showing a scene of impending disaster!
“Patriarch! The Patriarch has torn apart the formation!”
“This is a grand formation set up by ancient Wudang Grandmasters, and it also contains the power of a Longhu Mountain Heavenly Master. How is this possible!”
“That young one, escape quickly!”
The demon-possessed individuals were not only worried about themselves, but it was useless. They were also sitting within the formation and could not escape, so they could only shout for Ji Xiang to seek help, but Ji Xiang was not flustered at all.
Seek help from whom?
The two strongest individuals on Wudang Mountain, one was himself, and the other was Zhang Sanfeng, both were near Leizu Peak.
If Patriarch Dongyun had truly gone mad enough to kill a residual immortal and a true immortal in a short period, then no matter who else was called, it would be useless. Even if Zhang Tianshi and Qin Xiuxiu were brought here, they would only be fodder.
“Black mist from the Song Dynasty… this thing destroyed the formation, but it seems to be a slow erosion.”
Ji Xiang’s figure retreated instantly, escaping Patriarch Dongyun’s first attack. His speed was so fast that the surrounding people did not see clearly. They only saw Patriarch Dongyun launch a palm strike, its spreading power almost scattering their souls in an instant. When they finally recovered their senses in the next moment, Ji Xiang had already appeared unharmed in the distance, near the palace gate exit.
What… what is going on?
The expressions of the cultivators were filled with astonishment!
Who exactly was this young disciple who entered this time!
“No matter who you are, I say again, quickly go find the other sect leaders to save…”
Although the tall, thin cultivator recognized Ji Xiang’s extraordinary strength, he still believed it was impossible to contend with a demonized Pure Yang realm cultivator. But before he could finish speaking, the demonized Patriarch Dongyun had already set his sights on them, these individuals with shallow demonic obstacles!
Their demonic obstacles were shallow, but they also possessed demonic nature!
With demonic nature, one could strengthen their demonic heart. These “companions” were both their food and their great tonic!
“Patriarch Dongyun broke that formation and suffered some damage. His aura is not as stable as it was in the formation, lacking the steadiness of a mountain rooted in the earth, and has become as shaky as a boulder on the edge of a cliff.”
“The black mist erosion was originally intended to allow him to break through the formation in his prime and then devour everyone here silently. But because I entered, the Heavenly Demon and Earth Demon met, and they were incompatible. Fearing that I would devour him, he attacked first.”
“But I am not an ordinary Heavenly Demon that can be easily encountered.”
As Patriarch Dongyun lunged towards another formation position, Ji Xiang reached out his hand!
At Patriarch Dongyun’s feet, a copper coin fell.
The next moment, Ji Xiang used Golden Escape to appear behind Patriarch Dongyun, then extended a palm!
The Heavenly Cave Scripture, second layer imprint.
The Three Sovereigns Great Seal!
A giant palm appeared out of thin air, the air waves clearing!
It directly blasted Patriarch Dongyun out of the palace gate!
*Boom!* The palace gate was destroyed, and countless cultivators stood stunned, watching the scene unfold. Their minds suddenly went blank. All the demonic thoughts that had arisen from the demonic energy stimulation were now cleared and eliminated.
Only the profound, unshakeable shock and horror remained!
“Wh-what happened… you… he…?”
The demon-possessed cultivators could not comprehend what had just happened!
That was a Pure Yang realm cultivator, the peak of human combat power. To be demon-possessed was equivalent to going berserk. Even ordinary Pure Yang realm cultivators could not retreat unscathed from here, let alone defeat a demonized Patriarch with a single blow and send him flying a hundred zhang into the sky!
“Calm yourselves, do not be agitated.”
Ji Xiang moved forward, looking up at the sky from within the destroyed gate. The surging demonic energy reappeared. The great seal from beyond the heavens had been torn apart. The demonized Patriarch Dongyun’s expression was distorted, his beard turned black, swaying like flames, and he let out a sharp, piercing roar:
“Miyuan Heavenly Dao, Slaughter All Spirits!”
“Western City Essential Teachings, Heavenly Astronomical Great Scripture!”
*Boom!* Dense, ferocious demonic energy poured out instantly. The torrent of demonic energy rushed to Ji Xiang’s front, stopped three steps away, and parted to the sides as if cut by an invisible divine force. The torrent of demonic energy filled the peak of Leizu Peak. The already gloomy sea of clouds in the sky continued to churn. Upon sensing the large amount of demonic energy surging out of the Soul Suppressing Palace, it immediately emitted dozens of massive thunderous roars.
The thunderous sounds cleansed all things, making all ghosts, monsters, and heretics tremble under dozens of loud bangs. This commotion even spread to the depths of Wudang Mountain. Some wandering spirits and monsters stiffened as if struck by lightning, looking towards the direction of Leizu Peak with fearful eyes and kneeling down in devout prostration.
Heavenly lightning was the most powerful and supreme force in the world, and it would not tolerate impure and evil energies flowing in the world. Therefore, one of the responsibilities of the righteous gods of the thunder department was to kill and clear such demonic and impure substances in the world.
However, at this moment, this heavy thunderous sound could not do anything to this monstrous demonic energy! The thunderclouds in the sky were actually demonized, becoming filthy and distorted, gray and rotten. The entire Leizu Peak was shrouded in a fierce atmosphere!
At the same time, Patriarch Dongyun let out wails. Demonic energy surged within his scorched body, trying to restore his body to that of a fierce demon. Simultaneously, the sound of ten thousand demons chanting came from all directions in the sky, bestowing demonic form and spirit upon him!
And this change…
Ji Xiang’s pupils contracted, filled with surprise, and then his expression became solemn.
“Heavenly Demon Vanquishing Scenery, Second Lesson, Heavenly Demon Genesis. Although not exactly the same, this kind of change is similar in effect.”
“This is… a practical case of a living person cultivating the Heavenly Demon technique?”
“No… it looks like it was grafted on, forcibly infused with demonic might…”
Although the demonic energy was surging, its purity was insufficient. Along the way, Ji Xiang had also seen several methods of turning people into demons, although none had succeeded, only producing some defective products.
The roof of the Soul Suppressing Palace collapsed from the shock. Dust was swept away, dim light fell, and countless fangs and claws appeared in the rotten dark clouds, pressing down from above!
In the places where the energy rolled, even the primordial energy was corrupted, turning into dense demonic energy, carrying a fierce and evil sensation. At the same time, many demon-possessed cultivators felt their demonic hearts enlarge, and their lifespans rapidly decrease!
Heaven wants you dead, you must die!
The cultivators were terrified and resigned to their fate.
“Apologies, Patriarch.”
Ji Xiang raised his right hand and gently flipped it.
“Chapter of Subduing Demons, Dust Labor Great Sin Subduing Demon Divine Banner.”
A red Subduing Demon Divine Banner appeared from the void, manifesting on the ground!
*Boom!*
The divine banner shook.
Yin spirits and Yang radiance, capturing souls to roam;
Heaven clear, earth peaceful, operating divine power, unfathomable!
Ji Xiang raised the divine banner high and threw it into the air!
“Great!”
In an instant, the sky curtain disappeared, the demonic technique was dispelled with a single blow, and all demonic power was extinguished! The crimson divine banner expanded to cover heaven and earth, instantly shattering the rotten heavenly might and shrouding Leizu Peak and the surrounding twelve peaks under its magnificent crimson light!
Patriarch Dongyun looked at the divine banner, his demonic energy completely stripped away. He raised his hands, but they lacked the power to support the heavens. He was struck down by the divine banner, falling like a burning fire cloud into the depths of Leizu Peak. The momentum was so great that it alarmed the entire Wudang Mountain!
All the surging demonic energy was absorbed by the Subduing Demon Divine Banner, and even the Chapter of Subduing Demons reached the perfection of the third level.
Jade Purity Hidden Scripture, Eleventh Lesson, Chapter of Subduing Demons, completed.
The Twelfth Lesson…
Ji Xiang’s heart was clear, having seen the hidden text originally written by Lingbao Tianzun.
The Twelfth Lesson, Chapter of Annihilation! From the chapter title, one could understand what this chapter of the Jade Purity Hidden Scripture primarily focused on.
The Chapter of Subduing Demons primarily employed methods of subjugation, with the first level subjugating ninety-nine outer ways and one hundred and eight demons, the second level recording names in the Heavenly Demon Registry to awe them, and the third level being the technique of reversing inner demons. The Chapter of Annihilation, however, focused on methods of annihilation and killing.
Chapter of Annihilation, First Level.
Gratitude to the Imperial Heaven, Annihilating Demonic Energy. What was recorded was merely an extremely powerful offensive technique, and it required continuous cultivation, not something that could be achieved overnight.
“Is this… a killing technique specifically for Heavenly Demons?”
“Hmm… ineffective against those with vast righteous energy…”
As Ji Xiang was studying this great technique, Zhang Sanfeng, who had been watching dumbfounded, immediately flew up as the battle concluded and asked in surprise, “You actually possess such strength, to defeat a Pure Yang with a single blow?”
Ji Xiang came back to his senses and explained, “Not so. Pure Yang is indeed tricky. How could I, an Earth Immortal, defeat it with a single blow?”
“But if it were a Pure Yang demon…”
At this moment, he recalled the divine banner and lightly turned his wrist:
“It is merely like turning one’s hand, easy to capture.”