After hearing Xiao Man’s words, Sect Master Wen burst into laughter, initially stifled, then holding his belly, tears streaming down his face.
Wen Ting rubbed his nose, not blaming his father for laughing like that. It was simply that what Xiao Man said was too fantastical. Meteorite Fire Stone was a nemesis of cultivators, and this had been known for a long time. Moreover, Cangxuan Continent was a continent dominated by humans, so how could it be ruled by the demon race?
Xiao Man took out a box. The moment she did, Sect Master Wen's laughter seemed to be choked off, and he couldn't utter a sound. This was because he felt a strong sense of threat from the box.
"What is that?"
"Meteorite Fire Stone." Xiao Man opened the box. A silver-vermilion stone lay inside, as red as blood, but it made Sect Master Wen instantly recoil.
"You... where did you get the Meteorite Fire Stone?"
Xiao Man took out the Meteorite Fire Stone. "Reporting to the Sect Master, I obtained it beneath the Prisoner's Cliff of the Tianxuan Sect. The area beneath the Prisoner's Cliff of the Tianxuan Sect is full of such silver-vermilion stones."
"You... why do you dare touch it?" Sect Master Wen was greatly shocked. When cultivators touched Meteorite Fire Stone, their spiritual power would rapidly deplete, which was why cultivators disliked it the most.
"Because I am not from Cangxuan, I can touch Meteorite Fire Stone." Xiao Man said neither rushed nor slow. "Only people from Cangxuan are restrained by Meteorite Fire Stone. Sect Master Wen, have you never wondered why?"
"You are not from Cangxuan, where are you from?"
"The Wasteland."
Upon hearing that Xiao Man was from the Wasteland, Sect Master Wen immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "So you are from the Land of Fallen Gods. People from the Land of Fallen Gods do not cultivate spiritual power, so they are not affected by Meteorite Fire Stone, and it doesn't prove anything."
"Sect Master Wen, does it really not prove anything?" Xiao Man asked softly.
Sect Master Wen did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Xiao Man carefully, pondering what she intended to do. After a long while, Sect Master Wen's expression changed drastically. "You... you are Xiao Man!"
Wen Ting's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in admiration. "Father, your eyesight is excellent! You actually recognized her as Aman."
Hearing Wen Ting admit Xiao Man's identity, Sect Master Wen wished he could slap Wen Ting to the ground. At a time like this, why was this brat still hanging around with Xiao Man, unafraid of risking his own life?
"You are bewitching my son, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Sect Master Wen, it is not that I am bewitching your son, but rather, to remind Sect Master Wen." Xiao Man put away the Meteorite Fire Stone. "Wuji City was once the royal city of the Xuan Clan, and the Xuan Clan are the most ancient divine race of Cangxuan. The current divine race is impersonated by the Celestial Demon Race, and the cultivators of Cangxuan Continent have all been poisoned by the Celestial Demon Race's demonic poison, except for those from the Land of No Return, and those who have come out of the Land of No Return and entered other sects and factions."
"Wait, you said we have all been poisoned by demonic poison. May I ask how the Celestial Demon Race managed to poison all the cultivators?"
"Elixirs."
Sect Master Wen swallowed. How many cultivators had not consumed elixirs? And eighty percent of the elixirs on Cangxuan Continent came from the Heavenly Spirit Sect. Could it be that the Heavenly Spirit Sect was also a lackey of the Celestial Demon Race?
"I've also taken elixirs," Wen Ting reminded him, "and quite a lot."
"Ingesting demonic poison through elixirs is considered a mild case. The most severe would be those from the Four Ancient Sects," Xiao Man explained. "Does Sect Master Wen know of the Sky Shield Sect?"
"I do. Our Beast Taming Sect has taken the place of the Sky Shield Sect."
"Do you know why the Sky Shield Sect was destroyed?"
"It is said that the Sky Shield Sect defied heaven and was punished by the gods."
"Then does the Sect Master know if there are any survivors of the Sky Shield Sect?"
"The Sky Shield Sect has long been annihilated, so where would there be survivors? Even if there were, the Heavenly Dao would not let them go."
"No, the Sky Shield Sect has survivors, and the Sect Master has even met one." Xiao Man said with absolute certainty.
Sect Master Wen narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that you are a survivor of the Sky Shield Sect?"
"Sect Master Wen jokes, I am not a survivor of the Sky Shield Sect." Xiao Man's tone was gentle as she continued, "The ruins of the Sky Shield Sect are located within the Eastern Peak Forest."
"There are Sky Shield Sect ruins in the Eastern Peak Forest, and I never knew?"
"Because the Sky Shield Sect was buried underground, hence you are unaware." Xiao Man explained. "Does Sect Master Wen know if you have hunted Hundred Jiao?"
"Yes, every once in a while, the Four Sects would organize people to hunt Hundred Jiao."
"The Hundred Jiao you hunt are the survivors of the Sky Shield Sect and demonized cultivators." Xiao Man's voice was gentle, but what she said next sent a chill down Sect Master Wen's spine. "Hundred Jiao are demonized humans. If a normal person is bitten by a Hundred Jiao, they will also become demonized because the blood within the Hundred Jiao will trigger the demonic poison in your body, thereby demonizing normal people."
Sect Master Wen shook his head. "No, it's impossible. Hundred Jiao are monsters, monsters that plague the cultivation world."
Xiao Man looked at Sect Master Wen calmly. Sect Master Wen probably knew what Hundred Jiao truly were, he just refused to believe it. The truth had come too suddenly, and he needed time to digest it.
"In the past few years, the Hundred Jiao have disappeared. Is this related to you?" Wen Ting suddenly asked. In previous years, Hundred Jiao could always be seen in the Eastern Peak Forest, but in the last few years, their tracks had vanished.
"Yes."
"You killed them all?"
"I captured them and attempted to restore them to normal, but unfortunately, ten years have passed, and I still have not found a way to cure them."
"Hundred Jiao are humans, demonized humans, how is this possible?"
"Father, Hundred Jiao are not the point. The point is that once the demonic poison within us is triggered, we will turn into Hundred Jiao!" Wen Ting reminded Sect Master Wen. "This is probably why the Hundred Jiao are inexhaustible. Because people are constantly being demonized!"
"Oh no, these words cannot be overheard..."
"Sect Master, please rest assured. Before I entered the room, I set up a soundproofing barrier." Xiao Man soothed Sect Master Wen. "Actually, I came here this time to warn you not to enter Wuji City."
"Why?" Sect Master Wen asked. "What is inside Wuji City?"
"Whatever is inside Wuji City, it must be something detrimental to the Celestial Demon Race." Xiao Man's eyes turned cold. "The Corrupted Spirit Elixir I developed is useful for cultivators who are only slightly poisoned. For those who have been taking elixirs for a long time, it is of little use. And for those with bloodline inheritance, it is completely useless."
Wen Ting suddenly stood up. "If I recall correctly, you are a direct descendant of the Qin Clan, possessing..."
"Yes, I possess the bloodline inheritance of the Celestial Demon Race." Xiao Man interjected. "However, my physique is different from ordinary people, as you know. The Celestial Demon Race's bloodline inheritance has long since been devoured by my own bloodline, so I am unharmed."