Lu Xuan thought for a moment and finally nodded in agreement. It was a rather risky decision. But Lu Xuan did it anyway.
The main reason was that he had always had a peculiar idea: he wanted to study the strange existence of extraterrestrial demons. Regardless of what this extraterrestrial demon was plotting, the restrictions Lu Xuan had placed in its mind were real and effective. The oath of loyalty sworn to the Demon Ancestor also existed. Crucially, Lu Xuan's divine soul was so powerful that it was utterly powerless to invade it.
The extraterrestrial demon was unaware of Lu Xuan's true thoughts. In its near-immortal lifespan, it had submitted to countless powerful and unique beings. It followed them, experiencing life in different worlds. When the opportunity arose, it would not hesitate to turn against those people, seize their bodies, and become a true cultivator, living a period of life in the prime material world.
Or perhaps it would be turned on and annihilated by those beings who had grown to a certain level. But that wouldn't matter at all; the loss would only be an avatar. A demon of its caliber from beyond the realms had tens of millions of avatars, scattered throughout countless small worlds, even the spirit realm, the demon realm, and the immortal realm. Losing one or two wouldn't even make it raise an eyebrow.
What it didn't know was that Lu Xuan was completely different from the beings it had previously submitted to and possessed.
After dealing with the extraterrestrial demons, Lu Xuan began to address Yin Yue's situation. Since the extraterrestrial demons had submitted, Yin Yue had successfully reclaimed her lost soul fragments. However, it was regrettable that those soul fragments had been scattered for far too long. Even with the miraculous resurrection technique, Yin Yue could not recall much.
"So, you can't remember what happened after you went down to the lower realm?"
“I can’t remember. I feel like I may never have had this part of my memory. Those memories should be in my other half. However, I have some kind of connection with my other half’s primordial spirit. And I vaguely remember how to enter Kunwu Mountain.”
"Very good, this has exceeded my expectations. Also, I want to know. You must have descended to the mortal realm through the Reverse Star Compass, right? In order to return smoothly, you should have a mark of the Reverse Star Compass on you. This mark should be able to activate the power of the Reverse Star Compass once again and teleport you back. I want to know, how much do you know about the Reverse Star Compass, or this mark?"
"It's a pity. Even in the Spirit Realm, the Reverse Star Chart is a strategic treasure. Apart from a very few Mahayana Ancestors, very few people truly understand that magic weapon. Most of what's circulating outside are just crude imitations. As for the star chart mark on my body, it's engraved on my physical body. Only by finding my physical body can you see that mark."
But as far as I remember, the moment the mark is seen, it's essentially activated. You simply don't have time to study it.
“That is indeed a problem. But something is better than nothing. Besides, it’s not time to go to Kunwu Mountain yet. I still need to make some preparations. I will not really start exploring there until I advance to the late Nascent Soul stage. Until then, I will help you find a suitable body.”
"Thank you, Master."
Having regained some of her memories, Yin Yue was no longer as aloof as before. In her rational state, she knew she was under Lu Xuan's control, so it was better to be more compliant. After all, the experience of her soul being split and being refined into a weapon spirit was an indelible memory. Naturally, she would be more careful to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Overall, the soul-summoning ceremony was quite successful. Lu Xuan got what he wanted, and also obtained a rare and exquisite 'toy'—an extraterrestrial demon.
...............
"Wait a minute, why do you insist on striking me with the exorcising lightning?"
"Don't worry, this level of exorcising divine lightning won't cause you any real harm. I'm just curious about your characteristics. Extraterrestrial demons can usually only take advantage of a cultivator's weakness when they lose their composure. This means that you are a kind of existence similar to a void body."
But now I know that you can actually appear as energy bodies, or even physical forms. So how exactly do you switch between these three forms? Are you existing as a void of spirit, energy, or physical form? Or perhaps a combination of all three? If you are a combination of all three, you are practically perfect beings!
Now, transform into a spiritual form and try being struck by the warding-off-evil lightning bolt. See how it differs from being struck in your energy state. Then transform into a physical form and try again…”
"...Holy shit..."
------------
Chapter 516 Yin Beast Sect
While Lu Xuan was tormented, not researching the extraterrestrial demons, Old Demon Han was also experiencing the most perilous escape of his running career.
The Gale Beast had been chasing him for three months. As for why it was chasing him, it can be summarized in a few words: the Gale Beast forced Old Demon Han to use the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder to help him forge a magical artifact called the Wind and Thunder Wings.
Those Wind and Thunder Wings originated from the remains of a Thunder Roc with the bloodline of a Kunpeng. The wings still retained their spiritual essence, and the Rending Wind Beast found them, adding countless rare treasures in preparation for forging them into a top-tier magic weapon with both wind and thunder attributes. However, because he was not skilled in thunder magic, he naturally wouldn't let the opportunity pass when he inadvertently witnessed Old Demon Han wielding the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder.
Old Demon Han was also flexible and adaptable, helping his opponent step by step to complete most of the refining process. However, at the last moment, he used the spiritual liquid from the Palm Heaven Bottle to outmaneuver his opponent. That spiritual liquid from the Palm Heaven Bottle was a highly compressed liquid, even faintly containing some kind of law power. It was not something that could be drunk casually.
Old Demon Han tricked the Gale Beast and its two companions into drinking the spiritual liquid. Taking advantage of the beast's burst of spiritual power and inability to move, he killed one of them. Then, after completing the final step of the Wind and Thunder Wings, he claimed it as his own and made his escape.
This enraged the Rending Wind Beast. It was determined to fight to the death to extract the soul and refine the spirit of Old Demon Han. Old Demon Han immediately transformed into Han the Runner, using the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Liquid, Wind and Thunder Wings, and Blood Shadow Escape—three superhuman abilities—to hold off the opponent for three whole months.
Several times during this period, he was nearly caught by his opponent, but Han Laomo used Wind and Thunder Wings and Blood Shadow Escape to pull away each time. Only Han Paopao, who was only at the Golden Core stage, was so resilient that he almost drove the Riftwind Beast, which was equivalent to the mid-Nascent Soul stage, to the brink of exploding with anger.
In fact, many years later in the original story, when Han Laomo returned to the Chaotic Star Sea and casually killed this guy, his cultivation had barely improved. This was probably because he had developed a deep-seated inner demon at that time. A mid-Nascent Soul cultivator had his treasure stolen and his friend killed by a Golden Core cultivator, who then managed to escape right under his nose. That guy probably never escaped that shadow for the rest of his life.
The entanglement between Han Laomo and the Riftwind Beast continued. Meanwhile, Lu Xuan also emerged from seclusion, a rare occurrence. His disciples had sent word that they had found the hidden demonic sect.
In the cultivation world, there are many well-known large sects, such as the Seven Sects of Tiannan, the Six Sects of the Demonic Path, the Star Palace, and even the Hidden Immortal Sect. Similarly, there are also a large number of reclusive sects.
Such sects are not necessarily weak, but their numbers are generally small. Some are due to the sect's lineage, where special abilities can only be passed down to a select few, hence the small number of members. Others rely on unique secret techniques. Once more people learn about these secret techniques, there is a possibility that they can be deciphered. Therefore, they maintain a reclusive lifestyle.
Lu Xuan was looking for just such a sect. It belonged to the demonic sects, but wasn't very powerful. It was a small demonic sect that survived by focusing on bloody and ruthless secret techniques. It didn't actually appear in the original story, but Lu Xuan had his eye on it. This sect was the same small sect from the original story that cultivated the Crying Soul.
Although the Crying Soul eventually went out of control and ended up in Yuan Yao's hands, Lu Xuan was truly interested in the method of cultivating it. He also had doubts about the birth of the special Crying Soul beside Yuan Yao. He didn't believe that a small demonic sect in the mortal realm could cultivate a demonic beast. That creature was infamous even in the Immortal Realm.
Throughout the mortal world, most spiritual beings possessing this ability to devour and evolve have astonishing backgrounds and limitless potential. It's a high-level opportunity that only the protagonist can harness.
Upon receiving the news, Lu Xuan first went to visit Hongyu in her cave. He found that Hongyu had not yet emerged from seclusion, but the aura within her was becoming increasingly primordial and solid, indicating a significant advancement in her cultivation. Relieved, he then gathered Hongxiu and Xiao Hui, who was always out playing, and together they went out.
The Yin Beast Sect—I wonder why their founder would choose such a name. Anyone with eyes can see they're just a minor villain. However, the sect's lineage is far beyond imagination. According to internal records, their lineage predates even other major demonic sects and the Star Palace. They are one of the sects that have survived from ancient times.
Yes, the above information is from their sect's internal records. Lu Xuan is currently standing in the Yin Beast Sect's library, browsing through their collection.
At this moment, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage entered the Scripture Pavilion. As he walked in, he casually made some kind of hand seal, seemingly cleaning the various scrolls and jade slips in the Scripture Pavilion.
Reaching the deepest part, he suddenly froze. Standing before him was a person casually flipping through documents. He instinctively scanned the person with his divine sense, knowing their cultivation far surpassed his own. However, the person's expression was strange, and he couldn't tell which elder was present.
"Junior Duan Yan greets Elder. May I ask which branch hall Elder belongs to?" The cultivator named Duan Yan was very cautious, subtly probing Lu Xuan.
"No need to test me. I'm not from the Yin Beast Sect. Your sect's name sounds like it belongs to a third-rate sect. Can you really recruit new members?"
"You...how dare you trespass into our Scripture Pavilion!" Duan Yan suddenly realized that this person was an intruder, and had even openly admitted it. He immediately took a step back, simultaneously crushing some kind of one-time-use jade talisman.
Lu Xuan saw the other person's actions but did not step forward to stop them. Instead, he continued to casually browse through the other person's files and books.
A few breaths later, two Golden Core stage cultivators rushed into the Scripture Pavilion.
"What's going on? Who dares to trespass into the Scripture Pavilion?" The two men were initially furious upon seeing Lu Xuan. However, their expressions changed drastically afterward. They clearly sensed that Lu Xuan's cultivation level was far superior to theirs.
"A Nascent Soul stage cultivator? I didn't know you had the honor of visiting, senior. What brings you here?" In an instant, the two elders changed their tune. Duan Yan, standing beside them, was completely dumbfounded.
In truth, the two elders of the Yin Beast Sect had no choice. They were a reclusive sect, emphasizing seclusion. Because of their ancient lineage, the Yin Beast Sect looked down on the newly rising demonic sects, thus maintaining only a distant relationship with other sects. However, in recent years, the sect had produced no capable cultivators—not even a single Nascent Soul stage cultivator. They were well aware of their own weakness and lack of allies, so they could only choose to live a life of hiding.