Chapter 116: The Underworld Meditation Pill

“Dabbling in demonic cultivation…”

“Xinshan Hermit…”

“Are both the senior and second disciples only at the Qi Refining stage? The demonic path seems to be going nowhere these days…”

Liu Ciming rubbed his brow, clearly reluctant to stir up trouble.

“Tell them to behave and not to provoke the people from the Six Great Sects.”

“Yes, senior brother.”

He had no mood to deal with these childish quarrels, so he swept his sleeve and left.

The group of cultivators from the Yellow Springs Demonic Path followed Liu Ciming away.

The demonic cultivator who had been arguing with Sheng Nian and the others also left.

Only Sheng Nian and a young cultivator remained.

“Junior brother.”

The young man named Lü Qin was now the senior disciple under Xinshan Hermit.

“Quarreling with Yellow Springs cultivators in this territory is hardly wise.”

“Hahaha…” Sheng Nian laughed, “Sorry, senior brother. I just found him unpleasant.”

“But…” His tone turned cold and sharp. “Whether I’m wise or not isn’t for you to lecture me on, Senior Brother Lü.”

Lü Qin’s expression soured; he said nothing, shot a venomous glance, and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, the wild look on Sheng Nian’s face slowly faded.

In the dim moonlight, he sat alone beneath a withered tree, meditating and regulating his breath.

Within his sea of consciousness, shadows of demons surged.

“Kid, you’re playing the role quite well…”

“The Xinshan Hermit mistook you for possessing some demonic treasure.”

“The more arrogant and disdainful you seem, the more it reassures him.”

“His lifespan is near its end, and his demonic cultivation is at a critical juncture; he will surely attempt a secret ritual to usurp your body.”

“That man will be your first great obstacle on the path to immortality.”

Sheng Nian frowned. “But Lü Qin is quite troublesome.”

“Demonic cultivators are all schemers. If your guess is right, he’s the Xinshan Hermit’s spy watching me.”

“Any hint of suspicion must be reported.”

“Now, Changping is in chaos—evil ghosts, demons, the Six Great Sects…”

“The Great Night Demonic Heaven technique is about to break through. I fear if he notices and informs the Xinshan Hermit, your plan will be delayed…”

“Can we kill him?”

“…”

The demonic voice within him pondered, then slowly said:

“I cannot act yet. With your current strength, you can’t even kill him quietly.”

“Moreover…”

“That man’s body must harbor the Xinshan Hermit’s demonic seed.”

The implication was clear: killing him would alert the Xinshan Hermit.

“…”

With no perfect solution, they could only proceed cautiously.

Sheng Nian furrowed his brow and sighed softly.

What a nuisance…

…

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Song Yan was amazed at the scarcity of cultivation resources in Changping.

He pondered endlessly about what those demonic cultivators were doing here, what they sought.

Luckily, he had prepared thoroughly before setting out.

For now, he need not worry about cultivation resources.

Besides, after wandering near Changping Commandery City with Dai Rui in recent days, he had become somewhat familiar with the area.

After all, it was a crucial border town, with a few small immortal clans sustained by low-grade spiritual veins nearby.

But only a handful of small spiritual beasts lived there; nothing particularly remarkable.

About fifty or sixty miles from Changping Commandery City stood Little Cold Mountain.

On Little Cold Mountain was the Cold Mountain Market, one of the larger markets in Changping.

Though he had yet to visit, knowing of its existence eased his worries about cultivation resources.

On days when patrols were off duty, it was better to go there for bartering than to remain isolated.

Days passed, and he gradually grew accustomed to this hard life.

The only thing that fueled Song Yan’s growing murderous intent was Cheng Yu.

At first, he found Cheng Yu’s constant antagonism baffling.

Now, knowing that his parents were elders of the Sheyang Sect, it made sense.

In this immortal cultivation world, the arrogance displayed by descendants of immortal families often surpassed that of many nobles in the mortal world’s royal courts.

The cultivation world of Chu Kingdom was never particularly strong.

Foundation Establishment stage cultivators were considered powerful, yet few could attain the Golden Core stage.

Therefore, some Foundation Establishment cultivators with potential and hopes for Golden Core would leave Chu Kingdom in the late Foundation Establishment stage seeking breakthroughs.

Others would entrust their difficult lifelong ambitions to the next generation.

With such high hopes came great indulgence.

Unlike Dan Zifeng, who had no parental protection and benefited only from the legacy of predecessors, Cheng Yu had solid backing.

Such characters existed everywhere…

Unfortunately, he was hostile toward Song Yan.

This caused Song Yan to frequently take on patrol duties as an excuse to join more inspection tasks.

His cultivation time was already limited, and these disruptions made even daily practice challenging.

“…I should have teamed up with that dog Sheng back on Beiya Mountain to kill that brat.”

Song Yan now deeply regretted it.

Given the current situation, it would be difficult to find a chance to kill Cheng Yu.

Of course, Cheng Yu also had times when he was off duty on patrol, but killing someone would leave traces.

“If only dog Sheng were here. Let him handle it—after all, he’s a demonic cultivator.”

Exiting the Yangwu Courtyard, Song Yan looked up at the clear sun.

Today was a rare day off from patrol.

He planned to visit the Cold Mountain Market nearby.

Located northeast of Changping Commandery City, the market was geographically closer to the heartland of Chu Kingdom.

Therefore, it was less dangerous.

Moreover, unlike the lawless borderlands, the market’s location was awkward.

Spiritual energy and resources were equally scarce, but because it was near the Huadu Temple, demonic cultivators could not act recklessly.

Thus, Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators rarely appeared there.

Song Yan had already noticed this.

Apart from disciples of the Six Great Sects, he seldom saw local scattered cultivators exceeding the sixth level of Qi Refining.

A little reflection gave him some insight.

The reason for the Six Sects’ presence mainly concerned that mysterious group of demonic cultivators.

As for local threats in Changping, the greatest was a single demon cultivator from the Bone Abyss.

As for the scattered cultivators…

Surviving with arms and legs intact here was already a struggle.

Without reaching Foundation Establishment, one could not control objects to fly.

He had to rely on the Wind-Traveling Spirit Talisman and chose the fastest route.

Besides familiarizing himself with the route, he also came to learn of a local specialty pill that Dai Rui had mentioned—the Yellow Springs Quiet Pill.

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