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The long sword unsheathed, a white-clothed sword cultivator stood with hands behind his back. It was Murong Zhou.

“Hand over the treasure, and I’ll spare your life.”

Chen Moqing didn’t even glance over, casually pointing a finger.

A lightning bolt, sharp as a sword, pierced through the heart in an instant. Murong Zhou’s figure swayed and collapsed.

—turning into an incomplete talisman paper, self-igniting midair.

An illusion talisman.

The illusionary shadow shattered, revealing the figures of three people—precisely the disciples of the Tingyu Sect from earlier.

They had ventured deep into this place yet remained completely unscathed. The tallest among them, a cultivator, fixed his gaze intently on the nine-petaled lotus atop the snow-white beast’s head and said with a smile, “Fellow Daoist, I see this treasure has a connection with us. Why not yield it to us? I am willing to compensate with eight thousand spirit stones.”

Chen Moqing’s voice drifted lazily, “Easy to say. Eight million spirit stones.”

Xie Feng immediately transmitted a secret message to his fellow disciples, “He has expended a great deal of spiritual power and is at the end of his rope. He can’t refine that treasure either! Let’s attack together. Before his spiritual power runs out, could he really kill all of us?”

Among the three, the only female cultivator showed no reaction, while the other male cultivator wore a troubled expression, “Senior Brother, after all, we are from a righteous sect…”

“Think of your family! If we can offer this treasure, you’ll become the Sect Master’s last disciple! At that time, who would dare bully your family?”

With those words, Xie Feng’s junior brother’s gaze turned stern, and he hesitated no longer.

The two immediately took action, while the female cultivator swiftly retreated backward.

In an instant, several talismans flew over, ice spikes and wooden vines intertwined. Chen Moqing remained unmoved, his slender fingers pointing casually as his sleeves billowed.

“Get lost.”

Thunder like a sword, cutting across the long darkness.

Among the five elements, the most lethal of all, thunder, directly crushed the ghosts and demons, stirring up a silvery-white, terrifying wave.

Xie Feng’s eyes were instantly swallowed by the blazing silver-white. Surging fear left his mind utterly blank. The next second, his junior brother lunged forward and hugged him, “Senior Brother!”

A flash of light, and the two figures vanished on the spot.

The thunder pierced through the stone wall, sending debris flying. The female cultivator who remained did not hesitate to cup her hands in salute, “Junior Chu Fengling pays respects to the Senior!”

She felt immense relief in her heart. Indeed, she had been right not to make a move earlier.

They had secretly infiltrated this place earlier, but for some reason, the monsters along the way hadn’t attacked them, only pursuing this senior instead. So she had seized the opportunity to observe his fighting style, and the more she watched, the more astonished she became.

Her master had once said that talisman cultivators have two ways of fighting: using pre-drawn talismans, or drawing talismans on the spot during battle. The former is manageable, as talismans can be prepared in advance. The latter, however, tests a talisman cultivator’s skill to the extreme—often requiring completing the talisman in a single stroke. A moment too slow could mean death.

Generally, only talisman cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above would choose such a fighting method. Some even say that certain powerful talisman cultivators can manifest talismans with a mere thought.

Earlier, she had seen this senior frequently drawing talismans during battle, effortlessly, as if second nature. That was not merely extraordinary talent; he must have practiced hundreds, even thousands of times in private to achieve such mastery.

Thus, though this person appeared to be only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, slightly lower than their own cultivation stage, he was by no means someone they could contend with.

“If you intend to refine this treasure, Senior, I can guard the process for you.”

“Unnecessary,” Chen Moqing replied, “Leave this place. What lies ahead is not something you can set foot in.”

Chu Fengling truly did not linger any longer and swiftly departed.

Chen Moqing poured his spiritual sense into the Snowdust Glass Lotus and, in no time at all, successfully refined it, truly becoming the new master of this treasure.

A fifth-grade, early-stage magic treasure. With his current cultivation stage, even channeling it would consume a great deal of spiritual power.

He turned his head, his gaze falling upon that shimmering, dark pool.

[I won’t lend a hand, but when you can’t hold on any longer, I’ll take you away.]

Cang Shun lay on his shoulder, his tone flat and unemotional.

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes, "You're worried about me?"

[How could that be!]

The fur on the snow-white little beast puffed up slightly.

[Benzun is bound by the contract!]

Chen Moqing chuckled and said, "You need not intervene."

He sat in meditation by the shore, regulating his breathing until his spiritual energy was fully restored, then leaped into the dark pool.

—Just as he had anticipated, the pool water was an illusory mirage.

He floated in the air, his robes completely dry. Above him, countless runes suddenly surged from the pool's opening, layer upon layer, forming an extremely complex array.

The pool bottom trembled. Beneath his feet, a path extended forward—endless, with no way back.

Ahead on the path, one strange, monstrous beast after another appeared, their bodies entwined with thick, black flames. The flames corroded their flesh incessantly, and they emitted inhuman roars.

Cang Shun raised an eyebrow slightly.

Demonic creatures?

He looked back at Chen Moqing. The young cultivator’s expression remained completely unruffled, showing no surprise.

Cang Shun suddenly understood—those were all the demonic creatures this human had slain in the past.

Chen Moqing raised his hand, his slender fingers lightly pinching a talisman as if holding a thin blade of a sword.

Illusions and reflections, yesterday revisited. However, at this moment, the demonic beasts before him all shared his own cultivation level.

“—After you.”

The demonic beasts surged forth like a black tide eclipsing the sun. The young cultivator’s hair and sleeves billowed, his posture sword-like, tearing through the boundless black curtain.

Cang Shun watched that figure’s back quietly, seeing a blade of slaughter with edges bared, a battlefield of demon-slaying so fierce it darkened the heavens and earth.

So, it turned out this person was the second existence born in response to demons, after himself.

No wonder his blood could awaken him, could forge such a contract between them.

He had awoken for him.

Talismans transformed into blades, slaughtering countless demonic beasts. The black-robed cultivator was unstoppable, fighting his way deep into the heart of the talisman array.

Until one demonic beast was beheaded—yet it did not fall. From its hollow neck emerged a human head, eyes tightly shut, face full of sorrow.

“I hate this…”

“I was wronged…”

Hundreds of human faces squeezed out of the demonic beast’s hide, necks stretching long, eyes shut as they wailed and cried, their mournful screams drilling into the ears.

Everyone in sight was familiar.

—The five hundred or so people from the Haoran Sect whom he had slaughtered.

Blood splattered past his hair. Chen Moqing gave a light laugh, his eyes dark and deep like a cold pool from which a black serpent rises, “Don’t rush. I’ll send you all back down right now.”

He formed a single-handed seal. Silvery-white lightning descended from the heavens, stirring up a surging waterfall of thunder. Countless faces of wicked souls shrieked and vanished within the blazing lightning.

Cang Shun hovered in mid-air, his demonic pupils shimmering with faint golden light.

In those eyes interwoven with brilliant gold and crimson, that human cultivator pressed forward unwaveringly. With each step he took, a faint path stretched out beneath his feet.

—It was a long, pitch-black road churning with boundless blood-red. As Chen Moqing continued forward, more of that blood-red merged into it, blending into the underworld-like darkness.

Cang Shun’s gaze focused slightly.

This person’s Dao… it turned out to be the path among all cultivation Daos with the strongest offensive power and the heaviest karma of slaughter.

—The Path of Slaughter.

To suppress evil through killing, to slay immortals through slaughter—all lies within a single thought.

Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, the first immortal to ascend to heaven did so by attaining enlightenment through the Path of Slaughter.

However, aside from that immortal, most cultivators who later entered the Path of Slaughter met no good end, and not a single one lived past the Mahayana stage.

Unable to live past the Mahayana stage…

A faint heaviness settled in the depths of Cang Shun’s eyes. His heart felt as though twisted iron wires had suddenly burrowed into it, stirring up an indescribable sensation he had never experienced before.

It must be due to the contract.

Silently, he watched that young cultivator tread the path of slaughter without ever looking back, until blood splashed across the grand array, soaking the runes.

His robes stained with blood, standing alone.

His spiritual power nearly exhausted, yet he was close to the eye of the talisman array.

The final obstacle before him was a white-haired sword cultivator seated upon a throne of ice, his expression cold and merciless, with a surge of demonic energy roiling behind him.

“You have sullied the sect’s name. You deserve death.”

Chen Moqing tilted his head slightly upward. His calm, deep eyes reflected the same face as his former master.

Within the talisman array, every enemy he encountered shared his cultivation level— except for this phantom of Yu Bai, which possessed a cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage.

To face a Nascent Soul cultivator while at the Foundation Establishment stage was like an ant trying to shake a tree, utterly overestimating oneself.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes once more. Blood-stained fingers pressed between his brows, leaving behind a cinnabar-like mark.

Cang Shun suddenly sensed something was wrong, his demonic pupils instantly narrowing: [You’re—]

The next second, Chen Moqing opened his eyes with fierce determination. Within them, the runes blazed with a brilliant golden light, like a radiant sun rising through a dark night.

The runes reflected in his eyes, countless golden patterns swirling across his body. Special runes covered his form, as though he were a deity carved from pure gold.

Cang Shun’s pupils froze. Those runes were not overly complex, yet every stroke carried the profound simplicity of the Great Path—he had never seen anything like them before!

—A self-created talisman technique!

From the depths of the talisman array came a long, gratified sigh. The grand array trembled violently, all its runes resonating in unison. The essence of all runes converged from every direction toward Chen Moqing alone!

The world itself lends its power when the time is right!

Chen Moqing took a step forward, his eyes burning gold, his body like a blazing torch. Though he wielded no sword, his heart itself became a blade.

The runes tore through the young cultivator's body, transforming it into a myriad of blood rain, leaving no trace to be found, save for a single sword intent pointed straight toward the heavens.

With one sword—he beheaded a Nascent Soul!

Boom—!

Heaven and earth shook. Every cultivator within the secret realm looked up in shock, glancing around in astonishment.

The entire secret realm trembled violently. Countless runes lit up frantically, transforming into a sky full of twinkling stars that spread across the entire firmament, shining brilliantly and illuminating the heavens.

—Just like not long ago, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator refined a third-tier talisman, causing the ancient runes of Qingzhu City to resonate!

This time, it was even more magnificent and awe-inspiring!

In one part of the secret realm, Ning Lili clutched a newly acquired treasure, wide-eyed and stunned, "It couldn't be... could it... surely not—"

In another location, Liu Ao's face turned grim, "Has the secret realm's inheritance already been obtained by that Nascent Soul cultivator?"

Far behind him, Liu Piao looked down in surprise at his open palm, where a pure white sword intent remained completely motionless.

Deep within the cave, everything returned to calm. The dark pool rippled, reflecting the faint light of the stars.

Cang Shun stared, eyes wide with fury. This time, only fragments of that person's limbs remained.

The next moment, branches and wood grew, the body reconstructed, and Chen Moqing returned to the mortal realm once more.

His cultivation had fallen back to the early Foundation Establishment stage.

The Withered Wood Revival Decree, a command talisman created by an immortal. As long as the divine sense remains undestroyed, one is immortal and indestructible.

Chen Moqing slowly opened his eyes, his face covered by a large mass of snow-white fluff.

No longer a tiny, palm-sized ball of fur, but a huge, fluffy mass tightly wrapped around him, radiating warm, cozy heat.

He couldn’t see Cang Shun’s expression, only feeling this enormous Demon Emperor silently nudging him, pushing him here and there, then enveloping him within the fluff, not allowing him to leave.

Probably holding another grudge.

Chen Moqing stroked the pleasantly soft fur, “I’m fine.”

The moment the words fell, a certain Demon Emperor nudged him even more vigorously, crowding him from all sides.

Huffing angrily, the fur puffing up and covering Chen Moqing’s entire face.

“……”

Chen Moqing casually drew a talisman, cloaking himself in robes, then looked up.

Above the dark pool, an ethereal figure floated leisurely—a white-robed elder, transcendent as an immortal.

“How many tens of thousands of years has it been, to finally see a talisman cultivator with passable talent.”

Chen Moqing slowly rose from within the ball of fluff, clasping his hands together, “This junior Jiang Yu pays respects to the immortal.”

“I am no immortal. What you see is merely a remnant soul of my original body.”

The voice of the secret realm’s master was faint and elusive.

“Later-generation cultivator, what is the name of the talisman technique you used just now?”

Chen Moqing replied, “Return to the Abyss.”

This was the first talisman technique he had created himself, and also the first lethal move of his own devising.

Burning away one's own body, guiding the way to the abyss, all falling into the underworld.

Afterward, through the Withered Wood Revival Decree, returning to the mortal realm once more.

Cang Shun lay beside him, and upon hearing this, stretched out his tail to tightly coil around him.

The secret realm's master said calmly, "Not bad. You do indeed have some qualification to receive my inheritance."

With his hands behind his back, he drifted before Chen Moqing, "This place does not hold the complete inheritance of my path. It is merely a remnant soul my former self severed, leaving behind an incomplete inheritance."

"To receive my inheritance, one must cultivate both talisman and array arts. Later-generation cultivator, you must also inherit a complete array-path inheritance."

"If you accept, I shall first pass on this incomplete inheritance to you. Once you obtain the other array-path inheritance, you may proceed to the Nine Thousand Prefectures to seek my true inheritance."

Chen Moqing asked, "What kind of array-path inheritance is required?"

Although talisman cultivators and array cultivators both belong to the category of spell cultivators, they have been in contention since ancient times, once reaching a point of irreconcilable opposition.

However, while studying the talisman path, he discovered many similarities between talisman arts and array arts. Perhaps the two paths shared a common origin from the start.

The secret realm's master chuckled,  "You will know in due time. Of course, if you have no intention of seeking the complete inheritance it matters not. It simply means... that the talisman path may never again produce an immortal ascendant."

A flicker of light passed through Chen Moqing’s eyes.

Earlier, when the master of this secret realm spoke of 'tens of thousands of years', he had already guessed the other’s identity was extraordinary. Now, his conjecture was confirmed.

In lower prefecture secret realms, it is rare for them to be inheritances left by great powers. Otherwise, Tianshu Sect would not have dispatched only one Nascent Soul disciple—in fact, in the past, Tianshu Sect wouldn’t have paid any attention to a talisman path secret realm in a lower prefecture.

It was only after the Demon-Sealing War, as the major sects of the upper prefectures were no longer what they once were, and with Tianshu Sect having conflicts with Shenlu Sect, that for various reasons this secret realm was thrown into the mission pool for outer disciples.

“May I ask for the Senior’s name?”

“My true name, you will naturally know when you obtain my complete inheritance. For now, you may call me ‘Xing Yun’.”

Xing Yun waved his sleeve, and a figure floated out from within Chen Moqing’s sleeve—it was the Talisman Demon he had created.

The Talisman Demon crouched on the ground, looking up in confusion, seemingly somewhat afraid, and tried to hide behind Chen Moqing—only to be coldly swatted away by a slender tail.

Chen Moqing calmly raised his hand to pat the head of a certain Demon Emperor who had nudged his way onto his shoulder.

Xing Yun had originally been observing the Talisman Demon, his eyes showing a trace of appreciation. Seeing this scene, his gaze lingered on Chen Moqing and Cang Shun for several moments.

Then, he spoke plainly to the Talisman Demon, “Since you are a talisman spirit born in this place, and your master is also my inheritor, you may benefit from his fortune. I shall grant you a stroke of opportunity.”

He casually raised a hand, sweeping it past the Talisman Demon’s brow from a distance.

In an instant, the Talisman Demon trembled violently, its aura undergoing a shocking transformation, rising from a newborn Talisman Demon straight to the peak of the Golden Core stage!

It stood completely stunned, as if turned to stone.

Chen Moqing spoke, "Gun Gun, thank the Senior."

Xing Yun looked at the Talisman Demon kowtowing with fervor and fell silent for three seconds.

"A good name. A fine name."

"Any talisman spirit you create, regardless of its cultivation level, will be under your control. Its life and death are also within your thoughts."

The flat, unemotional voice fell. The Talisman Demon trembled, then docilely shrank closer to Chen Moqing—only to be swatted away once more by Cang Shun's tail.

Xing Yun glanced at them once more.

"Now, step forward and receive my inheritance."

Chen Moqing took three steps forward. A hand pointed between his brows.

A sliver of golden light fell into his forehead. Within his spiritual sea, his divine sense stood suspended, seeing brilliant runes spread out into a vast, expansive path, constructing long stairs.

The true essence of the talisman path!

"This is the entirety of my talisman path attainment within this remnant soul. Today, I bestow it all upon you. How much you can grasp depends entirely on yourself."

With his divine sense taking one step onto the stairs, bathed in golden light, he ascended step by step. Chen Moqing stood motionless, the aura around him swelling like a rainbow, piercing straight through the clouds.

Mid Foundation Establishment.

Peak Foundation Establishment.

Great perfection of Foundation Establishment!

—Already half-step Golden Core!

Within the spiritual sea, Chen Moqing’s divine sense arrived once again beneath the great chasm, gazing up at the crimson talisman order suspended high above.

Xing Yun let out a puzzled “Hmm?” His gaze fell between Chen Moqing’s brows, as if trying to pierce through his soul to see something.

After staring for a moment, he did not speak. Instead, he flipped his hand and left behind a jade slip.

“The array-path inheritance you must seek lies within.”

Chen Moqing received the jade slip with both hands, his divine sense giving it a brief sweep.

A map, half of a broken technique… two sixth-grade talisman formulas!

And a closed scroll painting, emitting a faint, glowing light.

—A sixth-grade offensive magic treasure! Capable of withstanding power at the early stage of Soul Formation!

Chen Moqing pondered for a moment, then spoke, “May I ask, Senior, if you have the formula for a fifth-grade Spirit Attraction Talisman?”

Xing Yun’s face showed disdain, “What low-grade talisman is that? I don’t craft such things.”

Chen Moqing fell silent, gently patting Cang Shun’s head.

Cang Shun: “?”

He tilted his head in confusion but surprisingly said nothing, instead pressing his head against Chen Moqing’s body and nuzzling slightly.

The next moment, the Demon Emperor’s movements paused faintly as he heard the next words from the young human, “Senior, do you know of a method to dissolve a bloodline contract?”

Xing Yun glanced at them again and said, “I have no interest in contracts, nor have I studied them.”

“As for the inheritance matter, do your best. Within three hundred years, my original self will await quietly in the Nine Thousand Prefectures.”

“If you have not arrived within three hundred years, the spirit of my original self will also dissipate between heaven and earth.”

As he spoke, the form of this secret realm’s master gradually grew ethereal and transparent. Chen Moqing once more clasped his hands together, his expression solemn, “Senior, rest assured. I will definitely fulfill our appointment.”

Xing Yun gave him a deep look, “Since you have spoken these words, even if the seas turn to mulberry fields, you must obtain that array-path inheritance.”

Chen Moqing replied, “Without a doubt.”

Xing Yun said no more, giving a slight nod. The next moment, his white hair turned black, his appearance reverting to youth, revealing a handsome and unrestrained face.

Gazing distantly toward the east, he murmured softly, “Senior Brother, if I had not left in anger back then…”

Before his words could finish, the remnant soul had already dispersed.

Chen Moqing bowed deeply.

Although he had no recollection of this great talisman master, he knew that in the Nine Thousand Prefectures, there were countless powerful beings, many of whom did not care for fame to spread throughout the world, and some even lived their entire lives in obscurity.

The dark pool was silent, no longer stirring. Chen Moqing sat atop a large, fluffy mass of snow-white fur and examined the jade slip once more.

That sixth-grade offensive magic treasure was something his current cultivation level could not possibly wield, so he set it aside for the time being.

The three sixth-grade talisman formulas were also temporarily unusable in the lower prefecture.

He carefully reviewed the map and discovered it was an ancient one. The place names on it were completely different from those used today, requiring verification and investigation in the outside world.

Finally, Chen Moqing’s gaze fell upon the half-complete broken technique, and his eyelids trembled slightly.

—A cultivation method that could allow severed root bones to regenerate.

Only half remained.

The other half was likely located at the site of the array-path inheritance recorded on the ancient map… with this secret realm master’s 'senior brother'.

Obtaining the complete technique would give him a chance to rebuild his sword path spiritual roots.

This journey into the secret realm had completely exceeded Chen Moqing’s expectations. He even vaguely suspected that this half of a broken technique might contain hints of the Heavenly Dao’s intent.

In the end, he stored the jade slip away.

Even if Heaven's will exists, success still depends on human effort. His actions have always followed his own heart, and he would never be controlled by the Heavenly Dao.

Chen Moqing withdrew his divine sense and, in passing, recalled Gun Gun. Being a creature forged from runes, it was not truly a living being and could reside within the spacious storage pouch.

Afterward, he lifted his gaze to meet a pair of crimson demonic eyes.

The Demon Emperor, having revealed its immense original form, lowered its head and quietly watched him.

Chen Moqing spoke, "After this, I will leave this place and head to a middle or upper prefecture, also seeking a method to dissolve the contract."

Cang Shun fell silent for a moment, then slowly lowered his body, drawing closer: [Why do you always disregard yourself?]

[What you did just now was too dangerous. Even if you can rebuild your body each time, you don’t need to resort to such extreme methods every single time.]

He could have intervened—

chen Moqing replied calmly, "I don’t have much time."

He must traverse the vast cultivation stages to gain the right to bloody his enemies. Therefore, he must stake everything without holding back.

Cang Shun said nothing. After a few seconds, he slowly lowered his head, resting his chin gently on Chen Moqing's shoulder.

Once again, this Demon Emperor began nudging him without a word, and soon Chen Moqing was enveloped in a warm, soft mass of fur.

Chen Moqing wondered inwardly: Could this be some form of intimidation?

His voice remained light, "If you're worried about the contract—"

[It’s not because of the contract.]

Cang Shun suddenly interrupted.

Chen Moqing looked up once more.

A slender tail lightly encircled his waist, not quite touching his robe—a posture that held him within its embrace.

Without knowing when it had begun, the Demon Emperor had drawn extremely close. His powerful, robust form surrounded Chen Moqing like undulating mountains, his snow-white fur flowing with a soft, moonlit glow. Those demonic eyes watched him quietly, like a blazing sun lingering among the treetops.

Cang Shun whispered: [It’s not–]

"Peak Foundation Establishment?"

A cold voice came from the other side of the darkness.

From deep within the cave, Murong Zhou strode in boldly, a sword at his waist, its hilt tied with a blood-stained piece of robe. His sharp gaze fixed directly on the young cultivator and the demonic beast across from him.

"Hand over the inheritance, and I'll spare your life."

–

TL: Muji

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