The smooth slaughters of past days had not only allowed Tao Qian's cultivation to surge, mastering many Divine Power Skills and accumulating vast spoils of war, but had also boosted his confidence.
Relying on the wonders of the Secret Demon Transformation Technique and his soul that was exempt from prediction.
For most cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm, a pursuit that was deed a "dead end" could not touch him at all.
However, he hadn't expected that just as he was about to truly overco this first calamity.
The flag that Tao Qian himself had planted still ended up stabbing him.
"Not the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva again!"
Tao Qian spoke resentfully, silently holding a grudge against her once more.
Then, Tao Qian imdiately communicated with his Puppet Body to confirm even more details.
Had he learned two days earlier that he was being hunted by a Transcend Mortality Demon, perhaps even Tao Qian would have panicked for a mont.
But now, he was only surprised montarily before imdiately beginning to devise counterasures.
"According to the information explored by the Puppet Body, although the Great Demon can discern my rough location, it still can't pinpoint my exact whereabouts, let alone my true appearance, or that of Little Age and Lian Jing'er."
"The only trouble is the magical treasure granted by the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva, which can tie down and snatch my real body within a certain range, without needing to know these things, relying rely on so reflected images."
"That is to say, there is nowhere for to escape, as my subterranean evasion speed is far too inferior to that of a Transcend Mortality Demon."
"If I hide in places crowded with demon cultivators and evil cultivators, there might still be a slim chance of survival. But if I just focus on fleeing desperately and get cornered in the wilderness, that would truly an a certain and absolute death."
"Trouble, those old demons skilled in multiple thods are particularly troubleso."
"How can I prevent being captured by that magical treasure? The Spirit Treasure thod is clearly ineffective, perhaps so of the heretical and heterodox practices and Evil Demon Secret thods I've captured are useful... Hmm?"
As Tao Qian pondered, an inspiration arose unexpectedly and was imdiately seized by him.
A trace of joy quickly appeared on his face.
Without any pause, Tao Qian directly led Little Age and Lian Jing'er, and as they moved according to his thoughts, the bodies of the three quivered and began to transform.
This ti, Tao Qian transford into a four ters tall evil ghost with a green face, tusks, and bone spurs fiercely protruding; the two little ones each transford into a small red-faced and a small white-faced ghost, lightly leaping to perch on Tao Qian's left and right shoulders respectively.
In any other province, especially one where the Human Clan Cultivators still predominated, wandering around in such a guise would surely spell disaster for Tao Qian.
But in Southern Yue, it was actually quite suitable.
"Humph,"
The evil ghost grunted, then Tao Qian was seen continuously deploying the Small Innate Nascent Soul Escape Technique, speeding towards a particular area rembered in his mind.
With just a fraction of an hour's leeway, Tao Qian dared not delay at all.
About several breaths later, Tao Qian, in the body of the evil ghost, appeared at the lively foot of a mountain called Chenghuang Mountain.
Unlike other quiet and deserted wild mountains, this one surged with various demons and cultivators.
Even so Human Clan Cultivators, who were clearly from a heterodox direction and not evil demons, appeared on the mountain, not encountering attacks from those demons.
The reason?
It was simple; Joyful Pavilion, one of the heterodox sects of Southern Yue, had set up another large market here, nearly twice the size of those near Seeking Immortal County and Wending County in Tengshe Square.
Thus, at the foot of the mountain stood two pavilions, each housing a Plague Golden Toad covered in festering sores.
After feeding the two spoilt toads so Joyful Money, Tao Qian, along with other demon cultivators, smoothly entered the massive market. Similar to his past experience at Tengshe Square, before stepping into the market, he first passed through nurous Banquet Buildings that could intoxicate and entrap one in dreamlike states.
Though the many items inside the banquet buildings were often revolting enough to turn one's stomach.
But Joyful Pavilion was, after all, a major heterodox sect, not overdoing things too much, certainly not comparable to places like Fragrant at Collection.
Clearly, Joyful Pavilion had bet early on the Devil God Army, yet also feared the potential cleansing by the righteous should the Devil God Army fail. Moreover, due to foundational principles, they feared falling from the heterodox path to the Demon Path, which could lead to irrevocable disaster.
Thus, they also essentially maintained a fundantal bottom line.
Before long, Tao Qian once again stood before Joyful Pavilion Market.
Perhaps because his manifestation as an evil ghost was too terrifying, the green-scaled demons dared not approach to illuminate the scene.
They huddled together, shrinking back and wailing, "Oh, so terrifying."
Tao Qian paid them no mind and directly stepped into a splendid building on the side of the market.
This place, akin to hotels in the Mortal World, offered cultivators places to rest, rejuvenate, or conduct short-term cultivation, and also provided gathering and pleasure grounds for demon and evil cultivators.
Before the chaos with demons, the overly ferocious appearance of Tao Qian's evil ghost body would surely have caused a stir.
But now, there were many types of more terrifying alien species freely visible in the building.
Tao Qian went straight to the manager and requested a high-quality quiet cultivation room; he had co here not to fence stolen goods, but to refine techniques.
As he followed the attendant to the quiet room, the loud conversations and boasting of the demons and evil cultivators kept infiltrating his ears along the way.
Tao Qian suddenly realized that many of the topics being discussed were about himself.
For example, just ahead on the left, around a desk, several Qi Refining Realm magicians were entertaining beautiful ladies, bragging about their vast experiences.
One red-nosed evil cultivator with a mysterious expression cautioned the others in a serious tone:
"Just now, you ntioned taking on so postings in the market. Take on others if you must, but don't ddle with the posting regarding that naless sword cultivator."
"He is like a harbinger of death. In the past two days alone, there are demons among us who have perished by his hand—no fewer than several hundreds."
"I heard from a senior who visited the scene that he seems more like an evil demon than us. His fierce sword technique is formidable enough, but what's more terrifying is his sword array. Once activated, infinite sword lights sweep across everything. Even our magically fortified bodies would be sliced into tiny pieces."
"Have you heard about the tragedy at Fragrant at Collection? Tsk tsk, it was first witnessed by a Pig Demon who reportedly died from shock on the spot."
"The most bizarre thing is that this person has yet to be captured. It's been two days of manhunt and still, more reports erge of fellow practitioners encountering him and being effortlessly slaughtered, leaving behind gruesoly bloody scenes."
"There's a rumor that he is not a cultivator from the right path, but a fierce person who inherited the legacy of the Secret Demon Sect. The day he wiped out the Fragrant at Market, it is said that he coveted the Pig Demon Heart of 'Zhu Wuxin, the Foundation Establishnt Realm Great Demon' for its flavor. When Zhu Wuxin refused, he brutally made his move."
"There's proof too. The sword technique he used is the Secret Demon Sacrifice Body Sword Technique. He is also adept at the Secret Demon Transformation Technique, a very difficult Divine Power Skill to cultivate."
"Tsk tsk, though our Devil God Army controls a large area within Southern Yue, there are still many formidable human clan cultivators about. The battle has just started; our foundational thods are not particularly evil, so it's better to keep a low profile."
As this person concluded the secret, a few beautiful ladies at the table imdiately displayed looks of alarm, greatly satisfying his vanity.
Seeing this, a few nearby magicians also started to show off.
One of them, a hairy-chested magician, murmured mysteriously:
"We mustn't provoke those devilish brats, nor those cultivators from the righteous path."
"Everyone knows the Devil God Army has captured most areas in Southern Yue, but who knows that more than a dozen counties in the southeast direction were recently taken back by two erging forces?"
"I just ca from there. Just telling you, but keep it to yourselves."
"The leaders of these two forces, one nad Gu Zhichang, claims to be a loose cultivator and has gathered a bunch of so-called heroes. Ha, his thods—he can't fool my ghost eyes. Gu Zhichang is definitely a direct disciple from the Shenxiao Sect, his Thunder Skill is terrifying."
"The other force is led by Zheng Wufu, also claiming to be a loose cultivator with a group of heroes. Ha, that kind of mountain-moving Divine Power Skill, his brutal flesh-recycling thods—he's definitely from the Xiu Family, and no low-ranking mber at that."
As this magician finished speaking, another magician dressed in a bright red magic robe, appearing to co from the South, continued the topic.
"I've also heard about these two new forces. Moreover, I know that behind them is another organization providing support."
"That seems to be a special force; they don't call themselves a sect but rather the 'Western Study Society.'"
"This blasted Western Study Society has gotten hold of many powerful Western magic tools and started fires everywhere, already beginning to disrupt the plans of the Devil God Army."
"I've heard Tang the Divine General is very irritated about this and has vowed to wipe out everyone from the Western Study Society."
…
In just a dozen or so steps, a conversation brimming with substantial information perated Tao Qian's ears.
At another ti, his curiosity would have undoubtedly made him sit down and gather more intelligence.
However, at this mont, ti was critically pressing, and he could not afford a delay.
Putting these ssages aside for the mont, Tao Qian quickly entered the quiet room, sent the attendant away, and initiated the Forbidden Technique.
Then, he imdiately sat down to ditate.
No preparation was necessary; he just took a deep breath and entered ditation.
As before, his primordial spirit sat atop the Secret Acupoint Platform.
With a re thought, a book with seemingly infinite pages materialized before him.
This book, called "Ten Thousand Demon List," derived from the All Heavens Demon Summoning Secret Technique, a thod Tao Qian had mastered long ago.
Thus, there was no need for Tao Qian to flip through it personally; as it appeared, the list began furiously turning pages by itself.
And quickly, it halted on the page Tao Qian needed.
Then the nas, appearances, origins, and Divine Power Skills of several Outer Realm Heaven Demons began to evolve into vivid images, flashing before Tao Qian's eyes.
The first one alone caught Tao Qian's attention.
"Substitute Demon: This demon is naturally special, seeing all beings as though seeing itself. It can imprint any living being's distinct characteristics within monts, integrating them into itself and forming a soul connection with the imprinted being, serving as each other's substitute… This demon is extrely adept at body seizing, escaping, and surviving. Not only is it cunning by nature, but it is also difficult to track. Even cultivators skilled in the Secret Demon Refining God Skill might not encounter a Substitute Demon in a hundred refining attempts, and even if they do, they might not manage to refine it."
"Summoning Demon Technique can forcibly summon it."
"But without the Demon Control Refining Technique, one must be wary of the demon's backlash and its forced body seizing."
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