Chapter 98: The Demon Tome

The black jade slip emitted an aura that did not belong to the power of the celestial spirits—a kind of energy that Yin Tianfang was extremely familiar with. This was because such power existed within his own body.

It was the power of the demonic spirit!

Within Yin Tianfang’s dantian, three lotus flowers had been refined: the crimson lotus born from the aura of slaughter, the white lotus nurtured by spiritual energy, and the black lotus, which was purely born from demonic energy.

Until now, Yin Tianfang had always drawn upon the cultivation contained within the white lotus. As for the demonic lotus, he had never utilized it. Firstly, he feared falling into the demonic path, and secondly, he was unable to harness the power contained within the black lotus.

Yet now, this black jade slip was emitting demonic power!

“Why is there demonic power inside me?” Yin Tianfang was deeply puzzled. He had never practiced any demonic cultivation techniques, so where did this demonic power come from? It seemed that ever since he began cultivating and spiritual energy first appeared within him, this demonic force had also been present.

Yin Tianfang furrowed his brow slightly, a faint trace of worry stirring in his heart. After a moment, his brow gradually relaxed as he recalled the words previously spoken by Dao Chenzi.

“Whether it be the demonic path or the immortal way, both pursue the ultimate pinnacle of the great Dao. Cultivators defy heaven in their practice, seeking only to live as long as the heavens and earth endure. If that is the case, what difference is there between demon and immortal?”

Raising his hand, the black jade slip flew up and landed in the palm of Yin Tianfang’s hand. A faint demonic aura seeped from it.

A thread of divine consciousness extended out, touching the black jade slip. Vast streams of information surged through this consciousness, pouring into Yin Tianfang’s sea of consciousness. He let out a muffled groan as countless pieces of information threatened to burst his mind apart.

After a long time, the intense pain in his consciousness gradually subsided. Yin Tianfang opened his eyes, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from his brow.

“The Heavenly Demon Codex...” he murmured to himself. The jade slip contained a demonic cultivation method, named the Heavenly Demon Codex. Sitting cross-legged with eyes gently closed, he carefully studied the codex.

After a while, he formed hand seals. The black lotus within his dantian trembled lightly. Across the world, strands of black demonic energy, drifting in the void, gathered toward Yin Tianfang’s location.

The black demonic aura poured into his body, and gradually, an ebony glow radiated from him. The light thickened until it enveloped Yin Tianfang in a great black cocoon.

Time passed quietly; days slipped by. The dense demonic aura filled the cave. Yin Tianfang opened his eyes, parted his lips, and absorbed all the surrounding black demonic energy.

At this moment, his eyes turned completely black, the whites invisible, giving off a chilling impression. After a moment, the darkness in his eyes faded away. Yin Tianfang returned to his normal appearance, exhaled softly, stood, and stepped outside the cave.

In these few days, he had gained a preliminary understanding of the Heavenly Demon Codex. Through cultivation, he was now able to mobilize some of the power contained within the black lotus in his dantian.

In future battles, it would be rare for anyone of the same realm to match him. The paths of immortality and demonhood had never coexisted peacefully.

Yet now, an exception had arisen. Yin Tianfang’s body contained the powers of both the immortal and demonic paths.

“What if these two forces clash?” a new worry surfaced in his heart. After all, he had never heard of anyone practicing both immortal and demonic cultivation simultaneously. Immortals and demons had opposed each other since ancient times. Perhaps some had tried before, but no records of their fate remained.

“Ah!” Yin Tianfang’s eyes suddenly brightened. Flicking his wrist, another jade slip appeared in his palm. This jade slip had been gifted by an elder in the small wooden hut within the Misty Forest.

This slip recorded a technique called the Threefold Art. It was a method of splitting the spirit—literally meaning one becoming three.

However, mastering this technique was far from easy. The Threefold Art could condense two spirit clones in addition to the original self, making three beings. But the two clones possessed complete souls and consciousness, markedly different from other spirit-splitting techniques in the cultivation world.

The first step to success was dividing the soul into three parts—a perilous process that often led to soul shattering and death.

“If I succeed in cultivating this, my demonic cultivation can be transferred to the clones, and I won’t have to worry about the conflict of powers,” Yin Tianfang thought.

“But cultivating this technique requires many rare herbs to refine the Soul-Splitting Pill. I’ve never even heard of these materials.”

Feeling a stirring within, a stream of light lifted Yin Tianfang and sped off toward a distant destination.

Several days later, in a bustling city, the streets teemed with people, their voices blending into a ceaseless cacophony of merchants hawking their wares. Most of the passersby were cultivators. Clad in a blue robe and wearing a bamboo hat, Yin Tianfang entered a tavern.

Ascending to the second floor, he casually ordered some drinks and dishes, choosing a seat by the window. Amid the clamor, he suddenly felt as if he had been transported to another world.

This was the first time since leaving the Profound Dao Sect that he had come to such a crowded place. The noise stirred an unfamiliar restlessness within him.

“No wonder cultivation sects always build their halls atop mountains,” Yin Tianfang mused. If sects were located amidst crowds, few disciples could focus fully on cultivation.

Many sects chose mountainous locations precisely for this reason. Moreover, these places were rich in spiritual energy—far purer and denser than the heavens and earth of bustling urban areas.

“Have you heard? The Profound Dao Sect was apparently absorbed by the Azure Cloud Sect. Now, the Azure Cloud Sect has become the largest sect in the Purewater Kingdom. I also heard that recently, the Green Mountain Sect sent out broad invitations, calling the kingdom’s powerful forces to their sect.”

“What is the Green Mountain Sect planning?” someone asked, puzzled.

“What else but to show off their might? I heard some outer elders of the Green Mountain Sect were killed recently.”

“That’s nothing. Do you know what I heard?”

“What?”

“Young Master Yang Bo of the Yang family in Ink Jade City was murdered. Even the Yang family’s patriarch came out but failed to capture the assassin. He nearly died at their hands.”

The tavern erupted in shocked whispers. Few cultivators in the Purewater Kingdom were ignorant of the Yang family, for they were tremendously powerful. More importantly, the Yang family had close ties with the Green Mountain Sect—the current sect leader’s spouse was the younger sister of the Yang family’s head.

With such a connection, no one dared offend the Yang family lightly.

Someone had killed the Yang family’s young master and nearly caused the death of their patriarch at an outer gate. This was no ordinary grudge. Everyone wondered who could be so bold as to commit such acts, effectively tearing a gaping hole in the Purewater Kingdom’s heavens.

“Clatter, clatter, clatter!” Footsteps echoed by the stairs. Moments later, several figures appeared at the entrance of the second floor.

These people wore simple clothes and had ordinary faces, their expressions blank. Their gaze swept the room before settling on a table beside Yin Tianfang. They then approached and sat down.

Yin Tianfang’s heart stirred slightly. He slowly set down his wine cup.