Nie Wushang was silent for a long while before finally speaking. "How did you know?" Her words carried no hint of denial.
Mo Tiange smiled. "Though we haven't truly known each other for long, our understanding goes beyond the surface. Given your personality, when you saw that monster, even if you didn't go up to test it, your reaction shouldn't have been like that, right?"
Nie Wushang was someone who preferred action over analysis, and with all the treasures she possessed, she certainly had various means of attack. Yet when encountering that monster, she hadn't even tried to attack before telling everyone to run. This didn't match her character.
"What, is this something you can't talk about?" Seeing Nie Wushang remain silent, Mo Tiange asked with another smile.
Nie Wushang glanced at her before slowly saying, "That thing... I have indeed seen it before."
As they continued walking forward, she spoke: "The cultivation technique my master practiced is called the Origin Demon Great Art. I followed him for over a hundred years, and I vaguely heard him mention that when he was just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator, he once ventured into the Heavenly Demon Mountain and accidentally obtained an opportunity. He found an ancient map within the Heavenly Demon Mountain, followed it to a secret location, and finally obtained a technique carved on a stone stele from that place. This technique was strange—compared to today's methods, whether demonic or orthodox, it was completely different. My master contemplated it for over a hundred years before finally comprehending the Origin Demon Great Art, leaping to become one of the highest-tier cultivators in the Tianji Region."
"A technique on a stone stele..." Mo Tiange murmured to herself.
"Before I was born, my master hadn't emerged into the world for many years. We lived in seclusion in the Extreme West desert, rarely setting foot in Kunwu. Even when matters arose, my master would only send me to handle them. Since childhood, I saw my master constantly in closed-door cultivation, never going out. Given my master's personality, to willingly seclude himself in one place for centuries without stirring up trouble naturally meant something extremely important. During that time, my master was cultivating the Origin Demon Great Art."
"Within my master's cave dwelling, there was an Origin Demon Pool where he gathered Origin Demonic Qi cultivated through various methods. This energy was similar to Demonic Qi but far stronger, and it invaded the heart meridians like Death Qi. Since my youth, I've seen my master cultivate a monster from that Origin Demon Pool—the very thing we saw today. Though the Extreme West was desolate, there were scattered tribes and mountain villages. Every so often, my master would..." At this point, Nie Wushang's voice trembled slightly, "...command that monster to exterminate an entire village. Men, women, old and young—all were devoured by that monster, leaving no trace of bones..."
Mo Tiange felt chills run down her spine. Not harming mortals was a rule most cultivators followed; even demonic cultivators rarely committed such acts of wiping out entire villages without reason. This Venerable Songfeng truly cultivated a sinister path, disregarding karma entirely.
Nie Wushang took a deep breath, her tone becoming calm and emotionless again. "Every so often, that monster would go out to slaughter, and upon returning, it would become stronger. I once heard my master mutter to himself, 'What a pity the Extreme West has so few cultivators. If it could devour cultivators, it would grow even faster. By then, my demonic arts would be perfected in no time.'"
"How long did your master spend cultivating that monster?"
Nie Wushang thought for a moment. "I remember that monster was refined by my master before we left the Extreme West. I was about sixty years old then. I also heard my master say to himself that he began cultivating that monster not long after arriving in the Extreme West. Calculating it, it would be at least two or three hundred years."
Mo Tiange did some mental calculations, then asked with confusion, "Given your master's personality, why didn't he go to Kunwu to kill and plunder? With his astonishing cultivation, raiding a few cultivators wouldn't have been a problem."
Nie Wushang shook her head. "You don't know the reason for this. My master's seclusion in the Extreme West was actually because his cultivation had gone awry. He had offended far too many people in Tianji and didn't dare set foot in Kunwu, so he could only use this method to recover his spiritual energy."
"So that's how it is..." Mo Tiange lowered her head in thought. "If this thing is the same as the one your master cultivated, then this City Lord Mei cultivates a technique similar to your master's. Your master spent centuries devouring mortals to achieve his cultivation. If City Lord Mei devours over a dozen Core Formation cultivators at once, would he complete it immediately?"
A grave expression appeared on Nie Wushang's face. After a long pause, she finally answered, "Perhaps." Mortals, even tens of thousands of them, were insignificant compared to cultivators, let alone Core Formation cultivators, each possessing powerful Spiritual Qi or Demonic Qi. This possibility was too great.
Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "Then we can roughly deduce what's happening. This City Lord Mei somehow obtained a technique similar to your master's. Given his mindset of being trapped at the early Nascent Soul stage for centuries, he's impatient to cultivate this technique. So he lured passing Core Formation cultivators in Starfall City together, fabricated some reasons to guide us into his trap, and is feeding us to that monster to help him instantly perfect his demonic arts and advance to become a top-tier cultivator." As for the demonic crystals, they might serve the same purpose as the environment here that prevents spiritual energy recovery—because the monster is still too weak, these methods are needed to deplete the strength of these Core Formation cultivators so they can be devoured more quickly.
"Correct..." Nie Wushang murmured to herself. She was too familiar with this thing—familiar enough to remind her of past nightmares.
Origin Demonic Qi. She still hadn't expelled the Origin Demonic Qi from her body, and now she had to face this thing again?
Both fell silent. Mo Tiange had more on her mind. There were things she knew that Nie Wushang didn't, and combined with what Nie Wushang had told her, she had a larger conjecture.
Nie Wushang said Venerable Songfeng's demonic arts came from a technique on a stone stele, that the Origin Demonic Qi he cultivated was far stronger than ordinary Demonic Qi, somewhat similar to Death Qi. How similar was this situation to the Ren Yufeng incident she encountered?
Ren Yufeng was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator who obtained a stone stele from the Divine Dragon Sacrificial Temple, comprehended a set of techniques from it, cultivated Death Qi, and became a Core Formation cultivator in one leap.
And Venerable Songfeng was once just a minor cultivator who, through an opportunity, obtained a technique on a stone stele from a secret location. After contemplating it for a century, he comprehended the Origin Demon Great Art and became the top late Nascent Soul cultivator dominating Tianji today.
If there was a difference, it was that Ren Yufeng cultivated Death Qi, while Venerable Songfeng cultivated the higher-tier Origin Demonic Qi.
This wasn't hard to explain. First, Venerable Songfeng contemplated far longer than Ren Yufeng, so his comprehension was clearer and more thorough. Second, judging by Venerable Songfeng's actions, though he was extremely evil, his comprehension in cultivation wasn't low, so what he comprehended was closer to the essence than Ren Yufeng's.
As for this City Lord Mei, since he went to such lengths to set up this scheme and was so impatient, it could be inferred he hadn't obtained this technique for long. With his Nascent Soul cultivation, of course he could easily comprehend the true secret method.
Thus, there existed three similar techniques, two of which came from stone steles. Coupled with Feifei mentioning that there was an Xuanwu Sacrificial Temple in the Carefree Valley, and this place was precisely the mountain range where the Carefree Valley was located...
Of these three examples, the Ren Yufeng incident was clearest: Divine Dragon Sacrificial Temple, obtaining a stone stele from it, cultivating Death Qi. In Venerable Songfeng's incident, the stone stele was certain, but as for the sacrificial temple, presumably Nie Wushang didn't know either. City Lord Mei could be inferred to have the Xuanwu Sacrificial Temple; whether he obtained a stone stele was unknown. But it could be reasoned: the other two obtained secret methods from stone steles, so City Lord Mei should have too. And since City Lord Mei and Ren Yufeng both reached sacrificial temples and obtained stone steles from them, then even if the secret location Venerable Songfeng went to wasn't a temple, the stone stele should have originally come from some sacrificial temple.
Three ancient sacrificial temples, three stone steles, techniques that were demonic yet not demonic. This matter... was not simple.
Mo Tiange thought for a long time before finally sighing and asking, "Actually, you have a way to deal with this, don't you?"
After a while, Nie Wushang softly exhaled, revealing a faint, complex smile. "Correct."
"But this method... has a significant impact on you?"
Nie Wushang gave a bitter laugh, meeting her eyes frankly as she spoke four words: "Earth-shattering."
The two fell silent again for a moment before she continued slowly, "Though I stole that treasure from the Tianyan Sect to temporarily suppress the Origin Demonic Qi within my body, the Origin Demonic Qi has already taken deep root in my meridians and cannot be erased without special methods. Since that's the case, why would I fear this thing? The Origin Demonic Qi within me is of a higher grade than that monster's energy..."
Mo Tiange knew that Spiritual and Demonic Qi had grades, but she didn't know how to analyze Nie Wushang's situation. Attack using Origin Demonic Qi? This... since they were of the same origin, it didn't seem easy, right? What other method could there be?
Suddenly, inspiration flashed in her mind. Her eyes widened. "Your method... could it be to absorb that thing?"
Nie Wushang looked at her deeply before silently nodding.
Seeing her confirmation, Mo Tiange felt agitated and said urgently, "Then wouldn't all your previous efforts be wasted?" Before this, Nie Wushang had just told her she wanted to become a true cultivator. But if this happened...
"It's nothing serious," Nie Wushang said calmly. "Of course I don't want to do this, but if truly forced, what does it matter if I become a true demonic cultivator? Immortal or demon—it's just a thought. I'm not seeking ascension; I'll know it myself."
"..." Mo Tiange was silent for a long while before sighing. "With such a state of mind, I need say no more." Many cultivators didn't value mental cultivation, but only when advancing did they realize how important this barrier was. That Nie Wushang could say such words showed she understood her own path perfectly clearly.
"Fellow Daoist Mo." Nie Wushang suddenly turned and called out.
"Hmm?"
"I have a request of you." Nie Wushang looked at her seriously. "If I truly do this, please take me safely away from here."
Mo Tiange was startled, looking at her deeply. "You believe I can take you away safely?"
Nie Wushang smiled slightly but said, "Like you originally said—knock me unconscious, use your secret technique... I've said before, it's not the first time I've entrusted my life to you. As for whether we can escape alive, that can only depend on our luck."
"..." Mo Tiange felt she'd been hit at her weak point. She wasn't afraid of making enemies with others and was accustomed to suspecting others of ill intent, but Nie Wushang's clear, unambiguous trust left her unable to say anything.
She gave a bitter laugh. This Nie Wushang... had simply figured out her personality, hadn't she?