As cultivators, they cared little for formalities of hosting guests. The three of them entered the cave and casually chose spots to sit.
Before entering, Mo Tiange swiftly scanned the interior, finding no restrictive formations. She turned her head and saw Yang Chengji still looking dazed and distracted. Forget Qin Xi and Jing Xingzhi—even she could casually eliminate him in his current state. She felt she might be being overly cautious.
But caution never hurt, especially given how bizarre this situation was. She truly couldn't be certain if this Yang Chengji was the real Yang Chengji.
After a moment's consideration, she spoke: "Fellow Daoist Yang, what exactly happened? Your master is..."
Yang Chengji toyed with the Heavenly Demon Tower in his hand, his gaze empty, not looking at them. "As you all can see, my late master has perished."
This fact was right before their eyes; they didn't need to be told. But the details behind it were clearly not simple.
After a moment of silence, Yang Chengji looked up and actually smiled. "Fellow Daoist Qin... oh, no, I forgot. Qin Wei wasn't your real name. I should call you Fellow Daoist Mo now." His gaze lightly swept over Qin Xi and Jing Xingzhi, showing neither wariness nor reverence. "You suspect my master didn't truly perish, don't you?"
They hadn't expected Yang Chengji to state it so bluntly. All three paused briefly before Mo Tiange replied, "If Fellow Daoist Yang doesn't mind..."
Yang Chengji lowered his head again, looking at the Heavenly Demon Tower as he spoke to himself. "You needn't worry. My master truly is dead. And... he was eliminated by me. There's no one here who can threaten you."
"..." Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a glance, feeling something was off. Eliminated by him? He was only at the mid-Core Formation stage, while Demon Lord Guifang had been at the late-Nascent Soul stage. How could he possibly eliminate him? Unless...
Yang Chengji's gaze swept over them again, revealing a somewhat bleak smile. "It seems you've all guessed some of it. Correct. My master intended to possess me, but he ended up trapped by the Origin Demonic Qi. In the end, his divine sense was destroyed by mine."
In that short statement, his expression shifted from sorrow to resolve, then finally to calm—a calm that carried a chilling coldness that made one's spine tingle.
Whether cultivating immortality or demonic arts, killing or being killed wasn't particularly unusual. Walking this path, even the cleanest hands were stained with blood. Even between master and disciple, mutual exploitation and scheming were common; genuine master-disciple affection was rare.
Yet Mo Tiange knew that Demon Lord Guifang had regarded Yang Chengji as his true heir, protecting and caring for him throughout their journey—it could be said their bond was like father and son. To think it would come to this...
"Little Fellow Daoist," Jing Xingzhi spoke coldly. "Your master was at the late-Nascent Soul stage. The power of a Nascent Soul is something even us early and mid-stage cultivators can't compare to. How could you possibly eliminate him?"
Jing Xingzhi was never one to sympathize with others. Even with Yang Chengji's emotional state, his question remained sharp.
Yang Chengji gave a bitter laugh but had to answer. With two Nascent Soul cultivators present and him merely a Core Formation cultivator, if he didn't provide a reasonable explanation, they could eliminate him with a casual gesture.
He said calmly, "This senior may not know, but the Demon Sovereign Tianyao sealed a portion of Origin Demonic Qi within the Heavenly Demon Tower. When I claimed ownership of the tower, I refined this Origin Demonic Qi for my own use. After entering the Underground Palace, my late master wanted to take this stele, but he triggered the restrictive formations here. He had no choice but to set up an array to slow the demonic energy, then absorb it. Unfortunately, he underestimated the power of the Origin Demonic Qi. Seeing his body couldn't withstand it while I remained unaffected, at the final moment... he attempted possession."
He paused here, not continuing immediately.
Mo Tiange mostly understood. Since he knew of the Origin Demon Stele's existence, Demon Lord Guifang's plan had been to enter the Underground Palace, seize the stele, and use it to advance directly to the God Transformation stage. He hadn't initially intended possession. When the sudden change occurred, he merely wanted to claim the Origin Demonic Qi for himself. But when true danger arrived, to save his own life, he still struck at his disciple.
From a human perspective, it was a natural reaction. His previous care for Yang Chengji might not have been false—his limited lifespan was a fact, and with Guifang City to consider, he needed to find a successor. Yang Chengji was the heir he had chosen himself. But in a crisis, facing imminent death, as long as there was a sliver of hope, he would try to grasp it. Even if he only had a little over a century of lifespan left after possession, making it impossible to advance to God Transformation in that time, the fear of death made him unable to consider such things. Living out that century would still be better.
No wonder they had seen Demon Lord Guifang's corpse maintaining the posture of upholding the cave entrance's restriction. He had been resisting the surging Origin Demonic Qi until, ultimately unable to hold on, his Nascent Soul left his body to possess Yang Chengji.
"Under normal circumstances, I would have been utterly unable to resist. But the Origin Demonic Qi was too powerful. His demonic Nascent Soul was slowly corroded, its power gradually weakening. Because I had refined the Heavenly Demon Tower, the Origin Demonic Qi didn't reject me. In the end, his divine sense was destroyed by mine..."
Yang Chengji looked at them. "Do you two seniors have any other questions?"
He hadn't explained in great detail, but the general sequence was clear. The specifics likely involved master-disciple secrets he couldn't elaborate on. Normally, a mid-Core Formation cultivator using divine sense to destroy a late-Nascent Soul grand cultivator's Nascent Soul was inconceivable. But exceptions existed for everything. All three had experienced the terror of the Origin Demonic Qi. If Demon Lord Guifang's demonic Nascent Soul was truly trapped and corroded by it, being devoured wasn't impossible.
Mo Tiange looked at the other two. After a moment's thought, Qin Xi gave a slight nod. Jing Xingzhi showed no particular reaction.
Seeing their responses, Mo Tiange had an idea. She asked, "Then, Fellow Daoist Yang, what are your plans now?"
"What plans can I have?" Yang Chengji's expression was already calm as he sighed. "Naturally, to survive."
He looked up at the three of them. "Fellow Daoist Mo, you said the Immortal Palace passage has closed. I assume we're all trapped within the Immortal Palace?"
"Correct." There was no point hiding this. "The Immortal Palace passage closed over half a year ago. None of us can leave."
Yang Chengji gave a slight nod, then asked, "Judging by your demeanor, you seem to have some plans? I wonder what I can do?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange gave Yang Chengji a meaningful look. From previous interactions, she could tell Yang Chengji rarely socialized and lacked steadiness in dealing with people. But this statement revealed he was actually quick-witted and quite intelligent.
Among the three of them, there were two Nascent Soul cultivators. Although Yang Chengji had absorbed Origin Demonic Qi, he was only at the Core Formation stage—he couldn't possibly achieve equal standing before them. This statement naturally placed himself alongside them, not only pointing out their shared predicament but also expressing willingness to advance and retreat together.
It seemed his initial act of opening the restriction without any defense wasn't due to excessive grief but an expression of attitude.
"With your current cultivation, it's too early to say such things," Jing Xingzhi said bluntly, without courtesy. "Since you've obtained the Origin Demon Great Art, I assume you have a chance to form your Nascent Soul?"
"You know about the Origin Demon Great Art?" After a moment of surprise, Yang Chengji returned to normal. "Right. Fellow Daoist Mo received Senior Fuyaozi's legacy; it's not strange she knows of the Origin Demon Great Art." He paused, then answered, "Correct. This demonic art is extraordinary. Barring accidents, forming my Nascent Soul is inevitable."
"How much time do you need?"
"This..." Yang Chengji pondered briefly. "At least twenty or thirty years."
"So fast?" Jing Xingzhi found it hard to believe. He was only at mid-Core Formation now. Even if this opportunity propelled him to late stage, taking only twenty or thirty years to reach Core Formation perfection and successfully form his Nascent Soul was incredibly fast. Never mind other aspects—just seclusion for Nascent Soul formation typically took at least three to five years for ordinary people, sometimes several decades.
Yang Chengji smiled slightly. "Senior isn't very familiar with demonic cultivators, are you? We demonic cultivators aren't like you Dao cultivators. We have few bottlenecks and don't need to worry about unstable foundations. So, if we cultivate with full effort, advancing is very fast. Of course, the downside is we're prone to qi deviation, and our divine abilities might not keep pace. But with the Heavenly Demon Tower in hand and this profoundly mysterious Origin Demon Great Art, advancing to Nascent Soul shouldn't be a problem."
Mo Tiange privately considered that Nie Wushang had also refined Origin Demonic Qi but still hadn't succeeded after decades. However, her situation differed from Yang Chengji's. Yang Chengji was originally a demonic cultivator who had refined part of the Origin Demonic Qi from the start, while Nie Wushang was a martial cultivator, also of the Dao path, with demonic and spiritual energies entangled within her. Trying to refine Origin Demonic Qi and convert to demonic cultivation was exceptionally troublesome.
Thus, Yang Chengji's words were quite credible.
Yang Chengji's gaze fell on Mo Tiange again. "Fellow Daoist Mo, so you truly have a way out? If I form my Nascent Soul, will I qualify to be your companion?"
Mo Tiange paused, not answering directly. "Is this Fellow Daoist Yang's choice, then?"
"What else can I do?" Yang Chengji gave another bitter smile. "My master is dead. The Immortal Palace passage is closed. Alone, even with greatly increased cultivation, what can I accomplish? No matter how high my cultivation or how many treasures I obtain, they only matter if I can leave."
His frankness made Mo Tiange feel further probing was unnecessary. Seeing Qin Xi and Jing Xingzhi had no objections, she said, "Very well. Since Fellow Daoist Yang is so straightforward, we'll speak plainly. There is a way out, but it's too early to discuss it now. At the very least, both you and I need to advance to Nascent Soul. Otherwise, it's just empty talk."
Yang Chengji had already prepared for this point. He nodded. "I understand. From now on, I will enter seclusion here until I advance to Nascent Soul."
Hearing his declaration, Mo Tiange secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had preliminarily studied the Mysterious Void Cloud Array—it required at least five mediums. There were only four living people in the Immortal Palace total; they'd need to find another solution for the fifth. If Yang Chengji didn't cooperate with them, it would be even more troublesome. Now, with Yang Chengji voluntarily becoming their companion, one problem was solved.