Hold On, remember that Wen Jingzhi used to be a polite, warm-hearted young man.
But the burden of his family’s blood feud, combined with the fact that Shu Xin was a born lady-killer who understood nothing about a young man’s feelings, had forcibly turned a boy who should have been consumed by grief and hatred into a clear-minded madman—one who acted ruthlessly, yet knew how to restrain himself.
What ordinary person could change his name and identity and infiltrate his enemy’s sect for over a century?
Who could remain true to his original purpose under the overwhelming wealth and power of the Longevity Dao Sect, stubbornly giving up everything just to pursue revenge?
Some things simply could not bear close examination.
Because Wen Jingzhi had always acted like a normal person in front of Shu Xin, people tended to forget that he was a demonic cultivator—and one who had been oppressed by hatred for years.
Just like now. In order to make Shu Xin’s plan more complete, he exposed himself without the slightest hesitation.
The reason was simple.
He needed the Blood Demon Ancestor to join the battle between Wuweizi and Patriarch Yuanzhou.
Shu Xin’s plan was a good one, but there were too many variables. It might not truly drive Wuweizi and Patriarch Yuanzhou into a fight to the death.
But adding the Blood Demon Ancestor to the equation would change everything.
Everyone knew that the Blood Demon Ancestor was a troublemaker who loved nothing more than watching the world descend into chaos. Once he intervened, matters would begin to spiral out of control.
And only after the situation became uncontrollable would Shu Xin have a chance to fish in troubled waters.
After Wen Jingzhi finished speaking, the Blood Demon Ancestor’s gaze turned considerably more dangerous.
“The Chun Clan?!”
The Blood Demon Ancestor immediately realized what Wuweizi had done.
The Chun Clan should have gone extinct long ago.
The spiritual energy of this cultivation world had long since become incapable of nurturing such a long-lived demon race.
Yet Wen Jingzhi claimed to be a descendant of the Chun Clan?
“Even if the Chun Clan had descendants, every one of them would possess a wood spiritual root.” The Blood Demon Ancestor’s expression darkened. “You are clearly not a wood-spiritual-root cultivator. Do you know what becomes of those who deceive me?”
“Because I’m not truly a member of the Wen family. I was only adopted.” Wen Jingzhi did not shy away from the truth. “The only true member of the Wen family is Wen Jingshu. Using a bloodline forbidden technique, she refined the bloodlines of every villager in Wen Family Town into a single pill. It contains the essence blood of the Chun Clan—enough to prolong the lives of even Earthly Immortals.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor eyed Wen Jingzhi suspiciously, as though trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.
If it was true, then Wen Jingzhi’s confession offered him no benefit whatsoever. After all, Wen Jingzhi was already a figure on the list of every Earthly Immortal on the continent. To reveal at such a time that he was connected to the Chun Clan was nothing short of inviting disaster.
But if it was false, the Blood Demon Ancestor could not understand the point of telling such a lie.
Could it be that he wanted to make all the Earthly Immortals turn against one another?
The Blood Demon Ancestor was, at heart, still a cultivator of this world. In his mind, it was perfectly natural for weaker cultivators to submit automatically to those above them. As he saw it, Earthly Immortals ought to stand high above the masses; otherwise, how could they justify everything they had endured to reach their current heights?
It was like how humans could not imagine being schemed to death by a few ants. In the same way, the Blood Demon Ancestor could not imagine that these lowly cultivators would try to plot against lofty Earthly Immortals such as themselves.
“So you’re saying that the reason Wuweizi was able to extend his life and break through the limits of his lifespan was because he consumed the pill refined from the essence blood of the people of your Wen Family Town?” the Blood Demon Ancestor continued questioning him.
“Yes, but not entirely.” Wen Jingzhi shook his head. “At first, Wuweizi wanted the secret treasure of our clan. Our people had passed down the bloodline for countless generations, and by then it had already become so thin that it could practically be ignored. Even if all my clansmen had been refined into pills, the effect on Earthly Immortals would have lasted only a few decades. It hardly seemed worth going to such lengths.
“What Wuweizi truly wanted was our clan’s secret treasure. But I was adopted, so even now I have no idea what that secret treasure actually is.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor fell into thought.
He had heard a few rumors about the Chun Clan’s secret treasure. But thousands upon thousands of years had passed since ancient times, and most information had long since become distorted. The Chun Clan was a demon race whose descendants might not even still exist. Even if they truly possessed a secret treasure, who could guarantee that it would be useful to an Earthly Immortal?
Therefore, it was unlikely that any Earthly Immortal would actually act on such a vague and uncertain rumor.
But Wen Jingzhi spoke with such conviction. Moreover, there had indeed been a period when Wuweizi had seemed to be on the verge of death, only to suddenly continue living. It seemed likely that he really had found something.
“Then what exactly do you want by coming to me?” The Blood Demon Ancestor did not believe that the heavens simply handed out free pies.
“I received word that a descendant of the Wen Family Town still exists. He is still alive.” Wen Jingzhi spoke softly. “More than a century ago, Wuweizi slaughtered the entire town, yet failed to find the secret treasure. Perhaps the treasure is on that clansman of mine. He is in great danger. I lack the power to avenge my people, but I absolutely refuse to watch the last member of my clan die at the hands of the Longevity Dao Sect. And I certainly do not want our clan’s secret treasure to fall into Wuweizi’s hands.
“I want to make a deal with you, Ancestor,” Wen Jingzhi replied. “I will do my best to acknowledge my clansman and persuade him to hand the secret treasure over to you. In return, you must protect both me and my clansman, and help us rebuild Wen Family Town.”
“You refuse to seek the help of the other Earthly Immortals and have instead come begging to me?” The Blood Demon Ancestor looked as though he had just heard an amusing joke. “Does my face say ‘benevolent benefactor’? I could simply kill you and search your soul. I would learn everything I wanted all the same.”
“That isn’t your style, Ancestor.” Wen Jingzhi smiled. “You are the foremost giant among demonic cultivators, the very person all demonic cultivators beneath heaven look up to. If you wanted to kill me, you would not have wasted so many words on me. Besides, I am an Immaculate Realm cultivator, and I managed to escape from you once before. I have enough confidence to escape a second time—especially since only a clone of yours is here.”
No one disliked hearing praise, and the Blood Demon Ancestor was no exception.
Strangely enough, when others flattered him, the Blood Demon Ancestor found it cloying.
But when those words came from Wen Jingzhi, they sounded far more pleasing than when anyone else said them.
“Compared with those hypocrites, I would rather trust an honest villain.” Wen Jingzhi remained neither servile nor overbearing. “I was born in the Blood Demon Kingdom, so I possess an instinctive reverence for you, Ancestor. If you are willing, I am prepared to acknowledge you as my master and serve you until the end of your days. I ask only that my clan’s secret treasure not fall into Wuweizi’s hands, and that Wen Family Town be rebuilt.”
With that, Wen Jingzhi even reported the exact place and time of his birth, as well as which numbered sacrifice he had been.
The Blood Demon Sect had more or less recorded such information.
After all, in the Blood Demon Kingdom, the number of children born among the mortal population directly affected whether those mortals were fulfilling their duty as proper citizens of the Blood Demon Kingdom.
The Blood Demon Ancestor studied Wen Jingzhi for a long while, as though weighing whether his words were true.
After some time, an elder cautiously stepped forward and informed the Blood Demon Ancestor that they had indeed found some old records in a long-sealed corner. The records mentioned a certain place in the Blood Demon Kingdom, where someone named Wen Jingzhi had indeed existed. However, the information only stated things like how many sons had been born to the family of a certain sacrifice.
“No wonder I took such an instant liking to you. It turns out you were originally one of my Blood Demon Sect’s people.” The Blood Demon Ancestor suddenly burst into laughter. His entire demeanor became amiable, and he beamed at Wen Jingzhi. “Since you are one of my Blood Demon Sect’s people, you were born to be my disciple. Your affairs are now my affairs. Tell me more about Wen Family Town. If there is anything I can do to help you, I certainly won’t be stingy.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor was perfectly willing to do anything that would put him at odds with the Longevity Dao Sect.
Even if there could only be nine Earthly Immortals in this world, why should that fellow Wuweizi rank first while he himself had to settle for second?
The Dao rises while the demons decline? What nonsense!
It was nothing more than a case of being arrogant at first and obsequious afterward.
Wen Jingzhi, for his part, smoothly played the role of a disciple. He bowed respectfully to the Blood Demon Ancestor and said, “This disciple, Wen Jingzhi, pays respects to Master.”
“Hahahaha, excellent. From now on, you are my Founding Grand Disciple. I will certainly nurture you well. Since you have already reached the Wugou Realm, you can begin as the Young Sect Master. Once you have the opportunity to advance to the Mahayana Realm, this entire Blood Demon Sect will be yours. When that time comes, you can build as many Wen Family Towns as you like.”
While drawing up this grand vision, the Blood Demon Ancestor also directly bestowed Wen Jingzhi with unparalleled honor.
He swept the gathering with a sharp glance. Every other Blood Demon Sect cultivator present, including Yin Rushi, could only bow beneath the Blood Demon Ancestor’s oppressive aura and salute Wen Jingzhi in unison, shouting:
“Welcome, Young Sect Master!”
“Congratulations to the Ancestor on gaining such an outstanding disciple!”
Wave after wave of jubilant congratulations rang out like a landslide and a tsunami.
The spectacle was far grander and more soul-stirring than anything Wen Jingzhi had experienced at the Longevity Dao Sect.
The Blood Demon Ancestor was confident that no one could remain unmoved by such an overwhelming temptation.
Just look at how many Blood Demon Sect cultivators wore expressions of shock and envy.
Wen Jingzhi had appeared out of nowhere in the Blood Demon Sect, without any foundation or connections. He was bound to arouse the dissatisfaction of a large number of cultivators within the sect. When that happened, the only person Wen Jingzhi could rely on would be his master.
Whether it was the treasure of his clan or the strange cultivation technique within Wen Jingzhi, sooner or later, everything would become his.
The Blood Demon Ancestor was brimming with confidence and saw nothing wrong with his plans.
He had long grown accustomed to everything in this world developing according to his wishes. He was used to believing that the entire world revolved around him.
Wen Jingzhi stood with his hands behind his back. At first glance, he and the Blood Demon Ancestor truly looked like an affectionate master and disciple, enjoying perfect harmony.
Only Hold On, securely tucked into Wen Jingzhi’s hair, felt that there was nothing wrong with being unable to speak at the moment. Otherwise, it really might not have been able to resist making a sarcastic remark.
It had come to realize that many people in this world simply refused to learn their lesson.
Just as everyone believed Shu Xin was not all that powerful and constantly underestimated her, there were always people who thought they could control Wen Jingzhi.
Seriously, before taking him as a disciple, could they at least look at his track record?
Every one of his former masters had died.
And every single one of them had died at Wen Jingzhi’s hands.
Oh, right. Destroying one’s master and ancestors seemed to be a tradition among demonic cultivators, so perhaps there was nothing wrong with this after all.
What pot goes with what lid.
It wasn’t getting involved in this ridiculous mess!
