The moment the Blood Demon Ancestor’s avatar appeared, Shu Xin knew that he had to be here for the sword spirit.
Hadn’t all these Nascent Purity cultivators been forced to behave themselves? What was a Blood Spirit Pearl, capable only of restoring the foundation of a Nascent Purity cultivator, worth before an Ancestor like him?
Still, she had split the sword spirit in two, and it had not fully recovered recently. He should not have tracked it down so quickly.
Perhaps the Ancestor had merely sensed something. Otherwise, he could have simply seized her and taken the sword spirit; there would have been no need to go to such lengths.
Having thought it through, Shu Xin became much more composed.
The strength the Blood Demon Ancestor had displayed just now was far more than that of an ordinary external avatar.
It likely contained a portion of his true body’s power as well.
Under such circumstances, peace immediately descended upon the scene. The dispute vanished, and everyone became unfailingly cordial.
Cultivators had always been like this.
Only when someone else possessed absolute power did they come to love peace.
“Disciple Cui Yuhua greets the Ancestor.” Upon seeing him, Cui Yuhua no longer displayed even a trace of her former arrogance. She was as meek as a house cat.
Xi Fu was even more obedient, quietly following behind Cui Yuhua without daring to make a sound.
A man’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow. When facing a demonic cultivator who had reached the realm of an earthly immortal, it was best not to gamble on which of you was truly Heaven’s chosen one.
As for cultivators like White Crane Dao Lord, they swiftly returned to Qu Yougu’s side. “Disciple, are you all right?”
“Master, Martial Uncle, I’m fine.” Qu Yougu was deeply grateful. “I never expected that I would have to trouble Master and Martial Uncle to come such a great distance to save me.”
“It is only right.” White Crane Dao Lord glanced at the Blood Demon Ancestor, not daring to sound too certain.
Whether they could safely take Qu Yougu away was still uncertain.
Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu also landed beside Situ Jian at almost the same time.
“I am Fu Ge, your Eighth Martial Uncle.” The tall, jade-like young man landed to Situ Jian’s left and introduced himself.
“Wen Jingshu.” The cool and aloof female cultivator landed to Situ Jian’s right.
Situ Jian lowered his eyes slightly, suppressing every trace of emotion. “This disciple, Situ Jian, greets the two Martial Uncles.”
Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu both looked, without prior agreement, at the Blood Spirit Pearl Situ Jian had seized. Yet now that the Blood Demon Ancestor had arrived, neither of them dared make a move.
Just moments ago, a single cold snort from the Blood Demon Ancestor had rendered all of them incapable of moving.
With such power before them, even if they obtained the Blood Spirit Pearl, who could possibly keep it?
The cultivators of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect were even more despairing.
They had thought that the cultivators from the Longevity Dao Sect and the Myriad Dao Sect would be bad enough. Who could have expected the Blood Demon Ancestor of the Blood Demon Sect to appear as well? Was their sect destined to suffer this calamity?
“May I ask what business brings the Ancestor here?” Xu Guan likewise landed beside Shu Xin. He swept a glance over the cultivators present and found that his cultivation was the highest, so he had no choice but to step forward and ask.
“Have any of you heard of the Immortal-Slaying Sword?” The Blood Demon Ancestor swept his gaze across the crowd, his tone still gentle as he asked.
The Immortal-Slaying Sword?
Shu Xin froze for a moment, recalling the words engraved upon the blade when the immortal sword had become whole.
So this was what it was called in the outside world?
"Ancestor, that's only a legend." Xu Guan had never expected to hear that name from the Blood Demon Ancestor. For a moment, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Could these Landbound Immortals not do something useful for once?
"Master, what is the Immortal-Slaying Sword?" Qu Yougu asked curiously.
Though Situ Jian had his suspicions, he wore the same puzzled expression as Shu Xin.
"It is a calamity for every Landbound Immortal." The Blood Demon Ancestor smiled. "Legend has it that whenever an age of great contention begins, it may awaken. And each time it does, countless Landbound Immortals are destined to die. When I recently emerged from seclusion, I happened to sense a certain danger drawing near. After careful divination, I discovered that the Immortal-Slaying Sword might be about to appear. Thus, I divided myself into countless incarnations and searched everywhere for traces of it. This place is merely one of the locations where I have arrived."
"Rest assured, I came here simply because I think highly of you." The Blood Demon Ancestor laughed. "The master chosen by the Immortal-Slaying Sword can only be an exceptional genius capable of killing a Landbound Sword Immortal. Your fortunes are abundant, and your futures limitless. That is what drew me here."
At those words, everyone's expressions immediately improved.
The Blood Demon Ancestor might be a fiend, but as a Landbound Immortal, such praise from him was already a rare acknowledgement.
If they survived, they would have something to boast about for years to come.
Having said that, the Blood Demon Ancestor was the first to flash before Xu Guan.
Xu Guan remained still as a mountain, possessing the composure to face the collapse of Mount Tai without changing expression. He merely watched the Blood Demon Ancestor's movements in silence.
"You cultivate the Ninety-Nine Tempering Scripture of your Asking God Sect?" With a single glance at Xu Guan, the Blood Demon Ancestor could see the state of his cultivation. "For a cultivator in the Immaculate Realm, your foundation is almost entirely without flaw. Had you lived in my era, you might already have entered the Mahayana Realm. Of everything in your Asking God Sect, this technique alone is worthy of praise."
"That is correct," Xu Guan replied.
"Take out your natal artifact and let me see it," the Blood Demon Ancestor ordered directly.
One had to bow one's head under another's roof.
Clearly, the Blood Demon Ancestor could not determine whether any of them truly possessed the Immortal-Slaying Sword. Yet so many of the present age's outstanding talents had gathered at the Thoughtless Mountain Manor this time that he had appeared here.
Xu Guan had no choice but to produce his natal artifact. Shu Xin also looked over curiously.
To her surprise, what Xu Guan took out was a scroll painting.
Shu Xin dearly wanted to see what was inside the scroll, but Xu Guan had already concealed it with the broad sleeve of his robe, refusing to let her look.
Really, how stingy.
"Then it is not you." The Blood Demon Ancestor's voice was utterly calm. "What a pity. Among these people, your cultivation is the highest. I had thought you might earn the favor of the Immortal-Slaying Sword."
"I have disappointed you, Ancestor. Our Asking God Sect has never been known for the sword arts. It is only natural that I would not receive its favor." Xu Guan had already put the scroll away.
The Blood Demon Ancestor gave a soft laugh and, in the blink of an eye, appeared before the White Crane Dao Lord.
Clearly, he intended to eliminate the cultivators of the Immaculate Realm first before examining the others.
Shu Xin felt her heart leap into her throat.
Ah, could you just put us out of our misery already?
After all, when you're about to sit an exam, the waiting beforehand is the worst part.
"Your foundation is damaged and has yet to be repaired. And you're no longer young," the Blood Demon Ancestor said, casting White Crane Dao Lord a glance.
White Crane Dao Lord's face flushed crimson, and for a moment, he could not say a word.
"As for you, your foundation is unstable. Reaching the Great Ascension Realm is beyond you." The Blood Demon Ancestor then turned to the Immaculate Realm cultivator who had arrived alongside White Crane Dao Lord.
"You two, bring out your bonded artifacts." Though neither of them seemed to have much potential, the Blood Demon Ancestor adhered to the principle of being thorough since he was already here, and intended to inspect them anyway.
White Crane Dao Lord obediently produced his bonded artifact.
The Ancestor before them was merely an avatar. As long as they did as he said, he would not rashly kill anyone. But testing the limits of his patience would be no different from courting death.
The sect would not pick a fight with an earthly immortal over a mere Immaculate Realm cultivator.
"Ordinary," the Blood Demon Ancestor declared without the slightest courtesy.
Then he looked toward Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu, who stood beside Situ Jian.
The two instinctively brought out their bonded artifacts as well, not forgetting to introduce themselves. "Greetings, Ancestor. Our master is..."
"Wuweizi's disciples." Without even glancing at their bonded artifacts, the Blood Demon Ancestor said indifferently, "Those whose cultivation was forcefully raised through empowerment could never be chosen by the Immortal-Slaying Sword."
An immortal sword possessed a spirit. It would never look favorably upon two cultivators who had been forcibly ripened through an earthly immortal's boundless power.
Such cultivators would remain nothing more than an earthly immortal's puppets for the rest of their lives. Their realms were unstable, their path forward severed, and in a crisis, they could even serve as an earthly immortal's spare vessels. They were utterly worthless.
All color drained from Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu's faces. Yet seeing how composed they remained, they had likely known this all along.
Only after the Blood Demon Ancestor had examined every bonded artifact belonging to the Immaculate Realm cultivators present did he turn his attention to those of the Grotto-Heaven Realm.
"All Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivators, reveal your bonded artifacts. Do not make me repeat myself," the Blood Demon Ancestor said flatly.
Shu Xin had no choice but to bring out both "Wait" and "Hold On."
After being severed from their connection to the sword spirit, the two blades seemed to lose much of their former vitality.
Situ Jian, Qu Yougu, and the others likewise revealed their bonded artifacts.
Even Cui Yuhua did not dare gamble on the Ancestor's mood, and obediently brought out her artifact.
The Blood Demon Ancestor's gaze lingered particularly on the cultivators who wielded swords.
The most conspicuous among them was, naturally, the sword in Qu Yougu's hand.
Spiritual energy overflowed from it; even in the hands of an Immaculate Realm cultivator, it would not have seemed out of place.
Qu Yougu's bonded sword was taken into the Blood Demon Ancestor's hand.
His master, White Crane Dao Lord, gripped his sleeve tightly, leaving him no room to make the slightest move.
"Ancestor, this spirit sword came from the Sword Tomb of our Myriad Dao Sect. It is most certainly not the Immortal-Slaying Sword," White Crane Dao Lord said with a placating smile.
"I know." The Blood Demon Ancestor flicked the blade with one finger, and Qu Yougu immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
"The sword intent is passable. Your Myriad Dao Sect has produced a promising one in this generation." Bored, the Blood Demon Ancestor tossed the sword back to Qu Yougu without another word.
Qu Yougu clutched his sword, not daring to resist.
“You... are rather strange.” The Blood Demon Ancestor came before Situ Jian. When he saw that Situ Jian had taken out a compass marked with the two poles of yin and yang, he realized that it was also his refined natal treasure.
Yet compared to the treasure itself, he was even more curious about Situ Jian.
He had the distinct feeling that there was something wrong with this cultivator. But he had not come in person, and Wuweizi, that old immortal, had cultivated farther than he had in the Earthly Immortal realm. For all he knew, this could be another one of his new experiments. It was best not to say too much.
“Would you be interested in joining my Blood Demon Sect?” the Blood Demon Ancestor asked suddenly after giving Situ Jian another look.
Cui Yuhua and Xi Fu widened their eyes.
They were a little worried that Situ Jian might actually agree.
He might be a demonic cultivator, but he was still an Earthly Immortal!
“You flatter me, Ancestor. I am a disciple of Gong Changshou of the Longevity Dao Sect.” Situ Jian had a vague idea of what was going on, and was also somewhat relieved that the Blood Demon Ancestor had come in the form of an avatar. Otherwise, even if the other man could not see through his Heaven-Stealing and Sun-Swapping technique, he might still discover that Situ Jian also cultivated demonic arts.
“How boring.” The Blood Demon Ancestor sneered. “Then forget it.”
There were countless talented people in the world who wanted to become his disciples. The only reason he had asked Situ Jian was that he sensed something unusual about him and wanted to take him back for a closer study.
After all, with a master-disciple relationship as justification, he could take someone away openly and legitimately.
Otherwise, that old Wuweizi would probably come looking for trouble.
The Blood Demon Ancestor glanced at Xie Xianzhi’s natal treasure again. “People are still using such an ancient method to cultivate these days?”
Xie Xianzhi did not dare argue.
“It seems the Age of Great Strife really is about to begin. The quality of your generation of cultivators is the best there has been in the past thousand years.” The Blood Demon Ancestor spoke with amused interest. “No wonder I was able to sense that the Slaying Immortal Sword is about to appear.”
“Ancestor, there’s another sword cultivator over there.” Cui Yuhua looked toward Shu Xin, who had been quietly standing beside Xu Guan. Afraid that the Ancestor might overlook her, he immediately pointed her out.
The Blood Demon Ancestor glanced at Cui Yuhua, and his right arm instantly dissolved into a cloud of blood mist.
Cui Yuhua dropped to his knees. He did not even dare look at his injury.
“When this one acts, when did it become your place to meddle?” the Blood Demon Ancestor asked.
Cui Yuhua did not dare explain himself. He could only beg for mercy over and over.
“Ancestor, these are my natal swords. Please inspect them.” Shu Xin was already wishing she could kill Cui Yuhua. That man was clearly taking revenge and had deliberately tried to harm her.
But at a time like this, remaining silent would only make it easier for the Blood Demon Ancestor to take notice of her.
Fortune favored the bold. She had to take the chance!
Shu Xin stepped forward of her own accord and offered up both her swords.
If the Blood Demon Ancestor denied having any interest in them, then in the future, far fewer people would scrutinize her while she traveled through the cultivation world.
Was that not a form of protection in itself?
Shu Xin had always been bold, and she was the sort of person who dared to think and act. She stepped forward to present her treasures, and Xu Guan could not stop her.
“You already have two swords. Before the Slaying Immortal Sword, all spirit swords will automatically be reduced in rank. It is absolutely impossible for it to choose a master together with another spirit sword.” This was also why the Blood Demon Ancestor had not even bothered to look at Shu Xin’s swords.
Could it be that the mighty Immortal-Slaying Sword would actually serve the same master as some sword that had appeared out of nowhere?
Not even an Earthly Immortal would dare indulge in such a fanciful delusion!
Naturally, the Blood Demon Ancestor could never have imagined that someone in this world had split the Immortal-Slaying Sword in two, willingly discarding such an unparalleled supreme treasure and reducing it to the appearance of an utterly ordinary spirit sword sold in a shop.
“This...” An awkward look appeared on Shu Xin’s face. “But this junior’s sword is rather good as well.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor found this somewhat amusing. Glancing again at Xu Guan, whose face was nearly ashen, he found himself unexpectedly intrigued.
“You are not afraid of me?”
“I am afraid, but being afraid is useless.” Shu Xin answered honestly. “Before you, Ancestor, even my master would not dare move. I am merely a junior—how could I possibly dare act presumptuously? But since you did not strike at us the moment you arrived, I assume you do not intend to take our lives.”
This time, the Blood Demon Ancestor was genuinely surprised.
Ever since he arrived, none of the cultivators had dared speak loudly. Yet this female cultivator before him was worldly and tactful without being unpleasant.
That was rare indeed.
“You do not resemble a sword cultivator,” the Blood Demon Ancestor remarked. “Sword cultivators value pressing ever onward, their resolve unwavering. Once they set their sights on a goal, they never turn back. You are entirely unlike ordinary sword cultivators—so how did you manage to refine two spirit swords?”
Shu Xin’s heart tightened, but the smile on her face only widened.
“Perhaps my talent is simply unparalleled?” Shu Xin replied shamelessly.
“Hahahaha.” The Blood Demon Ancestor truly laughed.
There were not many who dared to praise themselves so openly in his presence.
This female cultivator was not at all like a sword immortal. Her personality was cunning and smooth, not only unlike the type of master the Immortal-Slaying Sword would choose, but precisely the sort of person it would most wish to destroy.
In other words, Shu Xin was actually the safest among them.
“Shut up,” Xu Guan said, feeling humiliated.
“How dull.” The Blood Demon Ancestor lifted his head and looked at the sky. “Very well. Let this matter end here. That disciple—what was your name again?”
Seeing that the Ancestor was addressing her, Cui Yuhua immediately answered, “This disciple is Cui Yuhua.”
“You need the Blood Spirit Pearl?”
“Yes.” Cui Yuhua gritted her teeth and answered firmly.
“I cannot make this trip for nothing, or would the Blood Demon Sect not become a laughingstock?” With a slight curl of his finger, the Blood Spirit Pearl, which Situ Jian had been clutching tightly in his hand, vanished in the next instant and appeared in the Blood Demon Ancestor’s palm.
Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu could only watch, not daring to make the slightest attempt to seize it.
“This Blood Spirit Pearl is still somewhat lacking in spiritual energy.” The Blood Demon Ancestor held the pearl between his fingers and gently exerted force.
The Blood Spirit Pearl suddenly erupted with an immensely powerful radiance.
For a moment, the Dongtian Realm elders of the Mystic Spirit Dao Sect screamed one after another. Before Pei Qiyun’s stunned eyes, they were reduced directly to skeletons.
Every last trace of their cultivation and vital blood essence had been drained away by the Blood Spirit Pearl.
Yet the other cultivators present showed no reaction at all.
“This seat is a demonic cultivator. Demonic cultivators have always bullied the weak and feared the strong. Of everyone here, the disciples of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect are the easiest to bully.” The Blood Demon Ancestor casually tossed the newly refined Blood Spirit Pearl to Cui Yuhua. “The Profound Spirit Dao Sect is on the verge of decline. Cui Yuhua, when the time comes, I want you to lead a team of Blood Demon Sect disciples there and claim a share of the spoils. Can you do it?”
Overjoyed, Cui Yuhua immediately agreed. “This disciple will certainly not disappoint you, Ancestor.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor gave a low grunt. After taking only a few steps, his manifestation dispersed into the heavens and earth.
Cui Yuhua and Xi Fu were swept away with him, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Yet Shu Xin did not dare take the risk. She still did not restore her connection with the sword spirit.
With the Blood Demon Ancestor’s pressure gone, the cultivators present were finally able to breathe more easily.
“That scared me to death.” Xie Xianzhi let out a sigh of relief and hurried down to check on her senior brothers and sisters.
They had already been injured. When the Blood Demon Ancestor spoke for the first time, they had been completely knocked unconscious, which had ironically saved their lives.
However, their cultivation had not merely failed to advance; it had regressed, falling all the way to the Nascent Soul stage.
Still, surviving was no small blessing.
Pei Qiyun sat on the ground, looking somewhat dazed.
Unable to bear watching her like that, Shu Xin flew over and pulled her to her feet.
“Are you going back to the Profound Spirit Dao Sect? Things will likely be difficult for you from here on out,” Shu Xin said, looking at her. “The best course would be to take this chance and leave. There is no one left in the Profound Spirit Dao Sect who can stop you from going.”
“I was born a member of the sect, and I will die its ghost. Now that the sect is facing disaster, I must return no matter what.” Pei Qiyun lifted her head to look at Shu Xin. “That Blood Spirit Pearl was about to drain my vital blood as well. It was the magic treasure my master left me that saved my life at the critical moment.”
Shu Xin said nothing more.
She could tell that Pei Qiyun meant every word.
“Thank you.” Clutching her wound, Pei Qiyun rose to her feet. As she passed Shu Xin, she said quietly, “At last, I’ve thanked you in person for saving my life a hundred years ago.”
Aside from Situ Jian, she was the only other person there who truly knew the extent of Shu Xin’s strength.
Yet she had not revealed a single word of it to the Blood Demon Ancestor.
Shu Xin blinked but refused to acknowledge it. “What happened a hundred years ago?”
“Perhaps I remembered wrong.” Pei Qiyun did not argue. She simply nodded along with Shu Xin’s words.
Only after gathering the remains of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect’s elders did she leave.
The entire Unthinking Mountain Manor was littered with bones.
“Two Martial Uncles, should we leave now?” Situ Jian took the initiative to ask.
“Of course.”
“The appearance of the Blood Demon Ancestor must be reported when we return.”
Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu spoke in unison.
Their realms had already been unstable. Having come here rashly and failed to obtain the Blood Spirit Pearl, their trip had not only been in vain, but had also made their cultivation even more likely to decline.
“And how should this manor be dealt with?” Situ Jian asked.
“It is nothing but a den of demons. Burn it down.” As Wen Jingshu spoke, flames sprang from her fingertips and scattered throughout every corner of the manor.
The fire swelled at the slightest touch of wind, and in an instant, the entire manor was engulfed in a roaring inferno.
Those who had managed to survive by sheer luck fled the manor as soon as they discovered it was on fire.
“Fire! The manor’s on fire!”
Almost everyone still left inside the manor was either a low-level cultivator stationed on its outskirts or an ordinary mortal hired to work there.
They had hidden themselves well and, unlike the others, had not had their blood essence refined. If the manor had not caught fire, they might still have been hiding in earnest.
But just as these people began fleeing in all directions, Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge’s eyes fell on the same person.
Fu Ge’s expression turned savage. He immediately struck at the Qi Refining cultivator.
“Stop!” Wen Jingshu suddenly broke from her usual behavior and blocked Fu Ge’s attack, then walked straight over to the man.
The moment she saw that handsome, familiar face, Wen Jingshu was nearly stunned.
“Brother? No… that’s not right. Who… who are you?”
“I-I’m only a servant of Busi Manor. I’ve never done anything to harm anyone. Please, Immortal Master, spare me.” The male cultivator kowtowed repeatedly, pleading for his life.
“Wen Jingshu, have you gone mad?” Fu Ge snapped. “He’s nothing but an inferior knockoff who happens to look like him. What’s wrong with killing him?”
“If someone who looked like that woman appeared here, would you kill her?” Wen Jingshu retorted.
Fu Ge’s expression grew dark and unreadable.
“You’re coming with me.” Wen Jingshu had already taken the male cultivator by the hand and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation. “From now on, you’re my disciple.”
With that, Wen Jingshu did not spare Fu Ge another glance—or even look at the abandoned Situ Jian standing nearby—as she walked away on her own.
From beginning to end, Situ Jian remained where he was, silently watching the farce unfold.
