Chapter 277 - 204: The Might of the Altar Master

The woman picked up the pill, scanned it with her Divine Sense, and frowned slightly.

"Trying to be clever. The Soul-Splitting Sand may have increased its ferocity, but it destroyed the toxic balance between the Rot Heart Grass and the Yin Luo Flower. The pill’s medicinal power is now impure and largely useless."

Gan Tang, who had been invited to assist, stated coldly.

"Failed!"

BOOM.

Sun Yuan felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, utterly refusing to believe the result.

Although his Alchemy skills were lacking, they were still considered above average among the Outer Sect Elders.

Unfortunately for Sun Yuan, he had the misfortune of running into Gan Tang, a Purple Mansion True Demon with even higher standards.

"Senior, could you please take another look? My..."

"Hm? Do you have a problem with that?"

Gan Tang shot him an indifferent glance, the power of her Purple Mansion Second Level Cultivation erupting from her body!

Sun Yuan’s face turned deathly pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Senior, your judgment is wise! It was I... I who overdid it!"

’He never would have imagined in his wildest dreams that this ’Senior Sister,’ whose Cultivation he couldn’t even discern, was actually a Purple Mansion True Demon!’

Just then, however, a telepathic message from Qin Xuan entered Gan Tang’s mind, and her expression turned intrigued.

"Fine. In light of your decent foundation in Alchemy and your unique skill in Fire Control, I’ll let you pass."

Gan Tang said with profound meaning, "Remember this in the future: even the Demon Dao requires a solid foundation. Don’t blindly pursue risky shortcuts."

Sun Yuan froze, then was overcome with joy.

’Just when I thought all was lost, a sudden ray of hope appeared!’

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior! I will be sure to remember your words!"

If it hadn’t been forbidden, Sun Yuan would have been tempted to declare Gan Tang his godmother on the spot.

After several rounds of selection, Wang Jian and Sun Yuan, along with six other Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators who had their own strengths in areas like Talisman Making and Artifact Refining, were chosen.

The eight Demon Cultivators were led to the main hall of the Huaizhong Altar on Ten Thousand Poison Peak.

Along the way, the eight of them were practically buzzing with excitement.

"I wonder what our new Huaizhong Altar Master is like?"

"If you ask me, he must be some old Purple Mansion fiend who’s been cultivating bitterly for centuries. Stern, imposing..."

Wang Jian and Sun Yuan whispered to each other.

One of them, a female Demon Cultivator named Wu Qiaomei, silently wondered, ’Could the intelligence be wrong? Isn’t the Huaizhong Altar Master supposed to be a young Cultivator?’

Filled with doubt, the eight Outer Sect Foundation Establishment Elders entered the grand hall, trembling with apprehension.

The hall was cavernous and dim, the Demon Fire dancing in the gloom.

They saw a tall, slender young figure with his back to them, hands clasped behind him, gazing at a Ten Thousand Demons Paying Homage Map on the wall.

Everyone knelt in unison, shouting with the utmost respect:

"We, Outer Sect Demon Cultivators Wang Jian and Sun Yuan, pay our respects to the Altar Master!"

"I, Wu Qiaomei of the Outer Sect, pay my respects to the Altar Master!"

"There is no need for such formalities. In the future, you will all be the pillars of my Huaizhong Altar."

Qin Xuan’s eyes were as deep as an ancient well, his young, handsome face gradually becoming clear in the light of the Demon Fire.

’The intelligence was right! The Altar Master is so young!’ Wu Qiaomei thought happily.

However, the moment they saw that face clearly, Wang Jian and Sun Yuan felt as if they had been struck by demonic lightning from the Nine Heavens. Their bodies trembled violently, and their pupils contracted.

"Qin... Qin Xuan?!"

Sun Yuan shrieked, his voice cracking as he subconsciously blurted out Qin Xuan’s full name.

"Incense Master Qin... no, Altar Master Qin, you’re not dead?"

The color instantly drained from Wang Jian’s face, and his sea of consciousness exploded.

The image of the Demon Disciple from twenty years ago—the one who served under him with downcast eyes, not daring to breathe too loudly—violently superimposed itself onto the figure before him now: the Altar Master whose Purple Mansion pressure filled the entire hall.

"Steward Wang. Long time no see. I’m touched by your concern. Have you been well?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible..."

Sun Yuan’s lips trembled, his head shaking like a rattle, his fingers trembling violently.

’Back then, I almost refined Qin Xuan into a powerful medicine... now, am I going to be the one refined into medicine?’

THUD!

Wang Jian was the first to react. He threw himself into a full kowtow, his voice cracking with sobs.

"Incense Ma... no, Al... Altar Master! This lowly one was blind! My heart must have been smeared with pig lard back then! I beg the Lord Altar Master, in his great mercy, to forgive this lowly one’s crime of disrespect!"

Wang Jian kowtowed like he was pounding garlic, without a trace of his former arrogance.

Sun Yuan was so scared he pissed himself.

Zhao Youliang stepped forward, clutching his stomach and laughing heartily.

"Wang Jian! Sun Yuan! To think you’d see a day like this!"

Panicked, Wang Jian thought the other man was going to eat him and blurted out, "This lowly one pays his respects to Lord Demon Pet... Lord Demon Pet, this lowly one’s flesh is old and doesn’t taste good..."

"Demon Pet, my ass! Take a good look at who I am!"

Zhao Youliang wiped a hand across his face. His features shifted and his muscles contorted, revealing the true face he wore decades ago.

"You, you are..."

Wang Jian’s lips trembled, his face turning ashen.

He had a vague memory of having this Demon Disciple under his command, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember the name.

Having cultivated in the Holy Sect for nearly a century, if Wang Jian hadn’t been responsible for the deaths of ten thousand Demon Disciples, it was at least eight thousand.

But no matter how he wracked his brain, he couldn’t figure out who this Cyan-armed Ape Demon in front of him was.

"Alright, Old Zhao, stop teasing Steward Wang. It wasn’t easy for him to get to where he is today."

"As you command!" Zhao Youliang turned his head and bared his fangs, his ape-like face, covered in dark cyan fur, a mask of pure menace.

Wang Jian slapped his head.

’I remember now! This Demon Cultivator surnamed Zhao was the Demon Disciple who entered the Holy Sect with Qin Xuan all those years ago—Zhao Youliang!’

’How is he still alive?’

Wang Jian’s face was a mask of misery. His legs went soft, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Sun Yuan was prostrate on the ground, his face deathly pale.

"Altar Master Qin, I was short-sighted back then, failing to recognize a True Dragon in shallow waters! I beg you, Lord Altar Master, don’t hold a grudge against a petty man like me. Please spare this lowly one... If I had only known you would have such great fortune today, I would have given everything I had to aid your cultivation!"

Sun Yuan was consumed by a gut-wrenching regret.

’If only I had established a good relationship with him back then, my position in this altar today wouldn’t be so low!’

Wang Jian was even worse, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Altar Master, forgive me! This lowly one must have been possessed back then! I’m willing to repay you tenfold—no, a hundredfold! I only ask that you give me a chance to prove my loyalty!"