Chapter 199

A youth in thin spring clothes, in the misty rain of Jiangnan, the apricot blossoms are cold.

Who knew of the old events in Jiangnan? The Daoist boy calls himself Chu Chaoran.

Golden light everywhere, spirit rising from nature; the Daoist boy called out the supreme name that would later become famous throughout the world, looking covetously at the Three Corpses Daoist, who was suffering a great tribulation but was the future strongest expert in the world.

By chance, the wheels of fate moved from then on, rolling forward.

The large black dog stuck out its tongue, its eyes shining with a murderous glint. In the depths of these barren mountains, between heaven and earth, it would never have imagined what kind of entanglements these two would have over the next thirty years, nor would it have imagined that over the next hundred years, the history of the Daoist sect would be branded by these two, letting time flow and mountains and rivers change, as magnificent as a scroll, as immortal as the stars.

"Three Corpses Daoist... Chu Chaoran..."

Clatter...

Countless lights and shadows shattered like bubbles; mountains, rivers, golden light, figures, the Daoist boy, the black dog... all dissolved into smoke and clouds.

Zhang Fan's soul-aspect seemed to have surfaced from the bottom of the deep sea, finally exhaling the breath he had been holding.

He struggled to crawl out of the ocean of the Three Corpses Daoist's memories, and an endless sense of exhaustion surged instantly. This feeling was like his soul-aspect falling into a long night without light; if it were anyone else, their soul-aspect would likely have gone silent and never woken up again.

This is the risk of contemplating the Three Corpses Soul Pill; it was only because Zhang Fan's soul-aspect was powerful that he dared to try continuously.

"Unexpected..."

Zhang Fan's soul-aspect returned to his body, and the images he had just seen remained in his mind; the Three Corpses Daoist's memories were like a brand, deeply engraved and having a huge influence.

If not digested in time, it would even affect his own soul-aspect; an ordinary person wouldn't be able to bear it and would become a lunatic or a fool...

"I didn't expect Master Chaoran to have such a past, knowing the Three Corpses Daoist when he was young."

Zhang Fan thought to himself. The Three Corpses Daoist was extremely mysterious in the Daoist sect, and almost no one knew his background, past, or lineage.

However, it was generally believed that he was a figure from a hundred years ago, about twenty years older than Chu Chaoran.

Now it seems that this speculation is correct.

From the memory just now, one could glimpse that the Three Corpses Daoist in his youth was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old; he met the young Chu Chaoran, who was about eight or nine years old, on the road to Jiangnan Province.

According to the general records of the Daoist sect, about ten years later, the Three Corpses Daoist would step into that supreme realm, achieving the supreme prestige of being the world's number one expert.

From today's perspective, at that time, Chu Chaoran had just reached adulthood and was still in his rising period.

It was also during that period that Long Hu Mountain summoned the strong of the Daoist sect to hold the Great Universal Rite, and the great tribulation was born from then on; Chu Chaoran became the only survivor of that great tribulation.

From then on, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and twenty years later, he fought the Three Corpses Daoist at the peak of Mount Dongyue.

The old god fell, the new god was crowned, completing the succession of the world's number one expert.

Fate is unpredictable, but if one stands from a God's-eye view and looks back, it is so strange and wonderful, rolling in and never shifting by human will.

"The life of the Three Corpses Daoist is truly too magnificent and too long..." Zhang Fan shook his head powerlessly.

This was different from watching a movie, where one could fast-forward with one hand; every time, he could only rely on his soul-aspect to peek, and the risks and pressure he bore were enormous.

This time, besides seeing the scattered past of Chu Chaoran, Zhang Fan still hadn't discovered any past related to the 【Golden Glow Treasure Box】.

"Sleep."

Endless exhaustion surged like a tide; Zhang Fan felt his body was like a pile of mud, unable to think anymore, his eyelids drooping, gradually sinking into a dream.

The next day, the sound of birds chirping rang in his ears.

Zhang Fan opened his eyes; it was already bright. Such a sweet, deep sleep was something he could only enjoy every time he explored the Three Corpses Daoist's memories.

Although contemplating the Three Corpses Soul Pill was extremely risky and he was extremely exhausted every time it ended, upon waking up, Zhang Fan could feel that his soul-aspect seemed more solid.

With the strength of his soul-aspect, if he could have such a training effect, one could see how terrifying the Three Corpses Daoist's memories were.

"Rest for two days."

Zhang Fan needed to eliminate the influence of peeking at the memories yesterday before he could explore again; otherwise, even he would become mentally deranged.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan got up, washed simply, and went out.

Arriving at the entrance of Hongfu Garden, Zhang Fan scanned casually and actually saw a familiar figure by the roadside.

"Uncle Feng!?"

Feng Ping'an—when Zhang Fan still lived in the old house, he used to sell pancakes at the alley entrance. A few days ago, after Zhang Fan returned to the old house and tasted his craft, he had specifically patronized him a few times.

Who would have thought he would set up his stall at the entrance of Hongfu Garden?

"Uncle Feng..."

Zhang Fan walked over and greeted him. Feng Ping'an was lowering his head, looking at a book he was holding in his hands, reading with great interest...

"Uncle Feng..." Zhang Fan saw that the other party didn't react and called out again.

At this time, Feng Ping'an finally put down the book in his hand and looked up.

"Little Fan..."

"Uncle Feng, why did you move your stall here?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"The old residential area was demolished, so I moved to another place to continue selling pancakes," Feng Ping'an grinned. "Little Fan, do you live here?"

"Yes, I live in Hongfu Garden."

Zhang Fan nodded, his gaze sweeping over and landing on the cover of the book in Feng Ping'an's hand.

"Investiture of the Gods!?"

"Has Little Fan read this novel?" Feng Ping'an said casually.

"I've read a little..."

In fact, Zhang Fan hadn't read the original novel; he had only watched the TV series.

"This novel is very interesting and worth flipping through... there is a magic treasure in it called the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover; it's truly powerful. With just one cover, nine fire dragons fly together, and they melted Lady Shiji," Feng Ping'an described vividly, seemingly still immersed in the plot and unable to extricate himself.

The Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover he spoke of was the magic treasure of 【Master Taiyi】 from the Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain.

The prototype of Master Taiyi was the legendary Taiyi Savior Yuanshi Tianzun; the nine-headed lion in Journey to the West was his mount.

In Investiture of the Gods, Master Taiyi was a disciple of the Primordial Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the twelve golden immortals of Yuxu Palace, and also the master of the famous Great Being of the Santanhai Society, Nezha. He was famous throughout Investiture of the Gods for being protective of his own.

In the book, Nezha caused trouble in the East Sea, and the East Sea Dragon King reported it to the Heavenly Court. Master Taiyi actually taught his disciple to go to heaven to block the East Sea Dragon King and beat the old dragon king violently.

Nezha drew his bow and arrow at Chentang Pass and accidentally shot Lady Shiji's disciple. The latter came to the door, and Nezha was no match, so he ran to Master Taiyi. The master and disciple actually dragged Lady Shiji into the cave and slaughtered her.

At that time, Master Taiyi used the 【Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover】 to kill and silence her, not even leaving ashes behind; he could be called the number one person in Investiture of the Gods for being protective of his own.

"Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover... truly a good treasure. It's just like us selling pancakes; if one stove isn't enough, I'll set up another. Nine stoves burning together—even an iron pancake can be made..." Feng Ping'an grinned and murmured softly.

"Nine stoves..."

Zhang Fan was stunned, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck his brain, and he froze there.

"That's right, quantitative change leads to qualitative change..."

His 【Fire Dragon Cinnabar Sword】 was indeed top-tier among Lesser Success techniques, and wanting to improve it was difficult beyond measure...

But if he couldn't improve the quality of the true fire, then he would improve the quantity.

With Zhang Fan's current cultivation, if he exerted his full strength, he could condense a strand of cinnabar fire, like a small dragon producing true fire, or like sword Qi spitting mysterious light; this is what the Daoists call a "fire dragon." Just this one fire dragon condensed the entire power of the 【Fire Dragon Cinnabar Sword】.

If he could condense more "fire dragons" and combine them in a special way, just like the 【Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover】 in Investiture of the Gods, sealing and closing, the power generated and compressed in a specific space would be incomparable to a simple 【Fire Dragon Cinnabar Sword】.

In fact, for any spell, if one extends it and obtains a more exquisite application, that is the change from Lesser Success to Great Success.

With the same foundation, the houses everyone builds are not the same.

Just like the 【Five Thunders Orthodox Method】; once mastered, everyone is the same, but if one takes it a step further, what everyone figures out is vastly different, and the power is also different.

"Uncle Feng, you are simply a genius." Zhang Fan suddenly had an epiphany, his eyes lighting up.

"What genius?"

"Uncle Feng, you are the leader of the pancake path." Zhang Fan laughed excitedly and turned to leave.

"Little Fan, do you want a pancake?" Feng Ping'an shouted from behind.

"Uncle Feng, another day."

Zhang Fan's voice came from afar, fading away.

"Little Fan, this child, his brain is truly bright," Feng Ping'an looked at Zhang Fan's retreating back, put down the book in his hand, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Do you know you can't set up a stall here?"

Just at this moment, a stern voice came from the side.

"Comrade Urban Management, I'll immediately..."

Feng Ping'an greeted him, but before he could finish his words, just as he turned his head, he saw a chubby man in a security uniform walking over.

"Liu Crippled-Hand, aren't you just a security guard? Since when do you manage things on the street?" Feng Ping'an saw who it was, hurriedly changed his face, and said indifferently.

"Feng Two-Pancakes, why did you set up your pancake stall on my turf?" Liu Fusheng grinned. "Shouldn't you show some respect?"

"I'll show respect to your great-aunt's third cousin." Feng Ping'an squinted, looking fearless.

"Hehe, I heard that recently that old guy Lou Hechuan turned Yujing City upside down to dig you out?" Liu Fusheng teased. "The former vice-chairman of the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance is as panicked as a stray dog... truly tragic."

"I'll be tragic to your great-aunt's third cousin's sixth cousin. That old guy is good at forming cliques, but when it comes to Daoist methods, I can handle two of him with one stall." Feng Ping'an sneered.

"Do you see me fearing him? I'm right here in Yujing City; let's see what he can do to me. One of these days, I'll go to the entrance of the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance to sell pancakes."

"If you're that awesome, go. If you dare to go, I'll give you two pounds of talismans," Liu Fusheng chuckled.

At this point, Liu Fusheng paused slightly and subconsciously looked in the direction Zhang Fan had left.

"You are an expert in fire methods; did Sect Leader Zong ask you to come back to teach Little Fan?"

"Once you reach High Merit, many things need to be realized and contemplated by yourself... what others teach is just others'..." Feng Ping'an whispered in a deep voice.

His title of Scorched Earth Flame Lord didn't come for nothing; he knew the principle that giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish.

"He is Sect Leader Zong's seed; his natural talent and wisdom don't need to be mentioned. He understands with a single point; what else do I need to teach?" Feng Ping'an shook his head.

"The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves in front; the tide of the new era will eventually slap you to death..."

"It will also slap you to death," Liu Fusheng chuckled. "Give me a pancake..."

"Double-sided fried egg, no crispy pancake, add pork tenderloin and sausage; the sausage must be Wangzhongwang, sweet and spicy sauce, put more green onions..."

"Even double-sided fried egg, you really know how to eat." Feng Ping'an rolled his eyes, then said, "The gas tank is empty; it won't light."

"Can't you use your 【Six Ren Ding Fire】 to make one for me?"

"You want me to use 【Six Ren Ding Fire】 to make you a pancake?"

"If you don't make it for me, don't set up your stall here; move away quickly..."

"You stinking security guard, what kind of crooked-mouthed dragon king are you pretending to be with me?"

In the early morning, at the entrance of Hongfu Garden, a responsible old security guard and a pancake stall owner got into a tug-of-war, occasionally attracting passersby to stop and watch.

Tan Mansion.

This is the residential area where Shi Shougong and Su Shiyu are staying. Zhang Fan wandered outside for the whole morning, thinking about his concept for advancing the 【Fire Dragon Cinnabar Sword】, and walked here without realizing it.

Since returning from Dongshan Province, he hadn't really asked about these two little demons.

Immediately, he walked into the residential area and arrived at Shi Shougong and Su Shiyu's residence.

"Brother Fan, why are you here?"

Opening the door, Su Shiyu was wearing loose home clothes, slippers, and a bun. Seeing the visitor, a strange brilliance flashed in her beautiful eyes, and she hurriedly took Zhang Fan's arm and pulled him in.

"I came to see you."

Just after entering the door, Zhang Fan saw Shi Shougong sitting cross-legged on the sofa, his soul-aspect out of his body, suspended three inches above his crown.

Shi Shougong's soul-aspect was a lizard.

When spirits and monsters possess human bodies and become demons, it generally cannot be seen on the surface, but their soul-aspects are essentially different from human cultivators.

Whoosh...

At this moment, in front of Shi Shougong was a small tripod, and inside the tripod was a fleshy worm, its whole body shining with a dark blue luster, looking exactly like a glowing silkworm, only its head was incomparably huge.

"Great Da Da Nao Can!?" Zhang Fan recognized it at a glance.

The Daoist Secret Record recorded this kind of worm, named 【Great Da Da Nao Can】. In the past, only places like academies and private schools could raise this kind of worm, especially those lazy and playful students who didn't think about studying all day; their aura was most liked by the 【Great Da Da Nao Can】, which used it as food.

This kind of worm is invisible to ordinary people; only through Daoist means and the awakening of the soul-aspect can it be seen and captured.

It is said that if you put this kind of worm on the body of a good student with excellent character and learning, within three months, they will become unruly and eventually abandon their studies.

In the past, many unscrupulous playboys would buy this kind of worm from evil Daoist priests to frame their classmates.

"Truly diligent," Zhang Fan praised.

Demons like Shi Shougong like to harvest worms as great medicine, which is very beneficial to their soul-aspects and can improve their cultivation realm.

This kind of 【Great Da Da Nao Can】 can also be bought on the black market through special channels.

"I have to be diligent; demons are not like humans, and there are more tribulations in cultivation." Su Shiyu pulled Zhang Fan to sit down and poured him a cup of tea.

When spirits and monsters possess and become demons, they offend the heavens and disrupt the order, so there are more tribulations.

By now, demons are already very rare. After the founding of the country, becoming a demon is not allowed; this is an iron law. Even if there are a few exceptions that find loopholes, their living space is extremely narrow.

As for old demons over three hundred years old, they are even rarer, and only places like Mount Ailao, Mount Kunlun, Mount Zhangbai, and the eight-hundred-mile Qin Ling Mountains still have them...

But in such places, little demons like Shi Shougong and Su Shiyu don't even dare to step foot.

"Are there still many demons in these places?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

All along, he had been extremely curious about demons as a different kind of being.

"I can't say there are many. I heard from some senior big demons in the circle that there are still thousands. Those who dare to practice in these places are all ruthless characters," Su Shiyu whispered in a deep voice.

"Among them, there is no lack of old demons who have practiced for over three hundred years."

"Are there any most powerful ones? Where do they practice?" Zhang Fan asked curiously.

"Of course there are most powerful ones."

Just at this moment, Shi Shougong's voice came over, and he also woke up from his cultivation state.

"But the most powerful one is not in these dead-end places."

"Then where is it?" Zhang Fan asked.

"The world's number one demon recognized in the circle... called the 【Demon-Hating King】. It has practiced for less than three hundred years, yet it is the world's number one demon..."

Mentioning that name, a look of awe appeared on Su Shiyu's beautiful face.

"Demon-Hating King!?" Zhang Fan chewed on this unfamiliar name.

"That's right, the Demon-Hating King is the world's number one demon. Rumors outside say that it hasn't walked in the secular world for sixty years..." Shi Shougong said in a deep voice.

"Sixty years ago, it walked into that Daoist temple and never took another step out."

"Which Daoist temple?" Zhang Fan became even more curious.

"The ancestral temple of the Wu Wei Sect."

"Rumors outside say that the true form of the Demon-Hating King is a dog..."

Su Shiyu lowered her voice and said leisurely: "A large black dog!!"

(End of chapter)