Chapter 252: Thousand-Year-Old Demon

In the deep mountains hides an ancient cave, the Thousand-Year-Old Demon reveals its trail.

In Qin Wangsun's memory, he once met a strange person who taught him Daoist arts; his profound cultivation was immeasurable, he suppressed the previous generation's Human Xiao, and his name shook half of Jiangnan.

"Thousand-Year-Old Demon... he actually appeared here!?"

Zhang Fan's soul-aspect was greatly shaken. From the first time he met this person on Zhenwu Mountain via the "Little Yellow Book" and was scammed, he had been like a ghost, occasionally stirring up waves, appearing before Zhang Fan, recounting secrets, and teaching principles.

Even Zhang Fan's 【Fire Dragon Dan Sword】 was only perfected because of the Thousand-Year-Old Demon.

However, not long ago, this mysterious Thousand-Year-Old Demon disappeared completely from Zhang Fan's sight, and the only "Little Yellow Book" account he had a connection with was deactivated.

Zhang Fan never dreamed that he would see the trail of the Thousand-Year-Old Demon in the soul-aspect of a person of unknown origin who had fallen into the Great Night Does Not Brighten in the Qin family.

"The previous generation's Human Xiao... he is talking about Mom; this man once fought with Mom and could hold the upper hand?"

"The most ferocious in the world, the Divine Demon Sacred Fetus..."

According to the conversation between Qin Wangsun and the Thousand-Year-Old Demon, that so-called helper should be Zhang Lingzong.

Qin Wangsun was defeated in a Dharma battle with Zhang Lingzong, thereby falling into the Great Night Does Not Brighten, and his soul-aspect never woke up again.

"Didn't expect such a harvest."

Zhang Fan had been obsessed with the identity of the 【Thousand-Year-Old Demon】, always wanting to investigate who the other party was in reality.

He originally thought that after the Thousand-Year-Old Demon deactivated the account, the clues would be broken; who would have thought that this trip to the Qin family would actually reconnect the clues.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fan calmed his mind and continued to explore, wanting to obtain more information about the Thousand-Year-Old Demon in the memory of the soul-aspect before him.

"Hmm!?"

However, just at this moment, in the deep mountains, a light sound of surprise came from the pitch-black cave; the next moment, an invisible fluctuation followed.

At this time, Zhang Fan's soul-aspect shook suddenly, feeling as if he had been stared at by a pair of invisible eyes.

"Hell? He saw me? Isn't this just a memory?" Zhang Fan's expression changed drastically.

He entered the other party's inner soul-aspect scene, merely as a spectator; even if there were waves and ripples, they could not fall upon him.

However, at this moment, that feeling of being stared at was real, and it was accompanied by deep terror and unease.

"Hell!"

Zhang Fan's soul-aspect shook violently; instinctively, he wanted to retreat, not daring to linger for a moment.

Rumble...

Almost at the same moment, heaven and earth shook, and all the light and shadows before him dissipated; the sky was dim, the earth was dim, and all things fell into the Great Night Does Not Brighten.

Zhang Fan subconsciously looked back; in the deep darkness, it seemed only that ancient cave still existed, not like an imprint being erased.

That ancient cave was like an eye in the endless dark abyss, staring fixedly at Zhang Fan.

The terrifying sense of oppression and crisis grew more intense.

Rumble...

Lightning and thunder, darkness surging; a fluctuation as cold as a prison pressed in from all directions, completely blocking Zhang Fan's retreat.

At this moment, his soul-aspect was like suffering a great calamity, as if about to enter that state of eternal disaster, never able to transcend again.

Clang... Clang... Clang...

Just at this moment, deep within Zhang Fan's soul-aspect, that mysterious sound of chains shaking rang out again, like the first profound sound of the beginning of heaven and earth, reconstructing the shackles of Zhang Fan's soul-aspect and breaking through this dim and ignorant heaven and earth.

Rumble...

Two completely different fluctuations collided violently within this void of darkness.

Zhang Fan's soul-aspect seemed to be extinguished; he witnessed the greatest terror of his life, and the bright heaven and earth also turned into a point of light at this moment.

His soul-aspect drifted, about to enter that point of light.

There, it seemed to be the place where all living beings came from.

There, it also seemed to be the place where all living beings returned.

Clang... Clang... Clang...

Under the aftershocks, chains extended from deep within Zhang Fan's soul-aspect, pulling him back again, away from the gradually dissipating point of light.

Hum...

The endless darkness turned into a surging torrent, and countless light and shadows passed by Zhang Fan's soul-aspect like bubbles.

"Three Corpses Yuan Dan!?"

Zhang Fan realized something; he waved his hand casually and grabbed the largest bubble closest to him.

Hum...

Light and shadows surged, like mist and like electricity.

At this moment, one of the most important memories in the life of the Three Corpses Daoist slowly emerged before Zhang Fan's eyes, passing through the long-sealed years, reversing the fate of the Great Transformation.

The night grew deep.

Jiangnan Province, Suzhou City.

Cangbei Ancient Town.

A bright moon hung high, reflecting the small bridges and flowing water with a unique Jiangnan charm; a black-awning boat was moored at the shore, rising and falling with the waves.

The melody of a folk song singing softly came from a nearby lounge bar.

Here, time seemed to stand still, and everything appeared comfortable and at ease.

In the quiet alley, a burst of hurried footsteps rang out, and the dim yellow light stretched the shadow of the person walking fast.

The young girl was wearing a tight, short down jacket and high-top boots; her beautiful, watery eyes were filled with a trace of panic. Her footsteps grew faster and faster, looking back from time to time, as if fearing some unknown danger.

Bang...

Just at this moment, a loud noise rang out, breaking the tranquility of the night; the originally neat road surface exploded suddenly, and the kicked-up soil and stones shot toward her like bullets.

The girl's expression changed suddenly; she leaped high, standing three or four meters off the ground, avoiding the soil and stones that were shooting toward her.

Hum...

Almost at the same moment, a shadow covered her head; the girl looked up and saw a Daoist priest in Daoist robes descending from the sky, his large hand hanging down, firelight flickering faintly between his five fingers, surging and fierce.

Bang...

The girl's expression changed drastically; she put her hands together and blocked in front of her chest.

Rumble...

Fierce firelight bloomed in the sky, as brilliant as fireworks.

The girl let out a muffled groan and smashed heavily onto the ground; a huge deep pit appeared, stirring up dust that rushed into the sky.

"Stinking Daoist, why must you kill them all?"

In the dust, the girl's angry voice rang out suddenly, revealing a trace of unwillingness.

"You are a demon; seizing a body is a sin."

The Daoist descended from the sky; at the same time, at the entrance of the alley and the side of the alley, two more Daoists rushed up, surrounding the huge deep pit.

The dust dissipated, and the girl stumbled out of the deep pit; the blood at the corner of her mouth had not yet dried, her arms were charred black, constantly emitting green smoke, hanging weakly, trembling, and unable to move anymore.

"I have never harmed anyone, and this body is also..." The girl gritted her teeth and said.

"A demon is a demon; entering the red dust with a body, disrupting ethics and morals, is already a sin."

The leading Daoist bowed and spoke softly; his gaze was cold and sharp, looking at the girl, his face showing only slaughter.

"We are acting on behalf of Heaven."

As he spoke, the three Daoists pressed forward step by step, walking toward the girl who no longer had the strength to fight back.

"Am I going to die here? I am truly unwilling." The girl looked up at the vast firmament, her heart filled with indescribable sorrow.

Since she became a demon, she had been cautious, never revealing her methods or demonic arts; she only wanted to taste the happiness and pain of being human in this red dust.

Unfortunately, Heaven did not even give her such an opportunity.

Heaven does not cut off all paths, but unfortunately, she is a demon.

"A good 'acting on behalf of Heaven'; why haven't you Daoist sects changed your lines in so many years?"

Just at this moment, a lazy voice rang out in the dim night.

The three Daoists stopped suddenly, and even the girl could not help but turn her head to look.

Under the hazy night, a youth walked over from afar; he was wearing a black leather jacket, a black headscarf tied on his head, his hands in his pockets, his brows revealing a wild and unrestrained air.

"Who is it?" The leading Daoist asked in a deep voice.

"Daoist priest of Zhenwu Mountain..."

The youth in the black leather jacket looked at these three Daoists, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly; in his originally wild eyes, a trace of reminiscence surged. "I actually remember an old friend; seeing that you are from the same sect as him, go."

"You want to meddle in other people's business, don't..."

The leading Daoist let out a cold snort, but before he could finish speaking, his whole body froze in place.

Within his line of sight, the youth in the black leather jacket disappeared instantly; when he reacted, that person was already in front of the three of them, within ten steps.

"You..."

The three Daoists' expressions changed drastically; subconsciously, they flew backward, pulling away the distance, while at the same time forming seals with their hands, chanting words in their mouths.

"Heaven and Earth Profound Sect, the root of all Qi."

"Cultivating through billions of calamities, proving my divine ability."

"Within and without the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme."

【No errors, read the content at a glance!】

The profound sound drifted, and streaks of golden light covered the three Daoists, dazzling and eye-catching, surpassing the bright moonlight.

"Golden Light Spell!?" In the distance, the girl's expression changed drastically, and she cried out in alarm.

This is a Daoist divine spell; once perfected, the golden light attaches to the body, as if aided by gods.

"Golden Light Spell... the first time he threw a punch at me back then, he also used this spell... people from Zhenwu Mountain... are all the same."

The youth in the black leather jacket lifted the corners of his mouth slightly; he slowly raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

Hum...

The crisp sound fell, and the brilliant golden light extinguished instantly; not only that, the three Daoists discovered with horror that the True Yang within their bodies was out of control, disappearing along with the dissipation of the golden light.

"You... you..."

The three Daoists stared fixedly at the mysterious youth before them, and finally, looks of horror surged on their faces.

They knew that they had met a true great expert, whose cultivation was unimaginably strong.

"Consider yourselves lucky; I don't want to eat people today." The youth in the black leather jacket said indifferently.

"Go."

"Can you tell me your name?" The leading Daoist's face was uncertain, but he finally gathered the courage to ask.

"Name? It's been a long time since anyone called me by my name." A trace of loneliness surged on the face of the youth in the black leather jacket.

Many years ago, someone once called him A-Yan, but since then, no one had ever called him by that name again.

Who would have thought that the youth in the black leather jacket before them was the Yan King, known as the number one demon in the world.

"Sigh..."

A sigh fell, and the leading Daoist's body stiffened, and he fell straight down.

The remaining two Daoists looked at each other, both revealing looks of horror, not daring to linger any longer; they carried the leading Daoist on their backs and turned to leave.

The Yan King didn't even look, walking toward the girl who was already dumbfounded, and took a piece of paper from his bosom.

"Is the address on this yours?"

The girl took it and looked, stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"I am looking for someone; not long ago, a friend helped me lock onto his location through his IP address on the 'Little Yellow Book'..."

The Yan King said indifferently: "I checked, and this house is registered under your name."

"That's right, but I rented the house out a year ago." The girl nodded.

She usually relied on collecting rent and live-streaming for a living.

"Rented it out? Take me to see it." The Yan King said indifferently.

"Okay." The girl nodded; she didn't know who the man before her was, but he had saved her life, so let alone going to see the house, even if she gave the house to the other party, there would be no problem at all.

A moment later, the two arrived at a small courtyard nearby.

"I haven't seen this tenant; the house was handled by an agent, and the money is remitted to me every month, very punctually." The girl knocked on the door, and there was no response, so she took out the spare key and opened the door.

"No one has lived here for a long time."

The Yan King walked into the room but couldn't feel a trace of vitality.

"He moved away?" The girl was stunned for a moment.

The Yan King's gaze condensed into a line, scanning the room; except for some furniture, it was empty, clearly the other party had moved away some time ago.

"A step late again?"

The Yan King raised an eyebrow, his peripheral vision catching a note left on the coffee table.

He walked over and picked up the note, only to see a line of small characters written on it:

Long time no see, Little Black Dog!

Signed, Thousand-Year-Old Demon!

Rumble...

In an instant, the Yan King's gaze sank fiercely, and a terrifying aura rushed into the sky; the surrounding furniture turned into powder instantly.

At this time, deep within Zhang Fan's inner soul-aspect scene.

The scenery of Yujing City in Jiangnan Province emerged before his eyes again.

Continuing the previous memory, one person, one dog, and one Daoist boy finally truly entered the territory of Yujing City.

The Three Corpses Daoist in his youth would occasionally be alone, writing letters to someone unknown, and after finishing, he would summon a wild goose to send them out.

The young Chu Chaoran once asked, with the world in chaos, who was he writing to.

The Three Corpses Daoist's eyes revealed full distrust; this little brat was constantly probing his secrets, as if waiting for an opportunity to overturn him completely.

Regarding this, the big black dog was even more alert, looking at this little guy like a thief.

However, the Three Corpses Daoist did not hide it, saying that he had known this person many years ago, communicating through letters, exchanging and discussing Daoist arts; although they had never met, they had been spiritually connected for a long time.

This trip to Jiangnan was to meet this person.

The Three Corpses Daoist said that the person was hiding in Yujing City.

Rumble...

Light and shadows flowed, and the scene before him changed again.

Dark sky, bright light; the eerie moonlight spilled onto the land that had turned into scorched earth.

Looking as far as the eye could see, there were only severed limbs, broken arms, skeletons, and corpses.

The young Three Corpses Daoist was covered in blood, his shoulder pierced, revealing a large bloody hole; he sat paralyzed on the ground, holding the young Chu Chaoran tightly in his arms. The latter's breathing was weak, intermittent, as if his vitality was hanging by a thread.

Not far away, the big black dog lay in a pool of blood, also breathing weakly, its tail severed and bleeding, twitching from time to time.

"Thousand-Year-Old Demon!"

Just at this moment, the young Three Corpses Daoist looked up, watching the burning Daoist temple before him, and let out an angry roar.

In the firelight, a mysterious figure appeared and disappeared.

"Why? Why didn't you kill us?" The young Three Corpses Daoist roared sternly.

"The founder does not pity those who are given empty names... you are also a person crossing calamities, how can you say such childish words?"

The mysterious, calm voice came from the soaring firelight, revealing a composure as still as an ancient well.

Woo...

The young Chu Chaoran let out a painful moan; the young Three Corpses Daoist held him tightly in his arms, his angry gaze never moving half an inch from that mysterious figure.

"Many years later, you will be grateful for such an experience..."

"No matter what high position you are in, in your youth, you met a great enemy and survived death... only such a life can be called wonderful."

The mysterious voice came softly from the firelight.

"However, with your talent, what height can you reach? This peak is truly too lonely."

The firelight burned brightly, reflecting the firmament; the mysterious figure became more distorted.

"But don't be anxious... time is the most precious gift the Great Dao gives to young people..."

Red fire combined and separated; the mysterious figure cast his gaze, like the high-above Heaven, containing a trace of compassion, looking at the Three Corpses Daoist, looking at Chu Chaoran, looking at the big black dog...

"Young people..."

"I am waiting for you at the peak!!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 253 =====