Chapter 96

"Heart Demons, indeed, that is a difficult matter."

Inside the vast hall, Fang Shi and a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar sat facing each other.

"There must be a way to handle it; otherwise, cultivators would carry Heart Demons for a lifetime and be unable to breakthrough their realm."

After finding relevant experts in artifact refinement, Fang Shi had located a great cultivator said to be an authority on the state of mind.

This person was also at the Divine Sense realm, born into a scholarly family, and reportedly served as an official before the age of thirty before entering the Dao.

Another thirty years later, his cultivation had reached the Divine Sense realm; his talent was remarkable, making him a Jin Dan seed as well.

【6】 The middle-aged man said, "It is very simple; one only needs to cultivate one's character and nurture one's nature."

"The rules of Heart Demons were established by the Sages, and the Sages' original purpose was never to cut off one's path to the Dao."

"They merely intended to warn cultivators in the world not to use their cultivation to commit evil deeds."

"Therefore, as long as one refrains from killing for a long time, the resentment of living beings on one's body will diminish, and the Heart Demon will not cling to one."

Fang Shi asked in confusion, "Heart Demon resentment? How could I not have noticed it?"

"This is the method of the Sages; of course, you cannot perceive it."

"I always hear stories of the Sages, but who exactly are the Sages?"

The middle-aged scholar did not mind Fang Shi's status as a rogue cultivator and answered patiently, "No one knows the life of the Sages; only some stories have been passed down."

"The era in which they lived was too distant, so distant that it predates the Ancient Era."

"And the events of the Ancient Era were all obliterated in the wars."

"If it were not for the rules established by the Sages operating throughout the world, everyone would doubt their existence."

Fang Shi added, "But this is too unreasonable. I killed some infected people to save humanity, yet I am plagued by the resentment of living beings; what kind of killing sin is this?"

The middle-aged scholar laughed, "Of course it counts. Monsters are living beings, and even demons and spirits are living beings."

"Monsters have fathers and mothers; demons and spirits have parents. All are born of father and mother; how can killing them not count as a sin of killing?"

"Furthermore, perhaps in the eyes of the Sages, there was originally no distinction between humans, demons, spirits, and monsters."

"In the Ancient Era, all living beings lived mixed together; humans were merely one of the myriad living beings."

"Therefore, when the Sages established the rules, they did so based on the context of their times."

Fang Shi was speechless; ancient rules were truly deadly.

"Then is there no accelerated method? Must one only endure through time?"

"Of course. The rules of the Sages are iron laws; they cannot be escaped."

"How much time is needed to reduce the sin of killing one infected person?"

"It depends on the situation. When the day comes that you have no sin of killing on your person, the Heavenly Dao will give you a reminder."

"Discretion; Fang Shi understood this. It simply means it depends on the mood."

"Then is there no other method to deal with Heart Demons? I have little time left; I truly cannot wait."

The middle-aged scholar pondered, "Indeed, that is a valid point. Brother Daoist's situation is not uncommon in the Cultivation World."

"But there truly are no good methods. Whether arrays, spells, talismans, or other means, none can weaken Heart Demons under the Sages' rules."

"Moreover, the strength of a Heart Demon equals one's own strength; the stronger you are, the stronger the Heart Demon."

"However, correspondingly, it is said that cultivators who defeat their Heart Demons receive great benefits."

"This is also a sliver of hope left by the Sages."

"But such people are rare, and I am unclear about what the benefits are."

Fang Shi thought of his increased Divine Sense value; defeating a Heart Demon indeed had benefits.

Cultivating Divine Sense is difficult; this is universally acknowledged.

Increasing by 5 points at once was even more incredible.

It was simply equivalent to years of arduous cultivation.

It seems the Sages were not rigid people who only punished and never rewarded.

They granted preferential treatment to those with exceptional talent.

Precisely because of the increase in Divine Sense value, Fang Shi could disguise himself as a Divine Sense cultivator with even greater ease.

One only needs to cover the body's surface with Divine Sense to conceal one's cultivation.

Other Divine Sense cultivators can judge a cultivator's general cultivation level by the intensity of the Divine Sense on their surface.

Fang Shi's enhanced Divine Sense was no weaker than that of other Divine Sense cultivators.

As long as he did not act, other cultivators could not detect his true cultivation level.

Furthermore, even if he acted,

how would you know this was the full power of a Divine Sense cultivator?

One cannot forbid someone from holding back, for instance.

Therefore, using his identity as a great Divine Sense cultivator, Fang Shi thrived like a fish in water on Dragon Elm Mountain.

Whatever he wished to ask, others would grant him a favor.

Just like the middle-aged scholar; if you were a Qi Refining cultivator, you wouldn't even be able to see their face.

Or like the Zuoyuan Sect before; you wouldn't even dream of disturbing them while they worked.

Let alone the matter of freely donating Dao Texts.

"Then, Brother Daoist, may I ask you about the matter of Dao Texts?"

"No problem, no problem. We can exchange ideas and enhance our cultivation."

"Well said, well said; we are just right to exchange a bit and advance our cultivation."

Dragon Elm, Zhang Cheng holding Zhang Zihui's hand, ran all the way to the forest at the foot of the mountain.

"Zhang Cheng, why did you bring me here?"

"Zhang Cheng, why did you bring me here?"

Zhang Zihui felt a bit shy in her heart.

Previously, Zhang Cheng had gone to carry out some missions to relocate the populace.

So after Zhang Zihui arrived at Long Yu Mountain, she did not see him immediately.

Therefore, upon his return today, Zhang Cheng could not wait to meet Zhang Zihui and asked her out.

Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "Don't you think this place is beautiful? This is a spot I searched for half a day to find."

It was night, yet the forest of Long Yu Mountain was not dark.

The dark green leaves had turned into crystal-clear pale blue.

Dots of light emerged from the leaves; ghostly blue glows floated in the air, like spirits dancing in the sky.

The chirping of insects and the singing of birds interwove into a chordal symphony, as if in a dream.

"What kind of tree is this?"

Zhang Zihui was seeing such a beautiful scene for the first time.

She had been on Long Yu Mountain all along and had no mood to wander around inside the mountain.

"This is the Heart-Thought Tree; its tree heart can refine communication talismans, hence its name."

Zhang Cheng felt somewhat emotional.

Zhang Zihui grew even shyer: "Have you been thinking of me all this time?"

"Of course!" Zhang Cheng suddenly embraced Zhang Zihui.

"I think of you every moment. I heard about the Zhang family's affairs long ago."

"The very first thing I thought of was your safety; I wanted to go, but my senior brothers stopped me."

"They kept me tightly watched, not letting me leave their side."

"They said my cultivation was too low; going there would be no different from suicide."

"But if you died, living would be no different from dying for me."

Zhang Zihui curled up in Zhang Cheng's arms, tears dripping down like flowing water.

"They're all dead, they're all dead. My entire family is dead; only you remain."

"So I came. Upon hearing news that you were alive, I immediately dropped my mission and rushed here."

Zhang Cheng held Zhang Zihui even tighter, as if unwilling to part.

"Mm," Zhang Zihui said, both sorrowful and shy, burying her head completely in Zhang Cheng's chest.

After a moment of tenderness, once Zhang Zihui's emotions had stabilized, Zhang Cheng asked again.

"By the way, who exactly is that Fang Shi who escorted you back?"

"All along the way I heard that this person is a newly arrived great cultivator at the Divine Sense realm, and the ruthless one who set fire to the village."

"But isn't he a Zhang family member who was lost to the outside? How could someone completely ignorant of cultivation become a Divine Sense cultivator?"

Zhang Zihui hesitated and said, "I don't know either. He said he is a cultivator who plays with the world, and that before he was merely teasing us."

Zhang Cheng was shocked and said, "But his acting was far too profound; he really looked exactly like a cultivator who accidentally awakened an immortal bone."

"Back then, he even asked me about the Break Limit Method; his questions were so detailed, he didn't look like a great cultivator at all."

Zhang Zihui said, "Indeed so, but there is one strange point. When I saw him again, his hair was entirely silver."

"He even said he used the Break Limit Method. Is there really a cultivator who doesn't care about their lifespan?"

Zhang Cheng said, "That must be a lie he told you. How could a cultivator not care about lifespan? Most likely, it's the same as before."

Zhang Zihui sighed: "Sigh, that is the only possibility. If he had said the Zhang family members were so good, well, the Zhang family has no heirs left now; even the branches have been infected."

Zhang Cheng chuckled: "Isn't there still you? You can bear one."

Zhang Zihui's face turned red: "Pah! What nonsense are you spouting? I am an unmarried maiden; how could I have a child?"

Zhang Cheng's smile grew even wider: "Isn't there me?"

Zhang Zihui's face turned redder; for a moment, she did not even know how to answer.

She felt Zhang Cheng's hand begin to act improperly, stroking her body.

Moreover, somehow, she felt no resistance in her heart, but rather a vague sense of anticipation.

But gradually, Zhang Zihui felt something was wrong.

"Zhang Cheng, where is your left hand?"

The night was dark and the wind high, and besides, Zhang Cheng wore a long robe.

Zhang Zihui had not noticed the abnormality at first.

When Zhang Cheng hugged her before, she thought he was a gentleman who would only stop at the right moment.

But at this moment, still not feeling Zhang Cheng's left hand, it was very strange.

Is Zhang Cheng this honest? Would an honest person act like this?

"Hehe, you found me out."

Zhang Zihui touched Zhang Cheng's empty sleeve and said in panic, "What happened to your left hand?"

But Zhang Cheng did not answer; he simply stared fixedly at Zhang Zihui, his eyes holding an inexplicable gleam.

Zhang Zihui thought she had touched upon his sad past and said calmly, "It's fine; a missing limb is no obstacle. Later, you can ask your master to reshape your body."

Zhang Cheng smiled eerily: "It is no longer needed, and after tonight, you and I will merge into one."

Zhang Zihui cried out in a delicate voice: "What nonsense are you talking? You're injured and still thinking such things."

"No, I am speaking the truth."

Suddenly, at the place of Zhang Cheng's severed arm, an object rapidly swelled and burst through his robe.

It was an immensely huge arm, dragging along the ground, covered in gray-brown scales and slippery slime.

The instant it appeared, it snapped Zhang Zihui in half at the waist.

Seeing the lingering disbelief in Zhang Zihui's eyes, Zhang Cheng chuckled, "Didn't you ask me to hold you? I've satisfied you, so why are you so unhappy?"

"I understand. It must be that we haven't merged into one yet; you're very unaccustomed to it."

"Rest assured, it will be very quick."

As soon as the words fell, the massive arm split open from the middle, dividing into eight petals, all bristling with sharp teeth.

This was clearly a giant mouth, with a tongue inside licking the teeth.

Crack!

In the deep blue forest, continuous chewing sounds rang out.

Amidst the chirping of insects and birds, a symphony of feeding was constructed.