Chapter 899: The Origin of Desire

Lao Gui's vertical pupils shifted slightly, as if seeing through Yan Buji's doubt. They slowly lifted their withered, thin finger and made a gentle slash in the void.

Wha—!

Huangquan River water suddenly surged, and a terrifying scene rose within the water curtain:

The sky of Youming Jie was torn apart, countless black tendrils hung down from the fissures, coiling around the altar of the Starry Sky Sect. The powerful members of the Asura clan and the Rakshasa clan had their bodies contorting at a bizarre speed—some sprouted extra arms, others had their heads split open, revealing fierce fangs.

At the altar's center, the high priest of the Starry Sky Sect was pierced through the chest by a massive flesh tumor, and his divinity was being wildly devoured by an indescribable force!

"What… what is this?!" Yan Buji's pupils contracted sharply.

"The mutating contamination spreads faster than anyone imagined," Lao Gui's voice was cold. "The Starry Sky Sect rules Youming Jie, yet they do not know the true intentions of the 'deity' they worship."

Yan Buji's heart trembled wildly.

He suddenly recalled a vision he had once seen: the flesh tumor that had been thrown into the deep sea, those vague human figures hauling it out and carrying it to a pitch‑black world…

"So, Youming Jie now…"

"The underworld's remnants have already begun establishing a new order, though it may not last," Lao Gui withdrew the water curtain, his tone as flat as if discussing the weather. "Moreover, the cycle's order is collapsing, and the rate of mutating lost souls far exceeds expectations. If Huangquan completely dries up, the Nine Heavens and Five Domains will have no reincarnated beings left."

Yan Buji was silent for a moment, then sneered, "Senior, you said all that just to send me to Youming Jie to die. Even if I were willing to help, with only the Swallow Desire Pot, how many mutating lost souls could it devour?"

"You're wrong," Lao Gui's vertical pupils flashed with a strange light. "What I want is not your 'help' but 'cooperation'."

He raised his hand in a gesture, and a bronze coffin suddenly rose from the bottom of the Huangquan River. The lid slid open slowly, revealing a desiccated corpse inside, whose chest bore a pulsating black heart!

"This is…" Yan Buji felt a familiar surge, his complexion shifting abruptly: "The Source of Desire?!"

"Correct," Lao Gui's voice was seductive. "This is a heart core stripped from the 'Seven Emotions Demon Lord' back then, containing the purest power of desire. If you fuse it, the Swallow Desire Pot can evolve into the 'Extreme Desire Demon Pot', capable of devouring the mutating desires of the entire Youming Jie!"

"You also know that the existence of the Heavenly Demon clan was originally to hinder cultivators' advancement, essentially serving as the Dao's exclusive enforcers. But now the Dao is suppressed; without the celestial star gates restraining them, these heavenly demons will ravenously siphon all worldly distractions and desires, growing wildly!"

Yan Buji frowned.

In truth, he did not understand how the heavenly demons cultivated to become stronger, but whether from ancient texts or his own observations, these demons indeed grew powerful by luring cultivators and devouring their hosts.

The only possible exception might be the heavenly demon king of the Boundless Abyssal Trench.

"Even if senior's words are true, this source… could it be that senior seized it by force?"

Lao Gui smiled lightly: "You only need to consider whether to accept this Source of Desire. Since you walk the Path of Desire, you should know exactly what road you tread. This Source of Desire is the supreme treasure forged by the heavenly demons over hundreds of thousands of years!"

Yan Buji's breathing quickened, but he soon calmed: "What's the price?"

"Smart," Lao Gui chuckled lowly. "The price is… you will become the 'Seven Emotions Demon Lord's' prey, immortal and unending."

Yan Buji squinted, then laughed suddenly: "Senior, you've gone round in circles; the real purpose is probably not to save Huangquan, but to use my hand… to deal with the Seven Emotions Demon Lord, right?"

Lao Gui's faceless visage twitched slightly, as if smiling: "Each gets what they need, right?"

Yan Buji nodded and added, "Senior's words are reasonable, but the demon king is at least a Great Vehicle Stage cultivator, right? With my current Refining Void Mid‑stage strength, I'm probably no match for them, perhaps even…"

"So this brings us to our upcoming cooperation."

Lao Gui said, looking at Yan Buji: "You are a bearer of martial destiny; although you… seem to have altered your cultivation method, I think with your current accumulation and means you could cause upheaval across the Five Domains. I, of course, will not interfere with your affairs; the Youming Jie tolerates no mistakes, and it also relates to the way you practice your destiny Dao."

Yan Buji's expression turned odd: "Could this be related to the Human Emperor? Is Youming Jie the Sixth Domain of the Wild Age?"

"Since you know these inner workings, I won't elaborate further. The Six Paths Reincarnation Wheel has been fully seized by the underworld; Heaven, Earth, and all have been taken, and stabilizing the situation merely lacks a bit of time."

"Furthermore, once you obtain this Source of Desire, it will not only help you advance further on the Path of Desire, reaching the 'Hearing the Dao' realm, and by devouring lost souls' desires, the Great Vehicle Stage is within sight!"

Yan Buji squinted, somewhat swayed by the other's words.

Since Yan Buji first grasped the essence of this world and later gradually uncovered the truth, he roughly guessed that the Nine Heavens and Five Domains were nearing their end, so he must find a way to leave this world.

Thus he no longer hesitated; even if he were to unleash a cataclysmic slaughter in Nan Ting, being hunted by the major forces of the Nan Ting Mountain Region mattered not.

As long as he could achieve his ambition and satisfy his desire, he would accept any price.

But the prerequisite is, how can he trust this Lao Gui before him?

Yan Buji hesitated, not daring to take the Source of Desire, also worried that the opponent might have left traps above. Even though he now walks the Great Way, precisely because…

of this, Yan Buji increasingly senses how terrifying this Lao Gui truly is.

This moment is not like before; in the past, Yan Buji had no choice, forced to accept schemes from all sides, compelled to walk the road they envisioned.

Now Yan Buji breaks everything, shatters the cultivation of his first half of life, achieves the Essence Method, and refines his martial destiny,

abandoning the identity favored by martial destiny, embracing extreme desire as sole, seeking the Dao truth, and no longer wishing to fall into others' schemes.

As Yan Buji pondered, a thought suddenly sprang up.

"Senior, you… wouldn't also have seized a portion of the Wisdom Source, would you?"

Indeed!

"Knowledge, memory, desire, spirituality. Since I obtained the Wisdom Source's 'desire', senior's is…"

"Spirituality."

Lao Gui pointed to his own head: "What race do you think I am?"

"Senior isn't human?!" Yan Buji was completely unaware,

and was instantly shocked.

The Lao Gui before him, whom he had thought a human senior,

could perhaps be…

Since the other said so, it must be that he allowed Yan Buji to peer into him.

Yan Buji projected his divine sense, carefully sensing.

【55】 Soon, his complexion changed dramatically!

【56】 "You are... a dragon race?!"