Chapter 468 – My Master Is Not Human – A Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Treasure Falls to Demonic Corruption (15)
Danger would not spare anyone simply because they were weak.
Right now, there were too many Bloodthirsty Birds and too little prey. Although the two disciples had drawn away much of their attention, Bai Tang was still such a large target that the birds had no intention of letting him go.
Just as part of the flock swooped down to peck at Bai Tang, he only felt a gust of wind sweep past him. In the next second, a deafening crash erupted from the pillar beside him.
It was Pei Boyi.
Seeing that Bai Tang was in danger, Pei Boyi forcibly endured a strike from the demonic cultivator and rushed over to hang a repelling talisman on Bai Tang’s body. The moment he finished doing so, the demonic cultivator sent him flying with another blow, slamming him hard into a nearby pillar.
“Ah Yi…”
Seeing the blood at the corner of Pei Boyi’s lips, tears streamed down Bai Tang’s cheeks.
Why was he so useless?
He could not protect the people around him. Instead, he only dragged them down. If he were stronger—if he at least had the ability to protect himself—then they would not have to get hurt because of him.
Bai Tang sank into despair. Then the demonic cultivator grabbed the back of his collar and forced him to look directly into his eyes.
“A perfect tonic. You escaped from me hundreds of years ago, but now you belong to me.”
The demonic cultivator’s sinister laughter echoed throughout the ruined hall.
He had guarded the Daji Secret Realm for hundreds of years, and at last he had found this spiritual treasure born from heaven and earth. As long as he devoured this little thing, he would ascend directly without suffering the heavenly tribulation.
“Let me go! Let me go…”
Bai Tang struggled desperately, but no matter how hard he fought, he could not break free from the man’s grip.
The demonic cultivator opened his mouth and blew out a stream of black mist. Caught completely off guard, Bai Tang inhaled it, and his body uncontrollably reverted to his squirrel form.
The little squirrel was held by the back of his neck, dangling helplessly in midair with his feet unable to touch the ground. The feeling made him deeply uneasy, and he could also smell the foul stench coming from the demonic cultivator’s mouth.
“Squeak squeak squeak—!” Let me go…
Tears slid down the little squirrel’s face in despair. The shadow of death loomed over him—he was about to end up in the demonic cultivator’s stomach.
“Let go of him.”
The little squirrel was not devoured. Somehow, Pei Boyi had appeared in front of the demonic cultivator once again. His fist was jammed into the man’s mouth, blocking it shut. His eyes were blood-red as one hand clamped around the wrist holding the squirrel.
“Let him go,” he said coldly.
“You can’t beat me.”
The demonic cultivator was merely stating a fact. The loser should die.
At the Golden Core stage, Pei Boyi truly was no match for this demonic cultivator.
What he had failed to calculate was one thing: the owner of this cave dwelling had originally come for Bai Tang. After finally luring them into the trap, there was no way he would allow his prey to escape. Furthermore, the restrictions within the cave dwelling had misled Pei Boyi into believing that the thing guarding the cave was some kind of demonic beast like the Giant Mu Snake, rather than the cave’s true master.
That misjudgment had led to the current situation.
Very quickly, Pei Boyi was sent flying once more. His face turned deathly pale as he clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Squeak squeak squeak—!” Ah Yi…
The disciples’ screams, the sound of Pei Boyi’s bones breaking—every noise continuously stimulated Bai Tang’s mind.
The little squirrel let out a furious, powerless cry while the demonic cultivator laughed gleefully.
What he failed to notice was that the little squirrel in his grasp now had crimson-red eyes, while black demonic energy coiled around his yellowish-brown fur.
If he had noticed, the demonic cultivator would have realized—
Bai Tang had fallen into demonic corruption.
Those who had just succumbed to demonic corruption possessed no rationality at all.
The little squirrel was no exception.
The demonic cultivator’s laughter lasted less than three seconds before the expression on his face suddenly changed.
He lowered his head in disbelief.
A hole had been torn open in his abdomen, and the culprit was none other than the little squirrel he had looked down upon.
Vines withdrew from the demonic cultivator’s stomach, and the strength in his hand loosened. The little squirrel dropped to the ground and instantly returned to human form.
After putting on his clothes, Bai Tang walked forward. Everywhere he stepped, greenery spread across the ground.
But these green plants did not represent life.
They represented destruction.
A vast field of grass rapidly grew across the floor, while towering flowers bloomed open. Their enormous mouths split apart as they swallowed the Bloodthirsty Birds whole.
Hunter and prey—their roles reversed in an instant.
The man-eating flowers greedily hunted the Bloodthirsty Birds flying through the air. The more the prey struggled, the more excited the flowers became.
Before long, every Bloodthirsty Bird that could escape had already fled, while those that could not had all ended up inside the man-eating flowers’ stomachs.
The flowers let out satisfied burps and lowered their heads obediently, displaying submission toward the young man.
Bai Tang’s expression remained emotionless.
He walked over to the two disciples, who still clung to life despite having half their bodies torn apart by the Bloodthirsty Birds. While they remained unconscious, he casually stuffed a Restoration Pill into each of their mouths. Their injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Afterward, he walked over to Pei Boyi and looked down at him from above.
The cold indifference in his eyes clearly told Pei Boyi that he was no longer the same Bai Tang from before.
He was the Demon Lord—a newly born Demon Lord.
“This Lord remembers that you once showed kindness to my former self, so I shall save you once. Only this once. From now on, we owe each other nothing.”
His voice remained as soft and sweet as before, yet the words he spoke sent chills down one’s spine.
Pei Boyi struggled to move and wrapped his arms around Bai Tang’s leg.
“Tang… Tang…”
Bai Tang crouched down, lifted Pei Boyi’s chin, and pushed a pill into his mouth.
“In the future, you are not permitted to address this Lord by name again. There will not be a second warning.”
Bai Tang acknowledged the care Pei Boyi had shown him over the past few days, but that acknowledgment was all it was. To him now, Pei Boyi was merely a stranger.
He considered himself a magnanimous person, so he decided not to hold a grudge over all the hugging and kissing Pei Boyi had forced upon him these past few days.
He stood up and looked coldly at the empty, desolate hall before lightly kicking Pei Boyi aside.
“From now on, do not pester me again.”
“Rumble—!”
Behind the throne, an exit appeared now that the cave master had been defeated.
Without sparing them another glance, Bai Tang walked directly toward the exit.
The man slowly raised his head, determination filling his gaze. His low and affectionate voice echoed through the empty hall.
“And what if I refuse?” Tang Tang…
Bai Tang’s footsteps paused.
He did not turn around. His soft voice carried a chilling detachment.
“You are welcome to try.”
…If you can leave here alive.
Not long after Bai Tang left, Le Xiyin arrived with Du Ting.
At a glance, Le Xiyin saw the three people collapsed on the ground.
With a wave of his hand, he instructed Du Ting to check on the two disciples while he himself went over to Pei Boyi’s side.
“Where is Bai Tang?” Le Xiyin asked, anxiety flashing through his eyes.
Given how attached Bai Tang had been to Pei Boyi, there was no way he would sneak into the secret realm without coming to find him.
“He left.”
Pei Boyi looked toward the exit behind the throne, his gaze dark and unfathomable.
His Tang Tang had run away from there.
Before Le Xiyin arrived, Pei Boyi had already taken the Restoration Pill Bai Tang fed him, and the injuries on his body had healed.
But what about the wounds in his heart?
Le Xiyin had relied on a Bi Bi Pill to avoid the deadly black mist outside and make it this far, only to discover that Bai Tang was nowhere to be found. His gaze shifted toward the demonic cultivator not far away. The half-dried bloodstains clearly proved that the man was already dead.
Suddenly, the cave dwelling began to shake violently.
Le Xiyin’s expression darkened. Du Ting supported the two injured disciples and said, “Master, the secret realm is about to close ahead of time. We need to leave.”
Although they had failed to find Bai Tang, bringing back three disciples meant the trip had not been entirely in vain.
Le Xiyin nodded. Crushing the prepared jade token in his hand, he took the others—and the corpse of the dead demonic cultivator—and left the Daji Secret Realm.
Not long after they departed, another black-robed figure appeared in the crumbling main hall.
Looking at the traces left behind as the greenery gradually faded away, Wang Cheng revealed a regretful smile.
“So even a mighty cultivator at the Soul Formation stage amounted to nothing more than this. Useless trash.”
One second before the Daji Secret Realm completely closed, Le Xiyin and the others successfully emerged.
Their sudden appearance shocked everyone waiting in the plaza.
Wasn’t it said that only cultivators at the Golden Core stage and below could enter the Daji Secret Realm? Then what was going on with Le Xiyin?
The elder who had previously criticized Le’an Immortal Sect immediately acted as though he had found solid evidence and launched into a verbal attack against Le Xiyin.
“As far as I know, only cultivators at the Golden Core stage or below are allowed to enter the Daji Secret Realm. This Peak Master of Le Peak is clearly beyond the Golden Core stage, isn’t he? After all, someone at the Golden Core stage alone could never become the master of an entire peak.”
Le Xiyin was already in a foul mood because he had failed to find Bai Tang. Since this elder had chosen to ram himself right into his path, he could hardly blame Le Xiyin for venting his anger on him.
“That elder truly cuts an impressive figure. I wonder how many disciples you managed to save?”
Le Xiyin released the disciples he had been supporting, making everyone immediately notice his actions.
It was obvious now—he had entered the secret realm to rescue people.
“You—!”
The elder choked on his words, unable to come up with a retort.
“Who knows whether you’re telling the truth or—”
“That demonic cultivator caused this tragedy and led to the deaths of countless disciples from the righteous sects. If the elder has any doubts, perhaps you should confront him directly.”
Le Xiyin shoved the elder forward, pushing him onto the corpse of the demonic cultivator. An overwhelming wave of demonic energy rushed toward him, frightening the elder so badly that he shuddered violently.
“H-How is this possible…?”
The man was already dead, so why was his demonic aura still this terrifying?
That shouldn’t be possible…
That elder’s fall sent him directly onto the demonic cultivator’s dantian. Seizing the opportunity, the demonic energy invaded his body. Spiritual energy and demonic energy clashed violently inside him, surging chaotically through his meridians and causing unbearable agony.
His condition was exactly the same as that of the disciples who had emerged earlier.
Fortunately, because this happened in the plaza, the elder received immediate treatment and was spared the fate most of the disciples had suffered—having their cultivation crippled.
The memories of a demonic cultivator could not lie.
The sect master extracted the demonic cultivator’s strongest obsession before death, revealing the secret of the Daji Secret Realm to everyone present.
Thousands of years ago, the Daji Secret Realm had suddenly appeared in the world. It contained countless heaven-and-earth treasures, and every few years, its entrance would open to allow cultivators inside to seek opportunities and fortunes.
Among all the treasures within, the greatest treasure of all was a little squirrel born from the heavens and earth themselves.
The squirrel possessed an extraordinary constitution. From birth, it was capable of cultivation. Whoever obtained it would see their cultivation advance at astonishing speed. If a cultivator at the Great Ascension stage devoured this heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure, they could directly ascend to immortality without undergoing tribulation.
No heavenly tribulation.
No painstaking cultivation.
An effortless shortcut to immortality.
Who could hear such a thing and not be tempted?
After learning this secret, many of the cultivators in the plaza immediately began fantasizing about obtaining this heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure for themselves.
Hundreds of years ago, a massive number of demonic cultivators entered the Daji Secret Realm for the sole purpose of finding the legendary spiritual treasure. To increase their chances, they slaughtered righteous-path cultivators on a large scale.
Yet even then, they failed to locate the treasure.
In order to force the hidden spiritual treasure out into the open, the demonic cultivators released Devouring Mist. Wherever the mist spread, it destroyed every living thing in its path, all to pressure the spiritual treasure into revealing itself.
The result was catastrophic.
The Daji Secret Realm closed ahead of schedule, trapping many of the demonic cultivators inside to die by their own scheme. The Devouring Mist itself was eventually suppressed by the secret realm. As for the surviving demonic cultivator, he managed to escape that disaster only because he occupied the cave dwelling of a powerful cultivator and hid within it.
This time, he repeated the same tactic, releasing vast amounts of Devouring Mist in an attempt to force out the heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure.
In the end, however, he merely brought about his own destruction.