Chapter 238- The Black-Bellied Demon Cultivator’s Senior Brother VS The Righteous Young Junior Brother (3)
The demonic cultivator wanted to kill Ning Yizhou and then use dark magic to extract the spiritual energy from his body. Naturally, Ning Yizhou was not willing to die without a fight. The two clashed, and despite Ning Yizhou’s demon core shattering completely, he managed to kill the demonic cultivator. However, the demonic cultivator’s attacks left him infected with demonic energy, causing him immense suffering.
Demon beasts cannot cultivate demonic arts, but at that moment, Ning Yizhou had no other options. His demon core was completely shattered, and his body was infiltrated by demonic energy. If he couldn’t find a solution quickly, he would face total annihilation.
So, he tried to channel the demonic energy within his body. Unexpectedly, the shattering of his demon core actually gave him a chance at survival. After a painful struggle, he successfully cultivated demonic arts using his demon body.
Due to the unique nature of his demon beast constitution, after becoming a demonic cultivator, his appearance also changed, becoming a mix of tiger and human—ferocious and terrifying. His body also uncontrollably emitted demonic energy, making it impossible to conceal.
As a result, Ning Yizhou became an outcast, hunted and pursued as he fled. To survive, he killed many people and absorbed their cultivation, growing stronger with each kill.
Surprisingly, he managed to survive and eventually grew into the final boss of the story—a demon beast cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage. But, of course, he ultimately met his end at the hands of the protagonist.
Indeed, it seemed that his lover was once again destined for a tragic end in this life, and he was even portrayed as a traitor. It looked like he would have to help clear his name. With that thought, Mu Jin sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
As for Mu Jin’s identity in this life, it was far more ordinary. The original Mu Jin was also named Mu Jin, a boy living in a village near the Qingliu Sect. Although the village was at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, it was much farther away.
Fortunately, the village was close to a secret realm outside the Qingliu Sect. After Ning Yizhou led his fellow disciples out of the secret realm, he encountered the original Mu Jin, who had lost his parents, had his farmland seized, and was severely beaten—left on the verge of death.
Ning Yizhou didn’t meddle too much in worldly matters or seek justice for the original Mu Jin. Still, he did kindly bring him back and placed him in the sect’s vegetable garden. Given Ning Yizhou’s good reputation, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to help the pitiful boy.
The original Mu Jin was very grateful to Ning Yizhou, believing he would have died without his intervention. However, although he wanted to express his thanks, he never had the opportunity to see him. Upon learning that mortals who reach the age of eighteen have a chance to ascend the Zongyun Ladder, he decided to try his luck.
Although the original Mu Jin was taciturn and straightforward, he was very determined. So, despite the difficulties he encountered while climbing the Zongyun Ladder, he gritted his teeth and persevered, eventually reaching the gates of the Qingliu Sect.
Because of this, the original Mu Jin gained the qualification to undergo the Qingliu Sect’s spiritual root test. The results showed that he had dual wood-water spiritual roots, allowing him to stay in the inner sect. Due to Ning Yizhou’s influence, he chose to join Chuan Yun Peak.
In his heart, Ning Yizhou was his savior; without Ning Yizhou, he wouldn’t be who he was now. However, after becoming Ning Yizhou’s junior brother, he felt apprehensive.
He initially planned to thank Ning Yizhou in person, but he felt inadequate due to his lack of strength and proper gifts. So, he focused on cultivating diligently while secretly observing Ning Yizhou, hoping to someday present a worthy gift to his senior brother as a token of gratitude.
In the original plot, after being told that Ning Yizhou was a traitor, the original Mu Jin never believed it. This disbelief became his obsession. Unfortunately, he died in a battle against demonic cultivators, never learning the truth.
Before his death, the original Mu Jin regretted not properly thanking Ning Yizhou and not doing more for him. This was his deepest wish—to repay his benefactor in some way. No matter what, even if Ning Yizhou was truly a traitor, he believed Ning Yizhou was fundamentally a good person.
Mu Jin never imagined that the original Mu Jin’s wish would be connected to his own lover. This made fulfilling the wish much easier.
Feeling satisfied, Mu Jin thought he was truly lucky in this life. He reassured himself that as long as he was around, even if his lover turned out to be dark, he would turn him to the light, ensuring Ning Yizhou wouldn’t suffer any harm.
As for climbing the Zongyun Ladder in a few days, Mu Jin wasn’t worried. Even though the small world would suppress most of his cultivation, he still had a powerful spiritual sense to monitor his own condition.
When he first arrived in this world, 003 had already modified his body. So now, Mu Jin no longer had dual wood-water spiritual roots but a single wood root.
Thinking about seeing his lover in a few days, Mu Jin felt a mix of anxiety and relief. He was somewhat comforted but also found himself craving other things. Having been here for quite some time and now so close to reuniting with his lover, he realized that what he missed the most was delicious food.
Yes, Mu Jin really missed those tasty meals.
In his previous world, although his lover had always pampered him with a lot of delicious food every day, as a ghost, Mu Jin never felt full. This was quite troubling for him because no matter how much he ate, he couldn’t experience the satisfaction of being full.
After arriving in this world, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his lover, so he initially ignored the surrounding circumstances. Moreover, he had been genuinely worried about certain things for a while.
In the previous world, despite his lover’s identity being manipulated, the entity called Shadow never appeared, which Mu Jin found odd. He later speculated that although this entity could devour part of the naive consciousness of the Heavenly Dao, it was still not the Heavenly Dao itself. Competing with the Heavenly Dao for power and influencing his lover to reincarnate wouldn’t be easy.
A mistake could potentially harm the entity itself. So, it was possible that the entity didn’t appear in their previous life because it was severely injured, unable to cause them trouble. Thinking this way, Mu Jin felt much better.
With a lighter heart, his stomach felt even emptier, so he decided to go out and find something to eat.
During his stay in the vegetable garden, as a newcomer with no possessions, Mu Jin was grateful for the uncle who took care of him. Even with this help, he only had simple food like radishes and greens, with no chance of eating anything better. Now penniless, Mu Jin decided to go to the back mountain to hunt for some wild game.
The scenery in the back mountain was beautiful. Perhaps because it was at the foot of Qingyun Mountain with abundant spiritual energy, even ordinary plants grew exceptionally well.
Being a plant himself, Mu Jin naturally loved such a spiritually rich environment. He even felt an urge to take root in the nutrient-rich soil to fully experience the earth and spiritual energy. However, thinking that meat was more appealing at the moment, he temporarily dismissed this idea.
Moreover, if someone noticed him rooting himself into the soil, they might mistake him for some kind of monster. After all, in this world, the relationship between demon cultivators and human cultivators is far from harmonious.
Over the years, with mutual competition for resources, while they might not harbor outright hatred, they generally don’t see eye to eye.
Mu Jin picked up a bow and arrow borrowed from the uncle and set out to search for wild rabbits or chickens in the forest. However, after wandering for a while, he still couldn’t find anything edible.
Looking at his now frail body, Mu Jin sighed, realizing that hunting large game was not a feasible option at the moment. As he walked, he inadvertently ventured deeper into the forest and finally came across a wild rabbit.
Thinking of braised rabbit legs, and having been on a vegetarian diet for over two months, Mu Jin licked his lips and eagerly approached the rabbit.
However, before he could get close, a large, boar-like creature with huge tusks and spines emerged from the underbrush. This creature seemed far more menacing than a wild boar and was even more hideous. Perhaps wild boars in this world were all so unattractive.
Seeing this, Mu Jin wasn’t frightened but was rather puzzled. His alertness was usually high, but he hadn’t noticed this wild boar at all.
He briefly sensed his surroundings and found that the creatures in this world were indeed quite unusual. For instance, the boar-like creature in front of him, despite its ugliness, was a mid-level demon beast and knew how to conceal its spiritual presence. Its meat was likely to be quite nourishing.
Mu Jin hesitated, looking at his slender limbs. Even if he did manage to defeat the creature, his untrained body would likely sustain some injuries.
To his surprise, while he was contemplating, the wild boar treated him as prey. It stared intently at Mu Jin, let out a fierce screech, and charged at him.
Mu Jin dodged left and right. Observing the creature’s large size but agile movements, he found it somewhat amusing and decided to toy with it for a while. Just as he was preparing to make his move, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura approaching.
It was the unique scent of his beloved, and Mu Jin would notice his presence even from a distance. Instantly ceasing his actions, Mu Jin’s heart raced with excitement. Could it be that he was lucky enough to meet his lover without needing to climb the Zongyun Ladder?