Great Li Martial God

"A demonic text?"

The Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Daoist Qingyu, "That is quite something. Do not tell me even a Daoist of the Azure Cloud Temple has entered the demonic path?"

At those words, Daoist Qingyu did not deny it, and let out a sigh, "This poor nun had no intention of cultivating demonic arts. But that demonic text was unlike ordinary demonic techniques. On its surface, every word and line read as orthodox Daoist method. Yet the deeper one cultivated it, the more easily one was led astray."

"As the Buddhists say, one thought makes a demon, one thought makes a Buddha. That demonic text was exactly so. Any slight deviation in one's state of mind during cultivation sent one sliding permanently into the demonic path. By the time this poor nun realized it, it was already too late."

Zhao Kuang's brow furrowed, and he glanced at his father's corpse not far away, "So you are saying that you used that demonic text to resist my father's Soul-Searching Technique."

Daoist Qingyu gave a slight nod, "That is correct. Once I discovered it was a demonic text, I cut off any further cultivation of it, and at the same time used the authentic Daoist methods of the Azure Cloud Temple to suppress the demonic art and demonic nature within myself."

"Originally, with my six senses sealed, the Great Xuan emperor would have found nothing if he simply took my life, and the matter would have ended there."

"But as things turned out, he invoked the demonic power of the Soul-Searching Technique, which stirred the demonic art within me that had been suppressed for years, causing it to strike back."

As she said this, Daoist Qingyu looked at Li Musheng, "This also meant that although the Great Xuan emperor successfully obtained the Longevity Scripture from me through the Soul-Searching Technique, he himself was severely wounded by the demonic art within me. It even inadvertently broke through the seal I had placed on my own six senses, bringing me back to consciousness."

"It was only when you broke in just now, and you slew the Great Xuan emperor, that this poor nun was finally able to come out from within the mechanism."

Having heard Daoist Qingyu explain the full chain of events from beginning to end, the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit, Zhao Kuang, and the others all fell into thoughtful expressions.

"So... Father Emperor is truly just dead like that?"

Crown Prince Zhao Kuang's eyes flickered, his gaze passing over the Great Xuan emperor's corpse before settling on Daoist Qingyu.

At this moment, Zhao Kuang's feelings were undeniably complicated. The Great Xuan emperor's death had caught him somewhat off guard. He was not yet fully able to accept that his father, who had held the power of Great Xuan for decades and carried such immense authority, had died so easily at Li Musheng's hand.

But at the same time, a quiet relief stirred within him, and even a faint undercurrent of excitement.

After all, with the Great Xuan emperor dead, he as Crown Prince could inherit the throne by right and without question.

Faced with Zhao Kuang's question, Daoist Qingyu hesitated briefly, looked at the Great Xuan emperor's corpse, and furrowed her brow.

"This poor nun would not wish to speak carelessly. Although the Great Xuan emperor before you was indeed slain by you, sir, with a single finger strike, even so, this poor nun cannot say with certainty that the Great Xuan emperor is truly and completely gone."

At those words, Zhao Kuang, the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit, and Zhao Muning all showed visibly startled expressions.

Very quickly, Zhao Muning thought of something Daoist Qingyu had said before, and looked at her with a startled and uncertain expression, "Does what the Daoist is saying have something to do with the Soul-Searching Technique?"

"Precisely."

Daoist Qingyu gave a slight nod, "The Soul-Searching Technique originates from the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art cultivated by the Demonic Patriarch, and is a supreme demonic art, extraordinarily sinister and unpredictable."

"This poor nun does not dare underestimate its power. If the Great Xuan emperor used the Soul-Searching Technique to shed his shell and seek a way to survive in another form, it would not be impossible."

At those words, Zhao Kuang's complexion immediately became rather poor.

If the Great Xuan emperor was truly dead, then dead he was. Though he and his father had some feeling between them, and he might grieve for a time, it would only be for a time. What Zhao Kuang wanted most was still the Great Xuan throne. As long as he could become the emperor of Great Xuan, nothing else mattered.

But Daoist Qingyu was now telling him that his father might still be alive.

How was he supposed to accept that?

As long as there was any possibility the Great Xuan emperor still lived somewhere in the world, even if he ascended the throne afterward, he would never know peace.

"Does the Daoist have any way of confirming whether my father is truly dead or merely appears to be?"

Zhao Kuang asked in a darkly somber voice, but Daoist Qingyu shook her head to indicate she had no such means.

At that, Zhao Muning kept her eyes fixed on Daoist Qingyu, her brow furrowed, "I just saw the Daoist control my father's corpse. Does that mean you have also cultivated the Soul-Searching Technique?"

At those words, Daoist Qingyu did not deny it, and gave a nod, "The demonic text this poor nun inadvertently cultivated years ago has one very peculiar characteristic. Any demonic art, no matter which one, this poor nun only needs to look at once to learn with ease, almost as though by instinct."

"When this poor nun was looking through the Great Xuan emperor's secret chamber earlier, I came across the demonic arts he had cultivated. I picked up a little of the Soul-Searching Technique as well."

Here Daoist Qingyu showed a helpless expression and turned to look at Li Musheng, "Ever since the Great Xuan emperor used the Soul-Searching Technique to activate the demonic art within this poor nun, I have been unable to suppress the demonic text from running its course."

"This has caused my demonic nature to keep growing. Though it is still within my control for now, the longer time passes, the more I fear the demonic nature will consume me entirely, and I will become an outright demon."

At those words, the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit gave Daoist Qingyu a long look, "There is truly a demonic text this formidable in the world? If word of this got out among demonic circles, they would tear each other apart to get hold of it. People would probably covet it even more than the Demonic Patriarch's own legacy."

"This poor nun has already destroyed that text. No one else in the world will ever know of it."

Daoist Qingyu shook her head slowly, then continued to look at Li Musheng and pressed her palms together in a Daoist salute, "Your martial cultivation is unfathomably deep. This poor nun hopes you will forgive the boldness of the request, but could you use your power to suppress the demonic art within me? This poor nun would be infinitely grateful."

At those words, Li Musheng rubbed his chin and looked Daoist Qingyu over, then shook his head, "First prove your identity. Once you do, even if you truly become a demon, I will not hold it against you, and I will bring you out of here without so much as a hair out of place."

Li Musheng said this in complete sincerity. He did not care in the slightest whether Daoist Qingyu before him was mortal or demon.

The only thing he cared about was getting the real Daoist Qingyu out of the palace, and then exchanging that for the key to the Tianqi Secret Treasury from Daoist Qingye.

Beyond that, the entangglements between Daoist Qingyu and the Great Xuan emperor, and the truth or falsehood within everything she had said, held no interest for him.

Daoist Qingyu was silent for a brief moment and showed no displeasure at Li Musheng's blunt refusal. She thought for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh, "Though this poor nun does not know what price Junior Brother paid to bring you here, given that I am on the verge of entering a demonic state at any moment, being rescued would only make me a dangerous threat to the Azure Cloud Temple and the martial world."

"This poor nun has no wish to become a demon who harms others for the sake of preserving a single life. I feel that perhaps remaining sealed within this palace may be this poor nun's true fate."

As she said this, Daoist Qingyu watched Li Musheng with a composed expression, "Or if you believe this poor nun is not the person you are looking for, and you choose to send me on my way, I will have neither complaint nor resistance."

At those words, Li Musheng said nothing. The entire underground space went silent for quite some time, until the Crimson Cloud Evil Spirit spoke up in reminder, "Young hero, the time for one cup of tea has passed."

Li Musheng waved a hand and gave Daoist Qingyu a long look, "Interesting. To be honest, even if you could provide proof of your identity as Daoist Qingyu, I would have no reliable way to verify it."

"But this attitude of yours, ready to meet death with composure and to set aside your own life for others, does carry something of the air of a person who has truly attained the Dao."

As he said this, Li Musheng flicked a finger casually, and an intangible breath of energy settled instantly into Daoist Qingyu's body.

"Tonight I have already found two Daoist Qingyus before you. You are the third, and the most likely to be real."

Li Musheng spoke slowly, then beckoned to Daoist Qingyu, "Your Junior Brother asked me to act on his behalf, and beyond the conditions he agreed to, there is one other thing, which is the Longevity Scripture on your person."

"If you give me the Longevity Scripture, I will stop looking tonight. Whether you are real or not, I will take you out of this palace."

At those words, Daoist Qingyu's thoughts stirred, and she sensed the breath of energy Li Musheng had sent into her body. She found that it was simply resting dormant within her core, neither helping to suppress the demonic art within her, nor causing her the slightest harm. It lay completely still, with no discernible function.

"The Longevity Scripture can extend one's life, but it conceals a very significant flaw. You are still young. By rights, you should have no urgent need to think about extending your life."

Daoist Qingyu seemed to show a puzzled expression, but Li Musheng said evenly, "Whether I need the Longevity Scripture is beside the point. But whether you will give it was agreed upon beforehand. It is my compensation, and naturally it cannot be left out."

Right now, within the Great Xuan imperial palace, the only ones who truly knew the contents of the Longevity Scripture were probably the Great Xuan emperor and Daoist Qingyu. As long as the Daoist Qingyu before him could hand over the complete Longevity Scripture, it would simply become a matter of picking between two possibilities.

As for whether the Daoist Qingyu before him was real or an impostor, or whether she might even be the Great Xuan emperor himself, that was not Li Musheng's concern. He only needed to bring someone out, and then he could wait for Daoist Qingye to arrive and make the identification himself.

At this, Daoist Qingyu considered briefly, then gave a slow nod, "You have taken such a great risk to come and rescue this poor nun. Passing the Longevity Scripture on to you is entirely reasonable. I only ask that you be cautious in cultivating it, as its flaws are considerable."

With that, Daoist Qingyu did not hesitate, and immediately began transmitting the full Longevity Scripture to Li Musheng by reciting it through true qi.

At the sight, Zhao Kuang beside them showed an unusual expression, and a glint of greed surfaced in the depths of his eyes, though he quickly concealed it.

Much as he coveted the Longevity Scripture that could extend one's life by two hundred years, with Li Musheng and Daoist Qingyu right before him, he did not dare make so much as a rash move.

And besides, what concerned him far more at this moment was whether his father was truly dead or not. The uncertainty sat like a splinter in his heart. Until it was removed, he would always be afraid of it driving through him without warning.

Before long, Daoist Qingyu had transmitted the entire Longevity Scripture to Li Musheng.

Li Musheng closed his eyes briefly, and with a single pass of his thoughts examined the scripture to get a sense of it.

"Good. This technique is quite interesting. It does appear to be the real Longevity Scripture."

Li Musheng slowly opened his eyes, and a faint look of satisfaction crossed his face.

One truly had to say, this world had never been short of exceptional talent throughout its history. Though his own comprehension was extraordinary, he was by no means omniscient.

The martial world held more technique manuals and scriptures than could be counted, and no small number of them held genuine value worth studying and pondering.

With that thought in mind, Li Musheng felt his mood, which had grown somewhat frayed from all the twists and turns of searching for Daoist Qingyu tonight, ease up considerably.

"I will accept this Longevity Scripture. As for your identity..."

Li Musheng glanced at Daoist Qingyu, then his thoughts shifted, and his tone changed direction abruptly, "You said just now that it was because you had once cultivated a demonic text that you were able to resist the Great Xuan emperor's Soul-Searching Technique. I will need to verify this for myself before I can say whether your words are true."

At those words, Daoist Qingyu furrowed her brow slightly, "How does sir intend to verify it?"

"Recite that demonic text for me once. Then I can naturally determine whether what you have said is true."

Li Musheng spoke with composure, but Daoist Qingyu shook her head repeatedly, "That cannot be done. That demonic text is no ordinary thing. This poor nun has already fallen irreversibly into the demonic path because of it. You must not let it lead you down the same road."

At the sight, Li Musheng narrowed his eyes slightly, "In my eyes, there has never been any distinction between orthodox techniques and demonic techniques. To be honest, I have studied a fair number of demonic techniques, but do I look like someone of the demonic path to you?"

As he said this, Li Musheng glanced at the passageway in the stone chamber, "I am a man who keeps his word. Since I agreed to Daoist Qingye's request to rescue someone, I will naturally do exactly that."

"Let me be direct with you. To verify whether what you have said is true, I want not only the demonic text you cultivated, but also the Soul-Searching Technique the Great Xuan emperor cultivated."

"Only by comparing the two demonic arts can I confirm whether the demonic text you spoke of is truly capable of resisting the Soul-Searching Technique."

Li Musheng's words were naturally not entirely truthful. Comparing two demonic arts in a short period of time to reach a conclusion about their relative strengths was no easy task.

His real aim was the demonic text in Daoist Qingyu's possession. In fact, his thoughts had already gone further still.

He intended to take not only the demonic text and the Soul-Searching Technique, but all of the Demonic Patriarch's legacy the Great Xuan emperor had obtained, and study everything together.

After all, once the matter of rescuing someone in the Great Xuan imperial palace was settled, and he had obtained the key to the Tianqi Secret Treasury from Daoist Qingye, he still had a long journey ahead to White Emperor City.

It was a long road, and he happened to have nothing to pass the time with. These demonic arts would do perfectly.

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