Cultivating In Secret Beside A Demoness

1453  Demoness: Where Do You Get So Much Sense Of Crisis? (2)

Jiang Hao looked at the person in front of him.

"It seems your progress wasn't just sudden." Hong Yuye observed him. "I thought you were exceptionally talented when you honed your blade intent at the last moment like that and were strong enough to contend with the Master of the East Heavenly Pole."

"Senior, you must be joking." Jiang Hao shook his head. "All I've achieved is due to luck being on my side. Knowing this, I try to keep a low profile, stay cautious, and humble, so that I can survive."

"Where do you get so much sense of crisis?" Hong Yuye asked.

"Senior, you might not understand, but this is how I have lived all my life." Jiang Hao lowered his head. "When I was five years old, I entered the Heavenly Note Sect. I looked around and saw no one who was familiar. I understood that this was a place where I could end up dead at any time. I didn't have much talent in cultivation, so I lived by doing small chores. If I was lucky, I could get through the day peacefully. If not, I would be bullied.

"These were strong Lifeblood Refinement Realm cultivators, and I was just a child who had barely begun cultivating. Even crying could have been a death sentence. The sect may have forbidden killing within its walls, but a demonic sect is still a demonic sect. As an ordinary disciple, if I accepted a task that took me outside, they could easily kill me. By the time I was ten, seventy percent of those who joined with me were dead. In the end, only two of us survived to leave the outer sect and enter the inner sect. If not for some good luck, I probably wouldn't have lived to this day. Someone with your extraordinary talent wouldn't have had such experiences. I've just been struggling to survive."

Hong Yuye looked at the person in front of her and was silent for a long time.

It was unclear whether she was silent out of sympathy for his hard life or disappointment in his lack of talent.

Afterward, Hong Yuye changed the subject and asked about the final technique.

Jiang Hao was able to end the challenge because he had learned something from the East Heavenly Pole.

"The Master of the East Heavenly Pole said that I had very little knowledge and experience regarding the blade. He said no one has ever guided me in it, so I was lacking," said Jiang Hao. "He was right. My understanding of the blade is very little. I can count the number of blade techniques on just one hand. Wanting to comprehend the seventh form was just a foolish dream. That's why I gave up at the last moment. I gave up on trying to master and study it. I simply used my body to feel the opponent's blade intent to learn from it."

"Did you succeed?" Hong Yuye asked.

Jiang Hao shook his head. "Actually, I failed. I was only able to use the Great Overarching Heaven in the end because my heart changed."

Hong Yuye looked at him and gestured for him to continue.

"Letting go," said Jiang Hao.

"Letting go?" Hong Yuye asked softly.

"Yes, letting go…" Jiang Hao nodded seriously. "At that time, I understood that I had a strike within me, but no matter how I gripped the blade or channeled my body's strength, I was always restrained. So, I decided to let go. I gained something from letting go."

Hong Yuye sipped her tea without showing much emotion.

Jiang Hao did not say anything more. Instead, he quietly recovered from his injuries.

Three days later, when Jiang Hao's injuries were almost healed, he asked her another question.

"Senior, what was in that box that I gave to the Master of the East Heavenly Pole?"

As soon as he asked this, Hong Yuye stared directly at Jiang Hao.

She did not answer the question but instead asked, "Do you remember when I asked to borrow your eyes to see something?"

"I remember," said Jiang Hao. "But I don't know what you wanted to see."

"The Great Overarching Heaven," said Hong Yuye.

"I can't perform it…" Jiang Hao sighed. "I only managed to manifest some blade intent out of desperation before, which was actually thanks to the Master of the East Heavenly Pole. Now, I know the blade techniques and forms, but I still can't use it."

Hong Yuye simply looked at him and accepted his explanation.

"Then, we'll wait," she said.

Jiang Hao was surprised.

However, for some reason, he felt sad. He simply could not use the seventh form.

Another three days passed, and Jiang Hao's body was almost fully recovered.

The remaining task was to adjust his breathing.

No one in or outside the Heavenly Note Sect acted rashly because of the presence of the bright Moon Sect and Smiling San Sheng.

The overwhelming presence of the Immortal Clan had left many people unable to grasp the situation clearly.

Naturally, they did not dare act recklessly.

This way, Jiang Hao could have some peace for a while.

But there was still no news of the spirit beast and others.

He did not know where they had gone.

If they ran away from home, they might have gone quite far.

...

At the edge of the Hidden Cloud Prefecture, the spirit beast looked at the map and pointed in the direction of the sea.

"Over there. Let's go!" it said.

Mu Yin and the others looked at the map and felt confused.

"Was the map like this before?"

He was not sure.

It felt different.

But it did not matter.

After all, treasure hunting was all the same, no matter which map they followed.

He just hoped that being away for so long would not be a problem.

"It won't be a problem. Occasionally, people in the sect do this," Lin Zhi said.

"We're all friends in the underworld. My friends will guide us." The spirit beast hopped onto Xiao Li's shoulder and looked into the distance. "I treat people with sincerity, so people will treat us the same. We can go out, and they will understand."

Bing Qing nodded.

She vowed to herself to treat her friends with the utmost sincerity.

Xiao Li also felt that with the spirit beast around, there would not be any issues.

Overseas, on the island with an altar, a middle-aged man named Ao Shi was sitting cross-legged and absorbing the benefits of the world.

It allowed his strength to reach its peak.

He frowned. He kept feeling that there was an aura interfering with him.

It seemed to be calling out to him.

At this point, he had not fully absorbed the benefits of this era, so he was reluctant to leave.

But soon, he opened his eyes.

"What's going on? Why do I feel unable to focus? What's affecting me?"

He did not believe that any strong being in this world would actively provoke him.

But this feeling was real.

"It seems to be related to the Dragon Clan," Ao Shi muttered to himself.

There were only a few things related to the dragon clan that could affect him.

First, the Ancestral Dragon, then the New World, and lastly, the Heavenly Book of Inheritance.

Each was important to the Dragon Clan.

However, the New World had long been lost. It was suppressed by the Human Emperor.

If it really did affect the Great Era, it would not have happened so easily.

That left the first and the third possibility.

While Ao Shi was deep in thought, Ao Hai descended from the sky.

He landed in front of Ao Shi and bowed respectfully. "There's some news."

"About what?" Ao Shi asked.

Ao Hai waved his hand, and a black dragon was thrown onto the altar.

"The Black Dragon Clan seems to be more active. They must have discovered something."

"Oh?" Ao Shi smiled as he looked at the unconscious black dragon on the ground. "The Black Dragon Clan isn't particularly insightful, but they have a good eye. We can question them. Anything else?"

"The one who attacked us before was likely an elder from the Astronomical Academy," Ao Hai said.

"The Astronomical Academy?" Ao Shi asked.

"One of the four great immortal sects," Ao Hai said.

"I see." Ao Shi nodded. "It was no wonder they had such power. But we're still laying the groundwork, so there's no rush to make enemies of them. Besides, the Immortal Clan is more eager to rise than we are. They'll surely clash with others first. Let them fight it out for now."

"There's one more thing… the Heavenly Book of Inheritance is in the hands of The End of All Things," said Ao Hai after a moment of thought. "The organization of the same name exists. They want to destroy everything, much like the Earth Demons who existed in the Human Emperor's era. Their lifelong wish was to destroy the earth."

"Do you know where he is?" Ao Shi asked.

"The Ancient Land," Ao Hai said.

"Oh?" Ao Shi said playfully. "It seems the one who gave you this information might have simply been pushing you along."

Ao Hai did not speak.

After a moment, Ao Shi made a decision. "Any news about the New World?"

Ao Hai shook his head. "I haven't looked into it."

"No matter. There probably hasn't been much change. That leaves the Ancestral Dragon's Heart," said Ao Shi. "I suspect the Ancestral Dragon's Heart has something it wants to tell us. There may be something in this era that's crucial to the dragon clan's future. I'll have to go there myself."