Archfiend Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Cultivation Civilization (1)

The formless footprint was followed by bursts of ground tremors, extending onwards neither hurriedly nor slowly. He seemed not to be fast, but the fact of the matter was that with Li Zongyuan's bulk, he could well go several tens of meters in a single step.

Inside a car, a middle-aged man lifted his sunglasses, and his right eye reddened, appearing to build a bridge between the human and demon realms. Eventually, he leaned his head towards his female companion at the side and laughed: "A demon is relocating, nothin' to see. It probably couldn't keep on staying in Mingshui Province."

His female companion looked into his eyes and laughed cutely as she used her hand to pat his shoulder: "Don't use the Heaven Eye; even though it's an elementary version of Heavens Law's teachings, it's freaky to look at in the dead of night."

"Moving house, eh…" Ahead of the three large character signboard of Panshan City, a police officer sighed, turning around and continuing to uphold public order: "Nowadays, our lives really are getting harder."

Li Zongyuan simply didn't pay attention to any of this, but rather blustered about on the mountain. In any case, ordinary people couldn't see him and the others who could still had to protect his relocation. The heck was he scared of?

But to say he wasn't scared wasn't the whole truth. He quite dreaded... the master within his stomach. His full-on sprint was certainly much greater than his current speed and to say his current speed was a walk was more or less correct. However, if Xu Yangyi was shaken — and if Xu Yangyi was unhappy — it was game over for him. This boundlessly cycling thought caused him to rather enjoy this kind of leisurely strolling life.

As well as controlling the wild expectation of breaking free that was hidden within his heart.

Xu Yangyi, Zhou Tingting, and the little wolf were all in his stomach. It couldn't be helped to say that this demon was a demon that really liked to live it up. He had built a small dimensional space, and while his land of honey and milk wasn't completely filled with Dew Congealing Grass, it introduced a stream of water and established a wooden house around 265 square meters.

Zhou Tingting and the little wolf were in the living room absentmindedly playing on a computer. Inside another room, they had moved in their items. As for Xu Yangyi, he stayed in the third room, not leaving.

He had continued to ruminate a question.

What had caused him to receive the kill command of a branch master he was total strangers with? The answer came quickly to him. After almost several minutes, he was certain of everything. Someone was concealing from China's cultivation world the examination results from three years prior. The results, as well as its content, had all been tampered with. For him to be on the receiving end of this hunt, it could only originate from his battle of three years ago.

"Is it you…?" He sat in meditation on a bed, looking at a little chest placed before him.

Since his leap of three years, it no longer existed in his qi sea, and on that rainy night, it had materialized. Moreover, Xu Yangyi used a silver necklace chain to wear it on his neck. With golden script in a simple and unadorned painting style, the chest lacked any other peculiarities.

Xu Yangyi closed his eyes. In his mind, he began to recall all of his problems since he left Sanshui City to the present.  

"How did that berserker obtain this chest?"

"What the heck is this chest… Who is this leopard-headed man whose ornate design was engraved? Without it, I wouldn't have been able to go into the lotus pond and I also wouldn't have known about the existence of the Eternal Alchemy Canon. Without it, I would've long died beneath Vermillion Snow's hand."

"What is that lotus pond? Was it but fantasy? If it was fake… why can I remember the arcane effort from inside? If it's real, in China… no, the Earth, there can't possibly be such a terrifying, tremendous demon."

"Who forged this chest? Why hasn't such an important treasure been mentioned in history?"

Question upon question lingered in his mind. He was absolutely certain that only because of the chest did today's degree of situation come about.

However...

He didn't regret it at all. Was the recruitment of various factions significant? Was a Core Formation arcane effort important? Both were vital! Yet in comparison to the Eternal Alchemy Canon, they were categorically a nonfactor!

Alchemy was to refine the self. So long as he studied this arcane effort, so what about recruitment?

That depended on their "sincerity".

This Core Formation arcane effort… was nothing more than a lesser fraction to the greater whole of the Eternal Alchemy Canon!

During the graduation ceremony, he was the one that truly reaped benefit! Chu Zhaonan's legion, the position of first place, was nothing in comparison to this mysterious little box! However, how was it that it seemed to have been leaked?

Narrowing his eyes for several seconds, he suddenly recalled that amidst Vermillion Snow's unrestrained terror, she had once yelled out 'Emperor Armament'! He inhaled deeply. Perhaps this was the key to opening the door of this mystery.

"Li Zongyuan." He called out lightly in his consciousness.

"Master." Li Zongyuan's voice immediately reverberated. Heavens knew that on the outside he was being exceedingly careful, awaiting at any time his master's spiritual call… No, summon.

"Do you know where there are antique research specialists…" He picked up the chest: "I want to conduct a decryption. There's only a single requirement: the decrypter must be tight-lipped."

"And if they are insufficiently trustworthy?"

"Then you take care of it." Xu Yangyi's voice was without the slightest ripple. This object was capable of causing a Foundation Establishment cultivator to hunt him. If it was divulged, all there was for him was death!

"If…" He was silent for a few seconds: "You leak it, there won't be a need for you to come see me."

Suicide… Li Zongyuan thought of this word and his tremendous body shivered. However, he grit his teeth and still said: "Mister, this is quite difficult… If there really is someone that is hunting you down, and incase you emerge, there a possibility you'll be killed. The aura of the item you hold and you yourself can't show up at the same time by any means. Cultivators' arcane efforts are infinite, and arcane efforts that trace back to the origin are far, far too many…"

"I'm only asking if you're capable of doing it." Xu Yangyi said indifferently.

"I can!"

Xu Yangyi faintly raised a brow. He had only asked in passing, but he hadn't expected the other would actually truly be capable.

Lifting his chin, he hinted for the other to speak. Li Zongyuan answered deferentially: "Mister, China… is not the only people interested in these ancient riddles…"

A collaboration with demons? Xu Yangyi nearly didn't give it any consideration and nodded: "I'm reminding you once more. This item cannot be revealed. You will die first before me."

"Yes!" Li Zongyuan immediately replied: "Master, presently… which faction are you part of?"

Xu Yangyi laughed: "I am from the pragmatic faction."

He was also somewhat helpless. Without any other options, Li Zongyuan was the only one he could truly trust right now. However, this was a collaboration partner that was certain to cancel his pact and immediately abscond, never to be seen again until death.

"I will stay here and enter seclusion afterwards. Once my seclusion comes to an end, I will require an answer."

"Mister, please set your mind at ease..."

The man and the toad were silent. After several seconds passed, Xu Yangyi lit a cigarette: "Tell me about the matters of the cultivation world."

"Yes… Mister, what do you want to hear? I've drifted about in the cultivation world for over thirty years, and although I am unschooled in the affairs of cultivation, there are some assortment of matters…" 

Xu Yangyi snapped his finger, cutting off the other: "Just talk."

"I'm a bit bored."

Li Zongyuan pursed his lips. This tempo of a boring journey that needed a driver to put on a movie… still needed the accompaniment of song... 

However, he dared not to be discontent whatsoever. Once a life-death pact was signed, and as long as his cultivation wasn't higher than the other's, it couldn't be removed. Yet with Xu Yangyi's talents...

He had given up on this notion earlier. 

"Mister, the cultivation world is presently cultivation civilization. In fact, it's development has been brought up since the first world war…" Clearing his throat, he said: "Before this, the cultivation world basically didn't care for the human world. But after this great war, the rapid advancement of science and technology were already capable of causing injuries to initial-stage Qi Condensation cultivators of insufficient cultivation. It was only at this time, the cultivation world began to regard humanity with level eyes."

Xu Yangyi was laying down on the bed in the room. The night stand was a small refrigerator and the inside was stocked with all kinds of beverages and booze. On the bottom, there were snacks and braised dishes, which flavors were pretty good. He took out a bottle of beer and slowly toasted to himself, drinking alone.

Li Zongyuan's voice rang out again: "But most important was the second war. Already, tanks were capable of causing injury or death to initial-stage Qi Condensation cultivators. Especially when the first cruise missile appeared. There were clans in the cultivation world that finally ended their several thousand years of separation and began to get in touch with humanity."

Nevertheless, for you to come to me to chat without restriction in topic is interesting, if just for this journey of several hours. Cultivation is too brief and it could be said it is without the least pleasure.

"I remember something from a book. In the beginning, it was only some small clans. Only clans that couldn't go on any longer and were faced with the extinction of their Dao legacies that chose to contact humanity. After all, in their long training, ordinary people were insects." Xu Yangyi found a plate of braised duck and used a toothpick to get a piece in passing. He narrowed his eyes as he said in pleasure: "At that time, the speed of trains and carts weren't faster at all than that of talismans, not to even mention the flight of a Foundation Establishment senior. Nearly no one anticipated the enormous change that would be brought about by the words science and technology…" 

"That's correct." Li Zongyuan said: "Master, did Heavens Law also teach cultivation history?"

"They did, it's just that I didn't take it too seriously." Xu Yangyi said lazily: "However, to say that the cultivation world of this time has levelly opened their eyes at humanity isn't completely correct. It should be nothing more than the opening sliver of the eyelids." 

"Yes, Master is wise… The true turning point was when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. As those two cities transformed into ruins, that heaven-extinguishing, earth-annihilating might finally caused the cultivators that had long looked down on humanity to sound the alarm." 

Xu Yangyi said somewhat sorrowfully: "In the End of Days, Nascent Soul is no more and Core Formation is the peak. At that time… I'm afraid there were no Nascent Soul cultivators, no?"

"China still had two Nascent Soul cultivators at that time." Li Zongyuan said softly: "It is recorded that the longevity of Nascent Soul is six centuries… Mister, I knew early on my cultivation wasn't high, so because of this, I sought joy and pleasure. Yet because of this, perhaps my understanding of these things is a bit greater than some elites… Nevertheless, it gave me matters to concern myself with in this senselessly endless life…"

Xu Yangyi smiled.

Li Zongyuan truly did dread him, his courage fractured in its entirety. Any of the first slivers of dissatisfaction Xu Yangyi had were immediately supplemented, needless of action.

Anyways, this was quite good. He needed a person like this.

Any cultivator had their own team. It was impossible for everything to be done by oneself. In the sole consideration of the enterprises of Core Formation masters, their enormous estates reached up to over ten thousand cultivators, comparable to a major corporation. He would also have his own sooner or later.

"However, I suspect that they're still alive…" Li Zongyuan added on, causing Xu Yangyi's gaze to suddenly turn bright.

"Your reasoning?"

"Master… I have no proof, but…" Li Zongyuan laughed wryly: "Do you know of Daoism's three great ancestral halls?"

"Sichaun's Heming Mountain, Mount Qingcheng, and Ganjiang's Dragon Tiger Mountain… Mister, these are the Chinese Government's true hidden aces… Any of the Core Formation cultivator knows this, yet none of them dare not to touch upon this matter…"

"Of our cultivation, Qi Condensation is muddled. Once at Foundation Establishment can one choose their own Dao. Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, each school has an extremely deep reserve in China. As for myself, I truly do not believe, that in the hands of these three true mega sects, there is not a single supreme existence."

Xu Yangyi was silent for a moment: "Are you saying… they are the genuine mega powers?"

"Master, they can't be considered powers! They are titans! The range of their power is not great, their associations with humanity not many, and their true disciples rarely enter the world if at all. However, any cultivator in all of China dares not to touch them! This kind of several millenniums-old Dao heritage, the emperors and monarchs they have witnessed, the secrecies, the profundity of their reserves cannot be dared to be imagined! Truly, I truly quite suspect those two legendary Nascent Soul lords from that time have yet to actually die! They are hiding within the great mountains of the these three great Dao heritages!"

Chapter end