"Oh, I understand now."
"Hmph, isn't it you who should be cautious?" Such cuteness.
"Well, we can talk about drinking later."
"Yes, yes, you won." Li Jinyao retorted, her cheeks slightly flushed. Meanwhile, everyone from the Heavenly Demon Sect, including Ji Lingyun, thought to themselves, "I originally thought you came to seek guidance, but it turns out you're here to get beaten... Alright, since you enjoy being hit so much, go ahead! Ancestral Martial Uncle is currently at Seven Stars Peak; go look for him."
Although Jue Yunzi's words sounded harsh, they held some truth. The severity of tribulations faced by cultivators may depend on their luck, but doing good deeds and accumulating virtue can indeed increase the chances of receiving favorable outcomes. This is why so many cultivators claim to follow the righteous path and often help maintain order in their local areas.
Jue Yunzi once heard Bai Qiuran mention that when the Qingming Daoist was still around and Bai Qiuran was just entering the endless Qi Refinement stage, the Qingming Daoist had a deadly rival from Blood God Sect, who was at the same tribulation stage as himself.
... Jue Yunzi scoffed: "Look around you; we are in the main hall of the Azure Nether Sword Sect. Even if you are the leader of the Demonic Path, do you believe that all seven of us can set up a formation to eliminate you without issue?"
"Not at all!"
"Yeah, we can discuss drinking later." Such cuteness.
"Why do you keep invoking my name? Do you think you are Cao Cao?" Jue Yunzi replied with his legs crossed. "So why don’t you go wait another ten or twenty years before coming back? Safe travels!"
Ji Lingyun shook her head and said seriously: "Jinyao, as the top disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect, how can you have such mediocre aspirations?"
"I originally thought you came to seek guidance, but it turns out you're here to get beaten... Alright, since you enjoy it, just go! Ancestral Martial Uncle is at Seven Stars Peak; you can look for him."
"Master, the cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Sect act freely, without regard for mundane ethics; isn't that the great freedom you told me about when I first entered?"
"Heh, it’s been a while, but your mouth still needs a good scrubbing. No wonder Lingyun holds a grudge." Almost ninety percent of demonic cultivators face the most fearsome tribulations, called the Nine-Nine Tribulation. During that time, heavenly lightning, earth fire, and inner demons seem to pour down upon demonic cultivators as though the heavens will not rest until they are eradicated.
Though Jue Yunzi's words seemed harsh, there is truth to them. The intensity of tribulations faced by cultivators may depend on luck, but doing good deeds can enhance their chances of favorable outcomes in the future. That’s why many cultivators claim to be of the righteous path and often assist in local law enforcement.
"You all tell me, among the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands, which sect do you think he would visit first?"
"Master, Master?" Li Jinyao asked back.
Jue Yunzi's comments, although harsh, hold some truth. The severity of trials faced by practitioners may largely hinge on luck, yet committing acts of charity and building virtue can indeed improve one’s fortune in the trials one faces. Li Jinyao responded.
"Not right!" Just as the atmosphere grew awkward and heavy, a hearty laughter echoed from the doorway.
Unlike the cultivators of the Righteous Path, who are always careful and consider the consequences of their actions, demonic cultivators are different. They do as they please, living in the moment. Their techniques often lead them to act without restraint, committing fewer good deeds while engaging more in villainous acts, thus boosting their chances of facing misfortune.
"Hmph, isn't it you who should be cautious?" Jue Yunzi whispered, then raised his head and instructed, "Go bring the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect here to the main hall!"
"I can't help it! Ever since reading the novels the Eighth Junior Sister brought, I truly wanted to become a virtuous wife and doting mother," Jue Yunzi heard Bai Qiuran once say that in the past, when the Qingming Daoist was still around and Bai Qiuran had just entered his endless Qi Refinement phase, the Qingming Daoist had a fierce rival from the Blood God Sect who, just like him, was at the tribulation stage.
"Yes, I said so."
"I originally thought you were here for guidance; I didn't expect you to come looking for a beating... Well, since you enjoy it so much, the Ancestral Uncle is now at Seven Stars Peak; go look for him." Looking at Li Jinyao, whose face had turned slightly red, everyone in the Heavenly Demon Sect, including Ji Lingyun, thought the same in their hearts.
"But such aspirations of yours are hardly what one would call true freedom?" Ji Lingyun shook her head and said earnestly, "Jinyao, as the top disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect, how can you have such mediocre ideals?" Ji Lingyun's face flushed with anger. The Third Elder glanced at his brothers and sisters and then walked back.
"Let’s put that aside for now. With Huangfu Feng's character, and his current energetic disposition, he will definitely be seeking out the major sects of the Righteous Path to challenge them," he stated. As he stepped out the door, the mountains of Azure Nether quaked, followed closely by a hearty laughter echoing from afar.
Li Jinyao replied, "Damn it, Huangfu Feng really succeeded in his tribulation." Ji Lingyun’s fingers trembled; she wanted to curse at the rebellious disciple, but the words hung on her lips. Besides, while Li Jinyao's words were quite rude, it was still fact. According to her own estimation, in another two or three hundred years, she would likely fall behind the disciple she had taught.
Blinking rapidly, Li Jinyao added bluntly: "Then I will just wait for a few hundred years. In a few hundred years, Master, you won't be able to defeat me anymore."
"You all tell me, among the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands, which sect do you think he would visit first?"
"But such aspirations of yours are hardly what one would define as true freedom?”
“Haha, so he hasn't succeeded in his tribulation yet, right?” Huangfu Feng said carefreely to Jue Yunzi: "With such a foul mouth, I wonder who you learned it from. Be careful, or one day, you might get beaten to death when you step outside."
The Qingming Daoist's method to deal with such a situation was to suppress the opponent's level. Because of this negligence, back in the days, the inner mental states of demonic cultivators were generally weaker compared to that of righteous practitioners. For the Blood God Sect to suppress their level was akin to asking them to stifle their most primal human instincts; such suppression was simply impossible.
"So, all in all, with Huangfu Feng’s current situation, aiming for the Righteous Path must be his focus."
"Look here, Huangfu Feng, have you finally come? Where's that old man Zhu Feng?” Jue Yunzi chided quietly before commanding: "Go fetch the Grand Elder from the Heavenly Demon Sect to the main hall!"
Thus, in that moment, the status of the Heavenly Demon Sect in the union of Demonic Paths is likely to rise even higher.
“Unfortunately, since watching the novels the Eighth Junior Sister brought, I've genuinely desired to become the ideal wife and loving mother,” Huangfu Feng said with a grin, seemingly unperturbed by Jue Yunzi's scorn.
The room resonated with laughter as the long-robed black-haired man, with a shining smile, gave a thumbs up to Ji Lingyun, saying, "Hey, Little Lingyun, I've successfully passed the tribulation!"