Chapter 947: The Allure of Invented Demons
"I see you're only at the Nascent Soul stage, fellow Daoist. How powerful could this secret technique of yours possibly be?" Xin Hongzhang shook his head slightly. "I've told you this secret, and I expect nothing in return. As for this... 'Sacred Manifestation,' you should keep it for yourself."
Hearing this, Li Fan's expression soured.
He seemed on the verge of losing his temper but ultimately restrained himself, explaining in a low, patient voice, "Xin Hongzhang, don't be fooled by my Nascent Soul cultivation. The Sacred Manifestation I summon possesses power far greater than my own. It could even hold its own against a Soul Transformation cultivator for a time..."
"Oh?" Xin Hongzhang's expression immediately grew more serious.
"If you don't believe me, we can test it," Li Fan proposed with sincere conviction.
Now slightly sobered, Xin Hongzhang studied Li Fan once more.
"He's definitely only at the Nascent Soul stage. Even if he harbors ill intentions, I could crush him with ease. Fine, I'll see what he's playing at."
He sensed no malice from Li Fan, only complete sincerity.
After a moment of consideration, Xin Hongzhang agreed to Li Fan's suggestion.
They continued until they reached a desolate, uninhabited area in Nine Mountains Prefecture.
"Brother Fan, this place should do. Let me see this so-called Sacred Manifestation of yours," Xin Hongzhang declared, stopping abruptly to address Li Fan.
Li Fan glanced around and nodded. "Alright. I suggest you stand back, fellow Daoist. I wouldn't want you to get caught in the crossfire..."
Xin Hongzhang scoffed internally but did as he was told.
He watched with amusement as Li Fan's face grew stern and he began to chant, "Compassion for the mortal realm, a blessing upon all. By my prayer, let the sacred form descend..."
"Decree!"
"He's certainly putting on a show," Xin Hongzhang thought to himself.
But a moment later, he sensed the emergence of a bizarre and potent aura, and the amusement vanished from his heart.
In its place was a profound gravity.
"This is..."
At the summons of the cultivator named Fan Li, a goat-headed, human-bodied monster materialized before Xin Hongzhang.
The creature's eyes were closed, yet Xin Hongzhang felt as if he were being locked on by its gaze.
Shadow and light flickered across its form in equal measure.
It was a being both grotesque and divine.
"Well, fellow Daoist? What do you think?" Li Fan's voice broke the silence.
Xin Hongzhang snapped out of his shock.
He didn't answer, instead focusing on assessing the monster's strength.
As if reading his mind, the other cultivator spoke again, his tone unhurried. "Just looking won't do you much good. Are you interested in a little spar with my Sacred Manifestation?"
Xin Hongzhang narrowed his eyes and nodded in agreement.
"Then be careful!" Li Fan called out sharply.
The goat-headed monster's form vanished in an instant, reappearing a moment later directly behind Xin Hongzhang.
"Such speed..." Before he could even register his astonishment, Xin Hongzhang felt the monster's powerful hands clamp down on his neck from behind.
He had no time to struggle. The world around him warped and twisted.
He felt as if he had been plunged into a boundless, spectral hellscape. Five intertwined blood moons hung in the sky above.
Surrounding him were tens of thousands of terrifying, endless demon gods, their gazes fixed upon him.
The oppressive, horrifying atmosphere seemed to freeze his very thoughts in an instant.
He completely gave up resisting, like meat on a chopping block.
"Fellow Daoist Xin?"
It was Li Fan's voice that finally jolted him out of the nightmare.
"You..." Xin Hongzhang glanced around frantically, only to find that the goat-headed monster had disappeared. He stared at Li Fan, uncertain and at a loss for words.
"So, how was the power of my Sacred Manifestation?" Li Fan asked, his voice filled with pride.
Xin Hongzhang remained silent for a moment before finally uttering three words: "I am outmatched..."
"Don't worry, this secret technique doesn't have a restriction against multiple people practicing it. If you're interested, I can teach it to you," Li Fan said earnestly.
Having personally experienced the terrifying power of the Sacred Manifestation, Xin Hongzhang's first instinct was to accept.
But the memory of that dark, spectral realm gave him pause. He couldn't help but feel a flicker of hesitation.
This secret technique seemed a little... sinister.
Besides, why would he offer such a divine art for free?
Doubt began to fester in Xin Hongzhang's mind.
Seemingly sensing his reservations, Li Fan smiled, led him down to the ground, and began to explain.
"To be honest, I have my own selfish reasons for being willing to teach you this technique."
"Oh?" Xin Hongzhang's interest was piqued, and he looked at Li Fan.
"It all goes back to the origin of this art. It is said that in primordial times, the world was ravaged by gods and demons. We humans were merely their food, our fate tragic. Then, a sage filled with compassion was born into the world. He made a great vow to suppress all gods and demons and restore peace to the land..."
"Are you saying that goat-headed monster you just summoned was one of those suppressed ancient gods and demons?" Xin Hongzhang asked, his expression strange.
Li Fan nodded. "Although the sage suppressed all the gods and demons in the world, they are immortal and indestructible. To prevent their escape, the sage used his own body as a prison, eternally sealing them away."
"And to prevent his own power from waning after countless millennia, he left this secret technique for the outside world. Anyone who cultivates the Sacred Manifestation can use their own body to help suppress the endless horde of gods and demons. In return, they can summon projections of the beings from the sacred prison to fight for them..."
Xin Hongzhang's head was spinning.
A compassionate sage, a pantheon of gods and demons... he had never heard of any of it.
It completely contradicted his understanding of the world, making it difficult to believe.
Li Fan continued, "Originally, I was just like you, thinking it was all too absurd. But after truly cultivating this technique and successfully summoning a demonic projection, I understood..."
"This technique is not native to the Xuanhuang Realm. The events it records did not take place here. However, the power of the art is undeniably real."
Hearing this, Xin Hongzhang felt a jolt of understanding.
"Furthermore, this technique has a unique property. Each practitioner's version of the art has a distinct mark. When you teach the art to someone else, this mark doesn't disappear. Instead, you benefit from the next person who cultivates it, allowing you to summon more numerous and more powerful projections..."
His words were somewhat cryptic, and Xin Hongzhang didn't immediately grasp their full meaning.
But Li Fan quickly demonstrated.
"For instance..."
Three demon gods, their bodies seething with monstrous, malevolent energy, appeared around Xin Hongzhang in a flash.
They surrounded him completely.
Tainted by the boundless demonic aura, Xin Hongzhang swallowed hard, frozen with tension.
"I have already taught this technique to more than ten fated individuals, so the number of demons I can summon has increased to three."
"The more cultivators you teach, the more demons you can summon. This is why I'm not just willing, but eager, to pass the art of Sacred Manifestation on to you," Li Fan explained with a smile.
Xin Hongzhang stared at the three majestic demon gods surrounding him, and his heart pounded with a fierce, undeniable temptation.
(End of Chapter)
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