Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 53 - 51: Blessing in Disguise, Secret Demon Refining God

Tao Qian watched as Pan Hongniang left with a terrifying killing intent, not even having time to respond.

His cultivation and divine skills were all sealed, obviously because the latter was afraid Tao Qian would try to escape.

What the Nongyu Immortal did not know was that Tao Qian, under the guise of Situ Fei's body, was on an undercover mission, aiming to gain benefits and intelligence. He would not easily leave before achieving his goal.

Although his body was sealed, fortunately, his senses remained intact.

Tao Qian lay disheveled on a soft bed of red silk, turning his ear aside, listening to the sounds from outside.

"If my provocation works, Pan Hongniang will certainly not listen to Lan Qing'er's explanation, and the latter won't be able to explain anything either. These two Foundation Establishment Stage demons will soon start a bloody fight."

"Considering the gap in their cultivation and the timing of their movements, the likely winner will be…"

This thought had just sprung up in Tao Qian's mind.

Suddenly, from a distant direction outside the house, a loud noise erupted.

It was also accompanied by Pan Hongniang's chilling voice, brimming with murderous fury.

"Ha ha ha… Lan Demon Lady, you ask me why I ambushed you?"

"Weren't you planning to attack me tonight, and you still ask me why."

"You wanted my Immortal Valley and planned to snatch my Five Lustful Peach Blossoms Banner, come on, here it is for you…"

"Boom!"

Soon, these voices were drowned out by the loud sounds produced by the fighting.

The noise from the fighting began abruptly and ended even quicker.

Apart from the sounds of the fight, Tao Qian also heard various sounds of evasion lights and forceful shots.

Clearly, the internal strife between the two Foundation Establishment Stage demons would attract many onlookers inside the Demon Cave of the Iron Buddha Temple and might even draw some Great Demons.

Not long after the fight ended, across a vast distance, Tao Qian suddenly heard a verdict:

"This fault lies with Lan Qing'er, Pan Hongniang has won, thus she will only be lightly punished as a warning."

"Remember this, do not let it happen again. Tonight, a life-or-death stage will be opened within the temple; those with grievances can come forward and fight to the death."

"Any further private fights, do not blame us for being harsh."

…

"The rules are quite strict; are these demons planning to stay in the Iron Buddha Temple permanently?"

"Bam"

As Tao Qian was internally criticizing, suddenly the door burst open again and banged shut.

Seeing Pan Hongniang, who appeared furious and was holding the body of a woman in front of the bed, Tao Qian immediately knew that his little provocation had caused a Foundation Establishment Stage demon to lose her life.

Although the corpse was horribly mangled, one could still vaguely recognize the once beautiful face and figure, which was none other than the Evil Female Mage known as "Jade-faced Lady Lan Qing'er."

The perpetrator, Pan Hongniang, had clearly paid a significant price as well. Tao Qian perceived an extremely unstable aura, and a sickly sweet scent of blood dispersed in the air.

Additionally, her once adorable and cheerful appearance was ruined.

It was covered with whip marks, and the flesh was lacerated.

It must have been the work of the Great Demon who made the verdict. Pan Hongniang was the victor and was not severely punished, but some method was used to destroy her face.

It was unclear whether this disfigurement was temporary or permanent.

However, at the moment, Pan Hongniang had no means to restore her once lovely face.

If an ordinary mortal saw this scene, they would inevitably retch completely.

Yet Tao Qian showed no difference in expression; after all, he had even seen the real mutated form of Pan Hongniang.

This scene was merely child's play.

Unexpectedly, this attitude deeply moved Pan Hongniang.

She had assumed that once her appearance was destroyed, she would be despised and rejected by her lover. She had even prepared herself for that.

But to her surprise, her lover looked at her with the same "deep affection" as before.

Casually throwing down the body of Lan Qing'er, Pan Hongniang, very agitated, climbed onto the red silk bed and undid the seal on Tao Qian.

At such a moment, Tao Qian was not planning to cause trouble.

Whatever "reaction" was needed, he left it up to the puppet to decide spontaneously.

That is to say, even though he still controlled the body, he was essentially a spectator.

Then Tao Qian found himself staring at Pan Hongniang's ruined face, his hands trembling as if wanting to touch, yet fearing he might cause her pain.

Pan Hongniang seemed to fully understand her lover's sentiment, her eyes brimming with tears, she squeezed out a bitter smile and casually explained, "It's nothing, just a mark left by a magical treasure, it will dissipate in three days."

After she spoke, due to the previous conversation, they both fell into silence again.

Especially Tao Qian, who involuntarily turned his head away, seeming somewhat uncomfortable, unwilling to continue communicating with Pan Hongniang, nor willing to soften and speak sweet words.

This scene, watching it made Tao Qian somewhat heartbroken.

He faintly understood why this master and disciple had developed such a "perverse affection".

Evidently, this was their usual way of interacting.

Fortunately, before long, Tao Qian felt the timing was nearly right.

Taking control of the puppet body, he pointed at the corpse of Lan Qing'er in the room, sending a conciliatory signal: "Jade-faced Lady was after all a Foundation Establishment female cultivator; you killed her but did not forget to also snatch her belongings, right? Or were they taken by the Great Demon who made the verdict?"

With the topic at hand, communication became possible.

While Pan Hongniang succeeded in her attack on Lan Qing'er, she also sustained some injuries and seemed unable to suppress her obsession, which had turned into a heart demon.

Seeing her beloved willing to reconcile and not seek death any longer, Pan Hongniang immediately showed a smile and then took out a black jade bracelet with numerous talisman engravings from her bosom.

She handed it directly to Tao Qian, while disdainfully saying,

"Lan Demon Lady, a Loose Cultivator without any significant foundation, what rare and valuable treasures could she possibly have on her? Nothing but a heap of useless junk, so poor it clinks; the elder inspected it and didn't fancy it at all, so he returned it to me."

"Fei'er, if you want these books and alien items, they're all yours, but you'll need to return the bracelet to me later. It carries the scent of Lan Demon Lady, better to destroy it."

Tao Qian clearly discerned the possessiveness hidden in Pan Hongniang's words.

Thus, while nodding in agreement, he curiously sent his spirit into the jade bracelet.

This was a Storage Treasure Bag of a Great Demon at the Foundation Establishment Stage, not slain by Tao Qian's hand, but manipulated by his schemes.

However, his current form was utterly impoverished and his Cultivation Realm was low, so there really wasn't much to criticize.

"The world is becoming increasingly dangerous and terrifying, and now I'm also a Loose Cultivator, one as poor as can be."

"If there's an opportunity to acquire books of techniques, Divine Power, or Extraordinary Treasures, I must seize it."

"They say fortune comes with risks, yet little did I expect that by borrowing this body of Situ Fei and infiltrating the Demon Cave, I would have my first gains so swiftly."

These thoughts flashed by.

Tao Qian's Divine Thought had already entered the Storage Space inside the jade bracelet, almost as large as a great room.

He briefly inspected it and found that Pan Hongniang had already cleaned out everything that carried Lan Qing'er's scent, such as clothing and jewelry.

Tao Qian didn't mind; his attention was immediately captivated by the items in front of him, all exuding an extraordinary aura.

"This stroke of luck, a direct path to wealth?"

The Puppet Body maintained a normal expression.

Meanwhile, far away in Seeking Immortal County, inside Chengyou Bookstore, his original body's mouth corners were uncontrollably curling up.

Tao Qian didn't care about the origins of this black jade bracelet.

All he knew was that he had now acquired the possessions of a Great Demon at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and with this, he had struck it rich.

Tao Qian struggled to withdraw his Divine Thought from those "alien items," then focused directly on a Jade Table at the center.

On it rested various books of different thicknesses.

"Cultivation Techniques!"

Whether it was his original body or the Puppet Body, both of their eyes lit up.

Without any hesitation, Tao Qian took out all four books from the table.

He didn't even care that Pan Hongniang was right in front of him; he immediately began reading them with the Puppet Body's eyes.

The first thick book, unsurprisingly, was called "Jade Demon Scripture," clearly the Basic Method and Lifebound Scripture of Lan Qing'er.

Upon touching it, Extraordinary Perception emerged.

Tao Qian briefly scanned the Jade Demon Scripture, noting it specialized in the spirit aspect, suitable for sneak attacks and ambushes. Because of this, its power fell short compared to Pan Hongniang's "Peach Blossom Enchanting Immortal Scripture," no wonder she looked down on it.

Besides the Lifebound Scripture, the remaining three books were "Power Demon Mountain Opening Technique," "Secret Demon Refining God Skill," and "Demon Eye Shadowing Technique."

Tao Qian skimmed the covers and titles but hadn't yet delved into the insights triggered in his mind.

However, the immortal in front of him, Pan Hongniang, thoughtfully provided an explanation ahead of time.

Letting out a snort, she pointed at the "Power Demon Mountain Opening Technique" and explained,

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"The 'Jade Demon Scripture' that Lan Demon Lady practiced contains many Divine Power Techniques, all relying on Jade Demon Origin Qi. To mine jade from underground and mountains and absorb the Origin Qi, she had to learn this Power Demon Mountain Opening Technique."

"Unfortunately, she's not a traditional Demon Cultivator from the Major Sects but rather a Loose Cultivator who chanced upon some luck, lacking various methods to subdue Demons. Thus, every time she summoned Power Demon, aside from food, she also had to offer her own body for the Demon's enjoyment to quell its violent nature, willing only then to follow her commands."

Pan Hongniang's description of the scene was all too vivid.

So much so that Tao Qian involuntarily conjured up related fantasies in his mind and had to shake his head to dispel those unclean images.

After mocking the first book, Pan Hongniang then pointed to the second book.

This time, however, the secrets she revealed stimulated excitement in Tao Qian's original body far away in Seeking Immortal County.

"Speaking of this 'Secret Demon Refining God Skill,' its origins are not insignificant."

"This comes from the old Demon Sect, the 'Secret Demon Sect,' a part of the formidable book 'All Heavens Secret Demon Scripture,' belonging to the volume of God, one of several dozens of Refining God."

"This would be considered a rare and precious Technique."

"Sadly, it's too fragmented, containing the methods of Refining God but missing the crucial annotations to mitigate and reduce the cost."

"Someone practicing according to this Technique would perish within days."

"Such fragmented books are quite common in the Cultivation World, bearing significant reputation but actually useless, and any remotely experienced Cultivator wouldn't practice it."

"Only naive young ones who believe in their exceptional talent would forcibly train in it, only to die horribly."

"Fei'er, don't be misled by the words Secret Demon. If you wish to refine your Divine Thought and mind, better to practice the methods from my 'Peach Blossom Enchanting Immortal Scripture.' The effects are fairly decent."

...

Pan Hongniang talked on and on, greatly disparaging the Secret Demon Refining God Skill.

But at this moment, Tao Qian's excitement only grew.

ps: It seems we're close to a thousand monthly tickets, Fat Fish asks for one more update.