Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 56 - 54 Vine Ghost Elephant Demon, Bai Qin’s Secret

"Daoist, follow this old pig, the immortal has commanded it, we must find you the most suitable seat."

The one who spoke, nearly nauseating Tao Qian with his breath, was a slightly cleaner pig demon, yet similarly unclothed, stark naked without a shred of shame.

A greasy fat face was turned towards Tao Qian, a flattering smile on display, ears like winnowing fans, flapping from time to time, shooing flies drawn to the sweat and dirt on its body, and a curled tail sweeping under its buttocks, faintly visible.

Tao Qian was somewhat curious whether this creature had been a demon that gained spiritual wisdom, or a human mutated into a pig demon.

If one wanted to know the answer, it was indeed just a matter of reaching out with Extraordinary Perception.

However, upon reflection, he decided to let it be. The least uncommon things in this place were such lower-ranking demons and alien creatures, not worth the bother to investigate.

It wasn't long before Tao Qian was led by the pig demon into a side hall.

As soon as he stepped inside, a complex array of smells hit him like a tide.

The aroma of food and drink, the stench of demons, the odd scent of aliens, and a variety of smells whose origins he couldn't even begin to identify... all mixed together, strangely alluring, making one want to plunge in and join upon a single whiff.

Like the pig demon up ahead, once inside the hall, it greedily eyed the food and the female demons, swallowing saliva and saying,

"Marvelous, absolutely marvelous."

"When could we have ever enjoyed such a scene before? A large gathering in the human world might have seen us disappear without reason."

"The king is right, our world has finally come."

The pig demon sighed, not forgetting its duty.

Having brought Tao Qian into the hall, it seated him at the middle-lower part of a row of tables.

The table was already set with various dubious meat dishes, fragrant wines and liquors, some fruits, and some food emanating an abnormal aura.

Simultaneously, two half-human, half-fox demons, wearing only chest wraps and exuding an air of seduction, crouched on either side of the tables.

Seeing this, the pig demon's eyes immediately gleamed with lust, and it sidestepped to reveal Tao Qian standing behind it.

Then, it addressed the demon cultivators already seated at the other tables, "Esteemed predecessors and masters, this one is a favorite disciple of Nongyu Immortal."

Having said this, the pig demon then turned back to Tao Qian, "Daoist, please sit here. To have table maidens at your service, one must at least be a Qi Refining Realm demon cultivator."

"But for a Daoist like you, reaching Qi Refinement is merely a matter of a couple of days, so this seat is just right."

"As for these two sly foxes, I'm truly sorry, but the immortal has given orders that cannot be disobeyed, so this old pig will take them away first."

With that, the creature actually took one fox demon by the hand, and quickly left with a thudding of its feet, as if afraid that Tao Qian would insist on keeping the two fox girls.

Seeing this, Tao Qian felt somewhat suffocated – as Mr. Tao, he was a person of integrity; would he be the type to care about whether or not he had fox girl attendants?

No maidens, then so be it. Tao Qian's trip was about expanding his horizons, as well as unveiling the hidden agenda.

He leisurely took his seat, all the while surveying the entire side hall.

After all, this had once been a grand temple rich with incense, its beams and rafters finely carved, solemn and stately.

However, the beams and red pillars were now smeared with all manners of filth and blood; clearly, after slaughtering the temple, the demons had also deliberately defiled and vented their rage.

The statuary of Bodhisattvas and Arhats was likewise damaged, some even soaking in feces and urine.

Apart from the dozen or so tables in the center, the rest of the space was taken up by demons and Evil Cultivators, sitting on the ground, gathered in groups, either eating and drinking, copulating, or engaging in mundane games of chance.

The most eye-catching were naturally the demon and Evil Cultivators before Tao Qian, with "Qi Refinement Realm" achievements.

With a cursory glance and judging by the strength of their energy, Tao Qian quickly identified the four most powerful figures.

They were: an evil ghost with green face and tusks, armored; an alien with wrinkled old skin, seemingly with an endlessly extendable neck; a wretched figure in tattered clothes, hair covering its face, holding a rotten fish half the height of a person; and a female cultivator with painted horns on her head, scantily clad, with bells tied around her breasts.

Including these four, the group of Qi Refinement Realm beings initially showed discontent at the inclusion of an Energy-Introducing Realm cultivator like Tao Qian.

However, upon hearing the name "Nongyu Immortal," they swallowed the insults that had almost reached their lips.

Clearly, the recent forceful assassination of Foundation Establishment Realm Evil Cultivator Lan Qing'er by Pan Hongniang had earned significant renown.

Tao Qian's lips curled slightly, enduring the oppressively potent air filled with corrupting and mutating fumes, and took his seat directly.

After settling down, suppressing discomfort, he ignored the large porcelain dish in front of him, filled with the utterly fresh, uncooked hearts and livers.

Instead, he looked at another basin giving off a bizarre aura, holding fat white worms as thick as a baby's arm, jelly-like undefined objects, ugly, wailing little people pinned to the basin with knives, still alive, and a pile of distinct, fragrant black beads... Such exotic items were only found on the tables, whereas the demon and Evil Cultivators eating on the floor only had cooked meat soups and chunks.

Tao Qian reached out a finger to touch one of the small people, and immediately a realization emerged in his mind:

[Record Name: Vine Ghost.]

[Record Type: Alien Species.]

[Record Description: In the deep wilderness, whitish strange vines occasionally strangle travelers to death, absorbing their flesh and blood. Upon slicing open the vine, one might find one or several tiny noodle-like people inside, thumb-sized, that incessantly wail and curse at the sight of fresh humans. They can be consumed, tasting spicy and making every food taste sweet like honey for three days afterwards, with no other uses.]

With this intel, Tao Qian felt no desire to eat.

Just then, a cultivator below him leaned over – an elder that made Tao Qian extremely uncomfortable.

His clothes were extremely tattered, revealing purple-black skin beneath, oozing pus-filled sores that burst with movement and even spewed forth black maggots.

His face, however, looked much like that of a common elderly mortal, except for his eyes, which shone with a ghostly, blood-red light.

Seeing that Tao Qian had no appetite, he pointed with his withered, blood-clotted fingers at a few dishes in front of Tao Qian and croaked,

"Younger brother, not much of an appetite tonight?"

"If you don't mind, why not share some with me? The flesh and organs in these plates belong to the fat and satisfied pilgrims, not to be compared with the stinking monks who practice Golden Buddha Power—truly more tender and fresh than any other."

"And these Vine Ghosts, meat worms, Treasure Freeze, human-faced spider sand—such delectable and miraculously effective items."

"If you aren't eating, then let me have it..."

As this Evil Cultivator, clearly fallen onto the Demon Path, spoke, his ghoulish hands involuntarily reached out.

Just as Tao Qian was considering whether to chop off the old creature's claws,

suddenly, the welcome chant of two Pig Demons came from the outer chamber.

In the next breath, the entire side hall trembled from the sound.

Then an unexpected sight occurred, as the guests invited in by the Pig Demons turned out to be... a monk.

Of course, this was a devil monk.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, a surge of blood-red Demonic Qi visibly stormed in, causing all the Demons and Evil Cultivators to turn and stare.

This devil monk appeared as a rosy-lipped, white-teethed youth, dressed in ornate yet comfortable monk robes, clearly made of luxurious fabric from the Mortal World.

His half-exposed chest had a necklace of suspicious bones strung together as Buddha Beads.

But what truly horrified everyone was not him but his mount.

It was none other than an Elephant Demon, its thick legs stomping on the ground. Its muscular arms wielded a pair of Bronze Giant Hammers, and as it nearly dragged its trunk across the ground, whipping it back and forth, the whistling wind roared, its menacing tusks were like a pair of long spears capable of completely shattering the side hall.

And its face still retained some human traces, oddly enough.

In its eyes that glowed green, there was a recurring look of struggle.

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The Old Ghost beside Tao Qian seemed intent on showing off his knowledge or perhaps because he wanted to scrounge some food from Tao Qian, he saw the shock and confusion on Tao Qian's face, heh-heh'd with a smile, revealing a mouthful of stinking black teeth, and then his lips moved subtly, sending several messages directly into Tao Qian's ears.

The secrets contained within made Tao Qian's real body all the way back in Seeking Immortal County skip a heartbeat.

"Hey, younger brother, don't be intimidated by this devil monk."

"Despite the surging Demonic Qi on his body, his combat power may all be inferior to that 'Elephant Demon' he rides."

"Yet, this monk is indeed a lucky and ruthless fellow. It's said that most of the Bai Qin Scripture that caused so much trouble back then was destroyed by the Great Freedom Temple."

"Who knows where he found the Elephant Game and actually chose the right person to tempt with the promise of longevity. He probably intentionally provided them with Spirit Elephant Blood for cultivation, waiting until they achieved something before inducing them to break their vows. And thus, a mighty and effortlessly controllable 'Elephant Demon' was born."

"Tch, tough as this monk may be, he's still not as fierce as Bai Qin from back in the day..."

Tao Qian himself had not expected it either.

In this hall swarming with Demon Cultivators and Evil Cultivators, he would inadvertently hear such shocking secrets about the "Bai Qin Play Fragment" once more.

And so astonishingly.

Based on what the Old Ghost said and compared with what he had learned not long ago in Tengshe Square, Tao Qian's mind almost immediately conjured up a terrifying speculation.

"So, was the Bai Qin Scripture created as part of a conspiracy from the very beginning?"

"Given that this devil monk can use Elephant Game to create a powerful Elephant Demon for himself,"

"could it be that the calamity that left Tuo County nearly deserted, the 'Chaos of Bai Qin,' happened because of the same thing?"

"Someone deliberately spread the Bai Qin Scripture and secretly provided the cultivators of this scripture with various bird bloods... when the time was right, encouraged these cultivators to break their vow... without much effort, a vast number of powerful and controllable Demons could be obtained."

"In the end, it was the Great Freedom Temple that sent powerful forces to resolve it. All the Demons became Dharma Protecting Beasts, and the ultimate beneficiary was indeed the Great Freedom Temple."

"By normal logic, the mastermind behind the scenes would likely be..."

Tao Qian was inclined to suspect the Great Freedom Temple as the mastermind, yet he could only make such conjectures based on logic, as there still wasn't enough evidence.

For instance, the most crucial individual, "Bai Qin Elder," was still yet to be definitively linked to the Great Freedom Temple.

Nonetheless, this prompted Tao Qian to resolve:

To hold onto that Bai Qin Play Fragment for the time being and not to practice it.

Although he need not worry about breaking a vow and transforming into a Demon, this fragmented book apparently involved no small conspiracy and implicated the Great Freedom Temple furthermore, once he practiced it and revealed any trace of it, what should be done if the mastermind paid attention to him?

Now that he had this Puppet Body and was taking advantage of it, having just infiltrated and gained the "Secret Demon Refining God Skill" and a great many benefits, he did not need to be anxious about practicing the fragment.

As he pondered, a new sentiment arose in Tao Qian's heart.

"This Ghost World makes for dangerous cultivation."

"The so-called Righteous Path doesn't seem very righteous, and the Evil Demons are even more horrific and bizarre than one could imagine."