Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

”In the end... they walked into an ambush and were completely wiped out. The Celestial Purity Demon-Extinguishing Mirror was lost then. I never imagined it was actually hidden inside a Small World.”

Shen Qingxiu sounded a little wistful as she spoke.

”The Daqi Demon Suppression Hall was once a massive power on par with Luoxia City, the very vanguard against evil demons. But that battle dealt them a devastating blow, and they still haven’t recovered.”

Otherwise, the Blood Demon Sect would never have grown to its current scale.

”Then what use does Soulless have for this?” Song Changsheng frowned. ’A Blood Demon specifically asking for a Demon-Removal Spiritual Artifact... No matter how you look at it, it’s strange.’

”Because he wants to remove his own Demon Nature,” Shen Yin, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

He ignored Bai Zhengchun, who was standing to the side, and said with a grin, ”Blood Demons are masters of manipulation. Most of their followers are brainwashed, implanted with a Demon Seed, and only then do they become willing to die for the Demon Sect. In truth, they were originally good people.

”Soulless and Blood Princess are brother and sister. They came from a Foundation Establishment Family, and because of their special bloodline talents, they caught the eye of the Blood Demon Sect.

”The very day Blood Princess came of age, the Blood Demon Sect slaughtered their small family overnight. They abducted the siblings, wiped their memories, and forged them into two living weapons.

”In his early years, Soulless was utterly infamous. His hands were stained with blood, and the mere mention of his name made people turn pale with fear. Step by step, he climbed to the position of Great Guardian, a station second only to the Sect Leader.

”The Blood Demon Sect was even preparing a ceremony for his breakthrough to the Golden Core realm.

”But what no one in the sect expected was that a chance occurrence caused a strange transformation in Soulless’s unique Divine Soul talent, allowing him to recall memories from his youth.

”Upon learning the truth, he betrayed the Blood Demon Sect. Later, by a stroke of luck, he saved Blood Princess and awakened her memories as well.

”They both turned against the Blood Demon Sect, but the Demon Seeds within them remained. As long as those seeds aren’t removed, the Demonic Qi will continue to corrode their minds until they fall completely to the demonic path.

”That’s why they need the Celestial Purity Demon-Extinguishing Mirror—to extract the Demon Seeds from their bodies and purge their Demon Nature.

”Furthermore, Soulless’s special talent with the Divine Soul is a perfect match for the Celestial Purity Demon-Extinguishing Mirror. With this treasure in hand, he can take his revenge on the Blood Demon Sect.

”Are you satisfied with my explanation, Patriarch Song?”

”And how do you know all this?” Song Changsheng’s mind reeled. He never thought there would be such a hidden story behind it all.

Shen Yin gave a self-deprecating laugh. ”You probably heard them. They called me Yin Sheng.

”That’s my original name. I was once a member of the Blood Demon Sect, too. Unlike Soulless, my father was also a Blood Demon—and a high-ranking one at that. He was responsible for establishing and controlling the Blood Demon Sect’s intelligence organization: the Demon Net.

”I should have been implanted with a Demon Seed at birth, but my father’s heart softened, and he didn’t go through with it.

”My father built the Demon Net from the ground up. The roster, contact methods, and operational patterns were known only to him and me. He even held the lives of its members in his hands. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it his private army.

”An organization like that, once it grew powerful, naturally drew the paranoia of the Sect Leader.

”As a result, my father was besieged and killed for refusing to cede control. With the support of his old loyalists, I took his place and led the entire Demon Net in defecting from the Blood Demon Sect.

”So, you see, I’m a traitor too. And I took the Blood Demon Sect’s eyes and ears with me.

”Soulless and Blood Princess came to me, wanting my help to find the treasure. I didn’t cooperate, so they kidnapped me.”

At last, it all made sense to Song Changsheng. He had been wondering how someone as young as Shen Yin could have built an intelligence network that spanned the entire Daqi Cultivation World.

It turns out he had simply ripped out the entire intelligence network that the Blood Demon Sect had spent centuries building!

”If you truly hadn’t wanted to cooperate, I doubt they could have ever found you in the first place, could they?” Song Changsheng sneered.

’For Shen Yin—or Yin Sheng—to act so recklessly, he must have a way to save his own skin. I refuse to believe otherwise,’ Song Changsheng thought. ’If he didn’t, the Blood Demon Sect would have dealt with him long ago. How could he have survived until now?’

”Patriarch Song, it’s no fun if you spell it all out,” Shen Yin chuckled. It was just as Song Changsheng had guessed. As long as he didn’t reveal himself, no one in the Daqi Cultivation World could find him—not even the two Major Sects!

”You can be quiet now.” Shen Qingxiu casually sealed Shen Yin’s movements and tossed him aside. She then turned to Song Changsheng. ”We’ve discussed it. It’s more advantageous for this transaction of yours to proceed than it is for us to capture Soulless by force.

”With their strength, Soulless and Blood Princess are already a major thorn in the Blood Demon Sect’s side. After obtaining the Celestial Purity Demon-Extinguishing Mirror, Soulless’s power will increase exponentially.

”When that time comes, they will be the ones to deal with the Blood Demon Remnants, which is beneficial for the entire Daqi Cultivation World.

”So, feel free to continue your transaction with Soulless. We will not interfere.”

Song Changsheng had a sudden realization. Shen Qingxiu was playing the long game, setting a tiger to devour a wolf.

And it had to be said, the chances of success were quite high.

If what Shen Yin said was true, the hatred between Soulless and his sister and the Blood Demon Sect ran far deeper than his own. Now that their memories were restored, they would surely fight the sect to the bitter end.

The crucial part was, even if the plan failed, there was no loss for them. At worst, the Celestial Purity Demon-Extinguishing Mirror would just go missing again. That would be the Demon Suppression Hall’s problem to cry about, not theirs.

With everything laid out so clearly, Song Changsheng now fully understood the situation.

After returning to Celestial Sound Mountain, Shen Yin was taken away by Bai Zhengchun. Song Changsheng then gathered Xu Yunhe and Zhu Yiqun, explained the whole situation, and concluded, ”My plan is for the four of us to enter that Small World and search for the treasure. Are you willing to take this risk with me?”

Ordinarily, Song Changsheng would have requested manpower from his family. But the Song Clan had just acquired Zhangye and was in the middle of a major development push. Calling away too many people would affect operations, while too few would be useless.

So, he decided to go with the original crew. After all, the treasure wasn’t his alone—Zhu Yiqun and Zhuang Yuechan also had a claim to it.

Although Xu Yunhe didn’t have a Jade Token, given the relationship between the four of them, there was no way they would cut him out of a share.

”Of course we’re going! I thought this token was useless, but I never expected it to lead to a treasure hoard. Even if it’s a Dragon’s Lair and Tiger’s Den, I have to go check it out!” Zhu Yiqun exclaimed loudly.

Xu Yunhe smiled faintly. ”I originally had no right to go. Since Changsheng personally invited me, wouldn’t I be ungrateful if I refused?”

Both men had made their positions clear. Now, only Zhuang Yuechan remained.

Zhuang Yuechan reached out, took Song Changsheng’s large hand in hers, and said softly, ”Where you are, I will be.”

Zhu Yiqun: ”...”

Xu Yunhe: ”...”

Song Changsheng was secretly delighted but maintained a calm expression. ”Ahem. Then we’ll set out tomorrow to explore that Dragon’s Lair and Tiger’s Den.”

——————

「The next morning.」

The four of them gathered, and with Chi Huo Old Ghost accompanying them, they departed first aboard a Flying Ship.

This was no longer a simple treasure hunt, but part of a grander strategy against the Blood Demon Sect. As such, Luoxia City had dispatched Shen Qingxiu, Bai Zhengchun, and an older-generation Purple Mansion Great Cultivator named Li Shidao to accompany and protect them. Their presence provided an immense sense of security.

Following the directions on the slip of paper, Song Changsheng’s party first traveled to Dingyuan City. From there, they continued east into the territory of the Demon Race. Under the guidance of the four Jade Tokens, they successfully located the Space Tunnel.

But to their surprise, someone had already established a hidden camp there before they arrived.

”These are all Blood Demon Remnants.”

Song Changsheng and the others reached this conclusion after hiding in the shadows and observing for a while.

”Could it be a trap?” Xu Yunhe frowned.

”If it were a trap, they wouldn’t have let us see them,” Zhuang Yuechan said softly. ”These people are probably responsible for guarding the treasure.”

”But didn’t Changsheng say we have all the keys?”

”We have the keys, that’s true,” Song Changsheng picked up the thread of conversation. ”But that doesn’t mean the Blood Demons don’t know the treasure’s location. They just can’t open the Space Tunnel. It’s possible these people are lying in wait for us.”

”So what do we do? There are definitely Purple Mansion Cultivators among them.”

”Let’s pull back for now. We’ll wait for Master Bai and the others to arrive, then we can decide on a plan.”

...