336: Chapter 336: The Cruelty of the Demonic Sect

Outside the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons of the Eternal Night Demon Sect.

Completely different from the solemnity and majesty of the Supreme Dao Palace, the area outside the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons was a barren stretch of rocky beach.

The ground was dark red, looking as if it had been soaked in fresh blood countless times.

A thick toxic mist permeated the air, mixed with a bloody and putrid stench that made one want to vomit.

The registration line was very long, winding like a long black snake, stretching all the way from the mountain gate to the distant pile of rocks.

No one was clamoring, and no one was whispering to each other.

Everyone was silent, their eyes cold, as if they were waiting for some kind of judgment.

No one here talked about the Dao Heart, benevolence, righteousness, or upholding the Righteous Path.

The people here were talking about how many people they had killed recently, how many resources they had plundered, and what evil arts they had practiced.

A few Loose Cultivators of the Golden Core Stage squatted by the roadside, talking in low voices.

"Have you heard? The top prize this time is a yellow springs puppet. That is a massive weapon of the Void Refinement Stage."

"What's the Void Refinement Stage? I heard the top ranker can even directly become the Alliance Master's Disciple, reaching heaven in a single bound."

"You have to be alive to get it. Did you forget the last Demon Refining Conference? Over three hundred went in, and less than thirty came out alive."

"That's just the Demonic Path for you. Want to live? Then you have to be more ruthless than everyone else."

Man Shan stood in the queue, and the people around him kept their distance one after another. Some even covered their noses, showing disgusted expressions.

He was already used to such looks.

From childhood to adulthood, he had grown up under such gazes.

But he still came, because the announcement read:

"No questions about your background, no questions about your origin, as long as you are strong enough."

The line moved forward slowly, and it was finally his turn.

The Demonic Path Disciple responsible for registration was a burly man with a fierce countenance, at the last stage of Golden Core. He glanced at Man Shan and frowned.

"Half-demon?"

Man Shan had no extra words: "Yes."

The burly man hesitated and looked back behind him, "Elder, this..."

A white-haired old man stepped out from the shadows and sized Man Shan up.

His face was withered, and he wore a tattered black robe while leaning on a white bone cane, looking like someone with one foot in the grave.

But his eyes were very bright, like two burning ghostly fires.

He stared at Man Shan for a long time, with no discrimination in his eyes, only surprise.

"Late Nascent Soul Stage? You, a half-demon, managed to Cultivate to the Late Nascent Soul Stage on your own?"

Man Shan did not answer, only looking at him.

The old man's smile deepened, "Interesting. Go on in."

Things like this were playing out in many places.

Behind the mountain gate of the Eternal Night Demon Sect was a massive plaza.

There were no stone bricks on the plaza, only compacted black soil.

Shattered bones were embedded in the black soil, some already bleached white, others still bearing dark red, dried blood stains.

There was no high platform in the center of the plaza, only an altar built from piled bones.

On the altar, Xiao Ran stood with his hands behind his back.

Behind him stood the Sect Masters of the Six Great Demonic Sects.

Lined up side by side, their expressions were cold and solemn.

The grandeur was off the charts.

The applicants entered the plaza one after another, quickly gathering hundreds of people.

Their cultivation levels varied, from the Foundation Establishment Stage to the Soul Transformation Stage, but there was no smile on anyone's face.

Because the Aura permeating the air was not of welcome, but of death.

In the crowd, a short man was particularly eye-catching.

He wore a blood-red robe, and his face was covered with crisscrossing scars, like a map that had been torn to shreds and pieced back together.

His eyes were dark red, with a faint bloody light swirling in his pupils.

His name was Xue Wuhen, at the Peak Nascent Soul stage. He was said to be a Disciple who defected from the Blood Fiend Sect, surviving for ten years on the edge of the wilderness by slaughtering Yao Beasts and Loose Cultivators.

Hanging from his waist was a necklace made of Yao Beast teeth, each tooth representing a life.

In another direction, a woman stood quietly.

She wore a tight black outfit, with half a ghost mask on her face, revealing the lower half of her pale face and a pair of cold eyes.

A long saber was slung across her back, its scabbard pitch-black and carved with complex runes.

Her name was Ye Wuyin, at the Nascent Soul middle stage. Her background was unknown; no one knew where she came from, nor did anyone know why she had come to participate in the Demon Refining Conference.

There was also an odd-looking person in the crowd, half of whose face was covered with dark green scales, resembling both a snake and a fish.

His fingers were long and slender, with webbing between them. His Aura was obscure and hard to gauge, as if suppressed by something.

His name was Fuyou, at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, and he was said to be an abandoned child of some hidden family in the East Sea.

He had been expelled from his family for cultivating a forbidden Cultivation Technique.

His gaze remained fixed on the altar in the center of the plaza, as if searching for something.

Man Shan stood on the edge of the crowd, sizing up these diverse people, each carrying a dense Killing Intent.

This Demon Refining Conference was even more brutal than he had imagined.

But he did not shrink back.

Because here, he suddenly realized that he didn't seem so strange after all.

Once everyone had arrived.

Xiao Ran stepped out, walking through the air.

He looked down upon the crowd, completely mastering his Aura.

Wherever his gaze fell, no one dared to meet Xiao Ran's eyes.

Xiao Ran nodded in satisfaction.

"Welcome to the Demon Refining Conference. I am Xiao Ran, the Alliance Master of the Demonic Path."

"This is not the Supreme Dao Palace. We do not care about the Dao Heart, nor do we care about benevolence, righteousness, or morality. There is only one rule here—the strong rule."

"The Demon Refining Conference is divided into three trials. The first trial, the Blood Prison Trial. The second trial, the Life and Death Arena. The third trial, the Heart-Devouring Illusion."

"Those who pass all three trials may join the Demonic Path Alliance."

"The top ranker will be gifted a yellow springs puppet and a Heaven-Grade Cultivation Technique, and the top ten will each receive handsome rewards."

"I'm sure you all already know this, so I won't waste any more words!"

"Now, let's begin."

The First Trial—The Blood Prison Trial.

The applicants were divided into several teams, with fifty people in each team.

Man Shan was assigned to the third team, Xue Wuhen to the first team, Ye Wuyin to the fifth team, and Fuyou to the seventh team.

The stone gate leading to the Blood Hell slowly opened, behind which lay a dark abyss. Faint roars of Yao Beasts could be heard from the depths.

"The Blood Prison Trial is very simple—go in, and come out alive."

Xiao Ran's voice came from the altar.

"Inside is the core area deep within the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, filled with Yao Beasts, venomous creatures, traps, and ancient Restrictions."

"Your goal is to survive inside for three days. Those who come out alive after three days will advance."

"Additionally, killing between teams is not forbidden. Killing someone from your own team allows you to plunder their resources, and killing someone from other teams will earn you points."

A Loose Cultivator of the Golden Core Stage raised his hand, "Alliance Master, what if we encounter a Yao Beast we can't defeat?"

Xiao Ran looked at him, "Then die inside."