122: Chapter 122 Infiltrating the Demon Clan and Stirring Up Big Things

[In the Duanhun River, Chu Sheng felt as if he were soaking in a pot of aged soup.]

[The river water all around was as black as ink, so thick it was almost impossible to move through.]

[The Devilish Qi and remnant soul churned in the water like countless transparent snakes, entangling his limbs, boring into his pores, and seeping into his Meridians.]

[Anyone else would have long since been corroded into a pile of white bones by these things.]

[But Chu Sheng had his Heavenly Demon Body fully activated.]

[These things that others avoided like the plague were, to him, a great tonic.]

["Old Grandfather?" he called out tentatively.]

[There was no response.]

[Chu Sheng's heart skipped a beat. Could Old Grandfather really be finished?]

[He walked deeper into the cave while absorbing the surrounding Devilish Qi.]

[The glowing moss on the cave walls grew denser, illuminating the path ahead.]

[Those remnant soul drifted around him; some were as blurry as a patch of mist, while others were as clear as living people.]

[They wore armor from thousands of years ago, still clutching rusted swords in their hands.]

["It seems these are all unlucky bastards who died in the Duanhun River."]

[Chu Sheng thought to himself, "I wonder how many years they've been dead; even their souls haven't fully dissipated."]

[Just as he was pondering this, a voice suddenly exploded in his mind.]

["So fragrant!!!"]

[Chu Sheng was so startled he nearly fell headfirst into the river.]

["Old Grandfather?! You're not dead?!"]

[Old Grandfather's voice trembled with excitement, like a stray dog that hadn't eaten for three days smelling a meat bun.]

["Dead? Smelling this scent makes this lord feel more spirited than when I was alive!"]

[Before Chu Sheng could ask further, he felt the ring on his hand suddenly turn scalding hot.]

[A terrifying suction force erupted from the ring. The surrounding remnant soul were like fallen leaves swept up by a gale, frantically surging into the ring.]

[He watched this scene, dumbfounded.]

[The remnant soul screamed and struggled, but they were completely unable to resist that suction. Tens of thousands of remnant soul, like transparent rivers, flowed into the ring on his hand.]

["Old Grandfather, you are..."]

["Don't talk! This lord is busy!"]

[This suction lasted for an entire hour.]

[Chu Sheng sat cross-legged in the cave, watching Old Grandfather "feed" while silently circulating his Heavenly Demon Body to absorb the escaping Devilish Qi.]

[The bottom of the Duanhun River was practically a Holy Land for Cultivate tailored specifically for the Heavenly Demon Body.]

[The Devilish Qi was so rich it had almost condensed into liquid; one breath was worth ten days of Cultivate outside.]

[Suddenly, the aura within the ring began to change.]

[Chu Sheng looked up.]

[A phantom drifted out from the ring.]

[It was a young woman.]

[Tall, with exquisite curves.]

[Chu Sheng was stunned.]

[Old Grandfather? A woman?]

[The phantom glanced at him, blinked, and then—began to change.]

[Muscles bulged, the skeleton expanded, and that peerless face transformed within a few breaths into the likeness of a burly man.]

[His face was full of flesh, with a thick beard, and his chest muscles were larger than Chu Sheng's head.]

["..."]

[Before Chu Sheng could react, the burly man changed again. This time, he turned into a large dog.]

[A Golden Retriever. Tongue lolling, tail wagging, with a simple and honest expression.]

[Chu Sheng silently looked away.]

[He pretended he hadn't seen anything.]

[The golden dog shook its head, seemingly unsatisfied with its new image, and changed back into the form of a withered old man.]

[Only this time, his phantom was much more solid than before; one could even see the individual hairs of his beard.]

[Old Grandfather gave a dry cough.]

["I absorbed a bit too much just now... you didn't see anything."]

[Chu Sheng nodded like a woodpecker.]

["Right, right, right, I didn't see a thing. You've always been this old geezer, you never changed."]

[Old Grandfather nodded with satisfaction.]

["A teachable youth."]

[Having had his fill, Old Grandfather began to explain the origins of the Duanhun River to Chu Sheng.]

This place is one of the most dangerous forbidden lands in the Northern Region.

The bottom of the river connects the Demon Race and Human Race territories; it is the weakest barrier between the two realms.

For thousands of years, countless Cultivators and members of the Demon Race have fought and fallen here. Their remnant soul sank to the riverbed, and Devilish Qi seeped into the water. Over time, this Duanhun River, which even souls cannot cross, was formed.

["So, this place is a passage connecting both sides?" Chu Sheng asked.]

[Old Grandfather nodded.]

["Pretty much. If you go downstream from here, you can enter the Demon Race territory."]

[Chu Sheng fell silent.]

[He looked down at himself.]

[The phoenix ring was shattered, the immortal slaying gourd was dim and lusterless, and the demon refining pot had been lost somewhere when he fell into the river.]

[Old Grandfather had just eaten his fill, but it was unclear how much power he could exert.]

[His current state could be described in one word—miserable.]

But this was the Duanhun River.

Here, there was inexhaustible Devilish Qi and remnant soul.

This was the most suitable environment for the Heavenly Demon Body to Cultivate.

["Old Grandfather," he suddenly spoke, "what would happen if I entered the Demon Race territory from here?"]

[Old Grandfather was stunned.]

["Are you crazy?"]

[Chu Sheng smiled.]

["I'm not crazy. Think about it, what is my identity in the Tianfeng Kingdom? Nie Zhang, the beast taming commandant of Fengxian Prefecture, is already dead. If I go back, do I continue being Nie Zhang? Continue being suspected by Jiang Yuenü? Continue being threatened by the Third Prince?"]

[He shook his head.]

["Even if I go back, I can only hide behind Xia Nihuang, unable to hold my head high for the rest of my life."]

[He stood up and looked toward the depths of the cave. There, he could faintly feel an even richer Devilish Qi surging.]

["But the Demon Race territory is different."]

[His eyes lit up. "There, I don't need to hide my Heavenly Demon Body. There, I can Cultivate openly. There, there are more and stronger members of the Demon Race for me to absorb."]

[Old Grandfather was silent for a long time.]

["Have you thought this through?"]

[Chu Sheng nodded.]

["I've thought it through."]

[He took a deep breath, and his Heavenly Demon Body operated at full power.]

[Black and red Devilish Qi erupted from his body, churning and roaring at the bottom of the Duanhun River.]

[Sensing this aura, those remnant soul retreated one after another.]

[The Devilish Qi, as if it had found its master, frantically surged into his body.]

[At this moment, Chu Sheng was no longer Nie Zhang, no longer the beast taming commandant of Fengxian Prefecture.]

[He was himself.]

[The Heavenly Demon Body, Chu Sheng.]

["Let's go."]

[He looked toward the direction of the Demon Race territory, a smile playing on his lips.]

["Let's go do something big."]

Chu Sheng watched this scene, so excited he slapped his thigh.

"He's going to charge into the Demon Race territory all by himself! This move is just too slick!"

He took a sip of tea.

"But it makes sense. In the Tianfeng Kingdom, his identity is pretty much exposed. Going back would just mean being used as a pawn. It's better to start over on the Demon Race's side."

He looked at the figure wrapped in Devilish Qi on the screen and smiled.

"With the Heavenly Demon Body in the Demon Race territory, he'll be like a fish in water. Who knows, the next time we meet, this guy might have already become a Demon General."

He leaned back and crossed his legs.

"Interesting. This is getting more and more interesting."