Longevity Chronicles

Another line-by-line dialogue unfolded at the Secret Acupoint Platform. There, Tao Qian, embracing the Dao Seed, conversed with a Demon whose form was rather unique.

Before him, as usual, floated two alien objects.

To the left was the Netherworld Demon Contract, and to the right, the Heavenly Demon Blood Pill.

However, this Demon appeared much more endearing than the others.

It had the likeness of a human child, dressed in bright green garb, with the lower half of its body shrouded in mist. Its childlike face was eternally twisted in anger, the crimson in its pupils especially unnerving, warning others not to get too close.

At this moment, the child's eyes were fixed on the "Heavenly Demon Blood Transformation Pill" in front of Tao Qian. Drool dripped tick by tick from the corner of its mouth, turning into mist as it fell.

Hearing Tao Qian's question, the child patted its chest and bragged,

"You, a Human Cultivator, have called upon the right demon this time."

"Don't worry about Māra, or Buddhist Law, or Arrays; none of those have any effect on me."

"Once you sign this Demon Contract with me, all it takes is a flash of my Evasion Light, and the stars in the sky will move with me. Thousands of miles away is but a breath's distance, and even the much-vaunted 'Great Freedom Heart Light Escape Technique' of those bald heads from the Buddhist Sect can't compare to my Star Zha Demon Escape."

"So stop dilly-dallying, Human Cultivator. Bring me that Demon Contract and Demon Pill. Once I've signed and ingested it, I'll ensure you're safe from any disasters."

"Very well!"

The dialogue had just ended when the Demon Contract and Demon Pill successively floated towards the little Star Zha Demon.

But what surprised Tao Qian this time was that this little devil was exceptionally earnest.

It actually branded the Netherworld Demon Contract with its own demonic thoughts and then joyously swallowed the high-quality Heavenly Demon Blood Transformation Pill.

This scene made Tao Qian, holding the Demon Contract, feel a bit embarrassed.

Starting with the first Substitute Demon, followed by a second one, an Empty Demon, and an Illusion Demon, each and every one had been exceptionally cunning. Without fail, they all tampered with the contract signing—either creating an illusion or using fake demonic thoughts.

This little "Star Zha Demon" was the first Outer Realm Heaven Demon to sign the contract honestly.

Unfortunately for it, Tao Qian had no intention of fulfilling the contract and binding his Divine Soul and life to a Demon.

Instantly, he thought to erase his own brand with the soul and tucked away the Demon Contract.

The next moment, as he raised his head, he met the burning crimson gaze of the Demon Child.

Clearly, the Star Zha Demon had detected the "Corpse Evil Worm" in the Heavenly Demon Blood Transformation Pill.

By swallowing the Elixir, it had grown somewhat, but as a result, it had completely lost its freedom.

Enraged, the little demon's green clothing began to flutter without a breeze, a multitude of starry fragments burst forth along with the demonic qi. Had it not been for Tao Qian's restraint, it likely would have used the Star Zha Demon Escape to directly crush this deceptive and shameless Human Clan Cultivator.

Just as Tao Qian was about to carefully explain to the Star Zha Demon, at that very moment,

The entire Chenghuang Market suddenly trembled.

Immediately, layers of Chaos Light visible to the naked eye swept through the market, sparking many angry and astonished cries.

However, the enraged cultivators soon saw that the defensive formation equipped with prohibitions, set up by Joyful Pavilion within the market, also activated.

A voice filled with tenderness and allure resonated throughout every corner of the market, carried by the alien artifacts scattered all around.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Hua Niang, the humble manager of Chenghuang Market."

"The two arrays that just enveloped this area were for preventing disasters that might disrupt our market; not informing everyone in advance left us no choice, please accept our apology."

"The cultivator responsible for the Fragrant Meat Collection massacre, I have only just learned of your arrival in Chenghuang Market."

"Alas, running a business of welcoming guests, I should not expel any visitors."

"But there are rules from above, so please try to understand and bear with Hua Niang, and leave this place for now. Once you resolve the matter of the warrant, I assure you: inside the market you will remain unharmed. But once you step out of the market, the world is vast; you are free to go wherever you please."

Anyone who heard this voice would subconsciously feel sympathy,

Yearning to embrace this woman called "Hua Niang" and comfort her tenderly.

Yet her words also stirred up a huge commotion in the market.

The cultivator who committed the Fragrant Meat Collection massacre!

This keyword instantly sent shock and alarm through countless cultivators.

Discussions solidified into waves of chatter, reverberating throughout the market.

"Fragrant Meat Collection? Ugh, it's that terrible evil person. Dear ancestors above, I've been to Fragrant Meat Collection, and the sight was more frightening than the Infinite Purgatory itself, layer upon layer of demon flesh chopped into fine mince, mixed with blood and spread over miles of market, truly more demonic than Evil Demons themselves."

"Shh, didn't you hear? That killer is in the market right now."

"Run for it, I don't want to end up chopped up like that. I may be Mutated into a demon, but there's still hope for me; I shouldn't die here."

"Shut up, this is Chenghuang Market we're talking about, it's not comparable to Fragrant Meat Collection at all. Even if that evil person is cruel and brutal, they couldn't possibly commit a massacre here."

"Who can be certain of that, though? The owner of Fragrant Meat Collection, Zhu Wuxin, had Iron Buddha Temple as a backer, yet he still got slaughtered to the last."

"Hey, what do you think, is this Daoist a member of the Righteous or an Evil Demon?"

"That's a mystery, isn't it? They say Righteous, yet that person wields the sword techniques of the Secret Demon Sect and can perform the Secret Demon Transformation Technique, such eerie Great Divine Powers. But if you say Evil Demon, they never kill humans, only striking against Demon Cultivators. It's like they're a righteous swordsman who despises evil."

"Hush, enjoy the show, that guy's finished. I heard Iron Buddha Mountain has sent a Great Demon to capture him."

...

Within the quiet room, Tao Qian turned off the Forbidden Technique, allowing the multitude of voices from the outside to pour in.

Hearing these discussions and the fear of many Evil Cultivators and Demons towards him actually made Tao Qian want to laugh.

He had been cultivating and walking the path of Dao for some time, always keeping a low profile.

Yet, he unexpectedly made such a name for himself unintentionally after actively facing the first of the Three Calamities Heart Inquiry.

Knowing that Hua Niang wasn't the real deal, Tao Qian naturally disregarded the so-called advice.

Having put away the Star Zha Demon, Tao Qian also took Little Age, Lian Jing'er, and placed them into a Magic Artifact capable of holding living people. Then, still using the grisly "Evil Ghost Body," he left the quiet room and naturally blended into the chaotic crowd within the market.

They had not been separated for very long, merely a few breaths.

The flower maiden, who felt she had done enough superficial work, did not speak again. Instead, the chaotic brilliance that had previously enveloped the market suddenly became even more dazzling.

Then, with a thunderous boom, an enormous figure shot over from the distance.

Carrying a monstrous demonic aura, it descended upon the sky above Chenghuang Mountain, overlooking the demons and humans within the market.

This demon was filthy all over, with a wide nose and large eyes, a mouth full of tusks, and wrapped in a gigantic swaddle.

Upon its arrival, it emitted an extremely harsh sound that was a mix of wild laughter and wailing.

In that instant, all eyes within the vast Chenghuang Market gathered on it, and even the blind and deaf could immediately discern that this was an extremely fearsome demon, at least of the Transcend Mortality Realm.

In fact, among the group of demon cultivators and evil cultivators, there were many who recognized its origins.

Giant troll baby demon!

Now in Southern Yue, it had made a considerable name for itself – a great demon of the Transcend Mortality Realm.

Serving under the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva, it considered itself one of the Bodhisattva's demon children.

"Wow... hahaha!"

"I've said before, Flower Maiden, there's no need for small talk. Just let me happily capture that guy and bring him back. Maybe we'll even have enough time left for us to enjoy a good moment of warmth," it said mockingly, directly flirting with many of the dream Daoist partners of the demon cultivators in the market.

Its tone clearly showed it did not regard the cultivator who had caused the Fragrant Meat Collection tragedy as being worth its attention.

Indeed, that was the case. In various predictive divine arts, Tao Qian always showed the same result: A Qi Refining Realm human cultivator.

Despite showing many special abilities over the past two days, and gaining a formidable reputation among the demon and evil cultivators in Southern Yue with his ever-increasing strength in battle, none of this changed the fact that he was just a Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

Whereas this giant troll baby demon was a bona fide Transcend Mortality Realm demon, and it was cultivating the fundamental methods of an infant demon. Despite being toyed with by Master Xiao without the slightest resistance, it was absolutely domineering and unreasonable when facing other cultivators.

At this moment, the giant troll baby demon sat directly on the forbidden big array, its swollen fatty hands patting the chaotic brilliance below it.

It then fished something out of its filthy embrace with one hand, while looking at the market with a disdainful gaze, mocking, "That little brat who practiced the Secret Demon Sect's methods, it's a huge fortune and opportunity for you that I personally came to capture you."

"When I catch you, don't resist. Although the Bodhisattva wants you alive, trying to convert you into a demon, my hand is always heavy. If you resist even a little, I'll kill you. But you can try to run. This Five Elements reversal array isn't that extraordinary. You learned the Secret Demon Body Sword and the Secret Demon Transformation Technique, maybe you've also learned the Secret Demon Escape Technique too. It should be easy for you to escape," it continued.

"If you run, I'll chase. Hehe, fun."

"If you do not run and try to play hide and seek with me among these waste and trash, that's fine too. Just don't blame me for cheating."

"Where did I put that great treasure the Bodhisattva gave me... oh, found it."

The infant demon, which had inadvertently stabbed everyone in the market with a knife, suddenly had a brilliant childlike smile on that extremely ugly face.

While a true child's smile would be endearing, its smile only made every demon and evil cultivator in the market feel an urge to vomit.

However, in an instant, everyone's gaze was attracted to the object in the infant demon's hand.

It was a small, exquisitely beautiful, and extraordinarily ornate incense burner, emitting an extremely intense and unusual aura.

The infant demon held up the incense burner, grinning and laughing loudly without lifting a finger, boasted to everyone in the market,

"This is a fine treasure bestowed upon me by the Bodhisattva, called the Māra Sandalwood Charming God Incense Burner. It has been used to light incense for the Bodhisattva for many years; it's really fun, magical, and dangerous."

"That little brat, don't get caught too quickly, that would be really boring."

"Huh"

The infant demon was showing off its unruly nature, making a scene all on its own.

As soon as it finished speaking, it swiftly removed the lid of the incense burner, and then blew a breath inside.

The next moment, a shocking scene unfolded that stunned the entire market:

"Boom!"

Suddenly, without any warning, a thick cloud of exotic fragrance billowed from within the burner, and then ten thousand feet of Buddha Light illuminated the sky, with the sound of Buddhist chants echoing on their own.

A perfectly ordinary Chenghuang Mountain was directly transformed into a Buddhist temple with flourishing incense at its gates.

And all of this was caused by just that small incense burner.

In Chenghuang market, many cultivators and demons of not insignificant cultivation realms were hidden, even more than one at the Transcend Mortality Realm.

But at this moment, listening to that Buddha chant imbued with extraordinary divine power and facing the sandalwood fragrance cloud that covered the sky like mist and smoke, everyone lost their capacity to resist.

Their divine souls were directly immobilized.

All eyes watched as the fragrance cloud swirled in, each strand seemingly alive or under the control of a willful guidance, directly wrapping around a figure in the crowd.

That figure turned out to be a ghastly evil ghost with a little ghost perched on each of its shoulders.

As the fragrant smoke twined around it, the evil ghost immediately manifested its true form—an ordinary Human Clan cultivator dressed as a corpse chasing Daoist, with two little zombies in tow, being dragged straight toward the incense burner by the smoky cloud.

Upon seeing this, including the infant demon,

Disappointment showed on the faces of who knows how many individuals. All the fuss about how strong and notorious they were before, and now they couldn't even resist a bit?

Above the sky, the giant troll baby demon's lament was heard:

"Is this it?"

"Although the Bodhisattva's magical treasure is very powerful, you little demon brat have received part of the Secret Demon Sect's lineage. Are you that incapable and worthless?"

"Disappointing, really such a disappointment to me."

ps: There will be another update.