It had taken two months of effort to master demon qi control and condense nether fire. Even Xu Xian himself suspected he was using some sort of cheat...
He couldn’t help but wonder if those demon gods would be stunned to find out he had manifested nether fire so quickly.
When the time came and he told his story of that day again, surely no one would doubt him anymore.
Well... given Jin Qing's nature, once she found out, would she feel compelled to protect him with her life?
It was possible that exactly what Chi Ji said would happen: the thing the heavenly demon race feared might actually come to pass.
The High Priest would elevate him to a pedestal, placing him above all heavenly demon race, making him the light of hope for the entire Demon Abyss.
At that point, the Demon Abyss would certainly fall into chaos. In such an unprecedented revolution, how many people would die?
Just thinking about it was thrilling. Xu Xian unconsciously curled his lips into a smirk.
However, he was only thinking about it. Compared to entering the fray himself and getting tangled in disputes, which would needlessly increase his risks,
He much preferred taking people down without shedding a drop of blood.
Knowledge was power, and it was also a sharp blade. Why go through so much trouble?
Xu Xian had a better way.
Why did he cultivate? It was for self-preservation, to become stronger, to protect those he cared about, to attain the Dao, and for longevity... Fighting and killing were the things he found most annoying.
He pulled his thoughts back. Ignoring the excitement of the little book spirit, he retracted the nether fire into his palm and then condensed a ball of true fire, causing the temperature in the room to soar.
He stood up and walked to the table, squinting at the thirteen ancient books stacked there. "Time to get to work."
He sat down, took one of the books, and began flipping through it while simultaneously transcribing. The craftiness in his eyes never dimmed for a single moment.
As he fabricated the contents, he muttered, "Go ahead and practice. Practice all you want. I’ll let you practice until you old things drop dead..."
The little book spirit assisted from the side, using its vast database of knowledge to make appropriate alterations to these primordial demon arts.
Even if they were just fragmented scrolls, it would complete them first before adding its own 'special ingredients' within.
If their aptitude was dull and they couldn’t learn it, then so be it; they would just be wasting time.
But if they actually managed to learn it, they could only blame their bad luck. Side effects like qi deviation, demon qi attacking the heart, meridian disorder, or a restless sea of qi would all be perfectly normal.
It wasn’t even out of the question for them to drop dead on the spot.
Following the principle of stalling as long as possible and screwing over as many people as he could, Xu Xian only altered the second half of the books. He translated the first half normally.
First, a faithful translation would still be difficult to comprehend, and even a demon god wouldn't expect to succeed in a short time.
Second, it served as a precaution to prevent these old fogies from keeping a trick up their sleeves and having someone else practice it first to test if his translation was genuine.
By only changing the latter half, he gave them a taste of success early on, which would lower their guard.
He didn’t believe they would actually wait for a test subject to finish practicing the entire book before trying it themselves.
Xu Xian enjoyed the process of sabotaging the books. He altered thirteen books in total, and two days and nights passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, he repeatedly deduced and modified his work to ensure everything was foolproof.
As the agreed-upon time approached, the descendants of the demon gods gathered involuntarily in the courtyard outside the residence.
Some were anxious, while others were waiting to mock him.
True or false, there would be an answer today.
Huang Xiao crossed his arms, his gaze gloomy. "There’s one hour left. I want to see how much longer you can keep up this act."
Chi Ji secretly broke into a cold sweat for Bai Mang, praying silently in her heart, [He must succeed.]
Time flowed slowly. Nine divine sons and goddesses, along with a demon guard commander-in-chief from the Yellow Demon God Palace, gathered under the tall building where Xu Xian lived.
They were silently counting down the time.
At the same time, within the ten great divine palaces, the ten demon gods were also waiting. Their gazes converged on a corner in the rain—the direction of Xu Xian’s residence.
In that unnamed courtyard, Jin Qing was feeding fish as usual. On the lake’s surface, the ripples from the falling rain were quickly replaced by the splashes from the fish.
Behind her, the Small Priest, Jin Yu, seemed somewhat flustered. She paced back and forth in the courtyard, a sharp contrast to her sweet and quiet appearance.
...
"Time’s up!"
Qingmu said, slowly lifting his eyes to look toward the top of the tower.
Huang Xiao stood up, cracking his neck from side to side and rubbing his hands together. He said coldly, "I want to see what kind of tricks he’s been playing in there."
Chi Ji summoned her courage and stood in his way. "Huang Xiao, don’t do anything reckless."
Huang Xiao said sinisterly, "Get out of the way."
Chi Ji said stubbornly, "I won’t."
The others watched the show quietly, their eyes full of schadenfreude.
"Don’t force me to make a move!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"You..."
Suddenly, with a clatter, a window on the high tower was thrown open. The noise immediately drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
They all looked up to see a youth leaning out of the window in the rain. He stared straight at Huang Xiao and mocked him:
"Tsk tsk. Huang Xiao, you're a grown man. Being impulsive is one thing, but how can you have no grace at all, trying to get physical with a girl?"
Chi Ji’s heart skipped a beat with joy, her worries vanishing.
Huang Xiao snorted coldly, his gaze sharp.
The others continued their scrutiny, waiting for the results.
Qingmu stood up, stepping in front of the crowd. He looked up and asked, "Excellency Bai Mang, the hour has arrived. I wonder if the things we want are ready?"
Xu Xian gave him a cold look and said indifferently, "Come up and get them."
The crowd was momentarily stunned, half-believing and half-doubting.
Xu Xian stepped away but then leaned his head out again to remind them, "Come up one by one. You, the little red-haired one, you're the last to come up."
Huang Xiao’s face turned grim, looking as if he had just swallowed a fly.
Xu Xian shouted, "Did you hear me?"
Huang Xiao didn't say a word. This was blatant targeting. He thought to himself, [Just you wait!]
The others couldn't help but laugh, especially the goddesses, who all covered their faces.
Xu Xian retreated back inside, not forgetting to slam the window shut with a loud bang.
The crowd discussed it and deferred to one another, as there was no rush now. Qingmu, being the one with the highest cultivation among them, was the first to ascend the tower.
He did not decline and accepted the role graciously. Chi Ji gave Huang Xiao a smug glance, looking as proud as a phoenix.
When Qingmu reached the upper floor, the door that Xu Xian had kept tightly closed was now wide open.
He didn't think much of it and walked straight in. His divine sense was constantly roaming, scrutinizing everything inside.
It seemed... there was nothing unusual...
It appeared he really had just been cultivating in here.
"Excellency Bai Mang."
"From the Qing family?"
"Yes."
Xu Xian handed over the original manuscript of the primordial demon art chosen by the Azure Demon along with the transcript. Both landed automatically in Qingmu's hands.
Qingmu took them but didn't open them. Instead, he said, "Please give me the High Priest’s and the Small Priest’s as well."
Xu Xian gave him a deep look. Without much thought, he handed over the three original manuscripts and three transcripts for the two of them to Qingmu. He teased, "You’re quite highly regarded. You have a bright future."
Qingmu smiled humbly. "Your Excellency overpraises me."
Xu Xian waved his hand, acting like an elder. Qingmu didn't mind; it was only natural for a capable person to be a bit arrogant.
Who knew? Perhaps in the future, Bai Mang really would stand above them all.
Qingmu bowed his head and retreated.
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