Chapter 448 | I Really Don't Want to Cultivate Immortality!

Xu Xian went through the four divine abilities of the [Bixu Mirror] one by one: Bixu Phantom, Eye of Water, Water Control, and Escape.

After the little book spirit finished its explanation, he couldn't wait to start testing them.

He had already tested the Bixu Phantom, so only Water Control, Escape, and the Eye of Water remained.

Water Control was simple, as the Telekinesis Immortal Art Xu Xian originally practiced served as a foundation.

It could now be applied within the [Bixu Mirror] as well.

However, due to the limitations of the current environment, he couldn't fully unleash it, and the results were lackluster.

For instance, he could only control the ripples of the water marsh beneath his feet, or make a cup of water disappear and then reappear.

Xu Xian also tried [Escape]. In the blink of an eye, he vanished along with the [Bixu Mirror], only to appear out of thin air on the other side.

It was similar to a spatial jump.

Xu Xian tried it several times in a row, and it was indeed quite useful.

Inside the cauldron, the old tortoise was completely dazed. Having lost the [Bixu Mirror], it could no longer sense the aura of the entire Cloud-Marsh World.

When Xu Xian vanished with the mirror, it lost track of his presence entirely.

It waited for a long time, but still didn't sense Xu Xian's return.

Did he just leave?

Was this some kind of joke? He didn't even say goodbye, and it was still sitting in shit?

"Hey!"

"Where did he go?"

"Did he really leave..."

During the past six days, there wasn't a single moment it didn't wish for the youth to stop, nor a moment it didn't pray for him to leave quickly.

But now that the boy was actually gone, it couldn't feel happy at all.

What was it supposed to do? Was it really going to be trapped in this 's' for the rest of its life?

...

On the other side, after several attempts, Xu Xian sat cross-legged on the ground. He recovered his spent energy by absorbing the demon qi of this place, with the suspension mirror still standing before him.

While he rested, he calculated his next moves and plans in his mind.

As things stood, he couldn't cause any substantial harm to the old tortoise.

Moreover, after several days of conflict between the man and the tortoise, even if it started as a misunderstanding and he wasn't part of the Li family, their grudge was now firmly established.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a blood feud.

And there was no room for reconciliation.

Saving it was impossible. Setting aside whether he even could, even if he did, expecting the old tortoise to be grateful and wipe the slate clean was a pipe dream.

Xu Xian only had two ways to deal with the old tortoise.

Either ignore it and leave it suppressed here.

Or kill it to pull up the roots and eliminate any future trouble.

However.

He didn't believe the old tortoise could break free from this place. After all, so many years had passed, and if it could leave, it would have long ago.

If it couldn't do it before, how could it do it now?

But it was better to be safe than sorry. What if some opportunity arose at some point that allowed it to regain its freedom?

He had to be on guard.

Of course, not right now.

Currently, he didn't meet the prerequisites to kill it.

So, Xu Xian chose the first option: ignore it for now.

He would wait until he built the third or fourth floor of the Sword Tower before returning to finish it off.

Perhaps then, he could also resolve the confusion in his heart and squeeze every last bit of value out of it.

But those were matters for later.

Right now, what Xu Xian needed to do was return to the Nether Capital. He wanted to find a way to make the Ten Great Demon Gods and the Seven Great Heavenly Demon Families willingly hand over enough shadow soul stones to help him build the third floor of the Sword Tower and conclude this trip to the Demon Abyss.

Xu Xian did some math. It actually wasn't that much. Each demon god only needed to provide him with seventy thousand tons of shadow soul stones, and that would be enough. Seven million shadow soul stones from each family.

The number was not small.

But Xu Xian believed they could definitely afford it.

Otherwise, Chi Ji wouldn't have so readily agreed to pay him a reward of one million shadow soul stones.

The key issue now was how to make them cough it up.

And Xu Xian had to hurry. If he delayed any longer, he feared they would discover the issues within the primordial demon arts he had given them.

When that time came, forget about shadow soul stones; it would be a miracle if they didn't try to kill him.

As for how to make them willingly part with the shadow soul stones, Xu Xian already had a preliminary plan.

In fact, long before he jumped into the nether water, Xu Xian had already anticipated this scenario. What if he couldn't dig them up?

He had to leave himself a way out.

This was why he had been waiting for the High Priest's test, using the situation to make himself disappear.

It was one of the reasons he hadn't just jumped into the water and vanished silently on his own.

He was preparing for the possibility that if he couldn't find the stones, he could still return openly.

Nothing was absolute, so he always had to be cautious.

Previously, he chose to dig because he thought it would be the fastest way.

It would also allow him to retreat safely, simply and conveniently, without inviting trouble.

Now that digging was out of the question, he could only take another path.

He would use his specialty and return to his old trade.

He'd just bluff.

He'd fool them until they were completely dazed.

Didn't the High Priest want to revitalize the demon race?

Fine, he'd satisfy her. He'd let her know he could condense nether fire.

Didn't the Ten Great Demon Gods want the primordial demon arts?

Fine, he'd translate them. He'd translate all of them.

Didn't the heavenly demon race love talking about bloodlines?

Fine.

Then they would talk about bloodlines. They were the heavenly demon race, with flaming hair, twin horns, and emerald eyes.

Then he would be even more noble than them and manifest a rainbow hair color.

He would be even higher than them. Would they still be able to complain then?

Whether it was the [Nether Records] or the [Demon Records], or even the myths and legends of the demon race, they all mentioned that the former Demon Lord had ten-colored hair.

He would also sport ten-colored hair and claim to be a descendant of the Demon Lord. With [Simulation Art: Truth in Falsehood] as his form, combined with nether fire, they would have no choice but to believe him.

Also, if he remembered correctly, the rainy season wouldn't end for another half a month, and now he had the Bixu Mirror.

He could control the Ruoshui of the Nether Pool to return, and then, with the help of the drizzling rain curtain, perform a show of Manifesting Sanctity.

He didn't believe anyone would be able to find any fault with that.

Even the Ten Great Demon Gods would be completely hoodwinked.

The appearance of truth in falsehood.

Manifesting Sanctity.

Recognizing all primordial demon script.

Controlling Ruoshui.

Condensing nether fire.

If he wasn't a descendant of the Demon Lord, who else could he be?

By then, even if he said he was the one who delivered that sword strike, no one would likely doubt him.

Even if those demon gods felt something was off, he believed that with these proofs, the High Priest would definitely push him into that position.

Once he took power, he would ask them for shadow soul stones.

At that point, it wouldn't be up to them whether they were willing or not.