The Ancestor of All Demons

Wei Fengniang tried to open the Jade Box and retrieve the Heavenly Book inside, only to have transmitted a surge of True Qi onto it when a layer of Invisible Evil Fire silently emerged from the box. This fire, colorless and shadowless, was invisible to the naked eye and could only be sensed with the heart.

Wei Fengniang found that the entire box was seamless, as if carved from a single piece of jade. She tried three different methods to open it, but suddenly felt an intense pain in her fingers, as if thousands of tiny needles were chaotically piercing her, and her True Qi and Primordial Spirit were contaminated simultaneously.

With her Dao Level, had she maintained a calm and steady mind, this would not have happened. However, trapped within the Five Elements Inverted Formation and desperately wanting to obtain the Heavenly Book, a mix of fear and greed disturbed her inner peace. By the time she realized the existence of the Invisible Evil Fire, it was already too late.

Even so, she was unwilling to abandon the Jade Box. Sitting cross-legged on the Woyulong Stone, she concentrated and tried to counter the Poison Fire on the box, intending to dispel it with her profound Mana.

Shi Feiyang would not give her this opportunity. Seeing the Evil Fire activate, he immediately spat out two inner cores and smashed them downwards forcefully.

Wei Fengniang hurriedly defended with her Flying Sword. The two had been dueling for half the night, and as their swords and beads met again, she felt the weight of his two inner cores had significantly increased, and her Immortal Sword struggled to withstand them. She then unleashed the Vajra Divine Palm.

Her nickname "Divine Hand Monk" was truly well-deserved. The Golden Light Giant Hand struck one after another, each time hitting the inner cores and causing them to spin backwards, with water and fire splashing around.

Shi Feiyang did not rush to win but maintained a rapid offensive stance. After fighting for another short period equivalent to a mealtime, Wei Fengniang was invaded by the Invisible Evil Fire, and the Poison Fire penetrated into the vital points of her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Shi Feiyang, from above, remotely cast spells to intensify the fire. Wei Fengniang, using all her cultivation, barely managed to suppress it for the duration of a cup of tea, but finally could no longer contain it, letting out a tragic scream and spitting a mouthful of fresh blood.

With that violent outpouring, green poison blood flowed from her eyes, black blood from her ears, and white blood from her nose. Then, these poisoned bloods ignited, burning her head and face with colorful flames. The intense Invisible Evil Fire erupted and instantly incinerated her organs and entrails into ash, burning her up from the inside out in a blazing fury!

Shi Feiyang seized the moment to fully activate the two inner cores, which fell like meteors from the sky and ferociously bombarded the Woyulong Stone, creating thousands of paths of golden light and a sky full of red glow. Wei Fengniang above was naturally shattered into pieces, not even a hair left intact.

Having finally exterminated this demoness, Shi Feiyang descended and collected Wei Fengniang's Primordial Spirit and relics.

This ordeal had been fraught with peril, and although it largely conformed to his prior calculations, there were several twists in the process. Nevertheless, he had fortunately weathered through, emerging safely after the storm.

He cast spells to bring forth spring water to rinse and cleanse the cave, washing away all impurities, then dried it with the Divine Fire Inner Core.

Queen Mother Grass's creature, Mo Zhui, emerged from its nest, chirping in congratulations. Having lived nearly ten thousand years and seen much of the world, it was the first time he had witnessed such a perilous duel and had truly sweat bullets for Shi Feiyang.

Throughout the millennia, he had accompanied countless Guardian Beasts of all varieties, but he still found Shi Feiyang to be the best—strong, wise, and amiable, more willing to assist with his cultivation using Dan Qi.

From his experience, Wei Fengniang was not a good entity. Had Shi Feiyang been defeated and he fallen into that woman's hands, his own life would likely have been in grave danger. Compared to humans, he much preferred interacting with animals.

Shi Feiyang was victorious, and he gestured wildly as he stood atop the cliff, saying, "Creatures like you, akin to dragons and serpents, should fall into a deep sleep when shedding your skin to achieve the best integration of form and spirit, thus gaining the finest fundamental bones. By forcibly staying awake with poison, you actually impede the development of your bones. I'll give you some blood, drink it up, lie down, and have a good sleep to try and complete the process."

As he spoke, the young one was about to cut open his arm to draw blood.

Shi Feiyang quickly stopped him, "That's not necessary, your essence blood is far too precious to be wasted carelessly. We've already taken two cups earlier, which was rather excessive. I'll refine some elixirs in the future to gradually nourish you."

Shi Feiyang was pleased that the young one had his welfare in mind, to the extent of wanting to offer his own blood. Mo Zhui was also moved, realizing that the other party was not just keeping him for his own gain.

Shi Feiyang took inventory of his gains, acquiring Wei Fengniang's Flying Sword and Qiankun Bag.

Wei Fengniang's Flying Sword, through years of nourishment and refinement, possessed considerable power. However, because it was forged using a lesser method, the sword light was a mix of green and yellow, indicating impurity, and its internal quality was similarly compromised, decidedly inferior to the White Light Sword.

Her Qiankun Bag was not very spacious, about the size of a single room, filled with everyday items, miscellaneous herbs, and three bottles of completed elixirs.

Most items were mundane, but among them were two books on cultivation penned by Wei Fengniang herself. One was a comprehensive and systematic secret manual from the Heavenly Mountain Sect, covering the complete practices of alchemy and sword refining, while the other was a book on spells from the Western Demon Cult, detailing specifically about a dozen spells.

Shi Feiyang found the method to refine and use the Yellow Sand Flag, a Magical Treasure devised by the founding master of the Heavenly Mountain Sect during his enlightenment in the vast desert. Consisting of fifteen arrays based on the River Map and Luo Book, when laid flat, they form a perfect Luo Shu Nine Palaces grid, each column and diagonal adding up to fifteen. When activated, it becomes a three-dimensional model of the River Chart.

Shi Feiyang quickly grasped the underlying principle, and upon reaching the mountaintop, he collected the array flags that Wei Fengniang had set.

Inside the Qiankun Bag were several half-finished Magical Treasures, with the only completed items being two Yellow Cloud Nails. However, a deadly item was Brooyinca's Black Crow Needle, a formidable treasure. To prevent it from falling back into the hands of Demon Monks, he immediately cast a spell to seal it.

Shi Feiyang did not dare venture outside to root out the injured Brooyinca, as besides Wei Fengniang and Brooyinca, there were others who had come to slay the dragon and seize the treasure that night. He knew of at least two groups, and there could be more unknown to him.

Indeed, as he worried, there was another group. A female fairy named Sai Feiqiong Xiong Man, whose master from Min Mountain's Xuannü Temple, Seven-Finger Dragon Mother Yin Kong, had also founded a school on Heng Mountain and was known as the "Golden Grandmother Luo Ziyuan." Her junior sister, called Xiao Nineteen Sister, nicknamed Bu Xu Fairy, had recently heard that the scenery behind Dinghu Peak's Bu Xu Mountain was fitting to its name. She planned to establish a retreat there for cultivation.

Originally a Daoist Sword Immortal, Yin Kong later converted to Buddhism. Realizing that her three disciples were not meant for Buddhism and enforcing them to learn the concepts of dependent origination and emptiness would not only prevent their achievements but would also lead to frustrations, she taught them only Daoist swordsmanship.

Unlike Daoism, which seeks immortality, Buddhism's ultimate goal is non-existence. Amidst arduous cultivation, Yin Kong soon reached the end of her life. Before passing away, she summoned her disciples and entrusted Luo Ziyuan with the "Yue Nu Scripture," gave Xiao Nineteen Sister the "Three Elements Secret Manual." Xiong Man received no scripture, as her earthly ties were unresolved; instead, she was given eight lines of verse and two sealed letters, which were only to be opened and read at the designated times.

After her master's death, Xiong Man left Min Mountain to wander the Jianghu alone. Without the transmission of secret manuals and facing a crossroads in her mortal connections, one path would lead to a mundane life of marriage and children, and the other was coming to Dinghu Peak to slay the dragon and seize the Heavenly Book, potentially achieving heights no less than her fellow disciples.

She had arrived near Dinghu Peak two months prior, and while Shi Feiyang ascended daily to harvest the True Sun Essence, she watched from a distance, knowing her mana and swordsmanship were outmatched. She could only wait for the final day of the skin shedding to act. Thus, she lay in wait for the right moment, and just when Wei Fengniang and Shi Feiyang were fiercely battling, she thought to seize the opportunity but was thwarted by someone who descended from the sky.