The Ancestor of All Demons

Shi Feiyang swallowed the Jade Box back into his belly, shook his head and wagged his tail, and silently headed upstream.

The Dinghu Peak in the Shushan World is three thousand meters high, its summit half-covered by clouds, its sides steep cliffs. For apes, it's too steep to climb, for birds difficult to cross, even Sword Immortals detour often, rarely flying over it.

The lake in the middle of the peak is over three hundred meters deep, making it normally unlikely for activities at its bottom to be discovered.

But unfortunately for Shi Feiyang, firstly the lake water was too clear, and secondly, he was out of luck. He had just spat out the Heavenly Book Jade Box for a moment's examination when some people arrived, saw the colorful light flashing on the waves, and decided that there were treasures in the lake, planning to dive in search of them.

Shi Feiyang hid underwater silently watching. He saw two Daoist-robed men standing by the shore, one tall and one short, both with good-looking features.

The taller one seemed to be in his thirties, wore a black wooden crown and a blue Daoist robe, with a three-tufted long beard under his chin, exuding a fairy-like aura as he spoke confidently, "This Dinghu Peak has been rumored to house peculiar treasures. Countless have come here over the years seeking them without any find. Now with this shining light energy, there surely must be treasures ready to emerge!"

The shorter one seemed to be in his early twenties, dressed in a white robe, holding a double-tined fork about a foot long, his face full of excitement. "Sikong, quickly find a way to part the water. Let us go down and hunt for treasures!"

The taller one took an object from his sleeve, a small boat only as big as a thumb made from bamboo slats with a black canopy, very refined and lovely looking.

"Luckily, I visited the Kuzhu Convent at Qingjiangpu the other day to dive into the sea in search of millennia-old pearls to cultivate my Magical Treasure. I borrowed this black canopy boat, or else it would not be easy to descend into this thousand-meter-deep lake."

The black canopy boat was tossed on the water, spinning rapidly and growing until it was three meters long.

Both men stepped aboard, the taller one gestured and chanted, and immediately a black cloud formed around the boat, enveloping it before sinking into the water. The lake water squeezed around them but was held up by the cloud; inside, the two of them, one at the bow, the other at the stern, chatted and laughed freely.

Shi Feiyang didn't want to kill, nor did he know what these men were after, and wasn't keen on attacking recklessly. He pressed himself against the cliff, used the Water Escape Technique to hide his form, and waited until they had descended halfway before he started to move towards them.

He kept his Invisibility Technique active. With the lake water so clear, the two men could not see him. They continued discussing the possible treasures at the lake's bottom on the boat until they were within ten meters of each other. That was when the tall Daoist suddenly realized something was wrong, "Not good, something is coming our way!"

The Daoist clapped his hand to the back of his head and spewed out a sword light from his mouth, yellow mixed with green and white, aimed directly at Shi Feiyang.

Shi Feiyang spat out the True Water Primordial Pill, a dan-sized as a bowl, crystal clear without any impurity, seeming to merge with the water without a trace, and blocked the Flying Sword in its path.

He estimated the Daoist's sensing range, moved back several meters, and changed his position before speaking up, "Who are you? How dare you disturb me?"

As a thirty-meter-long Giant Dragon, he could release a high, reverberating dragon roar tearing through clouds, but he intentionally lowered his voice, which was then deep and powerful, its rumbling vibe shaking the spirit of those hearing it.

The two Daoists on the boat couldn't see him and didn't know what was talking; the Flying Sword released by the taller one was blocked by something invisible, with the rebounded force feeling massively heavy like lifting a mountain with the tip of the sword.

The shorter one raised his double-tined pitchfork, from which dazzling sparks burst out, whirling around, shielding both the man and the boat. He stood on the stern, scouting around, "I'm Ma Cheng, disciple of the Jade-faced Flying Fox, a disciple of the Golden Line Divine Granny from Chongming Island, Jiangsu. This is Sikong Xuan, disciple of the three-talented Venerable, a disciple of the Eight-eyed Vajra of the island. Who are you, and why do you block our way?"

Shi Feiyang responded, "I have been cultivating here for many years, just now refining a Magical Treasure. Its glow reached the surface, which you saw, and now you plan to dive into the lake to take treasures. Are you trying to take the treasure from me?"

He had intended to act like a senior expert and scare the two away, but Sikong Xuan, a renowned Sword Immortal from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area, had already taken out a Three Talents Mirror and shone it on him.

This treasure mirror, accidentally acquired by his uncle Sikong Hu, could illuminate the heavens for a hundred feet, dispersing clouds and fog, and delve a hundred feet into the sea, revealing the creatures within. It could also expose all kinds of demons, which earned Sikong Xuan the title "Venerable of the Three Talents," by relying on this treasured item.

The mirror light was of a turquoise hue, directly striking Shi Feiyang, immediately dispelling his Invisibility Technique and revealing the massive upper half of the Black Dragon's body.

Upon seeing this, Sikong Xuan sneered, "And to think who might this eminent expert be? Turns out it's just mudfish stirring up the muddy waters! How dare this lowly creature attempt to deceive us!" He opened his mouth and expelled True Qi, first causing the light on the sword to burst brightly, then, powering forward with the True Water Primordial Pill, he shook the treasure mirror in his left hand toward Shi Feiyang. The blue light from the mirror pressed down like waves.

He had cultivated for many years on Chongming Island, where Tuo Dragons were abundant in Yangzi River, and Flood Dragons were not few. He often used his Flying Sword to slay them for their blood to refine treasures, thus he was not frightened by Shi Feiyang's original form, but rather, his resolve to eliminate him was strengthened.

In the Shushan World, creatures of different kinds have no rights; Sword Immortals of any sect, whether righteous or evil, treat these creatures with swift execution. Those who fare well might beg to become mounts or pets of the righteous swordsmen; those who fare poorly are directly chopped in half by flying swords.

If the body produces some precious material, or if they possess a rare treasure, their fate is even worse, not only will their physical bodies be reduced to ashes, but often their Primordial Spirits are annihilated as well!

Moreover, these creatures of the world can only cultivate through instinct. After a millennium of painstaking cultivation, without guidance, they cannot compete against humans who know various spells after only twenty to thirty years of cultivation, especially when humans possess Magical Treasures. In the original tale, great demons who had cultivated for thousands, even nearly ten thousand years, were slaughtered like vegetables by young generations wielding top-notch Magical Treasures.

Shi Feiyang turned and dove toward the bottom of the lake. With the dragon body naturally adept at swimming, augmented by his Escape Skill, his speed far surpassed the black-canopied boat and he quickly descended to the bottom.

Sikong Xuan directed the mirror light downward, only to see that the bottom of the lake was quite small, forming a perfect circle. A ring of golden light at the bottom of the stone walls blocked the turquoise mirror light, the bright colors undulating with the waves, and vaguely, a massive dark shape could be seen at the center.

"The Demon Dragon is afraid of us. Prepare the Flying Fork, my good brother, and join me in slaying the demon!" Sikong Xuan urged the black-canopied boat to descend rapidly.

The blue light from the Three Talents Mirror was blocked by the golden light emitted from the Circulation God Talisman, and it was only when he got close that he could see clearly—the bottom of the lake held only a large rock; the Black Dragon they had seen earlier had vanished without a trace.

The two landed on the rock, frantically searching around. However, the space at the bottom of the lake was very limited; visible at a glance. Not to mention a ten-odd-yard long Demon Dragon, even a two or three-pound carp could not hide.

"Where has the Demon Dragon gone?" The two exchanged glances, puzzled. As Sikong Xuan sensed something unusual above, he quickly looked up only to see a huge, winding figure!

Shi Feiyang had already quietly circumnavigated to their position above. At this moment, he opened his wide mouth and once again spouted the True Water Primordial Pill.

This time, he infused his three-thousand-year effort entirely into this inner core. The treasure bead emitted light and rapidly spun, piercing through a hundred yards of lake water in an instant like a cannonball, fiercely smashing onto the Lying Stone on the lakebed!

The Lying Stone was originally a piece of yellow jade, sacrificially refined by Emperor Xuanyuan with spells, containing mysteries. Impervious to water, fire, wind, and lightning, the inner core struck it emitting myriad rays of rosy light and radiating streaks of auspicious colors, illuminating all the lake water in dazzling brilliance.

Shi Feiyang, overly cautious and underestimating both his and the opponents' strength, thought that even in catching a rabbit, a lion uses its full strength. He thus unleashed all his mana, and also prepared the second Divine Fire Primordial Pill. If the first one failed to achieve the desired result, he was ready to launch this one as well!

With this all-out attack, even Sikong Hu and Pu Miaomiao, had they been present, could not have withstood it, let alone two juniors.

The black-canopied boat on the rock shattered under the power of the inner core, crushing Ma Cheng into a pulp, his soul even scattered. Sikong Xuan, using both the Three Talents Mirror light and the flying sword to defend while employing his Escape Skill to move backward swiftly, barely managed to save his life, but his body was flung against the stone wall resulting in all his bones breaking and bleeding from his seven orifices, barely clinging to life.