Chapter 11: The Nine Heavens Arcane Scripture and the Demon-Refining Treasure Codex

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Although, by making the Yin-Yang Sect and the Tianxuan Sect his vassals through the Holy Alliance, he had indirectly taken control of the whole Zhangze County, there was still no word from Fat Xu, who was in charge of procuring the necessary spiritual herbs, so the exact quantity needed remained unknown. Besides, Chen Yang had little patience for such trifling affairs and so, for now, left things as they were.

In truth, whether it was the Supreme Demon Sect or the Holy Alliance, to Chen Yang they were mere tools for cultivation, never matters that weighed on his heart. He harbored neither aspirations to uphold a lineage nor any desire to dominate the world of cultivation. If he had such ambitions, he would not have fabricated the Supreme Demon Sect on a whim but would have restored the true heritage of the Wutai Sect.

Though he had worshipped at the Red Lotus, joined the Demon Cult, and even seized Emei, obtaining the authentic Nine Heavens Profound Canon, in his heart, he had always been a disciple of the Wutai Sect, a follower of the Primal Master. Every other identity had merely been forced upon him by the tides of fate.

With no news from Fat Xu and having spent several more days studying the Nine Heavens Profound Canon, Chen Yang found himself increasingly troubled. Though numerous inspirations and ideas sparked within his mind, he could not unravel a single thread; the more he delved into the text, the more something felt amiss. Though now stripped of all cultivation, he had once achieved the realm of primordial spirit—a man not prone to groundless premonitions. Given his sense of foreboding, he was certain it was no illusion.

“The full title of the Nine Heavens Profound Canon is the Violet Azure Demon-Refining Treasure Record. It contains forty-nine chapters; mastering twelve allows one to form the primordial spirit and attain immortality, twenty-four grants the undying body, free from calamity, and thirty-six leads to the path of celestial immortality, achieving pure yang. Should one master all, one would become a golden immortal, eternal through the ages. This Violet Azure Demon-Refining Treasure Record may not truly be the direct transmission of the Dao Ancestor, as Long-brow boasts, but its origin must nonetheless be profound—perhaps even tangentially related to the Dao Ancestor himself.

My foundation is now wholly lost, and all my power comes from harnessing superior demonic arts to control the shadow demons and borrow their strength. Yet, the deeper I study the Nine Heavens Profound Canon, the more my demonic nature will wane, and the heart of the Dao will arise. In my present state, should I enter the Dao by way of the demonic, should the Dao-heart emerge and my demonic nature fade, I will inevitably be devoured by the myriad demons.”

Having grasped the reason for his sudden premonition, Chen Yang felt no fear of this so-called demonic backlash. But to trip oneself up—was that not sheer folly?

“The Emei Sect dares to call itself the orthodox of the mystic tradition, relegating Kunlun, Wudang, and all the other ancient sects to the status of side-branches. Certainly, this owes much to their own internal strife and decline, yet Emei’s formidable strength and subtle mastery of the Dao are crucial as well. This Violet Azure Demon-Refining Treasure Record is indeed vast and profound; beyond the cultivation-centric Nine Heavens Profound Canon, it holds myriad demon-refining techniques, secret arts of alchemy, and sword-forging methods, as countless as the stars.”

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“If I am to return to Mount Shu and seek vengeance against Emei, I cannot tread the demonic path to its end. Otherwise, I would become a peerless demon lord, facing not just all of Mount Shu but also the great emperors and sages of the Celestial Realm. The gods and saints of the heavens would descend to hunt me, this supreme demon. My demonic power would be legendary—fists striking gods, feet kicking saints. Exhilarating as it sounds, the difficulty is utterly hellish. Better to savor this fantasy in my heart. To attempt it in truth would leave not even my bones behind.

To shift from demon to Dao, and continue my dual cultivation as in my previous life, is a necessity: first, to inherit my master’s lineage; second, because I refuse to remain forever trapped in this world.

“If I did not wish to return, if I simply followed the demonic path to its limit, it would be an excellent choice. In a land so suited to demonic cultivation, to waste time laying foundations and tempering the mind would be plain foolishness. But... no matter how arduous, I must return. Mount Shu still holds my master, who treated me as his own child and now struggles against calamity. My friends and family are there, as are my enemies, and...”

Chen Yang suddenly sighed, his expression dazed, as memories rose of his master, the Primal Ancestor, gently stroking his hair and teaching him to draw breath and wield the sword. Those were his safest, happiest days.

...

Unable to make further progress in the Dao, Chen Yang did not force it. Instead, he commanded his followers to gather the essence of the five metals in preparation for forging a pill furnace, laying the groundwork to one day refine Pure Yang Pills and flying swords.

This world, too, possessed the arts of alchemy and magical furnaces, yet none to his liking.

Whether in alchemy or sword-forging, there are rules to be observed. The quality of the materials, the depth of one’s cultivation, the alignment of heaven and earth, even the flow of fate—all affect the efficacy of the pills and the quality of the swords produced. Top-tier materials alone do not guarantee peerless flying swords.

Mount Shu, though home to many celestial beings and arhats, had a limited population, and thus resources for cultivation were abundant and supreme materials plentiful. Even spiritual fungi capable of taking human form were not rare—an unimaginable thing in the world of cultivation.

Mount Shu lacked no supreme materials, yet truly top-tier flying swords and magical treasures were few, countable on one’s fingers. The reason: the conditions required to forge such artifacts are simply too exacting.

The essence of the five metals is not especially rare; it is refined from ordinary gold, silver, and other metals by means of true fire—about one jin of essence from a hundred jin of base metal. Even though Chen Yang required a vast amount—ten thousand and eight hundred jin of each, a number symbolizing unity—the collection took only a few days.

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Of course, the Yin-Yang Sect and the Tianxuan Sect played their part as well.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Chen Yang gathered the amassed essence of the five metals, which stood piled as large as a house, and soared into the sky as a streak of blood-red light.

The pill furnace is the vessel of transformation, and alchemy is the art of mirroring the creative powers of heaven and earth to forge a single longevity-granting golden elixir. Thus, the finest furnace is, in truth, the world itself.

Of course, Chen Yang lacked the cultivation and power for such feats—nor, indeed, did any of Mount Shu’s ancient monsters. Next best would be a place naturally shaped by the world’s creative power. Yet, such places were rare even in Mount Shu, and few in the cultivation world possessed the eye to recognize them. Chen Yang had read many texts in this world, but not one mentioned such a thing.

The lowest grade, then, was as he must do today: to forge a furnace from various spiritual materials. Even among such methods, there were myriad subtleties.

Drawing on his knowledge of geomancy, Chen Yang surveyed the mountains, seeking a suitable site. After a day’s search, he found a deep ravine beneath a broken cliff. The gully was strewn with jagged rocks and filled with a chilling gloom; only a few wild grasses clung to life in the shadows, stubborn and unyielding.

“This is it.”

Surveying the lay of the land, Chen Yang nodded in satisfaction. With a gesture, the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade vibrated sharply and shot into the ground.

Countless stones burst upward.

The Blood-Transforming Divine Blade was, at its core, a mass of refined blood essence. Though, thanks to Chen Yang’s mastery, it possessed many uncanny properties, it was not inherently sharp—not even a true flying sword or dagger. Its formidable performance was due entirely to Chen Yang’s superb swordsmanship, rather than any innate power to cut through all things.