TYPnovel Chapter 248 - 192: Tainted by Demonic Qi
Chapter 248 - 192: Tainted by Demonic Qi
In a secret chamber of the Celestial Gate Mountain sect, Fang Qingyuan was reporting the results of his recent trip to Lechuan.
Lechuan sat in the main seat, casually playing with the Crimson Young Bird Fang Qingyuan had released, and asked offhandedly,
"This bitter ploy of yours, will that Chai Wenzhai fall for it?"
Fang Qingyuan sat to the side, replying respectfully,
"Your disciple is seventy percent certain. That day, Uncle Huo captured Chai Wenzhai first, and only later captured Chai Miao. Moreover, all the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Spirit Wood Alliance who knew about it are already dead. Chai Miao and Chai Wenzhai are in the same predicament. They are in prison, and I have people torture them daily to give them a taste of suffering. After enough time has passed, it will be very difficult for Chai Wenzhai not to trust his fellow prisoner."
Lechuan nodded, tapping his fingers on the table. After a few breaths, he sighed.
"Sigh, our sect’s foundation is still too shallow. We’ve only been here for a little over twenty years, and in that time, we never thought to plant some spies and moles in the surrounding sects and factions. Otherwise, when the Spirit Wood Alliance made their move, I would have received word, and Liang De wouldn’t have met such a fate."
Seeing Lechuan’s self-recriminating mood, Fang Qingyuan quickly tried to console him.
"The best time to plant a tree was a hundred years ago, but the second-best time is now. When the war of expansion begins, I will strive to plant a batch of moles within the Spirit Wood Alliance. Then we won’t be as passive as we are now. Chai Wenzhai is one of Chai Yi’s trusted men, and they are uncle and nephew. If we can ultimately win him over, our chances of victory will increase significantly."
Chai Yi was the current Alliance Leader of the Spirit Wood Alliance. Although the Alliance was dominated by a few major Immortal Cities and Chai Yi’s authority wasn’t fully consolidated, he still held the title. Planting a mole next to him was an absolute necessity.
Lechuan’s expression softened slightly. He looked at Fang Qingyuan and said with approval,
"You did well this time. Not only did you let Huo Bai see Huo Hu as he wished, but you also managed to get a batch of Floating Battleships from the Artifact Talisman Alliance for nothing. And now, you’ve thwarted one of the Spirit Wood Alliance’s offensive plots. You’ve greatly boosted the morale of our Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. You’ve earned a great merit. Tell me, what reward should I give you?"
Fang Qingyuan’s face lit up with joy, but he feigned modesty for a moment.
"The main credit for this trip belongs to Uncle Huo Bai. I merely rode his coattails and dare not claim the merit."
Lechuan pointed a finger at him.
"You rascal, still being so formal with your master? You think I don’t know what you’re thinking? Merit must be rewarded, and faults must be punished. That is the principle for a sect’s healthy development. But if you truly refuse again, then I really won’t give you a reward."
Hearing that Lechuan was serious, Fang Qingyuan hurriedly said,
"Then I will be bold and ask Master to write a letter. Please send it to the Golden Core Cultivator Jiang Shang of Sishui Cave, on the Water Element Peak of the Five Elements Peak in the Qi Yun Sect. In your name, ask him for an elixir pill—a fourth-tier Jade Dew Dust Cleansing Pill. Of course, I will bear the cost of acquiring the pill."
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s request, Lechuan was momentarily stunned. Then, he thought of Jiang Kui, and his gaze toward Fang Qingyuan grew even gentler.
"It’s rare that you still think of Jiang Kui. You don’t forget the person who dug the well. Qingyuan, you have done very well. Since that’s the case, your master will swallow his pride and go ask for this elixir pill for you. And as for the cost, I will pay it as well."
Fang Qingyuan was overjoyed to hear this. Ever since he had become the first seat of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak, he had been spread too thin and couldn’t get away. Coupled with the imminent threat of the Spirit Wood Alliance, he hadn’t dared to go to the Qi Yun Sect to seek the medicine himself.
Now, by using the merit he had just earned to ask Lechuan to act on his behalf, the prestige of a Beast Taming Golden Core Cultivator—a lord of his own domain—was far greater than that of a Junior Cultivator like himself who had just reached Foundation Establishment. This way, the chances of obtaining the pill were much higher.
After thanking Lechuan, Fang Qingyuan’s expression became somewhat conflicted. Lechuan noticed this. His own expression flickered, and he asked,
"Is there something else you want to tell me?"
Fang Qingyuan hesitated for a few breaths before finally exhaling and saying,
"When I went to the Artifact Talisman Alliance this time, I also caught a glimpse of Huo Hu. Although I didn’t get a close look, I could faintly sense that he has been possessed by a demon!"
Lechuan froze at his words, then, as if coming to a sudden realization, he murmured,
"So that’s why the Huo Family wouldn’t bring Huo Hu out. It turns out he’s been possessed. That makes sense. After the final battle at Celestial Attraction Mountain, given Huo Hu’s temperament, the reason he didn’t self-detonate to kill his enemies must have been this. When a Demon-possessed Cultivator has Demonic Qi enter their mind, their temperament changes drastically. They become selfish, cruel, and cunning. How could someone like that possibly self-detonate?"
After saying this, Lechuan analyzed further.
"With Huo Hu possessed, the Huo Family is unwilling to take him back. The Artifact Talisman Alliance doesn’t dare to kill him without permission, nor do they want to hand him over to the Great Zhou Academy for fear of offending the Huo Family. So they’re just keeping him locked up. It seems they plan to keep him imprisoned until he dies of old age. This way, the Huo Family will even owe the Artifact Talisman Alliance a favor."
Listening to Lechuan’s analysis, Fang Qingyuan felt a sense of lament. But a question flashed through his mind: when had Huo Hu been tainted by Demonic Qi and ended up like this?
Suddenly, a memory from years ago flooded Fang Qingyuan’s mind. Back then, for a mission to be promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple, he had gone with Huo Hu to a Marketplace on the edge of the Wilderness Forest. Huo Hu had disappeared inside alone for many days. When they met again, Huo Hu had already encountered Wei Tong.
’Could it be that Huo Hu was tainted by Demonic Qi at that time? But if I think about it that way, what role did Wei Tong play in all of this?’
A chill ran through Fang Qingyuan’s heart. He felt there was a conspiracy at play. It might have been Wei Tong’s revenge—revenge for the Huo Family’s heartless betrayal and forceful seizure of the Wei Family’s ancestral property.
’But it’s also possible that Huo Hu encountered a demonic beast in the forest, and Wei Tong just happened to pass by and save him.’
’Sigh, besides Huo Hu, no one knows what happened back then. Unfortunately, Huo Hu is now possessed, and his sanity is questionable. After a cultivator is possessed and tainted by Demonic Qi, it’s as if they change into a different species. Besides the change in personality, the more significant changes are physical.’
’Growing horns and scales, having limbs atrophy, or sprouting wings are all minor transformations. In more extreme cases, there are precedents for them turning directly into a monster seven or eight zhang tall, knowing neither hunger nor thirst.’
’This transformation isn’t like practicing a Demon Technique; it’s a change on a fundamental level of life, and as far as is currently known, it’s irreversible.’
The Great Zhou Academy executes any Demon-possessed Cultivator without fail. But for Demon Cultivators who practice Demon Techniques, the Great Zhou Academy turns a blind eye and deals with them selectively.
This is because Demon Cultivators simply differ in their Cultivation Method; they can be communicated with and can coexist. Demon-possessed Cultivators, however, are inherently different from normal cultivators, as if they are mortal enemies. Demon-possessed Cultivators feed on normal cultivators.
However, after a normal cultivator is tainted by Demonic Qi, although the process is irreversible, the time it takes to degenerate from a sane cultivator into a demonic beast that preys on other cultivators depends on their original cultivation level and willpower.
’And from what I saw that day, Huo Hu could still argue with Huo Bai. He seemed relatively sane, and his body hadn’t undergone any strange transformations. From this perspective, Huo Hu still has some value to be exploited.’
Thinking of this, Fang Qingyuan tentatively suggested to Lechuan,
"If we were to release Huo Hu and have him work for us, what do you think?"
Lechuan’s brow furrowed, and he said hesitantly,
"Is that really necessary?"
Seeing that Lechuan didn’t reject the idea outright, Fang Qingyuan quickly explained his thoughts.
"We are currently short on manpower. Even with Huo Bai and Huo Cheng’s help, we are still the weaker party compared to the Spirit Wood Alliance. Moreover, those two from the Huo Family might not fight to the death for us. When a real battle starts, we might even have to listen to their orders. In the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, you are the Sect Leader. This sect only needs one voice.
"Back then, Huo Hu was able to kill a Golden Core Cultivator while only at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now that he is possessed, his combat power has surely risen another level. We can treat him as a Golden Core. We can keep him as a hidden card, to be used as a trump card."
Fang Qingyuan began to analyze the benefits of releasing Huo Hu, but after listening, Lechuan didn’t seem very optimistic. He simply asked,
"First, how would we control him? Second, how would we explain it to the Huo Family? And third, how would we convince the Artifact Talisman Alliance to release him?"
Fang Qingyuan already had a plan for Lechuan’s questions. He said slowly,
"Huo Hu is a sentimental person; we can exploit that. Besides, once a cultivator is possessed, they become much like a demonic beast. Our Beast Taming Sect has no shortage of methods in that department...
"As for the Huo Family, Huo Bai desperately wants Huo Hu out. I can get his support. As for Huo Cheng, we’ll let Huo Bai handle him. This entire matter can only be known by the four of us and must not spread any further.
"And getting the Artifact Talisman Alliance to release him will also be simple. According to the information I’ve obtained, a major upheaval is about to occur within the Artifact Talisman Alliance soon. That will be our opportunity."
"An upheaval? What is it?"
Lechuan’s expression grew solemn. At this moment, he was beginning to think that this closed-door disciple of his was truly far too capable.
"Kuai Tong has received Elixir Pills secretly sent by the Spirit Wood Alliance, and his injuries have mostly healed. He’s planning to oust Qi Wushuang from her position as Alliance Leader. But even if Qi Wushuang wanted to step down now, the vassal families under her command wouldn’t agree. A conflict between the two sides is imminent, and that is precisely our opportunity."