Chapter 1781: Red Demon

He Lingchuan knew that the moment he activated the Vast Sky Golden Mirror and awakened True Immortal Qianhuan, he had put himself in a perilous situation. Being targeted by the Heavenly Palace and Bai Ziqin was already troublesome enough, and now an ancient true immortal was added to the list.

Therefore, after confirming that the Grand Flask could activate the Vast Sky Golden Mirror, he didn't act immediately. Instead, he hinted to the Illusion Sect immortals to attack the Companion Mound Lighthouse.

Once the Illusion Sect suffered heavy losses, He Lingchuan successfully created a perilous situation for the immortal sect, making it appear on the brink of disaster. After awakening, Qianhuan, constrained by the circumstances and under pressure, wouldn't immediately act against him.

After all, more than half of the Illusion Sect's immortals were dead. Qianhuan would have to rally and utilize every available force, putting any questions aside.

Fortunately, Wondrous Profundity Heaven was effective, and his plan proceeded smoothly.

He Lingchuan and Qianhuan met each other's gaze, both maintaining a calm facade while their minds raced.

"Interesting," Qianhuan suddenly said. "Did you cause trouble in Lingxu City?"

"Not really," He Lingchuan shook his head. "I destroyed the Star-Gazing Tower of the Heavenly Palace; it was Mount Ling that released the giant beasts from the Fraught Realm to attack Lingxu City."

It was important to make this distinction clear. "Were many people killed at that time?" "Tens of thousands were killed or injured."

"The Fraught Beasts had the opportunity to attack Lingxu City because of you. Even if you didn't personally release them, you are somewhat entangled in the karma and retribution," Qianhuan tilted his head. "Yet, I see you are very clean, almost entirely free of karmic entanglement."

As long as he concentrated, he could see the karmic threads on others, interwoven and tangled.

Some people spoke of benevolence and morality, but Qianhuan could instantly see them enshrouded in evil karma, almost forming cocoons around them, knowing that these individuals indulged in wickedness privately—hypocrites, in essence. In his eyes, nothing could be hidden.

"None? Excellent!" He Lingchuan's expression seemed to relax with relief. "After causing trouble in the Heavenly Palace, I still felt some guilt. Hearing your words today, Venerable Immortal, I am relieved. It seems these retributions haven't been attributed to me in the unseen world."

This old man was truly mighty, able to see the karma on others!

Indeed, even the old turtle demon by the Immortal Spirit Lake could glimpse such things before. This one, however, was one of the few true immortals from ancient times, so his insight should be extraordinary.

After hearing his answer, Qianhuan uncharacteristically frowned. Was that truly the case?

For someone to be so clean of karma, they would either have spent their entire life in monastic seclusion, oblivious to worldly affairs and free from mundane entanglements, or they would be a young child under the age of four or five.

This young man before him had deep, profound eyes, appearing calm, yet exuding a suppressed killing aura. It seemed he had blood on his hands; he was hardly an innocent, inexperienced youth.

Could he possess a method to conceal karma?

Hmm, was it the effect of that treasure? He had never heard of such a thing before.

Dong Rui's eyes also rolled around, looking from Qianhuan to He Lingchuan, thinking, *Could this old-timer also be mistaken?*

Who was He Lingchuan? Think of all the earth-shattering deeds he had accomplished since stirring up trouble in the Heavenly Palace! Leaving everything else aside, his actions in Yao Kingdom indirectly led to the death of King Yao and the destruction of the kingdom itself. How many people lost their heads or had their destinies altered overnight? Could none of this karma be attributed to He Lingchuan? Absolutely impossible.

Yet, Qianhuan's perception should not easily err. Where had all that karmic retribution gone? Had it simply vanished?

"So, what about General Hong?" He Lingchuan changed the subject. "She also achieved enlightenment through martial arts, didn't she? But her cultivation seemed to have no upper limit."

This was a question he had long sought an answer to.

"General Hong is an anomaly; she wasn't a conventional cultivator," Qianhuan half-turned his head, glancing at He Lingchuan from the corner of his eye. "Strictly speaking, she wasn't even human. And in the end, she didn't meet a good end."

"She wasn't human?" He Lingchuan was greatly surprised. "Then what was she? A demigod or a demi-immortal?"

Qianhuan paced back and looked at He Lingchuan. "I thought you knew something about this."

Even though this was just a Dharma body, his gaze still exerted immense pressure. Why did he believe He Lingchuan should know?

"Like looking at flowers through a mist, one can never get close," He Lingchuan sighed. "After all, this happened over 150 years ago. The truth is either buried by history or held by venerated immortals like yourself."

Dong Rui wasn't interested in General Hong, but hearing this sentence, he immediately recalled the Wind God worshipped by the Silver Pearl Islanders.

Truths could be concealed, and beliefs could be manipulated.

Qianhuan's long brows twitched, and he spread his hands. "Look, am I human?" He currently appeared in human form.

"No." Qianhuan was a Mirage Immortal; this appearance was merely an illusion. Who knew what his true form looked like?

Qianhuan then asked, "What constitutes being human?"

"Having a human body and a human soul makes one human." Regarding the definition of "human," Dong Rui, as a master of demonic puppets, actually had more authority than He Lingchuan. "No matter how much your current body resembles a human, your soul is ultimately not human. It's like a sky demon disguised in an immortal's skin; at its core, it's still a sky demon."

"Good," Qianhuan's gaze, to He Lingchuan, seemed not only indifferent but also somewhat strange. "General Hong was the same. Her composition was such that even I would call her a monster."

A monster? What kind of composition was that?

As dawn broke, Xiao Wencheng rushed back from the peak and reported to Qianhuan, "The dark crystals have been cleared." Without the Vast Sky Golden Mirror, he had to ascend and descend Stone Dragon Peak on his own. After today, there was no point in keeping the dark crystals in the Immortal Light Cave.

Qianhuan raised his chin towards Xiao Wencheng. "Exquisite Blood Orb." Xiao Wencheng immediately found a box, opened it, and respectfully presented it.

Qianhuan picked up a small red, hollowed-out sphere from the box and examined it against the light.

"You couldn't activate it just now because the conditions weren't ripe," he said, casually pointing at the sandbox. "Now you can."

With that, he blew a breath onto the blood orb and tossed it back into the box.

He Lingchuan immediately noticed that the small sphere resembled a carved tree root. After Qianhuan blew on it, as if something had awakened, a wisp of red smoke began to drift and disperse within.

Following that, the divine bone necklace within his robes began to heat up again.

This thing had been silent for over half a year, but it suddenly became active upon entering the Upside-Down Sea. Was it because there was too much "food" here?

Could this red mist also be devoured by it?

The red mist in the sphere condensed into a human face, which said to Qianhuan, "You've actually emerged from seclusion."

There was a hint of surprise in its tone.

Qianhuan ignored it, handed Xiao Wencheng a black pendant the size of a quail's egg, and then his form gradually faded.

He vanished, leaving only three lotus petals on the offering table. A drop of clear water still clung to one petal.

Xiao Wencheng held the root sphere and solemnly addressed the red smoke inside:

"If you help us defeat the sky demons in today's battle, you will regain your freedom! After this, the sky will be high and the sea vast; no one will restrict you again."

Although the gaps in the sphere's roots were quite large, the red mist couldn't squeeze out. It only asked, "Which sky demon has arrived?"

"Fen He, Zhao You," the red face yawned.

"And their True God, Wondrous Profundity Heaven."

The red face froze. "Wondrous Profundity Heaven is here too? Isn't that your master's sworn enemy? I'm not going; I can't defeat him."

Dong Rui rubbed his nose nearby; this thing was quite honest. Xiao Wencheng said, "We're not asking you to fight Wondrous Profundity Heaven alone."

The red shadow was uncertain. "Will Qianhuan intervene?"

Xiao Wencheng replied, "This is the Upside-Down Sea. The Venerable Immortal has been in seclusion here for many years."

The answer seemed irrelevant, but the red shadow understood: Wondrous Profundity Heaven had trespassed into Qianhuan's secluded cave with ill intentions, so Qianhuan would certainly retaliate.

It fell silent.

Xiao Wencheng continued to persuade it, "Miss today's chance, and you'll have no opportunities left. In at most 200 years, you will be completely refined!"

"But that's Wondrous Profundity Heaven!" The red mist chuckled. "I'm afraid I'll be gone the moment I go, no need to wait 200 years."

Xiao Wencheng picked up the black pendant and gently swung it before the red mist. "Do you know what this is?"

The red mist leaned closer and sniffed deeply, somewhat surprised. "A Ghost Roc's crop stone? How many heads?"

"Five-headed," Xiao Wencheng said. "If you agree to fight, this crop stone will be yours." Even He Lingchuan could see the red mist's inclination, but it still said, "Too few people have died; I'm not going."

Xiao Wencheng carried the red sphere to the edge of the sandbox. "See for yourself."

Damaged by the spatial rift, the central and southern parts of Silver Pearl Island were now a scene of desolation, with ruined towns and collapsing buildings.

This area originally had nearly ten thousand residents, but now fewer than one in ten survived.

Both He Lingchuan and Dong Rui could barely bear to look at such a tragic sight, but the red mist clucked a few times. "Now this is more like it."

Xiao Wencheng pointed at the Companion Mound Lighthouse and the mine tunnels. "A few more have died on this battlefield, including not only sky demons disguised in immortal skins, but also..."

He didn't elaborate.

The red mist grunted. "Give me the crop stone, and make your vow."

Xiao Wencheng then took an incense stick from the censer in the shrine, used it as a pen, and wrote the vow on a talisman paper.

While this was happening, Dong Rui quietly explained to He Lingchuan:

"Ghost Rocs were exceptionally powerful and ferocious demonic birds in ancient times, feeding exclusively on other demons. The more powerful they were, the more heads they possessed. It's said that the most formidable nine-headed Ghost Rocs enjoyed preying on phoenix chicks, often clashing with the Phoenix Clan over their hunts for young birds. Their crop stones contained the ground-up flesh and resentment of many demons, making them potent materials. However, they didn't consume mortals, much like a fierce tiger wouldn't bother with ants."

Xiao Wencheng's talisman vow was made in the name of the Illusion Sect. After writing it, he circled it three times over the censer.

Subsequently, every stroke and line on the talisman paper faintly emitted a red glow. The vow took effect.

He pressed the talisman paper into the red sphere, and the human face formed by the red mist became slightly clearer, now with a distinct head, face, and neck.

The moment the talisman touched the red mist, it transformed into a chain, binding around its neck. The writing on the talisman still gleamed with red light on the chain.

Xiao Wencheng stated gravely, "Once you fulfill your agreement, the chain will release itself." With that, he tossed the Ghost Roc's crop stone into the root sphere.

The human face formed by the red mist opened its mouth and swallowed the crop stone without chewing, merely smacking its lips. "Not a bad supplement. If your master hadn't insisted on reducing my cultivation, I wouldn't need to exert myself against these wretches today."