Chapter 929: Lingchan Cave

"I am here for myself, not at your invitation." Old Demon Fang, in his dead leaf cicada form, transmitted this message coldly.

The Grand Shaman was unfazed by Old Demon Fang's attitude. "With Fellow Daoist Fang present," she said, "it will serve as a deterrent to them, making my actions much easier. As for what you intend to do inside the Seven Kills Hall, I will not interfere excessively. I only ask that during this time, you cooperate with me in front of Ling Zhuzi to play your part in this charade."

Old Demon Fang remained silent for a moment, saying nothing further, seemingly acquiescing.

Seeing this, the Grand Shaman's face brightened with a hint of joy. "Fellow Daoist Fang, you've arrived at the perfect moment," she said. "Controlling this Thousand Sword Array by myself is quite demanding; with your assistance, it will be far simpler."

As she spoke, the Grand Shaman paused, intending to make a final plea. "Fellow Daoist Fang, won't you reconsider cooperating with me just this once? Discovering the ancient shamanistic inheritance would immensely benefit our Witch Clan for generations to come. Both you and I would gain from it, potentially glimpsing an opportunity for Spirit Transformation. There's even significant hope for you to regain your human form. After all, human cultivation methods aren't entirely compatible with our Witch Clan; this becomes more evident as a cultivator's realm advances. Otherwise, why would our Witch Clan have never produced a single Spirit Transformation cultivator? I presume Fellow Daoist Fang realized this when you formed your Nascent Soul..."

Before the Grand Shaman could finish, Old Demon Fang cut her off. "My cultivation is shallow," he stated, "and I am concerned only with myself. I lack the Grand Shaman's compassion and desire to bless countless generations. What you've offered is insufficient to persuade me. The notion that a human sacred land would conceal an ancient shamanistic inheritance is utterly preposterous! There's no need for any more irrelevant talk. I will play along with your charade, but once we enter the Seven Kills Hall, I will not be constrained by you."

"I'm already struggling to handle Ling Zhuzi; how could I possibly have the energy to restrain you, Fellow Daoist?"

The Grand Shaman sighed faintly. "Then I thank you, Fellow Daoist Fang," she said.

Their exchange was brief. Outsiders couldn't hear what they discussed, only observing the Grand Shaman personally greeting Old Demon Fang and cordially bringing him back into her faction.

The other Witch Clan Nascent Soul cultivators all bowed to Old Demon Fang with profound respect.

It seemed they had already made arrangements, which caused the human side's Nascent Soul cultivators to look displeased.

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Fang to also emerge from Spirit Cicada Cave! I'm even more curious now: the Seven Kills Hall, apart from its inner sanctum that opens once every few centuries, has been meticulously scoured countless times by generations of human masters. What could possibly remain there that warrants the two of you deigning to investigate it yourselves?" Ling Zhuzi stared at the Grand Shaman and Old Demon Fang, his eyes slightly narrowed, and spoke softly.

Old Demon Fang remained taciturn.

The Grand Shaman spoke, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Fellow Daoist Ling Zhuzi will, I presume, stick to me like glue, just as the Demon Lord did last time. Then you'll discover what I'm searching for; why ask unnecessarily now?"

"Indeed, I do intend to follow the Grand Shaman and broaden my horizons. Perhaps, should the Grand Shaman encounter difficulties, I might even be able to lend a hand."

Ling Zhuzi openly admitted it, then his tone shifted. "However, my greatest concern now is that if the number of Nascent Soul cultivators entering the Seven Kills Hall exceeds the limit, the Thousand Sword Array may not perfectly conceal our auras. This could alert the immortal array when we attempt to break through it, leading to complications that would affect everyone."

"And that's difficult?" The Grand Shaman scoffed, then turned to an elder. "Elder Feng?" she prompted.

The elder understood implicitly. He produced a jade talisman and presented it to Old Demon Fang. "Fellow Daoist Fang," he said, "this is a protective jade talisman. I will now proceed outside the storm and respectfully await you and the Grand Shaman."

The jade talisman resembled the one Qin Sang held, but its runes were several times more intricate.

Old Demon Fang accepted the jade talisman without ceremony.

The elder turned and departed, vanishing into the storm within a few blinks.

The Grand Shaman turned to Ling Zhuzi. "You have no more worries now, do you?" she said.

Ling Zhuzi didn't press the matter. After a moment's contemplation, he suddenly transmitted a message to the human Nascent Soul cultivators: "Old Demon Fang's unexpected appearance means we'll need to adjust our strategy..."

Upon hearing Ling Zhuzi's words, the various Nascent Soul cultivators displayed differing expressions.

Several demonic cultivators among them looked exceedingly grim, seemingly highly dissatisfied with Ling Zhuzi's arrangements. Old Demon Mou, in particular, looked the most displeased.

"Once these tasks are complete, you are free to seek treasures. But anyone who dares to disregard my words and consequently jeopardizes our crucial plans will find that the Demon Lord himself will not tolerate them, even without my intervention..."

Ling Zhuzi glared at the demonic cultivators, a cold glint in his eyes, and snorted.

The demonic cultivators exchanged glances, their expressions shifting several times, before finally remaining silent.

A hint of urgency flickered in Old Demon Mou's eyes. His gaze darted, silently assessing the other Nascent Soul cultivators, then he lowered his head to survey the numerous Core Formation cultivators outside, before falling into deep thought.

Qin Sang and the others, naturally, were unaware of the upheaval among the Nascent Soul patriarchs.

After the dead leaf cicada appeared, the Core Formation cultivators engaged in lively discussions.

"Is he the renowned Fang from the Witch Clan... the one rumored to have failed his Nascent Soul formation and instead merged with his fourth-transformation natal spirit worm?"

"It is him! I thought it was just a rumor, but here he is in person!"

Even the human cultivators were astonished by Old Demon Fang's actions, feeling a sense of admiration. They asked the nearby Witch Clan cultivators, "Surely, this individual is unprecedented and will be unmatched, right?"

The Witch Clan cultivator nodded. "Among our Witch Clan, Senior Fang is the only one who has actually succeeded in merging his primordial spirit with his natal spirit worm, though many others may have conceived the idea. It is said that after Senior Fang's triumph, numerous fellow daoists, who had no hope of forming a Nascent Soul, attempted to emulate him. However, all perished, some even suffering the scattering of their souls along with their spirit worms, thus losing even the chance at reincarnation."

"What a formidable individual..."

Qin Sang leaned closer, listening to their discussion, and murmured in surprise, "It's really him!"

When he first arrived in the Canglang Sea and landed on the Witch God Continent years ago, he had already heard legends about Old Demon Fang.

This individual's actions were truly astounding. Even the remote Western Regions had legends about him. What was even more astonishing was that he had truly succeeded, transforming into a spiritual insect body, and was still alive and well.

The Grand Shaman's personal welcome clearly showed her high regard for him.

It appeared that not only had he used this method to break through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage, but his cultivation had not stagnated, and he was now seemingly on par with the Grand Shaman.

"Is Senior Fang also a grand cultivator of the late Nascent Soul stage?" Qin Sang interjected with a question.

The Witch Clan cultivator glanced at him, and hearing Qin Sang also address him as "Senior," softened his tone. "Senior Fang's situation is unique and unprecedented," he explained. "No one can truly say what his actual realm is. However, Senior Fang's prestige is certainly no less than the Grand Shaman's, so his strength is probably not far off, is it?"

Afterward, Qin Sang heard more accounts of Old Demon Fang's deeds. However, with Old Demon Fang himself present, no one dared to speak carelessly, only offering brief, superficial comments.

Old Demon Fang possessed not only a formidable reputation but also a notorious one; he was a ruthless individual, capable of both righteousness and evil.