Chapter 337: Xie Xiean, Rakshasa True Demon Sutra

As his figure disappeared, a Barbarian Ghost cultivator couldn't help but remark, "Wei Hao is so generous; he probably has more top-grade spirit pills on him. How about we kill him and split the spoils among us?"

The leading young man shook his head. "This masked individual is secretive and might be trouble. However, since Xie Xiean is here with us, we can tell him this person is Ding Ming and let him test his capabilities. Anyone who wants to go, just follow him secretly. If you get the chance, kill them both. I have a mission entrusted to me by His Highness, so it's inconvenient for me to leave." With that, his figure descended into the complex of buildings on the Shattered Rock Islands.

The other Barbarian Ghost cultivators exchanged glances. "I'll go." "Count me in, too," said one named Luo. "I'll go as well."

Such was the irresistible allure of potential riches.

A moment later, a young man with gray hair and white eyes, completely shrouded in a black robe as if he shunned light, flew out from a rear pavilion. Beneath his robes, countless vengeful spirits and malevolent phantoms seemed to sustain him with an eerie mist, keeping him airborne. This was Xie Xiean, and as it happened, the timing was quite coincidental.

Barbarian Ghost Peak and Evil God Peak, ranking eighth and ninth among the Holy Sect's various peaks, naturally formed an alliance, aiming to eliminate their respective maladies. Yet, the outcome was that Evil God Peak remained heavily exploited. In fact, Barbarian Ghost Peak was the primary beneficiary, secretly appropriating the lion's share of resources and ancestral assets during this "cleansing." It was hard to tell if this was a positive or negative development. Their dynamic was akin to Evil God Peak paying protection money to Barbarian Ghost Peak, continuously supplying soul cultivation talents to ensure their lineage's continuity, which would otherwise be difficult. Even with this arrangement, Evil God Peak was in steady decline. The emergence of someone like Xie Xiean was already considered fortunate.

"Brother, did Ding Ming truly visit here? Why did he come? And why wasn't he stopped? He's only at the early Core Formation stage..."

The barrage of questions clearly annoyed the other person. "Junior Brother Xie, why so many questions? Just tell me if you're going or not."

Barbarian Ghost cultivators typically treated Evil God cultivators with disdain, like beggars, a dynamic Xie Xiean had long grown accustomed to. However, Xie Xiean was no fool; he couldn't easily believe such a flawed story. Realizing the man had no intention of explaining, he concluded it wasn't Ding Ming. Regarding the complete inheritance of the *Rakshasa True Devil Scripture*, only his master, the Evil God Peak Master, and the late Nascent Soul grand cultivators of the Holy Sect were privy to such knowledge. This setup must be a deliberate test from Zhou Lingjun, a true disciple of Barbarian Ghost Peak, who had sensed something.

He thought to himself.

Xie Xiean suddenly smiled and said, "Since you senior brothers are eager to go, please proceed. My cultivation isn't refined enough, so I'll forgo this excitement." With that, he turned and flew back into the pavilion.

This left the others secretly cursing him, unsure how to convince him. "Never mind," one finally said. "If we waste any more time, he'll be long gone. Let's just go kill him. Once he's in our hands, we'll surely let him experience the joys of manhood."

Xie Xiean was speechless.

He had deliberately created this diversion, intending for these brutes to lead the charge, but he never anticipated hearing such shocking words. Body cultivators are typically robust, with abundant vitality and potent yang energy. Their needs in certain aspects are also more pronounced than those of ordinary people. This applied even to the Barbarian Ghost path, which only integrated some of the profound body cultivation techniques. For pure body cultivators, these desires would be even greater. Their addiction to physical training often extended to a warm-hearted appreciation for those of similar inclination. Among cultivators, many who harbored a "fondness for the dragon"—a euphemism for homosexual leanings—emerged from this discipline.

"He is truly in peril!"

Xie Xiean felt a pang of pity for the "Ding Ming" he had yet to meet. Despite being certain this was a test orchestrated by a true disciple of Barbarian Ghost Peak, he held a deep-seated obsession: he had been searching for Ding Ming ever since entering the Blood Abyss. He had even dispatched his subordinates to gather any information about him, unwilling to miss a single lead, even if most of it proved to be false. His conviction was akin to the sentiment, "since I'm already here." This was an obsession deeply rooted in the direct lineage of Evil God Peak!

Near the Shattered Rock Islands, Wang Yu stood atop a peculiar reef. Shaped like a sharp blade, it jutted skyward, as straight as bamboo, extending hundreds of meters above the blood-red sea. At this moment, Wang Yu was craning his neck, gazing backward and muttering to himself.

"How strange," he mused. "Why are these Barbarian Ghost cultivators so gullible, like the gentlemen of Taihu Lake? Too bad... no extra income for me."

He couldn't help but feel a touch of disappointment. It was rare to encounter fellow disciples who didn't immediately plot murder and theft, and this unusual situation made him slightly uncomfortable. He felt he had wasted that overpriced top-grade spirit pill.

"A minor loss, let it be, let it be!"

Just as he was consoling himself and preparing to leave, a clear presence registered at the edge of his spiritual sense. They were coming after all. It seemed he was destined not to incur a loss.

Maintaining a deliberately slow escape speed, Wang Yu continued flying into the distance, which delighted the three Barbarian Ghost cultivators steadily gaining on him. "Hahaha, what a stroke of luck! This person didn't get far at all," one exclaimed. "Indeed, indeed, it's our turn to get rich," another agreed. "Fellow cultivator, please halt," the third called out.

In an instant, the three accelerated, surrounding Wang Yu in a triangular formation. The leading burly man declared, "Wei, the spirit pill you gave us is problematic. Come back with us to the Shattered Rock Islands."

Wang Yu subtly glanced at the high sky to his right, feeling a slight confusion. *Another one hidden?* he wondered. Aloud, he said, "Didn't Alchemist Duo Long inspect it? How could there be a problem?" "I say there is, so come back with us," the man insisted.

"The one I traded with isn't here. What business is this of yours? Are you trying to rob me?"

"Heh," the man scoffed. "And what if we are? Barbarian Ghost Shakes Mountain!"

As he spoke, the seemingly crude strongman abruptly launched a sneak attack. With the immediate activation of a Barbarian Ghost technique, a ten-meter tall ghost god with black skin, a green face, and a massive fanged maw charged forward with a shoulder smash, radiating an aura of brutal mountain-shattering force.

"Excellent!" Wang Yu's eyes gleamed with excitement. Aside from a direct contest of physical strength with the "fleshy Miss" from the Xu Mansion back in his Qi Refinement days, he had rarely encountered close-quarters combat that truly satisfied him in all his subsequent battles. It was like possessing unparalleled martial might but lamenting an era of peace, forcing him to simply rely on divine abilities and spells.

It was still the fellow disciples from Barbarian Ghost Peak who proved exciting. Wang Yu simply turned and charged head-on, employing only the immense power derived from his Mountain-Throwing Divine Strength and the attributes of his Corpse Demon Bone.

"Splat—" The mere seven-foot figure collided with the ten-meter Barbarian Ghost. Yet, the latter, as if made of thin paper, was utterly impaled through its Barbarian Ghost Dharma Body by the former. It was like a stone smashing into tofu, utterly annihilating everything within.

The burly man, even in death, never imagined that a cultivator with such a formidable physique would engage in such a brutal game. Flesh and blood flew, and shattered bones splattered everywhere. From the showering blood-rain, Wang Yu effortlessly seized the Golden Core, instantly destroying its soul and spirit before storing it in his ring—a seamless, practiced motion.

With a low spinning kick, a meticulously rendered Netherworld Demonic Dragon swept from left to right, reducing all targets to shredded meat. The Grand Yin Nourishing Fiend Coffin swiftly opened its lid, expanding to its maximum size, eager to collect the nutrient-rich chunks of flesh.

Two mere early Core Formation cultivators and one mid-Core Formation cultivator were no match for Wang Yu, not even for a single move. This terrifying display made the secretly observing Xie Xiean inwardly despair. *Could this truly be Ding Ming? One would have to be utterly blind to think so. This is going to get someone killed.*

Just as he turned to leave, the scent of blood wafted from behind and to his side. A voice, like a whispered death knell, asked, "Fellow cultivator, are you lurking, perhaps intending me harm?"

Xie Xiean turned, forcing an awkward smile, and quickly pulled back his hood to reveal his face. He bowed respectfully and said, "I am Xie Xiean, a true disciple of Evil God Peak. I humbly beg Senior Brother to spare my life. Your junior brother here has a small amount of meager wealth; please accept it."

Wang Yu was momentarily taken aback. He had, in fact, seen Xie Xiean's image in a memory stone before, but after so much time and no direct interaction, he had largely forgotten it. The hand he had held behind his back slowly relaxed, and the Yellow Springs Demonic Sword floated back from behind Xie Xiean, returning to Wang Yu's Qi Sea.

"Gulp~" Seeing this, Xie Xiean lowered his head even further, swallowing nervously and incessantly. He was acutely aware that his life lay entirely in this man's hands, and he regretted his obsession deeply, thinking, *Obsession truly leads to trouble!*

Wang Yu, however, was contemplating something else entirely. He couldn't help but glance up at the Blood Abyss Sacred Land's unique crimson clouds, wondering if the sect's old monsters were lurking within. The extreme coincidence of the situation was one reason for his suspicion.

On the other hand, there was still the issue of the *Rakshasa True Devil Scripture*. Although the sect's Nascent Soul cultivators were not physically present, he could sense a powerful hand manipulating events from the shadows. The other party clearly wished for this demonic scripture to be fully restored within the Blood Abyss Sacred Land, a notion that aligned with his earlier conjecture when conversing with Ding Ming remotely.

However, those earlier words were merely Zhuo Shouyun's deceptions, part of his scheme, and held zero credibility. Yet, re-evaluating the situation this way now caused Wang Yu to entertain a wild thought. It's often said that a mix of nine truths and one lie is the most effective way to deceive. Therefore, the information Zhuo Shouyun provided as part of his scheme must have contained some genuine secrets, compelling Wang Yu to consider it carefully. This feeling of treading on thin ice was truly unsettling.

At this moment, Xie Xiean cautiously raised his head. Seeing Wang Yu's pensive expression, his anxiety mounted, and he attempted to add some bargaining chips for his life. "Senior Brother, Barbarian Ghost Peak possesses a secret on the Shattered Rock Islands, a treasure of immense value. Might Senior Brother be interested?"

Silence.

"Senior Brother, I am also aware of the secrets of the Yin-Corroding Palace. I've heard that the Blood Killing Stone Tablet has appeared this time, and many fellow disciples have already rushed there hoping for a fortuitous encounter. I have a method..."

"—Silence!"

A sharp reprimand silenced him. Xie Xiean immediately fell quiet, watching as Wang Yu produced a spiritual jade slip and tossed it to him. "This is the latter half of the *Rakshasa True Devil Scripture*, personally inscribed by Ding Ming. As an added bonus, here's some news for you." Xie Xiean's pupils dilated in shock. He stared at the spiritual jade slip in his hand, unable to believe that something he had yearned for day and night could be acquired with such ease.

He desperately wanted to ask questions but found himself utterly speechless. Wang Yu moved closer and conveyed a spiritual message directly into his mind. "The ancient Rakshasa Demonic Venerable's natal spirit treasure, the Rakshasa Heavenly Demonic Bell, has been seized by Zhuo Shouyun. If you wish to inherit the Ancient Venerable's complete legacy, you still have a tough fight ahead."

He privately believed he had no personal enmity with Xie Xiean. Even if a feud existed, it was between Cold Blood Peak and Evil God Peak, originating from asset annexation—a practice all other peaks engaged in. If one were to insist on enmity, then technically, they all had it. And if everyone had it, then it effectively amounted to no enmity at all!

Xie Xiean's initial prejudice against Wang Yu, back when he was the Lord of Guiling City, which led him not to settle there, was understandable. However, concerning the ruins of the Eastern Pole Capital, Xie Xiean never actually sought trouble with Wang Yu from beginning to end, which showed a degree of discernment and his practical character in difficult situations.

Since that was the case, Wang Yu decided to bestow a monumental favor, which would also align with the intentions of the old hidden figure.

(End of Chapter)