Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Nethergod Pill and Memory Devourment

Li Yan had just stepped into the Tranquil Void Temple’s courtyard when he saw Old Daoist Xuanwang approaching with a group of disciples.

Seeing his Master personally greeting him, Li Yan clasped his hands in respect and bowed. “Disciple Mingyan pays his respects to Master!”

Xuanwang offered no pleasantries, simply extending his palm.

With a sudden surge of suction, the White Bone Blood Crystal Li Yan had hidden in his sleeve flew directly into Xuanwang’s hand.

Admiring the crystal’s clarity and the condensed blood essence shimmering within, Xuanwang smiled with satisfaction.

“Well done, Mingyan.”

“From today onward, you are promoted from Servant Disciple to Outer Disciple. You will receive five Medicinal Stones each month.”

“The side chamber in the Stone Workshop Hall’s Outer Sect is now yours. Continue managing the Stone Workshop Hall as before.”

Li Yan secretly rejoiced, grateful he had hidden the remaining crystals outside. Otherwise, the old Daoist would have taken them all.

Knowing his place, Li Yan clasped his hands and bowed again, tactful in his gratitude. “This disciple is deeply grateful for Master’s guidance!”

“Hmm, Mingyan, follow me.”

“Yes, Master!”

Li Yan fell in behind Xuanwang as they entered the inner courtyard, arriving outside the Alchemy Hall.

“Disciple, wait here while I refine this treasure.”

Leaving Li Yan outside the Alchemy Hall, the Old Daoist carried the White Bone Blood Crystal inside.

If Li Yan remembered correctly, that crystal contained the soul of Senior Brother Ming Zhe.

Peeking through a crack in the window, Li Yan watched the deranged Old Daoist Xuanwang place the crystal into the alchemy furnace. Xuanwang formed a hand seal with two fingers, summoning a wisp of eerie cyan-green flame to ignite the furnace.

Soon, Senior Brother Ming Zhe’s agonized screams echoed from within. His soul, scorched by the furnace’s unearthly flames, gradually fell silent.

After about an hour, a Medicine Pill rolled out of the furnace. Xuanwang picked up the pale, blood-tinged pill, his wrinkled face tightening into a chilling smile that stretched his ancient features.

Holding the pill, Xuanwang pushed open the door and strode toward Li Yan. “Disciple, swallow this. It will benefit you.”

Xuanwang thrust the pill at Li Yan, brooking no argument. What did it matter if the medicine had side effects? The more potent they were, the better.

“Thank you, Master!”

Without hesitation, Li Yan swallowed the Medicine Pill whole.

The moment it entered his mouth, he felt a surge of intense resentment. It was the potent curse Senior Brother Ming Zhe had unleashed before his death, as if Li Yan could hear his venomous curses echoing in his mind.

But what did it matter? Ming Zhe had repeatedly tried to harm others. Eliminating such a menace was an act of immeasurable merit.

The host has ingested a Nethergod Pill with severe side effects.

Side Effect: Intense malevolent thoughts will destabilize the host’s mental state, sowing a demonic seed within their Dao Heart.

Side Effect Conversion: Spirit Vision +1. The higher the Spirit Vision level, the easier it becomes to perceive the true nature of the bizarre through the Mind’s Eye.

This Medicine Pill also has positive effects: it enhances Blood Qi and grants partial access to the deceased soul’s memories.

In an instant, a torrent of memories flooded Li Yan’s mind.

A chaotic world ravaged by demons and strange phenomena, natural disasters and man-made catastrophes, soldiers and bandits running rampant.

Senior Brother Ming Zhe had originally come from beyond the mountains. Captured at fourteen and forced into military service, he had become a hardened veteran by twenty-one. He had slain countless enemies, but also murdered innocents to inflate his merits, often using the heads of villagers to claim military honors.

One day, after collecting his reward money as usual, Ming Zhe went to the military-run brothel for some entertainment. There, he noticed a new camp follower who had recently arrived with the troops.

After some playful teasing, Ming Zhe realized she was from his hometown. Upon further questioning, he was devastated to discover that she was none other than his little sister, who had gone missing six years ago.

Determined to save her, Ming Zhe made a desperate decision. He smuggled her out of the military camp, and under relentless pursuit, they fled into the Mountain of No Return, where they sought refuge, both severely wounded.

When Ming Zhe regained consciousness, his sister had brought him to an abandoned hut deep in the mountains. The siblings began a secluded life there.

Ming Zhe hunted for food, while his sister gathered wild herbs. Life seemed to be improving, and their relationship gradually grew into something more than familial.

Until one day, when he returned from hunting…

He found an old Daoist, calling himself Xuanwang, waiting in the courtyard, holding his sister’s severed head.

The Daoist explained that this was not his real sister, but a demonic painted skin masquerading as her.

Seeing his sister’s decapitated corpse, a surge of rage flooded Ming Zhe’s mind. He lunged at the Demon Daoist to avenge her, but Xuanwang subdued him effortlessly and forced a Blood Egg Pill down his throat.

The Demon Daoist praised Ming Zhe’s remarkable talent, claiming he could withstand the potent effects of the Blood Egg Pill, and offered to take him as his disciple.

Forced by the Demon Daoist’s overwhelming power, Ming Zhe had no choice but to join the Tranquil Void Temple, secretly enduring and plotting his revenge at every moment.

Even though he already knew his little sister had died, riddled with arrows during the relentless pursuit.

One day, Ming Zhe heard that a new disciple named Li Yan had arrived at the Tranquil Void Temple, and his Master seemed to favor this newcomer.

He volunteered to show Junior Brother Li Yan around the Master Sect, guiding him to the forbidden Scripture Repository on the fourth floor.

As Li Yan assimilated these memories, a flood of knowledge washed over him, including the sect’s inner workings and its forbidden secrets.

His cultivation base even advanced to the first layer.

At that moment, Li Yan gained a rudimentary understanding of the cultivators’ hierarchy:

Blood Condensation Realm, Blood Shifting Realm, Blood Pill Realm, Blood Cocoon Realm, Ascension Realm…

Within the Tranquil Void Temple, senior brothers and sisters often vanished inexplicably. Everyone tacitly understood they had been taken by the Old Daoist for alchemy.

After fully digesting Senior Brother Ming Zhe’s memories, Li Yan’s expression grew grave.

He felt no sorrow for this tale. Instead, he realized Old Daoist Xuanwang had likely already set his sights on him.

Turning back, Li Yan saw Old Daoist Xuanwang gently stroking his long beard, the wrinkles on his aged face bunching together as his eyes gleamed with avarice.

“Disciple,” Xuanwang said, “your growth rate is truly remarkable, far surpassing all your senior brothers and sisters.”

“Excellent… truly excellent.”

Xuanwang patted Li Yan’s shoulder, the old man seemingly suppressing his own covetous desires. It appeared he intended to cultivate Li Yan like a rare treasure, nurturing him until he was plump enough to slaughter. In reality, all the disciples within the Tranquil Void Temple were merely livestock Xuanwang raised—working for him while simultaneously serving as alchemical ingredients for his elixirs.

Li Yan had long anticipated this. His rapid progress had undoubtedly drawn Xuanwang’s attention. The old man planned to cultivate him, fatten him up, and then kill him!

Li Yan clenched his fist inwardly, knowing the time for action hadn’t yet come. Xuanwang was a cultivator of the Blood Shifting Realm, his power sufficient to crush Li Yan instantly. The old Daoist could withstand Li Yan’s Burning Lamp Technique and forcibly end his life.

As Li Yan pondered, Xuanwang turned and retrieved a blackwood sword from a nearby cabinet.

“Disciple, this master bestows upon you a magic artifact. Take it.”

Li Yan nonchalantly accepted the blackwood sword, but the moment his fingers closed around the hilt, his eyes lit up.