Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Have I Met You Tens of Thousands of Years Ago?

Through the Corpse Puppet and the Demonic Eye, Li Yan learned from the Cinder Annihilation Fairy that he had spent several hours in the Illusionary Realm, while only a single breath had passed in the real world.

Time within the Illusionary Realm was merely a fleeting moment for Li Yan.

Yet even in that brief interval, as Li Yan stood before the Flesh Bridge, he found himself being watched.

Several Blood Core Realm cultivators approached from three directions, forming a pincer movement. Judging by their attire, they were likely Elders of the Heavenly Evolution Sect from Mishan City.

The Third Elder stroked their beards, one of them pointing at the ring on Li Yan’s finger. “Fellow Daoist, that Storage Ring you’re wearing doesn’t appear to be a counterfeit.”

Another Elder analyzed with practiced precision: “Judging by the ring’s patterns, it’s a Sect-Grade Storage Ring.”

“During the Ancient Era, only Sect Masters or Chief Elders could wear rings of this level.”

“Young friend, why not entrust this ring to our Heavenly Evolution Sect? We’re willing to offer you the position of Honorary Elder in return.”

The Three-Faced Elders wore pious masks, but their eyes burned with undisguised greed.

Li Yan glared at the three hypocritical old ghosts. With a flick of his finger, he summoned the Moonbow Sword from his Storage Ring.

The lead Elder’s eyes lit up, his gaze fixed intently on the blade.

“This is…”

“Could this be an Ancient Immortal Magical Treasure?”

“Fellow Daoist, you’ve unearthed quite the treasures from the God’s Tomb.”

“Possessing such extraordinary treasures invites the attention of thieves. Fellow Daoist, you should entrust these treasures to our Heavenly Evolution Sect for safekeeping.”

“Fellow Daoist is blameless, but ‘to be blameless is to be blameworthy for possessing a treasure.'”

Li Yan stared at the three greedy old men, who weren’t even bothering with pretenses. Their lips dripped with righteousness, but their minds plotted murder, arson, and plunder.

Without wasting words, Li Yan assumed the Moon Essence Stance.

The three gray-haired Elders exchanged glances and simultaneously launched a three-pronged assault.

As Li Yan watched them mobilize their Blood Qi, contempt surged through him.

Having witnessed the true might of Ancient Immortals, facing these mere Blood Qi Cultivators who feigned cultivation filled him with nothing but disdain. His perspective had fundamentally shifted.

As three streams of crimson Demonic Flame hurtled toward him, Li Yan seized the split-second opportunity. With a crescent arc of his sword, he deflected the flames back at their source!

The counterattack succeeded. The three balls of Demonic Flame shot straight toward the lead Heavenly Evolution Sect Elder.

Whoosh!

The flames ignited, instantly engulfing the Elder in a crimson inferno.

Caught completely off guard, the Elder was blasted into critical condition.

The other two Heavenly Evolution Sect Elders gasped in unison.

“A counterstrike? This kid’s not right! Retreat!”

“Summon reinforcements immediately!”

But as the two Elders turned to flee, they found their paths blocked by two dark figures.

Li Yan’s Shadows stood before them, each wielding a Shadow Blade in the form of the Moonbow Sword.

With a flicker of Li Yan’s intent, both Shadows simultaneously unleashed the Cinder Annihilation Slash.

A single slash severed the two fleeing Heavenly Evolution Sect Elders at the waist.

The entire sequence unfolded in a blinding instant, like a lightning strike.

In less than ten breaths, Li Yan had annihilated the three Blood Core Realm Elders.

Li Yan watched as the three Elders writhed on the ground, still desperately struggling. With a single thought, three dark figures materialized before them, shadow swords raised high. They plunged the blades down mercilessly, accompanied by the Elders’ screams and desperate pleas for mercy.

“Stop!”

“Fellow Daoist, spare me!”

“This old one has a daughter as beautiful as a flower! I offer her to you!”

Li Yan remained impassive, ordering the shadows to continue their work until the three Elders fell silent.

With the trio dispatched, Li Yan turned his attention to the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp in his hand.

I can’t help but marvel, he thought. The previous lamp was a mere imitation. Each shadow could only manifest half my true strength.

But this authentic Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp allows them to wield over 110% of my power.

The difference between the genuine artifact and the fake is simply staggering.

Even so, Li Yan suspected the lamp’s potential wasn’t fully tapped. The Lotus Lamp’s amplification of his Shadow Technique’s potency seemed unnaturally high.

Upon further reflection, Li Yan realized that the Shadow Technique, this unique skill, was the creation of the Demon Shadow Sect’s Old Demon, refined through countless iterations. Nearly all Shadow Techniques practiced today stemmed from Shadow Old Demon’s teachings.

As the sacred artifact of the Shadow Technique, the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp undoubtedly amplified its power, potentially pushing its upper limits to unprecedented heights. Moreover, Li Yan believed that the Shadow Technique harbored even more formidable capabilities, waiting to be discovered through practical combat.

After retrieving the Moonbow Sword, Li Yan instructed his Shadow to extract the Blood Cores from the corpses, claiming them for himself. These three Elders’ Blood Cores would provide a significant boost to his cultivation.

“A third-layer and two fifth-layer Blood Core Realm cultivators? Not bad.”

Satisfied after looting the treasures from the three bodies, he summoned Bloodflame from the Lotus Lamp and incinerated the corpses on the spot.

Throughout the entire process, from the battle to the cleanup, one witness remained: the residual soul of the Cinder Annihilation Fairy within his Demonic Eye. Her face was now etched with utter confusion and disbelief.

“Strange… where did this brat get the Moonbow Sword?”

“Isn’t that the Obscured Moon Sword Immortal’s magical treasure, the sister blade to the Moon Essence Sword?”

“And he even knows the Moon Essence Stance?”

“Wait a minute… that final slash he used—isn’t that my unique technique, the Asura Path’s Cinder Annihilation Slash?”

The Cinder Annihilation Fairy’s small mind was now brimming with immense questions, her internal monologue churning like a hundred thousand “whys.”

Something’s not right…

The Cinder Annihilation Fairy watched, her unease growing with each passing moment. How could this youth be using her unique, secret techniques?

“Strange,” she mused. “I cultivated the Asura Path. I shouldn’t have any direct disciples, let alone any inheritors of my legacy.”

“How did this brat learn my Cinder Annihilation Slash? Where did he pick it up?”

Within the Demonic Eye, the Fairy’s residual soul paced back and forth in her miniature world.

After pondering deeply for a long time, she wondered, “Could I have an inheritor?”

“I honestly don’t remember teaching anyone. After all, this is my own unique mastery.”

“Could it be one of those abandoned infants I adopted long ago? Did they somehow inherit my legacy?”

The Fairy racked her brain for answers. Suddenly, Li Yan’s face seemed strangely familiar.

“Wait… why do I vaguely remember seeing him at the Demon Shadow Sect thirty thousand years ago?”

The Side Effect System’s transition to permanence was causing events from her dreamlike memories to bleed into reality, blurring her recollections and stirring faint fragments of the past.

“Thirty thousand years ago… the Demon Shadow Sect’s gates…”

“Didn’t he… didn’t he used to be there too? But it’s been so long, and my divine soul is damaged. I can barely recall those times.”

The Fairy shook her head. As merely a wisp of a residual soul, she had lost too many memories.

Yet, an impression of Li Yan lingered in her mind.

The Demonic Eye continued to scrutinize Li Yan’s features. Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed through the Fairy’s consciousness.

“Wait a moment! I think I remember now!”

“I know who he is!”