I Swear I’m Not a Demonic Cultivator - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Sect Master’s Little Secret
He Tian plunged headfirst into the reeking black mud.
His newly donned Dao Robe, the official attire of the Chief of the Hall of Law Enforcement, instantly became a tattered rag.
Plop!
Plop!
Like dumplings raining from the sky, six figures crashed into the Demon Pit one after another, their bodies contorted into grotesque postures.
Their faces pressed against the putrid sludge, skin crawling with deathly gray veins.
The muffled explosions of their Dao Foundations shattering reverberated within their bodies.
Fang Zheng stood frozen in place.
He watched the Elders, who usually held themselves aloof and superior, now flailing desperately in the mire.
They were self-destructing centuries of cultivation, all to demonstrate to him the supreme realm of the Great Dao: “Selflessness—untainted by worldly attachments.”
Such profound dedication!
“Elders! Are you alright?!”
Fang Zheng’s urgency couldn’t be concealed. He lunged forward, reaching out to pull He Tian, who was closest.
He Tian jerked his head up.
The outstretched hand—clean, warm, and powerful—appeared to him as a demonic claw reaching up from the Nine Nether Hells, poised to drag him into eternal nothingness!
“GIAO—!”
A hoarse, inhuman roar tore from He Tian’s throat.
The Late-Stage Golden Core Chief of the Hall of Law Enforcement scrambled frantically on all fours, scraping his knees raw against the jagged rocks as he tumbled wildly out of the pit like a madman.
His posture was even uglier than that of a stray dog whose tail had been stepped on.
The other six Elders were jolted awake by the roar.
They collectively bristled, squeezing the last dregs of Spiritual Energy from their Dantians, and scrambled out of the muddy pit on all fours.
One thought dominated their minds:
Escape!
Get away from that monster!
Fang Zheng’s outstretched hand froze mid-air.
He watched them retreat in terror.
He watched the Third Elder roll through the mud, completely covered in filth.
He watched their wretched, fleeing figures.
The urgency on his face gradually faded.
He slowly withdrew his hand.
To those disappearing silhouettes, he straightened his back and bowed deeply and solemnly.
So that’s how it is.
The Dao cannot be conveyed through words; it can only be grasped through understanding.
One must comprehend it for oneself!
The instant he bowed,
the wind ceased.
The sounds vanished.
The entire world froze.
A vast, star-like will descended.
Fang Zheng instantly felt himself locked in place.
Yet he remained calm.
In his mind, on the System panel, a line of dazzling golden text flashed frantically:
Ding! Congratulations, Host! Your ‘Guardian of Justice’ and ‘Unshakable Dao Heart’ have successfully triggered the Sect’s hidden ‘Ultimate Trial’ mechanism!
…Currently undergoing the Sect Ancestor’s final inspection!
Here it comes!
The final test!
Fang Zheng immediately straightened his posture, his eyes clear and his heart resolute.
The immense will descended upon him like a frigid divine mountain, crushing every inch of his Divine Soul.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
The divine mountain paused for a moment before the pitch-black Sword Qi seed in his Dantian.
Then, as if scorched by a red-hot branding iron, it recoiled violently!
The divine mountain retreated.
In the next instant, a streak of light flew in, dispersing to reveal Yun Lan, Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Yun Lan first glanced at Elder He Tian, his eyes filled with heartache and pity, then fixed a deathly stare on Fang Zheng.
His hand trembled as he pulled a jet-black iron token from his robes.
The token contained no Spiritual Energy, yet his hand shook so violently he nearly dropped it.
He opened his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing fiercely, but no sound came out.
With every ounce of strength he could muster, he forced out a few fragmented syllables from his chest.
“Ancestor… Divine Decree!”
“Outer Disciple Fang Zheng, Innate Talent… anomalous, Dao Heart… an outlier!”
“To prevent… him from straying onto the wrong path, effective immediately—”
Yun Lan’s voice cracked abruptly.
“—Cast him into the Demon Sealing Pagoda!”
The moment his words left his lips, a new notification popped up in Fang Zheng’s vision, its golden light nearly blinding him.
Ding! Host has passed the highest-level review! Actions have earned ultimate recognition!
Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked the hidden promotion path—the Heaven Chosen Trial!
Yun Lan continued to roar with all his might, as if trying to expel the terror from his chest, his voice breaking mid-sentence and choking on his own saliva, forcing him to cough violently.
“Day and night… cough, cough… endure the agony of Myriad Demons’ Corpse Devouring!”
The mission panel in Fang Zheng’s vision refreshed with a second line of text.
Trial Content: Congratulations! You have been granted the ‘Myriad Spirits’ Blessing’ immersive physique refinement VIP service! Complete and flawless reconstruction of your Innate Talent!
Yun Lan let out one final roar, as if expending all his remaining strength, his entire body collapsing into exhaustion.
“By the Edict of Selflessness, you shall never take another step beyond these walls!”
The final line of text appeared on the mission panel.
Trial Duration: Until the entire pagoda is purified! This is the Sect’s ultimate investment in your potential! Host, cherish this opportunity and forge a new legend!
Fang Zheng’s square frame began to tremble.
It was excitement.
The Ancestor had placed such great expectations upon him, entrusting him with the weighty responsibility of suppressing all the demonic beasts within the Sect!
What an honor!
His breath quickened, his chest heaving violently.
“Disciple Fang Zheng!”
He abruptly raised his head, his voice ringing out clear and resolute like a warrior embarking on a sacred crusade, as he faced Sect Master Yun Lan.
“Receives the Divine Decree!”
He stepped forward.
Extending both hands.
From Yun Lan’s trembling hands—so unsteady they nearly dropped the token—he steadily accepted the jet-black iron plaque.
The scene unfolded before the eyes of countless Outer Disciples who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the commotion.
They saw the seven Elders of the Hall of Law Enforcement lying stiff as corpses in the muddy pit.
They saw the Sect Master, his face deathly pale and barely able to stand, personally bestowing the token upon an Outer Disciple.
They saw Fang Zheng raise the iron plaque—the symbol of the “Forbidden Zone Pass”—high above his head, his face radiant with a holy glow.
The bizarre spectacle stunned everyone into a state of stunned disbelief.
“Heavens! Isn’t that the Demon Suppression Token from the Demon Sealing Pagoda? I’ve only ever seen it in books!”
“What in the world did Senior Brother Fang Zheng do to earn such favor from the Sect Master and the Ancestor?!”
Under the awestruck, bewildered, and fanatical gazes of countless disciples, Fang Zheng, head held high and chest puffed out, followed the ashen-faced Sect Master step by step toward the Demon Sealing Pagoda, a Forbidden Zone perched atop Back Mountain’s peak—a place said to have no exit.
Boom!
The massive, thousand-pound stone gate slammed shut behind him.
Light vanished.
Within the pagoda, utter darkness reigned.
A thick, cloying stench—a mixture of blood, decay, and foul odors—violently assaulted his nostrils.
From the blackness came the grating skritch of claws scraping against stone, piercingly sharp.
The next instant, two eerie green lights flared to life in the darkness, less than three feet away.
Their glow burned with raw, undisguised hunger.
Before Fang Zheng could even think, the creature behind those green lights lunged forward in a reeking rush, its cavernous maw snapping down toward his head with brutal force!