Immortal Nexus, Overseas.
The sun sank in the west over the boundless ocean. Under the cover of nightfall, a streak of profound black silently dropped into the sea, transforming into a martial-looking man.
It was Chong Guang, who had returned to the Immortal Nexus.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he walked across the sea's surface. The waves subsided before him, making him feel as though he stood at the peak of the world, looking down at all the small mountains below. No matter how many times he experienced this sensation, it always intoxicated him.
However, he quickly refocused his gaze, snapping out of the brief moment of tranquility. His eyes turned sharp and cold. The True Demon body is indeed treacherous. It seized upon a flaw in my heart, trying to make me drown in comfort. Had I entertained even the slightest thought of stopping just now, this body would have inevitably taken advantage of it.
This was the cultivation of a True Demon.
One's "rationality" had to constantly clash with the "instincts" of the True Demon body. Only by suppressing the latter could one remain oneself.
Once rationality fell and demonic thoughts bred...
At that point, he would no longer be "Chong Guang," but merely a demon acting on instinct, slaughtering wantonly, without order or the desire to seek the Dao.
Thinking of this, he immediately formed a hand seal.
[Formless Realm].
The five great divine abilities of the Inner Demon from the past had all been elevated to his True Demon concepts. Their power had advanced, becoming even more secretive and treacherous.
In an instant, his demonic body disintegrated, melting into the evening breeze under the night sky. It blew silently toward the Four Seas Sect. Before long, the bustling scene of the Four Seas Sect—which remained vibrant even under the night sky—came into view. The overwhelming demonic qi immediately made Chong Guang frown.
All of them are demon cultivators...
Cultivators in the Immortal Nexus were divided into high and low classes.
At least to the four major factions of the Immortal Nexus, the beastly rabble overseas couldn't be considered people of the Immortal Nexus. It was just a region akin to a livestock farm.
Among them, the Sword Pavilion's discrimination was the most severe.
The Dao Court came second. The Saint Sect had relatively fewer taboos, while the Pure Land was the most inclusive, even sending people overseas every year to invite the monster race to join them.
But then again.
Although Chong Guang didn't discriminate against the monster race, it was undeniable that the overseas monster race was indeed a tier lower than those inland. Of course, this wasn't discrimination.
"Let's observe for now."
Hidden within the evening breeze, Chong Guang shook his body. Countless streaks of profound light immediately fell, splitting into tens of thousands of Inner Demons that flew off in all directions.
Before long, every single one of these demons had found a host. Through the Inner Demons, Chong Guang could borrow the eyes of these hosts to observe the Four Seas Sect. This method of investigation was incredibly secretive and impossible to detect. After all, Inner Demons were formless and intangible; ordinary methods couldn't discover them.
Soon, Chong Guang found his target.
Great Sage Yuan Xu.
The only Unorthodox Dao cultivator in the Four Seas Sect. Its true form was a black tortoise in the prime of its life. Its disciples shared its demeanor, disliking movement the most in their daily lives.
Chong Guang found an elder of the Black Tortoise race. Using the Inner Demon to manipulate its thoughts, he borrowed its body to enter the depths of the Four Seas Sect, where he laid eyes on Great Sage Yuan Xu.
This old demon is quite cautious.
Chong Guang pondered internally. Along the way, he had seen no fewer than a hundred formations, layered one on top of another like a tortoise shell, covering the surrounding area.
Clearly, Great Sage Yuan Xu also knew its strength was lacking, so it specially created this headquarters. Furthermore, its proficiency in formations was obviously not low. With this set of tortoise shell formations, it might actually be able to hold its own against a Golden Core Perfected Lord for a while, avoiding being instantly killed.
A pity, it's useless against me.
Passing through layers of formations, it wasn't until the Black Tortoise elder he parasited with an Inner Demon met Great Sage Yuanxu that Chong Guang smiled and formed a hand seal.
[Incarnation Outside the Body]!
Inner Demons had no distinction between main body and clone. All clones could be the main body; it merely depended on which clone Chong Guang focused his consciousness on.
And right now, he placed the majority of his consciousness on the Inner Demon inside that Black Tortoise elder. He effortlessly bypassed the barrier of the formations, then transformed into formlessness and escaped. In an instant, the drowsy Great Sage Yuan Xu shivered and instantly snapped awake.
"Who's there!?"
A voice like rolling thunder echoed not only within the grand hall but transmitted directly outside, booming across the entire Four Seas Sect. Great Sage Yuan Xu's reaction was undeniably fast.
However, it was still too late.
Whoosh...
A sudden, chilling wind began to blow within the grand hall, which should have been like spring all year round. No matter what divine abilities Great Sage Yuan Xu unleashed, the wind still blew against its body.
[Overturn Mount Sumeru]!
When Chong Guang didn't act, he was still. But when he did, he went all out, aiming for a guaranteed kill. How could a mere Unorthodox Dao cultivator like Great Sage Yuan Xu withstand the invasion of a True Demon?
At this moment, it only felt its thoughts sink, its heart filling with panic and confusion.
Who exactly is trying to kill me?
After the shock and doubt came a lament. It had been low-key enough. After achieving the stature of a Perfected Lord, it relied on the longevity of the Black Tortoise race to simply lay low overseas all this time.
Alas, it couldn't lay low in this damn place!
Misery...
Before its thoughts could finish, Great Sage Yuan Xu's sea of consciousness plunged into complete silence. Along with it, its soul ceased all fluctuations, falling into a bizarre, deathly stillness.
On the surface, Great Sage Yuan Xu was still alive.
However, under the bombardment of [Overturn Mount Sumeru], its consciousness had long since been annihilated. All that remained was an empty shell, left to Chong Guang's manipulation and play.
Without stopping, Chong Guang immediately controlled his True Demon body to take over Great Sage Yuan Xu's sea of consciousness. Like putting on a piece of clothing, he melted into its soul.
By the time Great Sage Xuan Yuan and Great Sage Ming Zhu arrived together, and even the old Dragon Lord secretly cast his gaze over, "Great Sage Yuan Xu" had already returned to normal. Its eyes regained their liveliness as it laughed, "Apologies, apologies. I lost my composure for a moment and thought someone was trying to harm me..."
"Someone trying to harm you?"
Hearing this explanation, Great Sage Xuan Yuan and Great Sage Ming Zhu exchanged a glance. They didn't feel anything was amiss; in fact, they thought it was perfectly normal.
They couldn't help it; this was the overseas region.
Every few days, cultivators from the four major inland factions would come to reap some benefits. Furthermore, since Great Sage Yuan Xu was the weakest, being constantly on edge was perfectly normal.
"Alright, you don't need to worry, old turtle."
"With us protecting you, unless those fiercest ones come over, no one can take your life. And those guys have no interest in you anyway."
"Unless they want to drink turtle soup."
"But even if that's the case, it's simple. Just chop off your head and let them make soup with it. You can just grow it back afterward. It's only a matter of an inch or two."
For a moment, the grand hall was filled with cheerful laughter.
After chatting for a while, "Great Sage Yuan Xu" said with a worried look, "I'm still not at ease. How about this, Xuan Yuan—you stay behind and discuss the Dao with me for a bit?"
Great Sage Xuan Yuan was stunned upon hearing this. "Me?"
"That's right. With your strength protecting me here for a few days, I can feel at ease. As a reward, how about you take a few formations I refined back with you?"
"Alright."
Great Sage Xuan Yuan didn't refuse. After all, they were old acquaintances. As long as it didn't harm his own interests, lifting a finger was no problem.
From beginning to end, Great Sage Xuan Yuan never considered the possibility of danger. After all, he was at the middle stage of the Golden Core—immortal and indestructible. As for Great Sage Yuan Xu, a mere Unorthodox Dao cultivator, even if he stood perfectly still and let him attack, Yuan Xu probably wouldn't even be able to knock off a single hair. How could there possibly be any danger?