The handsome-featured monk walked out of the mountain forest where the Black Dragon Evil Sect was located.

He didn’t tell the sect forces of Nanhuang Province about the demonic cultivator’s appearance, because subduing demons and eliminating evil must be done personally.

“Swish!”

A fluffy white kitten scampered over and landed on his shoulder, saying: “Where are we going?”

Able to speak human language?

Could it be a spirit beast comparable to a Wuwang?

Not so.

The little creature’s strength was only at low-grade level. It could speak human language because it inherently had this ability.

Speaking human language required at least being a spirit beast, but mutated fierce beasts could unlock spiritual intelligence early.

The Spirit Communication Cat was one such creature.

This pet-like little thing wasn’t particularly strong in power—it could even be described as having the fighting power of a weakling—but shortly after birth it could communicate normally with humans.

Heaven gave it a cute appearance and the right to speak, naturally also stripping away its combat ability.

Of course.

The Spirit Communication Cat’s greatest advantage lay in its extremely developed sense of smell.

“Oh?”

The little creature standing on the monk’s shoulder lightly sniffed and said in surprise: “You have demonic energy on you. Could it be that a demonic cultivator appeared in the mountain forest?”

Its nose was truly sensitive.

“Didn’t you smell the demonic energy outside?” the monk said.

“No.”

The Spirit Communication Cat said.

“Perhaps they didn’t enter or exit from here.”

The monk took it around the mountain forest in a circle, but still came up empty-handed.

“Strange.”

The Spirit Communication Cat said puzzledly: “There’s clearly demonic energy, but why are there no traces whatsoever nearby? Don’t tell me that guy flew away?”

The monk said: “The opponent’s demonic energy is very heavy, their strength may have already reached the Imperial level.”

“Tsk tsk.”

The Spirit Communication Cat said: “A demonic cultivator of this level isn’t something you can handle. Why bother looking for trouble by searching for him?”

“Because.”

The monk’s gaze was resolute: “This is this poor monk’s responsibility.”

“Fine.”

The Spirit Communication Cat scratched its face: “You’re a qualified Buddhist cultivator, but being too obsessed with self-sacrifice to save others, sooner or later you’ll die at a demonic cultivator’s hands.”

“Amitabha.”

The monk clasped his hands together: “If I don’t enter hell, who will?”

“…”

The Spirit Communication Cat said: “What do we do next?”

“Search.”

“Where will we search?”

“The Xingyun Continent.”

“By the time your hair reaches your waist, you still might not find them.”

The monk said nothing and walked forward.

“Huh? That guy is wearing a kasaya—could he be a Buddhist cultivator?”

“Ten thousand years ago in the Righteous-Demonic War, the Buddhist sect lost a large number of top experts and gradually declined afterward. I didn’t expect anyone would still walk this path.”

“Strange, why does that guy have hair? Shouldn’t he shave his head bald?”

“Could he be a fake?”

The monk stopped, turned around, and roared toward the distant warriors: “This poor monk cultivates with hair! Cultivates with hair! Cultivates with hair!”

“Whoosh whoosh—”

The voice contained a certain power that resonated with space, instantly forming extremely strong penetrating force, shaking the warriors several hundred zhang away until their blood and energy churned.

A middle-aged man exclaimed: “Great Sound Lion’s Roar Technique!”

“Amitabha.”

The monk controlled his emotions and said apologetically: “This poor monk lost his composure.”

Swish!

With a wave of his sleeve, he left gracefully.

…

That night.

The monk sat cross-legged in a mountain cave, holding prayer beads, silently reciting scriptures.

Ten thousand years ago.

After the Demon Extermination Order was issued, those who led the charge were the Buddhist cultivators.

After that battle, though they eliminated the Demon Emperor, the Buddhist sect’s experts suffered great losses in vitality, experiencing severe gaps in succession. To this day, Buddhist cultivators rarely appeared.

For this person to be a Buddhist cultivator was indeed rare and precious.

“Ah ha—”

The Spirit Communication Cat lying beside him yawned.

It had known this monk for quite a long time. Every night before sleeping he had to recite scriptures—it had long grown accustomed to it.

The monk’s dharma name was Du Nan.

According to him, it was given by an old monk, meaning to help all living beings cross over tribulations.

Du Nan had no sect or school—he was a lone cultivator.

After becoming a Buddhist cultivator, what he did every day was cultivate Buddhist teachings and go convert evil demons and heretics, making them return to the righteous path and no longer bring disaster to the world.

The Spirit Communication Cat following Du Nan could be said to have one meal but no guarantee of the next, living quite miserably.

However.

Their bond had been cultivated.

So it wouldn’t leave him, and they depended on each other, having no fixed residence.

After finishing his scripture recitation, Du Nan opened his eyes and said: “I heard there are many evil sects in Huayang Commandery. Tomorrow we’ll go to Southwest Yang Province.”

He not only had to deal with demonic cultivators, but also had to deal with evil cultivators.

Over these years, the evil sect warriors who had fallen at this Buddhist cultivator’s hands were already countless.

Of course.

Having offended many people, he would definitely be hunted down by them joining forces.

So Du Nan appearing in Nanhuang Province wasn’t for traveling, but to take refuge.

“Fine.”

The Spirit Communication Cat said: “I hope there aren’t any experts in Huayang Commandery, otherwise we’ll have to flee with our heads again.”

“It’s fine.”

Du Nan said: “Huayang Commandery is only an eighth-grade commandery. The evil cultivators there definitely won’t be too strong.”

“I hope so.”

Though the Spirit Communication Cat said this aloud, it muttered in its heart: “Last time he said Tengyun Commandery’s grade was very low, but didn’t we still end up being hunted by experts for half a month, nearly going to the Pure Land to meet Buddha!”

The next day.

The weather was bright and clear.

Du Nan took the Spirit Communication Cat along the mountain path, heading all the way toward Huayang Commandery in Southwest Yang Province.

…

Ten Thousand Ancient Sect.

Jun Changxiao was reading through the yellowed ancient texts that Li Qingyang had collected from the Black Dragon Evil Sect’s treasury one by one.

Among them was a cultivation manual called the Blood-Devouring Great Method.

“What do you think?”

Jun Changxiao tossed this book to Five Absolutes Evil Saint. After browsing it briefly, he said: “This should be a demonic path cultivation method.”

“Cultivating by absorbing others’ vital blood is truly intolerable by heaven’s principles. If the demonic cultivators of the past were all this extreme, being exterminated was natural and right.” Jun Changxiao said.

Five Absolutes Evil Saint shook his head: “This is only an extreme minority. According to what I know, although the Demon Emperor back then cultivated demonic martial techniques, as a person he was upright and honorable.”

“Is that so?”

A demonic cultivator being upright and honorable surprised Jun Changxiao greatly.

He took back the Blood-Devouring Great Method and had no intention of placing it in the Technique Pavilion for disciples to cultivate, since cultivating by absorbing others’ vital blood was really too cruel.

He continued browsing other ancient texts.

The content recorded within was mostly about events from several thousand years ago.

Jun Changxiao read particularly carefully, hoping to find those remnants of the demonic sect that had split from the Demon Emperor Sect.

Recently, the mysterious masked warrior hadn’t appeared, but he definitely wouldn’t forget. As long as he found traces and confirmed their location, he would definitely strike back in retaliation!

Waiting for others to come looking for trouble wasn’t Jun Changxiao’s style. Whenever there was opportunity, he would turn passive into active!

And this evil sect cultivating demonic cultivation methods might have records—who could say?

He really did find something!

In a notebook from the Black Dragon Evil Sect’s founding sect master, it was written: “Several thousand years ago, I once found a cave dwelling at Black Mountain Cliff and obtained the Blood-Devouring Great Method from it. This may be related to the demonic sect experts who separated from the Demon Emperor Sect back then.”

Though only a few brief lines, this was the only lead obtained regarding those demonic sect remnants during this period!

Jun Changxiao said: “Do you know about Black Mountain Cliff?”

“Black Mountain Cliff?”

Five Absolutes Evil Saint said gravely: “This was the second battlefield where the righteous and demonic paths fought ten thousand years ago. Now it has long been sealed and become one of the Xingyun Continent’s forbidden lands.”

“Can’t enter?” Jun Changxiao said.

Five Absolutes Evil Saint said: “Entry is possible, but the demonic energy remaining inside is too strong—it’s very easy to go astray and enter deviation.”

“Where is it?” Jun Changxiao said.

Five Absolutes Evil Saint paused briefly, then said: “In Central Honor Province.”

—