Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master-Chapter 1264 - 489: Demon Seed_2
It turns out this young boy is the real culprit!
"A few doubts remain, but it shouldn’t be a big problem."
"Should we kill him?"
"The agreed time has arrived..."
Ning Zhuo slightly gritted his teeth.
According to his agreement with Gu Huaijiu, they were supposed to meet at the crossroads. But now, the young boy in Ning Zhuo’s hand is the real Demon Cultivator culprit... If Ning Zhuo really meets up with Gu Huaijiu, it might invite competition from him.
Why bother... with unnecessary actions?
"No, on the contrary, I must take these ’unnecessary actions’!"
Ning Zhuo held onto the young prisoner and returned along the original path.
Upon arriving at the crossroads, he saw Gu Huaijiu emerging from another passageway, holding a captive as well.
This captive was short, a dwarf.
He struggled constantly, his face ferocious, fangs bared, with an abnormal bluish-purple hue to his skin. Even though Gu Huaijiu sealed his acupoints with Sword Qi, he continued to howl relentlessly.
Gu Huaijiu saw Ning Zhuo, a complex emotion flickered in his eyes, and he nodded slightly.
The two approached each other and successfully met up, and the first words they spoke were surprisingly similar: "The one in my hand is the real culprit."
"Hmm?" Gu Huaijiu was slightly stunned.
Ning Zhuo was surprised for a moment, then felt his scalp tingling, his heart tightening.
Gu Huaijiu is a well-known figure, immersed in revenge; his methods for interrogating suspects and finding clues must be superb.
Gu Huaijiu believed the suspect he held was the real culprit. It makes sense!
But Ning Zhuo was also quite confident in the real culprit identity of the young suspect he caught.
Which one of them is right?
"Interesting. Based on Daoist Fellow Ning’s statement, it seems I have to overturn my view of this second level." Gu Huaijiu said.
Ning Zhuo nodded. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
It seems Gu Huaijiu also shares the same mental journey as me.
At this moment, Ning Zhuo knew that keeping the agreement was truly the right choice!
He and Gu Huaijiu immediately exchanged their findings.
After comparing their notes, Ning Zhuo found the dwarf was the real culprit, while Gu Huaijiu felt the young boy was also the real culprit.
"Could there be two real culprits?" Gu Huaijiu was astonished.
Ning Zhuo pondered deeply: "Previously, during Divine Sense Transmission, the content was—’You’ve discovered the Blood Fog suspect. Eliminate the real culprit to clear this level.’ From this information alone, there might be multiple real culprits!"
Gu Huaijiu expressed doubt: "But if there are two real culprits, what’s the purpose of setting it up this way? If two cultivators are eager to eliminate evil, wouldn’t they easily pass this level by directly eliminating them?"
Ning Zhuo remained silent, lost in deep thought, and after a while, said: "Perhaps let the two ’real culprits’ confront each other?"
Ning and Gu awakened their respective captives, as a result, the young boy and the dwarf started cursing each other, growing more and more agitated, both claiming to be the real culprit.
This bizarre scene left Ning and Gu without any smiles, but after a moment of investigation, they both showed signs of realization.
"So this is the truth!" Ning Zhuo said.
"Both are the real culprits, yet neither are." Gu Huaijiu said.
They exchanged glances and smiled at each other.
Despite being the first collaboration, both parties kept their agreement, not eliminating the "real culprit" for selfish reasons, instead openly sharing, revealing deeper truths.
Without one, the real culprit might have remained hidden.
Therefore, the second level is not confrontation but remains a cooperation checkpoint.
If there’s any confrontation, it’s the cultivator confronting their own selfish desires while passing the level.
For a moment, Ning Zhuo’s impression of Gu Huaijiu greatly improved: "This person values trust and is worthy of deep friendship."
Gu Huaijiu praised inwardly: "Ning Zhuo truly embodies that Vast Energy; so young, yet possessing such magnanimity and capability!"
After some discussion, the two began taking action.
Ning Zhuo’s fingers moved like lightning, accurately pinpointing acupoints, using Divine Sense and Mana, penetrating into the young boy’s Dantian.
The young boy’s body trembled violently, suddenly a glaring point of golden-red light emerged from his chest.
Gu Huaijiu’s gaze was like lightning, his Black Iron Sword autonomously unsheathed three inches with a "clang"!
Instantly, a sword light, concentrated and substantial, shot out from the gap, directly into the golden-red point on the young boy’s chest.
With light and electricity extinguished, a surge of fresh Demonic Qi erupted from the needle-sized wound.
As soon as the Demonic Qi emerged, Ning Zhuo sealed it.
Repeating the process, the light points within the young boy’s body kept flashing, then extinguishing.
The Demonic Qi within him was gradually removed, until the final moment arrived.
The young boy’s body erupted with an inhuman roar! A ferocious blood-colored phantom forcibly burst out from his top of the skull, its features blurred, only a giant mouth full of sharp teeth opening, attempting to retaliate against Ning Zhuo.
"Here it comes!" Ning Zhuo shouted lowly, his hands forming seals, faster than the phantom’s movements.
Gu Huaijiu’s eyes glowed intensely, the Black Iron Sword completely unsheathed, shooting out a sword light in a flash.
The sword light vanished upon touch.
The blood-colored phantom’s roar abruptly ceased.
In the next moment, it shattered like glass, transforming into countless dark red light points, scattered across the sky.
Only then was the Demon Seed within the young boy finally eradicated!
Demon Seed.
What is a Demon Seed?
Demon Seed is not a natural evil thing, but rather a product formed by the lifetime’s cultivation accumulation of a High-Level Cultivator after their demise, blending the cultivator’s emotions, Mana, memories, experiences, and certain treasures and unconventional forces, often triggering aberrant results.
It’s somewhat similar to the relics left after the cremation of a virtuous monk.
But Demon Seeds are far more dangerous than relics.
They are both treasures of inheritance and instruments of curse.
Because the doctrines, cultivation techniques, etc., of a Demon Cultivator often relate to the cultivator’s own body, like flesh, Essence Blood, skin, bones, etc.
Thus, if a Demon Seed is difficult to control, it will harm the inheritor’s body.
High-Level Cultivators often perish in extreme emotional states, so Demon Seeds often carry immense resentment, endless obsessions, or manic desires.
If the successor is not capable enough, they will be overwhelmed by these intense negative emotions, becoming a slave to them.
Demon Cultivators often bear sins, dying during tribulations.
Sometimes during the Demon Seed formation process, the tribulation’s power is absorbed, making Demon Seeds even harder to control.
Worse yet, Demon Seeds gain more "inheritance" and enhance their complexity and power through the successor’s death.
Thus, Demon Seeds don’t have a fixed form, varying according to the original owner’s cultivation technique, cause of death, and environment of formation. They grow stronger and more bizarre with the successor’s death.
Ning Zhuo and Gu Huaijiu, collaborating, removed the Blood Fog Demon Seed from the bodies of the young boy and the dwarf.
Their Demon Seeds differed slightly.
"These are merely sub-Demon Seeds, not the Demon Seed Original Body. Perhaps in the next level, we will encounter the original body." Ning Zhuo speculated.
Gu Huaijiu whispered: "Demon Seed..."
"Do not covet the fruits from another mountain, knowing there is arsenic beneath the honey. The blood of predecessors’ crossroads is still hot, yet the bones of future fools grow cold. Cultivation is a reflection of one’s heart, external objects only serve as the mirror’s makeup. If you greedily take one shortcut step, you will become a new Demon Seed, reincarnation will obliterate the fragrance ahead, and the vast net of heaven will ensure justice prevails."
He sighed: "To be honest, there is a Demon Seed within me. My revenge relies heavily on this power!"
"Perhaps, the arrangement of the Evil Slaying Hall for this level has its purpose."
He bowed to Ning Zhuo again, expressing deep gratitude: "Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo, today’s cooperation with you deeply resonates with me. You might not believe this, but although we only met and collaborated for the first time, I trust Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo immensely."
"If someday, the Demon Seed within me wreaks havoc, threatening all beings, please lend your hand to help me achieve transcendence."
"All my relics will be your reward at that time!"
Ning Zhuo was surprised; he didn’t expect their first collaboration to lead to such a matter involving life and death entrusted by the other.
Without any hesitation, Ning Zhuo immediately returned the salute, expressing honor, agreeing directly, and suggesting finding a wonderful method to eliminate the Demon Seed for Gu Huaijiu and restore his own state.
Gu Huaijiu shook his head, a firm determination emerging on his face: "I must rely on the Demon Seed to fulfill my revenge. It is my means of survival, my dependence for vengeance."
"Even if it leads to my death, I accept it willingly!"
