Starting Cultivation During a Trip

Chapter 316: Chapter 176: Heaven and Earth Stealing Fortune vs. Divine Demon Holy Embryo! Samadhi True Flame

Southern Yunnan Desperate Realm, Ailao Mountain.

Boundless black clouds press against the bright moon, the biting mountain wind chills to the bone.

The vast, rolling mountains lie upon the earth like slumbering dragons; deep within the dense forest, strange flashes of flame flicker, accompanied by unknown, piercing screeches. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The world says, after the founding of the nation, no one is allowed to transform into a demon—even spirit monsters rarely achieve cultivation. But that is in the mortal, mundane world.

Places like Ailao Mountain, Changbai Mountain, Kunlun Mountain, and the Eight Hundred Li Qinling remain untouched by such restrictions; here, demonic ghosts may arise, spirit monsters may cultivate... Yet these lands cannot be traversed without mysterious fortune, nor can one linger long without a fate beloved by Heaven and Earth.

To become a demon here means to become a Great Demon of the ages.

At that moment, before the mouth of an ancient cave, firelight glimmered as withered wood cracked and popped amidst the dancing flames.

Two figures sat by the campfire; strong liquor in a jug boiled, releasing an intoxicating fragrance.

"Big Brother Zong, this old cat is really too hard to invite. It won’t even give you any face."

The burly man with a deep scar carved into his face gnawed on a cut of unidentifiable roasted meat, spitting in annoyance. He was none other than Yin Mountain Ghost King, Xiong Sanqi.

"It is no ordinary demon; nearly three centuries of cultivation." The gaunt figure bowed his head, murmuring softly.

Demons are born from the possession by spirit monsters, subverting cosmic order; their tribulations far surpass those of ordinary cultivators. To survive for more than three hundred years is rare indeed—worthy of being called an Old Demon.

Eighty years ago, after the Daoist Sect’s great tribulation, nearly all demons beyond three centuries perished. Now, the only remainders are a select few: the Cang Yuan of Laojun Mountain, the Bai He of White Crane Temple, the ancient turtle of Zhenwu Mountain...

"But this old cat is truly formidable, vanishing without a trace. Even you, Big Brother Zong, can’t find its tracks," said Xiong Sanqi.

"All things engender mutual opposition—when one is strong, there must exist another to check it... In this Ailao Mountain, there is something it dreads."

"Big Brother Zong, why are we spending so much effort tracking down this old cat?" Xiong Sanqi pressed on.

"I seek it to oppose the one from Wuwei Sect..."

He stopped short, words cut off. The spirit who sat by the flames suddenly shuddered, then shot upright as a violent surge burst forth from within, shattering the fire and making the dark clouds tremble in terror.

"Big Brother Zong, what’s going on?"

Xiong Sanqi’s expression changed drastically; he sensed that the black-night-everlasting Primordial Spirit was about to emerge. The oppressive aura leaking forth made him feel as if a mountain was collapsing before him—he wished instinctively to flee.

"Where there is creation, there too must be destruction... Divine Demon Holy Embryo... he is about to emerge..."

Beneath the looming darkness, by the dying fire, Zhang Lingzong gazed distantly to the east. His eyes were deep; he mumbled to himself.

...

Rumble, rumble...

Dongshan Province, Qilu City.

Above Luoxia Mountain, deafening peals of muffled thunder rolled, heralding an imminent storm.

At this hour, the vast Infinite Hall resembled a sealed cauldron at high pressure; an overwhelming force bore down on all present, making their bodies tremble uncontrollably, their Primordial Spirits growing wild and ungovernable.

Before countless trembling gazes, a newborn Primordial Spirit slowly returned to inhabit Zhang Fan’s fleshly form.

In that instant, his body seemed revitalized, reborn—utterly transformed and unlike before.

Zhang Fan’s eyelids fluttered; his eyes flashed like lightning, yet all his vital aura was hidden deep within.

"Bro—Brother Fan!?"

The Liu Brothers stared, stunned. Gazing at Zhang Fan, it was as if he were a stranger—a primal fear gripped their hearts. Yet, curiously, they could sense no trace of Zhang Fan’s aura.

Standing before them, he seemed an utterly ordinary man.

At that moment, all perceived something amiss.

"Li Changgeng, long time no see."

Zhang Fan spoke softly; his calm eyes fell upon Li Changgeng—no hatred as deep as the sea, no irreconcilable enmity, only the manner of reuniting with an old friend.

Zhang Fan’s remark was strange, as though the one who had just confronted Li Changgeng was not him, and yet was him all the same.

"Through fire and trial, meeting again—I am me, and yet not."

Li Changgeng replied gravely. For the first time, his usually tranquil heart showed a ripple as his gaze lingered on Zhang Fan.

"Worthy of the Divine Demon Holy Embryo."

"Now the greetings are done—go and die." Zhang Fan’s mouth curled up in a gentle smile.

Rumble, rumble...

As his words faded, the ground beneath Zhang Fan exploded; in an instant, he appeared before Li Changgeng.

"Fire Dragon Pill Sword!"

A dragon’s roar split the air—a sword call pierced the heavens. Crimson True Flame twisted like an evil dragon, surging and recoiling like sword-light. Its terrifying power was several times what had erupted before.

"My god... that’s the Fire Dragon Pill Sword!?"

Onlookers were horror-struck. The cavernous Infinite Hall was nearly drowned in waves of flame—their hair, their skin withered at a speed visible to the eye. Even the True Yang within their bodies roared to a boil, as if the searing True Flame would cook them alive.

"Seize the Position!"

Without moving, Li Changgeng uttered softly. Immediately, the raging inferno vanished without a trace.

The overbearing spirit of Heaven and Earth Stealing Fortune resurfaced.

Buzz—

In that exact moment, within the ashes of extinction, a torrent of True Flame surged forth like a dragon’s rebirth from nirvana, reigniting from the remnants and barreling toward Li Changgeng’s head.

"Heaven and Earth Stealing Fortune failed?" the crowd gasped in fear.

"No... it didn’t fail..."

In Daoist magical combat, at root, it is a battle of Primordial Spirits.

Now, Zhang Fan’s Primordial Spirit was wholly integrated—peerless in the world, Divine Demon Holy Embryo, vast as endless black heaven, eternal night.

Even with supreme might to seize by force, when the black sky is boundless, how can one seize it all?