nà mó zú nǚ zǐ huā róng shī sè ， yuán běn de xiāo zhāng bá hù ， yě wán quán bèi jīng hài suǒ dài tì le 。
那魔族女子huā容失色，原本的嚣张跋扈，也完全被惊骇所代替了。
That demoness's face paled, and her previously arrogant demeanor was replaced entirely by shock.
tā xiǎng yào duǒ ， rán ér běn mìng yuán zhū bèi pò ， hún shēn de fǎ lì yǐ suǒ shèng wú jǐ ， miàn duì yǎn qián xiōng měng de gōng jī ， tā shì huí tiān fá lì 。
她想要躲，然而本命元珠被破，浑身的法力已所剩无几，面对眼前凶猛的攻击，她是回天乏力。
She wanted to dodge, but with her life essence pearl broken, the remaining spiritual energy in her body was nearly depleted. Facing such a fierce attack, she had no means of turning the tide.
zhǐ néng yǎn kàn zhe nà liè yán guāng rèn cháo zhe zì jǐ dāng tóu là le xià qù 。
只能眼看着那烈炎光刃朝着自己当头落了下去。
The fiery light blade descended upon her head without any obstruction. At this moment, she was at her weakest, and the glaring red light split her body into two halves.
sī háo zǔ gé yě wú ， rú jīn tā zhèng shì zuì xū ruò de yī kè ， cì mù hóng máng yī shǎn ， nǚ zǐ qū tǐ zhòu rán bèi pī wèi le liǎng bàn 。
丝毫阻隔也无，如今她正是最虚弱的一刻，刺目红芒一闪，女子躯体骤然被劈为了两半。
No infant spirit emerged from within, but Lin Xuan still waved his right hand, causing a flag to flutter. A large number of flames surged out, engulfing the demon's remains and turning them into ashes.
méi yǒu shén me yuán yīng cóng lǐ miàn dùn chū ” bù guò lín xuān hái shì yòu shǒu yī wǔ ， fān qí huàng dòng ， dà liàng de huǒ yàn fēng yōng ér chū ， jiāng cǐ mó de cán qū bāo guǒ ， chè dǐ huà wéi huī jìn diào le 。
没有什么元婴从里面遁出”不过林轩还是右手一舞，幡旗晃动，大量的火焰蜂拥而出，将此魔的残躯包裹，彻底化为灰烬掉了。
Ahow!
áo ！
嗷！
The deafening roar echoed in his ears, creating massive waves on the sea surface. Thankfully, there were no fish or shrimp nearby; otherwise, they would have died from the shock.
yī zhèn tiān dòng dì de páo xiāo shēng chuán rù ěr duǒ ， nà shēng yīn jù dà wú bǐ ， zài hǎi miàn shàng xiān qǐ le tāo tiān **， xìng hǎo fù jìn méi yǒu yú xiā lèi de shēng wù ， fǒu zé ， kěn dìng huì bào tǐ ér wáng de 。
一震天动地的咆哮声传入耳朵，那声音巨大无比，在海面上掀起了滔天**，幸好附近没有鱼虾类的生物，否则，肯定会爆体而亡的。
Lin Xuan slowly turned his head to see that the bald demon's face was filled with anger and fear. The hunter had become prey, and he never imagined his companion would be killed by the enemy.
lín xuān huǎn huǎn zhuǎn guò le tóu lú ， zhǐ jiàn nà guāng tóu mó zú de liǎn shàng mǎn shì jīng nù zhī sè ， liè rén biàn chéng le liè wù ， tā zuò mèng yě méi yǒu xiǎng dào tóng bàn huì sǐ zài dí rén de shǒu zhōng 。
林轩缓缓转过了头颅，只见那光头魔族的脸上满是惊怒之色，猎人变成了猎物，他做梦也没有想到同伴会死在敌人的手中。
Was this a mistake? After all, ancient demons were generally stronger than same-stage cultivators... This opponent was only at the initial stage of Cave Profound...
yǒu méi yǒu gǎo cuò ， yào zhī dào gǔ mó yǔ tóng jiē xiū shì xiāng bǐ ， yì bān dū huì qiáng shàng yī xiē ” duì fāng bù guò qū qū dòng xuán chū qī ……
有没有搞错，要知道古魔与同阶修士相比，一般都会强上一些”对方不过区区洞玄初期……
Could it be that this guy was playing the fool to catch the big fish?
nán dào zhè jiā huo ， shì zài bàn zhū chī hǔ ？
难道这家伙，是在扮猪吃虎？
Even if an advanced ancient demon could not be defeated with just three or two punches, Lin Xuan's divine courage left him trembling. "Since you've come here, don't think about leaving," Lin Xuan said coldly.
kě jí biàn shì dòng xuán hòu qī de lǎo guài wù ， yě bù kě néng sān quán liǎng jiǎo jiù jiāng tā men miè chú 。
可即便是洞玄后期的老怪物，也不可能三拳两脚就将他们灭除。
"Stop bullying us..." The ancient demon's voice boomed, sounding fierce but revealing his inner fear.
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ” nà guāng tóu de gǔ mó xīn zhōng fàn qǐ yī gǔ hán yì ， tā yǔ dā dàng ” yě jiù shì nà mó nǚ de shí lì bù guò shì bó zhòng zhī jiān ér yǐ ， duì fāng néng gòu jiāng tóng bàn miè chú ， nán dào zì jǐ hái tǎo dé le hǎo me ？
想到这里”那光头的古魔心中泛起一股寒意，他与搭档”也就是那魔女的实力不过是伯仲之间而已，对方能够将同伴灭除，难道自己还讨得了好么？
"How do you bully me?" Lin Xuan replied coldly. He then waved his sleeves and revealed another treasure, causing the ancient demon to be both surprised and angry, but he had no choice but to fight back.
zhè ge dào lǐ shì hěn jiǎn dān de 。
这个道理是很简单的。
Blinding light and explosions filled the air as various beams of light pierced through...
tā yǐ yǒu xīn tuì bì ” rán ér xiǎng zǒu ” bìng bú shì nà me róng yì dì ， lín xuān shén yǒng wú bǐ ， ràng gǔ mó jīng huāng shī cuò ， rán ér nà wèi hǔ luò píng yáng de shèng chéng zhī zhǔ ， què shì dà xǐ le 。
他已有心退避”然而想走”并不是那么容易地，林轩神勇无比，让古魔惊慌失措，然而那位虎落平阳的圣城之主，却是大喜了。
The strength of this ancient demon was only on par with that of the female demon. Facing Lin Xuan and the elder's combined efforts, he could not even muster a single counterattack; he was completely at a disadvantage and was killed after half an hour.
zhè me hǎo de jī huì ” qǐ néng ràng duì shǒu táo tuō ， dāng jí hún shēn shī qì dà zuò ” gè zhǒng hěn là de zhāo shù céng chū bù qióng ， ràng gǔ mó gēn běn jiù méi yǒu jī huì chōu shēn lí kāi cǐ chù 。
这么好的机会”岂能让对手逃脱，当即浑身尸气大做”各种狠辣的招数层出不穷，让古魔根本就没有机会抽身离开此处。
Even his infant spirit did not escape, being directly incinerated by the corpse fire.
cǐ mó nù xiào lián lián ” rán ér miàn duì rú hǎi cháo nù tāo yì bān de gōng jī ， tā yě shì wú nài yǐ jí ， yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī jué jué zhī yì 。
此魔怒啸连连”然而面对如海潮怒涛一般的攻击，他也是无奈以极，眼中闪过一丝决绝之意。
"Thank you for your assistance. If it weren't for you, I might have fallen victim to these two demons," said the city lord as he retracted his corpse aura and transformed back into an old man wearing a headcloth. He bowed to Lin Xuan with gratitude in his eyes but fear in his heart. This young man's strength was too formidable; if he were at full power, he would not be afraid, but now...
zhè shí hòu ” jiù xū yào zhuàng shì duàn wàn de yǒng qì 。
这时候”就需要壮士断腕的勇气。
Initially, the old man did not take Lin Xuan seriously, but after their positions reversed, if this opponent wanted to turn against him and kill him...
zhǐ tīng tā yī shēng dà hē ， jū rán jiāng bèi shàng de liǎng tiáo mó bì zhǎn xià lái le ， suí hòu hēi máng yī shǎn ， nà liǎng tiáo mó bì ， yī biàn chéng le lǎo hǔ ， yī biàn chéng le dú shé ， è hěn hěn xiàng zhe lǎo zhě pū guò qù le 。
只听他一声大喝，居然将背上的两条魔臂斩下来了，随后黑芒一闪，那两条魔臂，一变成了老虎，一变成了毒蛇，恶狠狠向着老者扑过去了。
The old man felt extremely uneasy as he assessed his situation. He realized that he had no means of defending himself or escaping.
hàn bù wèi sǐ ， nà wèi shèng chéng zhī zhǔ yě zhǐ hǎo pí yú yìng fù 。
悍不畏死，那位圣城之主也只好疲于应付。
"Friend, there's no need for such formalities. Those two ancient demons sought their own demise; I did what was necessary to protect myself," Lin Xuan waved his hand dismissively. His words were humble but accurate.
guāng tóu gǔ mó jiàn le ” liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī xǐ sè ， shēn xíng shǎn dòng ， cóng yuán dì xiāo shī dé wú yǐng wú zōng 。
光头古魔见了”脸上闪过一丝喜色，身形闪动，从原地消失得无影无踪。
Hearing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. At least Lin Xuan had no malicious intentions.
shùn yí shén tōng ！
瞬移神通！
"Are you the city lord?" Lin Xuan asked calmly.
bié de fǎ shù zàn qiě bù tí ， duì yú dùn shù ， cǐ mó hái shì pǒ yǒu jǐ fēn zì xìn de ， zhǐ yào tuō lí le zhàn jú ， tā yǒu hěn dà bǎ wò néng gòu táo tuō 。
别的法术暂且不提，对于遁术，此魔还是颇有几分自信的，只要脱离了战局，他有很大把握能够逃脱。
"Yes, I apologize for any inconvenience caused."
rán ér xuě bái de guāng rèn yī shǎn ， cǐ mó què yòu diē diē zhuàng zhuàng de chū lái ” lín xuān bù zhī hé shí ， yǐ jīng dǎng zài le shēn qián ， shǒu zhōng chí zhe yī bǐng zào xíng gǔ piáo de zhǎng gē ， gāng gāng de tā de shùn yí mì shù ， jiù shì bèi cǐ bǎo pò chú 。
然而雪白的光刃一闪，此魔却又跌跌撞撞的出来”林轩不知何时，已经挡在了身前，手中持着一柄造型古朴的长戈，刚刚的他的瞬移秘术，就是被此宝破除。
The old man forced a smile; he had already revealed his identity to the two ancient demons earlier and could not deny it now.
cǐ mó de liǎn sè ， dùn shí yīn chén dào jí chù 。
此魔的脸色，顿时阴沉到极处。
"So, did something happen in your city that has anything to do with those demon creatures from other worlds?"
“ jì rán lái le ， jiù bú yào xiǎng lí kāi cǐ chù 。”， lín xuān lěng lěng de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， gāng gāng zhè huà duì fāng céng jīng shuō guò ， tā xiàn zài bù guò shì fèng huán gěi duì zé bà le 。
“既然来了，就不要想离开此处。”，林轩冷冷的声音传入耳朵，刚刚这话对方曾经说过，他现在不过是奉还给对责罢了。
Lin Xuan was not out of curiosity but wanted more information, which would be beneficial for him as he traveled through the cultivation world.
“ nǐ men bú yào qī rén tài shèn le ……”， gǔ mó hōng lōng lóng de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， kàn shì xiōng bào yǐ jí ， qí shí què àn hán sè lì nèi rěn zhī yì 。
“你们不要欺人太甚了……”，古魔轰隆隆的声音传入耳朵，看似凶暴以极，其实却暗含色厉内荏之意。
"Since you saved me, there's nothing I can hide. As expected, the current city lord is an ancient demon from another world, and I am now a homeless dog..."
“ qī nǐ yòu rú hé ？”， lín xuān lěng lěng de shuō ， suí hòu xiù páo yī fú ” yòu jiāng yī jiàn bǎo wù jì chū ， gǔ mó yòu jīng yòu nù ， dàn yě zhǐ hǎo yìng zhe tóu pí jiē zhàn le 。
“欺你又如何？”，林轩冷冷的说，随后袖袍一拂”又将一件宝物祭出，古魔又惊又怒，但也只好硬着头皮接战了。
The old man sighed and recounted the events that had transpired in his city. In essence, it was not surprising; he was originally a cultivator of the Confucian school who stumbled upon an ancient demonic technique by chance. The technique was incredibly powerful and promised to help him break through to the Spirit Cultivation stage.
yī shí jiān ” lì máng dà qǐ ， bào liè shēng chuán rù ěr duǒ ， gè zhǒng guāng huá chuān kōng ér guò ……
一时间”厉芒大起，爆裂声传入耳朵，各种光华穿空而过……
The current city lord was at the advanced stage of Cave Profound, but his cultivation had stagnated for thousands of years. Breaking through to the Spirit Cultivation stage was his greatest wish.
cǐ mó de shí lì ， yǔ nà nǚ mó bù guò shì bó zhòng zhī jiān ér yǐ ， miàn duì lín xuān yǔ lǎo zhě de lián shǒu ， zì rán shì sī háo huán shǒu zhī lì yě wú ” zuǒ zhī yòu chù ， wán quán chǔ yú xià fēng ， jǐn jiān chí le xiǎo bàn zhǎn chá de gōng fu ， jiù bèi miè shā diào le 。
此魔的实力，与那女魔不过是伯仲之间而已，面对林轩与老者的联手，自然是丝毫还手之力也无”左支右绌，完全处于下风，仅坚持了小半盏茶的功夫，就被灭杀掉了。
He could not afford to miss such an opportunity, and with his extensive knowledge, he recognized that this demonic technique was indeed a treasure.
yuán yīng yě méi néng pǎo tuō ， zhí jiē bèi shī huǒ huà wèi le xū wú 。
元婴也没能跑脱，直接被尸火化为了虚无。
So, he began practicing...
“ duō xiè dào yǒu xiāng zhù ， jīn tiān ruò bú shì dào yǒu ， zhǐ yǒu lǎo xiǔ yí gè ， yě xǔ huì zāo liǎng mó de dú shǒu 。” dí rén miè chú yǐ hòu ， shèng chéng zhī zhǔ hún shēn shī qì yī liǎn ” bái guāng shǎn guò ， yòu huī fù chéng nà tóu dài fāng jīn de lǎo zhě xíng xiàng le 。
“多谢道友相助，今天若不是道友，只有老朽一个，也许会遭两魔的毒手。”敌人灭除以后，圣城之主浑身尸气一敛”白光闪过，又恢复成那头戴方巾的老者形象了。
Although it was challenging at his level, the effort was worth it compared to the benefits gained. His cultivation progressed smoothly until near the breakthrough stage, where he needed a special ritual involving summoning the soul of an ancient demon from another world.
chōng zhe lín xuān bào quán xíng le yī lǐ ” liǎn shàng mǎn shì gǎn jī ” rán ér móu dǐ shēn chù ， què míng xiǎn dài zhe jù yì ， zhè xiǎo zi de shí lì ， wèi miǎn yě tài qiáng le xiē ， rú guǒ zì jǐ quán shèng zhī shí ， zì rán bù pà ， bù guò xiàn zài me ……
冲着林轩抱拳行了一礼”脸上满是感激”然而眸底深处，却明显带着惧意，这小子的实力，未免也太强了些，如果自己全盛之时，自然不怕，不过现在么……
The old man did not doubt this; in his previous practice, although he followed Confucian techniques, he had heard that powerful demonic cultivators required the presence of actual ancient demons to enhance their cultivation.
yuán běn tā hái bù jiāng lín xuān fàng zài yǎn zhōng ， bù guò rú jīn qiáng ruò dào zhì ， duì fāng ruò shì xiǎng yào fān liǎn miè shā zì jǐ ……
原本他还不将林轩放在眼中，不过如今强弱倒置，对方若是想要翻脸灭杀自己……
And the more powerful the ancient demon, the rarer and more valuable the technique...
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ” lǎo zhě xīn zhōng tǎn tè yǐ jí ， tā héng liáng guò ， zì jǐ hái zhēn méi yǒu shén me huán shǒu zhī lì ， táo zǒu de xī wàng yě shì bù dà dì 。
想到这里”老者心中忐忑以极，他衡量过，自己还真没有什么还手之力，逃走的希望也是不大地。
This was not unusual. After practicing the demonic technique, the long-standing bottleneck finally broke, leaving him just one step away from Spirit Cultivation stage.
“ dào yǒu wú xū rú cǐ duō lǐ ， nà liǎng gǔ mó ， zì jǐ zhǎo sǐ ， lín mǒu zhè me zuò ， yě shì wèi le zì bǎo bà le 。” lín xuān bǎi le bǎi shǒu ， tā suǒ shuō de ， suī yǒu jǐ fēn qiān xū ， dàn yǔ shì shí ， yě shì dà zhì méi cuò dì 。
“道友无需如此多礼，那两古魔，自己找死，林某这么做，也是为了自保罢了。”林轩摆了摆手，他所说的，虽有几分谦虚，但与事实，也是大致没错地。
Overjoyed, he had no reason to doubt it and continued his arduous cultivation.
tīng lín xuān zhè yàng shuō ， lǎo zhě dà sōng le yì kǒu qì ， zhì shǎo duì fāng biǎo miàn shàng ， méi yǒu shén me è yì 。
听林轩这样说，老者大松了一口气，至少对方表面上，没有什么恶意。
The old man sighed, his face twisted in regret as he spoke with extreme bitterness: "I thought I was lucky. After all, the technique was a stroke of luck, but at great cost. Little did I know, this was a trap."
“ gé xià shì shèng chéng zhī zhǔ ？”， lín xuān huǎn huǎn de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， yòu jǐn jiē zhe kāi kǒu le 。
“阁下是圣城之主？”，林轩缓缓的声音传入耳朵，又紧接着开口了。
"Trap?" Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, showing deep contemplation.
“ bù cuò ， zhēn shì ràng dào yǒu jiàn xiào le 。”
“不错，真是让道友见笑了。”
"You are correct; I deeply regret my actions. This so-called powerful technique is nothing more than a scheme by ancient demons from another world to invade our spirit realm," the old man explained.
lǎo zhě liǎn shàng lù chū yī sī kǔ xiào zhī sè ， tā de shēn fèn ， gāng gāng liǎng gè gǔ mó jiù yǐ rán diǎn ， pò ， zhè shí hòu zài fǒu rèn ， nà shì yì diǎn yì yì yě wú 。
老者脸上露出一丝苦笑之色，他的身份，刚刚两个古魔就已然点，破，这时候再否认，那是一点意义也无。
"Oh? That's interesting," Lin Xuan became more intrigued: "Please explain in detail."
“ zhè me shuō ” shèng chéng fā shēng le yī xiē biàn gù ， yǔ nà xiē yì jiè yāo mó yǒu shén me guān xì me ？”
“这么说”圣城发生了一些变故，与那些异界妖魔有什么关系么？”
"This technique was indeed beneficial at first, but when it came time to break through the bottleneck, the summoned soul was not that of an actual ancient demon. Instead, a practitioner's soul was used as bait to summon the demon spirit here..."
lín xuān bìng bú shì hán yǒu shén me bā guà de xīn lǐ ， ér shì duō liǎo jiě yì diǎn xiāo xī ， duì tā zài xiū xiān jiè xíng zǒu shì zhǐ yǒu hǎo chù dì 。
林轩并不是含有什么八卦的心理，而是多了解一点消息，对他在修仙界行走是只有好处地。
After hearing the detailed explanation, Lin Xuan finally understood the demons' deception. It was well-known that there were powerful inter-dimensional barriers between the spirit realm and the demonic world, far more formidable than those within the spirit realm.
“ dào yǒu jì rán jiù le lǎo xiǔ ， nà duì nǐ yě méi yǒu shén me hǎo yǐn mán le ， xiǎng bì gé xià yě cāi dào le ” bù cuò ， rú jīn de shèng chéng zhī zhǔ ” yǐ shì lái zì yì jiè de gǔ mó ， ér wǒ ， què zuò le sàng jiā zhī quǎn le ……”
“道友既然救了老朽，那对你也没有什么好隐瞒了，想必阁下也猜到了”不错，如今的圣城之主”已是来自异界的古魔，而我，却做了丧家之犬了……”
Even a Transcendence cultivator would struggle to cross over easily, let alone ordinary ancient demons. However, for some reason, they had devised this trap using the technique as bait.
lǎo yǎn tàn le kǒu qì ， jiǎng chū le fā shēng zài shèng chéng de biàn gù ， shuō chuān le qí shí yě méi yǒu shén me xī qí ” cǐ rén běn shì rú jiā de xiū xiān zhě ， jī yuán qiǎo hé ， què dé dào le yī shàng gǔ mó gōng ， wēi lì dà dé chū qí ， xiū liàn hòu shèn zhì yǒu kě néng tū pò jìng jiè ， mài rù fēn shén qī 。
老奄叹了口气，讲出了发生在圣城的变故，说穿了其实也没有什么稀奇”此人本是儒家的修仙者，机缘巧合，却得到了一上古魔功，威力大得出奇，修炼后甚至有可能突破境界，迈入分神期。
It was unclear who invented it in the demon realm but managed to deceive everyone.
zhè wèi shèng chéng zhī zhǔ ” běn shì dòng xuán hòu qī de xiū xiān zhě ” kě jìn wàn nián lái ， xiū wèi què méi néng jìn zhǎn yī bù ， jìn jiē fēn shén kě yǐ shuō shì tā zuì dà de yuàn wàng le 。
这位圣城之主”本是洞玄后期的修仙者”可近万年来，修为却没能进展一步，进阶分神可以说是他最大的愿望了。
Using the power of the practitioner, the demon spirit could be summoned here.
zhè yàng de hǎo shì ， qǐ yǒu cuò guò de dào lǐ ， ér yǐ tā jiàn shí guǎng bó ， yě kàn chū cǐ mó gōng què rán shì yī liǎo bù qǐ de bǎo wù 。
这样的好事，岂有错过的道理，而以他见识广博，也看出此魔功确然是一了不起的宝物。
However, only the soul of an ancient demon arrived, not its physical form. Thus, the practitioner became a target for possession.
yú shì jiù kāi shǐ xiū liàn le ……
于是就开始修炼了……
The city lord, thinking he had found treasure, stepped into the trap and became a tragic figure.
suī rán shí lì dào le tā nà ge dì bù ” gēng huàn zhǔ xiū gōng fǎ yǒu diǎn má fán ， dàn yě bù guò shì duō yī fān xīn kǔ ， yǔ néng dé dào de hǎo chù xiāng bǐ ， zhe shí bù zhí yī tí 。
虽然实力到了他那个地步”更换主修功法有点麻烦，但也不过是多一番辛苦，与能得到的好处相比，着实不值一提。
His soul was stronger than his body, which had unknowingly been corrupted by demonic influence during practice. With unfavorable conditions, he faced a crisis in the struggle to possess his body.
qián miàn de xiū xíng hái suàn shùn lì ， xiū liàn dào hòu miàn ， tè bié shì lín jìn chōng jī píng jǐng de shí hòu ， què xū yào tè shū de yí shì ， qǐng lái yì jiè gǔ mó de mó qì fù tǐ 。
前面的修行还算顺利，修炼到后面，特别是临近冲击瓶颈的时候，却需要特殊的仪式，请来异界古魔的魔气附体。
Seeing no other option, the city lord abandoned his body and escaped, while the demon took over his position.
zhè wèi shèng chéng zhī zhǔ yě méi yǒu huái yí ” yǐ qián tā suǒ xiū liàn de gōng fǎ ， suī shì rú jiā yī mài ， dàn yě tīng shuō nà xiē mó dào de dà néng zhī shì ” xiū liàn gāo shēn mó gōng zhī shí ， què shí xū yào yì jiè yǒu míng yǒu xìng de gǔ mó mó qì fù tǐ 。
这位圣城之主也没有怀疑”以前他所修炼的功法，虽是儒家一脉，但也听说那些魔道的大能之士”修炼高深魔功之时，确实需要异界有名有姓的古魔魔气附体。
"So, this current city lord is an ancient demon?" Lin Xuan was shocked after hearing these events. The demons from other worlds must have had some ulterior motive. Was this demonic technique exclusive to the Eastern Sea cultivation world or had they set traps in other parts of the spirit realm?
ér qiě gǔ mó yuè lì hài ， qí gōng fǎ yě jiù yuè zhēn xī 。
而且古魔越厉害，其功法也就越珍稀。
What did they intend to achieve by doing so? Were they trying to stir up conflict between the two realms?
zhè sī háo yě bù xī qí 。
这丝毫也不稀奇。
In ancient times, apart from the Asura King leading his ghostly forces to massacre the spirit realm, the demons also engaged in similar activities. Even conflicts between the demon realm and the ghost realm were common.
hé kuàng xiū liàn cǐ mó gōng yǐ hòu ， kùn rǎo tā duō nián de píng jǐng guǒ rán tū pò ， zhǐ chà yī bù jiù kě yǐ jìn jiē dào fēn shén qī le 。
何况修炼此魔功以后，困扰他多年的瓶颈果然突破，只差一步就可以进阶到分神期了。
"That's not right. You said there was only one ancient demon who possessed you, an advanced stage Cave Profound cultivator. What about those two ancient demons earlier?"
tā xīn xǐ zhī yú ， nà lǐ hái yǒu shén me huái yí ， zì rán shì gèng jiā qín fèn de kǔ xiū le xià qù ……
他欣喜之余，那里还有什么怀疑，自然是更加勤奋的苦修了下去……
"There's nothing strange here; if this demon impersonated me, it could easily pass off the demonic technique to other elders in the city," Lin Xuan concluded.
That demoness's face paled, and her previously arrogant demeanor was replaced entirely by shock.
She wanted to dodge, but with her life essence pearl broken, the remaining spiritual energy in her body was nearly depleted. Facing such a fierce attack, she had no means of turning the tide.
The fiery light blade descended upon her head without any obstruction. At this moment, she was at her weakest, and the glaring red light split her body into two halves.
No infant spirit emerged from within, but Lin Xuan still waved his right hand, causing a flag to flutter. A large number of flames surged out, engulfing the demon's remains and turning them into ashes.
Ahow!
The deafening roar echoed in his ears, creating massive waves on the sea surface. Thankfully, there were no fish or shrimp nearby; otherwise, they would have died from the shock.
Lin Xuan slowly turned his head to see that the bald demon's face was filled with anger and fear. The hunter had become prey, and he never imagined his companion would be killed by the enemy.
Was this a mistake? After all, ancient demons were generally stronger than same-stage cultivators... This opponent was only at the initial stage of Cave Profound...
Could it be that this guy was playing the fool to catch the big fish?
Even if an advanced ancient demon could not be defeated with just three or two punches, Lin Xuan's divine courage left him trembling. "Since you've come here, don't think about leaving," Lin Xuan said coldly.
"Stop bullying us..." The ancient demon's voice boomed, sounding fierce but revealing his inner fear.
"How do you bully me?" Lin Xuan replied coldly. He then waved his sleeves and revealed another treasure, causing the ancient demon to be both surprised and angry, but he had no choice but to fight back.
Blinding light and explosions filled the air as various beams of light pierced through...
The strength of this ancient demon was only on par with that of the female demon. Facing Lin Xuan and the elder's combined efforts, he could not even muster a single counterattack; he was completely at a disadvantage and was killed after half an hour.
Even his infant spirit did not escape, being directly incinerated by the corpse fire.
"Thank you for your assistance. If it weren't for you, I might have fallen victim to these two demons," said the city lord as he retracted his corpse aura and transformed back into an old man wearing a headcloth. He bowed to Lin Xuan with gratitude in his eyes but fear in his heart. This young man's strength was too formidable; if he were at full power, he would not be afraid, but now...
Initially, the old man did not take Lin Xuan seriously, but after their positions reversed, if this opponent wanted to turn against him and kill him...
The old man felt extremely uneasy as he assessed his situation. He realized that he had no means of defending himself or escaping.
"Friend, there's no need for such formalities. Those two ancient demons sought their own demise; I did what was necessary to protect myself," Lin Xuan waved his hand dismissively. His words were humble but accurate.
Hearing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. At least Lin Xuan had no malicious intentions.
"Are you the city lord?" Lin Xuan asked calmly.
"Yes, I apologize for any inconvenience caused."
The old man forced a smile; he had already revealed his identity to the two ancient demons earlier and could not deny it now.
"So, did something happen in your city that has anything to do with those demon creatures from other worlds?"
Lin Xuan was not out of curiosity but wanted more information, which would be beneficial for him as he traveled through the cultivation world.
"Since you saved me, there's nothing I can hide. As expected, the current city lord is an ancient demon from another world, and I am now a homeless dog..."
The old man sighed and recounted the events that had transpired in his city. In essence, it was not surprising; he was originally a cultivator of the Confucian school who stumbled upon an ancient demonic technique by chance. The technique was incredibly powerful and promised to help him break through to the Spirit Cultivation stage.
The current city lord was at the advanced stage of Cave Profound, but his cultivation had stagnated for thousands of years. Breaking through to the Spirit Cultivation stage was his greatest wish.
He could not afford to miss such an opportunity, and with his extensive knowledge, he recognized that this demonic technique was indeed a treasure.
So, he began practicing...
Although it was challenging at his level, the effort was worth it compared to the benefits gained. His cultivation progressed smoothly until near the breakthrough stage, where he needed a special ritual involving summoning the soul of an ancient demon from another world.
The old man did not doubt this; in his previous practice, although he followed Confucian techniques, he had heard that powerful demonic cultivators required the presence of actual ancient demons to enhance their cultivation.
And the more powerful the ancient demon, the rarer and more valuable the technique...
This was not unusual. After practicing the demonic technique, the long-standing bottleneck finally broke, leaving him just one step away from Spirit Cultivation stage.
Overjoyed, he had no reason to doubt it and continued his arduous cultivation.
The old man sighed, his face twisted in regret as he spoke with extreme bitterness: "I thought I was lucky. After all, the technique was a stroke of luck, but at great cost. Little did I know, this was a trap."
"Trap?" Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, showing deep contemplation.
"You are correct; I deeply regret my actions. This so-called powerful technique is nothing more than a scheme by ancient demons from another world to invade our spirit realm," the old man explained.
"Oh? That's interesting," Lin Xuan became more intrigued: "Please explain in detail."
"This technique was indeed beneficial at first, but when it came time to break through the bottleneck, the summoned soul was not that of an actual ancient demon. Instead, a practitioner's soul was used as bait to summon the demon spirit here..."
After hearing the detailed explanation, Lin Xuan finally understood the demons' deception. It was well-known that there were powerful inter-dimensional barriers between the spirit realm and the demonic world, far more formidable than those within the spirit realm.
Even a Transcendence cultivator would struggle to cross over easily, let alone ordinary ancient demons. However, for some reason, they had devised this trap using the technique as bait.
It was unclear who invented it in the demon realm but managed to deceive everyone.
Using the power of the practitioner, the demon spirit could be summoned here.
However, only the soul of an ancient demon arrived, not its physical form. Thus, the practitioner became a target for possession.
The city lord, thinking he had found treasure, stepped into the trap and became a tragic figure.
His soul was stronger than his body, which had unknowingly been corrupted by demonic influence during practice. With unfavorable conditions, he faced a crisis in the struggle to possess his body.
Seeing no other option, the city lord abandoned his body and escaped, while the demon took over his position.
"So, this current city lord is an ancient demon?" Lin Xuan was shocked after hearing these events. The demons from other worlds must have had some ulterior motive. Was this demonic technique exclusive to the Eastern Sea cultivation world or had they set traps in other parts of the spirit realm?
What did they intend to achieve by doing so? Were they trying to stir up conflict between the two realms?
In ancient times, apart from the Asura King leading his ghostly forces to massacre the spirit realm, the demons also engaged in similar activities. Even conflicts between the demon realm and the ghost realm were common.
"That's not right. You said there was only one ancient demon who possessed you, an advanced stage Cave Profound cultivator. What about those two ancient demons earlier?"
"There's nothing strange here; if this demon impersonated me, it could easily pass off the demonic technique to other elders in the city," Lin Xuan concluded.