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Chapter 700: Chapter 706: History
Now that he had chanced upon it, Li Zhirui remembered this matter and just happened to meet a cultivator who knew the inside story. Wasn’t this the best opportunity to resolve his doubts?
Although the other party was only at the Golden Core stage, being part of a major force like Xuanfa Pavilion, his sources of information might be even more extensive than Li Zhirui’s.
"Could it be that this demon-possessed cultivator holds some unknown secret?"
"This..." The shopkeeper hesitated. Although Xuanfa Pavilion did not have strict confidentiality requirements for this matter, it wasn’t something that could casually be disclosed to outsiders.
Feeling a stir in his heart, Li Zhirui took out several bottles of Spirit Pills from his storage ring and placed them into the other’s arms, saying, "I’m just curious. If there’s anything that can’t be said, then pretend I never asked."
"Eh, it’s actually not much." After secretly checking with his Divine Sense, he immediately set aside his hesitation.
You should know, the Spirit Pills carried by Li Zhirui are all of the finest quality, almost free of any impurities!
Even as a shopkeeper in charge of a State Domain, it was difficult for him to obtain Spirit Pills of such quality, good both for personal use and as gifts.
Seeing how generous Li Zhirui was, he also expected there might be further rewards after the fact.
"Please wait for a moment, senior. I will inform the headquarters first."
After speaking, he hurried off to a secret room and used the Transmission Talisman Array to send the news of more than a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators from Qing Xuan Sect falling into demonhood back to the headquarters. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
"Are you sure the news is authentic?" People at the headquarters were indeed excited, but they confirmed repeatedly for the sake of caution.
"The Li family recorded the entire process with a Memory Stone. Those three Qing Xuan Sect cultivators are also at the trade hall, and the Li family doesn’t have the nerve to fake it."
"Great! After the headquarters settles this matter, the reward will be sent over!"
"And what about the reward..."
The other side did not immediately reply, instead they turned off the talisman array. After a while, they activated it again, "You show him the Spiritual Item Catalog for fifth-order Spiritual Objects, and then calculate the share as one fifth-order and three fourth-order items. Let him choose first, and then tell the headquarters later. Once the matter is concluded, the Spiritual Objects will be sent over."
"Understood." The shopkeeper was overwhelmed by the value of a mere piece of news!
However, on second thought, if the Li family knew the function of the Demon Cultivators, it was uncertain whether or not they would have regrets.
Putting these thoughts aside, he hurried back to the elegant room where Li Zhirui was, with a smile on his face, he said, "I kept you waiting, senior."
"The headquarters has just discussed and came up with a decision, allowing senior to pick one fifth-order and three fourth-order Spiritual Objects. Would you like to take a look first?"
Li Zhirui was slightly surprised in his heart, the rewards were even more generous than he expected, but his face showed no sign as he smiled and shook his head, saying, "No rush, no rush. I am still waiting for my young friend to solve my doubts."
"I learned of it unwittingly, and if there is anything amiss in what I say, I hope senior will not blame me."
"Not at all." Saying this, he produced a few more bottles of Spirit Pills.
Having received such a generous gift, the shopkeeper no longer hesitated and spoke openly, "Senior is aware that, compared to the Demonic Tao, the Immortal Tao Methods emphasize moderation and steadiness, taking steady steps on a bright and main path!"
"Yet many cultivators are still bewitched by the expedited methods of the Demonic Tao and defect to the Demon Sect. At that time, the power of the Immortal Tao greatly diminished, and even the central territories were largely seized by the Demon Cultivators."
Everyone knows there are drawbacks to the methods of the Demonic Tao, but when one’s own realm progress stagnates while Demon Cultivators become rapidly stronger, how many can resist this great temptation and hold on to their original convictions?
Therefore, during that dark era, the Immortal Tao could only shrink to protect itself, while the Demonic Tao flourished, for they didn’t need to painstakingly cultivate disciples. All they had to do was find ways to seduce cultivators into demonhood, and it would bolster their own ranks!
In order to reverse the situation, the Immortal Tao tried every possible method, but to no avail; at best, they could only delay their decline in strength.
It wasn’t until a prodigy with astonishing talent emerged that things began to change. To curb the continual corruption of cultivators into demonhood, he created a Secret Technique that could use the corrupted cultivators to resolve Karmic Force and causality!
Once it was confirmed that the method was indeed effective, the Immortal Tao decided to counterattack, capturing those who had turned to demonhood to dissolve Karmic Force and cause and effect.
Since there were fewer cultivators at that time, and many perished during the counterattack, eventually, the entire Immortal Tao was left untouched by any Karmic Force!
This had a tremendous advantage: whether cultivators were comprehending the Laws or breaking through Tribulation Transcendence, it was as if they were aided by the divine, and their strength, instead of diminishing, actually increased!
With the existence of the Secret Technique, cultivators no longer dared to entertain thoughts of turning to demonhood. Additionally, since the Demonic Tao rarely cultivated their own disciples and one demon cultivator after another was eliminated, the inherent flaws in the Demonic Tao’s legacy were immediately exposed.
After a protracted struggle, the Immortal Tao ultimately came to dominate in today’s world.
As time passed, this Secret Technique was no longer openly known, and even that period of history was obscured from common knowledge.
With the might of the Immortal Tao being so formidable, unless their lives were threatened, cultivators generally wouldn’t choose the path of demonhood. This was also why Xuanfa Pavilion was so generous upon receiving the news.
More than a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators, plus other lower-ranking cultivators turning to demonhood, could help Xuanfa Pavilion resolve a great amount of Divine Transformation Karmic Force.
Perhaps this opportunity would allow a few Divine Transformations to advance even further!
"I see!" After listening to the Shopkeeper’s explanation, Li Zhirui nodded in sudden understanding. No wonder the "Immortal Sect Code" specifically emphasized the necessity to report cultivators who turned to demonhood.
"Senior, don’t you feel it’s a pity?" The Shopkeeper, seeing his indifferent expression, asked curiously.
Li Zhirui shook his head and said, "There’s nothing to regret."
The Li family was not a match for the Qing Xuan Sect; they could not capture those Nascent Souls, nor did they know that Secret Technique. What was there for him to regret?
A Fifth-order Spiritual Object, as well as Third and Fourth-order Spiritual Objects—such rich rewards were already beyond his expectations.
However, if the opportunity arose, Li Zhirui would also like to get his hands on that Secret Technique. It might be unnecessary now, but that didn’t mean it would be forever.
"Senior has a good disposition!"
The Shopkeeper praised, then continued, "Would the senior like to select his Spiritual Objects now?"
"Yes," Li Zhirui said, suppressing his previous thoughts and showing anticipation.
He took out three Jade Slips, one of which was surrounded by Spirit Light and sealed with restrictions; only with his own Jade Token could he unlock it.
"Senior Li, this Jade Slip contains items that are extremely rare—some of them we have only one in stock. The other two are more common Spiritual Objects."
"Your commercial association undoubtedly has a profound heritage, a legacy of a thousand years that ordinary forces cannot match!" Li Zhirui exclaimed sincerely from the bottom of his heart.
Perhaps in the eyes of many cultivators, the Wanxiang Sect, Heaven Deviation Sect, and Sword Sect were the strongest forces in the Eastern Domain, but he believed that Xuanfa Pavilion could definitely compete with them!
