Chapter 84: Have You Fallen into Demonic Cultivation?

Chapter 84: Have You Fallen into Demonic Cultivation?

With his other hand, he swept He Ci up and teleported rapidly across the snow.

But Shen Lian noticed that the black cloud behind them was still giving chase. "What is that thing?"

Yan Huaixuan's voice was grim. "Fu Lan."

"Fu Lan? Who is that?"

Shen Lian was confused, but He Ci's face had already gone pale. "Are you saying that's the Demon Lord?"

Shen Lian paused. He had roamed the fringes of the demon realm before, so he knew the hierarchy of the demon race.

A Bone Dragon Lord like the one earlier ruled at most a small sect's territory, while a Demon Lord ruled over the territories of nearly ten lords.

To become a Demon Lord, you had to be at least an Earth Immortal.

That's when Shen Lian remembered who Fu Lan was. Fu Lan had been an Earth Immortal for thousands of years but had never managed to break through to the True Immortal realm. Seeing his lifespan about to run out, he simply seized his own son's body.

But possession wasn't enough—he went on to refine his remaining children. He had indeed forcibly extended his life, but those children's souls had haunted him ever since, and when he attempted to break through, they transformed into heart demons.

He suffered backlash and degenerated into a half-demon, half-beast creature.

And sure enough, when Shen Lian turned his head, he saw the man floating in midair. His face was aged, and from his chest, shoulders, and back grew seven or eight heads—all of them wailing, twisting, and full of resentment.

Fu Lan's eyes were blood-red as he let out a cold, sinister laugh. "A barren land like this—it's been a long time since cultivators came through. Where do you think you're running off to?"

As he spoke, he vanished and reappeared before Yan Huaixuan and the other two.

This was way beyond what Shen Lian and He Ci could handle.

Yan Huaixuan looked at Shen Lian. "You two go first. I'll hold him off."

Shen Lian looked away and instinctively retorted, "No."

Yan Huaixuan gently ruffled his hair. "Don't worry. I'm at the True Immortal realm now."

But Shen Lian still felt something was off. "But I saw your meridians were out of whack last night—something else was blocking your qi."

"It's already healed," Yan Huaixuan said, gently pushing him back. "Leave first. I'll come find you."

Shen Lian was sent off, with He Ci pulling him along. He Ci grabbed Shen Lian's shoulder. "A Lian, we're nowhere near an Earth Immortal's level. Staying here only means being reduced to ashes."

"Staying here is just holding him back. If we leave first, he can fight without having to worry about us. I'm not saying this to save my own skin—but right now, staying here makes us nothing but a burden."

Shen Lian knew He Ci was right. If they stayed, Yan Huaixuan would have to split his focus to protect them.

Shen Lian pursed his lips. "Yan Huaixuan."

Yan Huaixuan turned around and saw Shen Lian toss him a few bottles of pills.

"Just crush them and absorb the energy."

Yan Huaixuan glanced at the pills. "Alright."

He gave Shen Lian a smile, and He Ci pulled Shen Lian away. Shen Lian looked back at the figure facing off against Fu Lan.

Shen Lian's heart was beating a little faster, though he didn't know why.

But he told himself: Yan Huaixuan was a True Immortal, stronger than an Earth Immortal. He should be fine.

After a few steps, he stopped. "Let's wait for him here."

This was a safe distance, but close enough to rush back if needed.

He Ci didn't argue. "Alright."

As soon as Shen Lian left, Yan Huaixuan's expression went completely blank. He stared coldly at Fu Lan before him.

Fu Lan, seeing that Yan Huaixuan was a True Immortal, slowly lost his smile and narrowed his eyes—then suddenly laughed. "You may be a True Immortal, but there's another force inside you that clashes with your own."

He said, his tone loaded, "That power... I know it well."

Yan Huaixuan held his wooden sword, his tone icy. "Enough."

One of Fu Lan's heads turned—it was a young girl with an innocent face, but her smile was unsettling as she giggled. "Have you fallen to demonic cultivation too?"

"We're the same kind of people."

Yan Huaixuan's eyes went cold. Without another word, he charged.

Fu Lan's several heads slithered and gradually merged together. His main face kept shifting every moment.

"Time to die!"

Shen Lian had been standing not far away. The moment he saw Yan Huaixuan and Fu Lan clash, his nails unconsciously dug into his palms.

When he saw Yan Huaixuan gain the upper hand, Shen Lian's tense expression finally relaxed slightly.

Yan Huaixuan was a True Immortal, after all. He should be fine.

Meanwhile, Yan Huaixuan raised his hand and sliced off one of Fu Lan's heads.

Fu Lan screamed, watching his blood flow and the head on the ground, its mouth still opening and closing as it cried, "Father, save me!"

Then, without any expression, he lifted his foot and crushed the head under his boot.

Yan Huaixuan noticed Fu Lan's aura instantly surge.

Shen Lian's expression changed. "Those heads are basically Fu Lan's seals."

Because of those souls' presence, Fu Lan was plagued by heart demons, and his power was suppressed.

Yan Huaixuan realized this too and stopped attacking the other heads, focusing on Fu Lan's main head instead.

But with one seal lost, Fu Lan's combat power surged dramatically. His cultivation skyrocketed—he had actually reached True Immortal.

At the same time, however, Fu Lan's expression grew even more pained.

It was as if he'd been struck by a thousand arrows, his face twisting in madness and frenzy.

Shen Lian watched him and suddenly asked, "Does everyone who falls into demonic cultivation end up like this?"

Chen Xue spoke up. "Those who fall into demonic cultivation are even more tragic than demons themselves. Their minds are trapped in nightmares forever, living their entire lives like empty shells. Their souls never enter the six paths of reincarnation—they have no rebirth. If they die, they simply cease to exist."

He Ci said the same thing.

Shen Lian just said, "Oh."

Meanwhile, the battle between Yan Huaixuan and Fu Lan grew increasingly fierce. Sensing their auras, all the demonic creatures in the vicinity dared not show themselves.

He Ci couldn't help but remark, "As expected of the top genius."

Yan Huaixuan had never been at a disadvantage, yet Shen Lian, for some reason, his mind drifted back to that strange power within Yan Huaixuan's body.

In fact, Yan Huaixuan's situation was quite similar to when he cultivated both demonic and spiritual energy at the same time.

The higher his cultivation got, the more uncontrollable the demonic energy became.

He had to keep his spiritual energy suppressing the demonic energy at all times; otherwise, if one side gained the upper hand, the demonic energy would fully seize his body.

But what was inside Yan Huaixuan didn't really feel like demonic energy.

He Ci suddenly blurted out excitedly, "Yan Huaixuan is about to kill Fu Lan!"

Shen Lian looked over and saw that Yan Huaixuan's silver hair billowed wildly with no wind, the world changed color around him. Above his head, a silver phantom slowly took shape—a sword, wrapped in the aura of heavenly laws.

Shen Lian paused. This was Yan Huaixuan's go-to move in the original story.

The Unbridled Return Sword.

Once this sword came out, everything bowed to it.

But in the original story, it wasn't a phantom—it was a real, physical sword.

Ling Yun.

Shen Lian's eyes locked onto Yan Huaixuan's sword.

Fu Lan's eyes bulged in fury, but he was pinned down, unable to budge, only able to look up as the phantom sword wrapped in heavenly laws slowly took shape.

However, just as both Shen Lian and Fu Lan thought the sword was about to descend,

that silver phantom suddenly twisted with a ghostly purple light, and Yan Huaixuan abruptly raised his head.

In an instant, the heavenly laws within the phantom sword vanished.

In its place, golden Heavenly Thunder began to swirl and form in the sky, crackling with rage.

He Ci's jaw dropped. "What's going on? Why is the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Thunder appearing?"

"Is it targeting Fu Lan?"