I Cheated While Cultivating

The hall filled with deathly silence, a quiet that could make crows and sparrows mute within this expansive palace.

All the star-officers and star-envoys present looked at Zhou Heng, their eyes widening in astonishment before turning to venerate Tianyi and Azure Dragon, who were in the midst of performing a respectful bowing gesture.

What was happening?

Many were unable to comprehend, even the faces of The Supreme and Celestial Power, these two celestial beings of immense prowess revealed traces of confusion.

Even if Zhou Heng’s star-position was that of the Ziwei Master, truly warranting the title of Master of All Stars and Grandmaster of Myriad Things, it was, after all, only a star-position which could not directly reflect one’s actual strength or status.

Tianyi and Azure Dragon were leaders in the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer organization and held very high star-offices. If they were outside, their influence would pressure the entire world, being among the few counted Tao Lords.

Moreover, at the Tao Lord realm, they had almost gathered all inheritances possible from the Zhou Tian Star Chart, obviating the need to act in accordance with their star-offices to strengthen compatibility.

Therefore, in the eyes of The Supreme and Celestial Power, from the perspectives of personal advantage and in terms of identity and realm of strength, these two leaders had no need to behave as they were doing now.

Even Cheng Jianjian, standing beside Zhou Heng, was somewhat shocked; she too had not anticipated that Tianyi and Azure Dragon, the two leaders, would show such high honor to Zhou Heng.

Cheng Jianjian realized that Zhou Heng’s star-position was very special, and that the two leaders honoring him so might lead to some dangerous involvement for him in the future.

In the midst of this silent atmosphere, Zhou Heng, the person concerned, appeared calm as if he had anticipated the actions of the two individuals.

Because, at the same time when Tianyi and Azure Dragon saluted him, he received the star-position feedback from the Zhou Tian Star Chart, once again perceiving the ethereal images of all the stars in the sky and the true forms of the River Han.

And he had a faint feeling—

that once his cultivation advanced further, he might be able to wield a sliver of power related to Them within the Purple Tenuity Palace.

Perhaps this was what Tianyi and Azure Dragon were expecting of him.

However, Zhou Heng didn’t presume upon this. He also quickly brought his hands together and bowed deeply in return to Tianyi and Azure Dragon, saying, “Thank you, seniors, for your great kindness, but such honors are really too generous.”

He had long recognized that a star-position was just that, and it was not necessarily equivalent to one’s actual status.

“Star Master needn’t worry,” said Tianyi gently shaking his head with a smile. “Azure Dragon and I hope that you may obtain more star-position authority so that the entire organization might fare better in the days to come.”

“Indeed, although we nominally control the Purple Tenuity Palace, neither Azure Dragon nor myself hold the actual control authority,” Azure Dragon also nodded with a smile. “Even if our gesture only marginally increases the Star Master’s authority, it would be worthwhile.”

It was then that the crowd understood that Tianyi and Azure Dragon had given such respect to the Ziwei Master—who held martial path Seventh Rank—out of collective consideration for the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.

“Seniors are noble of heart,” Zhou Heng couldn’t help but express his admiration.

A gesture of Second Rank Tao Lord bowing to a Seventh Rank Warrior was like a celestial being from the heavens paying respect to a mortal martial artist. Only a truly magnanimous person could do such a thing.

“Haha, no need for such formality,” said Tianyi with a wave of his hand before saying to the crowd, “I suppose I need not introduce him further now. This is the Ziwei Master, it’s his first time joining the gathering, so don’t take advantage of him too much at the trade fair.”

With those words, the mood in the hall instantly became more upbeat, eliciting laughter from many.

A moment later.

Azure Dragon spoke again, smiling, “Apart from the Star Master, there is also one elder who has obtained new star-position and one new star-officer who has joined the organization, which you all must have noticed earlier.” R𝘢𐌽ȪβĘʂ

As he spoke, his gaze first landed on Cheng Jianjian before shifting to a resolute and elegant man standing three places ahead of her, who was wearing a garment adorned with stars and a crown, his mask painted with the image of a book.

Star Officer “Wenchang.”

And judging from the aura emanating from him, he appeared to be a Secret Sixth Rank Innate expert.

Cheng Jianjian and the Wenchang Star Officer then stepped forward and saluted Tianyi and Azure Dragon.

“The Big Dipper Star Officer previously held the position of Tian Ji Star Envoy. After completing the promotion task, she earned the star-officer’s position, a joyful and congratulatory development,” Azure Dragon said with clapping hands and a cheerful smile.

The star-officers also took turns extending their congratulations, and the star-envoys present revealed envious looks, especially those who were originally under the Big Dipper Star Officer like Tian Xuan, Tian Quan, and Yu Heng.

Cheng Jianjian returned the salutations and then withdrew back into the ranks.

“This is the newly joined star-officer, holding the ‘Wenchang’ star-position,” Azure Dragon continued smiling. “Adding a Middle Third Rank powerhouse to the organization is a joyous occasion.”

“I’m flattered, leaders,” Wenchang said with a smile. “It is my honor to join the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer organization.”

“No need for such courtesy here in the organization, just be at ease,” Tianyi said with a wave of his hand and a smile.

“Thank you, leaders,” Wenchang nodded before returning to his place.

With that, introductions of newcomers at the beginning of the assembly came to a close.

The hall once again settled into silence.

“Next, according to the procedure, I should speak about the recent situation around the world,” Tianyi stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the audience, “but this time, I wish to clarify one thing first.”

The crowd listened in silence.

“The recent demon calamity in the West Wasteland hasn’t truly ended,” Tianyi said with a grave voice. “Although the great demons and Demon Lords intending to invade have been repelled, a Demon God, using a supreme treasure and expending all his might, managed to create a crack in the Ninety-Nine Provinces Great Formation.”

“What?!”

“A Demon God?!!”

“The Ninety-Nine Provinces Great Formation actually got cracked!”

“What impact will this have?”

Many star-officers and star-envoys were both shocked and a little fearful, sensing the seriousness of the situation.

Even Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian, who weren’t yet at Sect Fifth Rank, had limited knowledge of the West Wasteland, but just from the literal meaning of Tianyi’s words, they could surmise that this was likely no trivial matter.

Demon God!

Surely, it’s a Demon Entity of the Divine First Rank!

And a supreme treasure capable of enhancing the methods of a Demon God would naturally be of the Divine First Rank as well, tantamount to a Unique Divine Weapon. Just the thought of such a force expending all its strength in an attack was terrifying.

“Everyone, please remain calm. Azure Dragon and I have already ascertained the impact, and this gathering serves as a good opportunity to inform you,” Tianyi calmed the crowd with a gesture, and then he continued, “Over the next ten years, not only ghosts and evil creatures will be born within the Central Plains, but also demon entities of various ranks.”

With those words, the people in the grand hall became incredibly quiet, their emotions varying behind their masks.

“Lord Tianyi, has the spirit contamination of the lower-tier demon entities weakened?” The Supreme stepped forward to ask, his tone filled with concern for the future, “Normal demon entities possess extremely strong spirit contamination. For martial artists who have not achieved Grandmaster status, merely knowing the details of these entities might cause them to go mad. Surely the lower-tier entities don’t pose the same danger.”

Upon hearing this, the others could not help but nod, as this was also their concern.

After all, the demon entities from the West Wasteland that they had faced before were at least equivalent to Sect Fifth Rank. This had little to do with warriors of Lower Third Rank or Secret Sixth Rank.

That is to say, the main force against the demon entities from the West Wasteland were actually Sect Fifth Rank, Absolute Fourth Rank, and even stronger beings like Celestial Men and Tao Lords. It had little to do with ordinary people and common martial artists.

However, under the coverage of the Ninety-Nine Provinces Grand Formation, all tiers of demon entities would naturally be born in the three countries of the Central Plains, meaning that demon entities would start to intersect with both ordinary martial artists and ordinary people.

If these demon entities retained the same level of spirit contamination as those from the West Wasteland, it would be nothing short of a calamity for the entirety of mankind.

“Not as strong, but also not weak,” Tianyi’s voice was bitter, and the Second Rank Tao Lord actually let out a long sigh, saying, “Previously, Azure Dragon and I caught a naturally born Ninth Grade demon entity.

“After some testing, we found that even a Ninth Grade demon entity is enough to drive an Eighth Rank martial artist who has seen it with their own eyes crazy, losing all rationality.

“Unless that Eighth Rank martial artist practices a spirit secret technique or possesses a treasure that protects the spirit, it is difficult to resist this kind of spirit contamination. Even for those who have stepped into Seventh Rank, it is only possible to barely defend against it.

“Upon initial judgment, one’s martial path cultivation must at least reach the peak of Seventh Rank to completely resist the spirit contamination of a Ninth Grade demon entity. As for whether stronger demon entities have stronger spirit contamination, at present, there are no examples to verify this, and it’s difficult to determine.”

“This, this… it’s not much different from normal demon entities,” The Supreme sighed upon hearing this, saying, “The spirit contamination of a Ninth Grade demon entity requires one at the peak of the Seventh Rank to defend against… What can be done about this?”

“Lord Tianyi, can these demon entities be killed with ordinary martial arts techniques?” Tianli inquired, which was crucial to determining if the fight against the demon entities would be the responsibility of only the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers or all martial artists.

“They can be killed,” Tianyi first nodded, then shook his head and added, “However, it must be with Pure Yang, Solar, Thunder-type martial arts, or Taoist formulas that have certain specificities.”

This also meant that the situation in combatting demon entities would be similar to that with ghost entities and evil creatures, with the main dependency still being on the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers, aside from a few unique sects.

For a while, the entire grand hall once again fell silent, and the mood of everyone present became somewhat downcast.

“Lord Tianyi, I think there’s another point we need to pay attention to,” Zhou Heng suddenly spoke up, questioning, “How are these demon entities born, and can we determine their presence by some signs?”

The essence of ghost entities is the Yin spirits born from Yin Sha qi, which need to possess a living person and fulfill their wishes to become real ghost entities. This causes the possessed person to exhibit obvious changes in character, making them relatively easy to identify.

Although the sources of evil entities are varied, they feed on negative emotions. As soon as they appear, they inevitably cause chaos in the vicinity, making them not too difficult to find.

But the manner in which these demon entities are born is entirely unknown to everyone present.

“The Star Master has asked a very good question,” Tianyi smiled, but then fell silent for a short while before speaking, “However, the answer to this question might be somewhat cruel.

“Compared to ghost entities and evil creatures, the way demon entities are born is more peculiar and more difficult to prevent or find. Their birth is tied to the ‘nightmares’ of beings.”

“What?” Zhou Heng exclaimed in shock, almost thinking he had misheard, and asked incredulously, “Nightmares can give birth to demon entities, are you talking about collective nightmares?”

“No,” Tianyi shook his head and sighed, “Any living being’s nightmare could potentially give birth to a demon entity.”

On hearing this, the many Star Officers and Star Envoys present couldn’t help but look at Tianyi with a mix of surprise and doubt.

This answer was just too strange.

Yet how can demon entities be born from someone’s nightmare? Where does the energy come from to support the formation and cohesion of these creatures?

Moreover, how do we go about searching for and preventing these nightmare-born monsters?

It seems there’s simply no way to do it.

“Finding and preventing the birth of demon entities are things Qinglong and I have been thinking about, and we will also discuss these with The Supreme, Tianli, and several other Celestial Men.”

Tianyi said in a deep voice, “The reason I’m bringing this up is to remind everyone to be extra careful in the future, to stay alert, and to avoid being caught off guard by demon entities suddenly. Next, Qinglong will discuss some other matters.”

With that, he stepped back, and Qinglong stepped forward.

“Setting aside the issue of demon entities for the moment, there are some more pressing matters to inform everyone about.” Qinglong got straight to the point, shifting the topic, “Northern Zhou and Southern Jin seem to have gotten wind of some secret and appear to be hatching plans for the territories of Da Qi. Also, the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers from these two nations have been inquiring frequently into our organization while in the West Wasteland, especially…”

At this juncture, he paused and turned his gaze towards Zhou Heng, smiling, “Especially our Star Master here. The Zhou Tian Boundary Officers from Northern Zhou and Southern Jin have taken quite an interest in you, even making me feel that they might be entertaining ideas of abducting you to their turf.”

“What?” Zhou Heng was momentarily taken aback by this, then laughed, “That can’t be.”

“Whether or not they truly entertain these notions, I would advise the Star Master to pay attention to his safety going forward. Should any anomalies or difficulties arise, our organization will provide full support.” After several reminders from Qinglong, he continued, “Apart from that, there is a group of Loose Immortals from the Eastern Sea who, along with their disciples, have covertly entered Da Qi, likely with some scheme in mind. Everyone should also keep an eye out in their daily lives.

“In two months’ time, there will be the centennial Grand Festival of the Wilderness God Mountain in the south. It is uncertain if any unforeseen events will occur, but if they do, they will likely impact Southern Jin first, so it’s enough that you all are aware of this.

“The barbarians on the northern steppes have been unusually quiet lately, which isn’t quite normal, but similar to the Wilderness God Mountain, any problems that may arise will likely impact Northern Zhou first, and we just need to pay a bit more attention.

“Lastly, the situation with other worlds – lately, many worlds have seen an increased taint from evil creatures, and we need to take more action moving forward.

“These are the situations that I wanted to share with all of you. Now, it’s time for everyone to discuss any findings you’ve made in other worlds over the past six months. If you think they’re valuable, please share them.”

“Grandmaster Qinglong, I have made a discovery.” A man clad in golden armor stood up, his towering stature impressive and his mask painted with the depiction of a prison.

This was the Star Officer “Tianlao,” a Fifth Rank Sect Master.

“Please speak,” Qinglong nodded.

“A month ago, I went to a world called ‘Mystic Vine Realm’ to complete a mission. The mightiest being there was comparable to an Absolute Fourth Rank. I discovered something peculiar while I was there.”

Tianlao narrated in detail, “The people of that world worshiped two supreme gods, one named ‘Nuwa’ and the other named ‘Fuxi.’ They revered these two deities as the creators of the world, the origin of all laws, the progenitors of the human race.

“I’ve seen the statues of these two deities, and they bear a strong resemblance to the ‘Wa Huang’ and ‘Xi Huang’ worshipped by the Youhuang Sect. I wonder if they have any connection to the lost secrets of the Ancient Mythological Era.”

Nuwa!

Fuxi!

Zhou Heng’s breath suddenly caught in his throat.

This was his first time hearing these names in this world.

Until now, even the Youhuang Sect had only worshipped deities called “Wa Huang” and “Xi Huang.”

There had never been any precise names transmitted.

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