Chapter 423 - 399: Forever Youthful, Forever Young

Inside the Heaven and Earth Scale, Song Ciwan reaped another bountiful harvest!

All sorts of essences crowded together, forming a dense, unbroken mass.

Her new gains included Gu Peng’s Death Qi and Malice, as well as several of his Demon Hearts.

[Demon Heart: The surprise, astonishment, and fury of a Celestial Pride Level Golden Lion Demon parasitized by an Ancient Divine Insect Race Golden Core. Value: thirteen taels. Exchangeable.]

[Demon Heart: The terror, resentment, and killing intent of a Celestial Pride Level Golden Lion Demon parasitized by an Ancient Divine Insect Race Golden Core. Value: nineteen taels. Exchangeable.]

[Demon Heart: The horror, fury, and dread of a Celestial Pride Level Golden Lion Demon parasitized by an Ancient Divine Insect Race Golden Core. Value: thirty-eight taels. Exchangeable.]

...

Then there was the Demon Heart of Gu Peng’s Guardian, the Willow Demon, transmitted from a great distance.

[Demon Heart: The astonishment, regret, and sorrow of a Demon Venerable Level Ancient Willow Tree Demon. Value: seven and two-tenths taels. Exchangeable.]

So Gu Peng’s Guardian was a Demon Venerable Level Ancient Willow Tree Demon!

The Demon Race’s ranking system is very clear. Those with less than a hundred years of cultivation are called Unworthy Little Demons; they’re not even worth mentioning, as they don’t qualify for a rank.

Those with over a hundred years of cultivation gain a degree of sapience and learn to actively absorb the essence of the sun and moon. They are said to be in the Spirit Communication Stage, which corresponds to the Human Race’s Qi Cultivation Stage.

After Core Formation, they enter the Demon Core Stage, which corresponds to the Human Race’s Divinity Transformation Stage.

The Demon King Stage corresponds to the Human Race’s Divine Refining Stage, also known as the Earth Immortal Realm.

A Demon Venerable, however, corresponds to the Human Race’s Returning Void Stage—the Celestial Immortal Realm!

’That Ancient Willow Tree Demon is actually a Demon Venerable Level Great Demon. I suppose I’ve already exchanged blows with a Demon Venerable once from afar.’

’True, I only managed to neutralize the Magical Treasure the Ancient Willow Tree Demon shot at me by borrowing the power of the Marvel, the Pseudo-Gold Divine Light. And afterward, it was the Beichen Sword Immortal who intervened to stop its follow-up attacks.’

’But still! For that one moment, I held my own against a Demon Venerable. I even captured the Magical Treasure it threw into my Heaven and Earth Scale!’

The Heaven and Earth Scale provided a description: [Willow Fluff Forbidden Sky Hairpin, a projection fragment of an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact Level Demon Bone Treasure. Exchangeable.]

Demon Bone Treasures were a type of Magical Treasure created when members of the Demon Race at or above the Demon Core Stage separated a part of their own body and performed Refinement on it.

For example, an Eagle Demon’s feathers, an Ox Demon’s horns, a Snake Demon’s shed skin, or a Mouse Demon’s teeth—the Demon Race would refine these and other body parts with unique properties into Magical Treasures.

Such a Magical Treasure could integrate with its owner’s body, forming an exclusive imprint and allowing it to be controlled with the ease of moving one’s own limbs. After Refinement, the power of these Demon Bone Treasures would also increase severalfold.

Sometimes, they could even develop new properties. These properties were akin to the Divine Techniques of the Demon Race, making them more powerful and harder to resist than ordinary Demon Techniques.

Song Ciwan examined the Heaven and Earth Scale, but her gaze only lingered on the words "Demon Bone Treasure" for a moment. Her attention was primarily drawn to the Ancient Willow Tree Demon’s Demon Heart.

[Demon Heart: The astonishment, regret, and sorrow of a Demon Venerable Level Ancient Willow Tree Demon. Value: seven and two-tenths taels...]

’He is a Demon Venerable, after all. His emotional fluctuations are relatively subdued. Even though Gu Peng died, this Willow Demon’s emotions only wavered slightly, a stark contrast to the extreme fury he had displayed earlier.’

Song Ciwan pondered the Willow Demon’s state of mind and its performance. She couldn’t help but marvel, ’What a crafty old Willow Demon!’

’If the Demon Realm had an award for acting, they should give one to this Ancient Willow Tree Demon.’

Besides these, the greatest volume of new essences the Heaven and Earth Scale received came from the various human desires of the Cultivators watching from the edge of the square—

[Human Desires: The horror, worry, and anxiety of an Early-Stage Divinity Transformation Cultivator. Value: twenty-one taels. Exchangeable.]

[Human Desires: The terror, admiration, and joy of a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator. Value: thirty-nine taels. Exchangeable.]

[Human Desires: The worry, terror, and anxiety of an Innate Second Transformation Martial Artist. Value: twenty-seven taels. Exchangeable.]

[Human Desires...]

There were so many different types of human desires, totaling nearly two hundred bundles in all.

The thrilling nature of the battle between Song Ciwan and Gu Peng was reflected in the dramatic ebb and flow of the human desires from the spectating Cultivators.

Most of the spectators provided human desires more than once, repeatedly cycling through amazement, admiration, and anxiety...

’It’s a good thing the battle ended so quickly. Otherwise, with this many spectators, if I’d just dragged it out for a few more hours, the amount of human desires I harvested might have multiplied several times over.’

’Still, when it comes to battle, it’s best not to drag things out needlessly. Not unless the opponent is so much weaker that I can just toy with them.’

’After all, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Facing a Celestial Pride Level Golden Lion Demon, I had to press my advantage and finish it in one fell swoop, giving him absolutely no time to recover.’

’Especially since the source of Gu Peng’s strength was so bizarre—’

’He had been parasitized by a Golden Core of the Ancient Divine Insect Race!’

Song Ciwan was tempted to sell all of Gu Peng’s essences right then and there to see what she would get.

But she didn’t act immediately. Instead, she suddenly turned, bowed to the empty air, and said, "Junior Song Zhao greets Elder Beichen. Thank you for your protection just now!"

A hearty laugh echoed from the void.

A figure emerged, walking at a leisurely pace with his hands clasped behind his back.

He had a poised and dashing bearing, his long, dark hair tied back in a high ponytail. Beneath sharp, upswept brows, his eyes shone like stars.

His features were youthful, and his whole demeanor gave off a strong, boyish air.

’Even though I know this Sword Immortal has been cultivating for ages and is probably hundreds of years old.’

’But people were strange like that. Some, like the Beichen Sword Immortal, were old enough to be an Ancestor yet had a perpetually youthful face.’

’Then there were others, like Yin Xunyi. His actual age was no more than fifty. Compared to High Level Cultivators who could live for over a thousand years, Yin Xunyi was the one who was truly young.’

’And yet his face was weathered and careworn, making him look countless times more world-weary than the Sword Immortal before me.’

’On the path of Cultivation, one truly had to learn not to judge a book by its cover. It was a fundamental skill.’

On Cyan Feather Peak, Song Ciwan invited the Beichen Sword Immortal to take a seat amidst the clouds and mist.

She took a square table and two Pillows from her Storage Pouch, then brought out the Wine God Gourd, filled a cup, and respectfully offered it to the Beichen Sword Immortal.

The Beichen Sword Immortal picked up the cup with a grin, downed it in one casual gulp, and set it back down. He then looked Song Ciwan over with delight and said, "Youth! It’s good to be young! This Immortal Venerable loves making friends with young people. The young don’t dither and hesitate; they do everything with clean efficiency."

"Just for the fact that you ignored that old willow tree and—BAM!—cut down that little lion with two clean strikes, This Immortal Venerable is willing to offer you my protection."

"It’s much better than watching certain people who fuss over this and fuss over that, only to end up indecisive and accomplish nothing... Ha ha!"

As he spoke, he leaned back.

Clouds and mist gathered behind him, forming a swirling seatback. The Beichen Sword Immortal leaned against it nonchalantly, eyes narrowed. Though he had only had one cup, he already seemed pleasantly buzzed.

Song Ciwan smiled faintly. "Elder, as the saying goes, ’A cliff face can stand a thousand fathoms tall; it is strong for it has no desires.’ This junior is all alone in this world with no one to worry about. That is why I can act without restraint."