Chapter 134: Watch My Seventy-Two Transformations

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Ye Yiming, who had been repairing the ward, also walked over. He said to Qin Haoxuan warily, “Another Nether-Creature that can speak. But look, there’s something strange about it.”

Following Ye Yiming’s direction, Qin Haoxuan looked closely. “Senior Brother Ye,” he said, “it has a dark halo on its forehead, just like Wu Yi had when he was being controlled by the Soul-Transfer Technique. But this one is much cruder; it’s very obvious.”

Ye Yiming nodded. “Another puppet. We’ll have to deal with it carefully.”

Seeing that Qin Haoxuan was not moving out of the way, the controlled Nether-Creature took a step forward, its aura flaring with a vicious energy in an attempt to intimidate them.

It then spoke to Xing, who was standing behind Qin Haoxuan, looking perfectly safe and sound. “Don’t think these two humans can protect you. Surrender at once and return to accept your punishment!”

Qin Haoxuan turned his head and asked Xing, “What did you do?”

Xing shook his head like a rattle drum, spittle flying from his mouth. “Nothing,” he said in a relaxed tone. “Nothing at all. If you don’t believe me, ask him.”

Seeing that Qin Haoxuan had no intention of moving, the puppet creature couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on them. It struck out with its palm. The attack was so fast that Ye Yiming couldn’t intercept it, and Qin Haoxuan had no way to dodge. He could only take the blow head-on.

When Xing saw the creature strike, he shouted, “Be careful! Whatever you do, don’t block—”

But his warning came too late. Qin Haoxuan’s palm had already made contact with the creature’s.

Upon contact, Qin Haoxuan discovered that the seemingly world-shattering blow actually carried no force at all. Its only purpose was to connect their palms, forcing him to receive the attack.

The Nether-Creature sneered. “Foolish human! Have a taste of my Heavenly Demon’s Flesh-Devouring Art!” With that, a violent surge of demonic energy erupted from its body. Its palm was stuck fast to Qin Haoxuan’s. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pull away; it was as if they had fused together.

Strands of black demonic energy slithered across the creature’s body like snakes, then coalesced into a single, jet-black serpent. It opened its mouth, and a powerful suction force emerged, as if it intended to drain all of Qin Haoxuan’s essence and blood.

At this, Ye Yiming paled in horror and tried to rush to his rescue, but another Nether-Creature leaped up to block his path. The rest of the mob surrounded Xing, and a fierce battle erupted once more.

Xing’s eyes showed a hint of anxiety. It wasn’t purely for Qin Haoxuan’s safety; if he was finished, then there would be no escape for him either.

As Xing worried, the Nether-Creature activated its art. A powerful suction pulled at Qin Haoxuan’s body, preparing to drain him completely. Just as the spiritual energy in his dantian was about to be drawn out, the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art he cultivated suddenly began to operate on its own.

Normally, Qin Haoxuan’s body should have instantly shriveled into a dry corpse. But the automatic activation of his art changed that reality. As it circulated, it not only stabilized the spiritual energy in his body but also generated a suction force even stronger than the creature’s. In an instant, the Nether-Creature’s thick arm withered, becoming as thin as a twig.

“Ah! The Dao Heart Seed Demon Art! You actually know the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art!” the creature shrieked, its body rapidly shriveling as its life-source essence was drained by Qin Haoxuan. “This art still exists in the mortal realm, and it was learned by a human!” Its last words were a threat: “You just wait, I will come for you!”

The group of Nether-Creatures fighting Xing froze in terror when they saw their leader instantly sucked dry. Xing also stared at Qin Haoxuan in utter shock, the six words—Dao Heart Seed Demon Art—echoing in his mind.

Ye Yiming was also astonished. He became even more convinced that there was something mysterious about Qin Haoxuan. Though he didn’t know how powerful the Heavenly Demon’s Flesh-Devouring Art was, for it to be used by such a creature, it had to be extraordinary. He never expected the tables to be turned so completely.

He stared at Qin Haoxuan for a long time. If not for the fact that this junior brother had been so good to Han Zhong, and had been willing to fight and die alongside him, he would have truly suspected he was a spy from another sect.

After killing the leader, Qin Haoxuan didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the other creatures’ shock, mobilized his spiritual sense, and easily crushed their consciousness, killing them all.

Seeing Qin Haoxuan’s unfathomable spiritual attack and his knowledge of the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, Xing’s eyes lit up. He sidled up to Qin Haoxuan with a fawning grin. “Your spiritual sense is very strong, but your body is very weak. We of the Nether-race cultivate our bodies. As for a genius like me, I am especially strong and sturdy. How about I be your bodyguard? Although those guys just now were no match for me, I held back my killing intent out of respect for our shared race. Since you helped me kill them, I owe you a favor. That’s the only reason I’m willing to be your bodyguard. Otherwise, we of the Nether-race are far too proud and noble to be hired by a mere human.”

Qin Haoxuan shot him a cold glare. This guy spoke with such self-importance, as if he were the one doing Qin Haoxuan a huge favor. If he actually kept him around, with his talent for attracting trouble, who would be protecting whom? “No need. You can go.”

After his long speech, Xing was dismayed to see that Qin Haoxuan was still unmoved. “How can you do this?!” he said urgently. “Our race lives by a code of honor! A debt must be repaid! By refusing my offer, you are forcing me to violate the sacred rules of my ancestors! I am a demon of integrity, responsibility, and dignity! To refuse my repayment is to trample on my dignity!”

Qin Haoxuan glanced at him sideways. Xing’s panic didn’t seem feigned, but he was certain it wasn’t about repaying a debt; it was about finding a protector. And the fact that he was being hunted by his own kind was definitely suspicious.

“That Nether-Creature just now could speak because it was controlled by a Soul-Transfer Technique,” Qin Haoxuan said, his eyes boring into Xing. “But you aren’t being controlled, and your strength is only at the Twentieth-Leaf. How can you speak?”

Xing puffed out his chest, his eyes shining. “I am a genius of the Nether-race, gifted with extraordinary talent! Speaking is a trivial matter. With my intelligence, it’s no challenge at all!”

Observing him closely, Qin Haoxuan saw not a flicker of deception in his eyes and became even more certain that this guy was a habitual liar. “You are a demon, and I am a human. If I walk around with you, other cultivators will kill us both as heretics.”

Xing chuckled. “That’s not a problem! I know a transformation art! However, the duration is shorter if I turn into a human. If I turn into an animal, it can last longer.”

A skeptical glint appeared in Qin Haoxuan’s eyes. “Then why didn’t you just stay in human form on your way here? You wouldn’t have been attacked by both sides then.”

Xing’s face fell. He let out a long sigh, his ugly demonic face twisting into a look of heart-wrenching grief. “You think I didn’t want to? The Heavenly Demon’s Myriad Transformations Art is very difficult to cultivate, you know! It’s not like I can just turn into whatever I want. If I want to become human, I only succeed maybe one time out of ten. And if I turn into some other animal, I have to wait a while after reverting before I can change again.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded in understanding. No wonder the guy had turned into a clumsy pig at one point during the chase. If not for his many treasures, he would have been caught and roasted.

While they were talking, Ye Yiming had gone back to repairing the ward. Just as one was desperately offering his services and the other was staunchly refusing, the ward pulsed with a red light, and its barrier was restored. Ye Yiming had successfully repaired and taken control of it.

“Are you two done talking?” he asked, glancing at them. “Time is precious. Let’s go.”

At this, Xing’s expression hardened. He leaped in front of them, blocking their path. “No! You must hire me as your bodyguard! If you don’t want me, then we can all just go down together! Your spiritual sense might be able to kill me, but I can still land a final blow and injure you! No one will benefit!” As he spoke, he began to gather his demonic energy, preparing to charge.

Qin Haoxuan suddenly felt that the cultivation world was… truly a magical place, to contain a Nether-demon of such incredible shamelessness.

“So, what’s your decision?” Xing asked, his wary eyes also holding a hint of fawning.

Qin Haoxuan realized that not taking him along would also be a problem. What if this guy ran into Xu Yu? He reluctantly decided that while keeping him close was dangerous, it was the safer option for everyone else.

“If you come with me, you must agree to one thing.”

“One thing? Ten things would be no problem!”

“From now on, you are not to eat cultivators, nor are you to eat humans,” Qin Haoxuan said, his face cold. “If you violate this promise, I will kill you with my spiritual sense, even if it means we die together.”

Xing shivered. Not eating human flesh was like cutting off his food supply. But staying with Qin Haoxuan was safer, and he knew the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art. If he could learn even a little of it… after weighing the pros and cons, he nodded in agreement. “Fine, no eating people! But I have a condition. You teach me that move from before, and I’ll teach you some of my own powerful arts in exchange.”