008 Infernal Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword

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A vast and boundless sea stretched as far as the eye could see. In its endless expanse, a small emerald island gleamed like a piece of jade set upon the surging surface. At the heart of the isle stood a stone hall, from which eight main roads radiated outward. On either side of these avenues, houses were laid out in neat rows, rooftops densely packed together. Above the island, beams of light flashed as cultivators came and went, filling the air with a sense of bustling prosperity.

Pang Yue exited the teleportation hall, soared into the sky, oriented himself, and then flew southeast without delay.

More than ten days later, he descended upon an inconspicuous little island. Around it clustered over a dozen tiny islets, the largest no more than a mile across. The island had no official name, but those in the Demon Sigil Sect who knew of it called it "Dragon Scale Island."

On the western side, where the terrain dipped low like a valley, lush vegetation flourished in a tranquil, secluded setting. Pang Yue landed at the entrance to this valley. Following the directions on his mission talisman, he formed a seal with his hands and tapped the air, causing the void before him to ripple and reveal a small courtyard of blue stone.

The courtyard was not large, but it was clean and elegant. Three small buildings faced him, with a pond and flowerbeds inside, as well as a towering tree with a thick canopy.

"Who among our fellow disciples has come to visit?" called a voice from within. The door opened, and out stepped a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar.

"Xu Liming, inner disciple of the Flame Demon Hall, here to take over the duty of guarding the treasured tree," Pang Yue replied, bowing with clasped hands.

His gaze swept from the great tree in the courtyard to the scholar before him.

The middle-aged scholar nodded. "Ah, so it's Junior Brother Xu. You must have joined the inner sect within the last ten years, am I right?"

"Indeed, Senior Brother. Here is my mission talisman for your inspection."

With that, Pang Yue produced the talisman and handed it over.

A stick of incense later, their handover was complete.

The scholar pointed at the great tree in the courtyard. "I imagine you’ve noticed: this is the Dragon Scale Fruit Tree. It will bear fruit in five years, at which time it will attract all manner of demon beasts and monsters. Deal with them carefully and you’ll be fine. For these five years, focus on your cultivation here without worry."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother," Pang Yue replied with gratitude.

They chatted a while longer. The scholar gave Pang Yue a rundown of the island and surrounding sea, then took his leave.

Pang Yue, meanwhile, laid new wards around the courtyard and settled into a peaceful routine of cultivation.

...

Within the cultivation room, Pang Yue sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. Floating before him was a red-gold, eight-sided square urn, its surface carved with images of azure dragons, fire phoenixes, immortal cranes, and horned tigers—strange beasts all, shrouded in faint gray light, lending it an air of mystery.

Using the precious materials Liu He had purchased in the Demon Sigil Sect’s market, Pang Yue had spent over a year forging this Demon-Refining Urn. It now possessed seven seals; though a superior-grade artifact, it was even more difficult to refine than most top-grade ones.

A common artifact might have several thousand, or at most ten thousand, runes per seal. But both the Innate Primordial Tablet and the Demon-Refining Urn contained 129,600 runes within each seal—the number of the cosmic cycle.

Over this past year, Pang Yue’s cultivation had plateaued at the third level of the Dao Foundation stage.

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Since switching to the "True Record of the Flame Demon," not only had the quality of his spiritual power improved, but even his dantian had expanded, able to contain more power. By using the Innate Primordial Tablet to calculate his cultivation speed, Pang Yue estimated that, at his current rate, it would take fifty years to reach the perfection of the third Dao Foundation level, and perhaps one hundred and twenty years to break through to the fourth.

Yet his lifespan was already less than a century…

The Demon-Refining Urn spun slowly, gray radiance surging at its mouth like tangible mist.

Suddenly, Pang Yue’s eyes snapped open. He swept his sleeve, collecting the urn, and left the courtyard in a flash.

Three miles west of Dragon Scale Island lay a barren islet. Pang Yue landed there, drew a stack of array flags from his storage pouch, and planted them around the perimeter. Forming seals, he activated the array, shrouding the island in mist and clouds, obscuring it from sight.

This formation, left in Ning Daoyu’s storage pouch, was a mere Bewildering Array—enough to fool Qi-Refining cultivators, but not truly effective against those in the Dao Foundation stage.

At the island’s center, Pang Yue lit a stick of incense, whose fragrant smoke curled into the air. He sat cross-legged on a large rock and quietly activated his demonic arts.

Beast-Attracting Incense—irresistible to low-level demon beasts with muddled minds, this was a must-have for Demon Sigil Sect cultivators hunting monsters.

Before long, a seabird appeared on the horizon, diving straight toward the island. The bird was over ten feet long, its black feathers glossy and gleaming, a baleful aura swirling about it. It had already attained the Dao Foundation level.

Drawn by the alluring fragrance, the bird swooped into the mist, its senses clouded and soul dazed. For a moment, its demon power surged, clearing its mind, and it glimpsed a shadowy figure amid the fog—the source of the scent.

With a shriek, the bird transformed into a bolt of black lightning, darting towards Pang Yue. Just then, the eight-sided red-gold urn materialized beside him, spitting out a mass of gray light that swept toward the bird.

The gray light passed through, and with a scream, the bird realized a great portion of its demon power had vanished, its cultivation plummeting from Dao Foundation to Qi-Refining!

Before it could react, a crimson sword-light flashed, and in the next instant, the bird’s head tumbled to the ground.

Pang Yue collected the corpse with a flick of his sleeve and nodded in satisfaction. “The Demon-Refining Urn is as formidable as ever.”

Soon after, a massive demon fish covered in azure scales circled the island. Suddenly, a ray of gray light swept from the mist, sapping its strength and dispersing its demon power. In the blink of an eye, it was slain by a flash of crimson sword-light.

For several days, Dao Foundation beasts from a thousand miles around were drawn to the island. Some set foot on shore, others did not, but all were stripped of their power by the urn’s gray light and then dispatched by sword-light.

Eventually, no more Dao Foundation beasts appeared, and Pang Yue, uninterested in lesser creatures, withdrew the formation and returned to Dragon Scale Island.

Both the original Xu Daoist and Ning Daoyu had left pill-refining methods in their pouches; with the help of the Innate Primordial Tablet, Pang Yue mastered them completely.

Dao Foundation monster cores were superb ingredients for alchemy, and the "True Record of the Flame Demon" was famed for its mastery of fire techniques. Pang Yue had accumulated thirteen such monster cores. He set about refining them into pills.

Seven days later, after several failed attempts, he succeeded in producing three “Heavenly Dust Pills.”

Beneath the Dragon Scale Fruit Tree in the blue stone courtyard, Pang Yue sat and carefully examined one of the pills. This was the first time he had managed to concoct a pill since arriving in this world.

The pill was no larger than a coin from his previous life, translucent and gleaming, with countless motes of light drifting within—hence the name “Heavenly Dust Pill.”

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The pill contained the purest spiritual energy; a single one could equal a year’s worth of arduous cultivation for a Dao Foundation cultivator.

Pang Yue swallowed the Heavenly Dust Pill. Instantly, a surge of blazing, potent spiritual energy flowed into his dantian. He activated the "True Record of the Flame Demon," and in his consciousness, a gigantic red-gold talisman appeared, like metal and stone, commanding his spirit, power, and Dao heart with perfect clarity.

The demonic art operated of its own accord, ravenously devouring and refining the pill’s essence, steadily boosting Pang Yue’s spiritual power.

...

Seasons turned as stars wheeled overhead; five years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Outer Sea Teleportation Market of the Demon Sigil Sect bustled with thousands of sect disciples, clan cultivators, and wandering practitioners. Most were Qi-Refining disciples seeking experience, but there were also many at the Dao Foundation stage.

The abundant cultivation resources of the Outer Sea made this place as prosperous as any mortal city.

Pang Yue, wearing a mask that concealed his spiritual presence, strolled into a shop called "Antiquities Pavilion."

"You’re always so punctual, friend!" the shopkeeper laughed, setting aside an ancient scroll and rising to greet him.

Pang Yue nodded in acknowledgment. The two entered a private room, set a soundproof barrier, and began their transaction.

Without a word, Pang Yue handed over a storage pouch. The shopkeeper inspected it thoroughly, then nodded in satisfaction. "Thirty Dao Foundation demon beasts—not one missing! That’s thirty thousand spirit stones. Will you be taking materials or the stones themselves?"

"How are you doing with the materials on my list?" Pang Yue asked.

The shopkeeper gave a wry smile. "It’s not easy, you know. Last time, I went to great lengths to procure the Azure Rock Divine Stone from another store. I’ve managed to collect some Spirit-Sealing Red Copper, but it’s not nearly enough to meet your requirements. Once I gather more, I’ll let you know."

"Thank you for your efforts," Pang Yue replied, pausing before adding, "Do you have any flying swords suited to fire techniques?"

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. "What grade are you looking for? Superior or top-grade? I have both in first-tier magical treasures."

Pang Yue smiled. "First-tier magical treasures start at over a million spirit stones. I can’t afford that. Let me see what you have in top-grade magical weapons."

"Please wait a moment! I’ve just acquired some excellent pieces."

With a mysterious air, the shopkeeper left and soon returned with three sword cases, which appeared on the table in a flash of light.

"Please, take a look."

Pang Yue opened them in turn.

The first case held a flying sword that seemed carved from red jade; its blade was broad, and yellow flames flowed within, emitting a barely restrained power that made one’s heart race.

"Skyfire Red Jade Sword," the shopkeeper introduced. "A top-grade magical weapon, with nine perfect seals. Rarer still, it contains a trace of extraterrestrial fire, making it as powerful as a first-tier magical treasure."

"How much?" Pang Yue closed the case and asked.

"Three hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones," the shopkeeper replied with a smile. "If you buy it, I’ll waive the small change."

The second case held a dull black iron sword—thick, blunt, and unremarkable.

"Blackflame Sword," the shopkeeper said. "A top-grade magical weapon, crafted by a direct disciple of the Profound Sect, with nine perfect seals—just a step away from becoming a magical treasure. Eighty-eight thousand spirit stones; for you, eighty-two thousand."

The third case contained a bone sword, its surface covered in dense crimson lines like capillaries.

"Flame Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword," the shopkeeper introduced. "A top-grade magical weapon, the handiwork of a certain Demon Sigil Sect elder. It bears only eight seals, but I’ll let you have it for sixteen thousand spirit stones."

Pang Yue sighed. "All fine swords, but I must live within my means. I’ll take the Flame Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword."