Chapter 22

Chapter 21: The Holy Cave (Part 1)

The next day, the elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect were already prepared, so they invited Li Qiyi to come. The Chief Great Guardian, Yu He, served as Li Qiyi's driver, delivering him to the deepest part of the Nine Holy Demon Sect's territory!

Yu He, whose strength had reached the level of a King, was a major figure not only in the Nine Holy Demon Sect but also in the entire Ancient Ox Border Kingdom. A King, whose footstep could make the earth tremble. However, today, such a great figure as Yu He could only serve as a driver for Li Qiyi. If this were to be known, no one would believe it.

The Nine Holy Demon Sect was founded by the Nine Holy Great Sages. After generations of ancestors' efforts, the Nine Holy Demon Sect had become extremely powerful. The entire sect's strength was undoubtedly first-class in the Central Great Domain!

The Nine Holy Demon Sect's land was vast and magnificent, with the essence of heaven and earth permeating the air, so dense that it seemed like a mist enveloping the sect, making it hard to disperse. Especially within the sect's territory, the essence of heaven and earth was so dense that it could not be dispersed.

In the deepest part of the Nine Holy Demon Sect's territory, there was a solitary mountain. On this mountain, there was an ancient cave, which was sealed. No one knew how many years the cave had been sealed. The old vines around the cave were like coiled dragons, and the purple ginseng was as large as an umbrella. The entrance to the ancient cave was already ancient and weathered, having been eroded by countless years.

This place was the forbidden area of the Nine Holy Demon Sect. Only those of the Elder level and above could come here.

The Holy Cave was a place that the Nine Holy Demon Sect had always been eager to explore, as it contained astonishing treasures. This cave was left by the Nine Holy Great Sages, the founder of the Nine Holy Demon Sect. For millions of years, the successive leaders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect had failed to open this cave.

According to legend, after the Nine Holy Great Sages established the Nine Holy Demon Sect and left their teachings, passing on many of their life's accomplishments and secret techniques to their descendants, they still sealed some things in the Holy Cave.

There was a legend that the Nine Holy Great Sages feared their descendants might be ungrateful, so they left a reserve. If the Nine Holy Demon Sect ever declined, as long as the Holy Cave remained, the sect would have a chance to rise again.

What treasures were left in the Holy Cave was one of the mysteries that the generations of the Nine Holy Demon Sect had tried to solve. However, the successive leaders and elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect believed that there was definitely an Immortal Emperor's treasure inside the Holy Cave.

This was because, according to legend, after the Benevolent Immortal Emperor received the mandate of heaven and ruled the world, he rewarded the Nine Holy Great Sages for their great contributions to protecting the path by bestowing an Immortal Emperor's treasure. However, the Nine Holy Great Sages never passed this Immortal Emperor's treasure to their descendants. Therefore, the generations of the Nine Holy Demon Sect believed that there was definitely an Immortal Emperor's treasure inside the Holy Cave!

An Immortal Emperor's treasure was an invincible weapon personally crafted by the Benevolent Immortal Emperor, which had accompanied him in battles across the nine heavens and ten earths. Such an Immortal Emperor's treasure was far more powerful than a Great Sage's true artifact.

Although it was not an Immortal Emperor's true artifact, an Immortal Emperor's treasure alone was enough to fill everyone with excitement.

In front of the Holy Cave, the elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect held their breath. The Holy Cave was ancient and weathered, with towering old trees outside, their bark cracked like dragon scales.

On the left side of the ancient Holy Cave, there was a line of characters. Although the Holy Cave was ancient and weathered, this line of characters still shone brightly.

"Only I am the Heavenly Demon!" These four characters were carved on the left side of the Holy Cave, grand and majestic, with each stroke and character as if it could pierce through the heavens. Despite the erosion of countless years, they still exuded the aura of a Great Sage.

These four characters were personally left by the Nine Holy Great Sages. The generations of the Nine Holy Demon Sect believed that these characters were the key to opening the Holy Cave.

On the left side was "Only I am the Heavenly Demon," while the right side was blank. Therefore, the generations of the Nine Holy Demon Sect believed that this might be a couplet, and if the right side could be matched, the Holy Cave could be opened.

However, some believed that the four characters "Only I am the Heavenly Demon" contained supreme Dao. Each stroke and character resonated with the Dao, and if one could comprehend the true essence of these four characters, the Holy Cave could be opened.

Regardless of which theory, the generations of the Nine Holy Demon Sect had tried. The most talented disciples had once meditated here, trying to comprehend the ultimate essence of these four characters. The leaders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect had even entered the mortal world to invite the most talented scholars to match the right side of the couplet.

However, for millions of years, no one had been able to open the Holy Cave!

"Only I am the Heavenly Demon." Seeing these four characters, Li Qiyi couldn't help but smile. The scene from years ago flashed in his mind. Back then, he had invited the Nine Holy Great Sages to come out of seclusion to protect the path for the Benevolent Immortal Emperor.

At that time, the Nine Holy Great Sages were not yet known as the Nine Holy Great Sages. He called himself the Nine Holy Heavenly Demon, arrogant and domineering. He outright rejected Li Qiyi's invitation, his arrogance unmatched, declaring, "Only I am the Heavenly Demon!"

So, seeing this today, Li Qiyi couldn't help but smile. After the Benevolent Immortal Emperor received the mandate of heaven, his state was unstable, and he prepared to enter a deep sleep, sealing himself away.

At that time, when he was about to lock himself away, the Nine Holy Great Sages had hoped that his Nine Holy Demon Sect would continue to thrive. Therefore, he left the Holy Cave and told Li Qiyi that he hoped Li Qiyi would remember his kindness and take care of the Nine Holy Demon Sect in the future.

Seeing these four characters, Li Qiyi immediately knew how to open the Holy Cave. However, under the watchful eyes of the Nine Holy Demon Sect's elders, he couldn't just open it right away.

Li Qiyi approached the Holy Cave, touching here and there, acting as if he was doing something serious. After a long time, he shook his head and, with a very serious expression, pondered the four characters "Only I am the Heavenly Demon."

Seeing Li Qiyi fuss for so long without any reaction from the Holy Cave, the elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect began to lose their patience. However, they still held their breath, watching Li Qiyi's every move.

Finally, Li Qiyi sat cross-legged in front of the Holy Cave, as if in deep meditation. Time passed, from morning to afternoon, and finally, the sun set, dyeing the sky red.

Li Qiyi sat there for a whole day, and even the elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect, such great figures, could no longer hold their patience.

"Is this working?" An elder couldn't help but mutter, "This kid, is he just pretending?"

Seeing Li Qiyi's lack of progress, the other elders were unsure but had to admit that Li Qiyi was indeed mysterious. He had passed through the fourteen layers of the Heart-Disturbing Forest and could communicate with the guardian spirit, which was incomprehensible and extremely strange.

"Hmph, maybe he's just lucky," an elder said discontentedly. After all, the Holy Cave was the forbidden area of the Nine Holy Demon Sect, and now letting an outsider try to comprehend it had already made some elders unhappy.

"Bring me ink and brush!" Finally, when the elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect were restless, Li Qiyi stood up calmly and said. After sitting there for a day, his buttocks were sore.

An elder immediately brought the ink and brush. Li Qiyi, acting as if he was pretending, shook his head and said, "So, so! The Nine Holy Great Sages were indeed remarkable." As he spoke, he dipped the brush in ink and wrote on the right side.

"A mess of chicken feathers!" Li Qiyi's handwriting was not a masterpiece; he wrote casually, unable to compare with the grand and majestic style of the Nine Holy Great Sages.

"Only I am the Heavenly Demon, a mess of chicken feathers!" The completely mismatched couplet, with two completely different styles, was so ridiculous that it seemed like a joke to others.

When Li Qiyi wrote "a mess of chicken feathers," an elder's face immediately changed. These four characters were insulting to the Nine Holy Demon Sect, completely mismatched with the "Only I am the Heavenly Demon" on the left side.

"Ridiculous, insulting our Nine Holy Demon Sect!" An elder's face turned dark, and he shouted.

Li Qiyi glanced at him and said calmly, "You, a mere warrior, know nothing about the subtleties of language. You don't even understand the painstaking efforts of your ancestors, and you're shouting here!"

"You—!" Li Qiyi's arrogance made the elder's face turn red, his eyes narrowing, and he was about to lose his temper.

"Rumble—rumble—rumble—" Just as the elder was about to lose his temper, a heavy sound echoed, and the Holy Cave slowly opened.

For a moment, the eyes of all the elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect widened. They couldn't believe their eyes. The generations of leaders and elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect had tried to comprehend the essence of "Only I am the Heavenly Demon" and had invited the most talented scholars to match the couplet, but none of these methods worked!

However, today, the crooked "a mess of chicken feathers" actually opened the Holy Cave, which was completely unbelievable! "A mess of chicken feathers" was completely mismatched with "Only I am the Heavenly Demon" in every aspect, but the impossible had happened, and the Holy Cave was opened.

For a moment, all the elders of the Nine Holy Demon Sect were stunned.

"This, this, this is impossible!" An elder muttered, unable to believe his eyes. This was too absurd.

Li Qiyi smirked and said calmly, "That's because your ancestor was a chicken spirit, so it's a mess of chicken feathers!"

Of course, Li Qiyi wouldn't tell them the secret. Back then, the Nine Holy Great Sages were arrogant and domineering, outright rejecting Li Qiyi's invitation. However, this arrogant and powerful Nine Holy Great Sages ultimately fell to Li Qiyi, who had transformed into a dark crow. Li Qiyi forced him to reveal his true form, stripped him of all his chicken feathers, and mockingly called it "a mess of chicken feathers"!

Second update of the day

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