Chapter 12

The roaring flames burned boundlessly, forming a world of fire.

The sizzling sound never ceased, and above the world of flames, the divine ice iron began to melt drop by drop, turning into transparent molten iron.

Below, Yang Qifeng and the Qianlan Demon God were in conversation.

Yang Qifeng had a deep longing for the outside world, a desire that came from the depths of his heart. He was eager to know about the world beyond, and naturally, the Qianlan Demon God was his first choice.

Through the Qianlan Demon God's introduction, Yang Qifeng's horizons broadened, and he was no longer bewildered about the outside world.

As the Qianlan Demon God spoke, Yang Qifeng became even more certain of one thing: the outside world was the mythological realm of his previous life. In the Heavenly Court, there were the Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother, and especially the Jade Emperor's nephew, the Second Lord of Manifestation, Yang Jian, and the Great God of the Three Altars, Nezha. All these legendary figures, known to every household, truly existed.

This made Yang Qifeng both excited and pressured, feeling an immense sense of danger. Unlike the previous life where immortals and deities were extinct, in this life, every famous mountain and river was either a playground for demons or a cultivation ground for immortals and deities.

With a deep gaze, Yang Qifeng considered many things. He felt the pressure, but his heart was also burning with passion. Having crossed over to this mythological world, how could he not befriend the mythological figures? His ambition was growing, and with a determined look in his eyes, Yang Qifeng suppressed his other thoughts. The most urgent task was to凝聚神魂,摆脱六丁神火的威胁,首先拥有自保之力,然后就是逃离这八卦仙炉。

"You have now reached the Tongfa realm. The next step is to form a core, and there are two choices for this," the Qianlan Demon God instructed.

"Which two choices?" Yang Qifeng asked.

"Forming a Golden Core or a Demon Core," the Qianlan Demon God explained.

"What is the difference between a Golden Core and a Demon Core?" Yang Qifeng frowned and asked.

"Forming a Golden Core follows the Daoist cultivation method, a broad and straight path. In ancient times, a great sage attained enlightenment on Yujing Mountain and established the Daoist lineage. By forming a Golden Core, gathering a spirit, and cutting through the three paths, one can achieve the state of Primordial Chaos. Six to seven out of ten cultivators in the world follow this method. I can teach you the Golden Core path, leading you to the ultimate Dao."

As the Qianlan Demon God finished speaking, Yang Qifeng fell silent. The Golden Core path was a blatant temptation for him. In his previous life as a Taoist, Yang Qifeng had read many Daoist texts, which extensively described the Golden Core path. According to the Qianlan Demon God, Yang Qifeng could also tell that cultivating the Golden Core path was the orthodox method in the outside world, with six to seven out of ten cultivators following it. This was a significant concept.

It was almost as if, if you randomly met a cultivator, they would most likely be cultivating the Golden Core path. This path had no worries, as it had already been proven successful by others, a broad and straight path. Yang Qifeng was tempted, but he suppressed his feelings, as he had not yet heard the Qianlan Demon God's explanation of the other method. He coldly asked, "What about forming a Demon Core?"

"If you choose the Demon Core path, it will be fraught with difficulties. The world today is not like ancient times; demons have declined. Cultivating a Demon Core is not as favored as cultivating a Golden Core. It also eliminates the possibility of being a guardian or a mount for others," the Qianlan Demon God said with a tone of heavy sarcasm, which even Yang Qifeng could tell was filled with complaints.

"Can demons attain enlightenment?" Yang Qifeng's heart turned cold, realizing that the situation for demons in the outside world was clearly not good.

"Yes, in our demon race, there are those who have attained enlightenment," the Qianlan Demon God affirmed.

"Since it is possible to attain enlightenment, why go the long way and choose the Golden Core path? I will form a Demon Core," Yang Qifeng's eyes turned cold. Although he might not care about his reputation and do some faceless things, he still had his principles. Being a guardian or a mount, being summoned and dismissed at will, was a life without dignity. Yang Qifeng would rather die than live like that. Therefore, he chose the Demon Core cultivation method to completely avoid the possibility of being captured and transformed.

Moreover, this was not the main point. The main point was that Yang Qifeng had already sensed that the Qianlan Demon God's questioning was a test. Although the Golden Core path was good, it was not suitable for him. His greatest investor was inclined towards the Demon Core path. Only a fool would go against the investor and choose the Golden Core path. They had formed a partnership, but Yang Qifeng did not believe that the Qianlan Demon God could fully trust him. This one, who had connections with the Empress Nuwa, could easily leave the Eight Trigram Furnace and clearly had the ability to escape.

Yang Qifeng was not angry about the test; it was a necessary thing. To gain the support of an investor, you had to show that you had the potential to be invested in. If you did not have this potential, why would anyone invest in you?

"You have made a wise choice. The Demon Core path is the most suitable for us. Look at those demon immortals in the outside world. What have they become? A mess. They did not cultivate their Demon Cores but chose the Golden Core path, ultimately gathering immortal energy and completely abandoning their most suitable demon energy. What was the result? They became pitifully weak, losing the potential to advance further, and ended up as guardians or mounts."

"Those who say that cultivating immortal energy is better than demon energy are all nonsense. What suits demons is not immortal energy but demon energy. What are we? We are demons. Never forget your roots. Without roots, you are like a rootless plant, and achieving anything will be extremely difficult," the Qianlan Demon God said coldly.

"In ancient times, great demons emerged one after another, each with immense power, dominating the world and laughing at the winds and clouds. But now, these restless beings have started to cultivate immortal energy. What was the result? They either became slaves or guardians."

Yang Qifeng had a clear understanding. What was good for others was not necessarily good for him. What suited him was truly good. He was a demon, so cultivating demon energy was the right path. Cultivating immortal energy was a bit like going the long way. The cultivation of demons naturally produced demon energy, but they converted it into immortal energy, which not only took longer but also damaged their foundation. At first, there might be no issues, but over time, with a damaged foundation, their achievements were limited, and their strength naturally weakened.

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