Black Crow Needle, a treasure of the Brooyinca temple that took innumerable effort to refine, used authentic Western Demon Cult techniques. It was poisonous, cursed, and contained Demon Light and Yin Fire. This simple "branch" with nine tips was dark and oozed bloodlight. It looked so discomforting to honest folk, yet Sanfeng took a liking to it at first sight.

In terms of true power, between an immortal cultivator using the Xuan Guang Ruler and a demon cultivator using the Black Crow Needle, the former could utterly defeat the latter. However, in Sanfeng's hands, using the Xuan Guang Ruler was like wielding a plastic ruler, whereas using the Black Crow Needle was like wielding a battle-worthy Treasure Saber.

She immediately expressed her willingness to trade the Xuan Guang Ruler for the Black Crow Needle.

Shi Feiyang explained the origins and effects of both treasures to her and urged her to consider carefully, but Sanfeng thought Shi Feiyang was having second thoughts. "You are a senior expert. Since you have agreed to the exchange, let's proceed promptly. Once a word is given, it's as final as a carriage driven by fast horses—there's no turning back."

Shi Feiyang then gave her the Black Crow Needle and taught her how to use it. Sanfeng, considering it a precious find, happily clutched the Black Crow Needle and left.

Shao Dongxiu had been watching all along. Hearing Shi Feiyang repeatedly stating that the Xuan Guang Ruler was superior to the Black Crow Needle, she felt that Sanfeng was at a loss in this trade.

She too possessed a Dragon Sparrow Ring from the Lianshan Treasure Vault, akin to the Xuan Guang Ruler—its function unknown to her and as a Magical Treasure forged by demonic methods, harmful to both the user and the treasure with minimal power. It could only barely manage to ensnare the flying swords of her opponents during practice, failing even to catch the flying sword of another palace disciple, Sanfeng.

Hesitant, she did not propose an exchange but followed Sanfeng to her chamber to see the power of the Black Crow Needle for herself.

Sanfeng, using the sacrificial refinement method from the Heavenly Demon Secret Manual, succeeded on her first attempt to refine the Black Crow Needle. The treasure, as if sentient and in sync with her spirit, swiftly responded to her will. With a mere thought, it transformed into a stream of green fire and shot out, penetrating the target. Its nine tips simultaneously spewed flames to burn the target while the body burrowed in like a leech, exuding lethal poison and magical curses.

Indeed a treasure that resonates with me! Sanfeng was overjoyed, repeatedly practicing with the Black Crow Needle, shattering coral reefs and even having Shao Dongxiu join her in testing it. Sanfeng used only the Black Crow Needle against her flying sword. No matter how Shao Dongxiu maneuvered, the flying sword was always blocked by the Black Crow Needle, each collision shattering the sword light and striking the sword body accurately, causing bursts of yellow and green sparks.

After numerous collisions, Shao Dongxiu noticed her flying sword was damaged, even pierced through in places by the Black Crow Needle!

Feeling aggrieved, Shao Dongxiu secretly took out her Dragon Sparrow Ring, continually pondering, "This ring must be valuable. Sadly, I don't know how to use it and it doesn't suit my Cultivation Technique... perhaps I'd better swap it with Master Shi while I can."

Resolute, she later approached Shi Feiyang to propose trading treasures, and Shi Feiyang presented the Immortal Sword he had acquired from Wei Fengniang.

Wei Fengniang's Immortal Sword was of fine quality, though flawed in its forging technique. Additionally, she practiced marginal Daoist Techniques and lacked self-discipline, mixing impure True Qi, resulting in a flying sword that always retained a hint of yellow in its blue sword light no matter how much refinement it underwent.

Shi Feiyang, while inventorying his treasures in a cave on Mangcang Mountain, re-sacrificed the sword, eliminating the yellow light and purifying it to an even more mystical bright blue than when Wei Fengniang possessed it.

In the Jade Capital of the Gold Mother of Heaven, among the stored flying swords, the four of top quality were tarnished—two destroyed by disciple Fan Liang and Independent Immortal Zhen Hai of the Iron Umbrella Daoist—leaving only two in the hands of Chu Feng. The others, including Sanfeng's, were of lesser quality, and Shao Dongxiu's even worse. Now, seeing Shi Feiyang's Immortal Sword emitting blue light and flickering electric sparks like a spirit snake, making her skin tingle and the room feel refreshingly cool—almost on par with Chu Feng's but superior to all others—it left her almost breathless.

Shi Feiyang offered, "This Immortal Sword, obtained in my early years, suits you well. If you wish, we can trade it for your Dragon Sparrow Ring."

Shao Dongxiu eagerly nodded, "That's the one!"

Worried that Shi Feiyang might reconsider, she quickly handed over the Dragon Sparrow Ring and took the sword, hastily taking her leave, rejoicing with the new Immortal Sword.

The Dragon Sparrow Ring, ranked third among the four great treasures of Lianshan, surpassing even the All-encompassing Xuan Guang Ruler, although it was only half of a pair, the mother ring having been previously taken by two old masters of Song Mountain.

Despite being only half, it still possessed demon-suppressing effects, was made of two Golden Rings engraved with Vermilion Ancient Seal script, and when Shao Dongxiu refined it with Magic, threads of blood pulsed within the old script runes, faintly swirling with Demon Light.

Shi Feiyang called in Xiong Man and bestowed the Dragon Sparrow Ring upon her, teaching her the Immortal's method of sacrificial refinement.

Xiong Man, having left empty-handed from Teacher Kong of the Seven-Finger Dragon Mother, possessed only a low-quality personal flying sword. Gifting her the Dragon Sparrow Ring was intended to help her through future tribulations and because the two old masters of Song Mountain had a good relationship with Granny Jin Bai Guyi, especially when not residing with their shorter colleague Zhu Mei in Heng Mountain, frequently encountering Bai Guyi's disciple Luo Ziyuan. Their thick-skinned faces would not allow them to covet a fellow disciple's treasure.

Xiong Man had obtained her first Magical Treasure in her lifetime and was exceedingly delighted. She quickly thanked her mentor and took the Treasure back to start the Sacrificial Refinement according to the rules.

Sanfeng and Dongxiu both also acquired good items. Sanfeng considered the Black Crow Needle, similar to a Hidden Weapon, to be fundamentally unexpected, and kept its details secret, refining and playing with it only within her own sleeping chambers. What Dongxiu received was a Flying Sword, openly admirable, and she often displayed it to show off, eliciting praises from everyone as it flashed with blue light and emitted chilling air, hailing it as an unparalleled exquisite sword.

Jin Xunu had already become a disciple of Shi Feiyang and, being honest by nature while Hui Zhu primarily practiced Buddhism Law, minimizing worldly possessions, there needed no mention. Only Chu Feng felt a stirring of intent.

Chu Feng was not coveting the Magical Treasure; she was worried about the impending five-hundred-year Demon Tribulation and approached Shi Feiyang three times for counsel.

Shi Feiyang explained to her, "Your future Demon Tribulation will be launched by both inner and outer demons, conspiring together, unstoppable! Sanfeng exchanged an Immortal Magical Treasure for a Demon Path Magical Treasure, and Dongxiu exchanged a Mysterious Sect's Magical Treasure for an offshoot Magical Treasure. If they cannot maintain self-discipline, they are bound to become more demonized in the future, with no way back. But they have wrought this upon themselves and can blame no one else. The gates to the Demon Sect are always open, and people vie to enter. If you block them, they would blame you instead, seeing you as an enemy. This applies to you as well. To transcend the Tribulation, first extinguish your inner demons; the 'Heavenly Demon Secret Manual' should no longer be refined, and it would be best to destroy it."

Chu Feng said, "Our 'Earth Que Golden Chapter' mostly consists of Cultivation Methods, and there are few application Spells, limited in power. If we do not refine the 'Heavenly Demon Secret Manual', how will we handle enemies when we encounter them in the future? Would we not just be fish on the chopping board?"

"This leads to the second issue, the outer demons. Where did your original enemies come from? Aside from the Iron Umbrella and his disciples, the source lies with Jin Xunu. Not refining t paddingRighteous Path Sect would suffice to safely transcend this. Afterward, seal Sea Eye, hide in this Immortal Palace, live leisurely and free from menace, and no outer demons will invade. By refining the 'Heavenly Demon Secret Manual', you foster inner demons, which in turn summon outer demons, creating massive bloodshed and feuds out there. As a result, outer demons continually strengthen and you are forced to keep refining the 'Heavenly Demon Secret Manual,' eventually faced with simultaneous internal and external attacks, exploding on the night of your five hundredth birthday!"

Hearing this, Chu Feng felt a great helplessness inside, "It's already too late to stop, unless there's another Daoist book available for cultivation..."

Shi Feiyang smiled and asked, "Even if you cultivated another formally righteous Immortal Law from the Mysterious Sect, would that prevent you from making enemies? Unable to be kind to others, with enemies growing more numerous and stronger, you would be forced to search for more powerful Spells to cultivate. How would that Immortal Law be any different from the 'Heavenly Demon Secret Manual'?"

His words struck Chu Feng speechless, leaving her choked up for a while. She then asked Shi Feiyang, "Senior, if I truly destroy the 'Heavenly Demon Secret Manual' and cease demonic practices, closing our palace gates, could we really evade that future calamity?"

Shi Feiyang nodded, "If you truly manage that, seal the palace gates, not leaving for fifty years, you can certainly evade it safely... I'm just afraid that your inner demons have already arisen, driving you to distressed restlessness, compelling you to find some excuse to wander outside. When that happens, your efforts may fall short."

Shi Feiyang had already resolved the incidents with the Nanming Leaving Fire Sword and the imprisonment of Lu Rongbo; if they truly acted as he instructed, hiding until after their five hundredth birthday, things would indeed be different.

However, Chu Feng was reluctant to part with the Divine Skill Secret Manual that she had painstakingly acquired from Moon Island and cultivated for many years, so she asked Shi Feiyang if there was another better way.

Shi Feiyang suggested, "Why not abandon this Purple Cloud Palace and follow me to the Little Antarctica Bright Realm? As long as you follow my teachings within the Aurora Fire Forbidden Circle, I can naturally protect you completely."

Chu Feng was even more unwilling to leave the sumptuous Purple Cloud Palace where she had lived for over four hundred years, and she pleaded with Shi Feiyang to point out another way.

Shi Feiyang then stated, "I can spend a hundred days of grueling effort to forge a Circulation God Talisman for you, which normally can protect your body and spirit. When the Tribulation approaches, it might save your life."

Chu Feng awkwardly asked, "Might?"

"If you can be meticulous, comprehend more about the Dao, stray less into demonic paths, restrain your palace attendants, venture out less to commit evils and create enemies, it can save your life. However, if you continue to act recklessly, even a hundred such Talismans would be of no use!"

Chu Feng hastily acknowledged his instruction and requested Shi Feiyang to proceed with the ritual.

Shi Feiyang then took a precious jade from her palace's seabed and spent a hundred days forging a Circulation God Talisman. Chu Feng saw that the talisman was the size of a palm, with cloud patterns and twinkling stars etched with innumerable interlinked Talisman Runes; one talisman's head was another's tail, another's core was yet another's head. Gazing intently felt like delving into an endless starry sky, causing dizziness within moments, making it impossible to clearly discern.

Chu Feng briefly tested it. Whether it could help her transcend the Tribulation was uncertain, but it indeed stabilized her form and spirit, concentrate her energy, and made the world seem clearer. When cast, it created a Forbidden Circle around her, keeping all previously cultivated demons at bay, perfectly embodying Shi Feiyang's principle of "extinguishing inner demons" and "repelling outer demons," which brought her immense joy.

Chu Feng proposed to express her gratitude to Shi Feiyang, "True Master possesses profound and unfathomable mana. I, being your junior, don't know what you might need, but you are welcome to use anything from my palace!" She also specifically told Xiong Man, Lin Han, and others, "Take plenty, don't be shy, otherwise I really won't be at ease!"

Shi Sheng heard this and came running to Shi Feiyang, expressing his wish for such a Circulation God Talisman as well.

Shi Feiyang smiled and sighed, "You were sealed in the rock wall from birth, seen by no one but your mother, innocent and naive. In the future, you will see that healthy people do not simply grab for crutches; those who are truly strong and strive ceaselessly rely on their own strength to suppress their demons. Alas, I say this because they believe they possess demons. Once we reach the Bright Realm, I will teach you the Three Emperors' Dao. When the Dao governs the world, what room is there for demons?"

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