This time, when Shi Feiyang underwent the sword refining trial at the Star Constellations Sea, he reaped many rewards. The Nine Child Mother Sky Demon completed the extraction and conception, and all were now pregnant with the Heavenly Demon's progeny. In the following period, he would nourish them until the right time, waiting for the ripe fruit to fall; after the nine child demons were born, the Nine Child Mother Sky Demon would truly become a complete entity, even more formidable than Jiu Panpo's set.

At the same time, he had also refined the Nine Heavenly Demon Slaying Immortal Swords, which added much Heavenly Fire Primordial Qi to his Purple and Blue Douluo Fire.

There was also another item, the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture" acquired before the sword refining, which had been deeply imprinted in his mind. When he was writing books for the Wutai Sect, he added some spells that could counter the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture," although they were simplistic. The truly profound parts still required detailed contemplation.

The Emei Sect's cultivation of the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture" was not only powerful in spells, free from demon disturbances but also devoid of Heavenly Tribulations. Whether it was Ascension or Treasure Refinement, everything was smooth sailing, leading to direct success.

According to Yan Yingmu's evaluation in the original work, this was described as "Both Stable and Fast," not only providing a secure journey free from deviation into the path of Evil Demons but also ensuring a swift rate of cultivation.

With so many advantages, naturally, there were steep prices to pay.

One of them was the dual practice of internal and external cultivation, fulfilling the Dao and worldly deeds. Beyond the personal Daoist cultivation, one had to venture out and accumulate merit.

Another iron rule was the necessity of preserving virginity, without breaking the precepts. One had to maintain purity in body and mind, where even fantasizing was unacceptable, let alone marital life and childbearing. Even Qi Shuming and Xun Lanyin, after giving birth to their child, had to reincarnate together, entering the path with virgin bodies in the next life while retaining the nominal status of being spouses from their past life.

Moreover, their requirements for one's nature had reached a demanding extent.

After finishing the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture," Shi Feiyang finally understood why, despite a thousand-year legacy and the accumulation of three generations, the elders of the Emei Sect were still so impoverished, with many possessing only a Flying Sword.

Since they were to focus solely on self-cultivation, eschewing worldly possessions, seeking externally was regarded as a heterodox path. Resorting to shortcuts meant stepping onto a sidetrack. They had to aim straight at their true hearts, entering through the main gate and taking the highway, marching directly forward on an open path!

Master Changmei, before his Ascension, possessed numerous treasures but did not pass them down to his disciples. Purple Ying, Green Rope, the Seven Cultivation Swords, Heavenly Wisdom, and various treasures from Ningcui Peak... all were sealed away in different places, waiting to reemerge only when needed in the future.

Qi Shuming and his peers, when they went to Star Constellations Sea to prevent the emergence of the Demon Sword, did not take out these treasure swords to wield against the formidable Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword, knowing full well of its might. The Green Rope was still at Mangcang Mountain, but Purple Ying had already been brought back to Emei, and the Seven Cultivation Swords were also sealed within Emei Mountain. They did not take these out to use, knowing that their master had other plans, and these swords were not meant for them.

According to Master Changmei's arrangements, all his disciples needed to do was to diligently cultivate the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture," and naturally, one by one, they would all smoothly ascend.

First was the Ascetic Monk, who ascended to Pure Land the earliest, followed by True Master Xuanzhen, then the couple Qi Shuming...

Except for the least accomplished Drunken Daoist and Jian Bingru, who would be delayed many years, the rest were all assured a position among the Heavenly Immortals.

As for the future three swordfights, they were primarily expected to fall upon the shoulders of the next generation. Master Changmei's Immortal Sword Magical Treasures were also left for the following generation. Li Yingqiong's generation was born to face the ordeal, relying on Immortal Sword Magical Treasures to sweep through groups of demons, and after the matter was completed, they would abandon their treasures, seal them away, and then they, too, could ascend smoothly. The Emei Sect would then be passed down to the subsequent generation, during the time when Shangguan Hong became the Sect Leader.

Unfortunately, Shi Feiyang arrived, a massive variable, altering everything.

But this was an external cause. Looking at the internal reasons, it was also because Qi Shuming and his generation were unable to fully adhere to Master Changmei's teachings. Their actions became increasingly sharp and exposed. As Xiao Yue Zen Master stated in the original work, since Master Changmei's ascension, they had become too overbearing and disdainful of the weak, spoiling the younger generation and showing disdain for others, an embarrassment... The entire three swordfights originated from this.

The Wutai Sect suffered many calamities because they indulged their disciples and wreaked havoc at will. In reality, the Emei Sect was the same, but in the original work, the Emei Sect's strength was overwhelming, so they didn't face retribution, and many Demon Path lords were forcibly dumbed down, becoming confused at crucial moments, and doom was self-inflicted.

Now, due to Shi Feiyang's arrival and the major shift in the Heavenly Number, the Emei Sect also tasted the bitter consequences. Although they were domineering, they had done much good, unlike the Wutai Sect, which ended tragically, leaving only three elders and an entire generation of disciples dead.

Shi Feiyang now understood why Deng Yin and Xiao Yue Zen Master had forsaken the grand path of the Golden Immortal to instead cultivate the "Blood God Scripture" and Grandmaster Ha Ha's divine skill.

He also couldn't possibly cultivate the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture" one hundred percent. He merely deconstructed the cultivation techniques and Daoist skills, understood the meanings of each scripture, took the strengths and supplemented the weaknesses. It was a great enlightenment for him, and he benefited a lot.

Shi Feiyang secluded himself to cultivate, and several more years passed.

Today, he calculated that the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword, refined by Xu Wan, had almost recovered its Primordial Qi and was ready to emerge into the world to harm others. Therefore, he came out of seclusion and planned to retrieve the sword.

By now, the world of Central Earth, due to his arrival, had become utterly chaotic and unrecognizable; it bore no resemblance to the original script or history.

The land of Central Earth was vast, spanning three times the width and resulting in an area nine times larger, with higher mountains and longer rivers. During this period, many new provinces, prefectures, and counties emerged, and the population increased significantly.

By this point, Emperor Taichang had already abdicated the throne and become the Supreme Emperor. Since he didn't cultivate his inner self or consume Immortal Pills, he only had Zhu Changyuan regularly bring him Spiritual Medicines as dietary supplements. Now over eighty years old, he still looked robust, with only his hair turning white, spending his days in contentment within the harem.

The one sitting on the dragon throne now was his son, Emperor Tianqi, Zhu Youxiao, who was also in his fifties. Having been in power for twenty years, he built upon his father's legacy, strengthened central authority through the eunuchs, and, with Shi Feiyang's intervention using Dragon Coins, subdued groups from the court to the localities, maintaining a unified empire.

Throughout these years, Central Earth enjoyed favorable weather, with bountiful harvests each year. Despite occasional typhoons and earthquakes, the court used Dragon Coins to coordinate disaster relief, and although corruption, shirking duties, falsifying disaster reports, and other misdemeanors occurred, they were not widespread and were always investigated and punished afterward.

Thanks to increased rainfall in the Northwest, the Yellow Earth Plateau turned greener, and the uprisings that were supposed to happen never occurred.

Overall, things weren't so bad.

But speaking of Shi Feiyang, he anticipated that the Demon Sword had fallen into Hankou, so he flew there, only to come up empty-handed.

The sword itself possessed a Demon Nature and could sense that a powerful person was coming to subdue it—it was its destined tribulation. So it devised ways to deeply integrate into the Human World. On one hand, it used magic to create various illusions to confuse its trail, and on the other, it used the worldly Qi to conceal the Heavenly Number, continually changing hands and constantly altering its location. Sensing the approach of its tribulation, it sought the protection of a fortunate person in advance and left Hankou to escape the calamity.

Shi Feiyang didn't expect that after several years of absence, the sword had evolved beyond his initial expectations. According to the Gua Xiang, the sword knew he was after it and had incited others to refine eight identical fake swords scattered among the people years ago. The sword itself did everything possible to hide Heaven's Secret, and since it had merged with Xu Wan's Primordial Spirit, it gained his memories and skills.

Shi Feiyang made another calculation and determined that the sword would eventually be taken to Yellow Mountain. So he too cast a spell to create a false image. He found a martial arts youth traveling downriver by boat and, while the other party slept at night, injected a wisp of Primordial Qi into his body and imprinted an invisible Spirit Talisman on his back.

Thus, without the young man being aware, he now carried Shi Feiyang's Qi and fate. Anyone who attempted to sense or calculate would mistake him for Shi Feiyang.

As for himself, Shi Feiyang flew ahead to Yellow Mountain to wait.

The young hero's martial arts were decent, though not very high, but with Shi Feiyang's Primordial Qi, he gained sixty years' worth of Inner Strength. Light as a swallow and with rich True Qi, he could take strides of tens of feet, easily smashing a boulder with a wave of his hand. His senses sharpened considerably, allowing him to locate and target a mosquito a hundred paces away at night by its sound!

He became elated, thinking he had managed to open his governor and conception vessels in his sleep and cultivated the Supreme Divine Skill of his sect.

He had not only opened his governor and conception vessels, but the circulation of True Qi through the channels was smooth, and his every action and movement carried formidable power.

The young hero first practiced martial arts with his fellow disciples, effortlessly defeating all his peers. Then he faced his masters and uncles. While his moves were somewhat lacking, his profound inner strength was overwhelming and, in the end, he defeated several elders as well.

His sect members were all astonished and delighted: "On this trip to Yellow Mountain, there is hope for our sect to make a name for itself and gain the Divine Weapon!"

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