Chapter 0: 158. A Person of the Demonic Path
“A sacred ranking even more noble than the Saint Immortal Ranking?” Qin Gou’s gaze turned peculiar as he glanced at A’Yuan.
Apart from the ‘Saint Immortal Ranking,’ which he had squeezed into through a fortunate coincidence and arduous effort to complete a mission, Old Qin was left with a ‘Demon Saint Ranking’ that belonged solely to him in the entire Cultivation World.
Qin Gou didn’t know if this Demon Saint Ranking could be associated with the word “noble,” but in terms of influence and fame, it certainly was unprecedented. The uproar caused by the Daojun Dynasty, forced by the fearsome might of the Demon Masters, to permanently withdraw the Demon Saint Ranking bounty, was far greater. This was due to the ‘one person dominating a ranking’ situation and the well-intentioned but misguided father-daughter duo, Lin Boyuan and Lin Youqing, who had stirred up trouble for him.
“However, Jia Er’s idea is not entirely unreasonable. Scaring away and repelling all those cultivators who are unaware of the truth is also a good method. It’s just that, if this is the case, the outside world’s perception of me will likely gain another layer of negativity…”
Qin Gou couldn’t help but feel depressed. Just then, he saw Li Yuanzhen and Yi Chengying return, so he explained the situation to them.
“How about this, Little Chair, Yuanzhen, you two will accompany me to the outside world first.”
“Senior Qin, I also wish to go.” Jia Er immediately volunteered.
“Alright, after all, Jia Er, you are more familiar with those Secret Realm Clones,” Qin Gou nodded in agreement.
Before long, the four of them passed through the spiritual power gateway in sequence.
As the first ray of sunlight from the outside world fell upon them, Qin Gou carefully noticed that Jia Er, who was beside him, was showing obvious and unusual excitement. She was breathing rapidly and deeply, her eyes were red, and she was on the verge of tears.
It was indeed her first time stepping out of the Spirit God Cult’s Secret Realm since her true body perished.
Immediately after, Qin Gou also saw a vast expanse of people, countless cultivators in various colored robes and of different realms gathered there. He deeply felt the heavy responsibility he now bore. How could that damned Spirit of the Secret Realm be so malicious and cruel? These were all living beings with their own emotions, families, and ideals…! Even if each person is only worth ten points of merit, that’s still a lot.
At the same time, the sudden appearance of Qin Gou and the others naturally caught the attention of the cultivators outside. Soon, three individuals, who appeared to be leaders, approached them.
“Jia Er?”
“How did you escape the Secret Realm? And who are they?”
“We must tell you that my lord has ordered that no one may leave this place without permission. Those who violate this will be killed without mercy.”
It seemed these three were Secret Realm Clones who had replaced the high-ranking officials of the surrounding sects. They also possessed a special method, allowing them to recognize Jia Er’s true form at a glance, even though her current appearance was similar to Qiu Qianyue’s.
Qin Gou also heard from their words that they clearly did not yet understand the true intention behind the Spirit of the Secret Realm’s command this time. After all, once the Spirit of the Secret Realm’s scheme succeeded, besides itself having a slim chance of survival, all living beings, including these three, would be unable to escape death.
“Jia Er, I’m asking you. What’s with that expression? Crying like a weak and useless person. Did my lord punish you again?” a Scarred Male Cultivator asked with a furrowed brow. Jia Er had not been a disciple of the Spirit God Cult before and had never received the special trust of the Spirit of the Secret Realm to venture outside, so her status was not high. The other party spoke to her rather impolitely.
Upon hearing this, Jia Er saw that Qin Gou’s expression remained calm, and he even gave her a faint smile. She immediately composed herself and said, “This is Senior Qin. Senior Qin, these three are all Secret Realm Clones. Most of the time, they are in the outside world and only return to the Secret Realm periodically to stabilize their Dao Bodies with the help of the Spirit of the Secret Realm, so as to avoid revealing any flaws.”
“Presumptuous! Jia Er, how dare you reveal this to outsiders?”
“Senior Qin?”
“Three of you.” Qin Gou suddenly asked, “Currently, with the Spirit of the Secret Realm’s order in place, unless it gives another command, no matter what, you are afraid you will not lead your men far away without authorization?”
“Of course, a superior’s order is like a mountain.”
“So what if it is?”
The three looked at Qin Gou suspiciously.
“That would be for the best, it suits me perfectly.” Qin Gou smiled slightly. Li Yuanzhen and Yi Chengying, who knew him very well, knew that A’Qin’s performance was about to begin…
“Who exactly are you people?”
“Qin Gou of Arc-Moon Mountain.”
“Yi Chengying of Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace.”
“Li Yuanzhen of Ask Divination Sect.”
Qin Gou spoke the truth. Little Chair and Li Xiaogou followed suit, speaking directly.
However, these three Secret Realm Clones had been free in the outside world for a long time, unlike Jia Er, who was kept in the dark. Upon hearing the name ‘Qin Gou of Arc-Moon Mountain,’ they even directly ignored the self-introductions of the “dog” and “chair” that followed. They quickly exchanged glances, reading intense shock in each other’s eyes.
“Your Excellency is the Demon…”
The Scarred Male Cultivator was about to exclaim, but Qin Gou’s icy gaze forced him to swallow his words.
“Qin, Senior Qin, may I know where my lord is now?” At this moment, another Secret Realm Clone, with utmost seriousness, bowed and cupped his fists, asking with concern. If others didn’t know, they would think he was meeting his own ancestor with such a respectful and humble demeanor.
“Don’t worry.” Qin Gou waved his hand casually, “The Spirit of the Secret Realm is being taken very good care of right now. If you don’t believe me, you three can try contacting it yourselves.”
“This… we did try to contact my lord, but for some reason, there has been no response until now.” The Scarred Male Cultivator showed a troubled expression, and the other two also looked surprised and uncertain.
“Oh, I, this Seat, forgot. The Spirit of the Secret Realm really doesn’t have the time to respond to you all anymore.” Qin Gou’s voice was calm, as if a still pool, but it almost overtly revealed that he had completely taken control of the Spirit of the Secret Realm.
“But don’t worry, up to now, your missions, the three of you, have been performed admirably. I am very satisfied. However…”
As he spoke, Qin Gou scanned the three, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. “Earlier, in that dark room, I didn’t seem to find your Soul Jars? And thinking about it, Secret Realm Clones like yourselves indeed cannot stray too far from your Soul Jars. You must all be carrying them with you at all times now?”
“Yes, Senior Qin, you see clearly.”
“Hand them over.” Suddenly, Qin Gou’s tone was as if he were merely stating an unimportant trivial matter. Yet, this overly indifferent tone carried an absolute and profound threat that allowed for no refusal.
“Wh-what?!”
Instantly, the faces of the three turned terrified and they were dumbfounded. To them, the importance of the Soul Jar was comparable to their own lives. Qin Gou asking for their Soul Jars was equivalent to directly holding their life and death in his hand. However, when they thought of his terrifying notorious reputation and the dire consequences of refusal, they became even more flustered and fearful. With ashen faces, they were utterly pale.
At the same time, Jia Er, who was beside them, couldn’t help but suddenly realize. They had all known for a long time that it was impossible to persuade these three to lead the cultivators away through normal means. Now, Senior Qin had made them misunderstand something, seeming to mistake Senior Qin Gou for someone else, a titan of the Demonic Path? And was now using this method of intimidation and threat to scare them away.
Following this, Jia Er sighed deeply. One truly had to say that Senior Qin was not an ordinary person. When he played the role of someone from the Demonic Path, he was indeed as terrifying as if he were real!
