Record of a Demon's Cultivation Chapter 1271: Native

Translator: CinderTL

"Naturally, I acquired it from Xuan Qu," Song Wen declared, conjuring a Thunder Spear, dozens of feet in length, which then shot directly towards Ying Deng.

Ying Deng, caught completely unaware, hastily summoned a protective shield to ward off the assault.

While the shield successfully intercepted the Thunder Spear, Ying Deng’s expression offered no relief, betraying only a subtle hint of dread.

Following in the wake of the Thunder Spear, nine ethereal blades streaked forward, slicing through the shield as if it were mere air.

"A divine sense attack!" Ying Deng’s countenance stiffened as he fumbled for a palm-sized jade token, but his efforts proved futile.

The distraction caused by the Thunder Spear, coupled with the tempestuous gale surroundings and his own frantic retreat, had prevented him from detecting the Focused Spirit Stabs in a timely manner.

The shield was mere inches from his person, yet the nine Focused Spirit Stabs had already breached its defenses. By the time he considered activating his Divine Soul Defense Spirit Treasure, it was far too late.

The spectral blades plunged directly into the back of his skull.

"Ah..."

His divine soul was struck, and a searing agony washed over him like a destructive wave. Ying Deng emitted a piercing shriek.

His mana shield disintegrated instantaneously.

The gale, sharp as a thousand blades, howled inward, shredding his robes and tearing away ragged pieces of flesh.

In mere moments, Ying Deng was reduced to a mangled ruin, raw bone exposed through the tattered remnants of his flesh.

At the precipice between life and oblivion, Ying Deng managed to salvage a fragment of his consciousness. Gritting his teeth against the soul-shattering pain, he channeled his spiritual power to manifest a mana shield, thereby preventing complete annihilation by the gale and the dreaded fate of soul scattering.

However, without warning, a crimson sea of blood erupted, engulfing him entirely.

Ying Deng found himself submerged in a blood-red abyss, his divine sense and all sensory perceptions utterly extinguished. He could discern nothing beyond the ceaselessly churning tides of the blood sea that now contained him.

As the blood sea churned violently, an invisible, colossal hand appeared to grip him, relentlessly crushing the mana shield he had just painstakingly erected.

Then, the blood sea rapidly converged from every direction, constricting him with an unbreakable hold.

Icy, viscous blood permeated his mouth, nose, ears, and every pore, seeping into every fiber of his being.

He soon became horrifyingly aware that his head, chest, limbs, and meridians had all been infiltrated by the blood. The spiritual power within his dantian and the divine soul residing in his Sea of Consciousness were completely sealed, rendering him utterly helpless and immobile.

Song Wen, dragging a colossal cocoon of blood, roughly ten zhang tall, descended rapidly from the tempestuous heights, landing in a desolate ravine below.

The apex of the blood cocoon contracted, revealing Ying Deng’s mangled, blood-soaked head.

"Reveal the method you employed to seek the Pure Origin Heavenly Dew, and I shall grant you a swift end," Song Wen commanded.

Upon hearing these words, Ying Deng experienced a chillingly familiar yet bitterly ironic sensation.

Only moments prior, he himself had delivered a similar ultimatum to Song Wen.

With his flesh entirely dissolved, only Ying Deng’s skeletal jaw remained. His upper and lower jaws clacked together as he rasped, "I am a direct disciple of the Profound Sky Sect. I bear the divine sense imprint of Supreme Elder Jiyue. Should you dare to extinguish my life, the Profound Sky Sect will never forgive this transgression."

"I have already eliminated Xuan Qu," Song Wen stated with palpable mockery. "Why then would I hesitate to dispatch a mere cultivator at the Void Refinement Stage like yourself?"

Ying Deng’s eyes widened infinitesimally, a wave of disbelief washing over his features.

"That is impossible! Elder Xuan Qu was at the Body Integration Stage. How could you possibly have vanquished him?"

Song Wen slowly elevated his right hand, a crimson spike gradually extending from his fingertip. The spike unerathlessly pierced directly through Ying Deng’s facial bone.

As the crimson spike retracted, it left a gaping, finger-sized cavity in Ying Deng’s face.

"I possess no time for your pointless disputes. Answer my inquiries truthfully, or I shall subject you to the torturous methods of the Divine Blood Gate."

Witnessing the crimson spike retract only to extend once more, Ying Deng finally seemed to grasp the dire reality of his predicament. He spoke.

"Two drops of Pure Origin Heavenly Dew are contained within my storage ring, but I did not acquire them from the Nine Heavens Gang Qi. I discovered them within an indigenous village."

"Natives?" A flicker of surprise registered on Song Wen’s visage. "There are humans inhabiting the Turbid Spirit Realm? Where, precisely, is their village situated?"

Ying Deng responded, "Approximately one million li to the south, nestled within a mountain valley encircled by formidable, towering peaks."

Song Wen’s expression remained utterly composed as he fixed his gaze upon Ying Deng, dissecting him with an unwavering scrutiny.

Song Wen had refrained from eliminating Ying Deng, harboring suspicions that the man possessed some secret cultivation art to locate the Pure Origin Heavenly Dew. The demise of Ying Deng would signify the loss of his sole connection to obtaining more of this precious dew.

However, Ying Deng's assertion of acquiring the dew from indigenous inhabitants presented a new conundrum. If this were indeed the case, then Ying Deng's utility would be entirely depleted.

Yet, the credibility of Ying Deng's account remained questionable.

The very existence of these natives was, as yet, unverified.

The mountain valley situated a million li away could potentially be a ruse, a calculated ploy by Ying Deng to misdirect him. It was even conceivable that cultivators from the Profound Sky Sect, possibly at the Body Integration Stage, were lying in ambush within that very valley.

Song Wen also entertained another possibility: the valley and its inhabitants might be genuine, but the arduous million-li journey to reach them could be heavily patrolled by Profound Sky Sect disciples. Venturing directly towards the valley might lead him straight into their grasp.

After a period of deep thought, Song Wen, still encumbered by the blood-drenched cocoon, ascended into the heavens. He plunged once more into the tempestuous embrace of the Nine Heavens Gang Qi, hurtling with haste towards the south.

The turbulent Nine Heavens Gang Qi served a dual purpose, effectively obscuring Song Wen's divine sense perception and simultaneously barring any external entities from prying into his movements.

Having traversed a distance approaching a million miles, Song Wen gradually descended, positioning himself two thousand miles above the terrestrial surface.

At this elevated stratum, the prevailing winds had significantly abated, thereby enhancing the capabilities of the shadow void to meticulously observe the landscape unfolding below.

Through diligent cross-referencing of directional information provided by Ying Deng, Song Wen effortlessly pinpointed the mountain valley that had been described.

Although designated as a mountain valley, its actual topography bore a closer resemblance to a vast, shallow basin.

The valley spanned an expanse of two to three hundred miles, characterized by a remarkably level and unremarkable terrain. At its heart lay a sizable lake, several dozen miles in diameter, presenting an idyllic setting conducive to the establishment of a civilization.

Conversely, within the northwestern quadrant of the valley, a scene of utter devastation presented itself, akin to a veritable living hell.

Amidst the wreckage of shattered edifices and crumbling ruins, fragmented limbs and dismembered flesh lay strewn across the earth. Corpses carpeted the ground in profusion. Men, women, and children—no life had been spared. Not a single sentient being remained to tell the tale.

"Did you perpetrate the slaughter of all these individuals?" Song Wen inquired.

"Indeed," Ying Deng responded.

"Then, did you ascertain from these indigenous people the origin of the Pure Origin Heavenly Dew?" Song Wen pressed further.

"Communication proved impossible," Ying Deng elucidated. "Their dialect was utterly foreign, beyond comprehension. From their rudimentary gestures, my sole inference is that the Pure Origin Heavenly Dew descends from the heavens, and they subsequently discovered and held it in high regard."

"The Pure Origin Heavenly Dew originates from the heavens?" Song Wen voiced, a note of surprise in his tone.

"Under typical circumstances," Ying Deng explained, "Pure Origin Heavenly Dew does indeed traverse the nine heavens carried by the prevailing gales. However, these aerial currents are inherently chaotic, and frequently, opposing streams violently converge at high altitudes, engendering severe atmospheric turbulence. Should Pure Origin Heavenly Dew become ensnared within such a confluence, it may precipitate downwards. Upon contact with the earth, the dew becomes tainted and gradually dissipates. Consequently, to secure fallen Pure Origin Heavenly Dew, it must be gathered ere it reaches the ground. While the natives of this region may not cultivate spiritual energy, their physical bodies possess extraordinary resilience. The most robust among them can rival cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage in terms of sheer power. Pure Origin Heavenly Dew emits a radiant luminescence, rendering it easily discernible during nocturnal hours. Once a powerful native detects its glow, claiming it presents no significant challenge."

Ying Deng then proceeded to narrate the discovery of this settlement and the subsequent acquisition of the two precious drops of Pure Origin Heavenly Dew.

Upon absorbing Ying Deng's account, Song Wen found himself largely inclined to accept its veracity.

Nevertheless, neither individual dedicated significant attention to the hundreds of thousands of lifeless bodies occupying the mountain valley below.

Song Wen did not deem it necessary to question the reasons behind Ying Deng's brutal annihilation of the native populace.

Ying Deng, in turn, felt not a shred of remorse for the lives he had extinguished.