Chapter 464
Mu Qingyan looked up, as if she had suddenly understood something, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You mean... an exam?"
Zheng Fa nodded with a smile.
"An exam... for what?"
"For what you learned on University Island before, or what you will learn in the future..."
The idea of an exam without any focus on key points, or rather, with an entire book of key points, made Mu Qingyan tremble slightly, as if she were a bit scared.
"After all, you are a reincarnated Yuanying (Nascent Soul) with a lifetime of experience and a mind full of secret techniques..." Seeing her silent, Zheng Fa leisurely continued, "You won’t let yourself fail an exam against other disciples, will you?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Qingyan was genuinely provoked. She clenched her small teeth and declared loudly, "Absolutely not!"
Zheng Fa nodded, still smiling.
He had high hopes for Mu Qingyan. Her contributions to the "Jindan Project" were significant; among the project team, aside from Madam Xuanhua, she could probably rank in the top three, which showed she truly had something in her head.
If the idea of reincarnation were true, then even without any proper mentorship in her past life, she managed to reach the Yuanying stage, indicating her talent, character, and comprehension were all quite exceptional.
As for making her take an exam, to be honest, Zheng Fa didn’t think it was too much to ask—
After all, a reincarnated person should be able to hold their own, right?
Having lived two lives, failing to surpass others would surely be embarrassing!
The only thing that made him wary was the fact of her reincarnation—but presenting this challenge to Mu Qingyan actually felt a bit safer.
Surprisingly, Mu Qingyan seemed somewhat reassured. At first, when Zheng Fa mentioned the exam, she found it hard to believe, but then she realized—this meant the sect leader didn’t view her any differently because of her secret.
This was certainly unexpected, but it wasn’t a bad thing; in fact, it seemed to provide her with a greater sense of security.
She heard Zheng Fa ask, "What does your memory tell you about the future Xuanwei Realm?"
With the emergence of the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor stirring up the world, the notion of the Dao Fruit being immortal made Zheng Fa quite apprehensive—how many Dao Fruit bearers were there in this world, after all?
It’s important to note that the Xuanwei Realm has a very long history...
"Although I am a Yuanying, I have always been a loose cultivator, surviving in the cracks between the major powers. I don’t know much beyond the Transformation stage," Mu Qingyan said somewhat awkwardly.
"The major powers?"
"On the Eastern Continent, the Taishang Dao Kingdom and the Haori Mountain Sacred Land are the most respected, along with several major demon territories."
"In the Western Continent, there seems to be the Leiyin Temple and the Yaochi Heavenly Court."
Zheng Fa listened quietly. From these names, it seemed that all five sects of Xuanwei had Dao Fruit bearers descending to expand their influence, likely related to how many people practiced their fundamental methods.
But... what about the Tianhe Sect?
"Tianhe Sect..." Mu Qingyan's voice dropped, "It’s gone."
This revelation left Zheng Fa in a state of confusion. The Tianhe Sect was no more?
But when he pressed for details, Mu Qingyan couldn’t clarify the reasons, only saying that this was a significant event in the future of the Xuanwei Realm, involving the major demon territories and even the four sects of Xuanwei. By the time her cultivation was high, the Tianhe Sect had already been destroyed, and most of the rumors were hard to verify.
Zheng Fa had to set this matter aside, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it might somehow relate to Xie Qingxue.
As for other information Mu Qingyan could gather, it seemed rather vague to Zheng Fa—after all, he was almost mingling with the Dao Fruit circle himself.
He asked a few more questions and found that Mu Qingyan was most knowledgeable about various secret realms and techniques, which aligned with her identity as a loose cultivator, but it didn’t provide much help to Zheng Fa at this point—until he thought of something:
"What about the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor?"
"There is no Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor..." Mu Qingyan lowered her head and said something that surprised Zheng Fa, "Only the Grand Freedom Demon Emperor!"
Demon Emperor?
...
In the sea, the black moon reappeared, with the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor standing in the void alongside Youming Xian.
Youming Xian stole a glance at the Demon Ancestor's expression, only to hear the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor sigh softly, "Tianhe..."
This statement left Youming Xian stunned. He looked at the Demon Ancestor and finally understood why the Demon Ancestor had withdrawn so quickly.
Could it be that he sensed the aura of the Tianhe Venerable?
"That’s not right; it’s that sword..." The Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before confirming, "That sword is peculiar."
Youming Xian felt increasingly puzzled. The Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor clearly wouldn’t explain it to him, instead softly saying:
"Abhi!"
A red celestial sword shot up from the depths of the sea, standing silently before the three of them.
This celestial sword had a strange shape and an eerie aura. Youming Xian felt a chill run down his spine after just one glance.
In the next moment, a blood-red portal appeared before them.
At this moment, Youming Xian realized the naivety of the Seven Saints!
He had never seen the treasures of the Grand Freedom Heaven before, but now he understood it was this Abhi sword.
This celestial sword was connected to the aura of the Demon Ancestor, as if it were the Demon Ancestor's life treasure. With that, how could the Seven Saints hope to seize the Grand Freedom Heaven?
The Demon Ancestor took the lead and stepped into the Grand Freedom Heaven.
Youming Xian followed behind, but the residents inside had already changed, yet the atmosphere remained unchanged:
Thousands upon thousands of demon clans were engaging in copulation, fighting, and slaughtering before them, their faces and mouths smeared with blood.
This familiar aura made Youming Xian feel a strange sense of emotion—within the Grand Freedom Heaven, whether human or demon, they all seemed to be driven by anger and lust, accustomed to conflict, and immersed in desire, their beastly nature sometimes overshadowing their humanity.
Now Youming Xian understood that this was the influence of the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor's Dao Fruit.
The secret realm door opened, naturally attracting the six great demon saints from the secret realm. A robust demon cultivator from the Transformation stage approached from afar, shouting:
"Who dares enter my Seven Saints Heaven?"
"Seven Saints Heaven?"
The Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor chuckled lightly, his tone laced with anger. He grasped the Abhi sword, not even glancing at the six demon cultivators before him, and with a swing of the sword, the sky and earth of the Grand Freedom Heaven transformed into a blood-red vortex, pulling in all the demons of the world.
Among the demons, whether in the Transformation stage or the masses, not a single one could escape, not even able to retaliate!
The Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor extended his hand, and five blood-red flags flew out, slowly merging in the air to form a single black flag.
He grasped the flagpole and threw it into the vortex, softly saying:
"Millions of demon blood, witness my Dao Fruit."
As he spoke, thousands of blood-red patterns gradually appeared on the pure black flag, depicting various mundane animals like wolves and tigers, as well as legendary spiritual beasts like the Roc and the Black Tortoise, all vividly brought to life.
The black flag slowly fell into the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor's hand, and Youming Xian could feel that the current Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor was several times stronger than before!
"Saint Ancestor, this is..." he asked cautiously.
"Ten Thousand Demon Banner."
The Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor's gaze shifted from the Abhi sword to the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, revealing a hint of satisfaction.
"Demon Emperor Dao Fruit!"
---
**Chapter 368: Uninvited Guests Arrive**
The Ten Thousand Demon Banner was completed, and an extraordinary phenomenon spread for miles.
The Seven Saints were a significant force among the demon clans, and the number of demons sacrificed in the Grand Freedom Heaven exceeded a million, along with six Transformation stage true beings, making it extremely terrifying.
As the banner first appeared, it resonated from the highest heavens down to the deepest seas, causing a series of strange occurrences.
In the sky, illusory dragons and phoenixes soared, while in the depths of the sea, the shadows of Kunpeng and Black Tortoise swam.
This scene caught the attention of even the Jiushan Realm, separated by the Liangzhou.
On a collapsed mountain peak, Zheng Fa stood beside the head of Mingde and others, gazing into the distance, filled with both confusion and concern.
"This..."
The Yaochi Transformation stage cultivator looked towards the head of Mingde, who had the highest cultivation and the oldest lineage of Taishang Dao, hoping he could understand what was happening.
"Dao Fruit..." the head of Mingde indeed knew, "The Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor is trying to attain the Demon Emperor Dao Fruit?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa naturally recalled what Mu Qingyan had said about the Grand Freedom Demon Emperor.
At this point, he had formed some conjectures about the Dao Fruit—
The Dao Fruit has at least two aspects: one is the method, and the other is the audience.
The method may need to be unique, but the audience is surprisingly broad:
For instance, in the celestial sects, those who practice this method seem to count as one.
For the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor, his bloodline is his audience.
Or perhaps the incense power within the Jiushan Realm also has some relation.
With this thought, Zheng Fa felt a stir in his heart and recalled some modern legends:
The so-called establishment of teachings and the creation of beings, the transmission of the Dao and the sealing of gods, seemed to resonate with the characteristics of the Xuanwei Dao Fruit.
This thought barely crossed his mind when he heard the head of Mingde say, "But... how did the Grand Freedom Demon Ancestor manage to do this?"
"The Demon Emperor Dao Fruit has long been lost, and the major powers have mutual constraints in the demon clans, even..."
The head of Mingde's words trailed off, but Zheng Fa understood—this fragmented situation among the demon clans seemed to be a deliberate act by the five sects of Xuanwei.
He looked up and exchanged a glance with Senior Sister Zhang beside him.
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