Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

Chapter 181 Demon Race and Evil Immortal

To achieve immortality, one must inevitably pay a certain price.

The immortals who merge with the Dao in the blessed land have bound everything about themselves to the blessed land, so that they share in each other's glory and loss.

Perhaps the Immortal Lord inside the eastern mountain of the Dao Integration Realm and the Earth Demon Giant beneath the western rift valley of the Dao Integration Realm did not have any influence on each other because they were too far apart.

However, at the place where the Immortal Lord merged with the Dao, there was an Undying Demon King who merged with the Dao-bound blessed land through a demon lord. The two were so close that no one knew whether the Immortal Lord had been influenced by the Undying Demon King.

It wasn't that Su Ji was overthinking things, but anything could happen. The golden aura tainted on the six White Tiger Divine Pillars also meant that Su Ji couldn't afford to be careless.

From the perspective of outside cultivators, the Golden Cave Sect's feats and hardships are certainly worthy of admiration and sympathy, but when it comes to future cooperation or even alliances, they must exercise more caution.

The Immortal Lord, who shouldered such a heavy responsibility for the Golden Cave Sect, must have had his own firm ideals and beliefs, but he spent most of his time sleeping in order to ensure his longevity.

Just as the Immortal Lord himself said, someone was once bewitched by the Undying Demon King, which prompted all the people to move away.

Perhaps when the Immortal Lord awakens, the Undying Demon King won't be able to do anything, but that won't affect the fact that the people of this blessed land are still followers of the Undying Demon King.

As a result, in Su Ji's view, even the two guardians who led the way could not be completely trusted, let alone the people of the blessed land whose situation was still unclear.

As Su Ji was thinking this, some doubts suddenly arose. Taking advantage of the fact that the Immortal Lord's manifestation had not yet ended, he simply said it out loud.

"Based on our current understanding of this blessed land, there should be three immortals still alive. Besides the Immortal Lord, there are two other immortals..."

It wasn't that Su Ji wanted to find out where the Xuanxian Dao Fruit was, but rather that in order to better understand the situation within the blessed land, he needed to know the strength of each force, and the existence of immortals was the first thing he needed to know.

"The other two immortals?"

The relief on the White Tiger Divine Pillar darkened, as if recalling some unpleasant memory: "Our Golden Cave Sect has a total of seven immortals. The three immortals led by the Immortal General were destroyed by the Undying Demon Lord. Only the three of us escaped this calamity in the blessed land."

"I joined the Daoist grotto-heavens to resist the evil spirits, while the True Maiden, who had attained enlightenment in both the Dongzhen and Dongtian grotto-heavens, was leading and protecting the people. The last one, however, died long ago..."

The Immortal Lord didn't say much about the dead immortals, but briefly recounted the so-called experiences of the True Master.

It turns out that after the Immortal Lord suppressed the two evil spirits, the demon race in the blessed land also rebelled, while two voices emerged within the human race.

Because of the blessed land of the Dao-Merging Cave, the Immortal Lord planned to allow humans to continue living nearby so that he could protect the people.

His nun Zhenyi felt that the blessed land was fraught with danger, and that even if humans lived underground, the East Sea lakes, whose resources were increasingly depleted, could hardly support so many people.

After making some preparations, Daoist Zhenyi led a group of cultivators and common people away from the blessed land and settled in the ruins.

Although the evil spirits and malevolent thoughts were unbearable because a demon was killed here by the great formation, Zhenyi Daoren was skilled at setting up formations, which provided a safe area for those who followed her.

At least the blessed land still has the sun and moon, but the ruins, except for the area near the gap in the blessed land, are pitch black.

Fortunately, Master Zhenyi had made preparations in advance. He planted crops that did not require much sunlight in the area near the blessed land, and in other places, he used collected wood to grow mushrooms.

Although demons other than those at the Divine Weapon level are not subject to the suppression of the great formation, the demons themselves have long been unable to assemble into an army due to changes in the environment. Moreover, with the True Daoist guarding the ruins, people, though living a hard life, are still safe and free enough.

However, just as the ruins were being developed and improved by the people, the appearance of the Yin Sha earth veins began to affect the lives of the local people.

The mushrooms that could have been picked and transported to the blessed lands of the same kind could no longer be consumed due to contamination. Even the great array set up by Daoist Zhenyi was gradually contaminated by the Yin energy.

At that time, two speculations emerged: either the Yin Sha Earth Vein was formed from the body of the Undying Demon Lord refined by the great formation, or it was a means by which the Undying Demon Lord, even under suppression, still had the power to corrode blessed lands.

However, as time went by, the ruins gradually reached a point where they could no longer survive.

Furthermore, given that the grade of the blessed lands might drop, if Daoist Zhenyi didn't enter a blessed land, he might be excluded forever. Therefore, he had no choice but to lead the people back to the blessed lands.

As a result, there are now two kinds of people in this blessed land: fish-people who live in the sea and have some fish-like characteristics, and jade people who live underground and make a living by growing mushrooms.

The so-called "jade people" are those whose skin is as smooth as ice and as white as jade, formed from long periods of exposure to the sun. They are all somewhat unable to withstand the sunlight of the blessed land, and if they were to arrive in the mortal world, they might even be scorched to death by the sun.

"No wonder, the further we go, the fewer wooden items we encounter. It turns out the Jade Woman used them all to grow mushrooms..."

When Su Jigang opened the stone wall, he could still see some rotten wooden furniture. After that, only stones remained. This was because the first few stone chambers he discovered were too deep and located in corners. Otherwise, treasures like the Spirit Jade would not have been left behind.

Su Ji had some understanding of why Zhenyi Daoist was still able to stay here after the grade of the blessed land dropped.

The Path of Truth involves cultivating the lower, middle, and upper dantian, which are like blessed lands or grottoes, forming their own spaces. Even if they possess profound mysteries, they are contained within them and are not rejected.

As for the Dao Fruit of the True Daoist Master Zhenyi, it can be stored in the dantian space where the true spirit resides within the body, and can also be integrated into the Daoist Cave Heaven Blessed Land... Within the Cave Heaven Blessed Land of the Golden Cave Sect, no one knows how many more tricks they still have up their sleeves.

Furthermore, the information Su Ji obtained from the Immortal Lord, though seemingly confidential, was actually mostly information that did not touch upon the fundamental nature of the Golden Cave Sect.

Fortunately, Su Ji received more than he expected.

Therefore, Su Ji couldn't help but sigh with deep emotion, "The Immortal Lord and Daoist Zhenyi have devoted so much effort and gone through so many twists and turns for the survival of the human race in the blessed land. They are truly admirable!"

Perhaps in ancient times, or even prehistoric times, the humans of this world were also threatened by demons and monsters, but at least they could find tribes or even nations of fellow human beings to form alliances with.

In this blessed land, even though the people are divided into two groups, their numbers are still small. They have come a long way through hardship, and it is no exaggeration to be as careful as possible in order to survive.

Although the Immortal Lord only awakens once every thirty years, there have been very few people who have moved him in the past sixteen thousand years.

It's not that the Immortal Lord has severed his seven emotions and six desires, but rather that all the gratitude and respect he has shown to those he has protected is well deserved.

It was Su Ji's admiration as an outsider cultivator that truly made the Immortal Lord feel that his many years of hard work in protecting the people and the responsibilities he had borne were recognized and worthwhile.

Ultimately, the Immortal Lord is merely a Supreme Elder of the Golden Cave Sect. Protecting the sect's disciples is only natural, while protecting the common people stems entirely from his passion for humanity. His ability to persist for so many years is truly remarkable. Of course, this is also related to Su Ji's performance.

If an ordinary cultivator becomes the first person to come into contact with a human in a blessed land, upon encountering this immortal lord, even if they are not filled with fear and trepidation, they will unconsciously lower their status.

Su Ji, however, was not that kind of person. Back when he first started cultivating, he had already addressed the local earth god Zhang Gong as a fellow Daoist, and he had befriended immortals like Zhang Xiaolian and Mo Linglong. He remained calm and composed towards this immortal master.

Moreover, Su Ji was a time traveler. Even though he couldn't achieve the so-called equality of all people in his previous life, he still regarded equality of all people as a principle of conduct. Whether it was Zhu Nanshan, the caravan mage, or the City God Spirit Lord of the City God Temple, there was no distinction of high or low status in front of Su Ji.

As a result, Su Ji's conversation with the Immortal Lord was both formal and casual, earnest yet unburdened.

Soon, Su Ji mentioned the largest force within the blessed land: the demon race.

Currently, Su Ji has only learned about the three major forces—the Snow Mountain Bear Clan, the White Tomb Fox Clan, and the Snow Forest Ape Clan—from the Sheep-Headed Elf. Judging from the fact that the demon race can suppress evil spirits, the demon race's forces are definitely not limited to these.

In response, the Immortal Lord sighed slightly and gave Su Ji the answer he wanted.

"The blessed lands are of a medium level, which means that the highest level of beings originally living here was the Immortal General level..."

"In the outside world, our sect has only seven Xuanxian Dao Fruit inheritors; in the blessed lands, each small world also has its own Dao Fruit, totaling eight."

The main principle of this blessed land is [Xin Metal], but it has also absorbed other profound principles. It is normal for it to have eight minor Dao Fruits after being promoted to a medium-level blessed land.

As for the matter of the Small World Dao Fruit, Su Ji already knew about it.

Just like the Great Sun Immortal Realm and Bright Moon Immortal Realm plans, the goal is to allow the Moon Lord and the Sun Lord to advance to the Earth-level Secret Realm based on a principle of heaven and earth. That principle of heaven and earth will also become a Dao Fruit that can only be effective within the Earth-level Secret Realm when the Spirit Realm transforms into the Immortal Realm.

The Earthly Yang Serpent Lord wanted to transform the Great Sun Spirit Realm into a Celestial Realm because he valued the Small World Dao Fruit after the advancement.

When the ram-headed spirit within the leyline monster revealed the existence of the Snow Mountain Bear Clan at the level of immortals and gods, none of the various forces were surprised.

To many, those who attain the Dao fruit in blessed lands are nothing more than minor immortals who can only maintain their immortal combat power in blessed lands.

Clearly, the Snow Mountain Bear Clan, the White Tomb Fox Clan, and the Snow Forest Ape Clan could not possess all eight Lesser Heavenly Dao Fruits; there were many more demon clan forces unknown to outside cultivators.

"Of the eight Lesser Heavenly Dao Fruits, more than half originally belonged to our Golden Cave Sect, but due to the rebellion of the demon army and the demon race, all the Lesser Heavenly Dao Fruits were lost..." The Immortal Lord's words were tinged with sorrow.

Compared to the Dao Fruit of the mortal world, the Dao Fruit of the Small World is not weak, but it has a fatal weakness, which is that it is subject to the Blessed Land.

At that time, the Undying Demon Lord was gradually refining this blessed land, which greatly reduced the strength of these minor immortals. Even the only White Tiger Immortal General in the blessed land was not as powerful as before.

Moreover, when the demons were fighting against the lesser immortals in the blessed lands, they also sent a large army of demons to pollute the places where the lesser immortals' Dao fruits were located, causing the lesser immortals to become weaker and weaker...

Su Ji understood.

If we consider a blessed land as a tree, then the eight minor Dao fruits are the eight fruits, and the evil spirits target the stems that connect the fruits to the tree.

While the Undying Demon Lord was suppressing the tree of the blessed land, the stem began to rot and die, and the fighting power of the little fairies was reduced to less than one-tenth.

"Seeing the situation was not good, all the demon race's lesser immortals betrayed them and joined the evil forces. The White Tiger God General died in battle, as did the three human race's lesser immortals, but one of them also betrayed them and joined the evil forces!"

As the Immortal Lord spoke, he was practically gritting his teeth. If this little human immortal hadn't become a traitor, how could their scheme have been so easily seen through?

In the end, in order to save more lives, even with the considerable resources left by the Golden Cave Sect, they could only hide inside mountains, beneath oceans, and outside blessed lands to survive.

After that, things became quite simple. After the human fairy died in battle, the demons were unable to refine the Small World Dao Fruit and could only hand it over to the demon race that had surrendered.

Of course, even if the blessed land hadn't fallen in rank, becoming a divine general wouldn't have been so easy. In the end, the demons had seven demon immortals and one traitorous human immortal under their command, with each demon in charge of one.

As the demon army dwindled, the demon race, after their rebellion, became the masters of the blessed land.

"In addition to the Snow Mountain Bear Clan, the White Tomb Fox Clan, and the Snow Forest Ape Clan, there are also the Great Plain Wolf Clan, the Peak Mountain Tiger Clan, the Snow Plain Pheasant Clan, the North Sea Snake Clan, and the Evil Immortal lineage."

"Among the seven demon races, there may be some that have been forced to rebel against humanity, but we dare not gamble on it. We haven't had any contact with them for over ten thousand years..."

Ultimately, the Immortal Lord and his companions were deeply hurt by the betrayal of the Evil Immortal. Even though some demons remained loyal, the Immortal Lord dared not risk being exposed by all the demons and the Evil Immortal.

Compared to the eight minor immortals who refined the Dao Fruits of the blessed lands, the immortal master who merged his own Dao Fruits with the blessed lands actually had a great advantage.

Firstly, the blessed lands and grotto-heavens are subject to some restrictions, but the immortal lords can still exert considerable combat power with their own Dao fruits. This is the inherent power of the Dao fruits in the present world.

Secondly, the relationship between the Immortal Lord's Dao Integration and the Lesser Heaven and Earth Dao Fruit and the Blessed Land is actually deeper than that between the Lesser Heaven and Earth Dao Fruit and the Blessed Land. If we consider the eight Lesser Immortals as the children of the Blessed Land, then the Immortal Lord is a part of the Blessed Land.

As a result, the Immortal Lord could sense many things happening within the blessed land, while the lesser immortals could only see some blurry images. This was also the reason why the human race, which the Immortal Lord was confident in protecting, had not been discovered.

As for those evil spirits in the blessed lands and grotto-heavens that are said to be in harmony with the Dao, they are actually just imitating the immortals of humans, and are more like parasites on the blessed lands and grotto-heavens.

However, due to the strong will of the blessed land itself, the demon that parasitized the blessed land like a tumor lost its self-awareness and became a monstrous evil that only knew how to absorb nutrients to survive.

The only immortal demon king who parasitized the blessed land using evil spirits as a medium was also suppressed inside the mountain by the Immortal Lord with six White Tiger Divine Pillars...

Su Ji understood: "In this way, the demons within the blessed land are not to be feared; the evil immortals and some demon immortals are our greatest enemies!"

Through conversation, Su Ji gained a clearer understanding of this blessed land and realized the real obstacle.

Therefore, Su Ji assured the Immortal Lord, "I will bring this information to the major powers, and envoys will come to discuss it with the members of the Golden Cave Sect in detail soon."

"The members of the Golden Cave Sect have endured for tens of thousands of years for the sake of the people's survival. With our assistance, they will surely be able to regain control of the blessed land!"

(End of this chapter)