Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

In the summer of the twenty-first year, Wei Wen went to the border region.

This time, I'm not going to find Bi Xuan, but rather to find a place that's related to the Heavenly Demon Strategy.

The Heavenly Demon Strategy is the supreme manual of the Demonic Sect, and is known as one of the Four Great Mysterious Books along with the Longevity Manual, the Compassionate Sword Manual, and the War God's Record.

Of course, in Wei Wen's opinion, it was not as good as the War God's Manual. Wei Wen even vaguely guessed that the other three supreme manuals all originated from the War God's Manual.

The Demonic Sect has two factions and six paths, each with its own traditions, but the complete ten-volume Heavenly Demon Strategy has long been lost.

Wei Wen didn't plan to find all ten volumes, after all... the hope was extremely slim, he could only hope to find as many volumes as he could.

The clue to the Heavenly Demon Strategy lies in an ancient tomb beyond the Great Wall. In the original novel, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling went inside and almost died there.

Wei Wen doesn't have the protagonist's halo like Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, but he has a domain. When the domain is released, everything within three hundred feet is within his perception.

He could sense every trap and mechanism in the tomb passage, every brick, every beam, and every door.

As if walking on flat ground, we reached the deepest part of the tomb. The tomb was not large, with a stone coffin in the center and a stone platform next to it, on which were several scrolls of silk.

The Heavenly Demon Strategy, in six volumes.

Wei Wen picked up the silk scroll and flipped through it page by page. The martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Strategy were strange and domineering, completely different from the upright and honorable War God Record.

The "Tao" of the Demonic Sect is "rebellion"—going against the heavens, going against the tide, and defying all living beings to become the supreme ruler.

For him, the lessons learned far outweighed any other aspects.

In the autumn of the twenty-first year, Wei Wen went to the East Sea, where Cihang Jingzhai happened to be located.

Cihang Jingzhai is a sacred Buddhist site in this world, and its treasured manual, Cihang Sword Manual, is one of the four great books of wonder.

Wei Wen was much more interested in the Sword Manual than in the Heavenly Demon Strategy, not for any other reason than that he had been practicing swordsmanship for nearly sixty years in the low-level martial arts world, and his accumulation of swordsmanship skills far exceeded that of any other martial arts.

Since the Cihang Sword Manual is hailed as the "supreme master of swordsmanship," he really wanted to see just how high this supreme mastery truly was.

Cihang Jingzhai is located on an island. The island is small but beautiful, covered with lush bamboo and orchids. The mountain breeze carries the fragrance of bamboo leaves and the delicate scent of orchids.

He stood on the sea outside the island, his gait relaxed, like a falling leaf floating on the water.

"A guest has arrived from afar, please come in."

A woman's voice came from the island, clear and melodious. Of course, this was because Wei Wen did not deliberately conceal his presence.

He walked across the water to the island and followed a bluestone path. On both sides of the path were green bamboos. Deep in the bamboo forest was a small courtyard with a plaque hanging on the gate that read "Cihang Jingzhai".

The courtyard gate was open, and a woman in white sat in the courtyard. She had an exquisite face and an ethereal air, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Of course, she was definitely not some young girl of sixteen or eighteen; she could only be Fan Qinghui, the head of Cihang Jingzhai.

Wei Wen walked over and sat down opposite her. Fan Qinghui poured him a cup of tea. The name of the tea was unknown, but its aroma was delicate and elegant.

"You've come from afar, what brings you here?"

"Nothing more than wishing to borrow your sect's sword manual for a look."

Fan Qinghui glanced at him, her gaze calm, showing neither surprise nor refusal, and simply said to herself, "Our sect's sword manual is never lent out."

"I know, but I came here specifically for the Cihang Sword Manual," Wei Wen insisted.

Fan Qinghui remained silent for a moment, then suddenly stretched out her hand, her fingers forming a sword shape. She drew an arc in the air, and a sword aura shot out from her fingertips, leaving a faint white mark in the air: "If you can withstand this sword strike, I will lend you the Sword Manual."

Without hesitation, Wei Wen also stretched out his hand and pointed his fingers like a sword, meeting the sword energy in mid-air.

The two sword energies collided silently, but the bamboo in the courtyard shook violently.

Wei Wen's sword energy directly absorbed Fan Qinghui's sword energy, not shattered it, but merged with it.

Fan Qinghui's expression hardened, her eyes widening: "Your swordsmanship... is no less than mine."

Wei Wen nodded, acknowledging her statement that helped her save face.

Fan Qinghui pondered for a moment, feeling helpless in her heart. She stood up and walked into the house. When she reached the door, she stopped and turned back to say, "Benefactor, come with me."

Wei Wen followed her into the Sutra Repository. To his surprise, the Sutra Repository was small, with only one floor, and there was only one book on the bookshelf—the Cihang Sword Manual.

He picked up the sword manual and flipped through it page by page, memorizing every word.

Fan Qinghui stood quietly beside him, watching him without urging or asking any questions.

After a long while, Wei Wen put the sword manual back on the bookshelf, turned around and thanked her.

"Did you understand it, benefactor?" Fan Qinghui couldn't help but ask, seeing how quickly he had read it.

Wei Wen nodded, then shook his head: "I only understood part of it."

Upon hearing this, Fan Qinghui fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked a question: "Do you know why this sword manual is called 'Compassionate Voyage'?"

Wei Wen thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "Because... is it because of the Compassionate Salvation?"

"That's right," Fan Qinghui nodded, "The highest realm of the Sword Manual is not 'killing,' but 'crossing over.' To cross over others with the sword, to cross over oneself with the sword, and to cross over the world with the sword."

Wei Wen was taken aback; this was an angle he had never considered before, though it seemed somewhat exaggerated and pretentious.

In the spring of the twenty-second year, Wei Wen went to the border region again.

This time, it's not to find Bi Xuan, but to find another place, that place...

It is said that the Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian, the strongest person in the Demonic Sect a hundred years ago, cultivated the Heavenly Demon Strategy and reached the realm of "Shattering the Void".

His disciples fought tooth and nail for the Evil Emperor's Relic, while he himself had long since disappeared.

The original story says that Xiang Yutian did not die, but went into hiding, using the Dao Heart Demon Planting Technique to create a world order to support himself.

Wei Wen searched for more than half a month in the vast desert beyond the Great Wall, and finally found Xiang Yutian in an oasis.

He is not dead, but he is very old, so old that his age is hard to tell.

His hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on his face looked as if they had been carved by a knife. He was wearing a tattered black Taoist robe and sat cross-legged under a poplar tree.

In front of him was a gourd of wine, and next to it was a knife.

"You still came," Xiang Yutian said. Although his strength was unfathomable, his voice was hoarse and aged due to his approaching lifespan limit.

"Yes, I'm here." Wei Wen walked over and sat down opposite him.

"The Evil Emperor's Relic?" Xiang Yutian seemed to be asking, but he seemed to already have the answer in his heart.

"Fellow Daoist's insight is profound; it is the relic of the Evil Emperor." Wei Wen nodded. In front of the previous Evil Emperor, Xiang Yutian, these things could not be hidden.

"The Evil Emperor's Relic..." Xiang Yutian smiled, a bitter and desolate smile, carrying an indescribable sorrow. "It's good that you absorbed this. It's better than letting those unworthy disciples fight over it."

Wei Wen didn't answer, but instead asked him a question: "What was your purpose in practicing the Heavenly Demon Strategy back then, fellow Daoist?"

Xiang Yutian thought for a moment and said bitterly, "What else could it be for? To live."

"So, did you survive?" Wei Wen's question seemed to be asking a pointless question, since Xiang Yutian was alive right in front of him.

Xiang Yutian didn't seem to care: "They survived, but they didn't live like human beings."

"Why?" Wei Wen continued, feigning ignorance.

"Because the 'Dao' of the Heavenly Demon Strategy is 'rebellion,' going against the heavens, going against the tide, and defying all living beings to become the supreme ruler." Xiang Yutian's voice grew increasingly ethereal. "But if a person goes against the heavens, against the tide, and against all living beings, in the end, all that's left is himself. A person who is all alone is a lonely loner."

"Do you regret it?"

Xiang Yutian remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "No regrets," then picked up the wine gourd, took a sip, and handed it to Wei Wen.

Wei Wen also took a sip; the liquor was very strong, and the spiciness made him wince.

Upon seeing this, Xiang Yutian couldn't help but laugh: "This wine is brewed by myself, using jujubes from the desert. It doesn't taste good, but it can get you drunk."

The two sat under the poplar tree for a whole day.

"Your world..." Xiang Yutian suddenly spoke as dusk approached, paused, and continued, "is more powerful than this world, isn't it?"

Wei Wen's eyes narrowed, and he thought to himself that he truly was an old monster who had plotted to conquer the world.

"If I have the chance, I'll definitely take you to see it." Xiang Yutian smiled, a bright and cheerful smile.