After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

After resolving the Wen family's issues, Lin Zhixu and Yu Linzhou lost interest in continuing their travels.

No matter how bustling the scenery of Nanling is, after passing by the charred ruins of the Wen family, there always seems to be a faint smell of burning in the air.

So the two of them simply returned to Tianheng Sect.

After returning to the sect, Yu Linzhou became unusually busy.

Normally, this person would want to be by Lin Zhixu's side for every single hour of the day, but now he's nowhere to be seen all day.

Lin Zhixu took this opportunity to consolidate his cultivation.

Breaking through three levels in one go that night at the Wen residence was too hasty for him, resulting in an unstable foundation and occasional stagnation when circulating spiritual energy.

Lin Zhixu locked himself in the courtyard, spending his days meditating and practicing swordsmanship, striving to stabilize his skills as soon as possible.

In his spare time, he would try to call out to the system in his mind every day.

Unfortunately, it's unclear whether the system was truly angered, but no matter how much Lin Zhixu called out, it never appeared again.

Lin Zhixu grew increasingly uneasy.

This time, it seems he really went a bit too far.

The main reason was that he really didn't expect the system, an AI, to have such a big reaction.

At this rate of evolution, the emotion module must have gone through several iterations already.

Meanwhile, in the main peak council hall, the elders of each peak gathered together.

The Grand Elder sat in the main seat, his face more solemn than ever before.

"I have gathered you all here today to discuss an important matter."

"Our people have been investigating for so long, and they've finally figured out the situation deep in the mountains of Qingxi Village. The result is not optimistic."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject: "Do you all still remember the battle between Li Hanshan and the two Immortal Venerables ten thousand years ago?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several senior elders in the hall changed slightly, and the others involuntarily sat up straight.

That period of history was so tragic that even after ten thousand years, it still sends chills down one's spine when it is mentioned.

"How could I not remember?" A white-haired elder on the left said in a deep voice, "That battle was earth-shattering. More than half of the elites of my Tianheng Sect were lost, and the entire cultivation world was severely damaged. It took ten thousand years to recover."

He looked up at the Grand Elder, his voice tinged with a hint of probing, "You suddenly brought this up; could it be that the strange events in Qingxi Village are related to Li Hanshan?"

The others' expressions changed slightly.

The Grand Elder nodded slowly: "Deep in the mountain wall of Qingxi Village, this is where Li Hanshan shed his blood. His demonic blood seeped into the rock strata and, after ten thousand years, not only did it not dissipate, but it also nourished the creatures in the rock crevices, causing them to mutate and giving birth to new demonic energy."

"What worries me even more is that Li Hanshan was not completely killed back then, but only sealed away. With the nourishment of this demonic energy, he is very likely to make a comeback."

The entire hall erupted in uproar.

A less senior elder couldn't help but ask, "Elder, isn't it too serious to make this conclusion based on just one spot of demonic energy? How could a ten-thousand-year seal be broken so easily?"

"If it were only this one place, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths." The Grand Elder's gaze swept over everyone. "A few days ago, Lin Zhixu, a disciple of Immortal Venerable Fengheng, sent back a message that he had encountered an evil cultivation organization while he was out training. They specialize in cultivating using human essence and blood."

"There is another formation with extremely strong evil energy. I have sent people to investigate, but no news has come back yet."

"These things, taken individually, might just be coincidences, but put together, I can't help but think more deeply. I suspect that the evil cultivation organization is not being run by ordinary evil cultivators, but rather by the demon race."

His voice deepened, "Refining the body with blood and sacrificing the soul—don't these methods seem familiar to you all? This is precisely the cultivation method commonly used by the demon race ten thousand years ago."

Silence fell over the hall, and everyone's faces were solemn.

Elder Xuanqing spoke, his tone hesitant: "Although we didn't wipe out the demon race completely back then, very few remained. Even if some remnants plot to make a comeback, they're not something to fear, are they?"

The Grand Elder slowly shook his head and sighed, "If that's really the case, then I'm not worried. What I fear is not their direct attack, but their hiding in the shadows, bewitching people."

"Those cultivators with wicked intentions and eager for quick success will willingly serve you with the slightest temptation. You can guard against swords and spears, but you can't guard against the greed in people's hearts."

These words caused the hall to fall silent once again.

None of the people present were naive children; they were all too aware of human greed.

The terror of the demon race lies not only in their cultivation level, but also in their profound understanding of human nature.

One of the elders, who had a rather short temper, said, "So what if they come back? We were able to defeat them ten thousand years ago, and we will certainly be able to defeat them again today, ten thousand years later."

The elders all nodded in agreement.

Elder Xuanqing chimed in, "Elder Xiong is right. The Demon Clan has been recuperating for ten thousand years, and we haven't been idle either. Today, the elites of each peak far surpass those of the past, and the overall strength of the sect is no longer comparable to what it was ten thousand years ago."

"Moreover, we have two half-step Nascent Soul cultivators, Immortal Venerable Wu Cang and Immortal Venerable Feng Heng, to oversee us. What are we to fear from the mere demon race!"

Yan Lingcang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

His eyes, as still as a deep well, revealed no emotion.

Yu Linzhou leaned back in his chair, a half-smile playing on his lips, and lazily said, "Then you're mistaken. Today, ten thousand years from now, may not be as good as what it was ten thousand years ago."

Everyone turned to look at him. Peak Master Xiong frowned and asked, "What makes you say such a thing, Immortal Venerable Feng Heng?"

Yan Lingcang's next words struck everyone like a heavy hammer: "I have a hidden ailment that has not yet healed. The sect leader personally examined me and said that the only way to recover is to break through to the Nascent Soul stage and have my body tempered and my meridians reshaped by heavenly lightning."

"Otherwise, if the hidden ailment recurs, the strength I can exert will probably be less than half of what it is now."

Everyone was stunned.

The elder slowly closed his eyes, a heavy weariness appearing on his aged face, and nodded slightly.

"It's true. I was there back then. After the sect leader and Feng Heng Immortal Venerable joined forces to suppress Wu Cang Immortal Venerable's hidden ailment, the sect leader went into seclusion. He kept it a secret because he didn't want you to worry."

Everyone was speechless.

They all knew that Yan Lingcang had been desperately searching for an opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage all these years.

He worked tirelessly, neglecting sleep and meals, and secluded himself for countless days. When people mentioned Immortal Venerable Wucang, they all praised his diligence and hard work, saying that even at the half-step into the Divine Transformation realm, he was still working so hard.

Only now do I realize that it was out of necessity.

After a long silence, someone tentatively asked with a hint of caution, "Has Immortal Venerable Wucang found a way to break through in all these years?"

Yan Lingcang lowered his eyelashes and slowly shook his head.

"For tens of thousands of years, no one in the cultivation world has ascended to immortality. No one knows what the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage is."

"I once thought it was just that my cultivation level was not high enough, so I cultivated and went into seclusion day after day. As a result, my cultivation level did increase, but that bottleneck remained unchanged."

"I only realized later that you can never accumulate enough cultivation. It's like a bottomless pit; no matter how much you accumulate, it can never be filled."

"Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, you probably can't just rely on cultivation to advance further; you might need a sudden enlightenment."

Yan Lingcang said softly, "It's time for me to undergo my tribulation of love."