Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Surrendering to Da Xia was something the Yao Platform Sect had long considered, and it was a decision made out of necessity.

After all, under the command of the Six Union God Sect were six great demon sects, and now, just one Red Flame Demon Sect was more than the Yao Platform Sect could handle.

It wasn't even necessary for others from the Red Flame Demon Sect to act; the leader of the Red Flame Demon Sect alone had the power to annihilate the entire Yao Platform Sect.

This was the astonishing martial force of a Grandmaster at the Innate Stage of martial arts!

At that level, except for warriors of the same realm, numbers were utterly useless.

The head of the Yao Platform Sect and the supreme elder at the Innate Stage, after much contemplation, sought a way to break the impasse. Fortuitously, they heard that Gu Chen of the Jing Tian Department had arrived at Qiongtian Mansion, which sparked the idea in their minds to seek allegiance with Da Xia.

After all, Da Xia had suppressed the world for twenty-three years. Despite the Human Emperor's seclusion, the power of the Jing Tian Department was still not to be underestimated and was feared by the Six Union God Sect.

After careful deliberation, they realized that aligning with Da Xia was the only way for the Yao Platform Sect to survive under the current circumstances.

Indeed, aside from the six lofty holy lands that overlook worldly affairs and remain uninvolved, Da Xia could be considered the foremost power in all of Shen Zhou.

With the protection of Da Xia, even if the Six Union God Sect wanted to make a move against the Yao Platform Sect, they would have to think twice.

Of course, from now on, the Yao Platform Sect would be tied to Da Xia's imperial court, becoming a subordinate force, but so long as the legacy of the Yao Platform Sect could be preserved, these were minor concerns.

Although twenty-three years ago when the current sovereign came to power, all the forces in Jianghu had expressed their submission, that form of submission was only superficial and of a different nature from what the Yao Platform Sect was proposing.

This was something that Gu Chen clearly understood; however, such a significant decision was not his to make.

So, after pondering for a moment, Gu Chen said, "I understand the intentions of your sect. Once I return to the mansion city, I will report your thoughts to my superiors."

Hearing this, the leader of the Yao Platform Sect let out a sigh of relief, her tense face slightly relaxing as she said, "In that case, we are grateful to Lord Gu."

Gu Chen shook his head slightly. It was fortunate that the Yao Platform Sect was willing to seek refuge with Da Xia. Nowadays, with demons plaguing the world openly and demon sects covertly laying watch, growing increasingly rampant in their actions, Shen Zhou was beset by troubles of various kinds.

In the short term, the Jing Tian Department might cope, but in the long run, it possibly could not handle everything on its own.

After all, unless driven to absolute necessity, these sects and noble families in Jianghu would not go all out to assist Da Xia.

Because both Da Xia and the demon sects are their enemies, a hanging sword above their heads.

To weaken the power of Da Xia meant to strengthen their own power.

Of course, between Da Xia and the demon sects, they still preferred Da Xia, but to expect them to wholeheartedly devote themselves to Da Xia's cause was extremely difficult.

Having concluded this matter, Gu Chen prepared to take his leave, since the Yao Platform Sect comprised entirely of female disciples, and it was not appropriate for him to stay overnight.

Therefore, after expressing his intentions, the head of the Yao Platform Sect called for Huang Wei and took Gu Chen down the mountain.

After Gu Chen left, the head of the Yao Platform Sect looked to her personal disciple LiuLuo and asked softly, "What do you think of Gu Chen of the Jing Tian Department, Lord Gu?"

LiuLuo, dressed in a flowing moon-white gown, pondered for a moment before replying in an ethereal voice, "Reporting to my master, this Lord Gu is very strong, even inscrutably so. Even I, at my Vajra Stage, could not have overcome Hu Wanyuan."

The head of the Yao Platform Sect nodded slightly, knowing all too well the gap between the Vajra Stage and the Gang Qi Stage as a person who had crossed it herself.

It was for this reason that she understood just how extraordinary Gu Chen's talent and strength really were.

The head of the Yao Platform Sect sighed softly and said, "I had previously asked Huang Wei to test Gu Chen's thoughts, asking him what he thought of Zi Qing, but Gu Chen was unwilling. He wouldn't even accept Zi Qing as a concubine.

Otherwise, if it were possible, their union could have given our Yao Platform Sect a certain degree of influence within the imperial court, now that we are seeking to join Da Xia."

LiuLuo nodded lightly in agreement, highly regarding Gu Chen's strength. Zi Qing was her junior sister, and marrying Gu Chen would have indeed been a fine choice.

But alas, since the other party was unwilling, they could not force the issue.

The head of the Yao Platform Sect continued, "I expect that soon, when word of today's events spreads, Gu Chen will be listed on the Leaderboard of Heroes by the Diancang Pavilion, just like you."

The Leaderboard of Heroes, similar to the Collected Stars List, was a ranking that the Diancang Pavilion created to assess the strengths of various warriors in Jianghu.

However, compared to the Collected Stars List, the Leaderboard of Heroes held much more prestige, as those who were listed on it typically had the cultivation of the Gang Qi Stage.

LiuLuo, being the most talented true disciple of the Yao Platform Sect and possessing inner Gangqi cultivation at a young age, had talent not inferior to Chen Yu of the Jing Tian Department. She was the pride of the Yao Platform Sect head and the hope for the sect's future.

After all, the Leaderboard of Heroes was so named because the Diancang Pavilion believed that every warrior listed had the capacity to stir up significant events in the world, which was also recognized by numerous people in Jianghu and the top-tier sects.

Of course, even as LiuLuo, her ranking on the Leaderboard of Heroes was rather low, at the bottom end of the list.

After all, with merely the cultivation of inner Gangqi and being young, she fell short in many aspects compared to others on the list.

The higher one's ranking on the Leaderboard of Heroes, the stronger one's abilities, and many listed even had cultivation surpassing the Gang Qi Stage, reaching another level entirely.

Based on the Diancang Pavilion's usual practices, Gu Chen's inclusion on the Leaderboard of Heroes was not because his strength sufficed, but because he had defeated Hu Wanyuan, accomplishing what others could not. Such potential warranted including his name on the list.

Naturally, his ranking would undoubtedly be at the very bottom, either at one hundred or in the nineties, for he could not match the veteran inner Gangqi warriors.

Even so, Gu Chen had every reason to be proud, for it had been many years since a warrior of the Vajra Stage had appeared on the Leaderboard of Heroes.

"By the way, how are your injuries?" The leader of the Yao Platform Sect looked at her disciple LiuLuo with concern in her eyes. After all, LiuLuo was the future of their sect.

When the leader of the Yao Platform Sect was young and traveling the world, she had taken a liking to LiuLuo, who was still in swaddling clothes, and had brought her back to the sect.

LiuLuo was naturally endowed with a constitution that was extremely compatible with the cultivation techniques of the Yao Platform Sect. Therefore, her cultivation progressed at a remarkable pace, surpassing even Chen Yu in reaching the inner Gangqi stage.

Of course, with such rapid progress, there were naturally some hidden dangers.

The cultivation method of the Yao Platform Sect was divided into several stages. At a certain level, one would need to neutralize the yin energy within the body with masculine forces, for solitary yang does not endure, and solitary yin does not give birth.

However, generally speaking, this was a problem only considered by a grandmaster, but due to LiuLuo's exceptional talent, she had reached such a state even in the Gang Qi Stage, which was both her opportunity and her trouble.

Even the leader of the Yao Platform Sect had not anticipated that LiuLuo could progress at such a rate with their sect's cultivation techniques.

Due to the special nature of the technique, the founding grandmaster of the Yao Platform Sect had devised a method that could reverse this situation without the need for masculine forces and take one's cultivation to the next level.

However, this secret technique could only be effective when used at the grandmaster stage, relying on the special challenges faced by grandmasters, and LiuLuo, currently at the inner Gangqi level, naturally could not use this secret method.

Therefore, she needed purely yang and masculine forces to help neutralize the yin energy in her body.

This yin energy was both a threat and an opportunity. If she could suppress all the yin energy while in the Gang Qi Stage, accomplishing what should only be possible at the grandmaster level, LiuLuo would have no bottlenecks in her martial path from then on.

Surpassing her predecessors and becoming a congenital grandmaster in the martial dao, thanks to her affinity with the Yao Platform Sect's techniques, would not be a problem.

Thus, the Yao Platform Sect naturally was very eager to help LiuLuo resolve the yin energy within her, but despite the vastness of Shen Zhou and its abundance, divine items and treasures were still extremely hard to find. Throughout the years, although some had appeared, none were suitable for LiuLuo.

At that moment, LiuLuo softly replied, "Master, rest assured, for the short term, I am untroubled."

The leader of the Yao Platform Sect nodded. Although the yin energy would not erupt in the short term, its continuous accumulation in LiuLuo's body would greatly hinder her cultivation.

"Once we align ourselves with the Jing Tian Department, we'll see if we can spend some resources to exchange for some treasures from the treasury within Jing Tian Department," said the leader of the Yao Platform Sect.

After all, the Jing Tian Department, as part of the Da Xia, had countless extraordinary powers and treasures. Perhaps there would be some divine item or treasure that could aid LiuLuo.

And it was for this reason that Hu Wanyuan had previously suspected that the Jing Tian Department must have given Gu Chen some kind of divine item or treasure, enabling him to possess such profound strength while in the Vajra Stage.

Not just Hu Wanyuan, even the leader of the Yao Platform Sect believed this, since it was impossible for Gu Chen to accumulate such profound inner energy solely on his own at the Vajra Stage.

Moreover, with such profound cultivation, it would be countless times more difficult for Gu Chen to break through to the Gang Qi Stage compared to ordinary martial artists.

To break through to the Gang Qi Stage, one needs to refine the inner energy within the body. The more inner energy there is, the more time it naturally takes.

...

Meanwhile, after leaving the grand hall of the Yao Platform Sect, Huang Wei handed Gu Chen a jade bottle filled with a pale blue liquid, which was a unique treasure of the Yao Platform Sect—Jade Spirit Ice Liquid.

Gu Chen took the Jade Spirit Ice Liquid and bid farewell to Huang Wei, leaving the Yao Platform Sect and heading straight down the mountain.

Having left the Qiongtian Mansion's city for some time, once affairs with the Yao Platform Sect had concluded, Gu Chen did not choose to stay any longer. He found a fast horse and rode through the night toward Qiongtian City.

As for the Jade Spirit Ice Liquid, Gu Chen planned to take it after returning to the city. He was not short on time.

Additionally, once back in the city, Gu Chen would pass on the news of the Yao Platform Sect's intention to align with Da Xia to the Jing Tian Department in Tiandu. The details of operation and whom to report to would be decided by Chen Yu.

Night fell with a blanket of stars filling the sky, and all was silent—a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the world. It had been five days since Gu Chen left the Yao Platform Sect.

For the past five days, Gu Chen had not eaten or drunk, nor touched a drop of water, but he did not feel the slightest bit of fatigue.

After all, with his current level of cultivation and physical strength, going without food or drink for a month was not difficult.

In the mountains at night, the howling of wild beasts was frequent and chilling.

However, Gu Chen was not afraid in the slightest; should any beast dare to block his path, he didn't mind a little exercise to satisfy his hunger.

Swish!

Suddenly, in the pitch-black night, a cold gleam flashed by, darting through the air and aimed at Gu Chen.

Gu Chen's intuition was sharp, with keen ears and eyes. He reacted immediately, visualizing an image in his mind—the cold gleam was a razor-sharp arrow.

Bang!

Steadily seated on his horse's back, Gu Chen swung his arm, turning his palm into a blade, and with a single swipe, he split the arrow's tip in two.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Gu Chen's brows furrowed as he called out sternly.