Chapter 137: The Primordial Path and the Demonic Sect

Ji Feichen continued his stroll through the outer sect, making his way to a familiar brook he used to frequent.

Tucked away in a secluded part of the valley, the brook was serene and tranquil. Ji Feichen's favorite spot was a greenish-mottled boulder near the water's edge, where he could watch the current flow. At present, however, someone was already seated on the blue stone.

Glancing at the white-clad, delicate figure perched upon the rock, Ji Feichen walked over with a smile. "What brings Junior Sister back here with all your spare time?"

Xiao Ying was lost in thought, gazing at the babbling brook, and failed to hear Ji Feichen's words. It wasn't until he repeated himself that she snapped back to reality, offering a forced smile. "Isn't Senior Brother back as well?"

Having been pushed out by her master to act as a scapegoat for the impending calamity, Xiao Ying was filled with apprehension and terror, prompting her to return to the stream of her outer sect days to seek a moment of peace.

Before Ji Feichen could reply, she continued, "I remember this was where the few of us used to gather most often. Back then, Senior Brother was the first to discover this place. In the end, it became our fellow disciples' arena for debating the Dao and dueling, leaving Senior Brother with not a moment of peace."

Xiao Ying and Ji Feichen belonged to the same batch of disciples. There had once been many companions among them, but now only the two of them remained. The Dao was a treacherous and difficult path; those others had long since fallen midway, and some had even been killed by their own hands.

"You lot were always here, disturbing my peace." Ji Feichen touched the brook water, sending a layer of ripples spreading from his palm, bursting into tiny bubbling fountains on the surface. He loved water, and because of the Ink Dragon Scale, he often practiced his spells in the stream.

"It is much more peaceful now, though. Not a soul ever comes to this place anymore." The people of that initial batch might have bickered and brawled, or even acted with ruthless cruelty toward one another. Yet, looking back, that period of time was indeed a rare moment of leisure amidst their subsequent demonic sect careers.

Now that he thought about it, the disputes between those youths and maidens of the past were practically child's play.

Gazing at the water's surface, Xiao Ying suddenly spoke. "Junior Sister Song was killed by me."

"Oh," Ji Feichen acknowledged with a nod. Junior Sister Song was a fellow disciple from their generation, a timid girl who rarely took part in the squabbles among their group.

"She entered my master's sect. Master treated her very well, and her cultivation progressed rapidly. So, I killed her." Xiao Ying stared at the water, recalling the girl who used to tag along behind her, sweetly calling her "Senior Sister" in years past.

Now, the only memory she could conjure was that final scene before the girl died. To her dying breath, she seemed unable to believe that it was her own senior sister who was harming her.

Sensing that Xiao Ying's emotional state was abnormal today, Ji Feichen silently listened from the side without saying much.

Yet, despite her depressed mood, Xiao Ying had no intention of letting him off the hook. "Senior Brother, the killing tribulation is about to begin. Hasn't Senior Uncle made any gesture on your behalf?"

Ji Feichen looked at the young woman beside him; she looked haggard, her complexion somewhat pale. Suddenly, it all clicked. "What? Has Junior Uncle pushed you out as well?"

Xiao Ying's delicate frame trembled, her slender fingers gripping her dress tightly. Her voice dropped to a low, faint murmur. "Originally... originally I thought it wouldn't be my turn. Normally, I served her with all my heart, treating her like a teacher and a mother. But... I never expected that in the end... in the end, my turn would come after all."

Xiao Ying's master had treated her quite well in the past, even intending to make her the sole successor of her mantle. She had foolishly believed she could escape the tribulation, assuming some other senior or junior sister would suffer the disaster while she could quietly cultivate in peace alongside her master. Who could have known it would still fall upon her?

"Master gave me a treasured artifact for self-protection, telling me to descend the mountain to prepare in twenty years." Xiao Ying smiled self-deprecatingly after finishing. "Perhaps this is karmic retribution for killing Junior Sister Song? If Senior Sister Qingyi knew, she would surely have a good laugh at my expense. Whether I can survive this killing tribulation, however, remains uncertain. I fear that a hundred years from now, she will have forgotten me entirely."

"That is already quite good." Ji Feichen shrugged. "What if I told you that my master gave me nothing at all before pushing me out?"

"Junior Sister, you must understand. You and I are ultimately different from Senior Sister Qingyi. Her father is an elder of the Netherworld Sect, and there is a bond of fatherly affection between them. Furthermore, she is the bridge of communication between the Netherworld Sect and the Heavenly Heart Demonic Sect. Therefore, she will not come to harm, and the sect will never let someone of her direct lineage meet such a fate. But you and I are different; you and I came up the mountain to cultivate, and you should understand well enough how that came to be."

Having attained the status of an Earth Immortal, Xiao Ying had also recovered her past memories. It would be a lie to say she held no resentment upon remembering how she was abducted up the mountain by people of the Netherworld Sect.

However, Xiao Ying had already submitted a letter of allegiance by murdering the direct disciple of a profound sect, leaving her with no possibility of turning back. If she were to betray the demonic sect now, she would be captured by the Grand Empyrean Palace and imprisoned within the Demon-Suppression Pagoda.

"To speak of taboo matters, our Primordial Dao is reviled as the demonic path by the righteous sects. Although we constantly claim this is mere slander on their part, Junior Sister should know what the Primordial Dao's actions are truly like."

At first, those like them had harbored a sliver of illusion, believing that genuine affection existed even within the demonic sect. But as time passed, scene after scene unfolded before their eyes, and they endured their own repeated trials. Their hearts grew cold and their bodies weary, hardening their resolve into stone in order to adapt to the cutthroat competition of the demonic sect.

"Affection certainly exists. Are humans made of wood and stone? How could one be devoid of feeling? However, the object of that affection is not necessarily the likes of you or me."

The Black Torrent Superior treated his disciples with ruthless severity, yet toward one particular former disciple, he had given painstaking instruction in hopes of passing down his mantle. Even when that person practiced the *Profidian Black Demon Canon*, he never handed him over to the Lord of the Nether Hall for cultivation. It was only a pity that this disciple ultimately died anyway.

After that incident, Black Torrent Superior never displayed that sort of fatherly attitude toward Heavenly Child, Ji Feichen, or the others. Similarly, Luo Qingyi's parents were very good to her, and Zheng Qiong's teacher was also quite kind to him.

Yet everyone's capacity for affection was limited. To survive in such an environment as the demonic sect, who dared to offer a completely sincere heart to everyone?

Black Pool Superior had once genuinely respected his senior brother Black Torrent, but what was the outcome?

"Some say the profound sects are filled with scoundrels. But no matter how many scoundrels the profound sects have, they do not make up thirty percent of their total numbers. And what about us?" Ji Feichen offered a mocking laugh. "Look up and down the Netherworld Sect, count them one by one, who does not have blood on their hands? Even if genuine affection exists, how much of it can possibly remain when faced with the brutally competitive clan struggles?"

"But our Primordial Dao is an ancient lineage, and we likewise cultivate the orthodox path. Today's human hearts are simply treacherous; it has nothing to do with the Daoist lineage." Xiao Ying seemed somewhat unable to stomach Ji Feichen's words, as they conflicted with her past teachings.

Her chest heaved with agitation as she emotionalized, "The profound sects cultivate clear qi, while the Primordial Dao cultivates turbid qi! This is nothing more than the opposition sparked by the ancient debate between purity and turbidity! It is simply because we lost! But if we had won, the profound sects would be the demonic path! They would be the evil fiends!"

"Indeed. In ancient times, the Primordial Dao worshipped ancient gods and demons and cultivated the physical body. The profound sects, on the other hand, leaned toward the cultivation of the primordial spirit, which gave rise to the initial divergence. Yet, as the two lineages competed, the Primordial Dao gradually fell behind the profound sects. Compared to the flourishing prosperity of the profound sects, the Primordial Dao could only resort to deception and trickery to gather disciples. Coupled with the actions of a few bigwigs of the Primordial Dao back then, the atmosphere gradually formed the state we see today."

Ji Feichen held no particular animosity toward the pure Primordial Dao. Even Consort Chen and Feng Qianli harbored no malice toward it. The Primordial Dao was originally a branch of qi refiners, representing a certain philosophy. Compared to the primordial spirit, it placed greater emphasis on physical cultivation, emulating the bodily form of ancient gods and demons. Come to think of it, the Drought Demon true form of the Drought Demon Female Immortal and the Phoenix true form of Feng Qianli also bore traces of the Primordial Dao's philosophy.

Originally, had the Primordial Dao been properly managed back then, it might not have been an unorthodox path in heaven and earth.

Pity that several major figures of the Primordial Dao harbored malicious intentions at the time, leading the path astray step by step. Moreover, because the Primordial Dao leaned toward turbid malevolent qi, it frequently suffered from drawbacks such as cultivation deviation, causing its reputation to grow increasingly foul.

As a result, mortals naturally favored the profound sects over the notorious Primordial Dao. Just look at the protective profound light and precious clouds of both sides: one was filled with immortal radiance and flashing five-colored treasures, while the other rolled with pitch-black clouds and reeked of stench.

How would a normal person choose? That went without saying.

"Being ostracized by the profound sects is one aspect. Walking step by step to where we are today, the Primordial Dao of the present is the true demonic path—even though the cultivation techniques still bear the marks of the Primordial Dao, they have long since strayed from their original path."

When modern demonic sect disciples proclaimed themselves adherents of the "Primordial Dao," it was merely because they refused to acknowledge themselves as demons. Yet everyone knew the truth in their hearts.

The greatest difference between immortals and demons lay in their modes of thought.

All living beings of heaven and earth, sect forces, and personal interests—demonic cultivators invariably placed their own interests above all else. Even the creation of the demonic sect itself stemmed from those bigwigs wanting to find workers to toil for them.

However, were those ancient cultivators of the Primordial Dao of that mindset? They were merely a group of seekers of the Dao amidst heaven and earth, trembling as they sought a positive fruition in the vast expanse of creation. Unfortunately, the techniques they created were used by later generations to commit evil, completely altering the philosophy of the lineage until it was denounced as "demonic."

"Junior Sister, suppose the Primordial Dao wins. When that happens, how will people of the Six-Armed Demon God Sect sort treat mortals? Will they protect all living beings like the Moral Sect, or treat mortals like pigs and sheep? Do you think that was the atmosphere of the original Primordial Dao?"

"So, Senior Brother prefers the profound sects?"

"Don't—don't try to trap me. I am only trying to console you, don't drag me into this." Ji Feichen waved his hands repeatedly. "I am merely telling you not to romanticize the Netherworld Sect. To live, one must consider oneself first. The killing tribulation is approaching, and you and I are mere ants. We should be thinking about how to save our own skins!"

With that, Ji Feichen departed from the stream bank, leaving Xiao Ying behind to gaze at the water and quietly contemplate.