Immortality begins with meditation puppets

On Mang Mountain, the Hongquan Sect, determined to fight the Ziwei Sect head-on with swords and spears, became as reckless as the Mang King of yesteryear.

The former Mang Wang, like Liu Sanpao today, had a group of brothers who would go through fire and water for him and risk their lives. What made Liu Sanpao even stronger than Mang Wang was that the humane dynasty that Mang Wang built was still in the barbaric era of cultivation. Those arrogant soldiers and generals were said to be like dragons, but it was just a competition among mortals. Compared to the Ziwei Sect, which was the best in the cultivation era, they were really like ants and dust, easily broken. But their Hongquan Sect was different.

Their Hongquan Sect entered the realm of cultivation thousands of years ago, and has made great strides in cultivating talents, cultivating industries, and creating things through cultivation.

Among the high-level cultivators, there are three like Lianxu Tianjun. Besides him and a senior elder who is old and frail, there is also a sixth-level spirit assassin hidden in the shadows.

In terms of core strength, over the years, the Hongquan Sect has engaged in underworld activities and dirty tricks, cultivating a group of ruthless third and fourth-tier spirit assassins, third and fourth-tier body cultivators, and some Golden Core Foundation Establishment cultivators skilled in combat.

In terms of talent and resource reserves, among the hundreds of realms affiliated with Feihong Realm, twenty or thirty realms are completely under the control of their Hongquan Sect. Most of the ill-gotten gains they make outside are invested in these twenty or thirty affiliated realms, where they cultivate reserve talents for various cultivation industries and develop various cultivation industries from scratch.

Putting aside other matters, the Hongquan Sect's affiliated forces have taken on a significant portion of the most basic spiritual material processing business needed by major sects like the Yuanshi Sect and Lingbao Sect when they were refining magical artifacts and making puppets. Although these processing industries have low technical content and small profit margins, they are profitable in large quantities and can sustain the development and upgrading of the cultivation industries in these affiliated realms. They can also help cultivate cultivation talents in these affiliated realms. Even today, although these affiliated realms cannot compete with giants like the Yuanshi Sect and Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom in high-end industries such as magical artifacts and puppets, their market for processing business has been growing ever larger since the introduction of puppet production lines from the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom. They are earning more and more, almost catching up with their original illegal cultivation business.

This is also one of the reasons why their Hongquan Sect was determined to turn against the Ziwei Sect. Unlike the Ziwei Sect, they have always understood that in this vast world, there are Xuanmen, Demonic Path, Evil Path, Human Path, Demonic Path, and Beast Path. Sooner or later, these paths have all been popular in the vast world and have become the foundation of a dominant force.

There's no gangsters involved!

Because the underworld monks' petty theft, swindling, and cheating tricks are simply not respectable!

For sects like Hongquan Sect, it's understandable that they might accumulate start-up capital and resources by engaging in shady dealings at the beginning. However, if a major sect like Ziwei Sect were to stray into the underworld and never turn back, their sect's upper limit would never be broken, and they would always be overshadowed by sects like Taoyuan Sect and Danyuan Sect!
From this perspective, the Hongquan Sect, which has always wanted to clean up its act and transform into a righteous sect, actually looks down on the Ziwei Sect. They believe that most of the cultivators in this sect are short-sighted, greedy, and cannot even see their own and their sect's fate clearly. Sooner or later, they will suffer a great setback.

Liu Sanpao believed that even though the Hongquan Sect was not as well-established and powerful as the Ziwei Sect, it was still far stronger than the Mang Wang of yesteryear and would not suffer the same fate as the Mang Wang.

But reality hit him like a heavy hammer, making him question the meaning of life.

Around Mangshan, terrifying demonic plants appeared.

What are demonic plants? They are spiritual plants that are fed with the essence of evil.

Despite its name, the creature's appearance and fighting style are terrifying, wicked, and demonic.

In reality, the existence of these demonic plants is recognized throughout the myriad realms. Therefore, they are techniques passed down by ancient cultivators. During the ancient demonic calamity, when ancient cultivators fought against evil demons, they found that evil demons were difficult to kill and destroy. Thus, puppeteers created demon-sealing puppets such as the Demon Sealing Wave, and weapon refiners crafted various demonic artifacts that used the essence of evil demons as artifact spirits and imprisoned them within the main body of the artifact. In addition, spirit farmers created these demonic plants.

These creations of cultivation, due to their characteristic of using evil to subdue evil, are collectively referred to as demonic creatures by cultivators. Because they utilize the power of the origin of evil, demonic creatures possess a variety of incredible abilities compared to normal creations of cultivation, attracting many cultivators to pursue them.

Furthermore, in the cultivation world, anything that can be used by cultivators will not have an easy time. What are demons? Since their demonic essence is useful to cultivators, cultivators cannot let them live peacefully. If you don't come looking for me, I will search every mountain and river to find you and destroy you.

Thus, these demonic creatures greatly increased cultivators' enthusiasm for fighting evil. From ancient times to the present, all major sects and forces have encouraged cultivators to create demonic creatures.
Having dealt with the Ziwei Sect for so many years, Liu Sanpao knew that they were quite accomplished in cultivating demonic plants. In the several anti-demon wars launched by the heavens against evil spirits, the Ziwei Sect, summoned by the Yuanshi Sect, shone brightly and made numerous contributions thanks to these demonic plants. That's why the Yuanshi Sect ignored their sale of black-hearted grain and helped them withstand the pressure from the demon race, also because they valued their ability to cultivate demonic plants to fight against evil spirits.

What Liu Sanpao didn't expect was that the demonic plants that the Ziwei Sect had displayed in the anti-demon wars over the years were just the tip of the iceberg. The terrifying demonic plants that they had cultivated in these anti-demon wars had never actually been revealed until today, when they finally showed their fangs. However, the first bite of these fangs was not to the evil demons, but to their Hongquan Sect.

Among the demonic plants brought out by the Ziwei Sect, there was a sixth-tier demonic plant called the Bloodsucking Thorn, which was among the first batch of demonic plants to appear and hinder the cultivators of the Hongquan Sect.

This bloodsucking thorn was cultivated by the Ziwei Sect using the demonic essence of a high-ranking demonic bloodsucking demon king. Its main trunk branches into thousands of thorns, each covered with densely packed bloodsucking tentacles. The dark red thorns and lip-shaped tentacles secrete a sweet and cloying fragrance that can bewitch the souls of cultivators, causing them to lower their guard and allowing the thorn to wrap around their bodies, suck their flesh and blood, and devour their soul energy.

This single demonic plant caused heavy losses to the Hongquan Sect. Although the disciples of the sect formed a brotherhood alliance, their brotherhood could not withstand the blood-sucking tentacles. Even though none of the brothers had died before the others, if the blood-sucking thorns continued to drain their blood, it was certain that all of them would perish together.

Seeing his disciples trembling and listless from the bloodsucking thorns, Liu Sanpao was extremely anxious. He picked up his golden knife and was about to cut down the bloodsucking thorns when another sixth-order demonic plant appeared before him.

This demonic plant resembles a banyan tree over a hundred feet tall, but its branches, like human arms, tightly embrace an ancient bell covered in rust and bloodstains.

"The Bell-Bell Banyan? This demonic plant has advanced to a sixth-tier demonic plant!"

Upon seeing this demonic plant, Liu Sanpao immediately exclaimed in surprise and doubt.

He was familiar with this demonic plant, as it had fought alongside him under the Ziwei Sect's control when their Hongquan Sect fought against demons in the past. Originally a fifth-tier demonic plant, it was cultivated by combining the demonic essence of the superior demon, Demonic Sound Granny, with a fifth-tier bewitching banyan tree. Its branches were hollow inside, and when they collided in the wind, they played a bewitching melody like a flute, which could shake the soul of cultivators, causing their primordial spirit to lose control. It could also change the rhythm, causing the cultivator's meridians and dantian to resonate, causing their physical body to explode and die.

Because its ability can also be effective in fighting against evil spirits, when Hongquan Sect fought alongside it in the past, it controlled the field while Hongquan Sect cleared the field. The two sides cooperated seamlessly and killed countless demons, which was very exciting. Liu Sanpao once proposed to Ziwei Sect to buy this Death Bell Banyan, but was ruthlessly rejected by the sect.

At the time, he thought the sect was using this demonic plant as a guarantee for gaining demonic merit, so he was unwilling to sell the merit-gaining tree. However, he did not expect that the sect actually wanted to cultivate this demonic plant towards the sixth rank. Now it seems that they have succeeded in cultivating it.

"This is the Soul-Sending Bell? The most treasured artifact of the Qinzhong Sect?"

Liu Sanpao's gaze fell on the ancient bell in the arms of the funeral bell-shaped cypress tree; he was very familiar with this ancient bell.

In the past, the Flying Phoenix Realm was not only home to the two major sects, Hongquan Sect and Ziwei Sect, but also to another sect called Qinzhong Sect.

Like their Hongquan Sect, this sect is also a native sect of the Feihong Realm, and was established by the Ziwei Sect.

This sect excels in music and has produced two sixth-level spiritual musicians, known as the masters of the zither and bell. They were invited by the Yuanshi Sect to participate in the sect's sacrificial ceremony, which shows how powerful these two were.

In fact, in terms of strength and ability, this sect is more powerful than Hongquan Sect as a subordinate. It's just that because this sect has lofty aspirations, when they knelt to Ziwei Sect, they didn't kneel very firmly. Especially after catching the eye of Yuanshi Sect, they even had the idea of ​​bypassing Ziwei Sect and becoming a direct vassal of Yuanshi Sect.

At that time, Liu Sanpao noticed that the Ziwei Sect's attitude towards this sect had changed, and that the sect was being suppressed in various matters both inside and outside the realm.

Until the outbreak of a war against demons, the three sects of Feihong Realm joined the front line of the war against demons along with the Yuanshi Sect. In that battle, due to the lack of support from the Ziwei Sect, the Qinle Sect was completely wiped out, and the sect's treasured treasures, the Soul-Sending Bell and the Spirit-Extinguishing Zither, were also lost.

At the time, Liu Sanpao also wondered if the Ziwei Sect had deliberately arrived a step late in order to use the demons to destroy the Qinzhong Sect, which was gradually slipping out of control. However, since the Ziwei Sect's reasons for not providing adequate support were very convincing, he couldn't find any concrete and effective evidence. If he were to voice his suspicions, it would make him seem petty and affect the unity of the heavens in the fight against the demons. Therefore, he kept this suspicion to himself. In the subsequent battles when his Hongquan Sect went out with the Ziwei Sect to fight against the demons, he secretly maintained a degree of vigilance to prevent the Qinzhong Sect's past from being repeated in his Hongquan Sect.

Now, seeing the Qinzhong Sect's most treasured artifact used by the Ziwei Sect to cultivate sixth-tier demonic plants, he is completely convinced that the Qinzhong Sect's destruction was meticulously planned and orchestrated by the Ziwei Sect.

Ruthless, vicious, and cruel to this extent!
Liu Sanpao was shocked and angry, but also somewhat fearful.

He could sense that over the past thousand years, the Ziwei Sect's attitude towards their Hongquan Sect had become increasingly hostile. If he didn't turn against the Ziwei Sect today, the two sects would continue to be superficially united but actually estranged. Given the right opportunity, the Ziwei Sect would definitely treat their Hongquan Sect the same way it treated the Qinzhong Sect.

After they cultivated this batch of demonic plants, it seemed that the Hongquan Sect was no longer of any use to them, lacking any value to exploit, and they were not very obedient. Given the ruthlessness of the Ziwei Sect, it was absolutely impossible for them to continue to threaten their position in the Feihong Realm.

With this thought in mind, he wielded the golden knife with equal swiftness. His body moved like lightning, and his blade struck like thunder. The thunderous blade light was particularly effective against demonic creatures. The several branches that had just been extended from the bloodsucking thorn were all shattered under his thunderous blade light. He figured that even the Deathbell Banyan Tree would not be able to withstand his thunderous blade light.

"Clang clang clang!"

The banyan tree branches frantically struck the soul-sending bell, and waves of dizzying sound waves, almost tangible, gathered in the air, forming ripple-like spirals. These sound waves were all-pervasive and extremely corrosive. Even though Liu Sanpao was prepared and had sealed off his five senses to completely isolate himself from external interference, he was still inevitably captivated by the sound of the bell. He was stunned for only a moment before his soul was almost shattered by the soul-destroying banyan tree.

Fortunately, he came from humble beginnings and rose to the sixth-tier Heavenly Lord level with a single sword, becoming a ruthless sect leader. He had encountered countless battles, large and small, throughout his life, forging an iron will and a heart of steel. His resistance to the demonic sound attack of the Bell of Death was greater than that of others of the same level, preventing him from being easily defeated. After a brief moment of stunned silence, he broke free from its influence and charged at it again with his sword. However, the Bell of Death struck a second time, and although he could break free once and a second time, these repeated pauses prevented him from escaping the Bell of Death's entanglement and rescuing the sect disciples.

At this moment, the Supreme Elder of Hongquan Sect, whose lifespan was only a few hundred years left, stepped forward.

He was extremely thin, with a sallow complexion and emaciated body. He didn't look like a sixth-level celestial being, but rather like a poor old man who was about to starve to death.

Indeed, he was a divine cultivator, a sixth-order impoverished god.

Few gods appear in the myriad realms, because only the Heavenly Origin Realm has the authority to bestow titles upon gods. Most of the gods' positions, divine runes, and divine duties reside in the Heavenly Origin Realm, and there is no channel for becoming or being bestowed upon gods in the myriad realms.

However, long before the ancient demonic calamity erupted in the Tianyuan Realm, the Heavenly Court collapsed, the gods fell, and the divine runes scattered throughout the Tianyuan world, and before Tianyuan closed its gates to prevent cultivators from stealing the divine runes and divine authority within the Tianyuan Realm, another batch of divine runes and divine authority had already been lost in the myriad worlds. These lost divine runes and divine authority gave rise to a group of professions called divine cultivators, which were neither officially appointed nor recognized by Heaven and Earth, and were neither gods nor gods, but rather a kind of cultivation of various arts.

The God of Poverty: Accepting this divine office and rune will condemn one to eternal torment and poverty. This divine office and rune were despised by the ancient Heavenly Origin cultivators, who voluntarily offered them to all the heavens and myriad realms. (End of Chapter)