Urban Martial Saint

Outside the Heavenly Dao, this did not surprise everyone. However, what An Shiping said afterwards utterly shocked them all.

What path is Shijia walking that allows him to explain what the Heavenly Dao is? It’s worth noting that even a Buddha who once created a sect couldn’t explain the Heavenly Dao. Can Shijia actually explain it?

”What path does he walk?” Ye Qingqi asked curiously, and everyone else looked at An Shiping, eager to know the answer.

”Hehe...” An Shiping smiled and shook his head, saying, ”Unspeakable, unspeakable.”

An Shiping’s mysterious demeanor made everyone even more curious. But since An Shiping wouldn’t reveal anything, they could only speculate in their hearts about what Shijia intended to do.

Ye Qing was also greatly startled. Who would have thought that Shijia, ordinarily as shameless as Old Wang Ba, concealed such profound depths? To explain the Heavenly Dao is something that countless extraordinary figures throughout history have failed to accomplish. Can Shijia succeed?

”Divine Doctor An, I heard you mention Wu Tianchi earlier. Who is this Wu Tianchi?” Shen Tianjun asked, ”Ye Qing saw the traces left by Wu Tianchi at Beimang Mountain. What kind of grudges are there between him and the Corpse Ghost Dragon?”

”You actually made it to the deepest part of the Demon Hideout Cave?” An Shiping stared at Ye Qing in astonishment for a while before sighing, ”Indeed, talent emerges in every generation. New faces replace the old. As for this Demon Hideout Cave, I’ve only ever reached the last barrier. I’ve always been unable to get past it. I didn’t expect you could reach the end, truly opening my eyes.”

Listening to An Shiping, Ye Qing was left stunned. He scratched his head and said, ”Was entering the deepest part of the Demon Hideout Cave that difficult?”

”Of course it was difficult!” An Shiping nodded seriously, ”Shijia and Wuji also attempted to go in, but both stopped at the last barrier. Even the True Buddha tried to enter but also stopped at the last barrier. In all the land, those who can truly enter the last barrier are exceedingly rare!”

”Really?” Ding Lianshun exclaimed in surprise, ”Both Yin Xianzi and I got through the last barrier, and even Miss Huangfu went in without any difficulty.”

”Is that so?” An Shiping widened his eyes, his face expressing shock, clearly stunned by Ding Lianshun’s words.

”Of course, both I and Yin Xianzi went in. The Carefree Movement is something we learned from one of the caves in there,” Ding Lianshun explained, and Huangfu Ziyu nodded in agreement beside him.

”Impossible, right?” An Shiping frowned deeply and said, ”Inside Medicine King Mountain, the Devouring Demon Flower isn’t terribly frightening. As long as you have acme-level power, you can easily avoid those Devouring Demon Flowers. The true danger lies in the final barrier, because the final barrier is the Heart Demon Great Array of the Great Demon King. No matter who attempts to reach the end, they must pass through this Heart Demon Great Array. And the Heart Demon Great Array is truly something that no one can breach, not even Shijia Wuji and the True Buddha could pass through it!”

”Heart Demon Great Array, what exactly is that?” the crowd wondered. It was the first time they had heard this term.

”When I was with the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, I saw many Taoist Sect manuscripts. Among them were records about the Great Demon King of Beimang Mountain. The Heart Demon Great Array was mentioned in those records,” An Shiping said, ”The so-called heart demon is the negative emotions in people’s hearts. The Demon Sect is known as such not just for their capricious killings. More importantly, their martial arts draw power from the negative emotions in people’s hearts. Thus, within the Demon Sect, there is a Heart Demon Technique, which is extremely powerful. By using this technique, one can evoke the negative emotions within people’s hearts. At the least, it can cause emotional gloom, influenced by emotions. At its worst, it can lead people into illusions and even cause them to fall into Qi Deviation, becoming utterly useless!”

Ye Qing was shocked in his heart. What An Shiping said completely matched the last barrier of the Demon Hideout Cave. He had twice walked through that barrier and involuntarily fell into illusions both times. Thinking back, the first time he fell into an illusion, he nearly couldn’t wake up. Fortunately, at the most critical moment, he heard the sparse sound of Little White Fox walking, which made him come to his senses. Otherwise, he would have been devoured by the Devouring Demon Flower that time. The second time, having the first experience, he managed to avoid being controlled by the illusion. But it was different for Huangfu Ziyu. If he hadn’t called Huangfu Ziyu awake, she might have been trapped inside.

In fact, the reason Yin Xianzi could enter the final barrier was also because Ye Qing was awakened by the Little White Fox, and then he called her awake. It seems that, if Yin Xianzi were alone, she definitely wouldn’t have made it through the last barrier. As for Ding Lianshun, according to his previous words, he was woken up by the voices of Ye Qing and the others. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have gotten through either. So, it turns out the reason Ye Qing and the others could pass the final barrier was mainly due to the Little White Fox!

”Human nature has both good and evil. Regardless of who it is, everyone has negative emotions. Even the True Buddha, with an unbroken lineage, is no exception,” An Shiping said, ”The Heart Demon Great Array is the strongest defense of the Demon Hideout Cave, sufficient to prevent anyone from passing through. The fact that you all could enter is indeed very strange. Could it be that the Heart Demon Great Array of the Demon Hideout Cave has started to disintegrate?”

Ye Qing and Ding Lianshun exchanged a glance. They didn’t know whether the last barrier they passed could be considered disintegrated.

”If nobody can get through, then how did Ancestor Chen Tuan and Patriarch Bodhidharma enter?” Ye Qing asked, ”Not just them, but Wu Tianchi and the Corpse Ghost Dragon also made it in. Moreover, before we came out last time, the Nine Great Gate Masters of the South Ridge Sect also went in.”

”Ancestor Chen Tuan and Patriarch Bodhidharma are not ordinary figures. As for Wu Tianchi, hehe, it’s not surprising he could enter the Demon Hideout Cave. For the Corpse Ghost Dragon to enter, he must have found a loophole. I suspect he practiced the Demon Sect’s cultivation techniques before entering, allowing him to bypass the Heart Demon Great Array,” An Shiping paused, then said, ”As for the Nine Great Gate Masters of the South Ridge Sect, I haven’t heard of these people. What are their identities?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing felt a bit shocked. Why wasn’t it surprising for Wu Tianchi to enter the Demon Hideout Cave? Moreover, by his tone, Wu Tianchi’s entry seemed much easier than Ancestor Chen Tuan’s and Patriarch Bodhidharma’s. Could it be that in An Shiping’s mind, Wu Tianchi’s standing was even higher than that of Ancestor Chen Tuan and Patriarch Bodhidharma?

Ding Lianshun said solemnly, ”The nine of them ought to have practiced the Demon Sect’s cultivation techniques. They can even control the Devouring Demon Flowers in there!”

”Then that makes sense,” An Shiping nodded, ”The Demon Hideout Cave is forbidden territory to other sects, but to the Demon Sect, it’s not forbidden. Conversely, it’s more like their stronghold. As long as one is from the Demon Sect, entering is nothing unusual.”

Ye Qing asked curiously, ”According to your logic, if you had wanted to enter the Demon Hideout Cave back then, couldn’t you have just practiced the Demon Sect’s cultivation techniques?”

”It’s not the same,” An Shiping shook his head, ”Practicing the Demon Sect’s cultivation techniques doesn’t make one a member of the Demon Sect. Occasionally practicing one or two of the Demon Sect’s techniques isn’t surprising. However, to truly become a member of the Demon Sect, one must transform the essence of their power into that of the Demon Sect. Practicing one or two techniques is easy, but to transform the essence of my power into Demon Sect’s power is different. It would require me to start my martial arts from scratch, and I’d need to first abandon all my own martial arts. Imagine, who would be willing to do such a thing? To abandon all the power painstakingly cultivated and start anew, who would be willing to do that?”

”Then the Corpse Ghost Dragon, did he also abandon his power and start over?” Shen Tianjun asked curiously.

An Shiping shook his head, ”Of course not. The sorcery practiced by the Corpse Ghost Dragon originates from the Demon Sect and is a branch of it. The essence of his power still originates from the Demon Sect, sharing the same roots with the Demon Sect, without needing to abandon his own power. He just needed to practice some Demon Sect techniques to appear more like a Demon Sect person, thus avoiding the Heart Demon Great Array.”

Helian Tiehua, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke, ”In that case, if you find a person who doesn’t know martial arts, letting them practice Demon Sect martial arts, can they easily pass through the final barrier?”

”Firstly, you must ensure that the person can indeed master the Demon Sect’s martial arts, at least achieving the level of Internal Energy Release. Secondly, what would be the point of letting such a person pass through the final barrier?” An Shiping said, ”The things inside the Demon Hideout Cave won’t have any effect unless experienced firsthand. Nothing from inside can be taken out, and the most powerful secret techniques of the Great Demon King, forget about it. The most powerful secret techniques of the Great Demon King are all within his coffin. Who in this world could get close to his coffin?”

Despite never having entered the Demon Hideout Cave, An Shiping’s words indicated that he was intimately familiar with the situation inside. It seemed that he had seen records of it while at the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. From this, it appears that Guiguzi had also studied the Demon Hideout Cave. By the sound of it, even Guiguzi was unable to approach the Great Demon King’s coffin!

Who was Guiguzi? He was the only person in millennia from the Taoist Sect who could be called a Great Saint. Moreover, in the thousands of years following him, no Great Saint emerged in Huaxia again. His Heaven Earth Man Three Gates have influenced thousands of years of history, and to this day, no one has unraveled the secrets within. A figure such as him couldn’t even approach the Great Demon King’s coffin. What kind of heaven-defying figure was the Great Demon King in the past?