Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing stared at the characters on the Stone Platform. If this really was the Secret Technique of the Indestructible Demon Body, then the origin of these characters needed to be investigated. One had to know, these characters were definitely from several thousand years ago, which meant they were most likely left behind by people from that era. Calculated this way, this Secret Technique was something people from thousands of years ago had left behind in the Demon Hideout Cave.

But who exactly was it that left this Secret Technique here?

Looking at those characters, Ye Qing couldn’t help recalling that piece of history he had heard of. In the era when Buddhist and Taoist Magic and the Demon Sect stood side by side, the Demon Sect’s strength had actually been extremely formidable. It was only after the Great Demon King was jointly defeated and slain by Buddhist and Taoist forces that the Demon Sect’s power gradually declined. However, decline was also a process; during that time the Demon Sect definitely still had powerful figures and wouldn’t have been crushed by Buddhist and Taoist forces so quickly. Therefore, Ye Qing could conclude that these characters must have been left in this Cave by some powerful figure of the Demon Sect, in order to pass the Demon Sect’s Secret Technique down to later generations so that the Demon Sect’s inheritance would not be completely severed.

Ye Qing had previously heard An Shiping say that the Human-shaped Gu cultivated by the Corpse Ghost Dragon actually originated from the Indestructible Demon Body, evolving out of it. The Corpse Ghost Dragon had hidden in this Demon Hideout Cave for thirty years, gradually transforming his Human-shaped Gu into the Indestructible Demon Body, seeking to complete the Demon Sect’s powerful Secret Technique. Looking at it this way, could it be that the Corpse Ghost Dragon obtained the Secret Technique of the Indestructible Demon Body from this Stone Platform, and that was why he began to switch over to cultivating the Indestructible Demon Body?

Thinking of this, Ye Qing suddenly remembered the three Caves he had previously entered. Since the Stone Platform in the Cave where the Corpse Ghost Dragon had entered bore the Demon Sect’s Secret Technique, then might the other three Stone Platforms also have Demon Sect Secret Techniques left on them?

Recalling this question, Ye Qing immediately rose, left this Cave, and went to the other three Caves, wanting to see whether those three Caves also had such Secret Techniques left behind. However, after carefully examining the Stone Platforms in those three Caves, Ye Qing was disappointed, because those three Stone Platforms had neither these characters nor any Demon Sect Secret Technique. In other words, only the Stone Platform in the Cave where the Corpse Ghost Dragon was hiding bore the Demon Sect’s Secret Technique.

This situation left Ye Qing somewhat perplexed. Why would that ancient person selectively leave the Demon Sect’s Secret Technique on the Stone Platform of just one of the Caves? Why had he not left anything in the other three Caves?

No matter how much Ye Qing pondered, he couldn’t figure out why that ancient person had done this, and at the same time another idea arose in his heart. Although the Stone Platforms in those three Caves had no Demon Sect Secret Techniques, they did bear the traces of Patriarch Bodhidharma, Ancestor Chen Tuan, and Wu Tianchi himself. Seen this way, could it be that these three individuals erased the Demon Sect Secret Techniques that were originally there and left their own Secret Techniques in their place?

This thought slightly alleviated the doubts in Ye Qing’s heart; thinking about it, this indeed seemed possible. These three people might really have wiped away the Demon Sect Secret Techniques that were here before, then inscribed their own Secret Techniques on the Stone Platforms. That was why in those three Caves one could no longer see the Demon Sect’s Secret Techniques, but only the Secret Techniques they had left behind.

If it were really like this, then Ye Qing couldn’t help pondering what Demon Sect Secret Techniques had once been left in the other three Caves. In the Cave where the Corpse Ghost Dragon was hiding, what was left was the Demon Sect’s Indestructible Demon Body, one of the Demon Sect’s very top Secret Techniques. If the other three Caves also had Demon Sect Secret Techniques, they would definitely not be inferior to the Indestructible Demon Body; it was just unknown what Secret Techniques they were. Within the Demon Sect, what other Secret Techniques could be mentioned in the same breath as the Indestructible Demon Body?

Ye Qing had originally wanted to ask the Demon Pet, but this little fellow could only gesture and could not speak. As for the names of such Secret Techniques, if it only gestured, Ye Qing definitely couldn’t possibly guess the names, so in the end he could only drop the matter.

Finding no useful traces in those three Caves, Ye Qing returned once more to the Cave where the Corpse Ghost Dragon had been hiding. Although he basically couldn’t recognize the ancient characters used to describe the Indestructible Demon Body, Ye Qing still copied all of them down. He did not understand these ancient characters, but after leaving, if he could find some archaeologists, maybe they could translate them, and then he would be able to see the complete Indestructible Demon Body.

Although this was a Secret Technique of the Demon Sect, according to An Shiping, this Indestructible Demon Body was a Unique Skill on par with the Buddhist Sect’s Vajra Indestructible Body. Furthermore, the Indestructible Demon Body was also a Demon Sect Secret Technique that could prolong life and extend longevity. Although it was a Demon Sect Secret Technique, it was indeed a sensational Unique Skill, and Ye Qing couldn’t bear to watch it be lost just like that. If he brought this Secret Technique out, perhaps it might still come in handy someday.

After copying down all the characters of the Indestructible Demon Body, Ye Qing looked around other places in this Cave but found no more traces of anything else. This whole round of fussing about had also cost several hours, and Ye Qing’s stomach was already beginning to feel a bit hungry.

As it happened, just as Ye Qing felt hunger in his stomach, the Demon Pet that had been sleeping on his shoulder woke up as well. It stretched out its tiny claws in a lazy stretch, then gestured toward Ye Qing, indicating he should go out to eat the Devouring Demon Flower.

Ye Qing already understood that if he didn’t eat the Devouring Demon Flower, the Demon Pet would definitely not agree. Even if he refused to eat, the Demon Pet would still force him to swallow it. So he had no choice and could only leave the Cave in frustration, find the Devouring Demon Flower that the Demon Pet had left outside, and continue eating.

In the previous two meals, Ye Qing had already eaten an entire Devouring Demon Flower, and now he took out the second Devouring Demon Flower and started eating again. After eating two petals, Ye Qing already felt completely stuffed. But looking at the predatory gaze of the Demon Pet, Ye Qing in the end still had to force himself to swallow a third petal. He knew that if he didn’t eat it, the Demon Pet would definitely help stuff it into his mouth. Rather than suffer that kind of torment, he might as well eat it on his own.

After eating three Devouring Demon Flower petals, Ye Qing really couldn’t eat another bite. Fortunately, the Demon Pet didn’t force him to continue, so Ye Qing rested in place for a while. The Demon Pet was straightforward; seeing that Ye Qing had finished eating the Devouring Demon Flower, it immediately went back to sleep.

With nothing to do, Ye Qing got up again and, carrying the Demon Pet, continued deeper into other parts of the Cave. Although he had come to this Demon Hideout Cave several times already, he had not actually traversed many places. Especially when Entering the Hidden Demon Cave, each fork in the road had five branches, and Ye Qing had chosen only the branch marked by Patriarch Bodhidharma; as for what the situation was in the other branches, Ye Qing had never gone in.

Previously, because he feared the Devouring Demon Flowers, Ye Qing didn’t dare go in, and only walked according to the markings left by Patriarch Bodhidharma. But now Ye Qing no longer feared the Devouring Demon Flowers at all; on top of that he had the Demon Pet with him, so naturally he was even more unscrupulous. With the Demon Pet, he directly passed through the final five checkpoints, left those five Caves, and headed straight to the five forks behind them. Of course, this time Ye Qing did not choose the Cave marked by Patriarch Bodhidharma, but randomly picked one Cave and walked in.

As soon as he entered this Cave, Ye Qing discovered that it was very different from the Cave marked by Patriarch Bodhidharma. In the Cave marked by Patriarch Bodhidharma, although there were also vines of Devouring Demon Flowers growing, there were no Devouring Demon Flowers around the sides. But in a Cave without markings it was different; on the stone walls all around this Cave, Devouring Demon Flowers were everywhere, their numbers nearly the same as in the last five Caves.

Looking at these Devouring Demon Flowers, Ye Qing was also shocked in his heart. No wonder those who chose these branches of the fork ultimately couldn’t get through. Walking among them, if they accidentally triggered these Devouring Demon Flowers, that would be fatal. Although Ye Qing no longer feared these Devouring Demon Flowers now, seeing the scattered bones all over the Cave, he could already imagine how many people had once died here. It could be said that those who entered this kind of fork were simply impossible to leave alive; the bones on the ground all around were the proof.

Ye Qing walked in this Cave for a while, silently counting the bones around him in his heart while also paying attention to the surrounding stone walls. Since the final five Caves contained Demon Sect Secret Techniques, might there also be Demon Sect Secret Techniques left in these outer Caves?

While Ye Qing was carefully searching, suddenly one of the Devouring Demon Flowers moved, and a struggling sound came from inside, startling Ye Qing. He looked closely and discovered that inside this Devouring Demon Flower, someone was actually still trapped!

Ye Qing hurried over and peered inside through the gaps of the Devouring Demon Flower, only to see an old man in a Red Robe trapped within. This old man was constantly and frantically ramming his body against the surrounding petals of the Devouring Demon Flower, trying to smash them open and break out. But in the end he was only disappointed. Even the Corpse Ghost Dragon had been unable to tear through the petals of a Devouring Demon Flower, so how could he? This was purely futile!

Ye Qing also recognized him; this was the Church expert who had come along with the Great Lord, one of the Red-robed Archbishops within the Church. This person’s strength was not weak; he was also a Peak Master. However, once trapped within this Devouring Demon Flower, no matter what his status or strength, he could only end up as fertilizer for the Devouring Demon Flower, helping it grow more lushly. Trapped inside like this, he was ultimately doomed to die; there was no doubt at all.

As for this person, Ye Qing did not feel the slightest bit of sympathy. He had heard from Helian Tiehua about the Church’s affairs, and the slaughter the Church committed when they invaded Huaxia back then was truly terrifying. Thus Martial Artists of Huaxia basically all harbored hatred toward people of the Church. Even people like Nalan Jingwei, when encountering members of the Church, were filled with hostility. This could practically be considered a historical grudge left over from the past.

Moreover, people of the Church had always been arrogant, with the wolfish ambition of wanting to invade Huaxia. Now that Ye Qing had the chance to trap them in this Devouring Demon Flower, he naturally wouldn’t save him.