A horrifying thought struck Xuzhuang. ’Was the idea that I was undisturbed just my own wishful thinking? Have I been afflicted by this demonic evil all along without even realizing it? Or did it only harm me for the first time just now, summoned by the very thought of it?’

Once these speculations arose, they took root in Xuzhuang’s heart like demonic seeds. Xuzhuang knew that regardless of the cause, his state of mind had indeed been disturbed. He quickly closed his eyes, summoned his Heart Sword, and severed all distracting thoughts. Only then did his expression grow much calmer.

Xuzhuang silently mulled over the inescapable title of the Celestial Demon, a chill running through his heart. ’Great Freedom Profound Monarch Six Marvelous Jade Muddy Heavenly Son... Even the Grotto Heaven Array can’t completely block this demon? The power and terror of this otherworldly evil are likely far beyond anything Senior Brother Han and I could ever comprehend.’

Xuzhuang instantly developed a profound wariness of the Celestial Demon’s summons, and his desire for a solution grew all the more urgent.

He glanced at Chongyun Peak, visible in the distance, and any thought of returning to his grotto-abode for secluded cultivation vanished. He suddenly withdrew his Five Elements Escape Technique, summoned his sword light, and turned around, transforming into a white rainbow. He flew past Chongyun Peak without entering, heading back into the clouds.

—

The third floor of Langhuan Tower was rarely visited, but it had been disturbed as of late. Unwilling to waste even the moment it would take to land on the Suspended Platform, Xuzhuang hovered in mid-air before the Book Collection Wall, his brows furrowed, completely absorbed in a yellow-paged book.

Anyone who saw his utter absorption would have assumed he was reading some profound Daoist Scripture. In reality, what Xuzhuang was reading was no Daoist Scripture at all, but merely a collection of miscellaneous records. At his reading speed, he could finish hundreds of thousands of words in the blink of an eye without missing a single detail, yet the information he was looking for was only mentioned in a few fleeting words.

After Xuzhuang emerged from his seclusion in Beiji Pavilion, he was suddenly plagued by the summons of a Celestial Demon. Before he even had a chance to return to Chongyun, he went to see the Master.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the Cloud Palace, before he even saw Master Yuanhua, a child attendant came forward to greet him. The moment they met, the attendant recited, "I bow to the Heaven of Heavens, whose fine light illuminates the great chiliocosm. Unmoved by the eight winds, he sits serenely on the lotus of the Daoist heart."

Before Xuzhuang could carefully ponder its meaning, the attendant asked if he still wished to see the Zhenren. In the end, Xuzhuang did not step into the Cloud Palace. Instead, he turned back and headed straight for Langhuan Tower, hoping to find a method among its countless tomes to help him drive out the evil and expel the demon.

This was already his sixth day visiting Langhuan Tower. He had read a countless number of books, yet he had little to show for it.

Languan Tower held countless methods for countering the Spells and Divine Techniques of heterodox paths and Demon Cultivators. The number of techniques for dispelling evil and exorcising demons was also immense. However, though Xuzhuang had tried more than ten of the useful methods described in the books, not a single one had worked.

’If this keeps up, am I going to have to try every single one of the countless exorcism techniques?’

Xuzhuang closed the book in disappointment and sighed. He had a faint premonition. ’Even if I search through every book in Langhuan Tower, I’m afraid I won’t find what I’m looking for. I’ll have to find another way to deal with this external demon. Does this mean... I have to go see Master Yuanhua after all?’

It must be understood that orthodox sects did not view demonic obstacles and tribulations as things to be shunned at all costs. The path of cultivation was never a smooth and easy one all the way to the end. Experiencing tribulations was not a purely bad thing. Which of those who had truly achieved something in their cultivation hadn’t had to cut through thorns and brambles along the way? Even those who attained the Primordial Spirit realm, said to possess longevity and lasting vision, still had the ’Three Calamities’ to contend with.

The orthodox sects’ training of their disciples had always followed this principle: they were never stingy, but they were also never coddling. Just because a disciple had the sect’s backing didn’t mean every problem would be solved for them.

So what if one was a direct disciple? If you were out fighting your peers and were killed because your skills were inferior, perhaps your fellow disciples, friends, or family might seek revenge on your behalf. But there was absolutely no precedent for the entire sect to be shaken, let alone for a Primordial Spirit True Man to be dispatched to avenge you.

Therefore, unless it was a matter of absolute last resort, Xuzhuang was unwilling to play this card. This was also why he had ultimately turned back, even though the Zhenren’s attendant hadn’t actually refused his request to see the Master.

Yet if he couldn’t dispel the demonic disturbance, it would be impossible to settle his mind enough to cultivate. Xuzhuang now found himself caught in a dilemma.