Suddenly, Jiang Xu thought of something else.

Since a Demon Beast invaded by Demonic Qi becomes a Demonized Beast—also called a Demon Beast...

Then what would happen if a human Cultivator was invaded by Demonic Qi?

A demonized human? A Demon?

Thinking of the cultivators who had been warped after coming into contact with the Demon Array, Jiang Xu quickly asked Qin Muxian:

"Elder Qin, what would happen if a Cultivator like us was accidentally invaded by Demonic Qi?"

Qin Muxian paused for a moment before replying:

"Are you talking about Demon Cultivators? They’re a group who practice Demon Skills. Just as we use Spiritual Qi for cultivation, they follow the same path: Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul.

The difference is that they cultivate Demonic Qi. They don’t build a Tao Foundation, but a Demon Foundation. Their core is a Demon Pill, and their soul is a Demon Infant.

The Demon Skills these Demon Cultivators practice are all heinous and utterly depraved. The more cruel and bloody their deeds, the faster their cultivation speed increases."

Perhaps fearing that Zong Ziqi might be tempted by the mention of accelerated cultivation speed, Qin Muxian added:

"But don’t be swayed by their rapid cultivation speed or their powerful Secret Techniques. It all comes at a price.

When they advance to the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms, their Heart Demon Tribulation is dozens of times more difficult than it is for us Magic Cultivators, to say nothing of the Celestial Tribulations that follow.

Furthermore, their realms are unstable and their foundations are shaky. Not only does this make them inherently weaker, but it also makes their realm bottlenecks incredibly solid. To achieve a Realm Breakthrough, they must perform large-scale blood sacrifices.

But these blood sacrifices take a toll, making their next bottleneck even harder to overcome. They can only break through with even larger sacrifices, creating a vicious cycle.

This is also why our Righteous Dao was able to win the previous war against the demons. They simply don’t have as many true, high-level Demon Cultivators as we do."

"I’m not talking about Demon Cultivators," Jiang Xu said, realizing Qin Muxian had misunderstood. "I mean ordinary Magic Cultivators. What happens if their bodies are invaded by Demonic Qi?"

"Oh, so that’s what you meant. I don’t know much about that, as it seems to be a rare occurrence. Spiritual Qi and Demonic Qi counteract each other; they are mutually incompatible.

The same goes for Magical Power, which is condensed from Spiritual Qi. A normal amount of Demonic Qi won’t have much of an effect on us, because our own Magical Power can dissolve it.

...Unless the amount of Demonic Qi is simply too great. As for what that would lead to, I’ve never heard of such a case, so I don’t know."

While they were talking, the others had already cleared away the Demon Beasts that had been sliced in half.

Qin Muxian’s blade was imbued with Sword Intent, so the Demon Beasts were certainly dead. Jiang Xu didn’t need to remind anyone to deliver a finishing blow.

However, before leaving, Jiang Xu had an idea. He released his Spirit-Devouring Insects, secretly directing some Sub-Insects to sneak over to the Demon Beast corpses to see if they could consume them.

But in the end, Jiang Xu was disappointed.

The Sub-Insects could eat the corpses, but they died soon after, likely unable to withstand the Demonic Qi.

’That makes sense. Spirit-Devouring Insects... just from the name, you can tell they devour Spiritual Qi. It never said anything about eating Demonic Qi!’

After proving that hypothesis wrong, Jiang Xu thought of something else.

’Demon Beasts are one thing; they’re relatively easy to deal with. But these Cultivators who’ve been corrupted by Demonic Qi... they show no outward signs, and they still have their memories, but their thought processes have changed. They’re no longer human but another species entirely. I might as well just call them Demons.’

Jiang Xu used his Spiritual Eye Technique to scan the encampment and found more than ten other Cultivators whose bodies were enveloped in a black film.

’Who knows if these Demons will advance to Foundation Establishment after killing enough human Cultivators? That would be dangerous, and they could even become a threat to me.

Right now, I can identify them with my Spiritual Eye Technique, but no one else can. Even if I pointed them out, the other Cultivators wouldn’t believe me. I might as well just...’

At this thought, Jiang Xu’s eyes lit up.

...

"Fellow Daoist Yu, please wait!"

"You’re looking for me?" Yu Zhiyou stopped and looked at Jiang Xu.

"That’s right."

Jiang Xu glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, set up a Sound Insulation Shield and whispered:

"Brother, I’ve discovered a Tier One Top Grade Spirit Medicine. It’s quite valuable, but it’s guarded by a Demon Beast. My own strength is low, so I was hoping we could team up. Would you be willing to honor me with your presence?"

Yu Zhiyou was puzzled.

"Why me? Why not someone else?"

"I’ve heard of your exceptional skills, especially your incredible Golden Essence Skill. I believe our chances of success would be very high if we worked together."

"Well, you’ve certainly come to the right person!"

Yu Zhiyou proudly demonstrated his Golden Core Technique to prove his strength.

However, after the demonstration, he showed no intention of teaming up with Jiang Xu.

"But why should I agree? What if you’re plotting something against me?"

Jiang Xu cried out in feigned distress:

"Fellow Daoist, you must be joking! Look at me, I’m only at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, while you’re at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. I wouldn’t be seeking death in such a stupid way, would I? To be honest with you...

The truth is, my younger sister is gravely ill and needs this specific Spirit Medicine to save her life. But with my lowly status, I never have the chance to interact with Cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

So I’ve been asking around, and that’s how I heard about you. You’re known for being righteous and are widely admired, not to mention incredibly powerful. I thought you were the perfect choice, which is why I sought you out."

Jiang Xu’s words were filled with such deep and sincere emotion that they would move any heart. Yu Zhiyou was deeply touched and, just like that, flew off with Jiang Xu toward a certain location in the Endless Forest.

They flew for some time, arriving at a remote spot. Jiang Xu descended, and Yu Zhiyou followed him down.

Sure enough, a Demon Beast was stationed not far ahead. It was unclear, however, if the Spirit Medicine it was guarding was Tier Two.

"Fellow Daoist, it’s just ahead." Jiang Xu pointed at the Demon Beast. "That’s a Tier One Upper Grade Demon Beast. It’s very strong, so be careful!"

"No rush."

After they arrived, Yu Zhiyou didn’t bother observing the Demon Beast. Instead, he seemed more interested in Jiang Xu, eyeing him up and down with a wicked look in his eyes.

Jiang Xu sensed something was wrong and couldn’t help but take a step back. "Fellow Daoist... what are you doing?"

"Nothing much. I just realized I’m not that interested in the Demon Beast. You, on the other hand, are quite interesting. So fair-skinned and tender... I wonder what you taste like."

Yu Zhiyou stared at Jiang Xu, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"Fellow Daoist, surely you don’t have... the passion of Longyang? HISS—that’s absolutely not okay!"

Jiang Xu stumbled backward.

"If you’re really into that, I can take you to a place in the Marketplace that specializes in... that sort of thing. I’ll even pay for the most expensive option!"

"Haha, it’s useless no matter what you say!"

Yu Zhiyou lunged toward Jiang Xu with a savage grin, unaware that he had just stepped onto the exact spot where Jiang Xu had landed moments before.

Suddenly, Jiang Xu’s expression turned cold, his previous panic vanishing. He roared:

"You beast, it’s over for you! Small Thunder Talisman, detonate!!!"