Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 347 - 249: True Identity Revealed, What is a Secret Demon Child?

Before her transformation, Lian Yulou had been an elder of the Evil Sect, a cultivator of Ultimate Happiness Realm named Lian Hongshang, a junior in front of an old demon like Yuan Gong from the Secret Demon Sect.

But in Tao Qian's presence, she was absolutely a senior elder.

Lian Hongshang, in order to pry into the secrets, had successfully passed the extremely dangerous "Daoist Transformation Tribulation" and chose to reincarnate and cultivate anew. Despite being born an elder of the Evil Sect, this method spelled danger, with a high chance of accidents leading to an inability to return, potentially disappearing completely through successive reincarnations.

After taking such risks, she had finally reached the Ninth Tribulation in this life, on the brink of achieving Perfect Merit, only to be sabotaged by Tao Qian.

The Desire Sin Tribulation Body was born prematurely, forbidding any further insight into the secrets of Daoist Transformation.

Surely she couldn't reincarnate and continue to cultivate through Tribulation, right?

At this time, Lian Yulou probably felt that even pulverizing Tao Qian into dust wouldn't quell her hatred.

Moreover, from the current scene, looking at the power of Lian Yulou's Tribulation Body, it seemed certain that Master Tao was doomed.

"Although I do have some tricks up my sleeve, fighting someone in the Cavernous Mystery Realm is not too difficult."

"But this damn Lian Yulou, if he's really from the Ultimate Happiness Realm, then why am I even bothering to fight?"

"Better skedaddle while I can, Aunt Bai Yin should be fine."

"At worst, after fighting, I'll sleep with her."

Being overwhelmed by tens of thousands of thick and long tendrils, squeezing him until the Golden Light Mantra on Tao Qian's body creaked, he was painfully aware of the mana being madly drained from within, lamenting the huge debt he incurred, while despairingly thinking with a grimace on his face.

Meanwhile, the Record kept bursting forth.

Although he hadn't seen much of the specifics yet, Tao Qian's spirit was suddenly shaken as if he had realized something, and his expression swiftly lit up.

"No, no, there's still hope."

"Based on past experiences, if this Desire Sin Tribulation Body were truly of the Ultimate Happiness Realm, even at such close proximity, my abnormal soul couldn't possibly glimpse so much information from the Record; it would mostly be a pile of question marks."

"He must have a flaw, and a big one at that?"

As this joyous thought emerged, Tao Qian immediately looked more seriously at the subsequent Record.

Indeed, just the second piece of deciphered information from the Record reignited the fire of hope in Tao Qian's eyes.

"Note 2: During the battle at Xixia City, the entire Western Capital Army was wiped out, and Xiao Chenzhou and his daughter were captured by Zhu Qi. As repayment, Zhu Qi prepared a special program tonight for Lian Yulou and himself, 'Steamed Xiao Chunjaio alive,' and Xiao Chenzhou must be personally killed by Lian Yulou to achieve Nine Tribulations Perfection..."

"Note 3: Lian Yulou failed to arrive at the banquet. His human form was damaged, his Tribulation Body was born, but his accumulated mana across lifetimes was still sealed within his Desire Sin True Spirit. To retrieve it, Lian Yulou must experience the Ninth Tribulation, witness Xiao Chunjiao being steamed alive, partake in her flesh, and personally slay Xiao Chenzhou. These are ties of evil fate and numbers of tribulation set by heaven, and he cannot decide for himself."

"Note 4: With no mana available, Lian Yulou cannot unleash Nine Tribulations Demon Seed, Desire Demon Destruction Spell, Heart Demon Flames... and other Evil Sect Divine Skills. He can only brute force his way through killings, but his Desire Sin Tribulation Body remains a genuine body of the Ultimate Happiness Realm, immune to all techniques, fearless of Daoist and Buddhist."

...

With each additional piece of the Record, more joy appeared on Tao Qian's face.

Very quickly, in less than a few breaths, Tao Qian's eyes cleared of confusion, fully understanding what state Lian Yulou was in now?

To put it simply!

His Desire Sin Tribulation Body was forced to emerge early because Tao Qian destroyed his Human Clan body, making it necessary for him to appear.

But Lian Yulou's years of accumulated mana were still sealed within his True Spirit.

To extract it, there was one firm condition: passing the Ninth Tribulation.

And precisely, he needed to rush to the Prince Zhao Mansion to attend the distasteful banquet hosted by the Ninth Prince, Zhu Qi.

In fact, that was Lian Yulou's schedule for tonight.

However, being petty, he remembered his grudge against Tao Qian as soon as he had a moment to spare, thinking Tao Qian was just a Mixed Dragon Demon, planning to casually slaughter him on the way to the banquet, and bring a dish of "Silver Dragon Sashimi" as a gift to thank Zhu Qi for the hospitality, in return for the "Steamed Xiao Chunjiao."

Well, that matched up.

"The mystery of Tribulation Energy is so terrifying."

Tao Qian suddenly exclaimed this realization, for a simple reason.

He knew Lian Yulou was petty, but to choose this moment to butcher Master Tao, if not for the influence of Tribulation Energy, Tao Qian wouldn't believe it.

"It's good news and bad news."

"Although without mana, Lian Yulou cannot release terrifying Divine Skills like Nine Tribulations Demon Seed or Heart Demon Flames, his Tribulation Body remains genuinely of the Ultimate Happiness Realm... Can I defeat him?"

"Whether I can or not, I must fight. If I delay any longer, I'll either be assimilated by this ambiguous creature or incur a colossal debt I can never repay, working for Lingbao Tianzun for a lifetime until I pass away after ninety-nine cycles."

Before Tao Qian could even answer his own question, he knew he couldn't delay any longer.

Looking around, if nothing went awry, he should have been dragged back inside Lian Yulou's body by those tendrils.

At this moment, the creature was still roaring, venting his fury.

It's a good thing Tao Qian had driven away the Mountain Spirits and Ghosts beforehand, otherwise, they would have been collateral damage.

"Speaking of which, this isn't my first time being swallowed by someone else's Dharma Body. Back in Southern Yue, I've also been inside the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva."

"After all, it's the Tribulation Body of the Ultimate Happiness Realm. Lian Yulou's Evil Worm Tribulation Body is indeed much larger than the Heavenly Demon Buddha Mother, and Silent Divine Thunder will definitely not be able to blast it open. Looks like I'll have to use my treasured possessions."

"As for exposing my identity?"

"If I'm exposed, then so be it. How else would I pass this first Tribulation if I don't kill Lian Yulou?"

As he spoke, Tao Qian had already invoked the Buddha Bird Relics.

This item was currently Tao Qian's strongest for battle.

Upon the release of the relics, the familiar Buddha Ape Vajra emerged. Tao Qian recited the Great Freedom Nirvana Divine Spell, uttered "Amitabha Buddha," and continued to borrow mana from Heavenly Venerate using the Spirit Treasure Returning Immortal Technique, then merged with his body.

The next moment, inside Heavenly Mother Mountain, the real commotion erupted.

As Lian Yulou was still venting with his grotesquely bloated, disgusting Tribulation Body, suddenly, his thigh burst open with a violent explosion.

Amidst the sky littered with flesh and blood, a figure burst into the air, rolling and holding a Vajra Demon-suppressing Stick pulsing with dazzling radiance.

Still in midair, he swelled with the wind.

In a moment, a Sky-Supporting Ancient Ape draped in Buddha's kasaya descended to the Human World, Buddha Light and Spirit Light bursting forth together. Without a word of warning, an unspeakably terrifying force, accompanied by the Vajra Demon-suppressing Stick smashing down like a violent storm, relentlessly rained down upon Lian Yulou's tribulation body.

This turn of events was extremely abrupt.

Even Lian Yulou was stunned for a moment.

He watched helplessly as the terrifying stick beat upon his body with inconceivable speed.

Loud booms thundered, and flesh flew in all directions.

To any Human Clan cook in the Mortal World, this scene might have looked eerily familiar...

After his sudden attack, Tao Qian, finding his thrashing insufficiently satisfying and powerful, casually shook and summoned out the "Nine Toad Bead." Regardless of it being an auspicious treasure, he used the immense strength contained within the Toad Pearl to instantaneously smash back Lian Yulou's subconscious resistance.

In the blink of an eye...

Too fast!

Too fierce!

The fighting capability Tao Qian demonstrated in the past few breaths was his true strength.

Without fretting over debts, he squandered mana at will, and with the aid of the Buddha Bird Relic and the Nine Toad Bead, two supreme treasures, Tao Qian indeed could easily slay a cultivator from the Cavernous Mystery Realm.

Regrettably, at this very moment, Lian Yulou was not of the Cavernous Mystery Realm.

He was of the Ultimate Happiness Realm.

Ultimate Happiness, without mana but still commanding its form, remained Ultimate Happiness.

A similar scene had unfolded within the Spirit Treasure Mountain Gate on the Eight Immortals Demon Island, where the one who suffered under Tao Qian's cruelty was none other than Uncle Jade Toad, whom he had not long ago sent for reincarnation.

Uncle Jade Toad, also in the Ultimate Happiness Realm and tormented for an extended period by Tao Qian with the Demon-suppressing Stick, was neither unscathed nor seriously injured.

Just like now, Tao Qian grew lax for just an instant.

The speed at which he swung the Demon-suppressing Stick slackened for a split second.

And in that instant, blood surged tumultuously over Heavenly Mother Mountain.

Lian Yulou's nearly flattened tribulation body suddenly rolled upwards, wrapping Tao Qian's Buddha Ape form, the stick, and the toad pearl tightly.

"Hahaha... Had enough? Now it's my turn."

Amidst manic laughter, a more terrifying force rushed from all directions.

It not only instantly dissolved Tao Qian's actions; the flesh suddenly transformed into countless Evil Worms with hooked claws and sharp teeth, which began to gnaw at the body of Tao Qian's Buddha Ape. No matter how he struggled, as his mana ebbed away like a flood, he could not break free and was close to being enveloped and dissolved.

At this moment, Tao Qian truly felt the weight of his tribulation.

Previously, being swallowed could be considered as still reserving plenty of strength, but over the past few breaths, he had played all his trump cards, yet he was still not Lian Yulou's match.

Despite this being very normal!

Being without mana is fatal for a cultivator.

Just like Tao Qian, the esteemed Spirit Treasure True Inheritor—if he were stripped of his mana, any Foundation Establishment Realm Loose Cultivator could kill him at will.

Where would there be the pride of casually slaying those at the Cavernous Mystery Realm?

It should be said that Lian Yulou, left only with his tribulation body and without mana, should have been easy to kill.

Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Having ascended to the Ultimate Happiness Realm, his tribulation body acquired the trait of being "Undying," making him extremely hard to kill and terribly difficult to deal with.

Tao Qian grew slightly careless, and the situation immediately reversed.

To make matters worse, his identity was finally revealed.

"Buddha Bird Relics, Spirit Treasure True Inheritor... You're not a Dragon Demon after all; you're that lucky kid from Southern Yue who drew attention and was beckoned by Duobao True Monarch with three Immortal Treasures."

"Hahaha, true enough, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. You've destroyed my mortal life, ruined my Dao Path, yet you never imagined that you would end up paying with yourself."

"Now let me think, the Buddha Bird Relics and Nine Toad Bead are nice treasures indeed. Wasted in your hands and used in such a way, it's truly a disgrace; it's right they should come to me. Still, they can't make up for my inability to witness the secrets of Daoist Transformation. But the Human Dao Destiny in you... now that's the real treasure."

"Though I'm at a loss, it's sufficient enough. Once I exert my techniques and turn you into my Desire Sin Slave, amid this era of great contention, vying with others, there's a chance I will find another path, still with hope to step into the Daoist Transformation Realm, or even climb higher."

"Wonderful, just wonderful. Let's proceed with this plan."

...

With each word that entered his ears, Tao Qian could no longer hold back.

He had to ask for help.

But before he used his ultimate trump card, Tao Qian thought of something and hastily sent a message to the one in his embrace.

"Yuan Gong, Yuan Gong, hurry, save me, it's an emergency."

"Your disciple, whom you labored to teach, is about to be devoured by someone, and it's from the Evil Sect lineage you despise the most."

It was unclear whether Tao Qian's provocative tactic was effective or for some other reason.

He received a response almost immediately.

The voice of Yuan Gong, filled with a sense of disappointment as if lamenting over unfulfilled potential, now followed suit into Tao Qian's ear.

"Pah!"

"If you truly saw yourself as a Secret Demon Inheritor, you wouldn't use such crude methods in battle. Look at yourself, you fool. Do you resemble a Secret Demon Cultivator in the slightest during combat?"

"If our Secret Demon Sect had been filled with dull and straightforward fellows like you back in the day, we wouldn't have needed successive grand battles against Daoist and Buddhist Major Sects before collapsing. The bald monks of Vajra Temple could have wiped us out with brute force alone."