Chapter 1299: Showing Off One's Skills Before an Expert

Chen Mobai’s words made Zhao Nansheng realize something, causing him to frown slightly. Still, he tried his best to explain, "Before I entered Lan Yuan Valley, I had already obtained Daoist Tianlan's treasure map. All the information regarding that Central Continent grotto-heaven was on that map..."

However, Chen Mobai still shook his head at this. "Your appearance makes it very hard for me to believe you," he said. "I recently fought a major battle with the Master of the Central Demonic Path, and then you suddenly returned as a Soul Transformation cultivator. I have reason to suspect you've been possessed by an inner demon."

Hearing this, Zhao Nansheng finally understood why the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation was so critical. After secretly cursing the Master of the Central Demonic Path, he spoke again, recounting memories from Ku Zhu's last visit to Pang Huang Mountain, hoping to prove he hadn't been possessed.

"The Demonic Incarnation Art is eerily profound; after possession, it can access the memories of the possessed. This still doesn't convince me." This 'Old Man Chen' certainly knew a lot about the Dao of Inner Demons. As Zhao Nansheng thought this, he spoke aloud, "Then what must I do, Daoist friend, to make you believe that I am truly Ku Zhu?"

Hearing this, Chen Mobai nodded and produced a deep, dark talisman. "This is the Primordial Talisman of the Longevity Sect," he explained. "It contains the power to discern truth from lies. Refine it, then declare that you are not an incarnation of the Master of the Central Demonic Path."

Zhao Nansheng looked at the Primordial Demonic Talisman, a flicker of hesitation in his heart. While he truly wasn't the Master of the Central Demonic Path, he worried that after refining the talisman, any further questions from Chen Mobai might expose him.

"Daoist friend," Zhao Nansheng said, a hint of displeasure on his face, "though I respect you, I am still a Soul Transformation cultivator. To constantly demand I prove myself like this, isn't it a bit excessive?" He then activated his Heavenly Abyss Dao Fruit, unleashing a boundless sword intent as vast as an ocean, to show he was not to be trifled with.

This was also a test of Chen Mobai's strength. After all, seeing is believing, and Zhao Nansheng, being supremely confident with his peak Tianhe Realm cultivation, believed that even if he couldn't win, he could at least put up a fight. He felt it was necessary to show Chen Mobai that he commanded respect through his power.

The Heavenly Abyss Dao Fruit in Zhao Nansheng's hand unleashed its most potent power. With a wave of his sword finger, thousands of swords seemed to unsheathe, sweeping down upon Chen Mobai like an overwhelming tide. From afar, it looked as if half the sky above Pang Huang Mountain had suddenly become a dark vortex of countless sharp swords.

Seeing that Zhao Nansheng dared to attack him, Chen Mobai frowned and let out a cold snort. The Haotian Mirror, already poised, rose from behind him, transforming into a dazzling and scorching sun. Every ray of its light was a Primordial Yang Sword Qi, countless and endless.

The moment they clashed, Zhao Nansheng's Heavenly Abyss Sword Intent instantly shattered, like waves crashing against a mountain cliff. The Primordial Yang Sword Qi, imbued with demon-breaking power, cut through Zhao Nansheng's myriad water barriers like a hot knife through butter. Zhao Nansheng simply couldn't understand why his Heavenly Abyss Dao Fruit had been so utterly vulnerable.

"I am willing to refine the talisman to prove myself!" Seeing the sword qi rays about to strike him, Zhao Nansheng pleaded for mercy while simultaneously summoning Ku Zhu's life-bound flying sword, hoping for a chance to escape.

Hearing his words, the myriad rays of light poised above his head froze instantly, as if time had stopped. Seeing this, Zhao Nansheng immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "The Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation's power truly lives up to its reputation," he thought. "I couldn't even withstand a single strike!"

After personally facing Chen Mobai and experiencing his power, Zhao Nansheng was even more horrified. It was important to note that while "Ku Zhu" was ostensibly only at the initial stage of Soul Transformation, he was actually at its peak. Furthermore, with the Heavenly Abyss Dao Fruit perfectly utilized in his hands, the Heavenly Abyss Sword Intent he had just unleashed would have been able to contend equally even against the top fifteen cultivators in the Tianhe Realm.

"Don't worry," Chen Mobai said. "I am not a bloodthirsty or rude person. As long as you prove you are not the Master of the Central Demonic Path, I will not meddle further." Chen Mobai considered that there was still a chance to save Ku Zhu, so he didn't want to corner this mysterious Soul Transformation demonic cultivator and risk him self-destructing. After all, those who cultivate the Dao of Inner Demons have countless incarnations; any can be abandoned if it's not their true body.

"Alright!" Zhao Nansheng agreed. He glanced at the Haotian Mirror behind Chen Mobai and sensed an invisible force sealing the surroundings. He knew that even by merging with his sword, escape might be impossible, and he certainly couldn't win. He could only nod in agreement. After all, he truly wasn't the Master of the Central Demonic Path. As long as he passed this test, no one in the entire Eastern Continent would suspect him in the future. With this thought, Zhao Nansheng gave up resisting, stuck his flying sword into a nearby rock, and reached out for the Primordial Talisman Chen Mobai offered.

The talisman, which seemed to be condensed from ghostly light, felt instinctively repellent as it landed in Zhao Nansheng's palm. However, he attributed this feeling to his resentment at being forced to refine it. So, gritting his teeth, he suppressed his negative emotions and refined the Primordial Talisman into his body right in front of Chen Mobai.

"I swear, I am not the Master of the Central Demonic Path!" Zhao Nansheng declared, raising his hand and speaking each word clearly after refining the talisman. "Good!" Chen Mobai smiled and nodded at this sight. Through the Primordial Demonic Talisman, he sensed several other inner demon incarnations of the individual before him. What surprised him most, however, was that the most powerful of these incarnations was located in the Black Flood Dragon Royal Court. *Was it his true body?* Chen Mobai wondered.

"I've just returned from the Central Continent, and there are many matters to attend to at my sect," Zhao Nansheng said. "If Senior has no further questions, I will take my leave now." Having proven himself, he offered a polite farewell, though his true intention was simply to depart immediately.

"Just one more small question," Chen Mobai asked. "How come your sword intent is different from what it was before?"

"After achieving Soul Transformation, I felt my previous sword intent was too weak," Zhao Nansheng replied after a moment's thought. "Also, having completely refined the Dao Fruit, I used its power as a foundation to forge this new, more powerful Heavenly Abyss Sword Intent!" As he spoke, he subtly monitored the newly refined Primordial Talisman. Finding no reaction, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Weak?" Chen Mobai scoffed in response. "Just now, the very 'weak' sword intent you spoke of effortlessly crushed your Heavenly Abyss Sword Intent!"

"Ah?" Zhao Nansheng's mouth fell open, at a loss for words. *In Ku Zhu's memories, there was clearly no trace of this sword intent.* At this moment, however, Zhao Nansheng finally understood why he hadn't been able to completely devour and refine Ku Zhu: this person had actually inherited the sword intent of the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation.

"Perhaps after I achieved Soul Transformation, my state of mind changed, and it no longer resonated with your sword intent, Senior," Zhao Nansheng replied, his words vague but truthful. His state of mind was indeed different from Ku Zhu's. He intended to swallow the Eastern Continent whole, even the Five Continents and Four Seas, so his sword intent naturally couldn't be compatible with peace.

"I, however, believe your state of mind hasn't changed," Chen Mobai stated. "In fact, it has become even more compatible with the Peace Sword Intent!"

Zhao Nansheng forced a smile, then turned and pulled his flying sword from the rock, feigning difficulty in answering. "Your life-bound flying sword seems to be resisting you a little," Chen Mobai's voice entered Zhao Nansheng's ears. He looked down and saw that Ku Zhu's sword was indeed trembling slightly in his palm.

"It's not resistance," Zhao Nansheng quickly explained. "It's just that Senior's sword intent was too powerful. It's still in fear and hasn't recovered yet!" Chen Mobai nodded slightly at Zhao Nansheng's words. He then instantly teleported in front of Zhao Nansheng. To the latter's immense shock, Chen Mobai reached out and placed his hand on the flying sword. Subsequently, a purer Peace Sword Intent flowed into Zhao Nansheng's body through the flying sword, like a torrent.

"Senior?" Zhao Nansheng exclaimed, bewildered by Chen Mobai's actions. He instinctively tried to pull away from the flying sword, attempting to prevent the Peace Sword Intent from entering his body. However, the Primordial Demonic Talisman, which had remained dormant, suddenly flared with a profound light. In an instant, it seized complete control of his Heavenly Abyss Dao Fruit. He became stiff, unable to move, like a puppet on strings.

As Zhao Nansheng's heart filled with horror, the Peace Sword Intent had already flowed into his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness. Following its shared origin, it easily broke through the seal of the supreme inner demon power, locating Ku Zhu's suppressed primordial spirit. As the sword intent began to integrate with it, the primordial spirit, previously dim, started to glow.

"I personally refined this sword, and I enlightened its spirit. It's like my child; how could it fear me?" Hearing Chen Mobai's words, Zhao Nansheng suddenly realized something, his eyes widening.

But it was too late. The flying sword, now infused with external power, suddenly shone brightly, then transformed into a golden stream of light and plunged into Ku Zhu's Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness. Ku Zhu's primordial spirit, which had only been faintly glowing, became increasingly brilliant under the empowerment of Chen Mobai's sword intent. It ultimately appeared like a dawn breaking through the night, cleaving open the endless demonic energy within the Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness.

A sword cry, rising from low to resonant, from dim to brilliant, and imbued with an unyielding, tenacious will, suddenly pierced forth from Ku Zhu's glabella. Seeing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but nod slightly.

At this moment, however, Zhao Nansheng's struggle intensified. Unable to use the Great Transformation Heavenly Demon power, he activated the power of the Dao of Inner Demons within his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness, attempting to suppress Ku Zhu's sword intent once more. He even intended to directly destroy the celestial spirit of this body.

"Demonic scoundrel, how dare you display your meager skills before me!" Chen Mobai snorted coldly as the power of the Primordial Demonic Talisman surged, effortlessly suppressing the Dao of Inner Demons.

"When did you find out?" At this point, Zhao Nansheng knew he could no longer control Ku Zhu's body. He calmed down, allowing Ku Zhu's primordial spirit sword intent to gradually drive out the darkness, and finally asked Chen Mobai.

"I knew from the beginning," Chen Mobai replied while observing him. "It was full of flaws." He also wanted to know the true identity of this demonic cultivator.

"I would like to hear the details," Zhao Nansheng said. "How about this: one question for one answer. You go first: who are you?" Chen Mobai proposed.

"I prefer to let people die in confusion," Zhao Nansheng replied, declining to answer. After all, if it were revealed that he was a descendant of the Eastern Lands Imperial Court, it would surely provoke a strong reaction from the Daoist Virtue Sect, and could even cause Ao Yuxia's current plans to fail. Although he had lost Ku Zhu's physical body, his true body was still intact, and the plan to rebuild the Imperial Court would, at most, only be delayed.

Even without a physical body, he still had puppet bodies. As this thought crossed his mind, Zhao Nansheng also noticed that Ku Zhu's primordial spirit sword intent had already cleaved open all inner demon shackles, reclaiming dominance over the Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness. Just as he was about to calmly self-destruct this inner demon incarnation, a single sentence from Chen Mobai made his expression change drastically.

"Those who oppose me will only find death," Chen Mobai declared. "Don't think you can escape by self-destructing this inner demon. Soon, I will overthrow the Black Flood Dragon Royal Court, and your true body will also die!" Hearing this, Zhao Nansheng's eyes widened, and he stared at the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation with icy coldness. *How did he know?* A trace of fear, which he himself hadn't noticed, flickered in Zhao Nansheng's eyes.

"I am within the Eye of the Sea," Zhao Nansheng said. "If you wish to seek death, then come find me." But soon, remembering the terrifying nature of the Eye of the Sea, he couldn't help but proactively reveal his location, hoping Chen Mobai would pursue him there.

*The Eye of the Sea!* Chen Mobai made a mental note of this information, unsure of its veracity, but was already considering how to deal with the Black Flood Dragon Royal Court. If he could resolve this entanglement with the force himself, he wouldn't leave it for his disciples.

In the final moments before self-destruction, Zhao Nansheng spoke, intending to plant a seed of doubt in Chen Mobai: "Even if you manage to save Ku Zhu today, his inner demons are profound. One day, he will fall into demonization again and once more become my incarnation. You'd best kill him today, otherwise, when I return, the first thing I'll do is slaughter everyone in your Five Elements Sect."

Chen Mobai's expression remained unchanged. After planting the Primordial Demonic Talisman, there was no need to worry about this. Any inner demon born would simply become nourishment for the Primordial Demonic Dao. Even the Great Transformation Heavenly Demon power within Ku Zhu could be devoured by the World-Ending Grand Mill with just a single thought from Chen Mobai.

"Wait for me to come and kill you," Chen Mobai said. As he finished speaking, the inner demon power within Ku Zhu's body dissipated, turning into wisps of black smoke that seeped out from his seven orifices. A golden sword mark lit up on Ku Zhu's glabella, like heavenly light piercing through the clouds.

Chen Mobai immediately put away the Haotian Mirror, preventing the light of this pure Yang Dharma artifact from causing a strong reaction from the Great Transformation Heavenly Demon power within Ku Zhu.

Half a day later, Ku Zhu opened his eyes. He looked at the young man standing not far away on the mountainside, hands clasped behind his back, and heavily knelt on the ground. "Thank you, Senior, for saving me," he declared. "Henceforth, should you have any commands, I will brave fire and water, facing a thousand deaths without hesitation!"