Chapter 940: Compiling the Seduction of Ghosts and Gods

“You’re only at the Nascent Soul cultivation level, Fellow Daoist. How powerful can your secret art be?” Xin Hongzhang shook his head slightly. “I’m telling you this secret not for any reward. As for that divine manifestation you mentioned, you should keep it for yourself.”

Upon hearing this, Li Fan’s expression immediately soured.

He seemed on the verge of an outburst, but in the end, he patiently explained in a hushed tone, “Fellow Daoist Xin, although I am only at the Nascent Soul realm, the divine manifestation I summon possesses combat power superior to my own. It can even withstand a Soul Transformation cultivator or two…”

“Hmm?” Xin Hongzhang’s expression grew much more serious upon hearing this.

“If Fellow Daoist doesn’t believe me, we can certainly put it to the test,” Li Fan said earnestly.

Xin Hongzhang, now slightly sobered, observed Li Fan closely again.

“He is indeed only at the Nascent Soul cultivation level, and even if he harbors ill intentions, I can easily dispatch him. Alright, let’s see what he’s up to.”

He detected no malice from Li Fan, only profound sincerity.

After a moment of contemplation, Xin Hongzhang agreed to Li Fan’s suggestion.

The two, one after another, left the defensive stronghold.

They flew until they reached a desolate, uninhabited area in Jiushan Province.

“Brother Fan, I think this spot is good enough. Let me witness this so-called divine manifestation of yours,” Xin Hongzhang suddenly stopped and said to Li Fan.

Li Fan looked around and nodded, “All right. Fellow Daoist Xin, please stand back. I wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt you…”

Xin Hongzhang scoffed inwardly, but complied nonetheless.

He watched with interest as Li Fan, with a serious expression, muttered an incantation: “Mortal world’s compassion, bless all humanity. As I pray, may the celestial body descend…”

“By decree!”

“He’s certainly making a big show of it,” Xin Hongzhang thought.

But soon, as he sensed the emergence of a bizarre and potent aura, Xin Hongzhang’s amusement instantly vanished.

It was replaced by an intense solemnity.

“This is…”

A goat-headed, human-bodied monster, summoned by the Fellow Daoist named Fan Li, appeared before Xin Hongzhang.

The monster’s eyes were tightly shut, but Xin Hongzhang felt as though he was being targeted.

Shadow and light appeared simultaneously on the goat-headed, human-bodied monster.

It looked both bizarre and sacred.

“Fellow Daoist Xin, what do you think?” Li Fan’s voice came.

Only then did Xin Hongzhang snap out of his shock.

He didn’t reply, but instead assessed the strength of the monster before him.

The other party seemed to read his thoughts, and slowly said, “Just looking won’t help. Fellow Daoist Xin, are you interested in sparring with this divine manifestation of mine?”

Xin Hongzhang narrowed his eyes, and nodded in agreement.

“Then be careful, Fellow Daoist Xin!” Li Fan called out lightly.

The goat-headed monster’s form vanished instantly, and the next moment, it appeared behind Xin Hongzhang.

“Such speed…” Before he could be astonished, Xin Hongzhang felt the monster’s two large hands clamp tightly around his neck from behind.

Unable to break free, the scene before Xin Hongzhang suddenly shifted.

It was as if he had fallen into an endless realm of ghosts, where five blood-red moons intertwined in the sky.

Around him were countless, terrifying demon gods, stretching as far as the eye could see, all casting their gazes upon him simultaneously.

Under the terrifying and oppressive atmosphere, Xin Hongzhang’s thoughts seemed to freeze instantaneously.

He completely gave up resistance, leaving himself at the mercy of others!

“Fellow Daoist Xin?”

Only Li Fan’s shout woke him from the nightmare.

“You…” Xin Hongzhang looked around, and found that the goat-headed monster had vanished. He stared at Li Fan, full of doubt and surprise, hesitating to speak.

“How’s the strength of this divine manifestation?” Li Fan said smugly.

Xin Hongzhang was silent for a moment, before finally uttering four words: “I am no match…”

“It’s fine; this secret art has no restrictions on simultaneous cultivation. If Fellow Daoist is interested, I can teach it to you,” Li Fan said earnestly.

Having personally experienced the terrifying power of the divine manifestation, Xin Hongzhang instinctively wanted to agree.

However, remembering the gloomy realm of ghosts he had just witnessed, Xin Hongzhang couldn’t help but feel hesitant.

This secret art seemed a little sinister.

Furthermore, such a potent and profound secret technique, was the other party really offering it for free?

Doubts swirled in Xin Hongzhang’s mind.

As if sensing Xin Hongzhang’s reservations, Li Fan smiled, pulled him to the ground, and began to explain.

“Actually, my willingness to teach you the divine manifestation art isn’t entirely selfless.”

“Oh?” Xin Hongzhang’s heart stirred, and he looked at Li Fan.

“This all begins with the origin of this secret art. It is said that in ancient times, gods and demons ran rampant across the world. Our human race was merely their food, leading tragic lives. Then, a compassionate sage appeared, making a grand vow to suppress all gods and demons in the world and restore peace and order to the land…”

“Are you saying that the goat-headed monster you just summoned is one of those suppressed ancient gods or demons?” Xin Hongzhang’s expression was rather peculiar.

Li Fan nodded, “Although the sage suppressed all the gods and demons in the world, gods and demons are immortal and indestructible. To prevent their escape, the sage turned his own body into a prison, suppressing them for all eternity.”

“And to prevent his own decline after countless eons, he left behind a secret art. Anyone who cultivates the divine manifestation art can use their body to suppress infinite gods and demons. In return, they can summon projections of the gods and demons from the sacred prison to fight for them…”

Xin Hongzhang felt a little dizzy hearing this.

He had never heard of any compassionate sages or heavenly gods and demons. It completely contradicted his previous worldview, making it hard to believe.

Li Fan continued, “Originally, I was like you; I thought this whole thing was too absurd. But after truly cultivating this secret art and successfully summoning a god-demon projection, I understood…”

“This secret art is not a native technique of the Xuanhuang Realm. The events it describes also did not take place in the Xuanhuang Realm. However, the power of the secret art is indeed real and effective.”

Upon hearing this, Xin Hongzhang suddenly saw the light.

“Moreover, this secret art has another unique characteristic. Every person who cultivates this secret art possesses a unique mark. Even after teaching the art to others, this mark doesn’t disappear. Instead, it benefits from the next person who cultivates the art, allowing me to summon more and stronger god-demon projections…”

These words were somewhat abstruse, and Xin Hongzhang didn’t immediately grasp their full meaning.

But soon, Li Fan demonstrated to explain.

“For example…”

Three demonic gods, emanating boundless malevolence, instantly appeared around Xin Hongzhang.

They surrounded him completely.

Infused with boundless demonic energy, Xin Hongzhang swallowed hard, too tense to move.

“I have already taught this secret art to over ten fated individuals, which is why the number of god-demons I can summon has increased to three.”

“The more cultivators I teach, the more god-demons I can summon. This is also why I don’t mind, and am even very willing, to teach you this divine manifestation art.”

Li Fan said with a smile.

Xin Hongzhang looked at the three majestic demonic gods surrounding him, and his heart couldn’t help but stir.