Are There Only Demonesses Left in the Cultivation Realm?

Meng Xuanyi frowned. “Who in the world are you?”

Lu Changyuan made no effort to hide his connection to the Daoist Sect Master. In fact, he spoke of the Sect Master as if he were his own disciple.

But Meng Xuanyi didn’t believe a word of it.

To believe him would be to take Meng Xuanyi for a fool.

The Chang’an Daoist had ascended five hundred years ago. That was common knowledge in the Cultivation Realm.

If he hadn’t ascended, the hundred years of dark turmoil would never have happened, and the Dream Race’s ancestor, the Dream Demon, would never have dared to make a move.

Lu Changyuan said lightly, “These days, no one believes you when you tell the truth.”

Meng Xuanyi’s illusory form stood up.

“I don’t know who you are, or why you can use my Dream Race’s Magic, but if you think you can stop my race, then you can die right here.”

A blue light bloomed around it.

The Dream Demon Race’s innate ability was to enter dreams. Even though Lu Changyuan had used a Grand Array to pull Meng Xuanyi’s true body into a dream, Meng Xuanyi itself would not become disoriented within it.

So in the end, Lu Changyuan had to face Meng Xuanyi in a contest.

A Dream Demon at the Peak of the Sixth Realm.

And Lu Changyuan, who had only recently entered the Fifth Realm.

Meng Xuanyi didn’t take Lu Changyuan seriously at all.

With a casual wave of its hand, the entire space was twisted by an immense force, and even Lu Changyuan’s body began to be crushed and compressed.

This was to be expected when someone at the Peak of the Sixth Realm fought someone in the Fifth Realm.

But from within the collapsing space, a clear glint of sword light burst forth.

Immediately after, Meng Xuanyi felt its control over the historical phantom slipping away. This sword strike didn’t come from the person before it, but was unleashed using the phantom of the Chang’an Daoist.

“Who in the world are you?!”

“This is the third time you’ve asked me that. I’ve told you, but you don’t believe me.”

Lu Changyuan couldn’t be bothered to say any more. He simply focused on circulating the Five Desires and Six Dust Heart Transformation Technique to fight Meng Xuanyi for control over the Chang’an Daoist’s phantom.

His connection to the Chang’an Daoist was far stronger than Meng Xuanyi’s.

Given a little more time, Lu Changyuan could expel Meng Xuanyi from the phantom and take its place completely.

Meng Xuanyi would have no chance to use its true Realm to have a real showdown with Lu Changyuan.

Its hands were tied.

Because the moment it started fighting Lu Changyuan, its control over the phantom would weaken.

As its power waned, Lu Changyuan’s would grow, thanks to his stronger connection to the phantom. Thus, Meng Xuanyi could only continuously use its own Magic and Dao to counter Lu Changyuan, fighting him for control over the phantom.

The surrounding scenery began to change once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Spring faded, and summer approached.

Inside a tavern in the Mortal World, a youth in profound robes was drinking wine.

Beside him, the tavern’s owner was talking with a wandering swordsman.

“Who isn’t suffering? Life is hard for everyone these days. I wonder when these godforsaken days will ever end.”

The swordsman took a drink of wine and a bite of meat. “It’s the same everywhere. I just came from over there. Innkeeper, do you know what happened?”

Without waiting for the innkeeper to answer, the swordsman continued on his own.

“Three thousand miles west of here, a Cultivator who has Fallen into Demon is ravaging a city. That thing devours thirty Human Hearts a day and has trapped everyone in the city, treating them like livestock. I just barely escaped from there.”

Another person spoke up. “Hah, that’s nothing. Four thousand miles southwest of here, there’s an Immortal Sect called the Steel Fist Sect. I heard their Sect’s ancestor has Fallen into Demon and influenced everyone. Now the entire Sect is on the verge of falling.”

These were chaotic times.

It was a struggle just to stay alive.

Mortals struggled to survive, caught between the Immortal Sects.

The tavern owner sighed softly. “Can’t some Immortal with boundless Magical Power appear and put an end to this damn world?”

“Hah, those high and mighty True Immortals? They’re either too busy to fend for themselves or too detached to care about worldly affairs. None of them have time for the Mortal World.”

CLINK.

A few coins had been placed on the table.

The person who had been drinking there was gone.

It was as if time itself had been paused.

Lu Changyuan and Meng Xuanyi appeared in the air at the same time. The aftershocks of their clash caused space itself to twist and warp.

This was a reenactment of the phantom’s history.

Their competition over the Chang’an Daoist was made manifest here.

Now, what the two of them had to do was see who could better align with the historical Chang’an Daoist.

Meng Xuanyi looked at Lu Changyuan, sneered, and turned to fly toward the Steel Fist Sect.

In its understanding, the Human Race’s Chang’an Daoist should have gone to kill the Sect Leader of the Steel Fist Sect, who posed a greater threat.

Lu Changyuan shook his head and turned toward the Mortal Dynasty.

Moments later, the dream began to shatter.

Meng Xuanyi roared, “How is this possible? Shouldn’t you of the Human Race have made the same choice I did? Why are mortals more important in the eyes of the Chang’an Daoist?!”

Lu Changyuan looked at Meng Xuanyi’s increasingly illusory shadow—he had already won this round.

“It’s not that mortals are more important. The Steel Fist Sect had just over a hundred people, while that city had tens of thousands of citizens. The value of a human life… is always the same. At least, it was in my eyes back then. Besides, the Mortal Dynasty was closer.”

This scene took place when Lu Changyuan was retracing his path through the Red Dust.

He was already approaching the Supreme.

In Lu Changyuan’s eyes at that time, every life was a life.

Therefore, the Lu Changyuan of that time had unleashed his sword across three thousand miles, first killing the Cultivator who had Fallen into Demon, then turning around and heading for the Steel Fist Sect at top speed.

In the end, Lu Changyuan had wiped them all out, from the Cultivator who had Fallen into Demon to the people of the Steel Fist Sect.

Naturally, Meng Xuanyi did not understand Lu Changyuan.

Much less the Chang’an Daoist.

The dreamscape changed once again.

~~~~~~~

It was a giant whale by the sea that had Fallen into Demon.

The giant whale had devoured thirty-eight Cultivators who had come to subdue it.

Now, a youth came to slay it, sword in hand. He fought it for a full day and grievously wounded the giant whale.

The giant whale felt the urge to retreat and tried to flee, so it stirred up a monstrous, sky-high wave.

There was a fishing village by the sea. If this wave were to strike, none of the villagers would survive.

But if he went to stop the wave, the giant whale would escape far away, and the thirty-eight Cultivators inside it would be doomed to die.

Meng Xuanyi appeared in mid-air once again.

‘He values mortals more!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, it rushed toward the fishing village, saving the villagers one by one.

Lu Changyuan followed behind it.

Meng Xuanyi saw this clearly and said, “You’re following me. I was more decisive. I should be the one to win this round.”

It was certain that Lu Changyuan had also come to save the villagers.

But it was faster than Lu Changyuan, so it should win.

Lu Changyuan’s tone was mocking. “Idiot.”

“What did you say?!”

“I said you’re an idiot.”

The massive wave surged forward again. Meng Xuanyi watched in disbelief as Lu Changyuan charged down. He took the full force of the wave with his own body, coughing up blood, yet he didn’t pause for a second. Instead, he burned his blood essence and gave chase to the whale.