Daoist Competition

The old demon turned over a few thoughts, gradually calming down, and finally decided that it would be best not to act rashly for the moment.

This "Heart-Attracting Demon Spell" has not yet been practiced to the highest level; when casting it, he needs to be within a hundred yards of the chosen person to achieve remarkable effects.

And now he is trapped here; if he does not remove the bindings, he will certainly be unable to accomplish anything.

However, the identity of this physical shell is merely that of a prisoner within this Cave Mansion.

Under the watchful eye of the Cave Mansion’s True Spirit, let alone approaching the Female Demon, even taking a few steps would surely alert her. Attempting to cast a spell up close would be akin to breaking out, thus other methods must be devised.

Just as he was intent on this, Lu Mei Niang, who was cultivating within the Cave Mansion, seemed to have a sense of something amiss. Recalling the words of True Master Tao, she immediately stopped operating and turned to search for anything out of place.

Yet, after concluding her cultivation and carefully going over her Qi Mechanism, she found no anomalies, and couldn’t help but think, "Strange, I just felt a moment of unease as if a fierce beast or venomous snake was lurking nearby, yet now in this search, I find nothing. Could it be as True Master said—the Heart Demon?"

In the past, when Zhang Yan returned to the Mingcang Sect, she lingered at the Qingyu Sect to listen to True Master Tao’s teachings. From his mouth, she learned that when she broke into the Nascent Soul Realm, she would undoubtedly face a small tribulation, the details of which were unknown. Hence, he specially granted her a Dharma technique, saying that if she could follow his advice and patiently learn this spell, she would have nothing to worry about.

When cultivators condense the True Imprint of Dharma Power and reach the Third Realm of Hua Dan, they need to absorb a massive amount of Evil Qi and the essence of heaven and earth to nurture the Golden Core and accumulate power to break through the Boundary. Xuanmen terms this process "Sleeping Yin Storage."

Lu Mei Niang’s lifespan was nearing its limit, and if she remained on the barren island in the outer sea to cultivate, it was highly likely she would die of old age there.

Therefore, she had to seek a place brimming with Spiritual Energy to slowly overcome this hurdle.

After entering Zhao You Heavenly Pond, her cultivation progress was rapid, far surpassing her previous efforts. Thinking about how the arrays within Zhao You Heavenly Pond provided obstructions, even if a formidable enemy came, it could be detected promptly, she thus set aside this spell.

However, suddenly recalling the matter, she realized True Master Tao wouldn’t speak without reason, and didn’t dare take it lightly. After pondering for a long time, she took a Glancing Jade Scroll from the sachet, wiped it with her hand to unlock the prohibition on it, shook it briefly, and released a phantom that displayed dozens of lines of the Heart Mantra and Dharma techniques.

She read it thoroughly, gathered her heart and spirit, and began practicing.

She herself had not shallow cultivation. As she slightly operated the cultivation technique here, her aura changed instantly, converging and gathering.

The old demon, afraid of missing the chance, would send out a spell every half-day to probe for movements. But this time, unlike the previous time, he couldn’t detect Lu Mei Niang’s presence and couldn’t help but wonder, "Huh, why can’t I sense that Female Demon’s aura anymore? Could she have left the Cave Mansion?"

Thanks to his extraordinary expertise in Demon Skills, after probing carefully, he finally detected that faint, almost non-existent aura.

Yet, he was alarmed instead of pleased; he didn’t know what cultivation technique the opponent was using, but it seemed to repel his spell.

With this Dharma technique for protection, he couldn’t suddenly plant the Heart Demon Spell as before to seize the physical body; it was impossible now.

He sighed regretfully, attributing it to his bad luck.

Should he settle for the next best thing, planting the demon curse on the sect’s disciples in this Cave Mansion and then find a way to approach that Female Demon?

Upon thinking of this plan, he shook his head, immediately dismissing it.

Such a method wasn’t altogether ineffective, but it required long patience and better luck. If the opponent didn’t deal with him for several months, wouldn’t that be waiting in vain?

By that time, the Demon Cultivator might have already broken into the Nascent Soul Realm, while he would still be inactive.

As the elder of the Demon Sect, he couldn’t afford to waste so much time here in vain.

Now, Spiritual Energy is nearly bursting out of the Demon Cave, countless Devils are present, and the difficulties that once spanned decades or even a century can be crossed in just one step. The problems previously pondered over without a way in are now easily solvable, and most disciples of the Demon Sect are focused on cultivating quietly, hoping to excel in future battles with Xuanmen.

As for himself, he was cultivating seven or eight kinds of Demon Skills simultaneously; how could he bear to linger here?