White temples by the side, years like flowing water!

  The Demon King shifted his gaze from the calm water surface, let out a faint sigh, turned around and smiled: "It's been ages since I last looked in the mirror, today I take a look and find that there are even more white hairs."

  The ghost standing behind him had an expressionless face and said faintly, "You're overthinking."

  At this moment, on the lakeside of a small lake in Huqi Mountain, a stone pavilion was built in the middle of the lake, with only an ancient wooden bridge connecting to the lakeside. The King of Ghosts and Gui Li stood in this pavilion at this moment.

  The Demon King stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and collected. "I heard that this time when you went to Kong Sang Mountain, although the Blood Refining Hall was subdued, there was only one wild dog Daoist who refused to surrender, but you let him go, is this true?"

  The demon king looked at the ghost king with a glance, but saw that his face was calm and peaceful, and didn't know what he was thinking in his heart. He nodded slowly and said, "Not bad."

  The Demon King smiled and turned around to gaze at the emerald-like lake surface, saying lightly: "In the past, you led people in battles, always killing until none were left. Why did you spare this person's life today?"

  The demon's expression turned solemn for a moment, then he said, "Although the Blood Refining Sect has declined now, it was still a leading sect eight hundred years ago, not comparable to ordinary small factions."

  The Demon King stood there, without any reaction, and it was unclear whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied with this explanation. After a while, he suddenly said: "Speaking of which, the Blood Devouring Pearl on your treasured artifact is actually an heirloom of the Black Hearted Old Man. It seems that you and the Alchemy Hall have some connection by blood."

  The ghost slowly raised his eyes and looked towards the Ghost King. The Ghost King happened to turn around at that moment, also looking back at him.

  Their two gazes collided in mid-air, the demonic gaze was icy and cold, while the Ghost King's gaze was deep and serene.

  The Demon King suddenly smiled and said: "Recently, there have been rumors that a strange treasure has appeared in the Western Death Swamp. Do you know about it?"

  The ghost nodded and said, "Yes, I've heard."

  The Demon King said calmly, "I heard that not only are the righteous sects flocking to it, but even the top experts from the Ten Thousand Poison Sect and the Harmony Faction are planning to intervene. As for the Longevity Hall, which is located near the Death Swamp, they're naturally eager to take part." He paused for a moment before turning to Gu Jie and asking, "What do you think?"

  Guilei didn't speak up immediately, and instead remained silent for a long time. The Demon King seemed to be particularly patient with him, without any signs of urgency. After a while, Guilei slowly said: "This time we subdued the Blood Refining Hall, and in our sect, apart from the four major factions, the last relatively powerful faction has also been divided up."

  The Devil King's mouth curled up into a faint smile, and he nodded: "Not bad."

  "Among the demonic sects, there have always been four major factions vying for power. In the past, they were forced to join forces against external enemies due to pressure from the righteous path. Now that the situation has changed, it's only a matter of time before the four major factions engage in an all-out war. The question is, who will make the first move?"

  The Demon King clapped his hands and smiled: "Good, good! Well said."

  The demon king glanced at him and said lightly, "Over the past decade, you not only passed on to me two volumes of heavenly books, but also imparted all your life's learning, strategies, and decision-making skills. If I couldn't even see through this, wouldn't that be a waste of your efforts?"

  The Demon King smiled as he gazed at the young man before him, just like admiring a perfect and precious treasure that he had crafted with his own hands. Amidst his delight, there was also a hint of pride. He said, "That's not entirely true, I've passed on things to you, but it's up to you to comprehend them yourself. Your progress over the years has been incredibly fast, far exceeding my expectations. I had thought that with your innate talent, it would take at least thirty years or more to reach this level, yet in just ten years, you've already achieved great success. Truly remarkable, truly remarkable!"

  Although he was praised by Gui Wang in this way, Gui Lie's face seemed to have no smile, as if for him, this was not something worth being happy about.

  However, the Demon King didn't mind. Over the years, the person in front of him had changed from Zhang Xiaofan to Gui Li, and his personality had undergone a complete transformation. Except for his appearance, almost everything else was different from what it used to be. He paused for a moment before saying: "In your opinion, since our Holy Sect's four major factions can't avoid a bloody battle, do you think we should make the first move or wait patiently?"

  This time, Gui Li didn't hesitate at all and immediately said: "Take the initiative!"

  The Demon King stared at him and said, "Alright! So which faction do you think we should deal with first?"

  "Changsheng Hall!"

  The Demon King's eyebrows furrowed, but his eyes already showed a hint of admiration, and he said, "Why?"

  Gu Li Dao said, "At present, the Gui Wang Sect and the Wan Du Men are the strongest. The He Huan Pai and the Chang Sheng Tang are slightly inferior. The He Huan Pai has always been low-key, but the master of the Chang Sheng Tang, Yu Yang Zi, is arrogant and self-conceited, thinking that he is the only one who deserves respect in the demonic sect because he was the host of the Qing Yun Mountain's Righteous and Evil War back then. Such a fool, if not him, who else?"

  The Demon King smiled slightly and said: "Not bad, well said. Now if you were in charge, how would you proceed?"

  Gu Li's eyes narrowed, and he said, "This is a great opportunity. In the Death Swamp, there is a rare treasure that has appeared, and Yu Yangzi will definitely consider it as something in his pocket, not allowing outsiders to touch it. But with the Righteous Path people swarming in, we can wait for the Long Life Hall and the Righteous Path Fire to clash, and when they are both injured, we can secretly join forces with the Wan Du Men and He Huan Pai to make a move together. They will definitely not refuse such an opportunity to strike while the iron is hot! With this one battle, we will surely succeed!"

  The demon king looked at him without saying a word.

  The demon slowly raised his head and looked at the Demon King, saying faintly: "What?"

  The Demon King seemed to be staring at him in a daze, and after a moment, he came back to his senses, slowly withdrawing his gaze, as if sighing deeply in his heart, and said faintly: "No, what you said is almost the same as what I was thinking."

  The ghost stopped talking.

  The Demon King smiled faintly and said, "You can rest for two more days, then go to the Death Swamp!" As he spoke, he took out a sealed envelope from his bosom and handed it to Gui Li, saying, "I have written down all the specific arrangements in this letter. Once you arrive at the Great Swamp, all members of the Demon King Sect will be under your command."

  The demon slowly accepted the letter, put it in his bosom, and was silent for a moment. He nodded to the Demon King and turned to leave. But just as he had taken a few steps, he suddenly heard the Demon King say behind him: "There's one more thing..."

  The ghost stopped in its tracks.

  The voice of the Demon King came drifting over, saying: "When you speak to me, why do you still refer to our Holy Church as 'Demon Cult'?"

  The demon's expression turned cold and he fell silent for a long time before saying, "I've been in this sect for ten years. Every day is filled with battles and bloodshed, and the schemes and struggles between us are endless. How can we be worthy of being called 'saints'?"

  The Demon King burst out laughing and immediately said: "Oh! So that's how it is in the Orthodox sect you came from?"

  The ghostly figure seemed to shudder slightly, and after a moment, he said, "The evil deeds done by the righteous are no different from those of the demonic cult!"

  The Demon King looked at him with interest and said: "That's not this, that's not that. What do you think is 'right' in your heart?"

  Gui Li did not respond and remained silent for a long time, then lifted his head and gazed at the sky.

  Blue sky, white clouds.

  "I don't know!" he said in a low voice, as if speaking to himself.

  After the figure that looked a bit lonely and desolate from behind gradually disappeared into the distance, the smile on Gui Wang's face also slowly faded away. In his deep eyes, as if mysterious lights were flickering, shining non-stop, it was unknown what he was thinking in his heart.

  At this time, a voice came from the other side and said: "Master, I..."

  The Demon King interrupted him and said: "Qinglong, come up!"

  "Yes." The Green Dragon walked over from the wooden bridge, following the Ghost King's gaze to look at a distant place, and said: "Was the Deputy Sect Master also here just now?"

  The King of Ghosts nodded and said, "What's up?"

  Qinglong said: "That old freak from the Wàn Dú Mén has secretly sent someone over again, asking when the Sect Master will dispatch people to enter the Death Swamp and work together on a big matter?"

  The Demon King sneered and said, "Tell them that three days later, the Demon King Sect will enter Ze together with the Myriad Poison Sect and the Joyful Union Sect."

  The green dragon nodded and said, "Good."

  The Demon King sank into thought for a moment, then suddenly seemed to have thought of something and turned his head to Qing Long: "Qing Long, what do you think of Gui Li?"

  The green dragon was taken aback, raised his eyes to look at the King of Ghosts, and saw that the king's eyebrows were calm and peaceful, but his gaze was deep and unfathomable. For no reason, he felt a chill in his heart, and for a moment, he forgot to respond.

  The Demon King smiled and said, "What's wrong?"

  The Azure Dragon was startled awake, and then fell into a contemplative silence, his expression somewhat hesitant. The Ghost King watched him with a smile, saying: "Azure Dragon, we have been friends for many years, speak your mind freely."

  Qing Long shook his head and smiled wryly, then said: "Let's just say that! When I was at his age, my Tao wasn't higher than his, and my city wasn't deeper than his..."

  He suddenly stopped here, and the King of Ghosts frowned, saying: "What's wrong, is there anything else to say?"

  The Azure Dragon hesitated for a moment, then looked at the Ghost King and said, "His methods are even more ruthless than mine!"

  The Demon King glanced at him, but didn't say anything. He slowly turned around and gazed out at the lake's surface, which was as calm as a mirror. The Blue Dragon spoke from behind him in a slow tone: "In recent years, especially over the past two years, Gui Ye's methods have become increasingly ruthless and violent. He kills people without hesitation, and is even more merciless when it comes to power struggles. Moreover, among the younger generation of our Demon King Sect, many talented individuals such as Sha Sheng and Yan Hui have all gathered under his banner."

  The Demon King said calmly: "Do you think this is bad?"

  The blue dragon slowly shook its head and said, "It's not that, it's just that back then he... how did he end up becoming like this?"

  The Demon King fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Actually, I also misjudged things at first."

  "Qing Long was shocked and said: 'Master, what did you say?'"

  Guī Wáng Dào said: "When I passed on the Heavenly Book to him, I thought that with his qualifications, it would take at least thirty years for him to make progress. But in these ten years, especially in the last five years, Guǐ Lì's cultivation has made rapid and tremendous progress, one could say he is making a thousand miles in a single day. I'm afraid he is hiding his true abilities even from me!"

  He said this, still with his back to the Qinglong's gaze, and for a moment, a faint glint of cold light seemed to flash in his eyes, but his tone did not change: "His temperament is strong and persistent, unyielding and unwavering, which is very beneficial for cultivating the Tao, but I still have doubts, fearing that there are other reasons behind this."

  The green dragon frowned and said: "Is there still some secret he has?"

  The Demon King shook his head and said, "You should know that he possesses the true method of Qingyunmen Daojia and the Mahavairocana of Tianyin Temple?"

  "Not bad."

  The Demon King said slowly, "From my observations in secret, he has not only made great achievements in our Sacred Teachings' True Method of the Heavenly Book, but also in the Taiji Xuanqing Dao of the Qingyun Gate and the Mahavairocana True Method of Buddhism. Moreover, he is advancing by leaps and bounds. Could it be that these three true methods have a mysterious effect of mutual assistance?"

  He turned around, smiled at the Qinglong, and said: "With his current cultivation, plus the strange treasure 'Soul Devourer' in his hand, even if you have the Qiankun Qingguang Seal, I'm afraid you only have a 50% chance of winning."

  The green dragon smiled slightly and said, "I'm old, can't compare with young people."

  The Demon King burst out laughing, patted his shoulder and said: "What's going on here?" He smiled and slowly said: "I saw that this young man was destined for greatness back then, but now he has surpassed my expectations. If the Ghost King Sect had someone like him to take over, their future prospects would be boundless. However..."

  The King of Ghosts stood with his hands behind his back, but suddenly stopped speaking and walked to the edge of the pavilion, gazing outwards.

  The Azure Dragon stood quietly by, gazing at the Ghost King, and on that powerful physique, there was suddenly a hint of desolation, silently conveying the unspoken words.

  Bì Yáo...

  Three days later, Gui Li left Huqi Mountain and headed southwest, with the monkey Xiao Hui by his side. The Wild Dog Taoist also followed him. Originally, the Wild Dog Taoist did not want to go to the treacherous Death Swamp, but Gui Li simply said, "After I leave, I guarantee that this place will be a hundred times more dangerous than the swamp. Do you believe it?"

  As soon as this was said, the wild dog Taoist immediately turned pale, his mouth still hard and arrogant, but his feet had already followed.

  The Divine Land is vast and boundless, with the Central Plains being the most prosperous. Outside of the Central Plains, the north is a frozen tundra of ice and snow, rarely visited by humans; the east is a vast ocean; as for the south, there are ten thousand great mountains standing at the borders, stretching endlessly, where there are desolate mountains and evil waters, poisonous gases and toxic substances beyond count. Legend has it that there are also strange and peculiar barbarians in the wilderness, who drink blood and are extremely cruel.

  To the west of the vast land of Shen Zhou, there are two great ominous lands. In the northwest direction, it is a desolate and boundless Gobi Desert, which people call the "Barbaric Wasteland". It has not rained for hundreds of years, with extremely dry weather, and occasionally some oases, but they are often occupied by ferocious beasts, making it a dead end for ordinary people. According to legend, deep in the Barbaric Wasteland, there is a grand sacred temple, which is the sacred land of the Demon Sect.

  As for the southwest, it is a vast deadly swamp that people talk about with changing colors. The climate here is completely opposite to that of the northwest wilderness, and in a year, seven or eight days out of ten are rainy, with various strange plants growing as thick as cow hair. This kind of gloomy and humid place has always been where the world's most poisonous beasts and insects live, and the highly toxic swamp gas unique to this place rises from the rotting mud in the swamp on rainy days. If a person inhales it without proper antidote, they will die of poisoning within half an hour. In addition, over thousands of years, the bodies of animals, trees, flowers, and grasses that have been soaked and rotted by rainwater have turned this place into a place full of crises, where one wrong step can lead to being sucked into the bottomless swamp, never to see daylight again, dying a tragic death.

  In such a treacherous place, it's naturally unlikely that anyone would come here on ordinary days. However, just recently, rumors suddenly spread throughout the world that in the Western Death Swamp, a gigantic golden light pillar suddenly shot up, piercing through the clouds and never stopping for even a day or night, illuminating the sky so brightly that even at midnight, it was as bright as midday. Three days later, this golden light gradually dissipated, but since then, there seemed to be an enormous, eerie howling sound coming from within the Death Swamp, striking fear into the hearts of those living on its edges.

  As soon as the news spread, it shook the world. From the perspective of a cultivator, spiritual objects and magical instruments have always had their own spirituality. Such a huge golden light is naturally a sign that a rare treasure has appeared in the world, summoning those who are destined to come forth. And from this golden pillar of light, the wonder of this treasure is truly extraordinary, causing a stir throughout the land, with both righteous and evil masters gathering from all directions.

  But beneath the surface of that turmoil, there is an unknown undercurrent surging forward.

  In the east, half a day's journey from the Death Swamp, there was a desolate and withered small village called "Dawang Village". It was named after the villagers' worship of a mysterious god called "Dawang". However, this god had never been very effective, neither blessing the villagers with official promotion and wealth nor ensuring their crops were abundant and their food and clothing were plentiful.

  It's actually quite reasonable, living on the edge of a deadly swamp, where from time to time some kind of monster or poisonous insect would suddenly pop out and bite someone to death. Every year, there are not a few people who die here. Nowadays, those with some ability have already left this haunted place and gone to the Central Plains. Those who remain here are mostly people without much vitality.

  But just in these few days, Dawang Village suddenly became lively, with many high-ranking cultivators coming and going. Although Dawang Village was not the only entrance to the Death Swamp, it was the closest inhabited place to the Death Swamp. Before entering the swamp, most people would come here to buy some dry rations and clear water. In just a few days, it had actually brought a small fortune to the villagers of Dawang Village, and they were in high spirits.

  At the same time, because this is the closest place to the Death Swamp, the villagers here were also the first to perceive the golden light column and strange whispers in the Death Swamp, and thus spread the news from here. As a result, many people came here to inquire about the situation.

  But as more people arrived, both good and evil emerged. In the past few days, in this small place of Dàwáng Village, countless battles have taken place, and some poor devils, before even entering the Death Swamp, mysteriously died here, truly unjust.

  Let's not talk about it. On this day, Gui Li and Ye Gou also arrived at Da Wang Village, standing at the village entrance, only to see people coming and going inside the village, unexpectedly quite lively, a stark contrast to the usual dull atmosphere.

  As I walked into the village, a stray dog looked around and muttered to itself with its brow furrowed.

  The little monkey Xiao Hui was excited to see so many people for the first time, and he chattered away on Gui Li's shoulder. Gui Li patted Xiao Hui and looked at the wild dog, saying, "What are you doing?"

  The wild dog said in a bad mood: "I'm looking for an inn, I've walked so far and still can't find a place to rest? This is a godforsaken place, it's hard to even find an inn!"

  The demon sneered faintly: "What, you think there's an inn here?"

  The wild dog was startled and said, "What?"

  The ghost turned around and gazed at the people coming and going on the street, seeing that most of them were dressed in bright clothes, obviously not from the hard life of Dawang Village. "Have you been here before?"

  A stray dog barked and said, "Who's so full that they came to this godforsaken place!"

  The ghost looked at him and said, "Not bad, there are no outsiders coming here, the local villagers are poor and white, what's the use of a guest house?"

  The wild dog let out a dull bark, and its face turned even more sour.

  At this time, I suddenly heard a loud shout from the front street. Someone shouted: "Predicting the future for fifty years, judging the fortune of three hundred years, Iron-mouthed divine appearance, pen-judging yin and yang, if you want to know what will happen in the future, come and see the divination!"

  The ghost and the wild dog were both startled, and they looked together in the direction of the voice. On the side of the main street, there was a worn-out wooden table with a bamboo pole inserted beside it, on which hung a canvas with the words "Immortal Guidance" written on it. Next to the bamboo pole stood an old man with an extraordinary demeanor, loudly shouting out the words that had just been heard, and next to him was a young woman who looked like she was about to fall asleep, her face looking rather lovely, but at this moment, she was leaning against the table with a helpless expression.

  Needless to say, the two were Zhou Yixian and Xiao Huan. Zhou Yixian took Xiao Huan on a journey around the world, not very skilled, but liked to go to bustling places. A while ago, he heard rumors of the Death Swamp and immediately came to this Daxiang Village despite Xiao Huan's objections.

  At this moment, to use Zhou Yi Xian's words, it is a desperate situation where one has no choice but to resort to fortune-telling on the street. However, his tone changed gradually from loud boasts to a more subdued pitch: "...Ladies and gentlemen, I have inherited the true teachings of my ancestors and can counteract the most potent poisons in the world. In this deadly swamp, the toxic air is lethal, but if you purchase this sachet I am selling, you will be immune to all poisons and remain unscathed..."

  Xiao Huan let out a soft sigh beside him, having sat here for several hours. Grandfather had called out with great enthusiasm, but in reality, not a single sachet had been sold. The locals believed in it but couldn't afford it (Zhou Yixian had set an exorbitant price), while outsiders were all cultivators who had seen and experienced much, their eyes scanning over with the word "swindler" written on them. Fortunately, the righteous heroes were busy competing for treasure and didn't bother with this peddler's calculations. Otherwise, if some high-ranking disciple's hot blood suddenly boiled over and they wanted to eliminate the evil for the people, they might not be able to leave even after being beaten up.

  As she watched Zhou Yixian still shouting energetically, Xiao Huan felt a bit impatient and stood up, just about to call out to Grandfather, when suddenly a figure appeared in front of her. It was a young man standing by the wooden table, wearing a light blue shirt with clear and handsome features, but his complexion looked somewhat pale for some reason.

  "Miss, I want to have my fortune told." The young man said calmly with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Xiao Huan furrowed his brow, sizing him up, and at this time Zhou Yi Xian also appeared, hastily walking back over with a smile plastered on his face, saying: "Sir, what would you like to have your fortune told about, wealth or marriage? How would you like it done, by facial features, palm reading, or divination by character?"

  The young man hesitated for a moment and said: "I also want to enter this dead swamp, can you help me see what the luck is like?"

  "On Monday, Xian Hehe smiled and said: 'No problem, no problem, come on, sir, please sit down. Hmm, let's talk about it first, we are the authentic masters of our ancestors, unmatched in physiognomy, so one reading costs ten taels of silver...'"

  The young man was taken aback and said, "So expensive?"

  Xian smiled on Monday but didn't answer.

  The young man immediately shifted his gaze and looked at Xiaohuan again, smiling: "Alright then! Ten taels it is. How about this? You help me decipher a character first."

  Xiao Huan glanced at him and took a white paper from the side, handed over a thin pen, saying: "Then please write a word on it..."

  Unexpectedly, the young man took the pen and smiled: "No need, I'll just write down my name. You help me test it, how's the fortune of this name?"

  As he spoke, he wrote three words on this white paper and handed it over to Xiaohuan.

  Xiao Huan took it and looked at the white paper, hearing the young man smile slightly and say: "My name is Qin Wuyan!"