The Rise of the Demonic Path

Meanwhile, in the Demon Sect's sacred hall.

The Demon Sect Leader sat high on the main throne, clutching a thick stack of confidential reports—all annual targets sent from various branches. Every single page was marked with a big red cross.

"Not up to standard, not up to standard, not up to standard..."

"And still goddamn not up to standard!"

He flipped to the last page, only to find that even their Demon Sect headquarters had failed to meet its yearly goals. He nearly choked on his breath and almost passed out on the spot from rage.

The Demon Sect Leader hurled the papers into the air.

Flutter, flutter—

Pages scattered everywhere like snow.

He slammed his hand on the armrest, his face ashen.

"Look at this! Open your damn dog eyes and look!"

"Not a single target this year has been met. What the hell is going on?"

"Are you all just here to freeload?!"

"Hmm?"

"Every year, I give you the blood pills from the blood sacrifices—and this is how you repay me? Do you think those sacrifices are for me alone? Don't you eat too? Don't you?! Answer me!"

"If the blood pills run short, what happens to the people below?"

"Should I refine all of you lot into pills and feed them?"

The elders below trembled in fear, heads bowed, not daring to speak.

"Say something! Cat got your tongues?!"

The Demon Sect Leader slapped the table, his aura crushing the entire hall.

After a long silence, it was the Grand Elder, Wu Changkong, who stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Cult Leader, please calm your anger. It's not that we didn't try, but... those righteous bastards have been acting inhumanely."

"Those righteous bastards acting inhumanely?"

The Demon Sect Leader paused, then asked, "How so?"

Wu Changkong bent low and explained everything in detail.

The Demon Sect Leader listened quietly. After a moment, he stroked his chin and spoke with some surprise.

"You mean to say, it's not that you didn't perform the blood sacrifices."

"Rather, someone has been fighting you for the victims? Those hypocrites from the righteous path have gone mad—slaughtering entire families left and right. Anyone with surnames like Ye, Lin, Shi, Xiao... or families with discarded fiancés, families that lost geniuses in their youth... all supposedly got their clans wiped out by the Mo clan on one pretext or another?"

"No, seriously?"

After repeating the account, the Demon Sect Leader was dumbfounded.

"Since when is our demon path the evil one, and theirs the righteous way?"

"We have no idea either."

Wu Changkong spread his hands helplessly. "Word is, the Mo clan's young master has gone insane. On the pretext of arresting the mysterious culprit who once devastated the Mo clan, he's been cracking down on families one after another."

"By the time we were ready to perform blood sacrifices, all the people were already dead."

"What a goddamn waste!"

The Demon Sect Leader snorted coldly.

"Such fine human material—killed for nothing, completely unused!"

"Men could be refined into blood pills, women into cauldrons for cultivation."

"And now these bastards have ruined everything!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. He slammed down again, shattering half the armrest with his bare hand.

The elders below flinched as one.

"Cult Leader, please calm down! Calm down!"

Wu Changkong quickly handed him a cup of tea. "The dead cannot be brought back. Getting angry won't help."

The Demon Sect Leader took a sip, steadying himself.

"Where's the Saintess? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

No sooner had he spoken than the guard at the door announced loudly.

"The Saintess arrives—"

Liu Ruyi entered, wearing a heavy, dark purple robe that wrapped her entirely. Her long dress trailed on the floor, and a veil covered her face, making her expression impossible to read.

"Greetings, Cult Leader."

She bent slightly and performed a bow.

"Hmph."

The Demon Sect Leader grunted through his nose, glancing at her coldly. "There's been a lot of noise in the sect lately. Word has it you spent the past few years idling about, traveling for pleasure, and even brought the corpse of a righteous disciple into the sect, attempting to revive him using our sacred secret arts."

"Do you take our demon path for a charity house?"

Before Liu Ruyi could explain, he slapped the armrest again.

"Men! Bring in the witnesses! Let's see what excuses she has left!"

"Yes, Cult Leader!"

The guards at the door bowed and withdrew. In no time, several richly dressed figures radiating evil auras stepped forward, sneering at Liu Ruyi.

Unlike the righteous path, the demon path was fiercely competitive. The position of Saintess was coveted by many, and Liu Ruyi's neglect of duty over the years had drawn resentment and greed.

"The witnesses and evidence are all here—an ironclad case. Do you have anything to say?"

The Demon Sect Leader's voice was icy.

Seven years of doing nothing productive, plus failing to meet the annual targets, had him in a foul mood. His tone grew colder.

"I admit it."

Liu Ruyi did not hide a thing. She spoke openly.

Admitted it?

Even the others present hadn't expected her to confess so readily. They exchanged looks of delight.

Before they could even lay a trap, she had self-destructed.

As expected, the Demon Sect Leader flew into a rage.

"Do you have any idea what you've done? Hiding the corpse of a righteous disciple, embezzling the sect's secret treasures, neglecting your position as Saintess for years—do you think this is a charity home?!"

Liu Ruyi's expression never changed.

From the moment she resolved to revive Ye Shu, she knew this day would come. She had never planned to hide it.

She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a preserved-image stone.

"The one I'm reviving is no ordinary person."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

With that, Liu Ruyi tossed the stone into the air. A vision unfolded in the void above.

Dark clouds covered the sky. A crowd of powerful figures surrounded the scene, each exuding a terrifying pressure.

A young man gripped a long sword, treading three thousand steps of the heavenly staircase. His white robes were like snow—the only light in the pitch-black darkness. Step by step, he climbed to the end of the stairs, to that... door!

The image showed Ye Shu ascending to immortality!

"This is...?"

The demon cultivators present furrowed their brows, all shaken by the figure's aura.

"He's ascending through the Immortal Gate!"

Finally, someone cried out in shock.

"Immortal Gate? Wait... he... he succeeded! Half-immortal? Unbelievable! If not for the sparse spiritual energy of the Eastern Wastelands... just what kind of person is this?"

The image stopped abruptly after Ye Shu vanished.

Everyone in the hall was left gaping.

A figure who could truly step into immortality with a single stride—without the preserved-image stone, no one would believe it if told.

"This is the one I resurrected."

Liu Ruyi put away the stone, her tone calm.

Hearing this, the crowd in the hall snapped back to reality. The Demon Sect Leader, after a brief shock, composed himself and said coolly, "Even if the boy was extraordinarily gifted, so what? Such a talent from the righteous path—aiding our enemy, isn't it helping the wrong side?"

Liu Ruyi's expression remained unchanged as she said calmly.

"And what if this unparalleled righteous figure was wronged and murdered by the Central Continent's righteous factions, his sect falsely accused of colluding with the demon path, and his entire clan annihilated?"

Everyone present stared, exchanging glances.

"This..."

The Demon Sect Leader stroked his chin solemnly, then suddenly broke into loud laughter and slapped the armrest. "Hahaha! It seems our Demon Sect has a new Saint Son!"

Laughter died down as he lowered his head and waved his hand.

"Guards! Drag all of these people away and refine them into Blood Pills to welcome the arrival of the Saint Son!"

"As you command, Cult Leader!"

The surrounding guards clasped their fists in unison, instantly encircling those witnesses. Before they could even react, they were bound hand and foot and dragged out of the hall.

"Cult Leader! I am innocent!"

"Let me go! I have shed blood for the Holy Sect, I have rendered service to the Holy Sect!"

"You cannot treat me like this!"

"Kwaa...!"

The crowd present turned a deaf ear to their screams. The Demon Sect Leader nodded in satisfaction and laughed loudly.

"The Demon Sect is destined to flourish!"