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Daqian, Star State.
Inside Changjun City.
Seven figures, like shooting stars, streaked past the crowd.
It was clearly discernible that the seven belonged to two camps, with six chasing one fleeing.
"Rumors from the outside world say the Ancient Demon has been acting out of ordinary recently, suspected of a deviation during cultivation. Now, it seems it is indeed no falsehood. With the Cultivation of Refining God, his capabilities are less than those of Hugging Pill, and every move he makes worsens his injuries! Today, we, the Zhengyi sixth son, will punish the wicked, promote the good, eliminate demons, and uphold the Dao!"
Among the six pursuers, one shouted out loudly as a reminder, "He's trying to escape in the chaos of Changjun City's population. Do not let him succeed. Remember, the one in the red robe is the Ancient Demon!"
This shout made the fleeing figure ahead shudder and, taking advantage of a corner, he quickly tore off and discarded his long robe.
However, even so, one of the pursuers quickly recognized his identity again: "Over there, over there, the one with a hair band and long hair is the Ancient Demon!"
The person escaping in front trembled once more.
Taking advantage of a marketplace ahead, he plunged into the crowd, hastily discarding his hair band, using his sword to cut his long hair, looking utterly disheveled.
While fleeing, he grumbled in frustration, "This is not fair; they tried to kill me, and I was forced to kill in self-defense! And this stacks Karma BUFF on me? They're allowed to kill me, but I'm not allowed to kill them!?"
His complaints weren't directed at a person.
But at a Qing Lian in his spiritual world.
...
Since a projection similar to the Immortal Cultivation World appeared on Blue Star, games and movies related to xianxia became hugely popular, and related figurines emerged in great variety.
Gu Jinlai came across a Qing Lian figurine at a deserted construction site and picked it up.
He found it beautiful and took it home for a thorough cleaning.
In the process of cleaning, his finger was accidentally cut by the lotus leaf...
The next moment, a splendidly dazzling chaotic Qingguang filled his horizon.
When he awoke, he had become this Demon Sect Elder who shared his name.
In the spiritual world, a Qing Lian bloomed, and his consciousness sat atop it.
When he killed those steeped in wickedness, whose Karma was Bright Red, he could obtain Qingguang to infuse into the Qing Lian, aiding in Sudden Enlightenment and increasing his Cultivation.
If he were to strike against those of the Righteous Sect, he would attract Karma to himself, and various life-threatening dangers would follow.
As mentioned earlier, he had transmigrated into an Elder of the Demon Sect.
The Elder had perished completely in a cultivation deviation, but it seemed his death wasn't enough; he also left behind a nine-layer Karma BUFF!
Bright Red.
Shivering with fright, he immediately chose to abandon evil and embrace goodness.
That turned out well. "Gu Jinlai" originally had transferred to Changjun City to avoid a rival from the same sect. The sudden change to seeking goodness attracted many probes from his rival.
In just a month, various provocations and attacks were countless.
He bore and ceded.
But this forbearance seemed to affirm the enemy's speculations.
Thus, rumors arose, and subsequently, he was encircled and attacked by Zhengyi Dao disciples.
He intended to explain, but the Zhengyi Dao disciples came at him with lethal force. In a dangerous close brush with death, he was provoked into killing one of them in self-defense, and as a result...
The Karma BUFF stacked to ten layers!
The result was that no matter how he hid, he was always "accidentally" discovered and relentlessly pursued by Zhengyi Dao disciples.
...
"Ancient Demon, you cannot escape!"
Outside Lingxiao City.
Gu Jinlai was eventually cornered by the Zhengyi sixth son.
Six individuals from the Immortal Sect, dressed in white, were poised and majestic, holding sharp swords, surrounding him in the middle.
What a sight of vanquishing devils and eliminating demons it was.
Gu Jinlai took in a deep breath, "I was kidnapped at the age of six and sold to the Purgatory Demon Sect. After sixty years, I finally reached the Refining God stage. Now, in my twilight years, feeling the heavy burden of my grave sins, I disbanded all my demon skills... "
"Devil, what do you want to say!?"
The leader of the Zhengyi sixth son stepped forward, spoke sharply.
He was Ding Buqi, a True Disciple of Zhengyi Dao ranked within the top ten. He had opened all the meridians in his body, reached the Perfection of Qi Refining, and was just a step away from refining Qi into Gang, breathing out Sword Qi, and killing within ten steps.
"Give me a chance," Gu Jinlai said in a deep voice.
"How can I give you a chance?"
"Before, I had no choice. Now, I want to be a good person," he replied.
"Good, go and tell our Sect Leader of Zhengyi Dao, see if he allows you to be a good person."
"That would be sending me to my death."
"Sorry, I am a follower of the Righteous..."
"Sst!"
Before Ding Buqi could finish speaking, a sword light blossomed like a Red Lotus, turning into numerous Sword Qi, shooting in all directions.
Ding Buqi managed to protect his body with True Qi at the first moment, but was still sliced by the Sword Qi, leaving several marks.
His five weaker companions had slower reactions, and were even pierced through by the Sword Qi.
Amidst the burst of Sword Qi, Gu Jinlai's figure leapt and soared, crossing the earth like a loosed arrow, shooting into the distant woods.
"Despicable and shameless! To actually ambush us!"
"Junior Sister Li!"
"Quick, send the signal, notify the other disciples to come and encircle and kill the old demon. Let's all join hands. There's no need to talk about righteousness when dealing with such a demon giant!"
...
In the woods, Gu Jinlai continued to flee desperately.
Though he had injured the Zhengyi sixth son in his previous outburst, because none of those six were of Bright Red Karma, he dared not kill any of them. This led the Zhengyi Dao disciples to believe he was at the end of his rope.
Those Zhengyi Dao Elders and cultivators who thought themselves not much less capable than the Zhengyi sixth son gathered in groups and joined the hunt. By now, the number of Zhengyi Dao people in these woods had reached the dozens, if not hundreds.
If it weren't for the fear of a trap, the Sect Leader himself could hardly refrain from coming out to collect the reward.
An all-out mobilization would not be an exaggeration.
"Fortunately, there was no one killed just now, or else another layer of Karma would have been added, and I wouldn't have had a chance to catch my breath!" Gu Jinlai wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurried to recover.
"The Zhengyi sixth son is so bold, Qi Refining newcomers daring to chase and kill a Refining God Giant!"
He had not received the Ancient Demon's memories, but after more than a month of crossing, he had figured out the Cultivation System.
First is the tempering of the Body through the three steps of Body Refining, Refining the Organs, and Blood Exchange, followed by entering the Qi Refining Realm.
Only after completing Qi Refining, Gang Condensation, and Hugging Pill, can one become a Refining God Immortal.
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Such individuals were elder-level in top sects, having reached the higher echelons of the Cultivation World and being known as giants.
"How are these self-proclaimed Righteous Sect members any different from those on the Demon Path? Yet their Karma is not as heavy as mine, at most they're just Yellow or Light Red Names!"
Gu Jinlai gasped for breath, "Isn't there any less powerful Great Demon coming after me to deliver a few Qingguangs?"
But he also knew, how could anyone with weak strength become a Great Demon?
They would have already been exterminated by those Righteous Sect members under the guise of acting on Heaven's behalf.
"I can't rest, the Karma BUFF hasn't dissipated yet. The 'Gu Jinlai' enemies and those coming for the bounty will all rush over. If I were strong enough, I could turn them into ash, but now... one misstep could lead to an early death before achieving success."
Gu Jinlai forced his tired body to keep running into the depths of the mountains and forests.
He didn't inherit the Ancient Demon's memories; all the techniques he knew were crammed in one month of overtime study after crossing over. Unleashing the formidable Red Lotus Sword Qi of the Hugging Pill level, he hadn't managed to kill even one Zhengyi sixth son.
It was mainly because he didn't dare to kill, but his half-baked skill level was also a factor.
With such skill, if caught by a Hugging Pill Elder of the Zhengyi Dao, he wouldn't stand a chance to escape.
...
One day, three days, six days...
Gu Jinlai had been fleeing in the mountains and forests for ten days.
Scarcely fed, barely clothed.
Moreso he had to bear immense mental pressure, uncertain if he would see the sun the next day.
The mental pressure was one thing, but when faced with pursuers, he couldn't counter-kill.
Otherwise, the Karma BUFF would stack higher and higher, and the number and strength of his pursuers would grow.
It was suffocating.
"I'm nearly at my limit. Three days ago, the pursuers who 'accidentally' ran into me were mostly at Qi Refinement with one or two at Gang Condensation. Yesterday, I even encountered the Star State Four Fierce—that's four Gang Condensations. The next step—Hugging Pill!?"
Hugging Pill!
Gu Jinlai shuddered.
Ten days of fleeing for his life, barely surviving each time. He had just barely managed to start learning the Red Lotus Sword Qi, a Hugging Pill sword technique, and the rest...
Movement technique? No idea!
Secret technique? No idea!
Magic? No idea!
Killing move? None!
Combat experience? Virtually none!
In such a state, let alone facing a Hugging Pill, fighting off the Star State Four Fierce at Gang Condensation level who held more Karma than him was by no means certain.
Those he could kill, he couldn't defeat; those he could defeat, he couldn't kill.
The epitome of tragedy!
"Even Blood Exchange Martial Artists are coming after me now! Am I, a Refining God Giant, not intimidating enough? Aren't you afraid that I play the villain, feigning weakness to ensnare enemies?"
Gu Jinlai held back his frustration.
But looking at his pitiful state, with tattered clothes and exposed skin...
He indeed lacked presence.
This crossing over would be better off if he just returned to Blue Star.
Immortal Cultivation in the black society of this world isn't worth staying for.
At this moment, he sharply heard something.
People!?
Startled, he was about to flee.
But then he listened clearly.
It was two groups fighting each other, not coming for him.
Unnecessarily seeing a bow in a snake's shadow.
"It seems one side is of the Demon Path?"
Gu Jinlai took a deep breath, "I must kill a Bright Red Name to get Qingguang and wash off this Karma BUFF!"
With that thought, he crept closer.
...
At this time, on the small path below the mountain, a group of about a dozen people were guarding three horse carriages.
Outside them were four figures.
Just four individuals seemed to have the dozen-person convoy surrounded, preventing them from breaking free.
The highest in cultivation among those in the convoy was an elder who was already fighting for his life, with True Qi bursting forth.
His opponent was a middle-aged man clad in blood-red robes, his face full of sinister cruelty, whose cultivation had already reached Qi Refining Perfection. Had it not been for fear of the elder fighting to the death, he would have already slain him with his sword.
"Blood Demon Ancestor! For your Blood Demon Technique, in just one month, you've slaughtered three villages! How dare you show your face outside Lingxiao City!?"
The elder fought recklessly, only attacking, never defending.
"Haha, so what, today it's not just you who will die. Your Li Family of two hundred and sixty-three people has also been promised to me, Ancestor. After I use your blood to refine your two hundred and sixty-three souls, my skill will reach great achievement, I will Condense Qi into Gang, and then I can go anywhere in this vast world!"
The man battling the elder laughed wildly, his voice containing power to disorient the mind, filling the dozen or so guards with panic.
"You... You are indeed the one hired by the Three Great Families!"
From the carriage, a young man in plain clothes, about twenty years old, admonished, "The Wang Family, Zhao Family, and Fang Family conspired with the Red Blood Demon Sect, using Lingxiao City as a transfer point. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Devils, they kidnap civilians for those demons to cultivate their Demon Skills. Causing countless families to be torn apart. After my father discovered this, they framed him... You will suffer retribution!"
"Retribution? The lament of a defeated dog. The useless lot from those three villages said the same thing. And the result? I, the Ancestor, am still alive and well, my cultivation reaching higher and higher, while those three villages, over two thousand people, have been cleanly wiped out by me!"
The Blood Demon Ancestor laughed loudly while his powerful voice shook, causing the elder to falter in his Qi.
"You demon!"
The young man glared with rage.
"Hahahaha! Shout, curse, I enjoy watching you hate me to the bone yet can do nothing about it!"
Amidst the laughter, suddenly, a laugh that seemed long suppressed and now burst forth echoed from the trees nearby.
The laughter was thunderous, filled with exhilaration, joy, madness, and even...
Salvation from a hopeless situation!
"Hahahaha, what did I find!? A Bright Red Name with even more sins than I have! Excellent! This is too good!"
"Who's there!?"
The Blood Demon Ancestor's face changed.
The next moment, a figure shot out like an arrow of light, too fast for anyone to react. A reddish sword light, carrying the edge that could tear everything apart, enveloped the Blood Demon Ancestor.
"Die for me!"