Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

Chapter 2: 2. What is the fine tradition of the Demon Cultivator?

Black Heart Mountain is a mountain, just as a certain village is inevitably a village, and likewise, words without causation tend to be empty talk.

However, there is a reason why Black Heart Mountain bears this name.

There’s also a reason why the Heartless Old Man used disciples as consumables, refining even those with unparalleled talent.

That year, when the Heartless Old Man was over a hundred years old, which was a cause for great celebration in the Jiawu Realm, for a century of cultivation meant reaching the pinnacle of purity in one’s practice.

Filled with ambitious zeal, the Heartless Old Man then set out to gather the remnants of the Demon Cultivators and re-establish their sect!

But then...

First, because the other branches of Demon Cultivators would not submit to him, he fought with them. They destroyed his prized demonic form, and then came the disciples from Mt. Extinguishing Sword, which had quelled the Demon Cultivator sect leaders in the past.

They unleashed seventy-two sword formations against him, forbidding his magic, commanding him with law, and suppressing him with power, giving the Heartless Old Man a thorough chill to the core.

It was only thanks to his early mastery of a "black heart" that he was able to transfer his injuries to his disciples in the nick of time, thereby saving his life.

However, with his demonic form severed and his black heart expended, most of the Heartless Old Man’s cultivation was also gone. Moreover, the seventy-two sword formations from Mt. Extinguishing Sword gnawed at him like a bone-deep ulcer, tirelessly corroding his being.

Thus, came the reason why the Heartless Old Man took in disciples such as Tan Shuchang.

Speaking of Black Heart Mountain, this mountain is enshrouded in dense clouds all year round. Looking into the distance, one would see either jagged rocks showcasing ghastly and terrifying features, or intertwining shadows incessantly consuming what light was visible.

Stare too long, and one might even get the illusion that those shadows are living things.

So, although there are quite a few people on Black Heart Mountain, it often feels desolate, with only the sound of nature rustling the grass and trees. At this moment, two light shadows, like blurred streaks of lightning, approached swiftly from afar, moving so fast that one could only see two overlapping phantoms with the naked eye.

These two light shadows began to solidify.

More accurately, the two people who had rushed here had stopped.

If Tan Shuchang had known about the "fasting ascension to a demon" being moved forward, he would have had no choice but to curse his luck and attempt to flee Black Heart Mountain at all costs.

But now, he had assimilated the fierce ghost he had captured... oh, that he had invited from that strange game.

Tan Shuchang was confident that the Heartless Old Man’s chances of defeating him were less than fifty percent.

At this moment, the two women showed no reaction to Tan Shuchang’s display. However, the Heartless Old Man secretly controlling them let out a sigh of relief. He immediately had these two puppets take this third disciple to his true place of cultivation.

It was believed by many, though not a consensus, that the Heartless Old Man resided on Black Heart Mountain.

In reality, after witnessing the seventy-two sword forms on Sword Exempt Mountain, this old demon had hidden outside of Black Heart Mountain in a city managed by the disciples of the Jianxia Sect.

The Jianxia Sect was considered part of the righteous path. However, as many of its disciples had marital relations with branches of the Demon Cultivator sects, over time, it came to serve as a buffer between the righteous and demonic paths.

Although Sword Exempt Mountain’s Exalted Ancestor had killed the previous Demon Cultivator sect leader, commanding respect throughout the Jiawu Realm, with the Demon Sect Leader gone into hiding, Sword Exempt Mountain’s old ancestors all went into seclusion or rarely appeared in public.

Therefore, the relationship between the righteous and demonic paths often followed the principle of avoiding conflict when possible.

The neighboring mountain mentioned in Tan Shuchang’s diary was actually where the Jianxia Sect was located.

Now, as Tan Shuchang followed the two puppets to Qinghe City of the Jianxia Sect, he felt a measure of surprise; he had not expected this old demon to be hiding here.

He also realized why he had been untroubled so far.

He thought it was because, aside from his eldest senior sister and Second Senior Brother drawing attention to themselves, he had been extremely lucky. It turns out, the old demon was too far away to detect the abnormalities within him.

The foundation of a hundred years of cultivating the truth was indeed formidable, but even the formidability had its limits.

"Does our venerated teacher reside here?" Tan Shuchang looked at the large mansion before him, already sensing the Heartless Old Man. However, he still chose to feign ignorance and ask.

"Hahaha, your teacher is right here. Come in quickly!" The hearty laughter of the Heartless Old Man came from inside, the tone laced with barely concealed excitement.