Chapter 13: Continue Watching Xu Gu Operate

All righteous cultivators understood one principle.

Killing a demonic cultivator was easy, but trying to reform one was as hard as ascending to heaven.

Yet Xu Gu had not reformed just one demonic cultivator, but an entire Demon Cavern full of them.

He led them toward goodness.

How could this not make Illusion Colored Clothes and the others submit in their hearts?

In their view, even if their master, or even their grandmaster, came in person, they still could not accomplish this.

“What a pity, the time was too short. I couldn’t fully display everything,” Xu Gu said regretfully as he stepped out of the illusion.

Those words entered everyone’s ears.

Everyone on the scene had their expressions twitch, their hearts filled with complicated feelings.

When faced with the test of the righteous siege, they had racked their brains and still could not find a way to break it.

In particular, the Demon Cavern’s senior brother’s expression kept shifting. He had prepared early, using the Cavern’s supreme treasure to simulate countless times, and the only conclusion he arrived at was that the problem had no solution.

Yet now Xu Gu had not only solved it, but wiped out the entire righteous army instead, and was actually complaining that the time was too short and he could not show his full hand?

If this was him not fully displaying his abilities—

What would it be like if he went all out?

“This kid is far too demonic!”

“Thank goodness his talent is bad.”

“Otherwise, I’d really have to worry about my position.”

Han Changsheng’s heart was in turmoil, shaken to the extreme. But then the corners of his mouth curled up as he remembered that Xu Gu’s talent was only triple spiritual roots.

While he himself had dual spiritual roots and could firmly suppress Xu Gu.

He did not worry about being usurped.

Heh, those with better brains than me don’t have better roots than me; those with better roots don’t have better brains.

Thinking of this, Han Changsheng could not help but smile.

He was steady.

The other demon heads were thinking the same thing.

“Senior brother, you’re incredible!”

As expected, the righteous spies all voiced their praise.

“Well done,” the demon heads also said with smiles, praising him in turn.

“Tsk.” Everyone’s reaction made Xu Gu hesitate in confusion. What was going on? He had only made a few casual moves. Why was everyone reacting this strongly?

Were they… consoling me?

That was completely unnecessary.

Traditional demonic cultivators could not escape the limitations of spiritual roots, but he was not a traditional demonic cultivator.

“Please begin the third trial,” Xu Gu said, his gaze burning, full of passion for realizing his ambitions in demonic cultivation.

“Ahem.” Han Changsheng glanced at Xu Gu. Originally, he had designed these trials only to intimidate these incoming disciples, but ended up getting intimidated by Xu Gu instead.

“The third trial is very simple.

“Facing the increasingly powerful righteous forces, the living space of the demonic path grows ever smaller. Suppose you are the Demon Lord of the Great Cool Demon Cavern. How would you reverse the situation and cause the Demon Cavern to flourish and prosper?”

Han Changsheng stated the question of the final trial.

As his words fell, the eyes of all the demon heads turned toward him.

They finally understood. All three trials reflected the current dilemmas faced by the Demon Cavern. Han Changsheng himself could not find solutions, so he turned them into test questions.

“Hiss, then that first trial’s debt…”

All the demon heads sucked in a cold breath, feeling a bad premonition.

Meanwhile, Xu Gu and the others had already entered the illusion.

…

“Make the Demon Cavern flourish and prosper? How is that possible?”

Unsurprisingly, the five righteous spies all shook their heads when they saw this trial.

They felt it could not be done.

The righteous path was indeed flourishing. The five great immortal sects at its head, the nine supreme-grade sects, and all the grade-one sects—each one of them possessed enough might to wipe out the Great Cool Demon Cavern.

But their flourishing state had been built up over a very long time. Which one of those sects did not possess more than ten thousand years of heritage?

“Still, since it’s a trial, they probably just want to see our attitude.”

Illusion Colored Clothes and the others, relying on their sect treasures, had not lost their memories. They understood the situation right away.

This trial, like the first two, probably only required them to demonstrate the right attitude and a certain level of ability. The result itself was not that important.

However, after observing for a while, Illusion Colored Clothes felt a headache coming on.

Because in a short time, she could not think of any solution.

“This trial is really hard. Wait, if it were Senior Brother Xu Gu, what would he do?”

Illusion Colored Clothes tried to put herself in Xu Gu’s place.

“Got it,” her eyes lit up.

“The demonic path is weak, not because there are too few demonic cultivators or their cultivation too low, but because their hearts are not united. They each hold their own agendas and are just a scattered pile of sand.”

Illusion Colored Clothes’ lips curled upward. She already had a direction and a plan.

“I just need to unite their hearts.”

Illusion Colored Clothes said, full of pride and self-satisfaction.

“Make all the demonic cultivators work together? Contribute to the Demon Cavern? That will be extremely difficult…”

Her trusted aides all shook their heads and looked troubled after hearing her plan.

It was not just them. Even the demon heads outside were all nodding in agreement.

They had all thought of this point, but simply could not pull it off.

The reason was simple. They were all demonic cultivators, without any benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, or trustworthiness. They only gathered to keep warm together. How could they unite? How could they possibly be willing to contribute to the Demon Cavern?

Then—

Illusion Colored Clothes activated her illusions and brainwashed all the demonic cultivators.

They all became humanoid puppets, completely united in heart and willingly contributing to the Demon Cavern.

In the end, under her leadership, the entire Demon Cavern, having been completely brainwashed and united as one, became even more fearless in plundering and pillaging. Their development was thriving and booming.

“As expected of a heaven-sent demonic child!”

All the demon heads trembled inwardly at the sight.

Xu Gu was so demonic that he almost made them forget about the other five geniuses.

“Perfect pass,” Han Changsheng said, lavish in his praise.

Although the demon heads’ hearts shook at Illusion Colored Clothes’ methods, they were not overly panicked.

Because Xu Gu had shocked them so much that they had built up a bit of resistance.

Besides, illusion techniques used to brainwash others, especially large numbers of people, had very harsh requirements.

Not to mention that their cultivation was far above Illusion Colored Clothes’. As long as they maintained vigilance, they would never be fooled.

The other four righteous spies—

Also displayed their abilities.

“If it were Senior Brother Xu Gu, what would he do?”

“Yes, that’s it!”

“I alone am the Demon Cavern. As long as I’m strong, the Cavern is strong.”

Drawing inspiration from Xu Gu’s earlier actions, the sword cultivator youth Li Shaobai decided to blood-sacrifice all the cultivators in the Demon Cavern and focus solely on raising his own cultivation.

In the end, he became a peerless great demon.

Thus, everyone in the Demon Cavern became a peerless great demon.

They dominated the region.

“We’re too poor. Even if we want to develop, we have no startup capital. If I were Senior Brother Xu Gu, what would I do?”

The Confucian youth and Buddhist youth also drew inspiration from Xu Gu’s earlier actions. They reported rival demonic forces to obtain their first pot of gold and built good relations with the authorities.

Then they recruited troops and expanded their influence.

Next, through persuasive talk, they fired up the demonic cultivators.

In pillaging and plundering, they worked extra hard.

Their development thrived as well.

“If I were Senior Brother Xu Gu…”

“Yes, that’s it—demonic cultivators’ lives aren’t lives.”

The body cultivator youth thought for a while before his eyes lit up. He decided on militarized management.

Under normal circumstances, demonic cultivators were hard to discipline and could not be managed with military discipline.

But demonic cultivators’ lives weren’t lives. The body cultivator youth used thunderous methods and simply did not treat demonic cultivators as people. Those who did not obey orders were all brutally suppressed.

In the end, he forged a steel-blooded legion.

In plundering and pillaging, they were unstoppable.

“Why do they all seem… more ferocious now?”

“Is this the true nature of the heaven-sent demonic children revealed?”

“Or were they influenced by Xu Gu?”

The demon heads watched the third-trial operations of the five righteous spies and felt their lips twitch, their hearts numb with shock.

In the first two trials, although the five had shown demonic tendencies, they were still within acceptable bounds.

Nothing too extreme.

But now, their demonic behavior was far too excessive.

They could vaguely see Xu Gu’s shadow in all of them.

Compared to their actions in the third trial, the demon heads all felt they themselves were good people.

“It’s like Xu Gu opened their Ren and Du meridians,” Ping Wuqi said slowly after some thought.

In all their actions, he could see traces of Xu Gu’s first two trials.

Although their memories were temporarily erased in the illusion, the patterns of thought they had gained after witnessing Xu Gu’s operations and gaining enlightenment remained.

“I think so too,” the demon heads all nodded, agreeing.

If not for that, there was no way the contrast before and after could be so stark.

Unconsciously, their respect for Xu Gu grew deeper.

Could it be that Xu Gu, with the poorest aptitude, was actually the leader among these heaven-sent demonic children?

But just as they were talking—

The five righteous spies, after developing the Demon Cavern into a booming power, all ran into the same problem.

Because they had committed too many evil acts, they were jointly eradicated by the righteous path and the authorities.

The entire Demon Cavern was annihilated.

“As expected, it still can’t be done?” All the demon heads looked dejected and a little disappointed. Although the demonic path carried destiny, reviving it was truly a steep and difficult road.

“Don’t be discouraged.”

Just then, Senior Brother Han Changsheng waved his hand and said calmly:

“Continue watching Xu Gu operate.”

(End of this chapter)