Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Showy Demonic Cultivator

Ning Xianyu continued rifling through the demon cultivator’s belongings, showing no intention of teaming up with anyone. Yet, there was something that puzzled her.

“Why do we have to fight our way to the Sanctuary?”

If they were going to deliver congratulatory gifts to the Saintess, shouldn’t they just travel there? Why did it have to involve fighting?

That demon cultivator looked at her as if she were a country bumpkin. “You must be from the countryside and have never been to the Sanctuary. You don’t understand—competition on the road to the Sanctuary is fierce. If you don’t kill others, they’ll kill you.”

How foolish could these people be? Were they really from the Demon Realm?

Ning Xianyu found plenty of good things on the demon cultivator, though she had no idea what any of it was. She stuffed everything into her storage pouch without a second thought.

The thing she liked most about this world was the storage pouch. Enchanted with spatial magic, a tiny pouch could hold a vast amount of items, and no matter how much she packed in, it never got heavy—truly convenient.

Having completed her looting, Ning Xianyu stood up, ready to leave.

Cooperate with demon cultivators? What was she thinking?

After all, they had the number one cultivator of the Six Realms of Yunhuang with them; why would they need anyone else? What a joke.

“Then let’s go together,” the top cultivator said just as Ning Xianyu finished laughing to herself.

She stiffened, hurried over to him, and whispered, “Are we really going together?”

They were immortal cultivators—what if their identities were exposed while traveling with demon cultivators?

Xuan Yuan Tunhan didn’t even look at her. “Let’s go together. You can carry this Fire Qilin as a gift for the Saintess.”

The demon cultivators instantly perked up, praising his good judgment.

They excitedly tied up the Fire Qilin, preparing to carry it along the way. With a creature so massive, it took ten of them to lift it, making it look as if the Fire Qilin had grown a dozen little short legs, shuffling awkwardly along the ground.

The sight was thoroughly humiliating.

“Are we really going to carry it like this?” Ning Xianyu thought it was both exhausting and undignified.

Yi Tianling, however, was more concerned, “Do we really have to travel with them?”

He didn’t want to go with these people either, but since Xuan Yuan Tunhan had already decided, he had no choice but to follow.

As for those demon cultivators, they were even more convinced these three were bumpkins who had never seen the world.

“This Fire Qilin is powerful. If we carry its corpse openly, all the demons on the road will see our strength.”

With such a large prey, of course you had to show it off—how could you possibly hide it?

Ning Xianyu was baffled.

[System, are all demon cultivators this foolish and showy? Isn’t this just bragging for the sake of it?]

The system chuckled. [According to the original author’s setting, demon cultivators are all stubborn, proud, and love to flaunt themselves. Mortals say you shouldn’t display your wealth, but for demons, strength must be shown for all to see.]

Such a contrast—one reserved, one flamboyant. No wonder the human and demon realms never got along.

With this explanation, she couldn’t help but find demon cultivators a bit endearing.

Their group, once three people, now included a Fire Qilin and a bunch of demon cultivators acting as legs—a most imposing procession.

Showing off was impressive, but it had its downsides—namely, attracting trouble.

In just an hour, they were ambushed three times.

The robbing demon cultivators were even more aggressive than those they’d met before. Spotting the Fire Qilin, they charged in headlong, making no effort to hide their intentions or use any strategy.

Ning Xianyu stood aside, watching the spectacle as the demon cultivators were battered and thrown aside, only to see their companions laugh boisterously, as if unearthing a trove of treasure.

She suddenly realized these demon cultivators were parading on purpose.

They flaunted their prize not just to show off, but to invite others to fight them. What they truly enjoyed wasn’t the trophy, but the brawl.

As long as they got to fight, win or lose, they were delighted.

When Ning Xianyu sent more than thirty robbing demon cultivators flying with one powerful technique, their companions actually cheered, dancing joyfully and singing some unintelligible song.

Ning Xianyu was speechless and struggled not to laugh.

Just as she was about to, she caught Xuan Yuan Tunhan glaring at her and had to suppress her amusement.

They traveled together for a day, gradually becoming more familiar. Ning Xianyu learned that the leader of the demon cultivators was called Saba, and his underlings had such odd names she couldn’t remember a single one.

The three of them didn’t use their real names, either. Yi Tianling called himself Tianling, Ning Xianyu said she was Ayuan, and Xuan Yuan Tunhan claimed to be Salted Fish.

Ning Xianyu shot him a glare. Even if she liked being a salted fish, he had no right to give her such an awful name while in her body.

Saba, however, was quite fond of the name. “Salted Fish is great! In the Sanctuary, there’s a type of salted fish that tastes amazing. One fish can last you a whole year.”

What?

Ning Xianyu wondered just how big a fish would have to be to last a year.

But Saba explained, “It’s not the size—it’s the salt. Eating that fish helps control the madness within. A single lick can last a year.”

He licked his lips longingly, as if savoring the taste already.

Ning Xianyu shuddered and lost all desire to be a salted fish. It was simply disgusting.

Along the way, she encountered all sorts of bizarre, wild demon cultivators, and gradually grew accustomed to them.

Still, she was curious and quietly asked Xuan Yuan Tunhan, “Ancestor, why are they going to the Sanctuary? What are they celebrating for the Saintess?”

Xuan Yuan Tunhan replied, “To see the Blood Origin Stone.”

“How do you see it?”

She’d thought the Blood Origin Stone was a secret, but did all demon cultivators know about it?

Xuan Yuan Tunhan said, “Figure it out yourself.”

That system seemed to know everything; he couldn’t be bothered to explain.

Feeling aggrieved, Ning Xianyu went off to grumble in a corner.

[System, explain, please.]

The system sighed. [The Blood Origin Stone can absorb demonic energy. Although demon cultivators are demons, they actually fear demonic energy—if it gets too strong, they’ll go mad and lose their reason.]

[The more powerful a demon cultivator, the easier it is to lose control. It’s all because of that egg. If they want to stay sane, they must use the Blood Origin Stone to absorb the demonic energy within them.]

Because of this, the Blood Origin Stone was a treasure throughout the Demon Realm.

The system told her the Saintess was the only one in the Demon Realm who could control the Blood Origin Stone, as she was born from its birthplace.

To absorb their demonic nature, demon cultivators held a ceremony every year on the Saintess’s birthday.

Only those who presented gifts pleasing to the Saintess, or who were exceptionally powerful, would be allowed into the sacred altar for close contact with the Blood Origin Stone.

Every year, demon cultivators flocked there, hoping to win those coveted places.

[It’s said that even if you can’t see the Blood Origin Stone, just seeing the Saintess and receiving her blessing can suppress the demonic energy within.]

[Really? Can a person be so miraculous?] Ning Xianyu was skeptical.

The system replied bluntly, [Of course not. If it were true, wouldn’t the villagers of Xuzhen have been saved already?]

[Tch!]

Rumors, as expected, could not be trusted.

While Ning Xianyu was busy mumbling to herself, Saba and the rest of the demon cultivators sidled over once more.