Chapter Sixty-Eight: Entering the Heretical Sect and Encountering the Ghost Infant (Part One)

On the other side, before stepping into the layers of black mist, Bai Shengyun affixed a Concealment Talisman to himself, which kept him from being discovered by the rapidly probing divine senses. Even before reaching the entrance of the Demonic Sect, he had noticed there were no guards at the gate, and realized the black mist served the same purpose as the grand array at the border between the Demonic and Celestial Sects: it was meant to detect any who entered.

Within the black mist, there was a hidden passage surrounded by chaos, obscuring all vision. Bai Shengyun could barely discern his direction, and could only walk forward endlessly. He did not know how long he had wandered there; soon, he began to feel drowsy, the chaotic qi clouding his mind and making him irritable.

At last, Bai Shengyun saw a faint white light in the distance. He stepped toward it, and as he crossed the threshold, the white light flared suddenly, dazzlingly bright. When the brilliance faded, Bai Shengyun slowly opened his eyes to behold a cluster of magnificent palaces before him, resplendent and extravagant. Unlike the plain, stately halls of the Celestial Sect, with their white bricks and jade tiles, these palaces were built of red or black wood, some exuding a seductive allure, others appearing bizarre and mysterious.

At a shadowy corner outside the main hall, a ghost clung to a red pillar, laughing maniacally with a crazed, ferocious expression. Not far off at the hall’s entrance, a man and woman—two demonic cultivators—lounged with open collars, covering their lips as they laughed softly. A thin boy with beast horns passed by, his curiosity piqued by their laughter. His large red eyes widened as he asked, “What are you laughing about?”

Bai Shengyun witnessed these scenes with a slight frown, displeased. In his Celestial Sect, few dressed so immodestly; most were sober and dignified, even those who cultivated charm techniques were merely preternaturally beautiful, never exposing themselves so shamelessly. Nor were there ghosts or monsters roaming about, and there was not a single hybrid of human and demon—as the boy appeared to be.

His first impression of this place was: madness, lust, and a disruption of all order.

He snorted softly and continued on his way. Just as he stepped forward, the ghost by the pillar abruptly ceased laughing, while the boy’s eyes narrowed, their crimson depths glinting with a bloodthirsty light.

The ghost inhaled deeply, then wore an excited expression, greed plain in his gaze. “Someone’s here... smells wonderful...”

Bai Shengyun stopped abruptly, turned, and regarded the ghost with interest.

The two demonic disciples immediately adopted solemn expressions, dropping their seductive smiles to ask in unison, “Where?”

They believed the words of ghosts and demonkin, for ghosts had once been human souls. When the soul is still bound to the body, its spiritual sense is greatly diminished; but once it becomes a ghost, freed from the flesh, its abilities are enhanced, its perception sharpened. Though their weakness remained—they could easily be destroyed with a single blow.

As for demonkin or human-demon hybrids, they were descendants of primordial demons, inheriting some ancestral powers. Their five senses were far superior to those of ordinary human or beast cultivators.

“I don’t know,” the ghost giggled, drifting playfully in the air. “He’s using a Concealment Talisman, hiding most of his aura, and his cultivation is high. I can sense he’s here, but not exactly where.”

Hearing “Concealment Talisman,” the two demonic disciples grew alarmed and hurried to report to Huo Tianqing.

The boy’s eyes darted everywhere, searching but clearly unable to pinpoint the intruder.

Bai Shengyun stood for a long while, watching as the ghost and demonkin failed to locate him; at last, he left, hands behind his back, unconcerned.

Shortly after he departed, the boy announced, “He’s gone.”

By now, Huo Tianqing had received word and rushed over, probing inch by inch with his divine sense. Yet, because Bai Shengyun had the Concealment Talisman, had deliberately suppressed his aura, and possessed cultivation equal to Huo Tianqing’s own, he remained undetected.

Huo Tianqing turned, his expression cold and forbidding. “Search!”

“Yes,” the two demonic disciples and the boy replied at once.

After the three left, the ghost floated idly in the air, unconcerned. Huo Tianqing had no intention of sending the ghost to search, knowing it would only complicate matters.

He stood with hands clasped behind his back, his demeanor stormy and chilling. A surge of spiritual power carried his voice throughout the Demonic Sect, issuing a cold command: “Someone has infiltrated the Demonic Sect. Search!”

Immediately, all disciples not secluded in cultivation heard the order. Their faces changed as they abandoned whatever they were doing and hurried off.

Bai Shengyun traveled for a while, encountering many ghosts and demonkin who sensed his presence, but their cultivation was inferior, and his Concealment Talisman kept his location hidden.

Seeing more and more demonic disciples, their expressions grim, he knew the sect was now mobilizing to seize him and bring him before Huo Tianqing.

The Demonic Sect’s powerful elders remained aloof, viewing the intruder as insignificant, trusting Huo Tianqing and the disciples to handle matters. They watched from the shadows, ready to act if necessary.

Bai Shengyun understood this well, but felt no concern.

Passing an ominous hall, he glanced at it indifferently and was about to move on when the doors suddenly opened. A chilling aura spilled forth, making him shudder. He intended to ignore it, but the familiar aura made him pause and turn.

He saw Gu Ruohan, drunk and despondent, his face haggard—gone was the dignified bearing of the former Demon Lord.

At Gu Ruohan’s side was a ghost infant, its body mangled and hairless, eyes crimson and rolling wildly in their sockets. It grinned at Gu Ruohan, revealing blood-stained, sharp white teeth.

There was a hint of mockery in its expression, as if about to jeer at Gu Ruohan. Suddenly, the infant’s playful look vanished; it leapt onto Gu Ruohan’s shoulder, crying out anxiously.

Gu Ruohan, startled by this unusual behavior, frowned and asked quickly, “What’s wrong?”

The ghost infant, hearing this, began scratching its skull with black, pointed claws, heedless of pain. Soon, blood streamed down its scalp, exposing white bone beneath. It shrieked, “Wah! Gya!”