The Demon Sect Founder

The Undying Sect Leader's expression—his very demeanor—shocked Xiao Chen. Had he once seen the demon's face before? It was the look of someone startled by the sight of a ghost. But how could that be? The Undying Sect Leader appeared seventy or eighty years old at most, while the demon had existed on Dragon Island for countless ages and had never been known to leave. How could the Sect Leader have seen his face?

In that instant, a bold speculation arose in Xiao Chen's mind: Could the demon be a senior figure of the Undying lineage? Could he even be the Evil King himself? The Sect Leader's shock, he reasoned, must have come from seeing a portrait or statue of the demon.

But he quickly dismissed the idea that the demon was a forefather of the Undying Sect. The Evil King, the sect's founder, had lived a mere one or two thousand years ago—his age was nothing compared to the demon, who had shed dozens of skins on Dragon Island, each molting separated by at least a century. The village of little Fatty Niu Ren had clear records of this.

"Old sir, what moves you so? Have you seen such a face before?" Xiao Chen asked.

A cultivator of the Undying Sect Leader's unfathomable skill could hardly fail to see that it was three skeletons wearing the molted skins. He slowly calmed his turbulent emotions and said, "I have seen it. I have truly seen it before… but it is far too incredible! This… this must be a coincidence. Nothing more than a coincidence."

The three skeletons watched the scene without a word, their stillness absolute.

"Follow me." The Undying Sect Leader, a master of depths beyond measure, had regained his usual calm. He led Xiao Chen deeper into the wooded mountains. Along the way, waterfalls cascaded and springs gushed; they passed through patches of fragrant flowers and birdsong. The buildings grew sparser as they arrived at the very quiet rear mountain. This was unquestionably a restricted area of the Undying Sect. Though few in number, the structures here were ancient, seeming to stand from ages long past. The nests of two winged dragons were located here; a young winged dragon played alone by the mouth of a huge cave on a stone cliff.

Incense smoke curled upward. Before several stone pagodas stood great bronze braziers holding thick incense sticks. Though no human figures were visible, Xiao Chen's spiritual sense told him that peerless experts guarded this place. He felt a wordless pressure, as if a warning not to misbehave.

Pushing open a mottled vermilion gate, they entered an ancient building. Passing through several halls, they stopped in a grand chamber. The hall was empty, with no superfluous furnishings—only an ancient painting enshrined at the center. To Xiao Chen's astonishment, the figure in the painting was a serene-faced old man, identical to the demon in his aged state.

"This…" Xiao Chen found himself speechless. Could his timeline be wrong? Was the demon truly the founder of the Undying Sect?

The Undying Sect Leader first bowed respectfully, then studied the painting closely, making minute comparisons with the three skeletons. "Incredible—they are exactly alike!" he exclaimed. The red mole on the right brow, the birthmark on the left wrist—all were clearly depicted in the painting, identical to the molted skins the skeletons wore.

"Were these three skins discovered on Dragon Island?" the Undying Sect Leader asked Xiao Chen.

"Yes."

"How did you find them?"

"By chance, we unearthed them from beneath the ice."

"So that man once went to Dragon Island… and for that reason vanished from this world." The Undying Sect Leader seemed lost in thought. "That man, who was he? Was he very powerful?" Xiao Chen could not help asking. The Sect Leader's own strength was unfathomable; he seemed to have torn through space and hidden himself in another dimension, giving him an unreal quality. That such a man could be stirred by the demon's molted skins meant the demon's identity must be truly extraordinary.

"Very powerful. So powerful that others can scarcely imagine matching him."

Xiao Chen knew the demon had to be exceptional—how else could it be the only entity to escape the City of the Dead? In life, it must have been a being of remarkable brilliance. Still, hearing the Undying Sect Leader's assessment, he could not suppress his shock. To deserve such praise, the demon could hardly be inferior to the Evil King himself.

"Who is he, then?"

"Do not ask that yet. First, tell me the full story of what happened."

"Very well…" Xiao Chen recounted everything he could. The Undying Sect Leader frowned and exclamations in turn as he listened.

"He is the only one who escaped the City of the Dead?" the Sect Leader murmured to himself. "To stabilize at a level surpassing the Half-God realm on sealed Dragon Island—truly earth-shattering. The sealing power on that island is able to slay gods."

The Undying Sect Leader seemed lost in recollection. He spoke as if to himself: "He broke through the void from the Mortal World. In the mortal realm, he created a peerless divine art that shook the ages, becoming invincible under heaven. Even in his early days in the World of Immortality, he swept all before him. When gods came seeking him, he slew them with a wave of his hand, reducing them to ashes. Through his actions, he built an unshakable confidence in us later disciples—that man need not fear gods, that man can surpass them."

Xiao Chen listened, his blood stirring. All signs pointed to this man being the Undying Sect's founder—the Evil King!

"Is he the peerless genius, the Evil King?" Xiao Chen had to ask, for the Evil King's techniques were self-created; he was one of the most gifted figures in history, with few equals.

"No."

"No?!" Xiao Chen found this impossible to believe.

"This hall enshrines a painting personally drawn by the Evil King. That man is far more ancient than our founder, the Evil King."

These words shocked Xiao Chen deeply. Older than the Evil King? But wasn't the Evil King the founder of the Undying Sect? The man's identity defied all speculation.

"Young man, you come from the Mortal World. You must have heard some rumors. In those days, the Mortal World had a sect known as the number one power under heaven. Though it disintegrated long ago, legends should still survive. Our founder, the Evil King, once split off from that great sect."

"The number one power under heaven… You mean the Demon Sect?"

"Correct. The Evil King's martial arts originally came from the Demon Sect. Only later did he create his own peerless Undying Art, said to rival the 'Shattering Demonic Seed to Create Divine' technique. Though the Evil King founded the Undying lineage in the World of Immortality, he never forgot his origins. Though that original sect had long crumbled, the Evil King personally painted the portrait of the Demon Sect's founder and enshrined it in this hall."

"The demon is… the Demon Sect Founder?!" Xiao Chen found his mouth dry, his voice trembling. It was all too incredible. The Demon Sect Founder—that was a terror who once swept the world without equal!

"Precisely—the Demon Sect Founder. A man of peerless talent who created such world-shaking techniques as the 'Shattering Demonic Seed to Create Divine' and the 'Heavenly Demon Art'! Though the Demon Sect has long since fallen apart, its scattered branches are still major powers in the World of Immortality. Among later disciples, only the Evil King can be mentioned in the same breath as the Demon Sect Founder."

Even though both had entered the World of Immortality, not even the Evil King had ever met the Demon Sect Founder, for they were separated by too many ages. The Demon Sect Founder had disappeared from the World of Immortality far too early, which was the primary reason for the sect's collapse.

"Unexpected—utterly unexpected. The Demon Sect Founder perished on Dragon Island. No wonder so many searched for him for so long without success." The Undying Sect Leader sighed. But knowing that the demon had undergone his return to flesh, he was still deeply stirred. This meant that after a few more years, the Demon Sect Founder might ascend to the Eternal Continent once more. If this news spread, it would shake the world. Even the Evil King himself might emerge from seclusion.

The Demon Sect Founder's potential was unsurpassed. Now that his deathly body had regained vitality, if he left Dragon Island—where divine power was sealed—his cultivation would break through several realms in succession. It would not take long for him to recover the divine arts of his prime.

Xiao Chen took the opportunity to ask the Undying Sect Leader where the Evil King was now.

"Founder Evil King has not returned to our sect in eight hundred years. No one knows his whereabouts. Unless the sect faces a crisis of life or death, he will likely never return. He has long since laid down all burdens."

Next, the three skeletons removed the demon's molted skins. These were the true mortal remains of the Demon Sect Founder. In the presence of this branch's sect leader, they could no longer wear them. The three skins were enshrined as sacred relics before the painting.

Once the Undying Sect Leader learned of the relationship between the demon and Xiao Chen, the tone between them naturally changed. Though he soon regained his calm stillness, it was no longer the same as before.

"I know that neither you nor Qingcheng have told me the whole truth, but that is not important. In such harsh circumstances, anything is possible. I also know that Wang Hao always resented Qingcheng's master and me. His attack on Qingcheng was to be expected. Out of respect for the Demon Sect Founder, I will not pursue this matter. However, if you ever dare to act against the Undying Sect, I will show no mercy. The world outside is now in chaos—the struggle over the Dragon Kings has not yet settled. You may train in our sect for now. Leave when you wish."

This was already more than generous toward Xiao Chen. Sheltered by the Undying Sect, even if anyone suspected the little defiant dragon was a Dragon King, none would dare to confront him openly. He could cultivate in peace.

Afterward, the Undying Sect Leader entered another ancient hall and retrieved a rare old book, consulting it carefully. In the end, he shook his head. "Strange. What is the origin of this little white beast? This ancient text catalogues many divine beasts of heaven and earth, but it is not listed here."

Xiao Chen took out the multicolored jade eggshell fragments from his pack. The Undying Sect Leader examined them for a long time but found no clue. Finally, he said, "If there is one tradition richer in texts than any other, it is Buddhism. If you get the chance, you should visit the Buddhists and ask them."

Xiao Chen settled down within the Undying Sect. Each day, he cultivated silently in his modest bamboo dwelling. In the Eternal Continent, strength was the only truth; to survive better, he had to break through continuously.

In the days that followed, the Undying Sect buzzed with rumors. Many disciples whispered that Xiao Chen was to become the sect's son-in-law—that Yan Qingcheng would marry him. Clearly, this was the work of some female disciples of status comparable to Yan Qingcheng's, who had secretly orchestrated the rumor. Where there are people, there is conflict—it was simply human nature. Yan Qingcheng was both mortified and furious, while many male disciples were driven to distraction.

A few disciples came to provoke him, but Keke unceremoniously threw them out. Xiao Chen let the little white beast vent its power, knowing that those who came to challenge him so churlishly were minor players. True men of substance would not act this way; if they moved, they would strike with careful planning.

A week passed. A powerful figure of the Undying Sect returned: Qin Changfeng, father of Qin Yi. Like Wang Hao, he was nominally a junior disciple to the Sect Master, though their ages placed him a generation younger—he was barely fifty. The moment Qin Changfeng arrived, he stirred up a storm, demanding that Xiao Chen and Yan Qingcheng be punished. He had secretly learned of Wang Hao's death.

For a time, the Undying Sect was caught in a whirlwind. However, under the Sect Leader's firm hand, no major upheaval occurred. In the end, Yan Qingcheng was confined to the rear mountain, while Xiao Chen, as an outsider, was sentenced to a year's seclusion in a restricted area of the sect. But in truth, this was less a punishment than a forced cultivation retreat. The Undying Sect Leader treated him fairly—the place of confinement lay between the rear and front mountains, in a spot of striking beauty.

Xiao Chen was glad for a peaceful place to train in solitary. But the tree desired stillness while the wind would not relent. That evening, in a certain courtyard, Qin Yi handed a packet of medicine to a man beside him. "This dosage is sufficient," he said. The man swallowed hard and asked, "This… this is a powerful sedative. Won't such a large amount kill him?" Qin Yi smiled. "No. That fellow's cultivation is deep. It won't cause real trouble."

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen was startled from his meditation by the little white beast Keke. In recent days, Keke had been appearing and disappearing mysteriously, often gone without a trace—no one knew what it was busy with. The little snow-white beast held a string of crystal-clear red fruits in its mouth, their fragrance intoxicating. In its claws, it clutched an ancient text. Its expression was unusually excited; its big eyes blinked eagerly as it pushed both the book and the glossy fruit toward Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen looked at it curiously. When he took the ancient text, he was stunned speechless. On the cover were four ancient characters: Undying Demon Art. It was actually the supreme divine art that safeguarded the Undying Sect—and the little white beast had stolen it! Xiao Chen's heart pounded with shock. "You… where did you find this?" His mouth went dry. This was nothing short of a catastrophe. The little creature had gone far too far.