Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

Indeed, having his diary stolen time and again, if he said he didn’t want to know who was stealing his diary, that would definitely be impossible.

And with his own Divine Skills still insufficient, Tan Shuchang could only try to bait the thief.

Then, Tan Shuchang focused all his energy on preparing for the upcoming battle.

Though fifty-one years of cultivation practice was within him, and he had mastered two volumes of the Cross Calamity Immortal Scripture, combined with his unique abilities, Tan Shuchang was already among the strong within the Jiawu Realm.

Now, those likely to defeat him were probably old veterans who had been renowned for many years and wielded spiritual treasures, like Nan Jian Su Huan’an. Explore stories at m,v l’e-m|p| y r

But that Long Zhangyuan was the Son of the Heavenly Mandate!

Who knew what accidents and changes could occur when facing such an entity?

Just like the time at the Anxinshan Meeting, what should have been a fatal blow was thwarted by a Jade Pendant treasure that shielded Long Zhangyuan, followed by several elderly Cultivators directly locking onto him with their qi from afar.

And this time, in the battle to the death... although in that challenge letter, Long Zhangyuan had made it clear that it was a grudge match between the two of them with no interference from anyone else, it was foolish to take such words to heart. To do so would mean meeting the same fate as his father, who had drunk the poisoned wine bestowed by Emperor Yi.

Therefore, in this so-called grudge match, Tan Shuchang suspected his real opponents would be the old ancestors of Mount Tu Jian, not Long Zhangyuan.

"I just wonder, when I’ve cut down these old fossils, will the Cultivators of the Jiawu Realm be taken aback, and whether Emperor Yi will be able to sleep at night?"

Tan Shuchang spoke with a wistful tone.

His face was expressionless, his thoughts unknown, when suddenly, he reached back and pulled out a nameless token.

Gazing at the token that seemed ownerless for a moment, Tan Shuchang brought his fingers together.

Instantly, the entire token crumbled into a pile of powder; some scattered into the air, while some fell from his fingertips.

He wasn’t close to Tan, his familial predecessor; one might even say he felt no affection, but having lived two lifetimes, he felt compelled to repay the debt of upbringing.

"Everyone knows that by not forgetting the original intention, one can achieve the goal. But how many truly understand that while the original intention is easy to establish, it’s difficult to maintain until the end?"

"That year, amidst the warm spring and bright sunshine, I first learned that the Tan family spanned thirteen provinces. Thus, even before the destruction of the Tan family, I made a secret vow to seek vengeance for the Tan family and kill the entire family of the emperor."

"A promise held from start to finish, after killing those old ancestors from Mount Tu Jian, it will be time for me to fulfill that vow."

Tan Shuchang’s thoughts shifted as he sensed someone approaching. He waved his sleeve to scatter the powder and without waiting for the person to enter, he asked, "Is the Magical Treasure Pavilion unwilling? Whose decision was this?"

The arrival was the same official, who had left with the Token and had returned with only the Token.

"They said there’s never been a precedent for borrowing ten years’ worth of salary..." The official couldn’t bring himself to look at Tan Shuchang. It wasn’t that there wasn’t such a precedent; rather, the accounts of the Magical Treasure Pavilion were severely in the red, overlooked only because the emperor chose not to investigate.

And the reason the Magical Treasure Pavilion dared to refuse Tan Shuchang, who had already killed a twelfth-rank official, was simply because news of his challenge against the Son of the Heavenly Mandate from Mount Tu Jian had spread, and they already regarded Tan Shuchang as a dead man.

"If there hasn’t been one, then let it be," Tan Shuchang said indifferently.

He wasn’t concerned; he was merely trying to see if he could make a profit before leaving Qitian Pavilion. After all, if everything went as he anticipated, once he had killed the old ancestors from Mount Tu Jian, Qitian Pavilion would no longer dare to keep him.

The highest martial force of Qitian Pavilion consisted only of a few disciples from the immortal sects; where would they find the courage to directly face the pressure of Mount Tu Sword?

Shortly after, Tan Shuchang began to meditate.

When the next day’s sun rose in the east, and a hint of purple dawned at the edge of the sky, Tan Shuchang emerged from the Supervising Sword Daojiang Hall.

A long staff materialized out of thin air, gathering a swirl of black smoke that enveloped Tan Shuchang. Then, like a millennium demon coming into the world, the black smoke pierced straight through the sky.

With over thirty years of cultivation, one could use a magic artifact to gather clouds and capture mists, seize Qi and grab smoke.

Among these, gathering clouds and capturing mists is a superior method, whereas seizing Qi and grabbing smoke is an inferior escape skill.

Tan Shuchang was using brute force to forcibly gather the thin evil Qi of this place, so the escape skill he demonstrated naturally belonged to the inferior category.

Nonetheless, Tan Shuchang’s method astonished many within Qitian Pavilion.

"Where did he get thirty years of cultivation power?"

"Doesn’t Daoist Tan seem to have cultivated for only three years? It looks like the great Tan reaped a huge reward after killing the Heartless Old Man!"

"This is bad—I must notify my mentor!"

Shi Changkong was also among those who witnessed this scene. His expression shifted subtly, and he quickly contacted Zhao Huaiji. Fortunately, although Zhao Huaiji had already left Qitian Pavilion, he was still nearby, so Shi Changkong managed to get in touch with him quickly.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Huaiji’s expression immediately darkened.

Bang!

With a wave of his hand, an invisible force struck the pond in front of him, causing the waters to surge violently and the image of Shi Changkong reflected in the water to warp and blur.

"This youngster has hidden his capabilities well! Zhang Yuan’s chances of victory are now less than seventy percent! This won’t do! This battle is meant to be Zhang Yuan’s rise to fame. Didn’t my Mount Tu Sword spread the infamous name of his patricide just so that upon his initial descent from the mountain, he could become renowned through the Jia Wu Realm by slaying this man?"

Thinking of this, Zhao Huaiji no longer cared about contacting his fellow disciples. He raised his hand to seize the twilight on the horizon, transforming it into a long rainbow reaching to the sky, and chased directly in the direction Tan Shuchang had gone.

This superior escape skill allowed him to move faster than the Sword Qi of an average sword cultivator, so Zhao Huaiji quickly caught up with Tan Shuchang.

At this moment, Zhao Huaiji was already in disguise. He used the dawn light to mask his face, and without a word, he struck with his sword.

The Sword Qi was like a refined chain, yet it caused no earth-shattering phenomena.

For his intention with this strike was not to kill Tan Shuchang but to attack his heart with Sword Qi, aiming to create vulnerabilities during Tan Shuchang’s duel with Long Zhangyuan and prevent him from fighting at full strength.

"If Senior Zhao has arrived, why bother hiding your face?" Even though Zhao Huaiji’s concealment skills were high-grade, under Tan Shuchang’s Cross Calamity physique, nothing could hide from him.

With a slight smile, Tan Shuchang’s form twisted in an instant, then was sliced into two by Zhao Huaiji’s sword. In the next second, however, the two halves, which had turned into puddles of blood, merged back into one.

Tan Shuchang’s voice continued to resound: "Senior Zhao, could it be that you have forgotten that I have once experienced your swordsmanship?"

The voice came from all directions, overlapping in parts.

It was as if at that moment, there were several Tan Shuchangs speaking at once.