Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

At Swordmaster Mountain, the mountain range is steep, featuring eighteen remarkable peaks and seventeen dangerous passes. For those who are not cultivators, simply going up and down the mountain once would mean death.

Among the seventeen dangerous passes, the center one, the Weighty Marvel Pass, was initially chosen by several ancestors on the brink of death as their place of meditation and transformation.

However, with the emergence of the Son of the Heavenly Mandate, Long Zhangyuan, after they made contact with the grandmasters, those old immortals who were supposed to exhaust their lifespan managed to rejuvenate themselves.

The grandmasters bestowed upon them Supreme Secret Techniques, which not only granted them several more decades of lifespan but also restored them to their prime.

At the Weighty Marvel Pass, several elders were still gathering their vital energy. Sensing someone approaching, they all stood up and saluted with clasped hands, "Sect Leader."

The reason being that the newcomer had not concealed his energy.

Although their seniority ranked above that of Su Huan'an, within Swordmaster Mountain, the Sect Leader holds the highest authority.

After all, Swordmaster Mountain is personally founded by the Ancestor of the Dao and follows mysterious methods that allow cultivators to break through the lifespan limit of two jiawus. Thus, beyond the age of one hundred, the seniority among the cultivators of Swordmaster Mountain is quite disordered.

Some lineages with better inheritances and a talent for nurturing disciples would have younger disciples greet their seniors all the way up to the rank of great-grandmaster.

Beyond the "Absolute Immortal Sword Tome", Swordmaster Mountain naturally possesses other cultivation techniques. Although they are somewhat inferior to the "Absolute Immortal Sword Tome", they are still among the most powerful techniques in the world. Swordmaster Mountain refers to this lineage of transmission as the Sword Pulse.

At this time, Su Huan'an arrived. He returned the salutations one by one before asking, "I wonder if Elder Drywood is around?"

Upon hearing Su Huan'an's direct inquiry, the elders were not surprised. After all, Elder Drywood's early gift of part of a Nine Orifices Martial Demon's body to the Demon Cultivator who had slain his disciple was already well-known throughout Swordmaster Mountain.

"Elder Drywood may have become somewhat muddled with age, please forgive him, Sect Leader." The elders first said this to plea on Drywood's behalf, and then they pointed out the direction for Su Huan'an.

After expressing his gratitude, Su Huan'an followed the directions and soon saw Elder Drywood sitting cross-legged at the edge of a cliff.

Drywood was dressed in the same grey robe as when he descended the mountain.

Upon sensing Su Huan'an's energy, Drywood did not stand up, nor did he even open his eyes. Instead, he said, "I know what you want to say, but that was my chance to seize. To whom I give it, that is my prerogative. Of course, the Demon Cultivator is indeed an enemy of Swordmaster Mountain, but why not try to tame him as we did with the Heartless Old Man?"

"Elder Drywood jokes. I didn't come here to inquire about that piece of the Nine Orifices Martial Demon's body. If the grandmaster could shatter the Nine Orifices Martial Demon with a single stroke of the 'Absolute Immortal Sword Tome', couldn't I do the same? The Nine Orifices Martial Demon is only feared by the world because once assembled, it would invite the Martial Demon from the Lower Realm.

That's all there is to it," Su Huan'an replied with a light laugh.

To the common folk, the Nine Orifices Martial Demon is merely a rumored supreme treasure of the demonic path, something that can bring great benefits to Demon Cultivators.

In reality, it's just a means for Demon Cultivators to harness the demon's martial energy contained within.

The reason the Nine Orifices Martial Demon has the power to eradicate an Immortal Sect is ultimately because, when the Martial Demon descends, it requires a great sacrifice from a powerful sect for its own rebirth.

So, as long as the Nine Orifices Martial Demon is not fully assembled, it's essentially a non-issue for Swordmaster Mountain.

"You have substantiated?" asked Drywood, utterly astounded upon hearing Su Huan'an's words.

"Not yet, the technique of sowing Dharma Seals hasn't been passed down by the grandmasters, and not without reason. Because the current Jiawu Realm does not allow the existence of any beings near immortality," Su Huan'an sighed lightly, appearing somewhat helpless.

He could have broken through long ago, given that the "Absolute Immortal Sword Tome" is a rare technique that directly points to the Immortal Realm, with detailed records of the first, second, and third substantiation.

Regrettably, the Jiawu Realm does not permit it, effectively blocking his path forward.

"Why is this?" Although Drywood was senior to Su Huan'an, what he had cultivated was merely a superior treasure book technique, so he was completely clueless about what lay beyond the realm of true cultivation.

"The grandmaster said, three hundred years ago, the ascension exhausted the foundation of the Jiawu Realm. This necessitated a Son of the Heavenly Mandate to carry the world's destiny, rewrite fate, and lead the revival of the Jiawu Realm.

Once the Jiawu Realm replenishes its immortal qi, they will return, and we who are unable to advance will smoothly complete our first substantiation!" explained Su Huan'an.

"Is that so?" Drywood was overcome with a sense of absurdity because he had always believed that it was his slightly inferior aptitude that held him back. Without the recognition of that supremely talented Demon Cultivator, he wouldn't dare to dream that he too could substantiate in the Immortal Realm.

Was it possible that, after all, the grandmasters were in debt and their descendants were paying it back?

Su Huan'an nodded with a complex expression. Since the grandmasters shared a lot with him, he had deduced some other matters.

For instance, those who cultivated to their level were not originally destined to have only the lifespan of two jiawus.

This was evident from their methods of extending life.

He had even heard from his own master that the unique heritage technique of the demonic path, once cultivated, would grant an unimaginable lifespan.

Perhaps, it was the grandmasters' ascension that exhausted the foundation of the Jiawu Realm, causing the incomplete heaven and earth, and consequently reducing the lifespan of the cultivators continuously.