Six Demons Blocked the Path

The Infinite Sect was not short of money, but it was not so extravagant as to teach entry-level disciples foundational cultivation techniques through golden scrolls—this time was an exception due to special circumstances.

Under normal circumstances, disciples accepted by the Infinite Sect were either from its affiliated demon states or subordinate sects and families. These disciples at least knew how to read and had studied Daoist scriptures for several years before entering the sect, allowing instructors to directly teach foundational cultivation methods upon entry.

However, this time the disciples came from varied backgrounds. Some, like Yao Qian, had been taught by their elders in cultivation families for several years; others were children taken from ordinary mortal cities, most of whom were illiterate, let alone capable of learning cultivation techniques.

Starting from scratch would require at least three years. Not all of them were incapable of cultivation, but to streamline things, Pei Changqing ordered the production of these golden scrolls. Even illiterate children could cultivate smoothly with the golden pages.

Yao Qian caressed the golden page in her hand and thought to herself: The cultivation world of Yunzhou had many sects, and the so-called demon sects were not limited to the Infinite Sect alone. But among those, only ten sects possessed ascension cultivation methods. In a sense, she had entered a top-tier sect.

Failing in other sects might mean a lifetime of hard labor, but failing here meant sacrifice of soul, flesh, and bones. Escape was certain, but first, she had to master the cultivation method. Without sufficient ability, escape was impossible.

The mountain gate of a top sect like the Infinite Sect was usually hidden in a secret realm, unreachable without fate. Ordinary disciples could hardly leave the sect. Thinking of this, Yao Qian placed the golden scroll in her palm. She was in no rush to comprehend it immediately. She slowly regulated her breathing, sinking her mind deep into her sea of consciousness, silently reciting the Serenity Sutra.

She had memorized this scripture in her past life, and each time she recited it inside the Tianyan Stele, it calmed her mind at an astonishing speed. Once fully tranquil, she pressed the golden page to her forehead and used her divine sense to probe it. Countless golden, profound characters flowed from the page into her sea of consciousness along her divine sense.

As soon as the characters entered her consciousness, they shimmered as if about to imprint themselves within. Suddenly, the Tianyan Stele in her mind blazed with light, suppressing the characters’ radiance. The characters gradually dissolved beneath the stele's glow. Yao Qian stared blankly, puzzled by what had just occurred.

After almost dissolving the characters, the Tianyan Stele began to reorganize them, eventually transforming the golden script into an extremely intricate talisman stamped onto the stele. She had encountered a similar situation while cultivating the Morning Sun Qi Gathering Method, but that occurred only after two years of practice and profound insight. Was this early manifestation due to the golden page?

Without hesitation, Yao Qian extended her divine sense into the newly formed talisman on the stele. The cultivation method evolved by the Tianyan Stele was undoubtedly the finest. Within the talisman was a foundational cultivation scripture named the Yin-Yang Herb Gathering Sutra.

Surprisingly, this method resembled her earlier Morning Sun Qi Gathering Method. Whereas the latter inhaled and exhaled the morning sun’s purple aura, the Yin-Yang Herb Gathering Sutra visualized the phases of the sun and moon to absorb solar essence and lunar dew, nourishing both body and soul.

What astonished Yao Qian was that this foundational stage required opening all 365 acupoints throughout the body—a number matching the total acupoints in the human body. Most methods at most opened one or two hundred acupoints. Opening so many promised a profoundly solid foundation, befitting a method derived from the Tianyan Stele.

Across the world, there were myriad cultivation methods, but generally, they involved refining essence into qi, qi into spirit, spirit into void, and void into the Dao—four stages aligning with the炼气 (Qi Refinement),金丹 (Golden Core),元婴 (Nascent Soul), and阳神 (Yang Spirit) realms. Of course, methods varied, so did the cultivation approaches for each stage.

Setting aside the last three stages, the first stage of Qi Refinement was similar across sects—refining the body's essence and blood into true qi, then using true qi to open the acupoints, the "Celestial Gates," to lay a solid foundation. This stage was subdivided into six minor realms: Essence Storage, Qi Nourishment, Qi Gathering, Acupoint Opening, Foundation Establishment, and Jade Fluid.

Essence Storage was the first step—refining essence into qi by perfecting the body, making the essence, qi, and spirit whole and complete. After the body was perfected, the blood and qi were refined into true qi, marking the second stage, Qi Nourishment.

Yao Qian was currently at the stage of Qi Nourishment's Great Perfection. These two stages were not much different from those of mundane martial artists, who likewise cultivated their bodies externally and refined their internal essence and blood into true qi.

However, cultivators had spiritual roots, allowing them to draw in spiritual energy from heaven and earth and convert it into true qi, accelerating the acupoint opening process compared to martial artists. After all, martial artists could only rely on their body's essence and blood, which was limited in quantity.

Even with external pills to replenish essence and blood, the daily refinement of true qi was limited. But if one could absorb spiritual energy to convert into true qi, the stronger the method, the faster the refinement.

The Tianyan Stele’s method included two talismans, one representing the Moon and one the Sun. The early stage of the herb gathering method involved visualizing these talismans to absorb solar essence and lunar dew, thereby strengthening one’s true qi. It was nighttime now, so Yao Qian decided to comprehend the Moon herb gathering method.

She concentrated, visualizing the Moon talisman, tracing it with her divine sense. Unconsciously, she conjured the Moon talisman in her mind. At the instant she successfully visualized it, she saw a round, bright, radiant full moon.

The moon was cold and solitary. At a glance, it seemed to be a vast, boundless silver ocean. Upon closer inspection, the ocean was not liquid but formed by countless wispy flames resembling delicate silk.

Countless silver flames composed this ocean, above which thick mist rolled and swirled. Within the mist, a grand and magnificent Moon Palace appeared faintly. Inside the palace stood a Moon Laurel tree, beneath which rested a silver-white jade toad with six eyes, eyes closed in meditation.

The jade toad and the laurel were both silver-white, almost merging into one. Without close scrutiny, one could hardly distinguish the toad from the tree. The jade toad’s body rose and fell gently with a special rhythm.

Unconsciously, Yao Qian matched her breathing to the jade toad’s rhythm. The toad, sensing her gaze, slowly opened its six eyes, resembling six bright moons. From these six moons, six streams of moonlight essence, as soft as silk, shot toward Yao Qian.

She felt every part of her body like a newborn infant, eagerly swallowing the pouring moonlight essence. Her entire being, including her soul, seemed bathed in this cool but not chilling aura, bringing unparalleled comfort.

Gradually, the clear aura grew colder until it felt as if it might freeze her body and soul. Instinctively, Yao Qian tried to exit cultivation, but suddenly the Tianyan Stele in her consciousness blazed brightly, illuminating her entire sea of consciousness.

In a daze, she heard a piercing, mournful scream. Following the scream came a "boom" as countless obscure and incomprehensible messages surged into her mind. Her consciousness trembled violently as her divine sense roared like a tempest, finally condensing into a small, exquisitely hued moon resembling quicksilver within her sea of consciousness.

Yao Qian suddenly opened her eyes, face filled with shock. A Heavenly Demon obstruction! She had encountered a Heavenly Demon on her very first cultivation attempt! Was this because she was cultivating a demon sect method? Cold sweat broke out all over her.

She dared not imagine the consequences had she not possessed the Tianyan Stele.

Cultivation was a defiance of mortal limits, inevitably beset by various obstacles. Many cultivators faced external demons during practice, a broad term encompassing many phenomena.

Minor disturbances included interruptions by family, animals outside, or wandering spirits, causing failed cultivation attempts but no grave harm.

More serious were illusions or inner demons encountered during cultivation, which could trap a cultivator in hallucinations or mental turmoil, risking mental derangement or complete loss of power if not awakened promptly.

The gravest external demons were the Heavenly Demons—extra-dimensional entities known only by elders. These demons existed beyond the cultivation world; to enter it, they had to possess a cultivator’s body.

Such occurrences were rare, typically appearing only to high-level cultivators undergoing tribulations. The elders had not elaborated further.

Had it not been for the scream, Yao Qian might never have realized she had encountered a Heavenly Demon. Were the Moon Palace visions mere illusions created by the demon to deceive her?

Feeling confused, Yao Qian gazed at the small moon in her consciousness, composed of countless talismans. She tried to analyze the talismans but felt dizzy after just a glance. What was this thing?

It seemed her elders had never mentioned such matters. She wondered if there would be instructors at the Infinite Sect to guide them. She liked attending classes—her knowledge of the cultivation world was limited, and here knowledge was tightly guarded, making it difficult for ordinary people to acquire.

The Infinite Sect was a supermajor sect. Even as an outer disciple, she should learn more than in Qingmu Valley. Thinking of this, Yao Qian felt a flicker of anticipation for her future sect life.

Had she truly drawn qi into her body? She was unsure, but with three months ahead, she resolved to cultivate patiently.

Before entering Qingmu Valley, she planned to remain average—not the best, not the worst—because such people were easily overlooked.

Now inside a demon sect, for her own safety, she must act cautiously. Three months confined in the secret chamber was too long, but emerging immediately was unwise. She decided to wait two months before going out.

She then transformed the Moon essence she had just absorbed into Moon true qi and began opening her acupoints.