Chapter 55: Illusory Demon Sect, Talent Stele

Jiang Fan was enveloped by the terrifying aura emanating from the woman in the black dress. That unimaginably dreadful pressure made it difficult for him to breathe, and he even felt unsteady on his feet, with an urge to kneel and kowtow on the ground at any moment.

Yet, he forcefully resisted that impulse, unwilling to surrender easily.

"Kid, the vast majority of these people were killed by you, weren't they?" the woman in the black dress asked coldly.

"Yes!" Jiang Fan replied, gritting his teeth against that terrifying pressure.

"Good kid, no wonder, no wonder your aura of slaughter is so heavy, and no wonder, no wonder the keepsake I left behind was activated." The woman in the black dress smiled, and the terrifying aura around her vanished instantly.

Jiang Fan felt an immediate sense of relief, feeling completely relaxed all over, though his body was already soaked in cold sweat.

He knew that if the woman in the black dress wanted to kill him, he would have been dead long ago, without even the chance to resist.

Furthermore, at this moment, within his "Grand Dao Heavenly Book", only Old Demon Xu's name remained. Even after being reduced to a soul entity, Old Demon Xu was still under Jiang Fan's control—a fact Jiang Fan had only discovered later.

Perhaps it was because Old Demon Xu had devoured a large number of soul entities, growing strong enough to be considered a special kind of life-form, yet his murderous intent toward Jiang Fan had never once diminished.

Consequently, his name was recorded in the "Grand Dao Heavenly Book" once again.

Jiang Fan was naturally pleased by this. This way, he no longer had to fear Old Demon Xu growing increasingly powerful, since the old demon's life was already firmly in his grasp.

"Are... are you the immortal who left the keepsake on Mount Jiangshen? Can... can I follow you to cultivate immortality?" Jiang Fan asked excitedly, putting on the appearance expected of an ordinary teenager.

"An immortal? I am no immortal. If the immortals in your tales saw that you had killed so many people and accumulated such a dense aura of slaughter, they would have long since wiped you out as a little demon! However, from the perspective of our Demonic Sect, you are indeed a fine piece of raw material—ruthless and vicious enough, making you perfectly suited for practicing the techniques and spells of my Illusory Demon Sect." The more the woman in the black dress looked at Jiang Fan, the more satisfied she became, feeling that this little fellow fit her tastes completely. She continued, "However, becoming a disciple of the Illusory Demon Sect is not that simple. Tell me now, why did you slaughter all of them?"

Looking at the corpses littering the ground, a flash of surprise crossed the woman's eyes.

She wanted to know why Jiang Fan had killed.

Even among demonic sects, killing people was a trivial matter, but there still had to be a reason.

After all, no sect wished to take in a disciple who would turn out to be an ingrate in the future, nor did they want a disciple who was a madman slaughtering the innocent indiscriminately.

"Reporting to Senior, they wanted my life, wanted to destroy my faction, and wanted to seize my fortuitous encounter. So... I killed them! If I didn't kill them, they would have killed me!" Jiang Fan looked at the woman in the black dress unflinchingly, appearing extremely calm.

"Good, good, good! What a 'if I didn't kill them, they would have killed me!' Resolute in avenging wrongs, decisive in slaughter—your temperament is indeed suited for practicing the techniques of my Illusory Demon Sect.

I truly didn't expect that you could remain this calm after killing so many people." Approval flickered in the woman's eyes before she spoke solemnly, "Kid, I ask you now, are you willing to join the Illusory Demon Sect and become its disciple? If you are willing, I will take you into the sect! However, our Illusory Demon Sect is no immortal sect, but an orthodox demonic sect. You must think this through carefully!"

"As long as I can cultivate immortality, I care not whether it is a demonic sect or an immortal sect. This disciple is willing to join the Illusory Demon Sect." Jiang Fan replied firmly, feeling not the slightest bit of fear in his heart, but rather anticipation.

"Very well. You haven't disappointed this Elder. Do you have any mortal affairs left unsettled?" the woman asked.

"None. I am an orphan, with no father, no mother, and no relatives or friends." Jiang Fan answered resolutely.

He was not truly without relatives, but he never wished to return to the place where he had been oppressed by his elder brother and sister-in-law. Moreover, having transmigrated here with his soul, he had no lingering attachments, making him completely untethered and light-hearted.

"Very good. Then this Elder shall take you to the Illusory Demon Sect right now." With a wave of her large sleeve, a miniature flying boat materialized in her palm. Driven by her spiritual power, the boat grew rapidly against the wind, expanding in the blink of an eye to a length of about a zhang, hovering half a meter above the void.

"Get on!" the woman commanded coldly, leaping lightly onto the flying boat herself.

Jiang Fan did not hesitate and quickly jumped aboard.

"Rise."

Following the woman's voice, the flying boat soared into the air.

After the woman in the black dress vanished, the rolling black clouds atop Mount Jiangshen dissipated as well, as if they had never appeared at all.

With complex emotions, Jiang Fan gazed at Mount Jiangshen, where he had lived for a period of time, and muttered to himself, "Perhaps I shall never return to this place again..."

Jiang Fan did not ask the Elder of the Illusory Demon Sect to cure him of the "Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Powder" poison. After all, once she discovered he was poisoned, there was a strong possibility she would probe his body, which could expose the secrets he carried.

He had no desire for anyone to discover the secrets hidden within his body, especially the secret of the "Grand Dao Heavenly Book" residing in his mind.

The two flew all the way at an extremely fast speed, with mountains and rivers rapidly flashing past beneath Jiang Fan. This was his first time experiencing the sensation of flying through the air. Although he was riding a flying boat, it was still a remarkably novel experience.

"Is this what it feels like to soar through the air? It's simply wonderful... One day, I will surely be able to fly through the air on my own!" Longing for strength filled Jiang Fan's heart, and he was already beginning to look forward to making a name for himself within the Illusory Demon Sect.

After a short half-day, a magnificent and majestic mountain range appeared before Jiang Fan's eyes. Within this vast mountain range stood a full nine main peaks, each soaring ten thousand zhang high and guarded by a massive grand array.

Perched atop every single massive main peak were ancient-styled buildings, with figures and tamed spirit beasts occasionally flying across the sky.

At a glance, it was the quintessential scene of an immortal dwelling.

"This is the heartland of our Illusory Demon Sect. Follow this Elder down now to test your aptitude. If your aptitude is passable, I may take you as my disciple and personally instruct you in cultivation," the woman said, her voice filled with cold indifference.

"Yes." Although Jiang Fan knew his aptitude was shockingly poor and that there was zero chance this Elder would take him as a disciple, a sliver of wishful thinking still lingered in his heart.

Amidst his trepidation, Jiang Fan was quickly brought by the woman in the black dress before a giant aptitude stele located in the plaza of the Illusory Demon Sect.

At this moment, the plaza was packed with people. Seeing the woman in the black dress bringing Jiang Fan through the air, the crowd immediately broke into a flurry of discussion.

Seeing so many people gathered here, Jiang Fan felt a bad premonition welling up in his heart.

"I heard the keepsake left behind by Elder Moxing was activated! She went to recruit disciples this time!"

"Whoever can activate Elder Moxing's keepsake must possess peerless aptitude. I really want to see just how astonishing this Junior Brother's aptitude is!"

"I'm full of anticipation too! As soon as I heard the news, I rushed right over to watch!"

"Not to mention, this Junior Brother is quite handsome. I just wonder how strong his aptitude is."

"This Junior Brother's aptitude must be shockingly high, otherwise he wouldn't have drawn such heavy attention from Elder Moxing..."

"Look, even the Senior Brother has come to watch in person..."

The crowd chattered away, all discussing Jiang Fan's aptitude. Hearing the voices echoing from all around, Jiang Fan's bad premonition grew stronger still...