The Ancestor of All Demons

Yin Yang Elder was cornered by Zhu Youmu in the Southern Border, scurrying around like a rat, and he was the only one able to find Li Ning during this time.

It was fate indeed, as when he reached the end of his rope, he encountered Li Ning fetching water from the west, and immediately pleaded, saying that your senior brother is pursuing me, following the guidance of Xin Ru Nun, I specifically came to seek your protection.

Li Ning remembered the instructions of his master Bai Mei Zen Master and had not used any technique's divine power all along.

During this time, his body had become increasingly like that of a mortal, even starting to feel hunger, having to come out every day to gather wild fruits from the mountains to fill his stomach and fetch water from the stream to quench his thirst.

Bai Mei Zen Master once told him that if Yin Yang Elder found him ahead of time, under no circumstances should he accept him as a disciple.

If Li Ning ignored Yin Yang Elder and turned away without speaking, the Buddhist power of the two divine monks Zun Sheng and Bai Mei would still remain.

As long as he doesn't use spells, even if entering the Dharma Decline Era early, those who can use spells would still not find him, as his encounter with Yin Yang Elder was merely a coincidence.

If Yin Yang Elder used a spell to follow him, he would quickly lose him, watching him disappear into the mountains and forests, never to be found again.

If he followed him without using spells, he could always keep up with him, and the two would enter the Dharma Decline Era together early.

Xin Ru Nun and Zhu Youmu, following behind, would lose track of both of them, even the whereabouts of Yin Yang Elder would be lost.

However, Li Ning spoke to Yin Yang Elder, explicitly refusing, saying he was unwilling to accept him as a disciple, bearing on his life, and though unwilling to give up, Yin Yang Elder spoke countless beseeching words.

As the two were entangled, Zhu Youmu arrived. Seeing Zhu Youmu, Li Ning was greatly surprised.

But he first asked Zhu Youmu why he was in the guise of a Daoist.

Zhu Youmu resentfully spoke about Jiang Xuejun, and how he approached Zen Master Fen Tuo, hoping to reverse time with the Conch Leaf Talisman, but was refused.

Then he demanded Li Ning hand over the Shariputra.

At this point, if Li Ning turned away and left, he would still have the chance to withdraw.

However, he first argued with Zhu Youmu, debating a whole set of principles from the relationship with their masters to Buddhist principles.

Finally, Li Ning insisted on following his master's instructions, declaring the Venerable Sheng Relics must not be given!

He also accused Zhu Youmu of not listening to their master, for forcibly wanting the Venerable Sheng Relics, harboring reckless greed and anger, contrary to Buddhist teachings.

Outraged, Zhu Youmu tried to use his overwhelming strength to forcibly seize the relics.

If at this moment Li Ning turned and walked into the woods, Zhu Youmu casting spells to chase him, no matter how powerful, would lose track of Li Ning.

But Li Ning instead cast spells and engaged in combat with Zhu Youmu for a few rounds, while persuading Zhu Youmu to turn back, but naturally, Zhu Youmu refused, increasing his mana output, and Li Ning couldn't match him, only to escape.

Back then Bai Mei Zen Master told Li Ning, once in the Southern Border, regardless of any difficulties or hardships, encountering any demon or ghost, not to use any mana, resolving everything with Buddhist steadiness and wisdom.

Indeed, Zhu Youmu was one of his trials, and using spells could not solve it; if he hadn't, he could have turned and entered the woods, still having a chance to shake off Zhu Youmu.

But he used spells to escape into the woods, with Zhu Youmu relentlessly pursuing behind, leaving him no escape, ultimately being trapped by Zhu Youmu with the Great Sandalwood Buddha Light, forcibly compelled to hand over the relics.

Li Ning resolutely refused to comply, loudly condemning Zhu Youmu for having abandoned Buddhist teachings and fallen into the Demon Path.

Infuriated by the accusation, Zhu Youmu, unable to restrain himself, directly killed Li Ning, sealing his primordial spirit with Buddha Light in a rock.

He seized the Venerable Sheng Relics and brought them back to Xin Ru Nun.

Holding the relic, Xin Ru Nun smiled, retrieving the Hua Bi Pearl within.

Red Flower Princess was trapped inside, driven mad, thinking that Li Ning would certainly cultivate for thirty years as planned, properly deal with her before ascending, and even if the relic shattered in the Dharma Decline Era, when she would emerge, at most she would be like a fierce ghost, with power diminishing over time...

Unexpectedly, after just this short time, she was released!

If someone else were to release her, she would certainly seize the opportunity to take over their body.

But Xin Ru Nun, she knew well enough; back when she was Xin Ruyu, she had engaged in a duel with the Red Lotus Demon, even challenging her father, the Iron City Mountain Demon, and after practicing Buddhism, her mana had become even more powerful.

Therefore, she behaved obediently, speaking to Xin Ru Nun in the guise of a junior.

Xin Ru Nun was pleased, saying she planned to manifest as a Buddha in this world, and if the Red Flower Princess could take refuge in her and heed her teachings, she could make the Red Flower Princess a Bodhisattva in the future.

The Red Flower Princess naturally did not believe her words, but both sides were merely using one another, painting grand dreams for each other, so she readily agreed to everything, acting delighted and intentionally flattering.

Xin Ru Nun then took her to find the two women of Immortal City. It happened that the Xie sisters had been deceived by her earlier, went to steal the Conch Leaf Talisman, reversed time with the talisman, and were backfired, deeply trapped in the illusions and unable to extricate themselves. She opportunistically took the talisman, took away the Seven Treasures Golden Banner, then pushed the Red Flower Princess into Xie Ying's body, and finally handed them back to Xie Shan.

The methods she used were exceedingly clever, acting with foresight, and not only did Xie Shan fail to notice, but even the later arriving Master Fen Tuo focused their attention on the Conch Leaf Talisman and the Seven Treasures Golden Banner she took, without realizing that Xie Ying, close at hand, had already been possessed by the witch.

It wasn't until then that Shi Feiyang calculated the karmic line regarding Xin Ru and saw a hint from the hexagram sign, using the Spirit Talisman to warn Master You Tan, finally unraveling the trap she set.

Xin Ru Nun leveraged the Demon Cult to deal with Shi Feiyang, who now couldn't break free and had to use strength against strength, directly using Fen Tuo and You Tan, the two Divine Nuns, to confront her.

Master You Tan used Vajra Prajnaparamita Separation and Reunion Divine Light to illuminate the Red Flower Princess, making her use Blood Shadow Divine Light to resist, forced to reveal her true form.

She, much like the Princess of Stone God, had become the Sovereign Demon God within the Blood God Scripture, akin to a Book Spirit, later sealed inside the Venerable Sheng Relics, wrapped tightly in Buddha Light. Not only did her mana not enhance, it gradually weakened until Xin Ru Nun pushed her into Xie Ying's body, acquiring Xie Ying's Essence Energy and Divine Blood, she became formidable again.

According to the normal timeline of the original work, Xie Ying and Xie Lin by now should have also ascended to the Nirvana. The sisters were considered Buddhist and Daoist Dual Cultivation practitioners, and by the time Shi Feiyang traveled over, nearly a hundred years had passed, and again more than a hundred years after Shi Feiyang arrived, diligently practicing the Demonic Destruction Treasure Scroll, in terms of mana, he surpassed ordinary Heavenly Immortals, further accumulating cultivation over generations...

The Red Flower Princess, having gained her Essence Energy and Divine Blood, naturally increased her mana. Over the past few years, she continually absorbed the Essence Energy from Xie Shan, and in terms of mana, even two or three Heavenly Immortals weren't her match.

Unfortunately, she encountered Master You Tan, one of the famously renowned Three Monks and Two Nuns of the Shushan World, already an elite level expert over a hundred years ago. She should have ascended long ago, and within the Three Classes and Nine Grades, her rank was even higher than that of the Xie sisters.

When the two engaged in a duel, at first there was a slight stalemate, but soon the Blood Shadow Divine Light couldn't hold up, being rapidly forced to retreat by the golden Buddha Light.

Master You Tan feared she might flee, so she made the Buddha Light not only attack from the front but also disperse up, down, left, and right, aiming to seal the witch inside, further casting spells to create barriers.

The Red Flower Princess had ventured the world on her own a thousand years ago, unlike the gentle Princess of Stone God, she was capricious in temperament and showed great disrespect to the elders in the Demon Cult. She had offended top experts from both righteous and evil paths, extremely clever, perceiving the unfavorable situation, she didn't linger in combat. She knew she couldn't rival Master You Tan, especially with Xie Shan beside her.

She bit her tongue, spraying a stream of Essence Blood, droplets of blood hitting the Buddha Light, immediately transforming into countless tiny blood red figures rushing toward the Buddha Light, emitting extraordinarily piercing wails as they advanced.

The front of the Buddha Light was dyed blood red. With her loud shout, her whole body split into several pieces, also transforming into blood red figures, mingling completely, scrambling in all directions.

Master You Tan used rapid speed to encircle the Buddha Light around all the blood red figures, then pointed a finger, causing Buddha Fire to emerge within the light, fiercely burning, incinerating all the blood red figures completely.

Yet ultimately, she still sighed, "The Blood God Scripture indeed deserves to be the Demon Cult's foremost holy scripture; being so very cautious, the witch still escaped."

The crucial point is, Master You Tan initially couldn't discern how the Red Flower Princess had fled; clearly all the blood red figures were enveloped by the Buddha Light, none had escaped.

By the time she saw through the Red Flower Princess's trick, it was too late; the princess had already left a long time ago...

This process happened swiftly; Xie Shan beside was only then coming to his senses, "Ying'er... Ying'er she..."

Master You Tan sighed without responding.

Xie Ying's body had been possessed by the witch for so long, several years already, Xie Ying's Primordial Spirit most likely was in grave danger, either a complete destruction or transformed into a Demon.

Xie Shan refused to accept this reality and wanted to calculate further.

Master You Tan hesitated, finally spoke up, "Shi Daoist sent a disciple to bring me a Jade Talisman, informing me that the Red Flower Princess was lurking within Xie Ying's body, he also said Xie Ying's own Primordial Spirit was taken by Xin Ru Shi... taken by her!"

After hearing this, Xie Shan regained his spirit, immediately stood up, "I'll go retrieve Ying'er, send her for reincarnation! These years, she... must have suffered greatly."

"Wait," Master You Tan stopped him, "Do you know what Xin Ruyu is thinking now? Why did she do these things? What exactly is she trying to accomplish? If you don't figure these out and just go ask her, would she return it to you? If it were so easily given, she wouldn't have taken it in the first place!"

Master You Tan maintained rationality, while Xie Shan was utterly confused, "Xin Ru Nun... surely wouldn't..."