The First Demon of the Chan Sect

"Boom!"

A blazing purple light tore through heaven and earth, invisible killing intent surged like a tide, terrifying fluctuations erupted like a volcano.

"Boom!"

The purple Bitter Bamboo Spear, carrying the immense power of Spatial Law, exploded like a flash flood, unleashing waves that covered the city gate in front of it, emitting an ear-deafening noise that made the entire silver Star Domain "rumble" to life.

Outside the formation, the young man took in everything before him. He watched the still-trembling Bitter Bamboo Spear stuck in the bronze door, recalling the scene just now, and secretly swallowed.

He had only seen a blinding flash of purple brilliance sweep past him, then lighting-fast piercing the bronze gates, utterly resolute without the slightest delay.

The bronze gates were now riddled with crevices, spider-web-like cracks spread from the point of impact with the spear, sprawling crazily in all directions.

Soon, a crisp "crackling" sound was heard; the cracks on the gate turned into gaping fissures and, to the young man's horrified gaze, thunderously collapsed.

"Crack!"

On another front, a sharp noise pierced the Heavenly Vault, the maze-like Star Domain arranged with Star Sand was also completely breached!

Li Qingming led everyone, striding out from the yet undispersed star formation, his face beaming with smiles.

And following closely behind Li Qingming was Long Xuhu, continually grumbling, "Damn it, such bad luck, truly bad luck!"

The young man no longer knew how to describe his feelings, he just stared blankly at Li Qingming, a hint of suspicion flickering in his eyes.

"How about it, does it count as us passing, Lord Golden Sun City Lord?" Li Qingming smiled as he looked at the young man and casually recalled the Bitter Bamboo Spear that lay straight on the ground, emphasizing the words "Golden Sun" in his tone.

The young man shook his head somewhat frustratedly and said dismally, "How did you know I am the City Lord of Shepherd City, Golden Sun?"

Li Qingming pointed at the luxurious carriage and the now ruined city gate, saying, "If you weren't the City Lord, how could you own such a grand ride, and why would you wager all the Exotic Treasures in the Golden Boat City Master's possession in Shepherd City as a bet? Plus, the strike you made on the city gate earlier, it clearly shows your intimate familiarity with the entire city. And of course, there's one more crucial point!"

"Oh, which one?" The young man asked with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Cultivation!" Li Qingming proudly stated, "The stature of a Saint! Among the twelve subordinate cities, each city has a Saint-level City Lord; surely Shepherd City wouldn't have two Saints, right?"

The young man was taken aback and asked, "You can see through my Cultivation?"

Li Qingming merely chuckled and offered no answer.

Cursing inwardly with a tug at his heart, the young man muttered, "Jin Zhou, you damned wretch! You told me to 'properly entertain' the trial-goers this time, was it just to see me make a fool of myself?"

Helplessly, the young man nodded and said, "That's right, I am the City Lord of Shepherd City, Golden Sun! Since I've previously promised you all, I'll give you all the Exotic Treasures and Spiritual Treasures that Lord Jin Zhou left in our city, I certainly won't go back on my word! Follow me!"

With that, the young man—or rather, the Golden Sun City Lord—had already turned his chariot around, heading toward the city interior.

"Let's go!" Li Qingming gave a glance at the people behind him and followed after Golden Sun, walking into the city.

Treading lightly, everyone made their way through Shepherd City, only to find it entirely different from the city they had envisioned.

Despite Shepherd City being deep in the desert, compared to the exterior's long river of stars and the lonely smoke of the desert, the city had more Spiritual Energy, a bit more of heaven and earth's natural charm.

Inside Shepherd City, Green Jade Stone Bricks paved the roads, Pavilions decorated the scenery, not far off was a pristine white stone arch bridge, alongside the gently flowing waters and the small boats upon them. Everything made the immense Shepherd City bustling with the charm of Jiangnan's water villages on Earth.

Golden Sun City Lord drove the carriage non-stop, leading everyone to a mansion.

The mansion spread across a vast area, surrounded by red walls covered in lush vegetation, presenting a liberating and refreshing sight.

At the main gate, the dark wooden doors stood wide open, sufficiently spacious for six or seven people to walk in side by side. It was strange, however, that no plaque hung over the entrance.

Golden Sun stepped off the chariot and lightly clapped his hands.

"Clap clap!"

Two crisp claps echoed from the gateway, spreading inward.

Shortly after, a green-robed old man with rosy cheeks, deep eyes, and a three-foot beard appeared before Golden Sun with a bow, saying, "Master!"

Golden Sun waved dismissively, declaring, "Golden Horn, take these youngsters to the No.1 Warehouse, take out all the Spiritual Treasures and treasures that Lord Jin Zhou left in our city and give them to them!"

"Yes, Master!" The Golden Horn stood up, nodded slightly, and then turned to Li Qingming and the others, saying, "My lords, please follow me!"

With that, he turned and led the crowd towards the back courtyard.

"Sigh, wait a moment... After giving them all those messy things later, bring them to the main hall. It's been a long time since I've seen living people, I want to get close and cozy with them!" Suddenly, the Golden Sun City Lord seemed to have thought of something and gave another instruction loudly.

"Yes, Master!" Golden Horn smiled, bowed, and left.

Watching as the Golden Horn led everyone further away, Golden Sun touched his sleeve and said, "Interesting little fellows!"

...

The mansion was enormous, filled with pavilions and beautifully sculpted rock gardens and stone carvings. Gathered together, these did not diminish the original majesty of the estate; on the contrary, they added a distinct elegance.

Moreover, the estate enjoyed perpetual spring. Looking around, plants and trees, red azaleas, white peonies, yellow chrysanthemums... They competed with each other in full bloom, turning the whole estate into something akin to a sea of flowers, dazzling to the eye.

The group followed behind the Golden Horn traversing pavilions and corridors, admiring the scenery along the way, feeling quite moved.

Suddenly, Long Xuhu, who followed after Li Qingming, stepped forward curiously and sized up the Golden Horn for a while, asking, "Senior, are you cultivating the Law of Life?"

The steps of the Golden Horn paused slightly, and he said, "Please do not call this old one senior; I am just a steward of the Master's estate. You may address me as Golden Horn. Also, regarding the question by this fellow daoist, you can feel it for yourself!"

"Buzz!"

As Golden Horn finished speaking, his body suddenly emanated a majestic aura, pressing down firmly on Long Xuhu.

This aura was like a boundless sea, possessing the might of a Sub-Saint Peak, but it definitely was not the Power of Life Law.

Feeling the surging Power of Life Law coming from Golden Horn, Long Xuhu's face changed slightly, blurting out, "The Yang Principle!"

Golden Horn waved his hand, and with a "whoosh," the aura withdrew, saying, "Correct!"

At that moment, Xuantian, whose eyes were previously half-closed, suddenly shot out a brilliant light, asking, "May I ask if Senior possesses a soul?"

Everyone was startled, with Li Qingquan even saying, "Fellow Daoist Xuantian, what nonsense are you talking about? This senior Golden Horn clearly possesses the mighty Power of Yang Principle, and his cultivation has even reached the Sub-Saint Peak. How could such a Great Power be an oddity that became enlightened?"

"Yes, Fellow Daoist Xuantian!" The others echoed in agreement.

They felt perplexed about Xuantian's seemingly impolite words. However, they did not notice the bitter look in the old Golden Horn's eyes.

Xuantian ignored the questioning looks from the crowd and continued staring fixedly at Golden Horn, saying, "My feeling can't be wrong! Since childhood, I have been studying Puppet Technique by my master's side. Among all my fellow disciples, no one's puppetry skills surpass mine! Senior Golden Horn, do you have a soul?"

Golden Horn was silent for a while, then nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Xuantian is correct; indeed, I do not have a soul!"

"What?"

Everyone, including Li Qingming, was utterly shocked by this revelation, having never considered such a possibility.

"See, I told you my feeling couldn't be wrong!" Xuantian let out a soft sigh of relief, fearing he might have sensed incorrectly.

Of course, his worry wasn't about losing face from speaking incorrectly, but about Golden Horn possibly getting furious over his presumptuous question, which could lead to a troublesome conflict.

Li Qingming recovered from his shock and confirmed, "Senior, do you truly not have a soul?"

Golden Horn gave a bitter smile, nodding and saying, "Yes, I do not have a soul! Does that seem strange to you?"

"Of course!" Long Xuhu nearly jumped up, exclaiming, "It is well known that we cultivators understand the Heavenly Dao and cultivate the Power of Laws by leveraging the Power of Soul derived from our souls! Without even having a soul, how is it possible to give rise to the Primordial Spirit and then comprehend the Power of Laws?"

At this point, Yang Jian poked his head out from among the crowd and muttered softly, "But Senior Golden Horn has not only reached the Sub-Saint Peak, but he has also comprehended the Yang Principle!"

Now Long Xuhu was completely dumbfounded, repeatedly muttering, "This defies reason, how is it possible..."

Golden Horn swept his gaze over the differing expressions of the crowd, saying, "Fellow Daoist Xuantian is right. I am indeed the first puppet concocted by the Puppet Ancestor. Just that on the day the puppet took shape, the Great Dao bestowed a reward, granting me a Vitality Soul to serve in place of a soul. Therefore, not only can I cultivate, but I can also comprehend the Power of Yang Principle!"

"Puppet Ancestor?" Everyone simultaneously turned to look at Xuantian.

Xuantian, with bowed head, pondered for a moment before saying, "The Puppet Ancestor is the Creator Demon God of the Puppet Spiritual Domain! I have heard from my master that when the Puppet Ancestor transmitted the Puppet Technique to my master, there was said to be a marvelous puppet. But from childhood until now, I have never seen such. Could it be Senior?"

Golden Horn nodded, saying, "Yes, I am that very puppet from your master's hands!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)