Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 292 - 211: Heterodox All Techniques, A Sight in Demon City

Across a bustling street, Tao Qian gazed from afar at the dense, stacked shack-houses and the surging crowd within the fortress.

The term "General" exuded sheer might; yet, this place was known within Demon City as a notorious slum, attracting folks from all around, teeming with dragons and snakes—scarce was there a person of true good nature.

Anyone genuinely kind who entered it was like a piece of white cloth cast into a dye vat, usurped by countless colors.

This place was famed in Demon City for many tales, two of which were most astonishing.

The first was a collective resistance to taxes, an instance when even the deployment of armed forces by Zhou Zhenghai, the governing official of Demon City who was once dubbed "Skinflint Zhou," couldn’t quell the obstinate defiance of the villagers, leading to an impasse.

The second involved a feud with the local major gang, the axe gang, who one night infiltrated the fortress only to have over a thousand of their men annihilated, ultimately weakening them.

Tao Qian, of course, was unaware of these events. Now, with a pair of Dharma Eyes and the perception of his unusual Soul, a few sweeps were enough to roughly discern the intricacies within the fortress.

Aside from the leading Cavernous Mystery Realm Corpse Cultivator, the other hundred-plus Cultivators varied not only in realms but also in the Cultivation Techniques they practiced.

There were those who practiced Daoist Skills like the "Demonic Art of Yin with Du Seal Script," and those refining Buddhist Law like "White Bone Temple." A fair number of Demon Cultivators practiced the "Five Lusts Fat Demon Skill," and there were many Magicians following the Ghost Path practicing skills like "Nine Sons Ghost Mother."

Few were in the Energy-Introducing Realm; most were either Foundation Establishment or Transcend Mortality Cultivators.

Concealing themselves with Magic Skills, they masqueraded as rickshaw pullers, barbers, foot masseurs, and effortlessly merged into secular life.

Yet they couldn’t fully escape the scrutiny of Tao Qian, a Spirit Treasure True Practitioner with a pair of eyes suffused with Immortal Spiritual Qi, revealing their true nature unknowingly.

"What a sight, a veritable dance of a group of demons!"

"All this effort, hardly seems like they’re here to experience the mundane life of Mortals."

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Tao Qian recalled the vast knowledge imparted by Xiao Hua Daoist during their Cultivation learning days.

Before long, he speculated on the allegiance of General’s Fortress.

"Within Da Ji Province of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, there’s a powerful Heterodox Sect known as the All Techniques Sect."

"Despite the sect’s grandiose name, which suggests it’s a legitimate major Cultivation Sect,"

"in truth, it’s aligned with the Heterodox and even leans toward the Demon Path."

"The sect proclaims an indiscriminate teaching philosophy akin to that of the Spirit Treasure Sect’s, an open-door policy to all beings and methods, inviting all comers."

"Regrettably, it has devolved into an unrecognizable mishmash, indiscriminately accepting all sorts of individuals, which means Evil Cultivators can join too. With their interference, even the Righteous Path is prone to descent into the Evil Path."

"The All Techniques Sect was acceptable at the outset, but over time it deteriorated and mutated, and in recent years, it’s on the brink of being expelled from the Sect alliance. Many in the Cultivation World have already acknowledged that the sect is bound to join the Demon Path."

"This fortress here, disarrayed with a group of demons, diverse in practice yet orderly in conduct, is likely one of the All Techniques Sect’s footholds in the secular world."

"According to Xiao Hua Daoist, those of the All Techniques Sect are opportunists who rise early for profit. With so many Cultivators infiltrating Demon City, they must have set their sights on something."

"Earlier, when sensing Qi patterns, it seemed that there were more locations like ’General’s Fortress’."

"Could this be the stage for the impending turbulence in Demon City?"

Tao Qian pondered, yet he had no intention of acting rashly.

In all matters, one should plan thoroughly before acting.

Having just arrived in Demon City mere hours before, he had but a fraction of insight into local affairs, and any impulsive action would likely not end well.

With this thought, Tao Qian stepped forward to cross the street, continuing to follow the guidance of the tribulation energy within him, seeking the one—be it person or object—who could unravel the situation at hand.

Yet it was at this moment that an all too familiar scene appeared, triggering many memories in Tao Qian’s mind.

First, groups of newspaper boys were waving their papers, shouting as they moved along the street.

"Extra, extra! Massive chaos in Fengtian Province; bandit turned leader Zhang Mazi, having consecutively defeated seventy-two large bandit groups, has occupied the provincial city and is now in a standoff with the Twenty-Fifth Prince."

"Extra! Major chaos in Ancient Shu; seventeen warlord bandits are in a sprawling melee."

"Shocking news! Three princes of the Taiping Army have joined forces, and just a day ago, they completely overran Jing Chu Province. The court has already dispatched troops to quell the rebellion."

"Big news! One of the leading figures of the Devil God Army, the Female Demon Hong Fu, has taken over several towns in Qilu Province and is currently steamrolling toward the provincial city. The court has responded by sending troops to suppress her forces."

"Extra, extra! An ancient capital city was unearthed near Golden City. Ten thousand buried citizens emerged and claimed the city as soon as they saw daylight, declaring that their goddess would soon be resurrected. The court... has yet to comment."

"Major news! An Alien Clan coalition has crossed the snow-capped mountains, aiming to invade the Western Regions. They were met by the Great Freedom Temple monks and the court’s troops. The Emperor has issued an Imperial Edict lavishing accolades on the Free Temple and inviting several high monks to the Imperial City to teach scriptures."

...

These cries of the newspaper boys simply made Tao Qian excited for a moment, then he grew curious to listen intently for the rest of the news.

But soon, a greater commotion arose from behind.

Before Tao Qian could turn to look, several nearby rickshaw pullers waiting for customers suddenly chuckled and said:

"Here it comes, another sight in today’s Demon City."

"The student protests carry a lot of passion. They just lack support and aren’t all that effective, are they?"

"Don’t say that; those kids have good intentions."

"What good are intentions? Demon City now belongs to the Ninth Prince, and he’s been acting strange lately. He’s showing the temperament of a tyrant before even becoming Emperor. I heard the other day several kind officials tried to advise him to rein in his demon soldiers, only to be ordered caught and thrown into the sea to feed the fish and crabs."

"Sigh, those soldiers are not human; they’re as cruel as demons, with strength enough to tear apart tigers and leopards. What chance do we lowly mortals have?"

"Why don’t you try learning how to Cultivate being an Immortal? The son of my neighbor left home for thirteen years and returned a few days ago having learned some impressive Daoist Skills, especially that Wall Penetration Technique. Really seems like he’s an Immortal or something."

Before the rickshaw pullers could finish their conversation—

Tao Qian seemed to sense something and looked toward the other end of the street.

Indeed, accompanied by a wave of loud noise, a parade composed mostly of young men and women dressed in student attire came shouting slogans and waving various flags as they marched down the street.

Tao Qian didn’t need to listen carefully to make out the many slogans that entered his ears.

"Ninth Prince is tyrannical! We request the court to strip him of his imperial status!"

"The Western Barbarians are ambitious and should prompt the Ninth Prince to divorce his wife and send her back."

"The Demon Army under the Ninth Prince is like a group of evil objects, repeatedly invading the common people, and should be punished."

"When demons enter the world and slaughter the common folk, the court should invite Daoist and Buddhist Sects to establish academies in each province to provide Cultivation Techniques, so everyone can become as dragons, to resist the demons."

With each slogan he heard, Tao Qian’s eyebrows inadvertently twitched.

He was surprised by the audacity of these students, but doubts also arose in his heart.

These slogans, they were rather fierce.

It was as if they were openly cursing the ruler of Demon City, the current Ninth Prince.

Considering how things had turned out, the fact that the parade was still proceeding peacefully seemed odd.

With Tao Qian’s cursory knowledge of the Ninth Prince, he immediately sensed something amiss.

"I heard from the Returning Immortal Mirror before that the Ninth Prince is actually a descendant of the Taishang Demon Sect."

"Practicing the ’Six Desires Heavenly Demon Scripture,’ a Great Method that is comparable in status to the ’All Heavens Secret Demon Scripture.’"

"Plus, with his imperial family status, he became the Grand Admiral at a young age and has significant military achievements, such as defeating the Western Alliance Army. He truly is a favored child of heaven."

"How could such an entity tolerate the insults of a bunch of student children?"

"If it were me, the parade wouldn’t have happened at all... So, did the Ninth Prince do it on purpose?"

Due to insufficient information, Tao Qian could only come to this conclusion.

However, that last slogan did catch Tao Qian’s eye.

Everyone as dragons, only then can they resist demons!

There was something worth considering in this statement.

If it were indeed possible to completely command the Cultivation World, to establish academies in each province providing resources, allowing a large number of mortals to step into Cultivation, a vast Cultivator selection mechanism could be established.

The Longevity Heavenly Dynasty could become powerful in a short time, not only resisting demon invasions but also treating demons as financial and material resources.

At that point, it would no longer be called a mere mundane court, but could be adorned with fancier names like "Longevity Immortal Dynasty" or "Longevity Divine Dynasty."

"Alas, it’s such a pity that upon careful consideration, it’s clear that this is an impossible task."

"At the very least, the Imperial Family of the current Longevity Heavenly Dynasty is absolutely incapable of achieving such a grand feat."

"Not to mention commanding the entire Daoist and Buddhist community. Even any one of their Great Sects would hardly pay heed to the will of the Imperial Family."

"Great Sects like Spirit Treasure Sect or Taishang Dao wouldn’t even bother to give them a second glance."

"Being weak is the original sin."

After a sigh, Tao Qian shook his head, losing interest.

He continued on his way, walking through streets and alleys, his large earlobes swinging, occasionally flashing a smile, eliciting exclamations from passersby: "This young fellow sure has a unique look."

Before long, Tao Qian finally came to a stop at a certain location.

The Cultivation Tribulation Technique within him directed him to enter the peculiar building in front of him.

The Dharma given by Duobao Daoist was indeed miraculous, not only alerting him to impending disasters, generating abnormalities, but also actively guiding him to find people or things related to the tribulation.

As soon as he came into contact with that person or object, he would directly enter the calamity.

The Dharma would automatically operate, beginning the refining process.

After it was completed, whether it was Magical Treasures, Divine Skills, or other gains, he would have them all.

Of course, Tao Qian could choose to avoid it and not make contact.

But by doing so, tribulation energy would surely accumulate.

Over time, the disaster would not only arrive uninvited but would also become exceptionally terrifying.

This reminded Tao Qian of the task systems commonly seen in online games from his previous life.

"I am quite fond of completing tasks, but how can I, Tao Master, a proper Spirit Treasure Cultivator, venture into such places upon entering the world?"

"It’s beneath my dignity!"

With a sigh to this effect, Tao Qian faced a neon-flashing building emanating an air of enervation and bone-corroding allure.

Then, he entered it quite adroitly.

The huge sign above and the drawings of voluptuous Dancing Girls, even from several streets away, were plainly visible.

A place of joy for men within Demon City.

The Sleepless City Dance Hall!

ps: More to come, asking for double monthly tickets.