If one doesn't fall into demonhood, they can't truly eradicate the demons.
But once they do, they eventually become a new 'demon.'
That is the desperate plight the beings of this world face.
So far, the only known way to eliminate demons is to fully devour them.
Yet 'demons' are composed of endless demonic energy. To devour a demon is essentially to absorb that energy—effectively falling into demonhood. While it may eliminate some demons in the short term, in the end, the one who absorbs it becomes an even stronger demon.
"Li Qing is truly dead."
Lin Yuan watched quietly, knowing the Sect Master of the Qingyun Sacred Sect hadn’t held back.
As the sect's top disciple, Li Qing undoubtedly had many life-saving trump cards.
But all those were left within the sect—and the instant the Sect Master struck, he erased them all.
Li Qing was still in the early stages of demonization and didn’t yet possess immortality.
This was why the Sect Master didn’t hesitate. If he had waited any longer, the consequences could have been disastrous.
Whoosh!
The Sect Master turned and brought Lin Yuan back to the main hall.
"This whole matter with Li Qing—it's thanks to you."
Though saddened, the Sect Master knew that if Li Qing had continued down the path of demonization, the loss to the sect would have been immense.
Every person who becomes demonized always believes they can resist the influence of demonic energy.
But in the end?
They only end up creating even more terrifying demons, making things harder for cultivators in this world.
"It was the right thing to do," Lin Yuan nodded.
His decision to report Li Qing’s demonization had its own motives.
If he were the only one who knew, he’d have become Li Qing’s number-one target.
He had done it to protect himself.
"Whether or not it was your duty, it was still a contribution."
The Sect Master looked at Lin Yuan and asked, "What kind of reward would you like?"
"A reward?"
Lin Yuan pondered briefly, then said, "Sect Master, although I survived the demonic corruption, recovering completely will be difficult. I'd like to serve as an Attendant at the Qingyun Archives."
"Very well."
The Sect Master nodded.
Surviving mental corruption by demonic energy? For someone of Lin Yuan's previous strength, it was a miracle—and lingering aftereffects were to be expected.
Regardless, Lin Yuan was a disciple of the sect and had revealed Li Qing's corruption in time. Naturally, the Sect Master wouldn't treat him unfairly.
"Alright, from now on, you're an Attendant at the Qingyun Archives. You'll have access to all branches."
"Many thanks, Sect Master."
Lin Yuan responded immediately.
The Qingyun Archives stored all the sect’s secret manuals and legacies from its founding—many of them predating the great upheaval of this world.
Being able to access the archives freely would greatly help Lin Yuan understand this world. And by grasping its cultivation system, he could deepen his own foundation and reserves.
"Oh, and one more thing you must remember."
The Sect Master seemed to recall something and looked at Lin Yuan. "Don't speak of Li Qing's corruption to anyone."
He had subdued Li Qing silently, without alerting any other disciples or elders.
"Understood."
Lin Yuan nodded.
After all, Li Qing had been the sect’s leading disciple—an icon for the younger generation.
If word of his demonization got out, the impact would be severely demoralizing.
Lin Yuan left the main hall and soon arrived at the Qingyun Archives.
The archives had eight sub-halls, each filled with vast collections of ancient texts and scrolls.
For ordinary disciples, strict conditions were required to enter and view them.
But as an Attendant, Lin Yuan had unrestricted access.
"Looks like what you reported to the Sect Master must have been important," said Elder Fang, standing nearby and somewhat surprised.
Serving as an Attendant in the Qingyun Archives was no small matter. Located deep within the sect, it was virtually untouchable unless the mountain gates were breached by demons. Working there was peaceful, safe, and came with excellent treatment.
Normally, these positions were reserved for disciples who had performed great service.
"Thank you for saving my life, Elder Fang," Lin Yuan smiled.
"You surviving had nothing to do with me—I’d nearly given up on you at the time, hahaha."
Elder Fang didn’t hide it. Under the corruption of demonic energy, surviving was so rare that he almost thought he’d made a mistake.
"But what exactly did you report to the Sect Master? Can you tell me?" he asked, slightly curious.
"You could always ask the Sect Master yourself," Lin Yuan replied with a smile.
Since the Sect Master had instructed him not to speak of Li Qing’s demonization, Lin Yuan naturally wouldn’t mention it.
"Forget it, forget it."
"Probably has nothing to do with me anyway."
Elder Fang shook his head. If it were something relevant to him, he would’ve found out by now.
"Go ahead and take your post at the archives. If you get bored, feel free to chat with me," Elder Fang said before leaving.
As an elder, he was often busy tending to injured disciples—especially those harmed by demons.
Qingyun Archives.
Lin Yuan stepped inside and saw walls lined with dense arrays of jade slips. He immediately began sorting through them.
While doing so, he rapidly skimmed their contents.
He focused primarily on records from before and after the great upheaval.
"Before the upheaval, cultivators in this world followed the path of Nine Stages of Life Refinement, Six Stages of Longevity, Three Stages of Freedom, and One Stage of Eternity."
Lin Yuan absorbed the flood of information.
Judging by the descriptions of their power, the Nine Life Refinement Stages likely corresponded to Chaos Void Ranks One through Eleven.
The Six Longevity Stages aligned with Rank Twelve’s Path-Clearing to Chaos stages.
At this level, one’s lifespan became eternal—free from the constraints of the river of time.
The Three Stages of Freedom likely mapped to the Chaos Saint-level hierarchy, with the third Freedom Stage comparable to the Strongest Heavenly Sovereign or Invincible Supreme Saint.
As for the One Stage of Eternity? That probably represented the level of Rank Thirteen time lifeforms.
"After the great upheaval, terrifying demons emerged."
"Demons are divided into: Demon Spirits, Great Demons, Source Demons, and Demon Gods."
"Each level of demon corresponds to the peak of a given cultivator stage. For instance, a Demon Spirit can rival a cultivator at the Ninth Life Refinement Stage. Great Demons possess power close to perfected Chaos Stage. Source Demons? Their upper limits are unknown, but each appearance brings immense despair to the world’s lifeforms."
Lin Yuan’s mind churned.
"And Demon Gods? Though none have appeared recently, records say that when the upheaval first began—back when cultivation forces were at their peak—one Demon God made a move and instantly assimilated more than half the most powerful cultivators."
"Later generations speculate that the so-called Demon Gods are the source of the upheaval and of all demonic energy. That this demonic energy is the product of a Demon God’s breath—endless, inexhaustible, born of their essence."
The more Lin Yuan read, the more shocked he became.
A Demon God?
If their power matched that of the Eternal Stage, wouldn’t that mean they were equivalent to Rank Thirteen time lifeforms?
But how could a Rank Thirteen time lifeform fall and become a ‘demon’?
It defied belief.
Since the upheaval, cultivators had gradually learned more about demons through contact.
All demons acted purely on instinct. They had no emotions, no will, like mindless husks.
This, ironically, was the only reason life still existed in this world—demons didn’t believe in eliminating all life. They simply wandered. If they encountered a cultivator, they attacked; if not, they drifted on.
But as demonic energy continued to spread, their numbers only grew. Eventually, they would blanket the world.
That day would mark the extinction of all life.
"Demonic energy..."
Lin Yuan raised his right hand, where a wisp of dark, dense energy swirled around his fingertip.
Back when he first woke up, he had forcefully purged the demonic energy corroding his will—but he had intentionally kept a trace behind.
He had wanted to study it. After all, anything strong enough to suppress his mental will for that long couldn’t be underestimated.
"This power..."
Lin Yuan examined it closely. The black energy twisted continuously, trying to invade his flesh—but he kept it sealed at his fingertip.
"It’s definitely not ordinary."
With a thought, he dispersed the wisp and fell into brief contemplation.
From his observation, demonic energy appeared to be a form of extremely high-level power—perhaps even a kind of law or principle.
Because of its strange properties, the lifeforms of this world referred to it as 'demonic.'
"This world... being a Source World, should have given birth to Rank Thirteen time lifeforms. So where are they? Blocked by the Demon God?"
Lin Yuan pondered.
As a Source World, its level was not inferior to the Chaos Void. Given enough time, it was entirely possible for time lifeforms to emerge.
And based on records in the Qingyun Archives, the Eternal Stage did indeed correspond to Rank Thirteen time lifeforms.
Meaning this world had produced them.
Yet now, demons ran rampant—and the time lifeforms hadn’t intervened at all.
"Demon God..."
Lin Yuan thought silently. This being was the source of all known demonic energy. Even for him, facing such an existence would be daunting.
"No wonder when I first entered Rank Twelve and tried to explore the second Source World, the Gate of Myriad Worlds issued a warning. This demonic energy targets mental will—back then, I might not have been able to resist it."
He reflected inwardly.
Mental corrosion was dangerous—it could even affect one’s true self across other dimensions.
While causal attacks couldn’t cross dimensions, mental corrosion could—because it involved memory. As long as Lin Yuan remembered, the effect would persist.
"For now, no matter how terrifying the demons are, restoring my strength is the top priority."
Lin Yuan exhaled deeply. Whatever danger he faced—power was always the foundation.
With his capabilities, as long as he returned to peak form, and unless the Demon God personally intervened, this world shouldn't pose any major threat.
...
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