NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8:
Chapter 8: Since They Call Me Rebellious, I Might as Well Join the Demonic Path!
Chu Ge slowly awoke from his mysterious state, gradually descending from the air and landing on solid ground. He excitedly examined his internal condition, feeling the overwhelming transformation within his body. His cultivation realm was still at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, the same as before he crippled his own cultivation. However, his spiritual sea had undergone a fundamental change.
The size of the spiritual sea determined a cultivator’s ability to absorb and store spiritual energy. The larger it was, the more spiritual energy it could contain, allowing the cultivator to cast spells more frequently. Previously, during his Qi Refining Realm, his spiritual sea had been no larger than a small pond. But now, it was a vast ocean, stretching beyond the limits of his divine sense.
However, having a vast spiritual sea also meant that advancing to the next realm would be much harder. The reasoning was simple—filling a massive reservoir required far more time than filling a small pool. But Chu Ge was not the least bit worried. If ordinary cultivators absorbed spiritual energy so slowly that it took them half a day to condense a single drop, then Chu Ge’s body now functioned like multiple high-powered water pipes, continuously pouring spiritual energy into his spiritual sea.
Even though his spiritual sea had expanded significantly, his absorption rate was now many times faster than that of normal cultivators. The result was that his cultivation speed had surpassed even the most diligent geniuses.
He briefly assessed the spiritual energy density in the area. Because this land had been a forbidden zone for countless years, it remained untouched by human presence, making the spiritual energy far richer than elsewhere. Now, with Chu Ge’s whirlpools constantly gathering the surrounding energy, the air had become so thick with spiritual energy that it was nearly liquefying. It was as if several water pipes were endlessly channeling energy into him.
Right now, his body was like a walking spirit vein.
The once-dried-up spiritual sea was gradually being replenished, and the long-lost feeling of cultivation returned to him. Chu Ge felt so comfortable that he nearly moaned in satisfaction. Every cell in his body was pulsing with excitement, as if celebrating his rebirth.
Just then, a grumbling noise came from his stomach, and a wave of hunger struck him. Since he was still in the Qi Refining Realm, he hadn’t yet reached the point of completely eliminating the need for food. He still needed to eat to replenish his energy.
He stretched his limbs and walked out of the cave.
To his surprise, the dense fog that once made his heart race now felt strangely familiar. Though it still blocked his vision, it no longer interfered with his divine sense. Chu Ge was delighted—this meant that if he ever had to fight in such an environment, he would have a massive advantage.
This so-called forbidden zone had become his sanctuary.
If he encountered danger, all he needed to do was retreat into this place, and he would have a natural defense. If an opponent was reckless enough to follow him in, Chu Ge would have an overwhelming advantage. His divine sense had an extraordinary range, while the dense fog severely limited others’ perception. Unless the enemy was vastly superior in cultivation, Chu Ge was practically unbeatable in this terrain.
This advantage was quickly put to the test.
Chu Ge approached a Qi Refining-level demonic rabbit, yet it remained completely unaware of his presence. It was only when he was close enough to strike that the rabbit finally sensed something was wrong, but by then, it was too late.
Chu Ge easily hunted a few rabbits, took them back to the cave, and began roasting them over a fire.
Before long, the rich aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
As he savored the succulent rabbit meat, he began planning his next steps.
This forbidden zone contained countless hidden treasures, but most of them were far beyond his current reach. The truly valuable opportunities required at least the Nascent Soul stage to explore. The closest major opportunity available to him was the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm.
The Brahma Heaven Secret Realm opened once every 300 years, and only cultivators below the Golden Core stage were permitted entry. The realm contained a vast amount of treasures and fortuitous encounters, attracting both righteous and demonic sects, who sent their disciples to explore it.
The secret realm wasn’t just about personal gains—it played a crucial role in the allocation of spiritual veins and spirit mines between the righteous and demonic factions.
A key resource in the secret realm was Dragon Blood Grass, the main ingredient for refining Foundation Establishment Pills. Foundation Establishment Pills were the most sought-after cultivation resources in every sect. Thus, sect disciples who entered the realm would compete fiercely to gather as much Dragon Blood Grass as possible.
At the end of the secret realm expedition, the distribution of resources was based on which sect had collected the most Dragon Blood Grass.
The first-place sect received 40% of the total resources.
The second-place sect received 30%.
The third-place sect received 20%.
The fourth-place sect received only 10%.
Three hundred years ago, the Heavenly Dao Sacred Sect wasn’t even eligible to participate.
This time, however, the sect had successfully replaced Azure Cloud Sect, securing a position among the Four Great Sacred Sects and earning the right to compete.
It was clear why Yun Yao had been so eager for Chu Ge to hand over his life-bound flying sword. On the surface, it was for forging Ye Chen a powerful weapon, but in reality, it was for the upcoming battle in the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm. The competition would determine the next 300 years of resource distribution for the sect.
The Four Great Demonic Sects had their own internal ranking system similar to the righteous sects. Their entry points into the secret realm were different, but eventually, they would all cross paths inside. This meant that the competition wouldn’t just be righteous vs. demonic sects, but also internal conflicts within each faction.
If Chu Ge wanted to participate in the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm, he had to join either the Four Great Righteous Sects or the Four Great Demonic Sects.
At this thought, he sneered coldly.
Didn’t Yun Yao claim that he was rebellious?
Fine.
Then he would show her what true rebellion looked like.
He would join the demonic sects instead!
……
Three days had passed. Sixth Senior Sister Zhou Zhilian was no longer affected by the Tian Kui star cycle.
After bathing and lighting incense, she sat at her table in deep concentration.
On the table lay the Yin-Yang Mirror. Zhou Zhilian formed hand seals and channeled her spiritual energy into the mirror, beginning her divination to locate Chu Ge.
As her spiritual energy surged into the artifact, the mirror trembled slightly, ripples spreading across its surface.
A trace of excitement flickered in her heart.
Just as she expected a result to appear, the ripples settled, and the mirror returned to complete silence—an empty void, showing nothing at all.
She frowned.
Had she failed again?
Was it because it was her first divination attempt today, and she wasn’t fully focused yet?
She tried two more times, but the results were exactly the same—blank nothingness.
She began to doubt her own abilities.
To confirm, she changed the target to Little Junior Brother Ye Chen.
A moment later, the mirror displayed his exact location.
Now she was even more puzzled.
She repeated the process, alternating between divining her senior sisters and Chu Ge. Every single senior sister’s position was clearly revealed, but Chu Ge’s always resulted in failure.
Finally, she realized the problem.
Chu Ge must have some kind of treasure that blocked divinations.
It wasn’t that her skills were failing—it was that something was actively obstructing her.
She let out a frustrated sigh and looked outside.
At that moment, her eyes widened.
She sensed that the sect’s purple qi was dispersing westward at an even faster rate!
This was bad.
She had to report this to Master Yun Yao immediately!