The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 22: The Beginning of the Dao

A flash of radiance emanated from the Immortal Pavilion, and Dongfang appeared inside the cave. “Here are ten finished pieces, along with the materials.” Dongfang tossed a storage pouch to Jiang Tang. Jiang Tang didn’t rush to open it; instead, he tossed another storage pouch to Dongfang. This pouch was filled with semi-finished products—all that was needed was to engrave the runes and dress them, and they’d be ready to sell. Not only Jiang Tang, but even Dongfang hadn’t expected that business at the doll shop would be so brisk. In just five days, they’d sold twenty dolls and made nearly one hundred and fifty crystals—though all of them were female dolls; they’d only sold one male version. “No, absolutely not. We can’t just stick to simple beauty—we need more varieties of beauty. What should we do? Hmm, half-demon dolls seem like a good idea! How about a bunny girl, a Nine-Tailed Fox, or even an angelic bird-person? That’s right—we shouldn’t limit ourselves to just human dolls. After all, the Immortal Pavilion is home to all kinds of races.” With that in mind, Jiang Tang threw himself back into his work. His speed had now reached an incredible level. Especially after his Spiritual Sea reached the mid-stage of the Spirit Martial Realm, the visual memories within it had become much clearer, and his divine consciousness had doubled in power, allowing him to sew three different styles of doll clothing simultaneously. But Jiang Tang was still not satisfied, because he hadn’t pushed his divine consciousness to its limits. By his estimation, once he became fully proficient, he’d be able to sew at least eight outfits at once. Qiong Sang had even told him he should aim for ten—or even more—as this would also temper his spiritual sea and strengthen his divine consciousness and spiritual perception. While his divine consciousness controlled the flying needles and threads, Jiang Tang’s hands weren’t idle either; as his ten fingers worked, the torso of a puppet slowly took shape. Although Jiang Tang was a die-hard fan of *Pili*, he also watched movies and anime and played online games. He used to think these experiences were completely useless, but looking back now, they were truly a treasure! The designs of characters—whether human or non-human—in movies, anime, and online games offered so much for him to draw inspiration from, imitate, or even copy. Holding a carving knife, Jiang Tang swiftly sculpted the doll’s face. After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, a face radiating heroic spirit and as cold as ice emerged. “If I add a pair of sword-like eyebrows and dress it in a crimson brocade robe, it’ll be the spitting image of Dongfang Bubai!” Jiang Tang felt a bit embarrassed, but he realized that for the sake of making money, he was willing to do just about anything! Half a day later, Jiang Tang had crafted a Nine-Tailed Fox doll of boundless allure and irresistible charm. “After absorbing all the essence from the wolf’s tail fur, the fur turned white but lost its luster. I’ll have to make Dongfang adjust it a bit—channel some Primordial Energy into the tail so it comes to life.” With that in mind, Jiang Tang put away the Nine-Tailed Fox doll and began crafting another one. Time flew by as the stars shifted in the sky, and before he knew it, three months had passed. When Jiang Tang, wearing his puppet form and carrying his storage pouch, arrived at the puppet shop, he stepped out of the secret room only to find that there were only five puppets left on the shelves—and they were all male versions. “Someone has placed a custom order for demon fox dolls—but only three-tailed ones. Here are the blueprints for the facial features—eighteen in total, one for each doll.” Dongfang handed the order to Jiang Tang. “No way—is it that group of foxes again?” Jiang Tang groaned. Two and a half months ago, he’d put the Nine-Tailed Fox doll on the shelf, and before he’d even left, someone had taken a liking to it and bought it. At first, he’d thought dolls of this half-demon type would surely sell well, but he never expected to have offended a demon! A group of fox clan members showed up and, without further ado, accused him of desecrating their clan’s ancestral spirit. Then, with utter shamelessness, they placed the order right there while Jiang Tang stood there speechless! Each doll had to resemble a Nine-Tailed Fox—beautiful, alluring, and even a bit provocative. They specified every facial feature in detail, demanding strict standards for two-tailed, three-tailed, and even four- or five-tailed variations. The color couldn’t be plain white either—it had to be fiery red, silvery, azure, or deep blue, among other hues. The list of requirements was endless, yet they offered only seven crystals per doll—and refused to leave unless he accepted! They can’t smash up your shop, but they can’t let you off easy either, right? A whole bunch of puppets are blocking the entrance to your shop—how are you supposed to run your business? Don’t be fooled by the size of this order—Jiang Tang’s dolls are in high demand right now. He can’t even keep up with sales. The remaining five male dolls were made out of necessity, specifically to keep the shop looking stocked; otherwise, it would have been completely empty by now. Therefore, every time Jiang Tang makes a Fox Clan puppet, he’s three crystals poorer—do you think he’s happy about that? But if he doesn’t make them, he can forget about doing business. Although the Fox Clan isn’t a major clan, it’s still a piece of cake for them to make his life a living hell. “Cheapskate,” Jiang Tang muttered under his breath. He accepted the order, stowed it directly in his storage pouch, and began arranging the new dolls one by one. With the precedent of the Nine-Tailed Fox Doll fresh in his mind, Jiang Tang dared not take any chances. Even if he did make dolls, he’d stick to things like two-tailed cat women or bird-people—anything that wouldn’t reveal the design as being based on a specific ancient ancestor of the demon clans. “What are you doing?” After finishing arranging the dolls, Jiang Tang noticed Dongfang sniffing the Soul-Nourishing Incense while assembling something—and it looked strangely familiar! “Gatling gun barrels,” Dongfang said as he inserted the two barrel sections. Instantly, the six exquisite, compact barrels were assembled. Dongfang held it up, examined it from all angles, then suddenly pulled off his left arm. Holding it with one hand, he continued assembling while saying, “Using this to fire spiderweb rounds—it’s practically invincible.” “But it’s a huge drain on energy, and spider web rounds only work against those at the Qi-Weapon Realm. Once they reach the Spirit-Weapon Realm…” Dongfang cut Jiang Tang off and said, “Don’t worry, I’m working on strengthening my spiderwebs too.” Jiang Tang was taken aback for a moment, but his expression quickly darkened as he said, “You aren’t raising a demonic spider again, are you? Don’t squander all the demonic energy you’ve worked so hard to accumulate!” “If I have the strength, I’m not worried about running out of demonic energy. I’ve already decided: once you fuse with the Tianyang Jade Marrow and reach the Qi-Martial Realm, I’ll go to Xian Zong to become a disciple.” “What?” Jiang Tang’s spirit wavered, and he said irritably, “That’s impossible.” “Jiang Tang, you must remember: don’t let hatred stand in the way of becoming a powerful cultivator. You must stop at nothing. Whether it’s Xian Zong or Nikuang Mountain, they’re merely stepping stones for you. Even me—you must find a way to use me to your advantage, rather than acting like a child and refusing to do something just because you don’t feel like it.” Jiang Tang still retorted, “But I’m cultivating the Way of the Heart! Going to Xian Zong makes my heart feel heavy!” “The Way of the Heart? Is it the heart driven by hatred, or the heart driven by the desire to grow stronger? I hope you’ll think this through clearly. In this age, is there any other human sect that can rival Nikuang Mountain? Jiang Tang, I know you have a grudge, but it has nothing to do with Xian Zong. They have no idea that a single decision could lead to the downfall of a genius! Besides, Xian Zong’s cultivation methods are unique—they follow the path of immortality, not martial arts. I won’t claim to know who’s stronger, but the spiritual energy cultivated by Xian Zong’s disciples is indeed purer than Yuan Energy. I’ve bought some classics and learned that when it comes to countering demonic energy, spiritual energy is more effective than Yuan Energy. You don’t want to suddenly lose control one day, do you?” Jiang Tang remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a bitter laugh and saying, “I can’t argue with you.” Business at the Little Puppet Shop was booming, and the Qian Kui Tower next door showed no intention of trying to suppress us. Perhaps they simply didn’t bother. Although both shops sold puppets, they actually represented two entirely different paths. One was for decoration; the other was for combat—there was simply no comparison. Both Jiang Tang and Dongfang wanted to make combat puppets, but first, time was tight; second, no one had ever placed a custom order—and of course, a first-tier puppet cost fifty crystals; who in their right mind would buy one? Jiang Tang wanted to lower the price, but Dongfang refused to budge, insisting that what he was selling wasn’t just puppets, but craftsmanship! “Does that mean my craftsmanship doesn’t count as a skill?” Jiang Tang could only offer a wry smile. On the first floor of the Immortal Pavilion, the number of beautiful dolls kept growing. While they were a delight to the eye, they also finally piqued the interest of many. Consequently, half a year after the doll shop opened, some puppet shops began rolling out their own “ornamental” puppets. Although the imitations were quite obvious, this world had no copyright laws or patents, so Jiang Tang could only watch as his business gradually dwindled. “Did you buy one?” Inside the cave, Jiang Tang—who was using his divine sense to sew ten garments simultaneously—looked up at Dongfang, who had just teleported back. Dongfang nodded and tossed a small, vividly emerald-green vial to Jiang Tang. Catching the small vial and gazing at the dazzling golden light within its jade-like body, Jiang Tang did not smile. Although the three drops of Heavenly Sun Jade Marrow inside were precious—a divine elixir that would allow him to resume his cultivation—it had cost him a full 4,500 crystals. This represented the hard work he and Dongfang had put in for nearly half a year, yet Dongfang hadn’t asked for a single coin in return. A year ago, Jiang Tang wouldn’t have dared to even dream of such a sum. Yet what was even more ironic was that five years ago, whenever he asked for anything, the clan would send it to him without hesitation! That had been the height of his glory—and the proudest moment for their branch of the clan. Yet a year later, everything was gone, including those within the branch who had sought justice for him; they had even lost their lives! “Ao Heng, oh Ao Heng, once you absorb this, you will vanish from this world completely!” Looking at the small vial in his hand, Jiang Tang removed the jade stopper. Instantly, golden light burst forth, illuminating the entire cave as bright as day. “Let’s begin!” As soon as Jiang Tang finished speaking, Dongfang, without a moment’s hesitation, floated behind him and began carving exquisite and intricate talismanic patterns onto his spine. Without a qi vortex, Jiang Tang couldn’t refine the blood; he had no choice but to absorb it directly. The only downside to this method was the pain! But just how painful was it? Jiang Tang didn’t know—until he felt a stabbing pain as if ten thousand swords were piercing his bones, and only then did he realize it wasn’t much worse than absorbing demon blood! A heart-wrenching scream shook the cave to its core. Outside the cavern, the guardian Qiong Sang seemed to see right through the stone; within the beast’s head, two balls of eerie fire were fixed intently on the kneeling youth. The howling went on for who knows how long. Several times, Qiong Sang thought Jiang Tang wouldn’t make it, but to his surprise, he managed to endure it time and time again! “If I had that kind of willpower, perhaps I wouldn’t have ended up like this!” The howling ceased, and everything returned to normal. When Qiong Sang drifted back inside, Jiang Tang looked exactly the same—he was still that dark-skinned boy. “You stay here and practice; I’ll go tend to the shop. We’ve got enough dolls stockpiled to last two months now,” Dongfang said, just as he was about to leave, but Jiang Tang interjected, “These ten puppets are almost finished. Let me finish them.” Dongfang nodded and waited silently for Jiang Tang to finish the ten puppets. Then, he placed them in his storage pouch and stepped onto the Immortal Pavilion Disk. A flash of brilliant light, and Dongfang vanished. Jiang Tang was finally able to settle his mind. He ate a box of delicious pastries that a prince from the Shenwu Empire had given them, took a couple of sips of water, then took out a crystal stone and held it in his palm—and at last began the true cultivation he had been away from for so long! He did not practice the cultivation techniques of Nikuang Mountain, but instead cultivated the Shenwu Empire’s Golden Gangs True Qi. This wasn’t because the Golden Gale True Qi was particularly powerful, nor because Jiang Tang was acting on a whim; rather, after his bone marrow and blood had been transformed, he was no longer suited to cultivate the Nikuang Mountain’s Ao Long Decision. Forcing himself to practice it would result in ten years of progress being less than a single day’s. Although the Golden Gale True Qi was far inferior to the Ao Long Decision, it was still quite sophisticated—after all, it was a Seventh-Rank Earth-Tier cultivation technique. If the Shenwu Empire hadn’t interfered with the Immortal Pavilion, Jiang Tang could have simply sold it for tens of thousands of crystals; why go through all this trouble? Although the cultivation technique was different, as someone who had been through this before, Jiang Tang found it easy to master. At first, the Yuan Energy from the crystals was continuously drawn into Jiang Tang’s body; after circling his Dantian once, it dispersed and, following the technique’s circulation, nourished his tendons and meridians. Gradually, however, Jiang Tang realized that the rate at which his tendons and meridians were being nourished was too slow. Yet, if he didn’t follow the cultivation technique’s cycle, the energy vortex simply couldn’t condense. “Try using demonic energy to guide the Yuan Energy, but do your best not to let the demonic energy devour the Yuan Energy—otherwise, once the demonic energy grows too strong, you won’t be able to control it,” Qiong Sang cautioned. “Is that even possible? It sounds really hard,” Jiang Tang said, sounding a bit unsure. “It wouldn’t work for an ordinary Yuanwu Realm cultivator, but you’re different. Your divine sense is powerful, and over the past half-year, you’ve learned to wield it with ease. Use your divine sense to lock down these two forces and slowly let them… That’s right—try visualizing the Yin-Yang Fish. This is the beginning of the Dao and also its ultimate expression: Yuan exists within the demonic energy, and demonic energy exists within the Yuan. They coexist without merging, do not encroach upon one another, yet live and die together!” Qiong Sang’s suggestion sent a shiver down Jiang Tang’s spine; it felt as though he had grasped a profound cultivation method. Without further hesitation, he produced ten crystal stones at once, closed his eyes, and began to let the Primordial Energy and demonic energy attempt their first collision!