A flash of inspiration struck, and he immediately recalled something, exclaiming in understanding: "So that's it, your Aunt Pan Si's guess wasn't wrong." "The so-called [Gui Cangzi] should be none other than Master Tian Ling, one of the second-generation ancestors of our Secret Demon Sect." "I've heard Master mention during sword refining that the actions of Master Tian Ling are indeed beyond ordinary prediction; though they appear reckless, they are actually where his Dao lies." "If there were no accidents, the elder should have already attained the position of a Tribulation Immortal." At this point, Yuan Gong finally remembered the serious matter. He looked at the dense array of books and Secret Books related to the Great Abyss Origin Sea floating before Tao Qian. With a sly smile, he spoke: "Master Tao has been carefree and at ease for three years, and now he's thinking of venturing into the Great Abyss seeking the Dao, hence sharpening his spear at the last minute?" "Once you finish reading these Secret Books, you will indeed gain some understanding of the Great Abyss." "If you were a nameless junior, doing so could save you from most dangers." "But unfortunately, ever since that battle at the gate three years ago, your name as Lord Suppressing Evil of the Spirit Treasure Sect, Tao Qian, has already spread across the Source Sea." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Don't mention those obvious enemies like Yellow Robe, Moon God, Devouring Immortal, Barbarian Mother… et cetera; many are secretly coveting you." "Once you step into the Source Sea, a great number of Innate and Acquired Gods and Demons will rush in to swallow you alive." "I heard just now you even teamed up with Spirit Infant to file a complaint, directly killing a Daoist Lord level existence...tsk tsk, your fame has grown even louder, even some ancestors of our Secret Demon Sect have heard of you, and knowing you're a disciple of our Old Ape..." At this point, Yuan Gong paused, his expression becoming more solemn and serious. Then he continued, though without directly saying much, revealing a significant issue concerning the Secret Demon Sect. "Kid, our Secret Demon Sect wants to rebuild the Mountain Gate within the Longevity Realm and select a new Sect Master, which you must already know." "This plan was supposed to take decades, even a hundred years, but now the Great Abyss has undergone tremendous changes." "Ten Thousand Gods awakening! Wars are erupting frequently!" "The ancestors from All Heavens have already made decisions, and in ten days, the selection for the [New Secret Demon Sect Master] begins." "Each realm and lineage will send one Secret Demon Child to participate." "Whoever gets elected can command the Ten Thousand Demons of All Heavens, gathering the full power of the sect to rebuild the Mountain Gate." Upon hearing this, Tao Qian had already guessed the purpose of Master Yuan's search for him. It should be the longstanding agreement established by Duobao and Yuan Gong: Yuan Gong, being one of the Secret Demon Elders, accepted Tao Qian as a disciple, not only to accompany and teach him many cultivation matters but also to bestow upon Tao Qian a complete Secret Demon Sect inheritance. The condition was that once the time was ripe, Tao Qian needed to become a "Secret Demon Child" and officially join the Secret Demon Sect. Both the Sect Master and the Heavenly Venerate seemed to acquiesce to this agreement. Now Yuan Gong spoke seriously for the first time, indicating that the time had come. Sure enough, Yuan Gong continued: "The ancestors of each realm and lineage have long decided on their Secret Demon Child candidates for the Sect Master selection, and each one is a top talent of their realm, an unparalleled Demon Child." "Only our Secret Demon Sect's ancestral land, the Longevity Realm, lacks a candidate." "Those old fools who survived a certain battle have all cultivated some good children; originally, they all seemed to be geniuses, even a few of Ultima Happiness Realm, with some passable Divine Skills." "But compared to you... hahaha, they fall vastly short." Yuan Gong couldn't help but laugh heartily, unable to conceal the look of pride on his face. By the look of it, though praising Tao Qian, he was actually flaunting his insight and skill in teaching disciples, probably not missing the chance to boast to those old friends privately. "Would you like to add the title of [Secret Demon Sect Master] to your name as Master Tao?" "Let me tell you, though my Secret Demon Sect may not have the reputation of your Spirit Treasure Sect, it has backing as strong as the Spirit Treasure God, not to mention a host of second-generation ancestors, each one of them Daoist Lords and Tribulation Immortal level beings, scattered across All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds." "Though you may become Sect Master, you may not be able to command the ancestors, but for major undertakings like rebuilding the sect's mountain gate, the ancestors would all lend a hand." Yuan Gong is an honest man, obviously able to exaggerate benefits to persuade Tao Qian, yet insists on speaking the truth. Even with straightforward honesty, Tao Qian can see that indeed the benefits are substantial. And crucial for his cultivation. The reason why Tao Qian hasn't immediately accepted is simple. After three comfortable years at Ascending Immortal Island, suddenly leaving Yunrong and the Spirit Infant mother-daughter pair, to face adventure, to experience life and death, how could he agree? Of course, Tao Qian knows that he cannot avoid it. Even if he unrelentingly breaches the agreement to avoid the Secret Demon Sect this time, and then what? As long as Tao Qian doesn't eliminate the Dao Nightmare through Daoist Transformation, he will eventually become Mutated and Fallen, perish, and have his Dao eliminated. Worse yet, if he falls to the likes of an Evil Demon, not only would the mother and daughter suffer, how could Penglai Sea be spared? The Dao Nightmare is fierce! He, has little time left. Yuan Gong also sees Tao Qian's hesitation, and is both pleased and carries a complex expression, internally thinking: "More often than not, the sect masters of the Secret Demon Sect are ruthless and heartless, yet this young man is full of emotion and kindness." "If he truly assumes the new sect master's position, who knows what the Secret Demon Sect will become?" "Interesting, interesting, I must help him ascend to that position." With determination set, Yuan Gong speaks again. "There is a slight difference between the Secret Demon Sect and your Spirit Treasure Sect, for although every Secret Demon disciple cultivates the 'All Heavens Secret Demon Scripture' this Great Book." "Yet most accomplished ancestors have branched out new Great Dao, creating their own unique Great Lifebound Scripture." "According to sect rules, these Great Books do not need to be included in inheritance, allowing all ancestors to roam All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds, exploring new Daoist Lineages and Magic Veins, if the ancestors wish, they can even change their identity, never again considering themselves part of the Secret Demon Dao, yet not one ancestor has defected to another faction." "The Secret Demon Inheritance you received is complete, naturally, but if put differently, it is merely one in ten thousand. Of course, not just you, no one can possibly learn all Secret Demon's arts." "I know your worries, hence I especially invited an entirely new Divine Skill for you." "This technique, called 'Chaos Soul Splitting God Transformation Technique,' was stolen by an ancestor forcibly from the Chaos Demon Ancestor's innate divinity after severing the link to Source Qi, directly transforming into a Great Method; although it still has costs, it's already within acceptable range." "Because of this, the ancestor offended the Chaos Demon Ancestor, and to this day hides in the Secret Realm, not daring to show himself. Knowing you need it, he generously lent the method book out." "After cultivating this technique, you can separate out a True Spirit Soul body, you are you, I am I, with endless wondrous applications." "Your physical body must confront the Dao Nightmare; why not remain within the Ascending Immortal Star Apture, create a soul body to seek Dao, and incidentally assume the Secret Demon Sect Master position, wouldn't that be ideal?" Master Yuan's words were compelling, and Tao Qian couldn't deny this plan sounded good, very tempting. Especially when the next moment, Yuan Gong reached out, directly retrieving an extremely thick, extremely old leather-bound book from within the red smoke. The cover bore no text, only bizarre faces, symbols, sacred patterns, and a constantly writhing, hair-raising existence like a living Chaos Source Qi. "The Chaos Demon Ancestor is one of the strongest innate heavenly gods and demons in the Great Abyss, the Taishang Heavenly Demon Sect, Evil Sect, and even our Secret Demon Sect and other Demon Path magic veins have quite a few cultivators following him." "He also bears titles like the God with No Face, the Thousand Faced Demon God, and with just a thought, can manifest billions of avatars, each possessing extraordinary supernatural power." "That ancestor coveted such great power, thus took a risky move, stole Divine Qi, thus generating this wondrous Great Book." "This book is first lent to you for viewing; you can also use some Secret Techniques to identify if there are hidden dangers within." "With ten days remaining, think carefully and then respond." After speaking, Yuan Gong transformed back into red smoke, entered the clay sculpture, and spoke no more.