Chapter 56 Black Heart

"Hmmm, this is truly wondrous," the Sect Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect spoke as he relaxed back from examining the prone mortal on the table. "Who would have thought that our legends will come alive in such a pitiful mortal? The heavens sure have their own humor."

The Sect Master chuckled causing the other elders who were present there to chuckle as well. They had all checked out the mortal who was reported to have the Heart of Killing and it was clear to every one of them, that apart from the heart, nothing about the mortal looked different.

However, his heart now looked pitch black to their senses. Every time they tried to probe it with their spiritual sense, the black heart ended up shredding their senses ruthlessly despite the mortal still unconscious.

It was really a wondrous thing for them to experience.

"I have always thought that the black heart referred to in the Slaughter Demon Sutra as a metaphor for doing evil deeds and attaining a stained heart. But, now I know why I can't ever reach the pinnacle of it," an elder said with an unsightly expression on his face.

"The techniques we practice came from the demon world. Obviously, there are going to be some techniques that required special requirements to achieve the peak. At least, you know now. You can switch to a new technique and that way you will be able to clear the bottleneck you are stuck in now," the Sect Master said consolingly.

"Yes, Sect Master," the elder nodded a little unwillingly.

"Do not lose heart. You still have a long life ahead of you. Most of the techniques from the demon world are aligned with slaughter dao. So, you won't have much issue regarding it," the Sect Master smiled causing the elder to look thoughtful.

"Tianye, does anyone else apart from you and Wanren know of this brat's existence?" the Sect Master asked looking at Liang Tianye.

"Two juniors from the righteous faction were also present. I would have killed them, but their status in their respective sects was not simple. If I had killed them and they somehow got to know that someone from the elder generation killed their juniors, things wouldn't be good. So, I had to let them escape," Liang Tianye said a little unwillingly.

The Sect Master frowned upon hearing that.

"Well, let's not dwell on it. While the juniors might not realize the signs, those old coots will surely do. So, let's operate under the assumption that they knew we have such a seedling," the Sect Master said causing others to nod in agreement. "Now, I assume you have warned Wanren of speaking outside about this matter?"

Liang Tianye nodded sharply.

"Good, that makes this easy for us to move with. I do not want the spies hidden inside to report the brat's progress to the outsiders. Here's what we will do, Liang Tianye, as the person who found him, you will be the one overseeing his progress. Let him cultivate the Slaughter Demon Sutra. It is the most appropriate technique for him. How you go about it, it is up to you."

"The Slaughter Demon Sutra needs a lot of slaughter qi to be accumulated to progress to the next level," Liang Tianye frowned. "Can't we start him off with something easy to cultivate to a certain level? With his innate gifts, he will be able to reach the required level soon."

"You are looking at in short term. No, I do not want him to become a demonic cultivator like us. I want him to become a true demon that terrorizes this continent. We will need the likes of him in the future. The righteous sects are beginning to stir," the Sect Master said rising up.

"You have all seen how they came poking around this time. If you think they were satisfied with it, you are naïve. I have been fighting those bastards for a long time. I know how they operate. They came to check on us because they are planning something," the Sect Master said looking towards the distance.

"I want every one of you to increase your strength in the next five years. I am sure they wouldn't sit still after that. When they come poking around next time, it is time to teach them a lesson," the other elders and Liang Tianye grinned in anticipation.

"Before that, I need to step into the Soul Severance realm. Unless I succeed, we will not have any chance with that old coot still hanging on. The day I step into the Soul Severance Realm, we can take the fight to them."

"And this brat here is also part of my plan, I want him to become a true demon. A killer like no other. Tianye, I leave him under your care. There is news from the central continent. There seems to be some disturbance among the righteous sects over there. Several old monsters are starting to stir again. We need to be careful of it as well," the Sect Master warned seriously.

"Sect Master, will it affect us?" one of the elders asked anxiously.

"We do not know for now. But, be careful. Whatever has stirred the hornets' nest there can't be anything simple. Those old monsters wouldn't step out until THAT opportunity comes around. So, getting in their way now will be disastrous. Let the righteous sects take the brunt of it. We will lie low and see how the wind blows," the Sect Master said in a grave tone causing everyone to nod.

"The Five Continent Summit will happen in another seven years. Let our disciples prepare well for it. This time we need to have a firm foothold in it. I have information that some truly rare opportunity might present itself after that. So, we need to have adequate preparations to grasp that opportunity," the Sect Master said solemnly.

"Will it be related to Them?" Liang Tianye asked sharply.

"Most probably," the Sect Master said causing everyone to inhale sharply. "There is no reason for those old monsters to stir now. If they are coming out, it only means They or That is involved. Nothing else will interest them."

"Then, this brat?" Liang Tianye said looking at the mortal who was still asleep.

"Let's leave it to fate," the Sect Master didn't explain much,

Liang Tianye knew at that moment that the Sect Master would sacrifice this mortal if he didn't show sufficient improvement before that time. And he understood why such a decision was needed as well.

After all, no sect would needlessly shelter a useless waste of space. If this mortal hadn't reached a certain level by then, then the Sect Master wouldn't offend Them to safeguard this mortal.

​ If he didn't have enough value, he would be ruthlessly sacrificed.

This was the norm of the world. Only those who were strong and of use had a place in the cultivation world. The rest are all food for the bigger predators to prey upon. Liang Tianye had known this for a long time and once more it was being proved true.

"I will try my best to guide him," Liang Tianye also didn't say much seeing that the Sect Master had decided.

"Good, then let's all take our leave. We have our duties to attend to," the Sect Master said dismissing the gathering.

One by one the elders filed out of the room behind the Sect Master leaving Liang Tianye alone with the mortal. As the mortal stood now, apart from the curiosity that plagued them about the legendary phenomenon, he was no use to them. So, they wouldn't waste any time being at the bedside of a mortal.

If not for the task assigned, Liang Tianye would have also taken his leave. He looked down on the mortal with a complicated expression on his face. His fingers twitched a little before he took a deep breath and looked away.

There was conflict present in his eyes as he looked away from the mortal into the distance.

*****

"Are you sure that it was a mortal?" an old man asked furrowing his brows.

"Yes, Master," Bai Qingling replied seriously. "That person didn't have any cultivation emanating from him. Also, when he fought a Level 1 demonic beast initially, he was at a severe disadvantage. I am sure that he had no cultivation whatsoever. However, his body seemed to be more powerful than ordinary mortals."

"A body refiner? But, it doesn't make any sense. Most body refiners would have been able to overpower a Level 1 demonic beast easily. In that case…" the old man trailed off. "Hmmm, this seems to be quite a mystery. It would have been better if you had brought him here. We could have analyzed the phenomenon slowly."

"I tried Master," Bai Qingling said a little disgruntledly. "However, Liang Tianye, the Vice-Sect Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect interfered and I had to escape from there in a hurry with Peng Xiaoli."

"You say that the Wind Demon interfered, huh," the old man's eyes sharpened a little. "This just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. I am now tempted to take a walk to check on this little fellow. But, the Seven Clouds Sect had just stepped on the Heavenly Demon Sect quite severely. And me, coming to knock on their door would just incite more trouble."

The old man sighed and looked at Bai Qingling.

"I am sure you have some guesses and merely want me to confirm. Why don't you tell me what your guesses are Little Qingling? Maybe, I will be able to tell whether it is right or wrong," the old man smiled benignly.

Bai Qingling stuck out her tongue in a cute manner eliciting a chuckle from the old man.

"I do have some guesses, Master," Bai Qingling said bashfully. "But, they seemed very improbable that I wanted to consult you first."

"Oh, do tell," the old man said indulgingly.

"I have read about such occurrences in the scrolls in the sixth floor of the Scripture Repository, but they seem to always correlate with demons," Bai Qingling said a little embarrassedly.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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