Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Origin of the Ten Thousand Demons’ Art

As Yuan Wuji drew near the Doumu Palace, the Golden Spirit Mother was startled by the demonic aura outside. She wanted to see who dared to act so boldly, and at the same time, she sensed the presence of the Nine Luminaries Star Lord. Thus, she remained in Doumu Palace, waiting for their arrival.

“Master, I can’t hold on any longer. I’m about to break through,” Yuan Wuji exclaimed as soon as he saw the Golden Spirit Mother, rushing forward and dropping to one knee before her.

To her astonishment, the source of the demonic aura was Yuan Wuji himself. The bloodthirsty scent and the dense karmic force emanating from him shocked her deeply—how had he become like this?

“Put aside your breakthrough for now. First, tell me what’s happened to you,” the Golden Spirit Mother said, sending a ray of golden light into the crown of Yuan Wuji’s head, suppressing his bloodlust.

Her gaze carried a trace of disappointment. Could it be that her third disciple had committed monstrous crimes in the mortal world and now returned to Doumu Palace seeking her protection?

Yuan Wuji could not bear to see even a glimmer of disappointment in the Golden Spirit Mother’s eyes. He had once vowed never to let her be disappointed in him. Yet now, that fleeting look of disappointment struck at his heart again and again.

He feared nothing more than her disappointment.

Yet this matter was grave. Yuan Wuji hoped the Nine Luminaries Star Lord would withdraw. Under his pleading gaze, the Star Lord slowly exited the palace.

Once they were alone, Yuan Wuji recounted everything about the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir without omission.

“You’ve cultivated the Myriad Demon Fiend Heart?” The Golden Spirit Mother’s face betrayed worry as soon as Yuan Wuji mentioned the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir. Her anxiety deepened when he spoke of the Fiend Heart.

Always a steadfast presence, the Golden Spirit Mother had seemed as immovable as a mountain. No matter the trouble, as long as you sought her, all would be well; her face always bore an air of calm. But now, her expression was clouded with anxiety—something Yuan Wuji had never seen before.

“Master, is there something wrong with this? I feel my power has surpassed others of my level. Even those more advanced can’t take advantage of me,” Yuan Wuji said, pride evident as he spoke of the strength he’d forged for himself, strength that made him stand above his peers.

“Do you understand what the Myriad Demon Fiend Heart and the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir truly are? And you dare to cultivate them so recklessly?” The Golden Spirit Mother seemed at a loss, perhaps encountering such a situation for the first time.

“Why wouldn’t I dare, Master? I cultivated them myself; naturally, they’re mine,” Yuan Wuji answered, not understanding her concern. In his eyes, the Elixir and Fiend Heart were his own hard-earned power—what was there to fear?

“Then tell me, are you aware of the Six Great Sages of the world today?”

“Master, I’ve long known. My grandmaster, the Celestial Master of Heavens, the Primordial Lord of Heaven, Laozi, the Buddhist guides—Reception and Quasi-Ti—and the Demon Clan’s Nuwa.”

“Do you know why Nuwa is the representative of the Demon Clan?”

“Surely because she’s the strongest of them,” Yuan Wuji replied. In his view, only the strongest could become a sage of the demons.

“Wrong. It’s because she possesses the Myriad Demon Banner. Whoever holds the Myriad Demon Banner is the nominal ruler of the demon race. Do you think Nuwa became a sage merely because of her power? Nuwa became a sage due to her boundless merit; it was merit that elevated her. Were Kunpeng and Kong Xuan any weaker?”

“What does that have to do with me? I have no connection to Nuwa,” Yuan Wuji said, puzzled as to why the Golden Spirit Mother was telling him so much. He wasn’t even at the Taiyi Immortal stage—how could this have anything to do with sages?

“It’s not Nuwa I wish to discuss, but the Myriad Demon Banner. Whoever controls it is the ruler of the demon clan in name. Do you know where the Myriad Demon Banner came from?” The Golden Spirit Mother grew more exasperated as she spoke, wishing she’d never let him descend to the mortal world.

The Myriad Demon Banner was also of the demons; so were the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir and the Fiend Heart. That she pointed out the Banner meant it was anything but unrelated, and Yuan Wuji would never believe otherwise.

“The cultivation method you mentioned for the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir is a unique sigil conceived by Heaven and Earth. In ancient times, it fell into the hands of the Dao Ancestor, who bestowed it upon the Demon Emperor Dijun. Dijun took the sigil back to the demon clan and spent a thousand years studying it, but could make nothing of it and finally abandoned the effort. Who could have guessed that, in the end, the sigil would transform into a jade that recorded the method for cultivating the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir.

“Some say that if this sigil remains with a clan for a thousand years, it will become that clan’s supreme technique. Others argue it was always the demon clan’s highest method—why else would the Dao Ancestor grant it to Dijun? Whatever the debate, its emergence foretold the demon clan’s rise. When the method appeared, it alarmed even the Dao Ancestor in the Purple Firmament Palace. He once said: ‘Whoever succeeds in cultivating it shall possess the power to rule all demons.’ This pronouncement was acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao itself. Though tales about the method abound among the demon clan, in truth, many have cultivated the Golden Elixir, yet none have gained the power the Dao Ancestor promised.”

Yuan Wuji was astonished at the origins of the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir and couldn’t help but ask, “Master, did Dijun ever succeed in cultivating it?”

“Dijun never even tried. Those who did cultivate the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir all fell into wickedness, acting only on base instinct with no consciousness left, and ultimately perished under heavenly tribulation. Yet Dijun was a genius—he reworked the cultivation method into a technique for forging and, by sheer force, created the Myriad Demon Banner. The materials for its creation were treasures of chaos itself. In all the vast wilderness, there is but one such banner. Its appearance truly gave the demon clan dominion; whoever holds it, even the greatest demon lords cannot move against them. Thus, whoever controls the Myriad Demon Banner is the ruler of the demon race.” The origins of the banner were so profound even the Golden Spirit Mother could not fully explain, only outline enough for Yuan Wuji to grasp the perils.

“Master, will I also fall into wickedness?” This was no idle threat; it was a cold, hard truth that struck Yuan Wuji to the core. He began to fear he would become nothing more than a walking corpse.

“Now you know fear? Why didn’t you reflect on this during your killings?” The stench of blood and heavy karmic force clinging to Yuan Wuji also troubled the Golden Spirit Mother. Fortunately, she’d discovered it early—otherwise, he truly would have been lost.

“Even if I abolish your Myriad Demon Golden Elixir and extract your Fiend Heart now, you’d be left crippled, and this method is useless. But you need not fear too much. I have only ever heard of the Myriad Demon Golden Elixir, never of the Fiend Heart—perhaps there is hope for a turning point.” After all, she was his master; she couldn’t simply crush his spirit, or it would be harmful to his cultivation.