Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard”
Chapter 105: Heaven-Defying Rebellion
Black Demon Realm.
Under the pitch-black night sky.
Secrets unknown to most lurked in the darkness.
Dozens of Evil-Eye Demons imbued with spiritual energy gathered furtively in a basement.
They were arranging an altar, with common Black Demon Realm sacrificial offerings prepared beneath it - demon crystals containing pure demonic energy, vials of refined demon blood rich in essence, condensed bone beads from Skeleton Demons, along with various demonic artifacts and treasures.
"Great Leader, can we truly succeed? Will we really receive blessings from the righteous gods?" asked one Evil-Eye Demon radiating spiritual energy hesitantly.
"Evil gods! We're praying to evil gods, not righteous ones! Are you trying to summon those disgusting Demon Enforcement Squads?!" roared another Evil-Eye Demon exuding righteousness. "We are demonic disciples bringing darkness to the Black Demon Realm! Only the Starry Sky Demon God can save our tainted bodies and purify our souls..."
He continued: "Even if... even if the Starry Sky Demon God is considered righteous, so what? As long as they grant us power, we can destroy this filthy world! Remake the universe! Hahaha!"
"The Great Leader is wise!"
Strangely, all the Evil-Eye Demons' eyes shone with clarity, completely at odds with the demonic nature pervasive in the Black Demon Realm.
Outside, a squad of Skeleton Demons quietly surrounded the building.
"Captain, according to reports, there's a group of righteous cultists conducting a divine ritual inside. Capturing them will earn us a huge amount of demonic merit!" transmitted one thoroughly demonic Skeleton Demon.
"Their leader might be that disgrace to Evil-Eye Demons - Xu Da, the remnant of the righteous path from the Starry Sky Cult. Pah! What a ridiculous name - these heretics always have such hard-to-pronounce names!" another Skeleton Demon said excitedly.
"These righteous cultists are dangerous elements that must be eliminated to protect our demon town," the Skeleton Demon Captain said gravely. "They're insane - slaughtering demonic beings en masse, using terrifying arrays to refine demon flesh into spiritual essence crystals. That spiritual energy can harm us on contact, yet they use it for cultivation! Absolutely terrifying!"
After a moment's thought, he added: "Though we're fourth-tier demons facing mostly third-tier cultists, be extremely careful of spiritual energy contamination. Those essence crystals are highly corrosive and difficult to purge!"
"Understood!"
The Skeleton Demons' demonic auras surged, their eyes filled with pure demonic essence as proper demonic cultivators. Dealing with righteous cultists posed no real challenge - their only concern was preventing escape, not combat. These rat-like cultists only knew how to hide.
They slowly closed in, forming an airtight perimeter to ensure no cultist escaped.
In the basement, the Evil-Eye Demons continued preparations. Humanoid in shape but with a large sinister eye on their foreheads, their race could naturally perceive souls and detect hidden things.
Innately evil yet curious about all things, some Evil-Eye Demons became fascinated with the legendary spiritual energy world, even researching how to refine spiritual energy from demonic energy. Such research was naturally unacceptable in the Black Demon Realm. Those who succeeded in developing methods to convert demonic energy or even refine demon flesh into spiritual energy became outcasts, forced to operate in shadows.
Xu Da's spiritual energy was exceptionally pure. His evil eye seemed to swirl with majestic righteousness, giving him an aura of nobility. As the cult leader, he had reached the fourth tier, far surpassing his followers.
"Prepare to begin the sacrifice to the Starry Sky Demon God!" Xu Da commanded.
"Yes!"
The cultists took positions around the array, solemnly channeling their spiritual power into the formation.
As the stellar array activated, Xu Da in the center gazed through the building at the starry sky above. He decided to try connecting with a different star this time. After scanning with his evil eye, he randomly selected Tian Shu, the central star of the Big Dipper, for the sacrifice.
When the array fully activated, a pillar of spiritual light shot skyward, piercing through layers of demonic energy to connect with starlight from above.
"Oh true god who commands the stars!"
"Source of spiritual energy, master of all creation's end!"
"Your devout follower Xu Da offers the purest sacrifices, begging for your blessing to light our path forward!"
While performing stellar cultivation techniques to commune with the heavens and deduce secrets, Xu Da chanted words even he barely believed. His apparent worship was merely a pretense for stellar communication.
The Big Dipper glowed brightly as celestial inscriptions on Tian Shu star resonated across vast distances through the starlight. Instantly, Xu Da found numerous dao texts appearing in his mind - an incomplete legacy of the Seven Extremes technique!
Eyes closed, he studied the contents and unconsciously recited: "The Seven Extremes Dao Venerable transmits teachings across realms..."
At that moment, a strand of his thoughts ascended to the Big Dipper, crossing infinite worlds until sensed by someone on Green Vine Continent of Tianyuan Realm.
Immediately, a consciousness traversed dimensions along this connection, manifesting above the altar.
Su Yuan had arrived!
Extending his perception, Su Yuan saw a group of strange creatures kneeling below. Puzzled, he shifted position and realized they weren't actually seeing him, but something above. Following their gaze, he saw Big Dipper starlight penetrating the building to illuminate the righteous-looking leader on the altar.
Channeling a wisp of starlight, Su Yuan deduced recent events. The starlight had recorded everything, making it easy to understand these creatures' actions.
They were actually worshipping a nonexistent Starry Sky Demon God!
Amused, Su Yuan's consciousness passed through the building into the open sky, where he beheld an alien demon town. The bizarre demonic denizens - Skeleton Demons, Lesser Demons, Greater Demons, Evil-Eye Demons, Rotten Corpse Crawlers, even high-tier Shadow Demons and Heavenly Demons - presented a fascinating sight.
But what truly astonished Su Yuan was the pervasive demonic energy - dark, evil, and fundamentally opposed to spiritual energy. The spiritual energy on those cultists had seemed impure and chaotic, hardly worth notice. Now realizing they'd cultivated it in this demonic environment? Damn impressive! Managing any spiritual energy here was miraculous - achieving their level made them absolute demonic prodigies!
Returning to the basement, Su Yuan nodded approvingly at Xu Da's relatively pure spiritual energy.
Xu Da was ecstatically studying the newly acquired Seven Extremes technique when suddenly...
The building above exploded into dust!
Only the basement's protective array saved the cultists from annihilation. Xu Da's face darkened as he saw the surrounding fourth-tier Skeleton Demons.
"Well well, if it isn't Starry Sky Cult Leader Xu Da!" laughed the Skeleton Demon Captain. "Nowhere to run now!"
"Damn it! How were we exposed?" Xu Da glanced suspiciously at his panicked followers, but knew this wasn't the time for finding traitors. Seeking escape routes, he instead found powerful demonic arrays sealing them in completely.
"Why? Just after receiving this legacy, must I perish here?" Despair gave way to determination as Xu Da gazed at the Big Dipper. "My followers! The Seven Extremes Dao Venerable has heard us! Pour all your power into the sacrificial array! The Dao Venerable will descend to save us!"
Knowing they were doomed, the cultists desperately channeled their energy regardless of whether their leader was bluffing. Xu Da shouted: "Seven Extremes Dao Venerable, ruler of starry rivers! Let starlight shine forever, delivering all beings! Big Dipper's myriad venerables, kingdom of stars!"
He spewed whatever grand phrases came to mind, begging for divine intervention.
The Skeleton Demons sneered. "Enough with your nonsense, Xu Da! Your made-up Starry Sky Demon God and Seven Extremes Dao Venerable might fool your stupid followers, but don't fool yourself!"
Waving his team forward, the captain ordered: "Make sure to record this. Now, wipe them out!"
Twelve fourth-tier Skeleton Demons unleashed murderous intent as watching demons cheered for the enforcement squad.
Twelve massive bone projectiles hurtled toward the altar, shattering the basement's protective array in an instant.
Just as Xu Da's face twisted in despair...
The Big Dipper suddenly erupted with dazzling starlight!
Countless beams descended, illuminating the entire demon town's sky...