Record of a Demon's Cultivation

Chapter 1305: Heaven-Worshipping Ritual

Translator: CinderTL

Inside an information shop in Hongcang City, Song Wen stared at the shopkeeper, his face etched with disbelief.

"You’re saying Jia Hongyu was only at the Peak Void Refinement stage and died ten years ago? Then why does the Jia Clan still dare to occupy a forbidden zone a million miles wide, barring all outsiders?"

The shopkeeper was an elderly man with white hair, at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He glanced out at the deserted street outside and then lowered his voice.

"Senior, you may not know this, but the Jia Clan has a total of five Void Refinement Stage cultivators, including Jia Hongyu. While he was the most powerful cultivator in the clan during his lifetime, his death didn’t significantly impact the Jia Clan’s overall strength. Even Hongcang City, where we are now, is under the Jia Clan’s jurisdiction. Their main residence is located in the mountains eight thousand miles outside the city."

Song Wen’s confusion deepened. He couldn’t understand why Jia Hongyu would suddenly designate a forbidden zone when he had so little lifespan remaining.

The Jia Clan’s strength, though not weak, hardly justified occupying such a vast territory.

Every cultivation power inevitably claims certain areas, such as mines, spirit veins, Spirit Fields, and markets, fortifying them with formations and manpower to generate massive profits.

But what could that desolate forbidden zone possibly offer the Jia Clan or Jia Hongyu?

"Is there anything special about the Jia Clan’s Forbidden Zone?" Song Wen asked.

The shopkeeper shook his head. "As far as I know, there’s nothing particularly special about that area. It used to be occupied by several small factions, but after Jia Hongyu designated it as a forbidden zone, they were all driven out. Since then, it’s become the exclusive territory of the Jia Clan, where they send their young members to hunt demon beasts, gather cultivation resources, and temper their minds."

"After Jia Hongyu’s death, did anything significant happen to the Jia Clan or the Forbidden Zone?" Song Wen pressed, sensing something amiss.

"Nothing major occurred. However, the Jia Clan plans to hold a Heaven-Worshipping Ritual at Lan Yuan Mountain within the Forbidden Zone in ten years. This news was inadvertently leaked by a core member of the Jia Clan, so its authenticity is uncertain."

"Where is Lan Yuan Mountain located?" Song Wen asked.

With a flick of his wrist, the shopkeeper produced a jade slip and handed it to Song Wen. "Please examine it yourself, senior."

Song Wen took the jade slip and scanned it with his divine sense. It contained a map of the Ashen Star Plains, including the location of Lan Yuan Mountain.

"Do you have detailed information on the core members of the Jia Clan?"

"Yes."

The shopkeeper produced another jade slip and handed it to Song Wen.

After examining the jade slip, Song Wen summoned a hundred high-grade spirit stones, which floated towards the shopkeeper. Without further ado, he turned and left.

Having learned from his previous encounter with the Jia Clan, Song Wen no longer flew openly in the sky. Instead, he hurried through dense forests and tall weeds, detouring whenever he encountered members of the Jia Clan.

Before long, he reached Lan Yuan Mountain, marked on the map.

This mountain was quite remarkable, rising abruptly from a vast plain and spanning hundreds of miles, reaching over a thousand miles in height.

"Shadow Void, is there anything unusual about this mountain?" Song Wen asked in his Sea of Consciousness, standing atop a towering tree and gazing at the distant peak.

After a thorough scan, Shadow Void replied, "I can’t detect any anomalies. However, there are traces of artificial excavation at the base of the mountain on the western side."

Song Wen had also noticed these "traces of artificial excavation" Shadow Void mentioned. But aside from that, he found nothing else of significance.

Song Wen slowly drifted toward the mountain.

After a few dozen breaths, he arrived at the location of the excavation traces.

This area was at the very base of the mountain, concealed by dense forest.

A large pile of rocks lay haphazardly stacked.

Song Wen channeled his spiritual power to clear away the rubble.

Suddenly, a cave several dozen feet high was revealed.

The cave was naturally formed, but the left wall had clearly been smoothed and straightened, as if to widen the entrance.

The mountain cave was dark and deep, winding into the mountain’s belly.

Song Wen’s divine sense followed the cave’s path, and after penetrating a hundred yards, the cave began to slope downward.

After a moment of thought, Song Wen flashed into the cave. After all, the highest-cultivation member of the Jia Clan was only at the Void Refinement Stage, posing little threat to him.

Once inside, Song Wen gathered the stones he had moved earlier and resealed the cave entrance. Then, he ventured deeper into the cave.

As he advanced, Song Wen noticed the concentration of Spiritual Qi gradually increasing.

After traveling several dozen miles, he reached a cliff. Without hesitation, Song Wen leaped off the edge.

After falling for over two thousand miles, Song Wen finally reached the bottom of the cliff.

"The Spiritual Qi here is incredibly dense! Could there be an earth vein deep beneath the surface?"

As Song Wen pondered this, a hint of hesitation crossed his face. Before him lay two diverging tunnels.

Just as Song Wen was debating which path to choose, Shadow Void’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Master, take the left path. There are traces of Human activity in that tunnel."

Following Shadow Void’s advice, Song Wen drifted left and soon saw the ’traces’ Shadow Void had mentioned: a five-fingered handprint pressed into the stone wall.

It looked as if someone had been channeling their spiritual power and accidentally pressed their hand against the stone wall.

Song Wen continued forward, traveling roughly a thousand miles before an invisible barrier blocked his path.

He didn’t attempt to force his way through. Instead, he asked Shadow Void, "Can you perceive what lies beyond this barrier?"

"Yes," Shadow Void replied. "Beyond the barrier is a vast cavernous hall. The Spiritual Qi within is so dense that it interferes with divine sense perception. In the center of the hall stands a stone platform. Inscribed upon it is a formation of your Human Race. At the heart of the formation lies a human, seemingly in a state of suspended animation, motionless but with their divine soul still intact."

"What does this person look like?" Song Wen asked.

"An old man with white hair and beard," Shadow Void replied.

Song Wen flipped his hand, producing a jade slip. After infusing it with a trace of spiritual energy, a humanoid phantom appeared in the air.

"Is this the person?"

"That’s him," Shadow Void confirmed.

Song Wen put away the jade slip, and the phantom vanished.

The jade slip had been given to him by the shopkeeper of the information store. It contained information about the core members of the Jia Clan. The phantom was an image of Jia Hongyu.

"So Jia Hongyu isn’t truly dead. But why would he fake his death? Could it be related to that Heaven-Worshipping Ritual?"

(End of the Chapter)

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