Chapter 184: Debate about the Underworld Palace

“F*ck! I was in the middle of an epiphany. Do you want me to suffer qi deviation!?” Mo Jue cursed and sneaked in two more kicks.

“Qi deviation? Epiphany?” The Blood Grotto Patriarch was confused. Then he turned to look at the manual lying on the ground, half open.

“But there’s nothing written on the page at all!” The Blood Grotto Patriarch picked up the manual and showed it to Mo Jue.

“What!?” Mo Jue quickly took the manual and checked it. It was exactly as the Blood Grotto Patriarch had said. The page was blank, with nothing written on it. He flipped through several more pages, but saw nothing. It was as if nothing had ever been written.

Could it be… he had fallen into an illusion array? No. It was absolutely not an illusion. The memory was fresh. The epiphany he experienced was real. Even now, he could sense a subtle shift in his Dao.

With his new understanding of the Heavenly Demon Void Piercing Manual, he was confident that he could defeat ten versions of his former self, relying on this insight alone.

He clearly remembered that there had been words on the page before he fell into the epiphany. Why had they disappeared?

Wait… could this be… Epiphany Impartation?

With that thought, Mo Jue looked at the manual in his hands with a complicated expression, a mix of awe, disbelief, and a trace of regret.

The awe and disbelief came from the origin of this technique. Epiphany Impartation was a lost method said to originate from the Demonic Dominance era.

During that time, humanity was locked in full-scale war against the Heavenly Demon Emperor and the demon race, who once dominated the land.

According to historical records, demon race experts were far more powerful than human experts due to their innate nature and physical advantages. They were blessed by their race.

They were a powerful and long-lived race, naturally gifted in cultivation and the use of spiritual qi. In short, they were a race of geniuses that humans could not hope to match.

Epiphany Impartation was a forbidden method born from humanity’s greatest desperation. It was created to mass-produce experts, allowing humans to overwhelm the demon race through sheer numbers.

Despite all their advantages, the demon race had one fatal weakness. Their fertility was extremely low. It was hundreds of times harder for them to conceive compared to humans of the same cultivation level.

It was common knowledge in this world that the stronger one’s cultivation, the harder it was to have children. This was even more true for the demon race.

For example, if a human Nascent Soul expert had a one in five hundred chance of conceiving a child after repeated attempts, then for the demon race, that number would rise to one in five thousand. Ten times the effort, time, and luck were required to conceive even a single child.

Most demon race experts were above the Great Ascension realm, making their chances even more minuscule. When a child was finally conceived, it would be celebrated with great ceremony within the family.

As a result, every loss suffered by the demon race was a loss that could not be replaced for thousands of years.

That was how humanity eventually came out on top.

And why did Mo Jue feel regret?

It was because of how true Epiphany Impartation worked. From the records he knew, the technique would only impart the portion that the user could currently comprehend, and then it would stop.

It would only reveal the next part once the manual, or whatever medium carried the technique, detected that the user had sufficiently mastered the previous portion.

This limitation was added for the safety of the cultivator undergoing the impartation.

In the early stages of its development, the creator had not included such safeguards. The goal had been pure efficiency, to mass-produce experts as quickly as possible. As a result, ninety percent of those who underwent the process were destroyed.

Their minds and Dao shattered the moment the impartation ended. Nine percent of the survivors were left with deep scars. Only a minuscule number, about one in a thousand, survived unharmed and gained immense understanding, undergoing a transformation like a carp leaping through the dragon gate.

Thus, safety measures were added. All content within the medium would remain sealed until the cultivator achieved sufficient mastery.

That was the source of Mo Jue’s regret. As an obsessive demonic path sword cultivator, he wanted to fully admire this great work. Even reading it would have allowed him to revel in its vast and profound depth.

But at the same time, perhaps this was for the best.

He knew himself well. His obsession could easily lead him to fall into a full demonic state, both heart and mind, and with a technique of this level, a single misstep could cost him his life.

“It seems… this manual is an Epiphany Impartation medium.” Mo Jue paused, showing every page of the manual to the people in the VIP room.

“That’s why, once I had the epiphany, all of the content disappeared.”

With that said, the people in the room began clamoring in awe. Some expressed envy at Mo Jue’s fortune, while others fell silent, clearly scheming. They had to convince their daughters to meet that young master Wei. If they did not have one, they would have to find a beautiful girl, adopt her into their family, give her the title of daughter, and then send her off… no, betroth her to young master Wei.

This kind of opportunity was too great to ignore. If things went well, they might even gain access to other treasures from the Underworld Palace, that hidden ancient sect.

At this time, Hua Zuixian, who had been deep in thought, read the title of the manual once more and slowly offered his opinion.

“That manual… it’s called the Heavenly Demon Void Piercing Manual, right? Could it be… the Heavenly Demon mentioned here… is that Heavenly Demon?” Hua Zuixian said.

The Blood Grotto Patriarch shook his head. “It shouldn’t be.” Then he continued, “There are many demonic path cultivators who use the title Heavenly Demon just to sound intimidating. I don’t think it refers to the original Heavenly Demon himself.”

“Why not? Don’t forget… this manual came from the Underworld Palace. That mythical power is real, or at least it has the same grandeur and presence as the legends. Why wouldn’t this manual be the real thing as well?” Hua Zuixian argued.

The Blood Grotto Patriarch hesitated, but in the end, he gave his reasoning.

“It’s because… if it were true, then it would be too terrifying. Besides, Epiphany Impartation was an art created by the human race. I don’t think this manual came from the Heavenly Demon or the demon race. As we all know, the demon race does not use the common language like we do.”

“Also… from what I can see, this is a safe version of an Epiphany Impartation medium. The real ones from the Demonic Dominance era were all forbidden and dangerous. They would impart everything at once.” He looked at Mo Jue.

“No offense, Lord Mo, but I don’t think you would survive that. You are terrifying and a sword genius, I know that, but I don’t think you are a heaven-favored son who could survive that kind of forbidden impartation.”

Mo Jue shook his head. “None taken, old blood demon. I know myself.”

Hua Zuixian seemed unsatisfied and offered another point.

“Then why don’t you consider that maybe… just maybe… the Underworld Palace managed to obtain the real manual from the Heavenly Demon himself and then refined the technique into a safe version of Epiphany Impartation?”

“After all… the legends of the Underworld Palace originate from the Demonic Dominance era,” Hua Zuixian said.

“That’s a bit far-fetched,” the Blood Grotto Patriarch argued. “Even if they are a hidden ancient sect, is it possible that they possess such terrifying means? If so, why haven’t they already ascended to the Immortal Realm? Why are they still lingering in the lower realm?”

“Maybe… they can freely move between the lower realm and the Immortal Realm.” This time, it was Mo Jue who offered his opinion.

His expression turned complicated as he recalled the past with his wife. The Blood Grotto Patriarch, as Mo Jue’s old friend, understood what he was thinking. He chose not to continue the argument, knowing that pressing further might reopen old wounds.

The party continued, but it took about an hour before the jovial atmosphere returned.

— Meanwhile – Thousand Treasure Pavilion —

At the bedroom within Mo Xingyao’s private courtyard, Wei Chen was held in the embrace of two gorgeous women.

He was now in a difficult situation. Under the influence of the aphrodisiac and guided by his base desires, he had taken Dream Butterfly’s maidenhood. Now, the consequence had arrived. He felt a powerful suction force coming from Dream Butterfly through their point of connection.

That force extended toward his dantian. It was overwhelmingly strong, like the pull of a violent tornado capable of tearing an entire house from its foundation.

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