Chapter 167: The Heaven Demon Sect's Scheme

Jiang Yan: My bad, I forgot to finish him off.

Beneath the secluded valley, black Qi surged and erupted violently.

The man flew back up the cliff wall, the saber wounds Jiang Yan had left on his body now completely healed.

Jiang Yan didn’t show much surprise, merely watching his state with interest as he calmly asked, “How did you do that?”

The man’s lips twisted into a grin, his sanity teetering on the edge as he gave Jiang Yan a strange smile.

“Hehe… Join our Heaven Demon Sect, and any miracle can happen~”

“Jiang Yan, the outside world says you can slay demons. Why don’t you try again now?”

Gradually, the aura emanating from the man grew increasingly eerie. In an instant, he lost all reason, his pupils replaced by endless crimson. His appearance bore a faint resemblance to Pei Qin after his demonization.

At this moment, his eyes held nothing but slaughter.

“Hah~”

With a strange cry, he lunged fiercely toward Jiang Yan.

Just then, the gray-white Saber Qi hanging from the peak of the Wounded Wind Cliff descended in response.

Ssssh!

[System Log Updated]

“You have triggered the Instant Kill Law.”

“Well, luck’s on my side.”

Jiang Yan watched the Half-Demon Person plummeting toward the valley floor, still uneasy. He slashed several more times in mid-air, not stopping until the other had completely vanished from this world.

Jiang Yan quietly gazed into the abyss below, a few thoughts surfacing in his mind.

The Heaven Demon Sect likely harbored a colossal secret.

If that man had truly transformed from a human into a demon, once this news spread, Tianyuan Star would probably undergo a major reshuffling.

“But if even I know about this, wouldn’t the upper echelons of Tianyuan Star be aware?”

Jiang Yan shook his head.

“Heh, not my problem.”

Whether it was Tianyuan Star or the Anti-Sect Faction, Jiang Yan didn’t care.

He was just an outsider. The rise and fall of Tianyuan Star mattered less to him than forging a few more War Ruins Engravings.

If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. If things really went south, he could simply leave. The ones who should be panicking now were the people of Tianyuan Star.

Besides, Jiang Yan didn’t believe that those in power on Tianyuan Star hadn’t noticed the anomalies within these Anti-Sect factions. If that were truly the case, then this planet was truly beyond saving.

Jiang Yan chuckled and continued moving his Spirit Platform.

At the very least, the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground was the Martial God’s territory. No matter how brazen the other side was, they wouldn’t dare send important followers in to walk into a trap.

To put it bluntly, that man earlier was just a cannon fodder sent by the Heaven Demon Sect—insignificant.

Meanwhile, in District [1026].

On the outskirts, Peach Blossom Village.

Inside a dimly lit basement.

“Helmsman, why are we trying to recruit Jiang Yan? He killed Pei Qin and is clearly our enemy. Someone like him deserves to die ten thousand times over!”

The candlelight flickered as two men sat facing each other on an old-fashioned chair. Their conversation echoed eerily in the gloomy basement.

The man addressed as Helmsman wore a meaningful expression.

“Who said I wanted to recruit Jiang Yan?”

“Then what does the Helmsman mean…”

“Recruit him first. I have great use for his physical body!”

“What… what does that mean?” The man opposite him was puzzled.

The Helmsman glanced at him, his tone turning grave. “The Transformation Project has reached its most critical stage, but the last tens of thousands of experimental subjects have all failed without exception. We need a large batch of high-quality Martial Artists.”

“Alas, Pei Qin’s body is now firmly controlled by those old fellows on Tianyuan Star. It’s all because of that damned Lan Shuli hiding the truth, otherwise our Heaven Demon Sect would possess a true demon!”

The Helmsman’s face was dark, clearly harboring deep resentment toward Lan Shuli.

He never expected that Lan Shuli, as a member of their Heaven Demon Sect, would actually develop rebellious thoughts, wanting to monopolize such a heaven-defying existence as the demon.

If Lan Shuli had coordinated with him back then, Pei Qin would have been secretly escorted to the higher-ups of the Heaven Demon Sect. As long as they controlled Pei Qin, the current “Transformation Project” wouldn’t be so dire.

“Rumors say Pei Qin was once human, and the church has already sent people to investigate Pei Qin’s home planet, finding the claims to be true.”

“This… Helmsman, how did you come to know about this…”

The Helmsman glanced at him and sneered:

“Do you think there aren’t any of our people within the official ranks?”

“Impressive, truly impressive!” The man praised, his expression reverent.

“Hahaha, who would have thought there really exists someone who can perfectly inherit the demon’s traits. All of this proves that our Heaven Demon Sect is right!”

“The Helmsman is brilliant!”

“Hahaha, once our plan succeeds, the Galactic Domain will usher in an era where everyone becomes a demon. By then, all those who suppressed us will have to die! Those who doubted us will beg to join our experiments!

At that time, our Tianyuan Star lineage will become the noblest existence in the universe.”

“Time will prove everything. We pioneers will forever be remembered by future generations.”

“Helmsman, so we aren’t villains—we are pioneers!”

The man was severely brainwashed, or perhaps not brainwashed but rather driven by a belief.

A belief in achieving the highest supremacy.

On this path, even if some innocent lives are sacrificed, as long as they succeed, no one will care about those losses.

History is always written by the victors; time will fade all memories. Their Heaven Demon Sect once also claimed to be a righteous sect—

The Heavenly God Sect.

But the world did not accept them, believing they treated human life as worthless, experimenting on innocent people. Under the weight of eternal infamy, the Heavenly God Sect gradually became the Heaven Demon Sect.

“Ordinary people cannot comprehend the minds of geniuses.” The Helmsman solemnly looked at the man opposite him.

“Have you ever considered that Jiang Yan’s physique is quite special?”

“This… What do you mean, Helmsman?”

The Helmsman stood up and said calmly, “I’ve already sent people to Blue Star to investigate and found that their Martial Way civilization is indeed as inferior as recorded in ‘Human Martial Arts.'”

“But it is precisely within such an inferior Martial Way civilization that a genius like Jiang Yan emerged.”

“When news first broke that Jiang Yan had slain a demon, I didn’t believe it. But now, given his prominence in the Hundred Prisons, I’m ninety percent convinced.”

“Think about it—if Jiang Yan can slay a demon, wouldn’t he himself be even more valuable than a demon?”

“This! This! How did I not think of that! Helmsman, you are truly a genius!”

“Heh, that’s why I am the Helmsman, and you are my subordinate.”

“To be the Helmsman’s trusted confidant, I, Li Yuansheng, could die without regret in this lifetime!”

The man seized the opportunity to flatter.

“Enough nonsense. We grew up together—have I ever treated you poorly?”

“The Helmsman has always been exceptionally good to me.”

The Helmsman smiled and patted Li Yuansheng’s shoulder.

“Rest assured, once we capture Jiang Yan and plant the Demon Seed in him, the chance of the experiment’s success will increase by at least thirty percent!”

“When the time comes, you won’t be short of rewards.”