Chapter 680: Great Demon 43

A faint, sweet fragrance seemed to drift through the Buddhist Sect’s grounds. Yet, if one tried to catch the scent, it would quietly fade away, making them wonder if their nose was playing tricks on them.

Qing Ming sniffed the air. "This scent... I feel like I’ve smelled it somewhere before."

"No one in the Demon Market uses incense. The more refined folks might plant some flowers," Old Niu said softly. "Was it from before you came to the market?"

Qing Ming tried his best to recall. "I don’t know. I just have a feeling I’ve smelled this fragrance before, but I can’t remember the details."

Tan You said, "If you can’t remember, don’t force it. Let it come naturally."

Qing Ming stopped dwelling on it and simply walked on Tan You’s right. He truly wasn’t afraid anymore. As long as the Demon Market still welcomed him, he wouldn’t be homeless.

At that thought, the young man’s steps became noticeably lighter.

Many guests had come to witness the ascension of Jing Yue, the Buddha’s Son. Since they were here for the ceremony, a certain amount of social niceties were unavoidable. Tan You went with the flow, presenting several unique specialties from the Ten Directions Great Mountain, which were mostly rare ores.

The Buddhist Cultivator in charge of registering gifts glanced at the offering, then at Tan You, who led the group. He placed his palms together. "This way to the honored seats, please."

Tan You’s lips curled into a slight smile as she led her group to their seats in the third row of the viewing platform. The first two rows were reserved for the major sects and the most powerful Cultivators. Even if she greased some palms, she couldn’t have bought her way into a VIP seat.

But it was no matter. She hadn’t really come to watch the ceremony anyway.

The Cold Dragon said, "This Cultivation World feels just like the mortal realm. How should I put it... it’s all so needlessly complicated."

"The rules of society are the same everywhere," Bai Ze said calmly. "Let’s just focus on waiting for the Buddha’s Son. I’ve never actually seen him before."

Tan You said, "Then you might as well look at Qing Ming. I don’t care what that Buddha’s Son looks like; I find Qing Ming much easier on the eyes."

Qing Ming’s premonition was further confirmed. ’Could it be? Am I really connected to this Buddha’s Son, Jing Yue? But I’ve never met him, and I have no idea what he looks like...’

While he was lost in thought, other Cultivators began to fill the seats around them.

Tan You’s gaze swept over the front two rows, and she suddenly froze. She shot Bai Ze a meaningful look. "Is that... Shi Miao?"

Bai Ze followed her gaze. "It is her, indeed. And the two young people beside her... especially the girl, she strongly resembles Shi Miao."

"Good, as long as it’s her," Tan You scoffed. "To think that after all these years, she’s still stuck at the Body Integration Realm. Stagnated completely. The power of a Heart Demon is formidable indeed."

She and Bai Ze were speaking via voice transmission, and all the other Great Demons except Qing Ming overheard. The ones from the Demon Market knew the whole story, but the Great Demons from the Ten Directions Great Mountain couldn’t care less.

Cang Long grew restless. "Why haven’t they started yet?"

’I came here today for a Cultivation Technique, but we’ve been sitting here for two hours, and they still haven’t gotten to the point. Why are these bald donkeys so damn slow?’

The Nine-tailed Fox was perfectly calm. "What’s the rush? Old Cang, you’re getting impatient. That’s not good."

Cang Long shot him a sidelong glance. "I’d like to see you stay calm with a blade hanging over your head. It’s easy for you to say. In fact, you’re not even standing, you’re sitting, which makes it even easier."

The Nine-tailed Fox recoiled from Cang Long’s barrage of words. "Old Cang, what’s gotten into you? Why so aggressive?"

Cang Long tugged at his hair. "Ah, I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m just on edge. Don’t take it to heart."

"Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you for now," the Nine-tailed Fox said, having no intention of starting a fight with Cang Long at this moment. If he wanted to get even, there would be plenty of opportunities later. Why poke the dragon when he was already agitated?

Qing Ming also saw Shi Miao and her two children. He had thought that seeing them again would be painful, but he discovered that wasn’t the case at all. He felt perfectly calm.

It was as if those three people sitting in front of him had nothing to do with him anymore. Whether it was Shi Qi, who had once looked on with cold indifference, or Shi Yuan, who had once taken pleasure in humiliating him, in Qing Ming’s eyes, they were all part of a distant past.

He used to see them as incredibly powerful, and he had been utterly helpless against them. But looking at them now, Qing Ming couldn’t help but smile faintly. ’They’re not so special after all.’

Take Shi Qi, for instance, once hailed as a chosen one. Now he was merely at the early stage of Divinity Transformation. Meanwhile, after fusing with the blood essence of the Great Demon Qing Ming, it had taken him a mere ten years to reach the Seventh Rank.

Now, he was an Eighth-Rank Great Demon. While he was still considered a young cub in the Demon Market, if you measured him by a Cultivator’s standards, he was an undisputed prodigy.

A thirty-five-year-old at the Divinity Transformation realm was unheard of, even among the Human Clan. Reaching the Golden Core realm by age one hundred was already the stuff of legend. But Qing Ming knew the main reason he’d reached the Seventh Rank was that drop of the Great Demon’s blood essence; his progress couldn’t be measured by normal standards.

’But so what? It’s not like I had an easy ride to get to my current cultivation level. How many hardships and obstacles did I face along the way? My life was on the line time and time again...’

Pulling his gaze away from Shi Miao, Shi Qi, and Shi Yuan, Qing Ming focused inward and began to meditate. Here in the Buddhist Sect, with that faint, distant fragrance in the air, he found it especially easy to quiet his mind.

Shi Miao was a Body Integration Realm Cultivator, after all. She naturally sensed it when someone scanned her with their Divine Sense. The moment Qing Ming withdrew his, Shi Miao’s own Divine Sense shot back along its path.

But when she saw Qing Ming’s youthful face, Shi Miao froze. ’He looks so much like him... just like that Half-demon from all those years ago.’ The next moment, she gave a self-deprecating smile. ’Even if they look alike, that Half-demon is a pure demon beast now.’

’How could *it* possibly cultivate to the Void Refinement Realm in just a few hundred years? And this young man before me is already at the Void Refinement Realm.’

Scoffing at herself for overthinking, Shi Miao retracted her gaze and stared intently at the viewing platform. Ever since she returned from the Demon Market all those years ago, her cultivation had stagnated. Compounded by her recurring Heart Demon, Shi Miao had spent most of these years focused on self-reflection and pacifying her spirit.

She didn’t dare to actively cultivate, terrified that her Heart Demon would exploit any opening. But she was still ambitious. ’How can I be content to remain stuck at the Body Integration Realm for the rest of my life?’

Hearing that the Buddhist Sect’s Buddha’s Son, Jing Yue, was about to ascend, Shi Miao had brought her children along specifically to witness the event and broaden their horizons.

Shi Yuan, now at the Nascent Soul Stage, leaned against Shi Qi. "Brother, have you ever seen this Buddha’s Son? I hear he’s incredibly handsome."

Shi Qi stroked the longsword resting on his lap. "No. The Buddha’s Son is a recluse. What chance would we have to see him?"

Shi Yuan propped her chin in her hands. "I heard the Buddha’s Son reached the Golden Core realm by age one hundred, achieved the Nascent Soul realm before he was two hundred, and had a completely smooth cultivation journey. He’s not even a thousand years old, and he’s already about to ascend. Can you imagine how unbelievably talented he must be?"