The Old Man Ning! Evil Godfiend

The old man observed Su Xiaobai meditating, his eyes narrowing as he shook his head with a wry smile.

The sight before him was both amusing and baffling.

However, he remained astonished that this mere mutated demon, with his humble cultivation at the Qi Refinement stage, could endure the ferocious strike of heavenly lightning.

The air still crackled with residual energy from the strike.

If not for the miraculous Celestial Thunder Veins, the old man believed that single strike would have reduced Su Xiaobai to nothing more than a charred vessel for his cauldron.

Perhaps it was due to the Sky Father's Zeus bloodline coursing through his veins that Su Xiaobai did not fear the celestial thunder as much as the old man did.

As time passed, the old man noticed Su Xiaobai still sitting there cross-legged.

His body occasionally trembled, betraying his struggle to maintain focus.

"Desperation and anger cloud your mind," the old man remarked, his voice a calm ripple in the stormy silence, not looking up from his ancient carvings on the cave wall. "You need clarity to find your way out of here."

"!"

The words struck Su Xiaobai like a bell tolling in the night.

'Right!'

His eyes flung open, revealing a storm of emotions within.

He glanced at the old man's back, his expression a complicated mix of confusion and realization.

If this old man had harbored any ill intent, Su Xiaobai would have been at his mercy long ago.

Rising to his feet, Su Xiaobai hesitated, the uncertainty in his eyes reflecting through ripples of calmness.

Finally, mustering his courage, he stepped closer to the old man, drawn by curiosity.

He wanted to see the symbols and patterns the old man was inscribing on the cave wall, hoping they might hold the key to his own understanding and survival...

Slowly, Su Xiaobai's eyes flickered with recognition as he muttered to himself.

The intricate patterns were words, written in the ancient language of the Wuxia Province, which he could faintly decipher.

He murmured the words as the old man inscribed them, his voice barely audible over the sound of the charcoal scraping against the cave wall.

"...Take the heavens as one's wife, and the earth as one's concubine. Take the mundane life as one's cauldron, the grand road of Yin and Yang, Dual Cultivation... Lock the yin of death from the heavens, suppress the yang of fate, seize the lust of the sky, give birth to the evil Dao..."

"Hiss..." Su Xiaobai drew a sharp breath, the audacity of the words sending chills down his spine.

'This old man is too daring, wanting to take the heavens as his wife and the earth as his concubine? Suppress fate and lock the heavens?' A faint, bitter smile lingered on Su Xiaobai's face.

The words he had believed to be profound ancient Dao wisdom were, in fact, random scribblings.

"Hehe... this isn't complete yet, but this old man has run out of space," the old man said, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

He tossed the charcoal away, his hands rough and marred with charcoal dust.

Peng!

As the charcoal rock struck the cave walls, it bounced off harmlessly, leaving not even a scratch.

"Not complete?" Su Xiaobai, having nothing else to do, asked curiously.

"Yes, this is the Dao of Evil. Unfortunately, the old man has run out of space," the old man replied, his voice tinged with regret.

Su Xiaobai looked around doubtfully.

'Out of space?' he wondered, glancing at the two remaining walls, which were still empty.

How had this old man exhausted the space?

Unbeknownst to Su Xiaobai, the old man meant the space in Su Xiaobai's heart, not the cave walls.

Even the little he had inscribed was already too much for him to bear.

Slightly baffled by the old man's cryptic words, Su Xiaobai spoke with a bit more respect. "Senior, is there a way out of this cave?"

"One!" The old man raised his hand, showing a single finger, his back exuding a profound and mysterious aura.

"What is it?" Su Xiaobai asked, a spark of excitement in his voice.

"Death... That is the only form of liberation," the old man intoned solemnly. "From the time one begins to exist, they are damned to eternal suffering!"

"..."

Su Xiaobai's face darkened as he realized the old man was toying with him.

However, as their conversations continued, he noticed that the old man, though eccentric, harbored no ill intentions.

The old man introduced himself as Old Man Ning.

Despite his initial frustration, Su Xiaobai remained respectful, eager to learn more.

"Old Man Ning, what is Dual Cultivation?" he asked tentatively. Although he had heard of it, he didn't have a clear understanding.

Old Man Ning turned, his eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and wisdom. "Ah, Dual Cultivation... It is an art both profound and poetic. It is the delicate dance of Yin and Yang, the eternal intertwining of masculine and feminine energies. Through this sacred practice, cultivators seek harmony, drawing upon the boundless essence of the universe."

He paused, his gaze distant as if recalling an ancient memory. "Imagine, if you will, the moonlight caressing the tranquil surface of a still lake, each ripple a whisper of the Dao. Dual Cultivation is much like this—an intimate union where two souls merge, their energies flowing together like rivers converging into the sea. In this sacred exchange, they nourish each other, reaching heights of power and enlightenment unattainable alone."

Su Xiaobai listened intently as Old Man Ning finally turned around.

"!"

That's when Su Xiaobai noticed the old man's eyes seemed to ripple as if stars were inside them, an endless void filled with cosmic mysteries.

"You are unfortunate, young man," Old Man Ning began, his voice like a distant echo. "Your body contains the Profound Yin Veins, perfectly suited for dual cultivation, capable of plucking the yin essence of the female. Yet, your body also houses another set of veins—the Celestial Thunder Veins. The dual cultivation technique is simply not meant for you."

Seeing Su Xiaobai's mute look, Old Man Ning continued, his words weaving like a master puppeteer. "Yet this does not bar you from learning the ways of the evil Dao. Dual cultivation is merely a means to attaining the evil Dao, it is not the end itself."

Despite the old man's words, Su Xiaobai remained unfazed, his mind a torrent of thoughts.

A gust of information rushed into his brain, overwhelming him momentarily.

'Bloodline Assimilation...' His face turned into one of surprise as new profound understanding dawned upon him, and a look of relief washed over his features.

Though he couldn't dual cultivate due to his Celestial Thunder Veins, Zeus's legacy had granted him an even greater ability.