Chapter 103: Return to the Demon Abyss

"The Immortal Nurturing Pool is that powerful? It actually raised my physical body by two minor realms?" Li Changsheng muttered as he looked at the panel.

Moreover, the panel indicated that after he absorbed the energy from the Immortal Nurturing Pool, the Holy Demon Prince cursed him for ruining his opportunity. Could the opportunity the Holy Demon Prince referred to be the Immortal Nurturing Pool?

In previous simulations, he had also pledged his allegiance to the Holy Demon Prince several times. Even after making significant contributions, the Holy Demon Prince always refused his request to enter the Immortal Nurturing Pool. Now, it all made sense.

Furthermore, the Holy Demon Prince was not as powerful as he had imagined! At least, it took him an hour and a half to defeat the peak Human Immortal ancestor of the royal family, while the Holy Demon Prince and the two Demon Race Human Immortals with him only took him an hour to kill or severely injure.

'However, the fact that the Holy Demon Prince can summon a single strike from a Demon World powerhouse is troublesome,' Li Changsheng frowned slightly.

The Holy Demon Prince's ability to summon a strike from a Demon World powerhouse was undoubtedly powerful, but it must come at a great cost. Otherwise, the Holy Demon Prince, who had long coveted the Immortal Nurturing Pool, would have already summoned a powerhouse to kill the peak Human Immortal ancestor guarding it.

"Alright, let's improve first!"

As Li Changsheng made his choice, a surge of immense vital energy flooded into his body.

Boom!

A powerful pressure filled the entire cave, causing Mo Chengkong, who was guarding outside, to shudder slightly.

"Unbelievable!" Mo Chengkong muttered with a look of astonishment. "Just over a year ago, he unleashed a force comparable to a Human Immortal. Now, he seems to have improved again? This pressure feels almost as strong as I was before I was injured!"

In the Immortal World, Mo Chengkong had been a late-stage Earth Immortal cultivator. Though separated by the formation, he was very familiar with this kind of pressure.

Inside the cave, Li Changsheng opened his eyes.

His internal blood energy was now fully restrained, and his cultivation naturally advanced to the Great Ascension Realm.

"One simulation now costs 1 billion spirit stones!" Li Changsheng couldn't help but gasp at the amount displayed on the panel.

Although his current rate of earning spirit stones wasn't slow, seeing the cost of one simulation at 1 billion spirit stones was still shocking.

In Ming Province, the Herbal Hall was now considered a top-tier merchant house. After dealing a severe blow to the other major factions, Li Changsheng had Mo Chengkong recruit many skilled individuals from their ranks.

Even so, the Herbal Hall could only earn about 1 billion spirit stones a year. After deducting fees, it still wasn't enough for a single simulation.

"The royal family probably has no ties to the Demon Race yet, so there's room to maneuver," Li Changsheng murmured.

The South Li royal family was the largest force in the Cangqing Realm, with countless powerful cultivators. Even the Medicine King Sect and the Long Family, which he had heard of in the Tiannan Region, were insignificant compared to the South Li Dynasty. Even the Star River Sect behind the Medicine King Sect paled in comparison.

Although these factions weren't in Ming Province, Li Changsheng had learned much about them through various channels over the years.

If the Demon Race invasion was inevitable, he alone couldn't stop it. He would need to unite the major factions to face the threat.

"But with my current strength, I probably don't need arrays to deal with Xiao Zhengyan and his group, right?" Li Changsheng muttered.

Over the years, crafting arrays had cost him a significant amount of spirit stones. If he had known he would reach this level of strength, he wouldn't have wasted resources on arrays.

"Let's try one more simulation."

The simulator still had over 2 billion spirit stones, enough for two simulations.

[Simulation begins.]

[Age 34, you successfully killed Xiao Zhengyan and his group outside the Demon Abyss.]

[You immediately destroyed the General's Mansion.]

[The news of you single-handedly destroying the General's Mansion spread, shaking the entire South Li Dynasty.]

[Many factions sent invitations, but you declined them all.]

[The South Li royal family also approached you, wanting you to become a royal advisor. You agreed.]

[Age 39, a powerful Demon Race cultivator attacked the royal family but was instantly killed by you.]

[Age 57, Dongmen Feng, the chief royal advisor of the South Li royal family, felt threatened by you and allied with the Holy Demon Prince to attack you. You killed them both.]

[Age 60, you were appointed as the chief royal advisor of the South Li Dynasty.]

[You set up arrays, quietly knocked out the two royal experts guarding the Immortal Nurturing Pool, and entered the pool to cultivate, successfully advancing to the late Great Ascension Realm.]

[After absorbing the pool's energy, you quietly left.]

[Although the royal family suspected you, they had no evidence and did not take action against you.]

[Age 67, your influence in the South Li Dynasty reached its peak. The Holy Demon Prince, feeling threatened, attacked you at night with two Demon Race Human Immortals.]

[You easily killed the two Human Immortals and severely injured the Holy Demon Prince.]

[The Holy Demon Prince burned his essence blood to summon a single strike from a Demon World powerhouse. You desperately tried to block it but were still killed.]

[You died!]

[Simulation ends.]

Li Changsheng frowned slightly.

It seemed that the Immortal Nurturing Pool could only push the Devine Demon Nine Revolutions to the peak of the eighth revolution. He had hoped to use the pool to reach the ninth revolution and then switch to cultivating the Heavenly Body. But now, it seemed that wasn't possible.

"Choose option one!"

As Li Changsheng made his choice, he advanced to the late Great Ascension Realm.

Two months later.

Li Changsheng and Mo Chengkong arrived outside the Demon Abyss.

"Master, this place seems... unusual," Mo Chengkong said, looking at the Demon Abyss, which was shrouded in thick demonic energy.

"This place might have a connection to the Demon World."

"Oh?" Li Changsheng suddenly remembered that Mo Chengkong was from the Blood Demon Sect. Though not a demon, Mo Chengkong probably knew more about such things than he did.

"How can you tell?"

"Master," Mo Chengkong explained, "the demonic energy deep in this abyss is as dense as that in the demon caves where the outer disciples of the Blood Demon Sect cultivate."

"In my sect, all eighteen demon caves are connected to the Demon World. However, each cave is guarded by at least a Profound Immortal. This place must be no less dangerous."

"It's a pity my essence is damaged, or else I would have liked to cultivate deep in this abyss for a while."

Mo Chengkong shook his head. In the Blood Demon Sect of the Immortal World, entering such a demonic-energy-rich area required contribution points. Although not much, given his status as an outer sect disciple, cultivating in such a place every day was impossible.

"If it's connected to the Demon World, doesn't that mean demons could enter the Cangqing Realm at any time?" Li Changsheng frowned.

If this place was connected to the Demon World, why would the Holy Demon Prince go through the trouble of sacrificing tens of thousands of powerful cultivators to open a portal to the Demon World?"

"Master, you might be misunderstanding," Mo Chengkong hurriedly explained. "The Cangqing Realm is only a medium-level world. At most, it can accommodate Human Immortals."

"So, demons above the Human Immortal level can't enter. Even True Immortals would find it difficult to safely cross the world barrier, let alone those below True Immortal."

"When I came to the lower realm through a crack in the Immortal World, it was because the experts from a great battle had shattered the world barrier. I was just lucky to survive!"

Mo Chengkong's face showed lingering fear.

Though he didn't know if the experts from that battle were from his sect, anyone capable of shattering the Immortal World barrier would have to be at least an Immortal Venerable. In the entire Immortal World, there were no more than twenty such beings.