The cultivation master

With the rumbling of clouds, golden lightning whipped across the sky. The harmless clouds, floating like cotton, awakened their wild nature, pouring down like crazy.

In a desolate field, the stone body of the titan lay on the ground, sealed. Beside it, a shimmering golden lake radiated an overwhelming aura. The titan was chained to the ground with molten chains, their red blending with the lake's gold. The rain, infused with spiritual energy, fell like a hammer on the chains, tightening them. Each droplet striking the molten chains exploded like firecrackers, creating a deafening sound.

The titan, its stone body flaking and flesh continuously falling away, sighed and rested his head on the cold ground. It had surrendered to fate. In the world, there existed one pure truth: death would be the end of everything.

One day, everyone would confront this reality—sometimes preparing for it, sometimes facing it unexpectedly. Death accompanied all beings, mortal or immortal, young or old, and showed no discrimination. Once, a sage said people lived to die, were born to leave the world, laughed to cry, and drew close only to part. And the young titan was now experiencing this moment.

But who could be blamed? Did it matter how things had come to this? It was too late for regret.

Boom!

Another layer of the titan's body fell away. The water level had risen slightly, and the sound of droplets splashing echoed like a clock's ticking.

Several miles away,

Fang Yuan stood over a ruined grave. He had arrived just as the titan was rampaging, destroying everything in sight. It was a terrifying scene, the sound of continuous blows echoing in the mountains, yet it was not enough to frighten Fang Yuan. The titan mistakenly believed Fang Yuan was hiding in the heart of the mountain. Instead, he had used his abilities to reach another location, swiftly returning to where it all began.

Fang Yuan retrieved Patricia's corpse from its immortal aperture and placed it in the shattered grave.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The world trembled as three hovering phantoms sped overhead. After finishing the burial, Fang Yuan noticed a massive formation above the half-destroyed mountain.

[Oh? They must be the venerable elders of a major sect.]

Cultivators had a special ranking for themselves, but Fang Yuan was uninterested in such categorization.

[What are these terms—density, foundation...? They're all just talk. Anyone who wants to fight can instantly see what their next step should be.]

[If you can't surpass this limited logic and flawed perspective, how can you fight against heaven?]

[Fighting fate is harder than battling heavenly kings. If you fear heavenly kings, you will never reach the pinnacle of glory.]

This was the philosophy of demons. They viewed the path of justice as futile, limited, and hopeless. A demonic cultivator would use any means to oppose heaven, disregarding ethics entirely. But this was also a method. Although the saying "the end does not justify the means" was widespread, who could blame the heavenly demon ruling over lost plains?

For demons, the goal was everything. As long as they reached their objective, they would not shy away from shameless actions.

[This method may seem demonic at first, but I will never lower myself to the level of demons. Demons are greedy beings who will do anything for power.]

Fang Yuan smirked, staring at the descending golden formation. Suddenly, the ground shook with a massive shock.

[People fear the unknown, but true Daoist demons venture into the heart of darkness to uncover it. I am a true demon, not a petty power-hungry being.]

Fang Yuan thought about his motives. He didn't completely act out of pity for the patricia's corpse but to calm that chatty Gu. Still, he was not one to ignore others' kindness. Quietly, he said, "The dead must be buried."

Then, a flash of golden light struck his eyes. He quickly made his way to a nearby hill to observe the unfolding events.

[It seems the three venerable elders don't know what to do with that titan. They see it as an enemy but disagree on how to kill it. The most foolish trait of righteous cultivators.]

After a while, they boarded their spiritual tools and left.

[They left without ensuring its death? Do they think no one is around to save it? My goodness, those hypocrites prefer to torture it instead of killing it outright. This is the righteous path!]

However, Fang Yuan was different. He knew that when heaven offered an opportunity, he had to seize it. Such opportunities were rare, yet people often overlooked them. The difference between the successful and the defeated lay here; those who missed opportunities were doomed to failure.

After the three venerable elders departed, Fang Yuan approached the titan. Despite the rain and the titan's decaying body, he sensed a thirst for vengeance behind this humiliation. He could use this titan for his plans. Now, a new and powerful variable was before him, one he could count on.

[Those venerable elders may have left, but they will undoubtedly return. I must be prepared before they come back. This titan must not die, and they must not discover the titan is alive.]

Fang Yuan moved closer to the molten chains binding the titan.

"Hmm... a formation? So those righteous cultivators aren't entirely foolish."

Fang Yuan laughed, contemplating a plan to break the formation.