Mo Xi was puzzled. Why did Old Mo say that once you ate the meat of Yaoxu, you could never leave it?
When she first came to Yaoxu, Mo Xi only heard Old Mo mention that there were many taboos here.
For instance, they absolutely could not eat the creatures of Yaoxu.
For instance, they could not harm others in the village and must maintain reverence for the Guardian Deity.
But Mo Xi discovered that the beings within Yaoxu did not have such taboos. Some powerful tribes frequently hunted demons for food, and they would even invade other villages to plunder and kill.
Some Great Demons would also storm into villages, slaughtering everyone without restraint.
Only outsiders like them had to adhere to various taboos.
Now, hearing her grandfather mention these taboos again, Mo Xi was naturally confused.
Old Mo explained, "Yaoxu is very peculiar. There's a rare phenomenon here called Corruption."
"But the people of Zaoye Village aren't corrupted," Mo Xi said.
Old Mo sighed, "The natives of Yaoxu, once they've eaten a demon that has opened a Life Well, are already corrupted."
"No way!" Mo Xi exclaimed in shock.
Old Mo sighed, "I suspected before that they might have eaten demons. Otherwise, how could ordinary people grow to such an extent?"
"Now it seems they indeed have a way to dilute demon meat. They've already eaten demons."
Mo Xi frowned, "Does that mean that as long as you eat demon meat, you'll definitely be corrupted?"
Old Mo nodded, "That's right. The seed of corruption has already been planted in them."
"Perhaps, as long as they don't leave Yaoxu, the corruption won't manifest. They can even practice normally, marry, and have children."
"But once they leave Yaoxu, the corruption will inevitably erupt."
At this point, Old Mo's expression was full of regret, "Ah, these people... it's such a pity. They clearly have such a high starting point and aptitude, but they're corrupted and can never leave Yaoxu."
"Is there no way to remove the corruption?" Mo Xi asked unwillingly.
This young girl was very kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see people like Zhang Chu go astray.
Old Mo replied, "There's no way to remove it!"
"In fact, many years ago, some prestigious families found talented practitioners in Yaoxu and wanted to cultivate them."
"But as soon as these people left Yaoxu, they were immediately corrupted."
"Yet, they themselves couldn't feel it."
At this, Old Mo seemed to recall some regretful past events and shook his head, "Let's go. We shouldn't have too much interaction with them, or it will only add to our sorrow."
"But last night, we also ate the food they gave us. Will we be corrupted too?" Mo Xi was still reluctant to leave.
Old Mo said, "In Yaoxu, eating ordinary meat is fine, but you mustn't eat demons."
He continued, "On our journey, we've killed many demons, but we've never touched their meat or their Demon Cores, and that's the reason."
"Let's go. Those who have eaten demon meat in Yaoxu can never leave it in their lifetime."
Old Mo and Mo Xi truly left this time.
...
In the small village, Zhang Chu was puzzled.
In recent days, Zhang Chu had been on the verge of a breakthrough. He even felt that while he was sleeping, an inexplicable spiritual energy gathered around him, as if waiting for him to harness it.
Although Zhang Chu tried to completely forget the words "Demon Core," with Tong Qingshan's example before him, how could he simply forget such a thing?
Wasn't that just deceiving himself...
Now, Zhang Chu was also pondering why Tong Qingshan could form a Demon Core.
"Could it be that Qingshan's aptitude is too monstrous, so he can form a Demon Core, while ordinary people need a specific human cultivation method?" Zhang Chu mused.
"But that can't be right. I have the Shanhai Map, and I feel that my current state is stronger than Qingshan's back then. Why can't I sense the existence of a Demon Core?"
The more he thought about it, the more confused Zhang Chu became.
At times, Zhang Chu believed what Old Mo said, that humans must cultivate human techniques.
At other times, Zhang Chu wavered, as practical experience reveals the truth, and reality was right before his eyes, how could he ignore it?
Under the Old Jujube Tree, the members of the Hunting Team gathered and discussed.
"Is what Old Mo said true? Can humans really not form a Demon Core?"
"But Qingshan can."
"Maybe Old Mo and the others are just inexperienced?"
"That can't be right. Outsiders are like immortals; they can split a Golden Lion with a single strike."
Everyone was bewildered, unable to see the way forward.
And Tong Qingshan had entered a cocooning state, unable to be questioned.
That day, the Old Village Chief quietly found Zhang Chu, avoiding everyone else.
In Zhang Chu's small courtyard, the Old Village Chief sighed softly, "Sir, I've noticed that the village has been discussing Qingshan a lot lately. I think everyone shouldn't follow Qingshan's path."
"Hmm? Why?" Zhang Chu asked.
The Old Village Chief said, "Because everyone is different from Qingshan. Qingshan has the bloodline of a demon."
"What?" Zhang Chu's expression stiffened slightly.
The Old Village Chief spoke in a low voice, "This matter goes way back. Anyway, Qingshan is different from us. He's not from our village."
"Tell me more," Zhang Chu said.
But the Old Village Chief just smiled wryly, "I can't say much. I only vaguely know that Qingshan's father was a big figure, but that big figure got involved with a female demon."
"Later, Qingshan was fostered in our small village. As for Qingshan's true background, I don't know. That big figure never said."
"What about that big figure?" Zhang Chu asked.
The Old Village Chief sighed, "At the time, that person said he would come to our village to take Qingshan away in three years."
"But since then, that big figure never appeared again, and Qingshan has lived in the village ever since," the Old Village Chief said.
Hearing this, Zhang Chu immediately understood. Old Mo was right; humans cannot form Demon Cores.
To become stronger, one must have a dedicated human cultivation method.
"A human cultivation method... where can I find one?" Zhang Chu was a bit troubled.
In the following period, Zhang Chu could only guide the villagers not to deliberately follow Tong Qingshan. He encouraged everyone who felt the way forward to explore on their own.
However, it was clear that finding a path of cultivation on their own was too difficult; no one could take that step.
A month later, Tong Qingshan awoke, leaping out of his cocoon!
"Hahaha, I've broken through!" Tong Qingshan laughed heartily, his voice like thunder, heard by everyone in the small village.
Tong Qingshan, holding a long spear, went directly to the village's training grounds.
At this moment, Tong Qingshan stood bare-chested, holding his spear, and began practicing his spear techniques.
With a slight shake of his spear, the sound of wind and thunder appeared, creating a terrifying pressure that made it hard for those around him to breathe.
"Impressive!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.
In the next second, Tong Qingshan's spear swept slightly, and a Divine Pattern spread from the tip of the spear.
This Divine Pattern directly enveloped a dozen large stones not far away.
With a rumble, these stones simultaneously exploded, shattering into pieces, and even a bottomless crack appeared on the training grounds.
Everyone on the scene widened their eyes, looking at this scene in disbelief.
Hu Zi couldn't help but shout, "Uncle Qing Shan, you're amazing!"
Little Grapes jumped and clapped happily, "Daddy is awesome!"
Tong Qingshan put away his spear, knowing that the village's training grounds probably couldn't withstand his antics.
At this moment, Tong Qingshan looked at the crowd and respectfully called out, "Village Chief, Sir!"
"Good, good!" The Old Village Chief laughed heartily, "Hahaha, the strength of our Zaoye Village is growing stronger."
Zhang Chu directly asked, "Qingshan, what realm are you in now?"
Tong Qingshan released his aura, and at that moment, behind him, brilliant stars lit up.
Zhang Chu saw that six stars formed a group, and there were actually two clusters of stars shining!
In other words, during his long seclusion, Tong Qingshan had made a major breakthrough, reaching twelve Life Wells!
"Amazing!" Zhang Chu sincerely praised.
In the description of The Great Demon Technique, generally, after opening a Life Well, a demon can cultivate one Life Well a month, which is considered diligent, and when encountering a bottleneck, they might be stuck for years without progress.
But Tong Qingshan, from opening his Life Well to now, in less than two months, had already achieved twelve Life Wells, and he was practicing the 36 Heavenly Gang Transformations.
This speed far exceeded the description in The Great Demon Technique.
The hunters in the village were all extremely envious of Tong Qingshan.
But there was no way; without a human cultivation technique, they had no idea how to proceed.
At this moment, Tong Qingshan asked, "Has anyone else formed a Demon Core?"
When Old Mo and the others entered the village, Tong Qingshan was in seclusion cocooning, unaware that humans couldn't form Demon Cores.
Everyone was disheartened by Tong Qingshan's question.
At this moment, Zhang Chu explained, "We can't form Demon Cores. A few days ago, some outsiders came and said humans can't form Demon Cores."
Tong Qingshan laughed heartily, "But I can form a core! Don't be deceived by those outsiders."
Zhang Chu shook his head slightly, "Your situation isn't representative. We still need human cultivation techniques."
Hearing this, Tong Qingshan's heart trembled, his expression changed, and he couldn't help but ask, "I... won't become a Great Demon, will I?"
"Hmm? Why do you have such a thought?" Zhang Chu asked.
Tong Qingshan's face turned slightly pale, as if he had thought of something!