Chapter 24: The Ancestor's Legacy—The Foxes, Big and Small! 

Chu Sheng looked at the weasel with an expression that said, Keep spinning your tale, I'm listening.

The weasel grew frantic:

"I'm telling the truth! This opportunity is connected to the legacy left behind by the Taiyi Ancestor!"

"The Taiyi Ancestor?"

Chu Sheng raised an eyebrow.

"That Divine Transformation powerhouse who ascended over 2,000 years ago?"

"Exactly!"

The weasel lowered its voice.

"Before he ascended to the Spirit Realm, he left behind a legacy hidden somewhere within Taiyi Gate. If Taiyi Gate were ever destroyed, whoever discovered this legacy in later generations could rise again from the ashes!"

Chu Sheng still wasn't convinced:

"If such a legacy truly existed, wouldn't Taiyi Gate's upper echelons already know about it?"

"Of course they know!"

The weasel said.

"But they can't open it! This legacy can only be unlocked under specific conditions, and it requires the cooperation of a Righteous Path human cultivator—my cultivation was damaged, so I wanted to find you as a partner. Did you think I came to you for no reason?"

Chu Sheng's heart stirred.

If this was real…

"I'm open to cooperation."

He said.

"But I want half of whatever's inside."

"In your dreams!"

The weasel leapt up.

"I'm doing most of the work and I know the method to break the formation—I get 90%, you get 10%!"

"10%? That's too little!"

"That's a Divine Transformation Ancestor's legacy! Even 10% would be enough for you to cultivate all the way to Nascent Soul!"

The weasel gnashed its teeth.

"Don't push your luck, kid!"

Chu Sheng pretended to hesitate, then reluctantly nodded:

"Fine. 10%."

"Now we're talking!"

The weasel let out a sigh of relief, but then added,

"However, you must swear a blood oath—no betraying me."

A blood oath?

Chu Sheng laughed coldly in his heart.

But on the surface, he agreed:

"No problem."

He secretly communicated with the First Demonic God inside the Soul Devouring Banner:

"Old Demon, is there a way to get around a blood oath?"

All 3 of the Demonic God's heads spoke in unison: [There is! Just transfer the blood oath to me—I'm innately immune to oaths!]

"What's the price?"

"10 cultivator souls—spirit demons work too."

"Deal!"

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The weasel produced a blood-red talisman paper and had Chu Sheng drip blood to swear the oath.

Chu Sheng complied, but the moment the blood oath took shape, the First Demonic God exercised a secret art from within the banner, transferring the oath onto itself.

The weasel sensed nothing and nodded with satisfaction:

"Good. Now we're grasshoppers tied to the same rope."

"What do we do next?"

Chu Sheng asked.

"In 18 days, when the Celestial Hound devours the moon, the Nine-Star Moon-Concealing Formation will become unstable—that's when we can enter."

The weasel said.

"I'll come find you then."

"Alright."

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18 days later, deep in the night.

The weasel came as promised, a plump chicken dangling from its mouth.

"Fill your belly first."

It tossed the chicken to Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng didn't stand on ceremony—he plucked the feathers, started a fire, and roasted it with practiced ease.

Man and demon finished the roasted chicken and waited in silence.

At the Hour of Zi, the Celestial Hound began devouring the moon.

The moon was gradually swallowed by shadow, plunging the world into darkness.

The weasel jumped up and began muttering near the Cliff of Reflection, its 2 claws tracing mysterious gestures.

"Open!"

A faint portal of light appeared out of thin air!

"Move!"

The weasel dove in first.

Chu Sheng followed close behind.

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Inside the portal was a simple stone chamber.

At the center of the chamber stood a carved statue of an elderly Daoist, his expression kind yet his gaze stern.

Before the statue sat a stone table, atop which rested 3 jade boxes.

The boxes emitted a hazy glow, their contents impossible to make out.

A faint radiance surrounded the statue; the weasel trembled all over the moment it drew close.

"I can't go in."

It said through gritted teeth.

"Go get the jade boxes."

Chu Sheng nodded and walked toward the stone table.

He reached out and took hold of the jade boxes—effortlessly. The statue's radiance had no effect on him whatsoever.

3 jade boxes, identical in size, ancient in material.

"How do we split them?"

Chu Sheng asked.

"How about I take the short end of the stick and only take 1?"

"Don't flatter yourself!"

The weasel rolled its eyes.

"Bring them all over here first. I'll give you your 10% based on their value. If there are no Spirit Stones inside, I'll compensate you with other treasures—we swore a blood oath, so I won't let you lose out."

Chu Sheng laughed coldly in his heart:

As if I'd believe that.

But on the surface, he nodded.

"Alright. Though we open them outside—if you grab the goods and bolt, leaving me trapped in here, what then?"

The weasel thought it over:

"Fair enough."

Man and demon withdrew from the stone chamber.

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Back at the Cliff of Reflection, moonlight had returned.

The weasel urged impatiently:

"Hurry, open them and see!"

Chu Sheng opened the 1st jade box—inside lay a yellow jade pendant, warm and lustrous, radiating a gentle glow.

"A Spirit-Tempering Jade Pendant!"

The weasel's eyes lit up.

"Worn over time, it refines spiritual power and makes it incomparably pure! The Taiyi Ancestor couldn't have reached Divine Transformation without this pendant's contribution!"

The 2nd jade box contained a jade cylinder.

Chu Sheng probed it with his spiritual sense [Taiyi Dao Canon], a complete cultivation method spanning from Qi Refinement all the way to Divine Transformation, encompassing everything.

"This is the Taiyi Ancestor's primary cultivation art."

The weasel looked somewhat disappointed.

"A fine thing for you—useless for me."

The 3rd jade box held a jade vial.

The weasel pulled out the stopper, gave it a sniff, and its face lit up with wild joy:

"This is it!"

It said nothing to Chu Sheng about what it was, and immediately moved to take all 3 jade boxes for itself.

"These are worth tens of millions of low-grade Spirit Stones."

The weasel said.

"I'll send you 1,000,000 after some time."

Chu Sheng smiled and nodded:

"Sure."

Tens of millions of low-grade Spirit Stones?

What a joke—did it think it was fooling a ghost?!

The weasel turned to leave—

Bam!

Chu Sheng launched a kick that sent it flying!

The 3 jade boxes flew from its grasp. Chu Sheng moved fast, snatching up the Spirit-Tempering Jade Pendant and the jade cylinder in one grab.

But the jade vial was clutched tightly against the weasel's chest.

"You...you dared to backstab me!"

The weasel's whiskers quivered with fury.

"Just wait for the blood oath to detonate!"

It waited a few seconds.

Chu Sheng showed no reaction whatsoever.

"What's going on?"

The weasel was stunned.

"How did you do that?"

Chu Sheng grinned:

"Brother Weasel, that's none of your concern."

At that moment, Big Black came charging out of nowhere.

"Big Black! Get him!"

Chu Sheng pointed.

Woof!

Big Black barked furiously and lunged at the weasel.

The weasel was scared out of its wits. It clamped the jade vial in its mouth and bolted:

"You little brat! Just you wait! I'll be back!"

Its voice faded into the distance.

Chu Sheng looked at the jade pendant and jade cylinder in his hands and burst out laughing.

"Handing over 2 treasures just like that—how embarrassing for you."

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Over the next dozen or so days, Chu Sheng focused entirely on studying his gains.

The [Taiyi Dao Canon] was profoundly deep, much of it written in archaic language from 2,000 years ago that gave him a headache.

I'll need to study Classical Chinese eventually.

He sighed.

The Spirit-Tempering Jade Pendant, however, showed immediate results.

Holding it while cultivating—after each cycle of spiritual power circulation, its purity rose by a degree.

Over 3 months, the purity of his spiritual power more than doubled!

His cultivation was still at the peak of Qi Refinement 6th level, but his combat strength had grown by a substantial margin.

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Once his time at the Cliff of Reflection was up, Qingyang Zi came personally to collect him.

"Chu Sheng, these past 3 months—have you truly reflected on your wrongs?"

Chu Sheng said sincerely:

"Master, I have deeply examined myself. From now on, I will strive diligently in my cultivation and never again let idle pursuits ruin my ambitions!"

Meanwhile, he was cursing inwardly:

You old fossil—ever heard of teaching according to a student's aptitude?

Qingyang Zi nodded in satisfaction:

"Knowing one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue. Come, let us return."

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Half a month after returning to the Peak Master's annex, Chu Sheng stopped suppressing his cultivation.

Like water flowing to where it belongs, he broke through to Qi Refinement 7th level!

The aura of the late stage of Qi Refinement radiated outward, shaking the entire annex.

Senior Brother Lin Xuan was astonished:

"Junior Brother...you broke through again?"

Second Senior Brother Zhou Ming stroked his chin in thought:

"Less than a year—from 6th level to 7th level...what kind of speed is this?"

Third Senior Brother Zhao Yuan clicked his tongue:

 "How is this a Waste Root? This is fiercer than a Heavenly Spiritual Root!"

Qing Ling'er was utterly dumbfounded:

"He...he broke through again?!"

Qingyang Zi stroked his beard, a flicker of both puzzlement and pride crossing his eyes.

Whatever the case, a disciple breaking through was a good thing.

But...this pace was far from normal.

Chu Sheng felt the surging spiritual power within him and was in high spirits.

Late stage Qi Refinement!

His spiritual sense expanded and his mental strength grew!

This meant—he could now condense even more Demonic Seeds!

"Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother…"

A "warm and friendly" light flickered in Chu Sheng's eyes.

"We'll be good brothers very soon."

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.

Chu Sheng stretched lazily, in excellent spirits.

He felt that his path of immortal cultivation was growing smoother and smoother by the day.