Even though the five peak masters were perplexed, none of them dared question a decision the Mystical Guardian Beast had descended personally to make.

The crane soared into the skies, causing strong winds to howl as it flapped its wings. No one saw what it did but Su Zimo’s body was lifted off the ground uncontrollably and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared from everyone’s sight.

After the crane left, the five peak masters exchanged glances and rushed to Ethereal Peak.

They had to inform the sect master about it given the strange circumstances of the incident.

Even after the five peak masters left, all the disciples remained where they were and started discussing.

“Senior crane is incredible. To think that it comprehends human language and can even speak it!”

“I heard that once demons reach a certain realm, they’re able to speak like humans.”

“That’s not all. It’s said that some powerful demons can even take on human form, looking entirely identical on the surface!”

For many disciples who had joined the sect for a couple of years now, this was their first time seeing the true appearance of the Mystical Guardian Beast and they were filled with curiosity.

“Sigh, Senior Brother Feng really suffered a huge blow this time. He had boasted that he wanted to obtain number one of three peaks. In the end, he only managed to get number one of Spirit Peak.”

“Number one of Spirit Peak? But, he still lost to Junior Brother Su. It’s not just Senior Brother Feng, I think this is a huge blow for the entire Spirit Peak.”

“That’s right. Back then, the peak master even forbade Junior Brother Su from stepping foot into Spirit Peak. Little did he expect that Junior Brother Su would take down his number one.”

“Number one of four peaks. Who would have guessed that the mysterious challenger was Junior Brother Su? Sigh.”

…

Ethereal Main Peak, Ethereal Palace.

The five peak masters arrived at the same time. Seated at the top of the palace, Sect Master Ling Yun looked as though he was resting with his eyes closed.

Wen Xuan cupped his fists. “Sect master, Su Zimo and Feng Haoyu fought on Array Peak’s spirit arena today. In the end…”

“I know.”

Before Wen Xuan could even finish, Sect Master Ling Yun interrupted him.

Ling Yun opened his eyes; they were like stars, deep and mysterious. He spoke in a low voice, “The crane has its plan regarding this matter.”

“Sect master, Su Zimo’s body tempering technique is not simple. Among the five major sects of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Southern Mountains Sect is the strongest in body tempering. Since Su Zimo is not cultivating in the demonic path, could he be cultivating a secret skill of Southern Mountains Sect?” The brown haired youth asked out of worry.

“I don’t know either.”

Sect Master Ling Yun shook his head.

“This…”

The five peak masters were speechless.

Wen Xuan frowned. “Sect master, senior crane is a demon at the end of the day. It…”

“Hmm?”

Ling Yun’s expression changed and his gaze suddenly turned extremely sharp. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Wen Xuan, what are you trying to imply?”

A suppressive aura surged forth from him as Wen Xuan’s face turned pale and he no longer dared to continue.

The tension within Ethereal Palace turned extremely oppressive and cold all of a sudden.

After a moment, Xuan Yi spoke, “Sect master, Wen Xuan meant no harm. It was just that Su Zimo’s behavior reminded us of that person back then. If Su Zimo is just like him, we’ll have to keep an eye on him from now on.”

“There’s no need to worry. Leave this matter to the crane.”

After pausing for a moment, Ling Yun continued, “Even though the crane is a demon, it conquered through the cultivation world with our Founder Master and established Ethereal Peak. You should not doubt it.”

“Moreover, do you think that Ethereal Peak can become one of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s five major sects if not for the crane guarding over us?”

When they heard that, the five peak masters shuddered.

They had long known that the crane held a special status in the sect.

However, humans and demons were completely different beings and had different goals as well. The concept of coexistence was one that wasn’t common.

However, the five of them had not expected that the crane actually held such importance for the sect!

“You can leave.”

Ling Yun waved his hand.

After the five peak masters left, Ling Yun’s face revealed a hint of exhaustion. Deep in his eyes, there was a trace of slight worry.

…

Enveloped by an invisible energy, Su Zimo was sent to a valley before long.

After stepping on the ground, Su Zimo looked over – he was surrounded by mountains and barren land.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

Bang! Boom! Boom!

The sound of muffled thunder reverberated in the valley deafeningly.

Su Zimo frowned.

The spirit qi in this valley was extremely thin. Coupled with the disruption of the thunder, it was almost impossible to cultivate.

If he stayed here, everyday would truly feel like an entire year.

After placing Su Zimo on the ground, the crane circled in mid-air and suddenly fell. By the time it landed on the ground, it had transformed into a beautiful woman. Her red hair was coiled up, looking graceful and noble.

Su Zimo was stunned on the spot.

The redheaded beauty before him was no different from a real human. If he had not known beforehand, Su Zimo would not have imagined that it was a crane before him!

With a single wave of her hand, the redheaded beauty formed a barrier around them that isolated the sound of thunder outside.

“Do you know why I brought you here?” She looked at Su Zimo with a gentle gaze.

“I don’t,” Su Zimo shook his head.

The redheaded beauty’s following words made Su Zimo pale in shock and panic.

“The demon technique that you’re cultivating is very powerful,” The redheaded beauty said shockingly.

Su Zimo’s expression changed and his heart thumped furiously. Instinctively, he lowered his head to try and conceal the shock in his eyes.

‘What did senior crane mean by that?’

‘Is it testing me or has it discovered something?’

Many thoughts ran through Su Zimo’s mind as he stood rooted on the spot.

“If I was testing you, your reaction would be all the answer I need.”

The redheaded beauty laughed. “Don’t worry. I naturally didn’t want to expose your secret since I brought you here.”

Su Zimo asked, “When did you discover it, senior?”

“Half a year ago, you knocked out a Spirit Peak disciple with a single push. Even though it was momentary, you let out the blood aura of a demon. While others may not notice it, a demon like me is naturally extremely familiar with that aura,” The redheaded beauty explained.

After pausing for a moment, she continued, “You are still human now, but with the passage of time, you will completely turn into a demon once your blood is completely swapped with the newly generated demon blood. By then, you will lose all traces of your humanity!”

Su Zimo remained silent.

This was something he had realized as well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stopped cultivating the Marrow Cleansing section in the past half a year.

No matter what, Su Zimo was still human. Even if he cultivated The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness, he did not wish to transform into a demon.

As though she could read his mind, the redheaded beauty said once more, “Even if you stop cultivating that demon technique, your body is already infused with demon blood. If you aren’t careful, you will be exposed! I’m sure I don’t need to explain what would happen if you get exposed.”

Su Zimo nodded.

If they knew that he was a demon, the sect would either kill him or force him into a blood oath to become someone’s spirit beast.

Even if he escaped from the sect, Su Zimo would have a hard time advancing in the cultivation world.

All cultivators out there only deployed those two methods towards demons.