Chapter 60: A Method to Counter the Erosion of Demon Qi

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: A Method to Counter the Erosion of Demon Qi

’Preventing one from losing their true nature?’

’Wouldn’t it be easier to just trick the Demons into stopping their attacks?’

Li Ye scoffed internally, but he didn’t dare reveal his own method.

He actually wouldn’t have felt bad about betraying the Team Emblem. But after learning the truth about the Demon Suppression Tower, he felt that helping the Team Emblem keep its secrets was more beneficial to him.

Judging by the name, the Demon Suppression Tower obviously seemed more righteous.

But now, Li Ye couldn’t sense a shred of righteousness from it. He suspected that neither the Demons nor the Demon Suppression Tower were any good!

Li Ye asked, "What method?"

"Let’s talk as we walk. There’s no point staying here and staring at this broken tower." Yang Feng showed little respect for the Demon Suppression Tower. He grunted, turned, and started walking out. "Let’s go chat over tea. Every Time Traveler is busy, so we have to make the most of our time. Before long, we’ll need to arrange your second transmigration."

"Mm."

Li Ye nodded nonchalantly.

After experiencing his first transmigration and having dealt with both Demons and Demon Qi, he wasn’t as resistant to the idea anymore. In fact, he was even a little expectant.

The two of them walked out, almost side by side.

Li Ye asked, "Director Yang, how are things on Earth? Have any powerful demons appeared?"

"There have been a few upheavals, but things are relatively stable overall. The powerful demons are keeping each other in check, so no one dares to make a rash move. It’s actually given us a chance to grow and catch our breath," Yang Feng said with a smile.

"What about new Time Travelers? How many more have you found?" Li Ye asked.

"Nearly two hundred. They’re all out on missions," Yang Feng said as they walked. "In the year you’ve been gone, the probability of people with the Space-Time Attribute appearing has increased slightly."

"What about the previous Time Travelers? How many are left now?"

"Seven. Liao Zhong didn’t return on time from his second mission." Yang Feng looked at Li Ye and said, "However, Song Jiani is due back in ten days. If she returns on schedule, you’ll be able to meet her, and you two can exchange experiences."

"Is this her second mission, or her third?" Li Ye asked.

"Her second." Yang Feng smiled. "She’s a very interesting young woman. The chances of her coming back alive are high because she has unknowingly aligned with the new method we’ve found to prevent being corrupted by Demon Qi."

"What method?" Li Ye’s curiosity was finally piqued.

As they spoke, the two arrived back at Li Ye’s residence.

They settled back into the tea room. After preparing fresh tea, Yang Feng took a book out of the briefcase on the table and handed it to Li Ye.

The cover had three words written on it: "Mental Tranquility Spell".

Li Ye opened the book:

Ancient frost, a world of silence;

A peaceful heart, a solitary spirit;

Heart and mind as one, qi in accord;

...

"The first method is to practice the Mental Tranquility Spell and sever all emotions and desires," Yang Feng said. "This is a Secret Manual that Pang Feng brought back from a cultivation world. It’s very effective for suppressing Demon Qi and strengthening one’s willpower. However, its cultivation requirements are extremely high. It can easily turn a person into a machine, devoid of emotion and desire."

Hah!

Li Ye flipped through a few pages and then closed the book.

’Emotions and desires are instinctual. Who can truly suppress their own desires? Not even the high monks of the Buddhist Sect...’

’The Immortals in *The Investiture of the Gods* fought and scrambled over each other. The Three Holy Mothers and the Seven Fairy Maidens secretly descended to the mortal realm. Weren’t they all driven by desire?’

’How could a Mortal possibly achieve something that even Immortals cannot?’

’And what about the mastermind behind the Demon Suppression Tower and Pandora’s Box? Are they truly without desires of their own?’

’If you actually succeeded, you could probably only be called a machine. The more you suppress yourself in the early stages with this so-called Mental Tranquility Spell, the more violent the backlash will probably be later on...’

Seeing that Li Ye had no intention of practicing the Mental Tranquility Spell, Yang Feng just smiled, not bothering to persuade him. He continued, "The second method is something we developed based on the Mental Tranquility Spell and our Inference from Demon Hunters who are less susceptible to corruption by Demons."

"What is it?" Li Ye asked.

"Cast aside all pretense and face your true self. The simpler and more stubborn your personality, the less likely you are to be corrupted by Demons." Yang Feng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and went on, "For example, if an honest person never goes against their inner nature and always adheres to the principle of honesty, their chances of losing themselves to Demon Qi are much lower."

"But this method has a drawback. The moment you do something that goes against your inner nature, a flaw opens up in your psyche, and the Demon Qi will exploit that opening to corrupt you swiftly."

"We’ve already added personality assessments for our Demon Hunters. A psychological evaluator will recommend a unique personality path for each one."

"Later, you can also have the evaluator assess you to see which path suits you best..."

Ugh!

Listening to Yang Feng’s second method, Li Ye could feel his brow furrow in dismay.

’This second method is just as unreliable!’

’Human nature is the most complex thing. Facing your true self without any pretense would make it impossible to get by in the world.’

’Besides, you have to be adaptable in a strange world. Using the second method would probably just get you killed faster.’

However, after hearing Yang Feng’s explanation, Li Ye guessed that the Demon Hunting Bureau probably didn’t know that Demons could communicate with people. It was likely that all the Time Travelers had hidden the fact that Demons were conscious beings.

He also came to a new conclusion. A Demon’s ability to possess a Demon Hunter might really be related to willpower. ’If one’s willpower is strong enough, they might be able to turn the tables when the Demon Qi tries to take over...’

’Willpower?’

’A Dao Heart?’

Li Ye suddenly felt a little excited at the prospect of transmigrating to a world with cultivation techniques. Cultivation techniques were clearly more useful against Demon Qi than martial arts.

Li Ye didn’t plan on using either method for resisting Demon Qi, so he simply changed the subject. "Director Yang, does the Demon Hunting Bureau have any new Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals? My Inner Strength has already liquefied, and I want to find a cultivation manual to see if I can advance further."

"Pang Feng brought back the Five Elements Mutual Production Technique. It can be cultivated to the Foundation Establishment realm. It’s the highest-level Cultivation Technique we have at the moment. You can go take a look when you have time," Yang Feng said.

"Thank you, Director Yang," Li Ye said with a smile.

"Why thank me? You’re a hero. I’m counting on you to get stronger and bring back more Secret Manuals!" Yang Feng laughed. "Also, find some time to learn a Western Language. Although the Time Travelers sent by Pandora’s Box have a higher chance of entering a Western-language world..."

"...it’s still possible for our Time Travelers to end up there. If you learn one, you won’t have a language barrier after you transmigrate."

"You’ve developed Derived Skills and have Demon Qi in your body, so you should be a fast learner."

"Okay, I will," Li Ye nodded. "Director Yang, can you give me a copy of the Time Travelers’ files? If I run into one of our own in another universe, we can look out for each other."

The Team Emblem had its own consciousness, and Time Travelers could defect.

Li Ye hadn’t connected these two facts before.

But now, if all Time Travelers were potentially entering the same universe, then getting the files on the other Time Travelers was essential.

’A friendly face in a strange land might put a knife in your back.’

’A defector would either have been possessed by a Demon or have gained immense power on their own. He had to be on guard.’

In the following days, Li Ye was busy once again. He studied a Western Language, practiced the Five Elements Mutual Production Technique, and in his spare time, wrote down from memory the Martial Arts Secret Manuals he had acquired during his transmigration. He was so busy he barely had a moment’s rest.

With the residual Demon Qi in his body, the Western Language he could never grasp back in school now came to him after just a few glances. However, his progress in cultivating the Five Elements Mutual Production Technique was rather slow.

It did solve the problem with his Inner Strength.

After he began cultivating it, the liquefied Inner Strength in his body gradually began to transform into Spiritual Qi.

But perhaps because he lacked the assistance of Demon Qi, or because the Five Elements Mutual Production Technique itself wasn’t a high-level technique...

...the conversion to Spiritual Qi was incredibly slow. It took seven or eight days just to convert a single sliver.

Another Cultivation Technique called the Evergreen Skill only went up to the third level of Qi Refining, making it even worse than this one.

The rest were just Secret Manuals for things like talismans, the Five Thunders Technique, Basic Magic, and Alchemy.

The Secret Manuals brought back by all the other Time Travelers combined didn’t even amount to what he had brought back alone. No wonder Yang Feng was so happy when he heard that Li Ye had packed up the secret manuals of an entire world...

But this disappointed Li Ye, who had grown accustomed to rapid cultivation.

In the Martial World, he had been practicing a top-tier secret manual from the very beginning. ’Maybe I should find a cultivation manual that’s better suited for me...’

At this thought, Li Ye felt an impatient urge to transmigrate again and enter a new world.

’It’s better to rely on yourself than on anyone else!’