Demon cultivators, most in tune with their natural instincts.
And their greatest instinct is survival.
From the beginning, regardless of the type of life, the instinct to survive is rooted in the very marrow, extremely powerful. In other words, for survival, any life form will do whatever it takes. Even becoming a demon cultivator often means they can do anything.
Virtue, etiquette, integrity, and honor simply don’t exist.
As long as they can exchange for a chance to survive, demon cultivators are often willing to pay any price.
This trait is vividly embodied in Silk Lady. After she realized her advantage in beauty, she changed her cultivation method, repeatedly utilizing this advantage to seduce, allowing her to live better.
Saying this is wrong?
In Ning Zhuo’s view: Without life, where is there any rationale to speak of? Survival is beyond right and wrong!
As for sacrificing life for justice?
Though Ning Zhuo has recently been studying Confucianism and knows this, he can’t completely agree deep down.
"For my mother and elder brother, I can totally sacrifice myself. But for others, or other reasons, they are not sufficient for me to sacrifice."
Without life, how can one pursue the path?
Having life is having everything.
The need to stay alive is the biggest reason!
Therefore, Ning Zhuo didn’t mind the change in Silk Lady’s attitude; he readily accepted her change in demeanor.
"My cultivation level and age aren’t enough to earn others’ respect."
"If my achievements are exposed, the world wouldn’t view me with common sense."
"Silk Lady learned about me from Ban Ji. And even Ban Ji’s knowledge was incomplete. In fact, when I dealt with Pi Fujie, it wasn’t Pi Fujie himself, but the tiger demon he had just recruited."
"Silk Lady is at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, with quite a strong power. Though a loose cultivator, she has had many opportunities in life. Faced with such a well-known cultivator, the first choice isn’t surrender, but rather a contest."
Silk Lady, being able to "play" with Ban Ji, and being moved by Ban Ji’s heavy pay this time, is naturally no weakling.
Ning Zhuo looked at Silk Lady sitting limply on the ground, begging him for mercy.
He secretly pondered her personality, and by extension, the entire group of demon cultivators.
Silk Lady pleaded for a long time before Ning Zhuo finally spoke: "Fine, I’ll give you a last chance. Tell me everything about Ban Ji’s plans against me."
Silk Lady immediately revealed a look of joy and quickly nodded.
She confessed everything to Ning Zhuo, truly leaving no detail unspoken. She not only detailed Ban Ji’s plans against Ning Zhuo but also disclosed her previous collaborations with Ban Ji.
Ning Zhuo looked at Silk Lady: "So, you and Ban Ji never signed any secret-keeping contract?"
Silk Lady nodded: "Please forgive me, young master, it was a lie I concocted in panic for self-preservation to scare you."
"The four of us stand on equal footing with Ban Ji; there’s no reason to sign a secret-keeping contract for him."
"If breached, we would suffer, yet Ban Ji would suffer little."
Ning Zhuo slightly nodded, gaining some insights into the nature of these demon cultivators.
"Silk Lady, Rust Disaster Craftsman, Monk of False Words, Liu Qingyan..."
"Ban Ji found these four, hired them at great expense to entangle me, while he seized the opportunity to participate in the Xingyun Trial best suited for him... This is undoubtedly the most proper strategy."
Given Ning Zhuo’s display of mastery in the Soul Searching Technique, Silk Lady’s confession was largely credible.
"This time it’s Che Zhuzi, as per Silk Lady, Ban Ji’s next target."
"Plus, with Qinghuangzi previously... I’ve already thwarted his plans twice."
"This grudge is deepening."
Though Ning Zhuo has twice gained the upper hand, he doesn’t underestimate Ban Ji in the slightest.
Just from Ban Ji’s choice alone, it’s clear he has patience and an eye for the bigger picture.
Ning Zhuo is currently in a good situation, partly because Ban Ji is preoccupied.
Moreover, Ban Ji has never been a loose cultivator; he has the backing of the Ban Family!
"Ban Ji cultivates using the Demon Path method rather than the Ban Family’s clan technique. He’s an exception; how much support would the family likely offer him?"
To deal with Ban Ji, Ning Zhuo must consider the Ban Family!
The Xingyun Trial is crucial for newcomers. I need to actively disrupt Ban Ji’s plans, so he will struggle for a foothold in the Myriad Images Sect even if he joins.
"If I can directly oust him, preventing his entry into the Myriad Images Sect, that would be the best outcome."
"But the likelihood is quite low."
Ning Zhuo quietly assesses the difficulty, realizing his most attainable result is suppressing Ban Ji.
Ning Zhuo enters the Wanxiang Sect’s Main Mountain Gate, where the Xingyun Trial has occurred multiple times, unveiling a true opponent.
The previous Yu Heye, Lin Jinglong, Che Zhuzi, and even the current Silk Lady were not real adversaries; their conflicts with Ning Zhuo could be resolved.
Ban Ji is not the same, at least not now.
He’s a mechanism cultivator wanting to partake in the Xingyun Trial, which Ning Zhuo also wishes to join.
This perfectly illustrates the phrase, "There is no true rivalry like that of peers."
Ning Zhuo asked Silk Lady: "Do you know if, besides hiring you four at great cost, Ban Ji has any other schemes against me?"
Silk Lady shook her head, displaying utmost sincerity, fearing Ning Zhuo’s suspicion, and swore that it was the truth.