Chapter 42: The Heart Demon's Oath

  "Are you sure you want to take this grandson of mine as your disciple?" The old man initially had some complaints about Zhang Heng, but in an instant he was beaming with joy and looking at Zhang Heng with a smile.

  Zhang Heng felt that the old man's behavior was simply covering his ears and stealing bells. Even if others were moved by this array, they would probably go to inspect the child's spiritual roots, and at that time, the transaction would naturally not be possible.

  "Hmm, no false promises. Hand over this array disk to me and I guarantee your grandson will reach the Qi Refining stage." Zhang Heng said calmly.

  The people around him didn't take Zhang Heng's words seriously and ridiculed him one after another.

  "Ignorant fool, a Qi Refining stage cultivator dares to boast such grandiose claims? Even a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator may not have a 100% guarantee."

  "He may not even know where the spiritual efficacy of Heart Devil's Oath lies."

  "This fellow Daoist, I advise you to give up. The Heart Demon's Oath is not something to be trifled with." A kind-hearted elderly cultivator reminded Zhang Heng in good faith.

  Zhao Ruixin asked with some movement: "Tang Shixiong, are you really sure about this?"

  Zhang Heng didn't respond to him, his expression remained calm and peaceful, but his eyes fell on the old man: "How about it, do you agree?"

  The old man suddenly reacted and nodded repeatedly: "Agreed, of course agreed, but before handing over this array disk to you, please take the Heart Demon Oath."

  Zhang Heng said in a calm tone, "I, Tang Feng, swear with my heart demon that I will take this old man's grandson as my apprentice and ensure that he reaches the Refining Qi stage within his lifetime. If I break this oath, I shall suffer the consequences of being devoured by my heart demon."

  All the monks around stared at him as he finished speaking, while Zhang Heng seemed to be narrating an event that had nothing to do with himself, slowly and calmly making a vow.

  "Finally, someone has agreed......" The old man was overjoyed, and he almost hugged Zhang Heng to kiss him twice: "My Guo family can finally have someone step into the path of cultivation, and I, Guo Jing, will die without regret!!"

  "What? You're calling Guo Jing!" Zhang Heng gazed at this excited old man with a strange look in his eyes.

  "Old man, my name is indeed Guo Jing, what's the matter? Does this Taoist friend know me?" The old man suppressed his excited emotions and became even more respectful towards Zhang Heng.

  "Cough, nothing, just remembered a friend from my hometown." Zhang Heng casually said, then turned to the old man and said: "Can I have this array now?"

  Guo Lao nodded repeatedly and handed the array disc to Zhang Heng: "Of course, fellow Taoist, you have already sworn an oath with your heart demon. How could I not believe you?"

  Zhang Heng took over the array disc, stroked it with his hand, and could feel a special aura emanating from it. He nodded secretly, this array disc was indeed genuine.

  After a brief observation, Zhang Heng put the array disc into his storage bag.

  Guo Lao Tou carefully observed Zhang Heng's expression, but couldn't see any emotion. He hastily pulled over the little boy beside him and said with a hint of doting: "Feng Er, from today on, this Taoist friend is your master, come and pay your respects."

  That little boy Guo Feng's bright eyes sized up Zhang Heng for a moment, then he knelt down in front of him and performed a respectful bow.

  Zhang Heng said casually: "Well, from now on, you are Tang Feng's apprentice."

  "Yes, Master, Feng'er has learned."

  The surrounding monks looked at this grand ceremony with different expressions, and the elderly monk who had kindly advised Zhang Heng felt a little unbearable in his heart.

  He walked up to Zhang Heng and said in a low voice: "Fellow Taoist, isn't it that you didn't use your real name when making the Heart Demon's oath."

  Zhang Heng looked at him slightly stunned and transmitted his voice with his divine sense: "What do you mean by this?"

  The old cultivator was shocked to see that Zhang Heng could actually use the divine sense transmission technique, and immediately spoke with a respectful attitude: "It seems that I have been overly cautious, since senior is willing to make an oath with his heart demon, it must be certain that this child can enter the Qi Refining stage, such a divine ability indeed makes me admire."

  This old monk actually calls himself a senior? It seems that he also has the strength of the late stage of Qi refining.

  Zhang Heng thought for a moment and understood that he had just used the Mind Transmission Technique, which only cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage could use.

  Its principle is to attach sound to the spirit, transmit sound through the spirit, and communicate with each other.

  In theory, as far as consciousness can stretch, this sound can reach.

  Zhang Heng naturally learned this basic spell for mid-to-high-level cultivators due to his exceptional spiritual awareness, comparable to that of the Foundation Establishment stage.

  In the eyes of this old senior, being able to use the Sound Transmission Technique was definitely a senior cultivator above the Foundation Establishment stage. And if the other party could agree to let a waste spirit root enter the Qi Refining stage, then their cultivation might have already reached the terrifying Core Formation stage.

  The old master looked at Zhang Heng with an increasingly respectful tone, as if he wanted to kneel on the ground and shout a few times "senior".

  He gazed enviously at the young boy Guo Feng beside him, then said to the old man called Guo Jing: "This child is blessed, able to be apprenticed under this senior's guidance, his future prospects are boundless."

  The person next to him saw Zhang Heng's lips move slightly, and the elderly monk next to him immediately addressed him with a respectful attitude as "senior" or "respected senior", which couldn't help but reveal the profound meaning behind it.

  In an instant, the gaze of the monks around him was also filled with reverence.

  It turned out that this person was actually a high-ranking cultivator, no wonder he dared to make such a guarantee. Those cultivators who had just ridiculed Zhang Heng couldn't help but secretly regret it and prayed that the "senior" in front of them would be magnanimous and not hold grudges about what happened earlier.

  Although the security in this Dugu Sky Castle is very good, even the foundation-building cultivators may not dare to cause trouble here. Generally, cultivators who violate the rules of this place will be severely punished by the patrolling cultivators of Dugu Sky Castle.

  However, a master of the Condensation stage can completely ignore these rules. Even if they kill several lower-level cultivators, the Lonely Sky Castle will not pursue the matter.

  Who dares to offend a highly respected person in his prime?

  Everything is based on strength, and all rules are established on the basis of strength.

  Zhang Heng did not think that his subconscious actions would have such a result, and his heart moved slightly, his divine consciousness stirred slightly, and his lips moved again.

  "Leave quickly and don't mention the existence of this deity to others."

  Zhang Heng transmitted his voice to a group of cultivators around him through divine sense.

  Those monks changed their faces and bowed slightly to Zhang Heng, then they all slipped away without daring to look back.

  Zhang Heng couldn't help but feel amused in his heart, never expecting this trick to be so effective that it scared away a group of low-level cultivators.

  After the group of cultivators left, Zhang Heng transmitted his voice to the old cultivator again: "What you said earlier about not using one's true name when making a demonic oath, is there some profundity to this?"

  The old cultivator's expression was slightly taken aback, he didn't expect the "senior" in front of him to not even understand such a basic question, but he also didn't dare ask more questions. He respectfully said: "It is so, generally speaking, when making an oath with one's heart demon, even if the person making the oath is not using their own name, this heart demon's oath can still take effect. After all, this heart demon is also a manifestation of one's own inner emotions, it may deceive others, but it cannot deceive oneself."

  Zhang Heng suddenly realized, nodded secretly in his heart, the heart demon is your own incarnation, even if you make a vow in someone else's name, it's still self-deception. Even if you can deceive everyone, you can't deceive yourself.

  After sending away the old monk, Zhang Heng's gaze fell on Guo Lao and Guo Feng again.

  That old man Guo naturally inferred from the attitude of the surrounding monks that the young monk in front of him was not simple, and he stood beside Zhang Heng with increasing respect, not daring to make a sound.

  "Tang Shixiong, I didn't expect your divine sense to be so powerful." A wave of divine sense fluctuation brushed past Zhang Heng's ear, and it was actually Zhao Rui's divine sense transmission.

  Zhang Heng looked at Zhao Rui in surprise, this guy could also transmit sound with his mind!

  Zhao Rui seemed to smile and yet not smile as he glanced at Zhang Heng, continuing to transmit his voice: "My divine sense can barely leave my body, it's almost the same as a cultivator who has achieved the Great Circle of Refining Qi. And since I'm so close to Brother Tang, I can also transmit my voice to you through our divine senses. However, Brother Tang's divine sense seems to be much stronger than that of a cultivator who has achieved the Great Circle of Refining Qi."

  Zhang Heng looked at him with a bad temper, but also understood that the cultivator who had completed the Great Circle of Refining Qi could also separate his divine sense from his body. If the distance was close enough, he could barely transmit sound with his divine sense. However, if he wanted to simultaneously transmit sound to the surrounding cultivators like Zhang Heng did, it was absolutely impossible.

  "Alright, Fellow Guo, you should be living in Dutiian Fort, right?" Zhang Heng asked, because generally the cultivators who set up stalls in this area were local residents of Dutiian Fort, mostly composed of ordinary people.

  "Yes, I live nearby, if you'd like to come visit me at my humble abode."

  "Alright then, I'll go with you this one time, there's something I need to entrust to you."

  "Alright then, please follow me..." Old Man Guo led the way with Guo Feng.

  Zhao Rui looked at Zhang Heng with some confusion, not knowing what he was getting at, and asked him several questions in a row, but Zhang Heng ignored him.

  "Hmm." Zhao Rui was somewhat dissatisfied, but couldn't help being curious and followed along.