[Urban Fantasy] Lure the Flower to Sleep (Complete) - 33

Volume 4, Chapter 76: Cultivating the Line.

If the space-folding array outside the ancient tomb was purgatory, then the dark river tunnel was hell, the nine-story stone corridor was the human world, and this place was paradise. Wang Xiaoyin finally understood what the garden Lan Wu had described looked like; he even felt that everything here was an illusion.
"Wow, we've ascended! This place is even more beautiful than the Immortal Realm!" Wang Xiaoyin exclaimed as he stepped out of the teleportation array. The blue demons guarding the array chattered to welcome them, but Wang Xiaoyin ordered them all to become invisible. He didn't care how many experts could see through his invisibility; he would find an opportunity to reduce their numbers first.
Ghost Sword merely glanced at the lush, vibrant garden and whispered to Wang Xiaoyin, "You really didn't find any cultivation items?" Nonsense
! Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you! Wang Xiaoyin thought to himself. On the surface, he confidently declared, "Nonsense! If I found cultivation items, would I be afraid to tell you? Think about it carefully. What did we find coming down from the first floor? What kind of corpses did we see? It was definitely the residence of servants who served cultivators. How could there be cultivation items? Look here! This is a paradise! If there were cultivation items, they should be here."
Ghost Sword thought it made sense. Anyway, there was no evidence. It was best to maintain a friendly relationship with him for now. At least he was more friendly than the Ye family, and they still had a nominal cooperative relationship.
Wang Xiaoyin ran wildly, trying to shake off the Ye family. The Blue Demon beside him guided him towards the place the Blue Demons had agreed upon.
The space here seemed very vast, with green mountains and clear waters stretching as far as the eye could see. White clouds and gentle breezes, bright sunshine—everything was so beautiful and tranquil. Occasionally, strange birds would fly by, adding a touch of liveliness to the clean sky.
"Master, all communication and electronic devices are malfunctioning. This might be another dimension. We need to be careful!" Xingzi thought for a moment and then said, "We had blue elemental shields covering our faces earlier, so they couldn't see our features. Should we order them to wear illusionary mist masks now?" "
Yes, it's better to be safe than sorry. It's best not to reveal our identities until we're confident we can defeat the enemy." Wang Xiaoyin turned to Ghost Sword, "You didn't reveal our identities, did you?"
Ghost Sword smiled bitterly, "I'm not that incompetent. Why would I reveal my identity if they didn't interrogate me? My name, Ghost Sword, isn't exactly famous. Even if I were a wanted criminal nationwide, no one would remember me." His meaning was clear: if they used torture, he might have already confessed everything.
"That makes sense!" Wang Xiaoyin stopped talking and sped up, heading straight for the middle mountain peak.
There were three mountains here, arranged in a "W" shape from the teleportation point. The middle mountain was where the Blue Demons gathered.
"Master, we found so many..." The excited Blue Fairy immediately changed her tune upon seeing Ghost Sword beside Wang Xiaoyin, "We found so many... monster bones. Yes, we found so many monster bones, and a complete dragon skeleton. Eighth Sister said we can make bone broth, did you bring a pot?"
"Haha... dragon bones?" Wang Xiaoyin laughed at her lame excuse, but she was genuinely interested in the last part about dragon bones. Ghost Sword knew they were hiding something from him, but now wasn't the time to investigate.
"Yes, an Eastern dragon, not a winged lizard, this is a real Eastern dragon." Blue Fairy's comical cover-up had already been overheard by the other girls, who giggled and hid their newly found treasures, leaving only several tall, white animal skeletons for Ghost Sword to view for free.
Several meters tall, skulls like trucks, and all sorts of strangely shaped animal bones were laid out in a crisscross pattern on the plain at the top of the mountain. Among them were many giant bones, a third larger than modern humans, resembling the remains of golden-armored immortals in a mural.
One of the most eye-catching bones was the dragon bone. It stretched for over a hundred feet, spanning the entire mountaintop. The bone faintly glowed with golden light, and had five claws, each several times larger than the heads of the other monsters. The main body of the dragon bone was broken into three or four pieces, likely the fatal wounds it suffered in its previous life, the most fatal being the neck bone near its head.
The blue demons all wore illusionary mist masks, their faces shimmering with a ghostly blue light as they searched among the beast bones. Ghost Sword, watching with envy, also burrowed into the bones, wanting to see what treasures they were looking for.
After Ghost Sword had gone far away, some of the blue demons transmitted their voices to Wang Xiaoyin: "Master, we found legendary cultivation treasures on this ancient battlefield, some flying swords, immortal armor..."
"What?!" Wang Xiaoyin was stunned and at a loss for words. If he had some doubts about the credibility of cultivation when he found the jade slip and collected the alchemy furnace, he was now completely convinced.
The blue demon enjoyed watching his stunned expression, chuckling softly, "Master, don't you believe it? Hehe, when we found them just now, we didn't believe it either. They weren't moving, only their light was a bit strange."
Xingzi chimed in, "Master, if this dragon is indeed the sect leader of the Witch God Sect, and it's the one that carved the picture on the stone wall, then what it said must be true. These tall humans look a lot like golden-armored immortals. The sect leader of the Witch God Sect led his disciples to fight to the death, which is why we have this battlefield today. The only thing we can't understand is why no one cleaned up the battlefield? The little girls said they found a lot of magical treasures. Those immortals wouldn't be so generous, would they?"
Wang Xiaoyin stroked the bones of a beast lying on its back and said, "Hmm, we can speculate that the immortals left in a hurry, or they could never enter this battlefield again... Right, this place must be a space created by some kind of power, or it was restricted by some kind of magical treasure, blocking the immortals, or they could never find this place again, which is why we got a good deal today."
"Ah, I found a small sword, it can actually fly... Ah, how do I stop it?" Ghost Sword somehow found a small, blue sword, about the length of a palm, emitting a buzzing sound, and it flew wildly with Ghost Sword, trying to shake him off.
"Why can the one he found fly, but the ones we found can't?" One of the blue demons stared at Ghost Sword flying wildly in the sky with a puzzled look, almost in tears.
"Ah~! Help! How do I stop it?" Ghost Sword was choked by the strong winds at high altitude, his eyes watering. The joy of his new treasure was replaced by deep fear. Flying wildly dozens of feet high, with flight maneuvers more flashy than fighter jets performing, made his stomach churn. He only clung tightly to the hilt of the sword by a sliver of instinct.
The Ye family's expedition team arrived, shouting from afar, "My God! What did you find? Is it a flying sword? Ah, look, a flying sword in the sky..." Lu Liang was as excited as a child, shouting and yelling, staring blankly as the ghost sword flew overhead, not even noticing the vomit that landed on his face.
"The legend of cultivation is true, haha, we've finally found a cultivation treasure!" Ye Yongdong was equally happy, his face flushed, his teeth grinding. "Boys, fire! Seize the flying sword!"
With his command, the wounded soldiers and elites frantically pulled the triggers, firing at the ghost sword in the sky, tongues of fire pouring out, weaving into a net of bullets.
History always repeats itself in coincidences, and this time was no exception. The first bullet that struck the Ghost Sword hit his wrist squarely, the splattering blood onto the cyan flying sword, instantly generating a powerful force that enveloped him. A cyan wood elemental shield blocked all incoming bullets, and his body remained strangely still in mid-air.
"**...blood oath?" Wang Xiaoyin cursed inwardly, ordering the Blue Elves to become invisible and on high alert, wary of a surprise attack from the Ye family.
The Blue Elves quickly calmed down. They had found many flying swords in their pet space; finding one with suitable attributes and using the blood oath method might awaken a treasure. But now was not the time; they didn't want to flaunt their wealth and provoke the Ye family's envy.
Time, strangely, always passes quickly. No one knew how much time had passed, nor how many bullets the Ye family had expended, when the blurry blue shadow suddenly grew larger. With a long howl in the sky, the Ghost Sword lunged at the Ye family's expedition team. Streaks of blue light, like a cascading celestial river, rained down on the team. Suffocating energy erupted from the three-foot-long flying sword, shattering the fragile elemental shields upon contact, sending blood and flesh splattering across the mountains.
"What terrifying power! It's all the flying sword's energy, not its own. Master, what do we do? If the Ghost Sword harbors ill intentions, we'll likely suffer the same fate as the Ye family," Xingzi asked worriedly, watching the Ghost Sword's one-sided slaughter.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm pretty thick-skinned. La la, I have a flying sword too..." Lan Jiu, having found a small blue sword somewhere, mimicked the blood-binding ritual, dripping two drops of blood onto the short blade, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.
"Waaah, it hurts so much! Why isn't it responding? Master, what should I do? This broken sword isn't moving..." Lan Jiu was extremely frustrated. Watching the idiot Ghost Sword obtain the divine weapon and go on a killing spree, she was worried because she had been causing trouble for Ghost Sword and feared he would retaliate later.
Everyone laughed and was about to comfort Lan Jiu when suddenly they saw powerful blue light emanating from her body, gentle as water yet majestic like a primordial beast, layer upon layer, enveloping her like a cocoon. The blue demons around Lan Jiu were automatically pushed aside by this force, creating a vacuum around her. Her body slowly floated up, as if completing some kind of ritual, slowly rotating, her serene face filled with deep thought, like a statue.
"This is the power of water element. Does anyone still have any blue treasures, or anything with a weak water element?" Xingzi shouted to the stunned blue demons.
The blue demons frantically searched their magical beast spaces, but the contents were too numerous and varied. After searching for a long time, they found a pile of shimmering pots and jars, but still couldn't find the blue magical treasure.
Ghost Sword, with a single, simple move, slaughtered dozens of the enemy's experts, leaving only a dozen or so Xuan Realm experts struggling to hold on using their magic. Ye Yongdong, also a Xuan Realm expert, had survived thanks to the desperate protection of his subordinates. He roared at Ghost Sword, "You bastard, you dare kill my Ye family members! You'll pay for this!"
Lu Liang cautiously escaped Ghost Sword's pursuit, quietly leading his disciples to hide behind a boulder. He escaped Ghost Sword's attack range not through luck, but through strength. His disciples, also Xuan Realm warriors, were unable to bear the sight of slaughter and lay on the ground vomiting incessantly.
The blue demons' efforts finally yielded results. Lan Wu found a water-attribute glass comb, successfully dripped his blood onto it, and floated in the sky to receive the inheritance.
Suddenly, they saw Ghost Sword stop and fly towards them on his sword. Wang Xiaoyin quickly told them to stop and put their treasure away. Lan Jiu, who could now control her flying sword, proudly circled in the sky, blocking Ghost Sword's path to prevent him from harming her own family.
Unexpectedly, Ghost Sword smiled bitterly in the sky, then slumped down, collapsing to the ground, almost fainting. He weakly cried out, "Help me one more time, hold off the Ye family's pursuit! I've used up all my true energy!" His poison hadn't been cleared, and he had used his true energy to power his flying sword. After fighting for so long, he was exhausted, as limp as mud.
Wang Xiaoyin wanted to kill him, but she feared he was bluffing. Besides, now that he had put away his flying sword, his attack power had increased significantly, making him useful as well. Thinking there was still a use for him, he immediately nodded in agreement and laughed, "Don't worry, we're teammates and partners. I, Wang Xiaoyin, won't abandon you. Leave these Ye family scum to us."
"Lan Jiu, you handle the remaining dozen or so pieces of trash. Do it cleanly!" Wang Xiaoyin instructed.
"Haha, don't worry, Master, I've become incredibly powerful. Watch me!" Lan Jiu gripped his dark blue flying sword and swung it at the Ye family remnants lying on the ground. Strings of bubble-like light fell like jade beads, exploding upon contact with anything, even more powerful than large military grenades.
"Ah! You dare provoke our Ye family..." Ye Yongdong didn't finish his last sentence before being blown to smithereens by the bubble-like light. Several Xuan Realm experts beside him followed suit, blasted away by the powerful, strange magic weapon.
"Idiot!" Lu Liang, hiding behind a rock, muttered under his breath, squinting at the crater dozens of meters deep that had been blasted into a space of about twenty feet in diameter. He was speechless. His disciple beside him stopped vomiting and was even more dazed than he was.
Lan Jiu hadn't expected her magic weapon to behave this way either. After the initial surprise, she became even more excited, waving her flying sword and sending a few more bubbles into the deep pit. Then, feeling a bit tired, she frowned and flew to Wang Xiaoyin's side, complaining, "Master, I'm so tired! My arms are sore. You have to reward me."
Receiving a kiss, she suddenly felt less tired. Grabbing her flying sword, she flew around Lan Wu's head, observing her condition. Lan Wu seemed to have been inheriting the magic weapon for a longer time. When the glass comb in her hand shrunk to the size of a small boat, she smiled and opened her eyes, casually unleashing dozens of light arrows, shaped like comb teeth, which struck the boulder where Lu Liang was hiding.
A flurry of dust and debris erupted as two figures leaped out from behind, hands raised, shouting, "Don't kill us! We surrender! We're not from the Ye family! We're renowned scholars..."
Unfortunately, Lu Liang's disciple was already sliced apart by the energy blades the moment he jumped out, and only after running a few steps did his body shatter into pieces. Seeing this, the old scholar Lu Liang disregarded his appearance, cautiously raising a fiery red elemental shield and shouting surrender from the spot.
"We need a guide!" Xingzi suggested to Wang Xiaoyin, "Why not spare his life? Although his martial arts are superior, there are ways to subdue him and make him obedient."
Lan Ba chuckled from the side, "Lu Liang is indeed very famous in the field of prehistoric civilization research; he's a renowned professor at Qian Shi University. However, I never imagined his martial arts were so high."
"Famous? I've never heard of him?" Wang Xiaoyin rubbed his nose, asking with a puzzled expression.
Lan Ba curled his lip, thinking to himself, when has this master ever cared about the outside world? Beautiful women take care of everything for him, but when he encounters his only setback, he hides in the slums, making everyone worry. Everyone knows these things, but no one says anything. Even the heartless Lan Jiu doesn't dare to speak up, let alone the others.
"Let him come here, I have something to ask him!" Wang Xiaoyin ordered. Like a fly, little Lan Jiu quickly grabbed him, threw him to the ground, and then flew around his head triumphantly, howling.
The other blue demons were free to roam, some searching for water-attribute treasures in the beast warehouse, others rummaging through beast bones, searching every inch of the place, not wanting to miss any treasure.
After the scholar Lu, who was half-lying on the ground, was no longer in mortal danger, he immediately shouted, "I demand that prisoners be treated humanely and given the treatment they deserve, otherwise..."
"Shut up, shut up if you don't want to die!" Wang Xiaoyin didn't have a good impression of this scholar, especially someone like him who had just returned from the brink of death and was making unreasonable demands.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky, and the wind on the mountaintop gradually became violent, whipping up broken grass and leaves. "Oh!" A deep roar came from the clouds, and something resembling a white cotton ball slowly drifted towards the mountaintop.
"What kind of monster is that?"
"Ah, I know, I know..." said Scholar Lu.
"Damn it, if you know, just say it!" Wang Xiaoyin yelled at Scholar Lu again, even drawing his dark God-Slaying Blade. If Lu Liang rambled on for another word, he'd probably be stabbed.
"That's a Thunder Beast, a prehistoric creature, oviparous, with the ability to fly and control electricity." Lan Ba answered Wang Xiaoyin; her knowledge of plants and animals seemed incredibly profound.
"Yes, yes, it's a Thunder Beast. This one should be a cub, relatively small, with a lifespan between 400 and 700 years." Lu Liang no longer dared to be arrogant, fearing he'd be discarded as scrap after losing his usefulness.
"It's over three meters long, two meters tall, and has two fluffy wings. Is that considered small?" Wang Xiaoyin shook his head, not asking aloud.
The snow-white thunder beast stopped ten zhang high in the sky, its fur gleaming, exceptionally majestic, with a lion's face and a horse's tail. Its dark, shiny eyes curiously surveyed the crowd, showing great interest in these novel creatures. A single golden horn grew from its head, playfully snorting as if pondering some important problem.

Volume 4, Chapter 77: Ghost King's Territory
: 9-22 4:51:14 Word Count: 7810

The snow-white thunder beast stopped ten zhang high in the sky, its fur gleaming, exceptionally majestic, with a lion's face and a horse's tail. Its dark, shiny eyes curiously surveyed the crowd, showing great interest in these novel creatures. A single golden horn grew from its head, playfully snorting as if pondering some important problem.
Suddenly, Xingzi took to the air, exclaiming, "So cute!" The first reaction of the blue demons was disbelief. They hadn't expected that at this crucial moment, it wouldn't be Lan Jiu who had pulled the strings, but rather their usually fair and strict instructor.
Seeing the person take flight, the Thunder Beast seemed somewhat frightened, retreating several feet and spitting out a small bolt of lightning, about the thickness of a thumb, directly at Xingzi's azure water elemental shield. Then it flew closer, curiously examining Xingzi.
Xingzi's water elemental shield was extremely conductive; upon contact with electricity, it quickly separated from her body, creating a vacuum layer in between. Even so, the slow-conducting electrical molecules still made her whole body numb, and her short blue hair stood on end.
The two, floating in the sky, several feet apart, stared at each other, observing each other intently. Xingzi raised her right hand, and a small, grayish object flew out, slowly drifting towards the Thunder Beast. The Thunder Beast was startled, baring its mouth to reveal sharp teeth, making a ferocious expression, silently awaiting the beauty's revenge.
On the ground, the old scholar Lu shouted anxiously, "Don't hurt it! This is a rare animal from ten thousand years ago, a legendary divine beast!"
Lan Jiu also looked reluctant and shouted, "What weapon did the instructor use? Was it an armor-piercing bullet?"
The people on the ground, overflowing with sympathy, shouted in dissatisfaction, warning the Thunder Beast to be careful and not to hurt it. The Thunder Beast couldn't understand what the people on the ground were shouting. When the gray thing was about to reach it, it sniffed, sped up, pounced, and snatched the thing in its mouth. Its big black eyes looked left and right, then it chewed it up with drool running, swallowing it whole.
"Ah? That's amazing! It actually swallowed the ultimate weapon. The instructor is doomed!"
Wang Xiaoyin laughed loudly, "That was indeed an ultimate weapon, but the one who should be doomed is the Thunder Beast."
"Why?" the old scholar Lu asked humbly.
"Hmph, see for yourself!" Wang Xiaoyin ignored him and continued to watch the man and beast in the sky.
The Thunder Beast, which had been wary of humans and acting recklessly just moments before, suddenly drooled, wagging its tail like a lapdog, circling around Sachiko. Its pink tongue greedily licked its lips, emitting soft, pleading growls, yet it still dared not get too close.
"Master, what happened to that Thunder Beast? Did the instructor use some kind of poison bomb? Did it poison the cute Thunder Beast into a stupor? Waaah, poor little white..."
Sachiko then made a surprising move. She deliberately removed her elemental shield and threw out a grayish object, about the size of a fist. Upon seeing this, the Thunder Beast let out a joyful cry, immediately sucking it into its mouth without hesitation, slowly chewing it. Its bright eyes cautiously scanned its surroundings, as if afraid something might try to take it away.
"Ah! I know, those are preserved spiced beef chunks, what a cunning instructor..."
"Yeah, I brought a lot of beef too, and that cunning instructor stole my pet, boohoo."
The blue demons, having figured it out, cried out in regret, their quick minds already observing other peaks, hoping to use similar methods to subdue the legendary spirit beasts.
Old Scholar Lu, adjusting his reading glasses, nearly popped his eyes out as he watched the magical thunder beast, for a few cheap pieces of beef, willingly becoming Sachiko's mount, happily munching on the meat, its fluffy wings spread, flying back and forth in the clouds.
"Chaos! Chaos! The era of cultivation has arrived!"
Wang Xiaoyin glared at him and laughed, "Isn't this what you wanted? Otherwise, why would you give up your good job as an expert and professor to run around in this deep mountain ancient tomb searching for the ruins of the witch god, your eyes lighting up at the sight of cultivation items?"
Lu Liang chuckled, "Hehe, well, prehistory and divine ruins have always been my research areas. It's normal to sigh a bit when I see things from myths and legends."
Lan Jiu interjected, "Hehe, I think your complaints are just because you can't get certain things."
The old scholar Lu was a little temperamental and said defiantly, "You've already restricted my martial arts, what else are you worried about? I'm no different from an old geezer now, what complaints could I possibly have?"
"You are an old geezer!" Lan Jiu's words left the old scholar Lu speechless for a long time. He rolled his eyes and lay on the ground pretending to be asleep.
They had enough food and weren't in a hurry to find a way out. They searched this mountain for two days, turning over the entire ancient battlefield within a radius of several thousand meters, even taking a few bones back to make medicine. This hard work naturally yielded considerable results.
The thunder beast that Xingzi had reported was trained like a puppy by the Blue Demons, who tormented its immature will by throwing beef at it daily, rendering it utterly powerless. Even when it bared its teeth in frustration, it dared not unleash lightning to harm anyone.
Lu Liang cooperated fully, not even considering escape. His electronic instruments were unusable, preventing him from taking photos, so he could only collect bone fragments and fossils, intending to return to the lab for research and as evidence for prehistoric studies.
Finally, after thoroughly searching the central mountain, they decided to search the right-hand peak. Ghost Sword had been behaving himself these past two days, hiding in his tent to cultivate. He knew he couldn't compete with Wang Xiaoyin for the magic weapon; he was lucky to keep his flying sword and his life.
Wang Xiaoyin watched the dozen or so Blue Demons flying around in the sky, his teeth itching with envy. He looked dejectedly at the black dagger in his hand, secretly blaming it for its imposing name, "Godslayer Blade," yet its inability to fly. The blue demons hadn't failed to find him a suitable flying sword, but he simply didn't like using swords and stubbornly gave the opportunity to the beauties.
"Master, sit on Little White's back, it's very well-behaved," Xingzi said, riding on the Thunder Beast. Seeing Wang Xiaoyin's expression, she tried to appease him.
Upon hearing Xingzi's words, Little White immediately bared its teeth in dissatisfaction, clutching a meat bone and glaring at Wang Xiaoyin, preventing him from getting close.
"Damn it! You perverted bastard, you stinking caltrop! What's wrong with me sitting on it? You just won't let me near. Tsk tsk, if I didn't know your mother, I would have killed you and roasted you long ago." Wang Xiaoyin became even more annoyed thinking about this. This Thunder Beast was as docile as a puppy beside the blue demons, but in front of men, it was like a beast king descending, rejecting all male creatures.
The old scholar Lu laughed gleefully from the side, "Haha, an interesting spirit beast!"
The Thunder Beast, however, was unimpressed, finding Lu too close. With a flick of its snow-white teeth, a small bolt of lightning shot out, striking Lu Liang on the head. A pungent aroma of burnt meat wafted up, making Lu Liang look like an African refugee, yet he was still alive. Then, it proudly raised its head and gracefully strode to the front of the group, mingling with the beautiful blue demons.
As soon as they entered the right mountain area, everyone felt the temperature drop by more than ten degrees. Gusts of cold wind made their scalps tingle, and the mountain plants were gloomy and listless. At the foot of the mountain, there were more than a dozen caves, obscured by vegetation. The entrances were filled with colorful poisonous spiders, each the size of a small pot lid, hunting any creatures that wandered into their openings.
"This mountain is strange. Could there be monsters? Could this be the legendary Spider Cave?" Lan Jiu, riding on the back of the Thunder Beast, held Xingzi's slender waist and asked tremblingly.
No one thought she was afraid; in fact, it would be more believable if they said she was excited. Of course, the most convincing reason was that she was cold.
The God-Slaying Blade in Wang Xiaoyin's hand stirred, emitting a cheerful buzzing sound, as if it were craving something delicious. Wang Xiaoyin knew about the blade's strangeness, especially when it was stained with enemy blood, but today's commotion was a bit too much. Could there be something that pleased it more than blood? Wang Xiaoyin didn't know. She cautiously surveyed her surroundings and ordered, "Let's search the mountain first, then explore these caves. Those with flying swords, fly around a few times and see if there's anything noteworthy."
An hour later, the blue demons who had explored the mountain returned disappointed. They hadn't seen anything strange. Besides the eerie vegetation, there was nothing left behind on the mountain, not even a single carved symbol. Even stranger, not a single small animal was to be seen. The birds flying over the mountain cried out in fear.
After clearing away the debris and poisonous insects at the cave entrance, a fire was set, the smoke billowing and making the Thunder Beast's eyes water. It gritted its teeth in frustration and used lightning to widen the central opening. For the first time, it received praise from Wang Xiaoyin: "Good boy, make the opening even bigger, even bigger!"
The Thunder Beast, exhausted, lay on the ground, snot and tears streaming down its face, seemingly realizing it had fallen for Wang Xiaoyin's trick. Wherever it hid, the smoke followed; if it didn't hide, the smoke sprayed and poured onto its head. Finally, Xingzi couldn't bear it and suggested it hide in the clouds, thus escaping unscathed.
"Hehe, little rascal, see how I deal with you later! The female animal that dared not let me ride hasn't come out yet!" Wang Xiaoyin clapped his hands, raised his head, entered the central opening, and then quickly retreated, his face covered in frost.
"So cold!"
"What's in this cave? Is there an ice dragon hiding there?" Lan Jiu's little mind began to wander again.
This time, they were on guard, all activating water elemental shields, and they could clearly feel a layer of ice forming on the outermost shield. At the insistence of the old scholar Lu, his martial arts were temporarily restored, allowing him to enter. He activated his fire elemental shield, showing no fear of the cave's cold, and leisurely observed the patterns on the stone walls.
"These seem to be totem writing, or some kind of incantation. It's very strange; I've never seen anything like it before. If only we could use a digital camera, this place is truly strange!" Lu Liang exclaimed.
"The patterns are all composed of the claw marks of wild beasts, similar to the dragon script we first saw. It should be a type of animal script, but unfortunately, we can't understand it," said Lan Wushijiu, who was knowledgeable in oracle bone script.
After walking about several hundred meters, the earliest characters of oracle bone script began to appear on the stone walls. The simple symbols mostly recorded dates, celestial phenomena, and some were angry words of cursing the heavens. Having seen the murals of the witch god, they knew the reason: these people were probably survivors of the flood, and their cursing of the heavens was understandable.
Suddenly, those at the front all fell to the ground, their ice shattering, and their blue water elemental shields twisted and deformed by the impact. "A ghost!" one of the blue demons shouted. They all drew their ninja swords, and despite their fear, they still protected Wang Xiaoyin.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" A sound like wind, yet also like weeping, came from the depths of the cave. Not far away, one could see rows of white bones lying haphazardly on the path.
Wang Xiaoyin's God-Slaying Blade emitted a joyful cry, pulling him around the blue demons and swiftly rushing to the front. Wang Xiaoyin saw a nearly transparent gray shadow rushing towards him. Startled, he instinctively swung his blade, striking the shadow. "Whoosh!" A piercing, strange scream rang out, and the gray shadow vanished beneath the blade. An excited wave emanated from the blade, urging him to continue.
Wang Xiaoyin had no time to think, because more gray shadows rushed towards him, all blurry and indistinct, floating in the air like ghosts. The God-Slaying Blade emitted eerie howls, streaks of black light engulfing the approaching gray shadows. The blade glowed with a faint blood-red light, yet struggled for a long time, as if bound by something, before finally returning to its pure black
state. Wang Xiaoyin slayed hundreds of ghosts along the way, arriving at a vast, boundless space. There, even more gray shadows emitted piercing screechs. Only here did he feel the pressure. Looking closely at his surroundings, he was utterly astonished. He had entered a hall resembling a primitive dwelling, with tens of thousands of stark white skeletons laid out at his feet. Their deaths were varied: some were nursing infants, some were sharpening knives on stone benches, some were kneeling in corners praying devoutly… as if killed in the same instant, each retaining its unique posture.
Above these skeletons floated tens of thousands of souls, some already solidified into distinct bodies, wielding spears and striking Wang Xiaoyin's elemental shield with astonishing force, causing him minor injuries.
"Damn it!" Wang Xiaoyin dared not hesitate any longer. He raised both hands and unleashed a black light that devoured dozens of gray shadows, intending to retreat and rejoin the blue demons.
The solidified ghosts, as if knowing Wang Xiaoyin's thoughts, howled and commanded the weaker gray shadows to push and pull him further and further away from the exit.
Wang Xiaoyin not only had to resist the biting cold but also the ghosts from all directions. His strength was gradually waning. The thought of dying at the hands of these strange creatures filled him with rage, as did this damned God-Slaying Blade. He should have waited for them to come in together; then there would have been someone to help him. Now, he was helpless, with no one to comfort him.
At this moment, the crazed ghosts suddenly stopped. Wang Xiaoyin seized the opportunity to catch his breath, regain his strength, and observe the ghosts' situation. Countless hordes of ghosts trembled and parted to make way for a warrior clad in hemp-yellow armor. He was two zhang tall, with a thick, bushy beard, resembling an angry Vajra, snarling menacingly, and wielding a large stone cleaver. With each step closer, an immense pressure pressed down on Wang Xiaoyin.
Could this be the Ghost King? Wang Xiaoyin gasped weakly for the dwindling air, his black dagger radiating intense fighting spirit. Its dark light swelled by ten zhang compared to before entering the cave, but Wang Xiaoyin was powerless to wield it, relying solely on the dagger's own energy. Wang Xiaoyin felt the power of his God-Slaying Blade increase, but against this strange creature of Ghost King level, he had no chance of victory. Even if he could kill it, he would be torn to pieces by countless ghosts.
"Sigh, they just stand there letting me chop them down, I don't have the strength to kill all these ghostly things!" Wang Xiaoyin lamented, when Xingzi led her blue demons into the hall. Without exception, they all gasped in shock upon seeing the tens of thousands of bizarre human skeletons. Even the well-informed scholar, Lu, was speechless for a long time, and his flame shield weakened.
Ghost Sword shouted, "He's surrounded by ghosts in the middle of the hall; we can't tell if
he's dead or alive!" Hearing this, Wang Xiaoyin yelled, "I'm still alive! Don't come in! Stand at the entrance and attack with magic!"
"We know that physical attacks are ineffective against them; only elemental power can disperse their bodies. Master, you're so brave!" a certain blue demon shouted.
"Brave my ass! I really want to hide behind you right now!" Wang Xiaoyin thought bitterly, raising the Root of Calamity short sword in his hand, forcing himself to fight. His martial arts were mostly enhanced by supernatural forces, lacking the substance of his own hard training, and he was already showing signs of exhaustion.
"Ooh!" Ghost King roared, raising his sword to attack first, accompanied by a gust of cold wind, aiming straight for Wang Xiaoyin's head.
Wang Xiaoyin wasn't sure if his solidified body was like a human's. He sidestepped, gripping the hilt tightly with both hands, and met the towering Ghost King Blade from below. "Clang!" The impact left Wang Xiaoyin dizzy and deafened. He tumbled several dozen feet away, spitting out a mouthful of blood that landed directly on the God-Slaying Blade within his sword. Wang Xiaoyin thought, "This is it. I don't even have the strength to hold the sword anymore, not even a chance to cry for help.
" "Master!" the Blue Demons cried out in anxious pain. Even their flying swords couldn't pierce the fly-like ghosts, especially the solidified monsters, whose strength was astonishing. The lower-level Moon-rank Blue Demons, without flying swords, were no match for them, suffering repeated losses in their attacks.
Countless ghosts, drawn by the scent of blood, let out frenzied shrieks, ignoring the Ghost King's intimidation, and rained down on Wang Xiaoyin's increasingly thin elemental shield. Wang Xiaoyin could only close his eyes and await death. Seeing the hideous ghosts made him want to vomit. Suddenly, the short sword in his right hand emitted a blinding crimson light. Some dark runes were faintly pierced by the red light, like a tattered fishing net catching a whale, which, with immense strength, broke through the net and devoured the hateful creature.
"Clang!" Two final, resounding metallic clangs echoed as the dark blade turned blood red, radiating murderous intent. Enveloped in the red light, Wang Xiaoyin felt streams of power coursing through his body, his depleted true energy rapidly replenishing, even his damaged flesh healing. The blade's joyful energy also infected Wang Xiaoyin.
"Oh!" The Ghost King stared in terror at the crimson dagger in Wang Xiaoyin's hand. The power emanating from it terrified him; if not for his kingly dignity, he might have fled long ago.
The ordinary ghosts were even worse off; touched by the red light, they were devoured, becoming energy to repair Wang Xiaoyin's body. The Blue Demons, who had been watching Wang Xiaoyin closely, were momentarily stunned by this strange phenomenon and forgot to attack, staring blankly at him.

Volume 4, Chapter 78: Dragon Cave Treasure
: 9-22 4:51:14 Word Count: 7343

Wang Xiaoyin was enveloped in red light, slowly rising from the ground, just like when the flying sword recognized its master, floating peacefully and majestically in the air. The Ghost King, wielding his ten-foot-long dagger, overcame his fear and seized the opportunity to pounce, striking the red light with all his might.
With a deafening crash, the red light shattered like glass, like a peacock spreading its tail. Thousands of red fragments shot onto the ghosts, acting like miniature vacuum cleaners, sucking them all in before returning to Wang Xiaoyin's side and burrowing into the blade. The blood-red blade light surged several meters higher, emitting a joyful buzzing sound.
The Ghost King was also struck by several fragments, his body shrinking considerably, now only a little over four meters tall, his aura weakened and he retreated in fear. The instant the fragments returned to the blade, Wang Xiaoyin's eyes snapped open, his pupils like blood-red lightning, piercing the retreating Ghost King's sea of consciousness. A long-absent wicked smile appeared on his lips, and he swung the blade. A
blood-red blade light, over ten meters long, flashed past, thousands of ghosts vanished, a vacuum appeared in the entire hall, even the white bones on the ground turned to dust. Wang Xiaoyin hovered in the air, and the Ghost King also floated in the air. Its body had been split in two by the sword, and now, when put back together, it was only a little over two meters tall. Its body had also become semi-transparent, trembling as if it
might fall apart at any moment. "Wow, so amazing! Keep it up, Master!" Lan Jiu didn't understand what had happened to Wang Xiaoyin, but the only thing she was sure of was that he had become powerful and could float in the air. She was genuinely happy, just like she had felt when she received the flying sword the day before yesterday.
"My sword is still very hungry and needs to devour the souls here. You all should leave now!" Wang Xiaoyin said in a commanding tone, and no one dared to disobey. Even the old scholar Lu could hear the authority in his voice, unlike the rogue and lecherous man he usually was.
"Yes, we obey!" The blue demons immediately withdrew, casually pulling out the old scholar Lu. The Ghost Sword, knowing better, retreated back to the cave before the blue demons could make a move. Only then did they realize why the ghosts couldn't leave the cave: they were terrified of the claw-like symbols. Even the solidified ghosts would suffer terribly and flee screaming at the sight of them.
Ten minutes later, a dazzling red light rose from the hall. Wang Xiaoyin, empty-handed and smiling, walked in, exuding a strange aura, slightly different from before, yet somehow more alluring. The blue demons' eyes sparkled with countless tiny stars as they gazed at their master with infatuation.
"Haha, it's quiet now! There are many layers inside, let's continue our exploration!" Wang Xiaoyin said with a grin, catching Lan Jiu who had rushed towards them.
Ghost Sword glanced at Wang Xiaoyin with a puzzled look, then lowered his head without speaking. Lu Liang, however, ran ahead and was the first to reach the hall. "My God, what have you done?"
Everything in the hall had vanished, leaving only bare floors and walls. A careful observer could see that the walls and floors were brand new, without a speck of dust. It seemed everything had been devoured by some monster, disappearing completely.
"Hehe, nothing, just a thorough cleaning!" Wang Xiaoyin ignored him, leading Lan Yao to the innermost corner, where a stone staircase seemed to lead to the second floor. They already knew that their houses were mostly built by hollowing out mountains, like the nine-story stone chamber they had initially discovered, which was also constructed from natural mountain peaks.
Fear, suspicion, and confusion filled the air around Wang Xiaoyin, but he didn't bother to explain, simply enjoying the stares as he leisurely ascended to the second floor. There weren't many corpses or ghosts here, only a few stragglers huddled in corners, trembling and whimpering as they looked at Wang Xiaoyin.
Wang Xiaoyin had absorbed tens of thousands of ghosts with his God-Slaying Blade and hadn't had time to digest them yet, nor did he care about these few souls. He even considered giving them time to have more children before dealing with them later.
This mountain peak had thirty-three levels, filled entirely with skeletons; they only found a small amount of gems and amber. Judging from the everyday items, these were just ordinary residents after the flood, penniless, powerless, and without any cultivation items. Wang Xiaoyin roughly estimated that there were over ten thousand skeletons on these thirty-three levels. The ghosts were likely consumed in infighting, as there were only thirty to forty thousand in the first-floor hall.
"Tsk tsk, ten-thousand-year-old souls!" Wang Xiaoyin generously gave some worthless gems to Lu Liang, as he still needed him to return to the outside world and use some appeasement tactics on him.
The dozen or so caves outside all led to the first-floor hall. They only checked three or four before losing interest; they were all similar inside, with only a few ghosts occasionally hiding inside, which they easily eliminated.
Once outside the caves, they felt the outside temperature had returned to normal, probably because they had eliminated tens of thousands of ghosts. Thunder rumbled in the sky. Everyone looked up and saw the Thunder Beast, Little White, fighting a monster. The monster had two long goat horns on its forehead, a pair of fleshy wings like a bat, and a grayish color, much like spiced beef.
Wang Xiaoyin had always suspected that the Thunder Beast, Little White, was fighting the goat-like beast because it looked like spiced beef.
Lu Liang, standing nearby, stamped his feet anxiously and shouted, "That's not a goat-like beast, that's a wind beast, also in its juvenile stage, probably over 500 years old. You can tell by looking at its horns."
Lan Ba laughed, "I don't think it's called a wind beast! It's a bat-like goat, oviparous, with the ability to fly and control the wind."
"Such a big creature, its eggs must be huge. Tsk tsk, I'm reminded of dinosaurs..." Before Wang Xiaoyin could finish speaking, the sky returned to calm. The Thunder Beast, Little White, happily carried its spoils back, threw the bat-like goat it had killed alive on the ground, and then stared longingly at Wang Xiaoyin.
Yesterday, to save on rations, Wang Xiaoyin roasted some delicious small animals. The aroma of the cooked meat made the Thunder Beast drool. At mealtime, Xiaobai ate a third of the total. Even so, it wouldn't let Wang Xiaoyin touch it. Now, its pleading look made Wang Xiaoyin feel great.
"This is also a spirit beast, how could it die?" Lu Liang felt heartbroken, took off his glasses, and cried his heart out.
"Nature's rules, the strong prey on the weak, survival of the fittest, how can you not see that? Sigh, I'm not even as good as you, I didn't even graduate from elementary school!" Wang Xiaoyin finally vented his inexplicable anger, giving the old scholar Lu a good scathing rebuke. He even found the Thunder Beast less annoying now.
"Skin it, clean it, and let it taste like a flying goat. This is Xiaobai's first hunt, something to celebrate." With one sentence, Wang Xiaoyin decided the fate of the bat-goat.
There was no time here, no cycle of day and night, as if something was blocking the operation of heaven and earth. They ate when they were hungry and slept when they were tired. Fortunately, there was water and meat, so they weren't too worried. Occasionally, small, weak monsters would fly across the sky, but they all became Xiaobai's prey, ensuring his safety.
A dozen or so blue demons found suitable flying swords, swords with compatible attributes, such as yin, metal, and wood. Only Lan Ba was a bit outrageous, actually collecting a fire-attribute flying sword, much to Lu Liang's dismay at the waste. Lan Ba ignored him, focusing on researching the issue of water and fire as one's own, thinking about how to use water and fire attributes to help him refine pills.
This was the leftmost mountain peak, the last place in this forbidden area, and also the dwelling place of the thunder beast Xiao Bai. Upon arriving here, Xiao Bai became very mischievous, howling and screaming like a child, frightening beasts and birds into flight.
Walking into the forest, they discovered that there were many wild animals and birds here, with green grass and red flowers, birdsong and insect chirps, full of vitality. Xiao Bai wandered around a few times, carrying a gray, calf-like herbivorous monster in its mouth. The herbivorous monster was still struggling and whimpering, its strength waning due to blood loss.
"Haha, Xingzi, do you know why Xiaobai only targets gray beasts?"
"Hehe, of course I know, it's all because of the spiced beef. Now, Xiaobai will attack even a gray dragon if it sees one."
"It's so beautiful here! Master, shall we live in seclusion here? It's even more beautiful than our... base." Lan Jiu fiddled with the ring on her finger, mumbling incoherently, almost saying the word "base."
Lu Liang stared greedily at the ring on her finger engraved with mysterious symbols, wanting to trick her into giving him a few to study whether they were the legendary spatial rings. But Lan Jiu was clever enough to string the rings together as toys rather than let him touch them.
"Hehe, live in seclusion here? After we run out of the dry rations, can you eat grass?" Wang Xiaoyin kicked Xiaobai a few times for being stubborn, ignoring its teary eyes and refusing to take the beast from its mouth. Sachiko looked at the tearful Thunder Beast with heartache, but dared not say anything. It was Xiaobai's fault for not letting Wang Xiaoyin ride it, and it was a typical example of ingratitude—it turned its back on her after eating its fill, becoming a shrew who wouldn't let men touch it, showing no sign of being humble at all.
"Huh? You eat grass, so I'll eat grass too! But I still prefer meat!" Lan Jiu pouted, hovering above the Thunder Beast's head on her flying sword.
Ghost Sword pointed to the path on the mountain peak and shouted, "Look, this mountain peak seems to be divided into nine levels by the path. We should be on the first level now."
Wang Xiaoyin looked up for a long time before cursing, "I think that stupid dragon, the Witch God, is crazy. He has to make everything nine, or a multiple of nine. No wonder he died so tragically, he deserved it!"
"Master is wrong, the White Bone Cave has thirty-three levels, not a multiple of nine," Lan Jiu proudly corrected, riding on Xiaobai's neck.
Wang Xiaoyin smiled slightly and said, "Hehe, legend has it that there are thirty-three layers of heaven. I think that's just the Witch God's way of mocking the heavenly realm. Don't forget, yesterday's White Bone Cave was full of human bones, not a single animal bone. The people living there weren't from the Witch God Sect, and the utensils inside were even inferior to those of the Witch God Sect's servants. This shows that humans have a very low status in the Witch God Sect, even using human dwellings to ridicule the heavenly realm!"
As they spoke, they arrived at the entrance of the first level of the cave. The cave was very spacious, but it had been occupied by wild beasts. The entire hall reeked, filled with bird feathers and droppings, and some ferocious beasts were hiding inside, all killed by the Blue Demons for their dinner. This place was no smaller than the first level of the White Bone Cave, and there were no unnecessary clutter. Some small, flat stones protruded from the ground, like cushions, neatly filling the hall.
In the center of the hall, there was a high platform, like a preaching altar or a worship altar. The patterns on it had been destroyed by wild beasts. Several gray luminous pearls emitted a faint light. No one wanted to linger. Activating their elemental shields, they quickly rushed up to the second floor.
The furnishings were similar to the first floor, but much smaller. There was no dirt or grime, likely because wild animals couldn't enter. The walls were covered in murals, mostly depicting half-human, half-beast monsters listening to sermons on altars. There were no words, not even a single animalistic character. A fist-sized luminous pearl on the wall illuminated the hall as bright as day.
"Look," Ghost Sword said, pointing to a monster several times taller than the others, covered in scales and with two deer-like antlers. "What does the monster preaching in the picture look like?"
"A dragon!" Lan Jiu made a face at him, flew to the side of the pattern, casually stuffed a luminous pearl into her backpack, pointed to the long horn of the monster preaching, and said, "You can tell just by looking at these horns. What other horns besides dragon horns look so ugly? Besides, we sawed off its horn a few days ago. It was so hard, exactly like the one in this painting."
"Haha, this should be the legendary Witch God. The monster below must be one of his disciples. The Witch God Sect has quite a few disciples!" Wang Xiaoyin strolled leisurely, accompanying them to visit the ancient ruins from ten thousand years ago. "Oh, these luminous pearls are nice. Don't be shy, just leave a few for light."
Gui Jian and Lu Liang were very surprised by his generosity. Seeing that he was sincere, they didn't stand on ceremony and busily dug from the stone wall. However, the two of them didn't notice that more than a dozen Lan Yaos were missing from the visiting group.
They had already become invisible and quietly ran upstairs. Wang Xiaoyin had no heart for sharing treasures; hoarding them was his usual style. He wouldn't let them gain even the slightest benefit, given his leniency in not killing them. As for these luminous pearls, they were rare treasures in ancient times, but in modern times, their price was about the same as diamonds, so he let them have their way.
The third floor seemed to be a dining area. Wang Xiaoyin had them continue digging for luminous pearls, too lazy to do it himself, pondering the blue demons' harvest upstairs. Some heavy stone tools piqued Lu Liang's interest, but seeing them run up to the fourth floor, he was faster than anyone else.
The fourth floor was a food storage area; not much, and the food was rotten, with a strange smell and mold. Everyone dodged past, their interest in digging for luminous pearls gone.
The fifth floor was a resting and sleeping area. Some jade ornaments had already appeared, and rows of stone beds were neatly arranged. Wang Xiaoyin looked at these jade artifacts; although they could fetch a good price, they weren't what he needed right now. He casually ordered the blue demons to grab a few pieces before rushing to the sixth floor.
"Wow, so many gems! This is the Dragon's Lair!" Wang Xiaoyin pounced on the pile of gems and gold coins, scattering them to conceal the traces of the Blue Demons' visit. He knew the most valuable items should be chosen by the first team of Blue Demons. Even so, he wouldn't let Ghost Sword and Lu Liang get them. While shouting wildly, he instructed the second team of Blue Demons to quietly go upstairs and snatch the other, more important magical treasures.
The Blue Demons often frequented Wang Xiaoyin's jewelry store warehouse and were immune to the colorful gems. They only needed a few screams before busying themselves with selecting the most expensive and rarest varieties. They had received relevant training, and their ability to identify gems was a hundred times stronger than that of ordinary people.
Ghost Sword and Lu Liang, however, were still stunned and dazed, their eyes dazzled by the mountains of gems. Their souls seemed to be frozen, unable to move for a long time, dumbfounded as the Blue Demons took out the gems from their adventurer backpacks. This was only the sixth level! This was only the sixth level! What awaited them on the seventh, eighth, and ninth levels? When they came to their senses, they realized that the blue demons had already taken most of the precious treasures, and some now-cheap gems had been casually tossed at their feet.
"Hey you two, don't just stand there! Everyone gets a share. Don't say I, Wang Xiaoyin, hogged the Dragon Cave treasures when we get out. Come on, stretch out your hands, let me touch this. This is a diamond… wait, no, this luster should be a very rare diamond… uh, you guys find it yourselves, I'll take this one!" Wang Xiaoyin quickly tossed them into his magical beast space, which could hold a lot of things, but consumed a lot of true energy.
The blue demons' hands flew, filling the enormous exploration bag, then they challenged their cultivation levels by throwing the gems directly into the magical beast space. Lan Jiu howled and threw all the snacks out of her backpack, shouting as she packed, "I'd rather starve than not bring these gems back! I'll pack, I'll pack, I'll pack, pack, pack!"
Xingzi had the highest cultivation level and the largest magical beast space. Using her strange abilities, she casually tossed piles of gems, like small mountains, into her space without even picking them up. Even Wang Xiaoyin was ashamed of her audacity. Although her martial arts were only at the mid-level Sun rank, they were greatly enhanced by the magical purple mist, making her magical beast space larger and more stable than that of an upper-level Sun rank cultivator.
Gui Jian and Lu Liang, lacking both magical beasts and magical beast spaces, could only carry their belongings in their adventure backpacks. Gui Jian, after a period of frenzied activity, suddenly calmed down, realizing he couldn't be too greedy. If he went too far, Wang Xiaoyin might silence him. Although he possessed a flying sword, Wang Xiaoyin already had over thirty Blue Demons with flying swords under his command. If Wang Xiaoyin intended to kill him, Gui Jian wouldn't even have the strength to fight back. Thinking this through, he stopped rushing and slowly packed the belongings into his backpack.
Lu Liang, however, seemed oblivious to this, as if he were still Wang Xiaoyin's prisoner. His face flushed with excitement as he filled his backpack to the brim, even exchanging gems with those in the backpack like throwing away watermelons for sesame seeds.
"Master, the seventh level contains some strange stones, faintly emitting a strange and powerful energy. We've never seen them before and don't know their value; we need Master to appraise them. But the eighth level…" Blue Demon hesitated, cautiously observing the two half-mad outsiders.
Wang Xiaoyin anxiously asked, "What about the eighth level?" He even forgot to use telepathy.

Volume 4, Chapter 79: Immortal Medicine
: 9-22 4:51:19 Word Count: 7383

"Master, the seventh floor has some strange stones, faintly emitting a strange and powerful energy. We've never seen them before and don't know their value; we need you to appraise them. But the eighth floor..." The Blue Demon hesitated, cautiously looking at the two half-mad outsiders.
Wang Xiaoyin anxiously asked, "What's wrong with the eighth floor?" She even forgot to use telepathy.
"The eighth floor is full of flying swords and magic weapons. The flying swords are alright, lacking spiritual energy, they've all become the size of a thumb. But those magic armors are a bit too big; the sisters can't fit them all. The Beast Space has reached its limit; we need to switch." The Blue Demon's face was flushed, whether from exhaustion or excitement, it was hard to tell.
Wang Xiaoyin chuckled, suppressing her excitement, and asked in a low voice, "What about the ninth floor?"
"That's even stranger. We can't get in no matter what we do; it's like we're blocked by something."
Wang Xiaoyin nodded slightly, secretly sending thirty more Blue Demons with remaining space to the eighth floor to collect cultivation treasures. Having obtained this powerful item, Wang Xiaoyin's human ambition suddenly swelled, even conjuring up thoughts of world domination. Of course, these thoughts were fleeting. However, the idea of controlling the Coral Kingdom was something he had been secretly plotting for a long time. This idea might have stemmed from family feuds, or it might have come from President Li Yuantu's unintentional display of superiority.
This time, Wang Xiaoyin brought a total of seventy-two Blue Demons, making a total of seventy-three including himself. Sixty Blue Demons had already run into the eighth floor. They thought the two who had disappeared into the pile of gems would notice, but they didn't even look up, lost in deep reverie, listening to the clinking of gems and prehistoric coins.
When the mountains of gems on the sixth floor magically vanished, the sixty Blue Demons also came down from the eighth floor, smiling as they telepathically reported their gains to Wang Xiaoyin. Wang Xiaoyin nodded with great satisfaction, organizing his magical beast space while giving Xingzi a sly smile. As the saying goes, people die for wealth, birds die for food; if these gems on the ground were sold, they would truly make him richer than a country. All of this was predicated on safely escaping this eerie space.
Xingzi patted her backpack and smiled at Wang Xiaoyin, "Master, I still have a third of my pet space left, as a reserve for emergencies. Our gains this time are even a hundred times more than all our assets combined. What's even more remarkable is that I finally saw the domineering aura and confidence emanating from you, Master."
"Hehe, or rather, ambition! Haha, I should definitely be the richest person in Coral Kingdom! Mo Xin is no longer the top-tier rich woman!" Wang Xiaoyin chuckled, using magic to gather the remaining few hundred kilograms of gems from the ground and store them in his pet space. Since he rose from a lower-level Star-rank to a mid-level Moon-rank, his pet space had increased exponentially, making storing these things extremely easy.
Seeing all the gems on the ground disappear, Guijian and Lu Liang reluctantly stood up, looking around blankly. They saw that the mountains and seas of gems had vanished, and their backpacks seemed unable to hold so much. Only then did they realize that the Blue Demons must all have pet spaces.
The higher the floor, the smaller the area; the seventh floor was only a few hundred square meters, filled entirely with immortal stones. Unfortunately, none of them recognized them, staring blankly at the piles of stones arranged in categories.
"What kind of broken stones are these? They can't be broken by dropping them, smashed by hitting them, or even cut with a flying sword. What should we do with them?" Lan Jiu grumbled, pouting, circling the piles of immortal stones.
They were arranged somewhat haphazardly, but contained a certain order, chaotic yet not disorderly. Suddenly, Lan Jiu, who had wandered into the pile of immortal stones, cried out in surprise, attracting everyone's attention. In the center of the immortal stones was a small open space, where a small magic array was arranged using various colored immortal stones. At the very center of the array was a seven-colored jade bottle, emitting immortal energy and a faint fragrance. The immortal stones that made up the array were already dull and lifeless, a world apart from those arranged outside.
Lan Wu suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now! This kind of stone must be a special immortal stone used for setting up formations. Legend has it that it has magical power, capable of mixing together many mutually exclusive attributes, and it can also generate pure spiritual energy. Formations made with it have the power to defy heaven and earth!"
"Then, what is this formation for?" Old Scholar Lu stared greedily at the medicine bottle at the center of the formation and couldn't help but ask.
"It seems to be a spirit-gathering formation, but I don't understand why this medicine bottle is placed in the center of the formation." Lan Wu carefully examined it for a while before cautiously saying.
"Who cares what kind of formation it is? Let's take out the medicine bottle first. Maybe it's an immortal pill!" Lan Jiu said with a grin, reaching for the colorful jade bottle.
Upon hearing the words "immortal pill," Lu Liang's pupils suddenly contracted, and he swallowed hard, staring intently at Lan Jiu's outstretched pink hand.
"Ah, so cold!" Lan Jiu cried out in pain as soon as she picked up the jade bottle. Her entire right hand was frozen white, and the three fingers that had touched the bottle had exposed bone, with chunks of flesh falling to the ground.
The jade bottle shattered, and several dark gold pills inside rolled on the surface along with the frozen flesh from Lan Jiu's fingers. The fragrance of immortal spirits filled the entire hall, intoxicating aromas penetrating the internal organs and subtly transforming the fragile human body. Lan Jiu didn't have time to cry out in pain; she was captivated by the fragrance in the air and quietly accepted the baptism of the rich aroma.
When everyone came to their senses, they all felt that their cultivation was about to break through their current stage, and some of their fatigue and hunger had disappeared. Lan Jiu was even more surprised; the three fingers that had been frostbitten had already grown back to their original state, completely healed.
"Immortal medicine, truly immortal medicine!" Lu Liang exclaimed in realization, only to find that the blue demons had already started picking up the medicine, and one of the pills had rolled to his feet. He was so excited that sweat beaded on his forehead. His fingers trembled, and he secretly used his inner energy to draw the pill into his palm and hide it.
The Ghost Sword didn't move, as if it hadn't woken up. In fact, it had already woken up from the pill's baptism, but it dared not move rashly, fearing it would provoke Wang Xiaoyin's killing intent. It wasn't that it wasn't tempted, but that it didn't have the opportunity. It even felt that a killing intent was locking onto it, and if it bent down, Xingzi, who was three meters behind it, might slash it down.
"How many pills?" Wang Xiaoyin held Lan Jiu's small hand, checked it for a long time, and only asked coldly after seeing that she was alright.
"How strange! 99 pills!" said Lan Ba, who was in charge of collecting the pills.
Lu Liang felt a little guilty and nervously chuckled, "Hehe, what's so strange about it? Didn't your master say that this idiot dragon's head is messed up and he always likes to include the number 9?"
Wang Xiaoyin chuckled and gave Lu Liang a strange look, especially when he saw his left hand. The old scholar even wanted to swallow the elixir immediately and run away. Or he could immediately become an immortal and take revenge on them for the unfair treatment he had received these past few days.
"Hehe, what Elder Scholar Lu said makes sense. However..."
Hearing Wang Xiaoyin's transition, Lu Liang's heart jumped to his throat again, afraid that he would discover something.
Wang Xiaoyin continued, "...However, Lan Ba's meaning is the same as yours, that it's rare because it contains the number 9."
"Hmm, Master really understands people. That silly old man, don't interrupt me when I'm speaking!" Lan Ba tightly closed the newly replaced jade bottle and handed it over to Xingzi for safekeeping.
Lu Liang secretly felt lucky, not even taking Lan Ba's angry shout to heart, pretending nothing was wrong as he looked around, touching the legendary immortal stones.
"Since they are immortal stones, and there are so many, everyone, don't be shy, fill up if you have any space!" Wang Daguanren spoke up, and naturally several blue demons cooperated, casually filling up several hundred stones and putting them into the phantom beast space. The sixty blue demons, already filled inside and out, didn't even blink, laughing and playing with the immortal stones, using them as sandbags, throwing them around.
The eighth floor was really clean, with only some hollowed-out stone shelves, nothing on them. Lu Liang and Gui Jian were naturally curious, but Wang Xiaoyin would never tell them that the flying swords and armor hidden here had long been cleaned up by the blue demons.
Lu Liang sensed things weren't so simple. With the elixir in hand, his confidence grew, and he rushed towards the ninth floor. He thought the higher he went, the better the loot; first come, first served, and there was bound to be something useful. Perhaps he could even find the flying sword and armor he'd been dreaming of. Before he even stepped onto the ninth floor's stairs, a powerful force blasted him away, sending him crashing heavily against the stone wall. Luckily, his martial arts hadn't been sealed, otherwise, the fall would have crippled him.
Wang Xiaoyin, also rushing towards the east floor, stopped when she saw Lu Liang's humiliating fall and cautiously began her ascent. Reaching the stairs, she tried step by step, until she encountered a bubble-like outer shell. With a little force, like breaking a virgin's first time, Wang Xiaoyin managed to penetrate. It wasn't as smooth as she'd imagined; each step pierced a layer of membrane. Wang Xiaoyin cursed inwardly, "Damn it, if I encountered a virgin like this, I'd be exhausted to death. Even if I didn't, my manhood might become impotent..."
No one cared about Lu Liang's life or death. Seeing Wang Xiaoyin go in, Ghost Sword hesitated for a moment, then tried to enter step by step. However, like Lu Liang, he was repelled as soon as he touched the first step. "How could this be? How could he get in?" Ghost Sword wondered, but showed no expression on his face.
Lying on the ground, Lu Liang suddenly burst into wild laughter. A powerful aura emanated from him, slowly spreading outwards, repelling any approaching blue demons, like the barrier of the ninth floor. A faint medicinal fragrance slowly diffused in the air. Everyone was familiar with this fragrance, having smelled it on the seventh floor.
Xingzi exclaimed in shock, "Master is right! He really did hide the elixir! Kill him!"
At Xingzi's command, more than thirty blue demons with flying swords immediately revealed their treasures, wielding various colored sword lights, fiercely attacking Lu Liang. Ghost Sword secretly stuck out his tongue, thinking that this was Wang Xiaoyin's true trump card. Any sudden movement would result in immediate and fatal defeat. Fortunately, he hadn't considered it.
Lu Liang was repelled by the restriction at the top of the stairs, furious. He thought about how he had toiled for decades for the Tomb of the Witch God, spending hundreds of millions to constantly search for relevant information. Then he secured a partner with the powerful Ye family, and after countless hardships, he entered the tomb, saw the flying sword and immortal pills, but received nothing and ended up as a prisoner. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He swallowed a hidden pill, intending to increase his power and challenge the ninth level again.
The moment he swallowed the pill, he felt a surge of power, his consciousness relaxing, as if he had entered the world. He was the world, and the world was him; the wonderful feeling of being a powerful being made him laugh wildly. A golden bead instantly condensed in his dantian, a sign of the Sun-level. Before he could even rejoice, the bead continued to grow, leaping directly to the upper Sun-level. Yet, a powerful force surged from the heavens and earth, filling his body with immense energy, like a balloon reaching its limit.
Suddenly, the Blue Demons' attack arrived, slicing through countless overflowing protective energy waves. Several powerful sword energies wounded his body, but the excess medicinal power, finding an outlet, saved him from exploding. However, the pent-up true energy continued to stagnate in his golden core, and with a loud "boom," it shattered. Just as Lu Liang thought he was finished, the shattered golden core transformed into a ball of pure gas, constantly churning and shifting. In his despair, it formed a delicate little figure, remarkably similar to himself.
The first person in ten thousand years to form a Nascent Soul had appeared under such circumstances. Knowing he was doomed, his mind resonated with the desireless and unattached principles of heaven and earth. His connection to the universe remained unbroken, and the energy of heaven and earth helped him naturally form his nascent soul.
Lu Liang opened his eyes and saw countless sword energies attacking him. Too much of the medicinal power had drained from his body, halting the growth of his weak nascent soul. However, its power already far surpassed that of ordinary people. He casually swung a palm, meeting several sword energies head-on. "Boom!" His palm strike, carrying a dense fiery aura, was like ten incendiary bombs exploding simultaneously, forcing back the crowd and averting his own crisis.
His confidence soared. He thickened his fire elemental shield as he rushed towards the restricted staircase. His speed was extremely fast, and so was the speed at which he was repelled. The crowd seemed to see a fireball flash towards the stairs, then crash into the stone wall with lightning speed.
"Pfft!" Lu Liang spat out a mouthful of blood and fled downstairs without looking back. Now, he could only accept his fate. He had clearly broken through one level, only to be repelled by the second. It seemed the resistance increased the further he went. Why could Wang Xiaoyin get in so easily, but I couldn't? He went into a frenzy, not even bothering to pick up his backpack full of gems that had fallen to the ground. Being attacked by more than thirty flying swords at the same time was no joke.
"Don't chase him, you're no match for him. Guard the entrance on this level. He's taken the pill, and his martial arts have surpassed the rules of the Eastern Continent. The level he's reached is beyond our comprehension. We'll discuss it when Master returns," Xingzi said.
Lan Jiu asked, "Instructor, how did Master know he hid the pill? At that time, it seemed like no one saw him move it."
"Master said that because he was guilty, he deliberately revealed the truth!"
"Instructor, the spiritual energy left in the air is so strong, more than ten times stronger than what we smelled at first. Luckily, Lu Liang didn't fully absorb it, otherwise, he would have become an immortal immediately. It would have been very troublesome for us to deal with him then!"
Lan Jiu, who was picking up the package Lu Liang had left behind, suddenly sat down cross-legged, his body glowing with a dark blue light, as if he was about to break through to the mid-level Star Realm and reach the high-level Star Realm. Seeing this, the blue demons also sat cross-legged in places rich in spiritual energy to cultivate, with Xingzi guarding them.
Wang Xiaoyin, having endured countless hardships, finally entered the ninth-floor hall, his body limp, panting and cursing, "Damn it, that freakish dragon! It's exhausting! Why set up so many restrictions?" He didn't know that his entry into this place was entirely due to the soul aura of the Tanuki King within him. The Tanuki King was already a half-dragon, and being an intelligent spirit beast with ten thousand years of soul cultivation, it was very close to an ordinary dragon. Relying on this "dragon breath," combined with his own strength, Wang Xiaoyin finally stepped into the ninth floor.
He glanced up at the true dragon's lair; it didn't contain many gems, but rather various top-grade immortal stones and some flying sword-like cultivation artifacts. What truly caught Wang Xiaoyin's attention was a dragon skeleton in the room—completely intact, without any visible wounds, and its death was quite bizarre. Because the room was very small, only a little over a hundred square meters, less than half the length of the dragon's skeleton, the bone, like a whip, pressed against the back wall and curled into the air.
Directly opposite the dragon's skull was a magic circle carved into the stone wall. Wang Xiaoyin couldn't understand it, but he felt that the magic circle was very large, with a huge red immortal stone at its center that seemed to be able to twist, because before the dragon died, its claws had grabbed those huge immortal stones and pulled them perpendicular to the ground.
Intuitively, Wang Xiaoyin felt that this dragon was related to the ancient battlefield on the mountaintop in the middle. Perhaps this magic circle was the mechanism of this space. Activating this magic circle would cause all the creatures inside to die at the same time... Thinking of this, Wang Xiaoyin was confused. Could it be that this magic circle killed all the creatures here, thus creating the countless wronged souls in the White Bone Cave? But where did the Thunder Beast Xiaobai and the other creatures come from?
In fact, Wang Xiaoyin guessed correctly. It was this magic circle that shut down the external communication, so even immortals couldn't escape and were destroyed by the attack launched by this deadly magic circle. As for animals like the Thunder Beast, they are life forms that hatched automatically from the eggs left behind by the original animals.
"If we can reverse the flow, this fiery red immortal stone can leave this place?" Wang Xiaoyin thought, and immediately became overjoyed. The consequence of his joy was that he looted everything inside, putting all the valuable and small items into his magical beast space. After packing, there was still a quarter of the space left. Wang Xiaoyin wasn't satisfied and wondered if he could take the dragon bone with him.
While looking around the room, a carving on the wall caught his attention. It depicted a pair of bracelets, which Wang Xiaoyin recognized—dragon and phoenix feathers. The two hands were clasped together; the man's thick left arm wore a blue "dragon pattern," and the woman's fair right arm wore a red "phoenix feather." The room's owner seemed to treat the painting with great reverence, even placing a golden sandalwood incense burner there for offering incense.
"A man wears a bracelet on his left hand, and a woman on her right? What kind of man wears a jade bracelet? What does this picture mean? How does it know about these bracelets? Could it be a divine artifact?" Wang Xiaoyin was filled with questions.

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