The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

"This skin can be used to paint the 'Lord of the Ashtanga Devours the Heart' picture." Before he finished speaking, a flying sword was already aimed straight at his brow!
The skull embedded in Chiga's shoulder suddenly burst with a blue light, and the frozen corpses leaped up and formed an array!

A child's corpse, its mouth and nose stuffed with ice shards, rushed straight at the sword's edge, acting as a human shield to block the blow!
The flying sword pierced through the body, advancing straight ahead, unstoppable!
Chiga retreated hastily! At the same time, he clapped his hands together, trying to catch the sword! But the flying sword was too fast, and *poof*—it pierced his throat!
At that moment, someone seemed to cry out in alarm from the dark corner, and then began chanting incantations!
The transliteration into Chinese is "Ma Xin Jie Wei Sang Nie, Cha Ji Ruo Gong, Long Ta Ma Bu Kuo Luo Suo!"
Feng Jiuxiao, who stepped into the cave at the same time as Wang Sheng, frowned and asked, "Is he chanting a spell?"

Wang Sheng said, "He was reciting the 'Secret Incantation of the Lord of the Corpse Forest, covering bones with blood, riding the red wind to turn the cycle of reincarnation,' which seems to be the 'Blood Marrow Soul Summoning Order.'"

Feng Jiuxiao was taken aback. "You understand Tibetan?"

Wang Sheng laughed and said, "Tibet borders Sichuan, and Tibetan merchants have been frequenting Sichuan for many years, so it's normal for me to know a little Tibetan."

Feng Jiuxiao asked, "What does that mean?"

Wang Sheng said, "The secret incantation of the Lord of the Corpse Forest is to cover bones with blood and ride the crimson wind to reincarnate."

Feng Jiuxiao frowned and said, "Since this incantation is called the 'Soul Summoning Incantation,' it seems it can summon souls?"

Wang Sheng said, "It is said that once this incantation is recited, it is like the Corpse-Conquering General of the Demonic Sect, able to summon the spirits of the dead to possess corpses." He glanced at the group of corpses struggling to climb out of the cold spring, and his voice became distant, "It can bring corpses back to life! It can bring back the souls of the dead! It can drive these evil spirits into deadly weapons!"

The cold spring was five zhang square, its water a deep, dark black, and its bottom unseen! Countless "corpses" tried to crawl ashore! They trampled and bit each other like mad dogs, making hoarse noises as they thrashed about!
Feng Jiuxiao noticed that all the corpses were young boys and girls, the oldest being no more than twelve or thirteen years old!
The cold spring water kept gushing upwards, overflowing and flowing outwards along a narrow channel. Wherever the spring water passed, frost formed all around!
Feng Jiuxiao thought to himself: This spring water is so cold, yet it hasn't frozen. This means it's no ordinary spring water. There must be something special in it that prevents it from freezing even in such frigid conditions! Could it be similar to seawater? Seawater doesn't freeze even in the coldest days of winter. The ancients said it's because of the salt in the sea. Could this spring water also be salty?
But Feng Jiuxiao wouldn't rashly taste it! Even if he were immune to all poisons, it wouldn't be an option! He would never forget the lesson of the Second Young Master Qi! He needed to find a foolproof way to verify whether the spring water was salty or bland!

His gaze shifted to the dark corner, and with a slight thought, the person in the shadows was immediately pulled out by an invisible force, floating in mid-air like a puppet, and hovering in front of Feng Jiuxiao!

The man felt as if his entire body was bound by invisible shackles, unable to move an inch, and his body was suspended as if he were being lifted by invisible ropes. All these strange phenomena caused cold sweat to begin to seep from his forehead!
Feng Jiuxiao looked at the middle-aged man before her, who wore a bone crown, a blood-red braid, an eagle-feather cloak, and had a blood-red swastika tattooed between his eyebrows, and said indifferently, "What does this spring water taste like?"

The man was immediately taken aback!
Wang Sheng was also taken aback!
Xiong Mengyan and Duanmu Yan, who entered the secret room one after another, were also taken aback!
Feng Jiuxiao actually asked what the spring water tasted like? What's going on? Could it be... he's thirsty?

Everyone was puzzled.

Feng Jiuxiao looked directly at the Bon disciple and said, "I'm asking you a question."

The man immediately said, trembling, "It's salty! It's salty!"

Feng Jiuxiao's eyes flickered. "Why is it salty?"

The man said, "Because this spring is connected to Qinghai Lake! Qinghai Lake has a high salt content, so the lake water is all salty!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Impossible! If this spring were connected to the lake and discharged water day and night, wouldn't the lake have dried up long ago?"

The man said, "The spring water flows out and seeps into the ground, then flows back to Qinghai Lake through the earth's veins!"

Feng Jiuxiao frowned and said, "The lake water flows out and then flows back?" He turned to look at Wang Sheng, "Without any external force, the lake water would make such a big detour to flow back?"

Wang Sheng laughed and said, "This guy isn't being honest; he's definitely talking nonsense!" Wang Sheng translated almost every word the two spoke simultaneously!

The Bon disciple immediately exclaimed, "It's true! I'm telling the truth! There's a natural magnetic field underground! When spring water flows through there, it gets propelled by external forces, rushing directly from the ground along the mountain to the top, then turning into a mountain spring that cascades down, forming a salt river that eventually flows into Qinghai Lake!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Then why is this spring water so cold? Even if it came up from underground, it couldn't possibly be this cold."

The man's eyes began to flicker.

Feng Jiuxiao said, "You'd better tell me everything you know, otherwise my friends here have a lot of ways to serve people that they'd like to review!"

Upon hearing Wang Sheng's translation, the man's face turned even paler! He immediately said, "I'll tell you! Actually, there's a huge underground cave a hundred feet below, and inside is a dragon's lair! A cold dragon's lair!"

He stared into Feng Jiuxiao's eyes, expecting the other to show shock! Unexpectedly, the other seemed completely accustomed to "dragons" and remained unfazed: "And then?"

The man immediately calmed himself down and said seriously, "There are several cold dragons in the Cold Dragon's Lair, I don't know exactly how many. The spring water happens to pass through the Cold Dragon's Lair, so the temperature drops drastically! It's colder than ice!"

Xiong Mengyan suddenly smiled. "Water, colder than ice? Is he joking?"

Wang Sheng said, "No! What he said should be true! When the weather gets colder, river water may freeze, but seawater will not freeze because seawater contains salt!"

Duanmu Yan said, "I know that there are many kinds of salt, such as sea salt, lake salt, well salt, and rock salt. The Tibetans probably eat salt from Qinghai Lake."

Xiong Mengyan said, "Then naturally we eat sea salt on Demon Island?"

Wang Sheng laughed and said, "I doubt your chefs would go to such lengths to find something that's not close by!"

Xiong Mengyan said, "How is sea salt extracted? I've been eating sea salt for so many years and I still don't know how it's extracted."

Duanmu Yan said, "Sea salt is formed by the evaporation and crystallization of seawater. It is generally made using the salt field method, which involves steps such as tidal absorption, brine preparation, and crystallization. It utilizes sunlight to naturally evaporate seawater to make salt. This is a method that has been passed down from our ancestors for thousands of years."

Xiong Mengyan asked, "What about lake salt?"

Duanmu Yan's eyes flashed instantly, and she immediately said, "Lake salt is mainly produced in two ways. The first is the mining method. In arid regions, such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, after long-term evaporation, the salt in the salt lake is deposited at the bottom of the lake, forming a salt layer about a foot thick. Workers use tools to mine the salt crystals, and after washing, drying, and sieving, they obtain salt of different grades. The second method is the evaporation method, which is similar to the sea salt process. Salt lake water is introduced into the salt fields, and crystallization occurs through natural evaporation."

Xiong Mengyan then asked, "What about the well salt?"

The light in Duanmu Yan's eyes shone even brighter!

"The ancient method uses a derrick and brine-drawing pipe to extract brine, then uses soybean milk to absorb impurities, and filters it repeatedly—this is called purifying the brine; then it's boiled in an open pot to evaporate the water and obtain salt—this is how salt crystallizes." Xiong Mengyan said, "And there's rock salt, right?"

Duanmu Yan was in high spirits: "Of course! The production method of rock salt is slightly different. First, water needs to be introduced to grow salt. In the spring, clear water is introduced into the farmland next to the salt pond to form brine, so as to avoid the turbid water from mixing in and causing the salt veins to silt up. Then there is natural crystallization. In the summer and autumn, when the south wind is strong, the brine crystallizes into 'granular salt' overnight, which is the so-called large salt. Finally, the salt is harvested and processed. After crystallization, it is collected directly or impurities are removed by crushing and washing to obtain coarse salt."

Wang Sheng remained calm and asked, "I've heard that salt comes in coarse and fine varieties. I wonder how to turn coarse salt into fine salt?"

Duanmu Yan thought to herself: This kid finally couldn't sit still and wanted to give me a difficult problem. Hehe, don't you know you're helping me out?
He smiled proudly, “The method for purifying coarse salt is simple! Dissolve, filter, and evaporate – it only takes three steps! First, dissolve the coarse salt in water, stir, and let it stand. Insoluble impurities, such as mud and sand, will settle. Filter them with gauze or multiple layers of sand and gravel to separate them. For soluble impurities, add wood ash or soy milk, heat it, and a flocculent precipitate will be formed to adsorb the impurities. Filter it again, and then heat the pure brine to evaporate it. As the water content gradually decreases, the salt crystals out, and finally, you get fine salt.”

Xiong Mengyan clapped her hands and laughed, "When did you become so knowledgeable?"

Duanmu Yan feigned composure, "I've just been reading more books lately."

Wang Sheng looked Duanmu Yan up and down, and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh at himself, "Well done, Brother Duanmu, you've learned to secretly read books now."

Duanmu Yan said, "Brother, what are you saying? What do you mean by secretly reading? Haven't I been reading in front of you quite often lately?"

Wang Sheng could only chuckle and remain silent.

Feng Jiuxiao said, "I know why this spring water is colder than ice. Now I ask you, how many prisoners are in this Ice Cave?" Wang Sheng immediately translated for the Bon disciple.

After hearing Wang Sheng's words, the man immediately pointed to an iron gate on the left, "They're all there!"

"How many of your fellow disciples are still here?"

"There are seven people left. Chiga is already dead, and there are five others inside."

Feng Jiuxiao originally wanted him to call out his fellow disciples, but unexpectedly, those five people heard the commotion and came out to fight!
One of them was carrying a marrow-eating spine staff; another was carrying a human skin drum; another was carrying an eagle bone soul-splitting flute; another was carrying a blood marrow rosary; and another was carrying a karmic fire-burning heart banner.

The five people simultaneously saw their fellow disciple hovering in front of a young man in white, as if suspended by invisible ropes.

The disciple carrying the drum made of human skin glared at him angrily: "Who are you people?"

Wang Sheng's gaze was cold as he spoke in Tibetan: "If I were you, and I found a fellow disciple dead on the ground, or another being controlled, I would either turn and run immediately, or kneel down on the spot! And you're still shouting here? Are you blind? Or are you brainless?"

The Bon disciple holding the human skin drum snorted coldly, sizing up the group of people in front of him. A white-clad youth, frail and weak, and a black-clad young man, neither posed any threat. But when his gaze swept over Xiong Mengyan's face, his eyes suddenly lit up, revealing a greedy and lewd look. "Where did this pretty girl come from?"

He glanced at his four fellow disciples and found that they were all the same, craning their necks and staring intently at the woman in the white fur coat.

Xiong Mengyan was already immune to lecherous men and had seen all sorts of lecherous glances. She smiled faintly and said, "Brother Wang, tell them to have the five of them have a martial arts contest on the spot. Whoever wins will receive a big gift!"

Wang Sheng understood immediately and said in Tibetan, "The five of you will have a martial arts contest on the spot. The winner can marry my sister!"

The five Bon disciples were practically drooling when they heard this and were immediately stunned!
A live martial arts competition?

The five people looked at each other, trying to understand the meaning of those words!
The disciple holding the drum made of human skin said, "I suspect they are trying to sow discord among us!"

The disciple holding the blood marrow rosary said, "You're right, we can't fall for their trick!"

Wang Sheng thought to himself: These idiots are treating me like I'm invisible?
Just as he was thinking this, the Bon disciple holding the Karmic Fire Burning Heart Banner suddenly realized something, stared straight at Wang Sheng, and then stopped his fellow disciple, "Stop talking, this person can understand what we're saying!"

The disciple holding the drum made of human skin took two steps back, looking at Wang Sheng. "Are you telling the truth?"

Wang Sheng said, "I'm conveying my sister's message!" He neither admitted nor denied it, but to the five people, it was probably true! Because the peerless beauty was staring at them intently, her mesmerizing gaze sweeping back and forth between them, seemingly unable to choose!

This young lady has definitely taken a liking to us! Otherwise, she wouldn't have that kind of expression!
All five of them were wavering!
Duanmu Yan watched as the guy with the human skin drum secretly took two steps back, secretly laughing to herself: This idiot, he'll definitely be the first one to stab you in the back!
Sure enough, the disciple with the human skin drum suddenly started beating the drum!

The four men in front suddenly screamed upon hearing the drumbeat, blood streaming from their seven orifices! The sound of this human-skin drum could shatter the internal organs of its target!
The four fellow disciples never expected that they would be ambushed by their own fellow disciple!

They instinctively used all their might and their most powerful skills!
The Marrow-Gluttonous Spine Staff was crafted from the entire spine of an enemy, inlaid with copper rings, and topped with the enemy's head! At this moment, the disciple wielding the staff frantically swung it, causing the marrow fluid within to spurt out and transform into a rotting blood centipede in the wind! Simultaneously, a chilling mist of corpse poison spewed from the enemy's head!

The Eagle Bone Soul-Splitting Flute is said to be made from the seven ribs of a young man, and when played, it can control hordes of corpses to form an array! At this moment, the flute sounded, and the living corpses in the cold spring crawled up and swarmed towards the disciple holding the human skin drum!

The Blood Marrow Rosary is made of more than 108 human skull fragments strung together, with a hole made between the eyebrows to insert a live brain leech. Each time a bead is turned, the leech sucks the blood of the person holding the bead, which increases the resentment power of the rosary and also increases its attack power! At this moment, the rosary was also swung at the guy holding the human skin drum!
The "Banner of Burning Karmic Fire" is made from the entire back skin of a traitor, painted with the "Blood Sea Roc Demon Curse," and its pole is pieced together from nine sections of human leg bones. When blessed by the incantation, it can cause the enemy's internal organs to spontaneously combust in karmic fire!

Bang! The Marrow-Eating Spinal Staff struck the disciple holding the human-skin drum squarely on the top of his head! At the same time, rotting blood centipedes crawled all over his face, and corpse poison mist also entered his mouth and nose!

At the same time, *smack*—the blood marrow rosary struck his shoulder, shattering his scapula! Having taken two heavy blows at the same time, the disciple holding the human skin drum could only let out one scream!
He was feeling dizzy when suddenly it felt as if countless hands were grabbing his legs at the same time! It was the living corpses that had crawled up from the cold spring grabbing his legs!
Suddenly, a burning heat arose in his chest and abdomen, as if a raging fire was burning inside him. It was a real fire, and in an instant, he could smell the aroma of roasting meat. The heat in his chest expanded rapidly, and he couldn't help but open his mouth to exhale. Unexpectedly, he exhaled a ball of flame! Karmic Fire!

In an instant, he was engulfed in flames, threw away his weapon, covered his forehead with his right hand, staggered, and roared, "What have you done to me?"

The four fellow disciples also staggered, angrily shouting, "You should ask yourselves! What did you do to us?" With a bang of the human skin drum, the four disciples' internal organs shattered and blood flowed from their seven orifices. They were already beyond saving. Moreover, they had just exhausted all their strength to avenge themselves, and their true energy was depleted, making it even more impossible for them to recover!
The Bon disciple who held the human skin drum actually withstood the combined attack of four people, his skull and shoulder blades were shattered, and his internal organs were burned. However, he was eventually trapped by a group of living corpses and kept being torn apart. It is estimated that in the end, he was not even left with a complete corpse!

The living corpses in the cold spring kept emerging one after another, one wave after another, and it was unknown when the "end of the line" would be seen!
With a wave of his sleeve, Feng Jiuxiao sent over the surrounding tables and doors, which flew over and covered the spring!

Then, using the Vajra Finger technique, imbued with innate thunderous intent, he unleashed a barrage of finger strikes, like a continuous rain of arrows, which exploded into golden rays upon hitting the living corpses, instantly reducing them to ashes. With all five disciples dead, Feng Jiuxiao subtly moved them to the door panel, serving as ballast!
The door panels kept banging, but the living corpses in the cold spring couldn't gain much strength from the water, so their upward surge wasn't powerful enough to shake the triple door panels and the double chopping boards! The chopping boards were made of iron and were heavy enough!
Feng Jiuxiao said, "Let's go, let's save them!"

▲An ancient picture of people drying salt (End of this chapter)