Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

A faint black mist hangs over the boundless wilderness, like a veil covering the earth, casting a light black hue over everything, heavy and oppressive.

The field was covered with black sand and gravel, barren and cracked, and covered with all sorts of strange plants. Their branches were twisted, covered with sharp thorns, and looked menacing.

Suddenly, a white light flashed, and a figure appeared out of thin air. Dressed in black and wearing a gold-threaded openwork mask, he was Chen Yuan, who had been teleported from the Tongtian Palace.

He spread his divine sense and scanned the surroundings, but found nothing except low-level magical beasts.

Relieved, he removed his mask, took out the Tai Xuan Token, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the void before him, and proclaimed loudly, "Junior Chen Yuan has come to pay respects to Senior Array Spirit!"

After he finished speaking, all around him fell silent.

Chen Yuan maintained his bowing posture. After a while, a gentle voice entered his ears: "Young friend Chen has not yet sacrificed his demon core to pass the trial, yet he wants to see me. This is somewhat against the rules."

Chen Yuan looked up and saw a figure standing in front of him. The figure was dressed in a green robe, looked to be only in his early twenties, and had a handsome appearance. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking Chen Yuan up and down.

Chen Yuan said, "Senior, you are wise. If I want to pass the trial, I would have to go to the deepest part of the Demon Plains and hunt down three level 10 demonic beasts, which would take too much time."

"Why not pay our respects to the senior first, and then go hunt down the demonic beasts to wipe out the threat of the Demon Plains in one fell swoop?"

The green-robed spirit nodded slightly: "It's been a hundred years since we last met. Young friend, you've already become a great cultivator. Those level ten magical beasts should be no match for you."

"As per my agreement with you, young friend, if you can clear out the monsters and eliminate the hidden dangers of the Demon Plains, you can exchange them for a few treasures."

"Young friend, have you decided what treasure you wish to exchange it for?"

Chen Yuan replied without hesitation, "This junior hopes to exchange for a few drops of Moon Dew."

The green-robed spirit pondered for a moment and said, "There are eight level ten magical beasts deep in the Demon Plains. For every level ten magical core you bring back, you can exchange it for two drops of Moon Dew. How about it?"

Chen Yuan said, "Level 10 magical beasts are not easy to deal with. Could you please add a few more, senior?"

The green-robed spirit shook his head: "I only have a few drops of Moon Dew left in my hand. Young friend, your cultivation is now profound and your physical body is strong. Dealing with a level ten magical beast is no problem for you."

"Trading a level 10 magic core for two drops of moon dew is already quite a lot."

"If you are not willing, you can exchange it for other treasures."

Seeing that the green-robed array spirit wouldn't budge, Chen Yuan stopped haggling and said, "This junior will exchange for Moon Dew."

The green-robed spirit smiled slightly: "When do you plan to make your move, young friend? Those eight level-ten magical beasts are hidden in the deepest part of the Demon Plains, absorbing demonic energy to improve their cultivation. They are not easy to find. I will guide you in the right direction."

Chen Yuan said, "I will be setting off shortly, but before that, could I ask you for a favor, senior?"

The spirit in the green robe said, "Please speak, young friend."

Chen Yuan said, "I have some grudges with a Nascent Soul cultivator who entered the Demon Plains. Could you please mark his location, senior?"

The green-robed array spirit frowned: "According to the rules set by the master, I cannot interfere with the trials of the cultivators entering the island."

"However, since you possess the Tai Xuan Token, you are considered half a member of the Tai Xuan Sect, so I will make an exception this time."

"What exactly does the Nascent Soul cultivator you are looking for look like?"

Chen Yuan flipped his hand and took out a jade slip, leaving a divine imprint on it. He then handed it to the green-robed array spirit with both hands: "This is the appearance of that person. Please take a look, senior."

The azure-robed spirit raised his hand and took the jade slip into his grasp. He glanced at it, and two points of azure light appeared in his eyes.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan couldn't help but feel a little curious. The green-robed array spirit was not a cultivator, so how did it examine the jade slip?

A moment later, the green-robed spirit withdrew its gaze and closed its eyes slightly.

After a while, he opened his eyes: "This person is 34,900 miles northeast of here. He just killed several level 7 magical beasts and is flying southeast."

"I can only tell you his location, but I can't teleport you there directly."

"Young friend, you will have to go there on your own. However, if the person's location is too far off, I will remind you."

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Thank you, senior. Once this matter is settled, I will immediately set off for the depths of the Demon Plains."

The spirit in the green robe nodded, and its figure slowly disappeared.

Chen Yuan discerned the direction, his escape light flashed, and he shot out, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

……

"fall!"

Tang Wujiu changed his hand seals, and the seven-story glazed pagoda fell from the sky like a meteorite, crashing into a ten-zhang-tall demonic elephant.

The demonic elephant let out a mournful howl, its massive body crashing to the ground, its life force utterly extinguished.

The murky water that had bound the elephant's limbs collapsed on its own, scattering across the wasteland and seeping into the ground, causing all the plants in its path to wither and die.

Tang Wujiu breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand, and retrieved the seven-story glazed pagoda.

He flipped his hand and took out a water-splitting thorn, inserted it into the demonic elephant's body, and extracted a pitch-black demonic core. After examining it carefully, a smile appeared on his lips, and he put it into his mustard seed ring.

With another flick of the fingers, the water-splitting spikes swelled to about a foot in size and began to split the demon elephant's corpse.

This is the first level-eight magical beast that Tang Wujiu has encountered since entering the Demon Plains three days ago.

This demonic elephant possessed immense strength and an extremely deep level of demonic energy, almost reaching the level of a ninth-grade demonic beast, making it very difficult to deal with. Tang Wujiu fought it for several hours, using all his skills, first exhausting its demonic energy, then binding its limbs, and finally summoning the Sea-Suppressing Pagoda before finally managing to kill it.

However, all his hard work paid off. Tang Wujiu had already collected the seventh-level magic cores. He only needed to kill two more eighth-level magic beasts to complete the trial and leave the Demon Plains.

For the past three days, he has been traveling non-stop, actively seeking out groups of magical beasts, which is why he was able to gather seven-level magic cores in such a short time.

For some reason, the mysterious cultivator wearing a mask, whose cultivation level was unknown, gave Tang Wujiu a chilling feeling, and a faint coldness always lingered in his heart.

He dared not linger in the Demon Realm for too long, wanting only to complete the trial in the shortest possible time.

After Tang Wujiu cut off the materials from the demon elephant, he carefully put them away.

He took out a jade bottle, poured out a bright green pill, swallowed it, and sat cross-legged in the void, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

After a few dozen breaths, Tang Wujiu's aura, which had been slightly weakened, became full again.

He opened his eyes, mounted his escape light, and continued flying deeper into the Demon Plains.

As time went by, Tang Wujiu grew increasingly uneasy. He no longer cared about finding a place to meditate and even took precious pills that could restore his true essence in order to gather the demon cores as soon as possible.

But he had only flown out a short while when a beam of light suddenly entered his consciousness and flew straight toward him.

Tang Wujiu was taken aback and focused his divine sense on this person.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically, and he turned and fled into the distance.

However, the speed of this streak of light was too fast, far surpassing Tang Wujiu's. Before he could escape very far, it caught up with him and blocked his way.

The light faded, revealing a figure who said calmly, "Where does Fellow Daoist Tang intend to go?"

Tang Wujiu looked at the cultivator in front of him with an extremely ugly expression. He forced a smile, clasped his hands and bowed: "I, Tang, have met True Man Chen. I did not expect that True Man Chen had also entered Jue Ling Island."

"I wonder what business Master Chen has with me? If there is anything I can do to help you, I will certainly not refuse."

The person before me had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and an otherworldly air about him; it was Chen Yuan, who had removed his mask.

He smiled slightly: "In the square in front of the Tongtian Hall, when Fellow Daoist Tang inquired about my identity, I, Chen, naturally revealed my identity."

Tang Wujiu's pupils contracted, and he said with a forced smile, "I was blind and failed to recognize you. If I have offended you, I hope you will forgive me..."

Chen Yuan said, "Since that's the case, then please, Fellow Daoist Tang, offer something as an apology, how about that?"

Tang Wujiu was overjoyed: "I wonder what you desire, friend? If I can produce it, I will present it to you with both hands immediately."

Chen Yuan said, "I wish to borrow your body for a while, but I would be grateful if you would be so kind as to do so."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly disappeared from his spot and teleported in front of Tang Wujiu.

Tang Wujiu, with only the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, was completely unaware of the spatial fluctuations. He only realized it belatedly when Chen Yuan approached, at which point his expression changed drastically and he retreated rapidly.

Chen Yuan's black hair suddenly turned snow-white, and the Vermilion Flame rose from his hands, flowing into Tang Wujiu's soul space along the faint connection in the dark.

The Zhu Yan True Fire was boundless, forming a sea of ​​fire that enveloped Tang Wujiu's soul, causing all of his soul's power to evaporate.

Tang Wujiu screamed in agony as a sharp pain shot through his soul, causing him to lose control of his body and fall from the sky.

Chen Yuan swayed and chased after him, grabbing Tang Wujiu's neck as the surging Zhu Yan True Fire continued to burn his soul.

Ten breaths later, only a wisp of Tang Wujiu's soul remained before Chen Yuan withdrew the Zhu Yan True Fire.

Tang Wujiu was on the verge of death, his eyes unfocused, and he could die at any moment.

Chen Yuan flipped his hand and took out the Soul-Storing Bowl, saying, "Fellow Daoist Tian, ​​I have prepared a physical body for you."

With a flash of the Soul-Hiding Bowl, Tian You's nascent soul slowly floated out, incredibly solid, almost indistinguishable from a real person.

Looking at the dying Tang Wujiu, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. He bowed deeply to Chen Yuan and said, "Fellow Daoist, your promise is as good as gold. Your kindness in saving me is something I can never repay even if I die. I, Tian, ​​will definitely serve you as my master from now on and will never betray you!"

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "No need. If I hadn't intervened back then, you wouldn't be in this situation."

"Since I promised to restore your freedom, I will not go back on my word."

“Even if you return to the Jiuli Sect after you have possessed the body, I will not interfere.”

He once promised Tian You that if Tian You revealed the secrets of the Yu Ling Sect, he would help him possess another body and be reborn.

After leaving the secret realm of the Spirit Control Sect, Chen Yuan gave Tian You many spiritual herbs in his spare time to nourish his soul.

But over the years, he has been fighting against the demon race and has not found a suitable physical body.

Once Tongtian Island opened and he entered the Blue Stone Plaza, he secretly listened to the whispers of the people and learned that Tang Wujiu was an elder of the Zhenhai Sect. Finally, he had a target.

Tian You looked ashamed: "Back then, it was my own fault. I tried to take the opportunity to refine the treasure from you, and you were just retaliating."

"Fellow Daoist, you spared my life without holding a grudge, and even found me a Nascent Soul body to possess. How could I repay kindness with enmity?"

"From that day forward, I went into hiding, never setting foot in Lizhou again." (End of Chapter)