Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan was very fortunate that he had survived.

Recalling his experience in the spatial passage, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

In that endless spatial storm, he, Qin Wuyai, Lu Wangquan, Cangsong Daoren, and Ren Laomo were extremely exhausted, almost to the point of desperation.

Chen Yuan no longer concealed his strength, using the Kunpeng Dharma Form to resist the spatial storm, which lasted for nearly ten hours, far surpassing the methods of the other four, much to their surprise.

Chen Yuan relied on the Kunpeng Dharma Image, while Qin Wuyai and Ren Laomo offered up their spiritual treasures. The three of them took turns fighting, and Cangsong Daoren and Lu Wangquan were also struggling to hold on.

The five of them worked together and finally escaped the spatial storm, but they also exhausted their true energy, and each of them was seriously injured.

Their mustard seed rings were also shattered under the continuous impact of spatial power.

Chen Yuan reacted quickly, transferring everything into his inner space, but Qin Wuyai and his companions suffered heavy losses, losing almost all of their personal belongings.

Having escaped the spatial storm, the five breathed a sigh of relief and continued on their way.

But just as they saw the exit of the spatial passage, they encountered a strange creature.

This creature resembles a cicada, with a body about a hundred feet in size. It has a pair of transparent membranous wings and its entire body is grayish-white. Its aura is surging, but it is neither spiritual energy nor demonic energy, far surpassing that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Its mere pressure was enough to make Chen Yuan almost lose his composure.

It seemed to disregard the five people, flapping its wings and flying past them.

However, the aftershocks generated by the vibration of the membranous wings alone far surpass the impact of a space storm.

Caught off guard, Chen Yuan didn't have time to take out the Refined Void Kun Fish Skin to protect himself. He barely managed to condense the Kunpeng Dharma Image to protect himself.

But in the aftershocks, the Kunpeng Dharma Image shattered, and Chen Yuan was struck as if by lightning, his mind becoming blurred.

He knew something was wrong, but he didn't panic. Instead, he forcefully activated his true energy and flew towards the spatial passage.

Before losing consciousness, he felt as if he had passed through a thick barrier, and he vaguely heard Qin Wuyai's terrified cry: "Void Cicada..."

He then completely lost consciousness. When he woke up again, he was lying in this stone chamber, where he saw the Foundation Establishment cultivator in front of him.

Chen Yuan examined his own body and found that his original essence and blood were almost depleted, his meridians were severely damaged, his true essence in his dantian was only 20%, his primordial spirit and pure energy were almost gone, and his strength was less than one-tenth of what it used to be.

The three illusory true spirits were all listless, but the Kunpeng true spirit was shining brightly, emitting a devouring power, and was actually absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on its own, slowly repairing the injuries in its body.

Chen Yuan was greatly surprised, but then felt extremely fortunate.

His injuries were so severe that if the Kunpeng True Spirit hadn't spontaneously absorbed spiritual energy, it's unknown when he would have awakened.

However, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth can only slowly replenish true essence and slightly restore meridian injuries; it has no effect on the depletion of one's original essence and blood.

With a thought, Chen Yuan stopped the Kunpeng's true spirit from absorbing spiritual energy and withdrew his divine sense.

Although his injuries were still extremely serious, as a body cultivator, his physical body remained strong, and he still possessed immense strength.

Dealing with ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators is still a piece of cake.

On her left wrist, the small crimson snake remained asleep, completely unharmed by the impact of the Void Cicada.

Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the green-robed cultivator in front of him, and then spread his divine sense.

The scenery within a radius of a thousand miles was entirely under Chen Yuan's control.

He saw a Nascent Soul cultivator locked in combat with another Nascent Soul cultivator and an eighth-level demon king, while two other eighth-level demon kings watched from the sidelines.

He saw a plaque that read "Ping Le City," and a massive army of demonic beasts poured into the city, hunting down cultivators and slaughtering mortals.

He saw several Core Formation cultivators leading Foundation Establishment cultivators to scatter and escape, only to find themselves trapped in a horde of demonic beasts, struggling to survive.

The chaotic scene everywhere made Chen Yuan, whose soul was aching, frown.

Before he lost consciousness, he must have already passed through the interface barrier and entered the spirit world.

However, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in Ping Le City seems somewhat thin, not as good as that of Jiu Xian Zhou, but only slightly better than that of Dong Hua Zhou.

Legend has it that the spirit world is full of blessed lands and endless spiritual energy, which is completely different from what Chen Yuan is seeing and hearing now.

He frowned, sat up, looked at the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had taken a few steps back, and asked again, "Who are you? And where is this place?"

Liu Kaiyang looked at the consumptive senior who had suddenly woken up and was at a loss. It wasn't until he sat up that he realized what was happening and quickly took a few steps back.

Upon hearing the senior, who was suffering from tuberculosis, ask a question, Liu Kaiyang immediately clasped his hands and bowed: "Junior Liu Kaiyang, this is Ping Le City, and I am a steward in Ping Le City. I greet you, senior."

“A month ago, I accidentally found you lying in a forest, seriously injured, so I brought you back to my cave.”

"Unfortunately, my cultivation is shallow and my abilities are limited. I only managed to give you a single Three-in-One Pill for the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, which exhausted all my spirit stones. I am truly ashamed."

"Fortunately, senior is very powerful and his injuries were able to heal on their own. I check on senior's condition every day and dare not slack off for a single day."

"Now the beast tide has breached the city's protective formation, and three demon generals and one elder of the Dragon Demon Cult are besieging the city. City Master Zhang is fighting with his life on the line, but he is still no match for them. We must not fight them head-on."

"Fortunately, senior has awakened. I have cultivated in Ping Le City for twenty-three years and am very familiar with the surroundings."

"If you do not abandon me, I am willing to guide you and I am quite confident that I can escape alive."

His tone was urgent, and he spoke very quickly, reciting the words he had prepared countless times in his mind.

Liu Kaiyang didn't know what kind of person this consumptive senior was, so he could only tell him about his attempt to heal him and emphasize that he had done his best in order to win his favor.

However, with the beast tide now entering the city and the situation urgent, he dared not complain all the time and immediately asked the senior tuberculosis ghost to escape with him.

Liu Kaiyang understood perfectly. Although the senior tuberculosis demon was seriously injured, his physical body was strong, his magic robe was mysterious, and he could even heal his injuries on his own. His strength was far superior to his own.

With the help of this senior, his chances of escaping will greatly increase.

Liu Kaiyang believed that his earnest words would surely persuade this mysterious, consumptive senior.

But the consumptive senior didn't seem to take his words to heart. His expression remained calm, and he simply nodded: "So it's young friend Liu. Why are the demonic beasts besieging Ping Le City?"

Liu Kaiyang was taken aback: "The demon race has bullied and enslaved our human race for tens of thousands of years. Of course, they can't stand to see our human cultivators build cities, so they will naturally launch a beast tide to attack. Could it be that the city where you are, senior, has never encountered a beast tide?"

The mysterious elder frowned: "Humans have been bullied and enslaved by demons for tens of thousands of years? Is this true?"

Liu Kaiyang was even more astonished and replied, "How could I dare to deceive you, senior? This is common knowledge. It is precisely because the demon race regards humans as slaves and food that the human race has risen up in resistance. Senior, are you unaware of this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the mysterious senior's expression suddenly darkened, and he said indifferently, "Young friend Liu, please wait a moment. I will be right back."

After saying that, his black robes suddenly turned snow-white, and his figure disappeared from the spot.

Liu Kaiyang looked at the empty stone bed, his expression suddenly changing: "Teleportation technique?"

He immediately turned around and rushed out of the cave, riding on his escape light and flying into the sky.

……

clang!
Zhang Xuancang changed his hand seals, and a wolf-headed iron plaque in front of him suddenly swelled to over ten feet in size, blocking Ao Lin's heavily slamming eight-sided dragon-patterned silver hammer with a deafening roar. The wolf-headed iron plaque trembled violently, its spiritual light dimming slightly, and under the immense force of the silver hammer, it was sent flying.

Upon seeing the wolf-headed iron plaque from afar, Lang Mou's expression changed drastically. His entire body surged with demonic energy, and he spat out a few words through gritted teeth: "Zhang Xuancang, I will definitely tear you to pieces!"

After saying that, he was about to rush forward, but She Mo raised his hand to stop him.

She Mo frowned: "Brother Lang, please calm down. We will deal with Zhang Xuancang. If you interfere, how will the bet be judged?"

Lang Mou stopped, staring intently at the wolf-head iron plaque, and took a deep breath: "Of course I will not interfere with the bet between Brother She and Brother Ao. This iron plaque was made from the fur and demon core of my own brother, Lang Liao. When I saw it, I was furious. I hope Brother She will forgive me."

She Mo said, "Brother Lang, do not worry. The great formation has been broken. Zhang Xuancang is no match for Brother Ao and Fellow Daoist Xing. He will be defeated in two or three days at most, and Brother Lang can deal with him as he sees fit."

Lang Mou nodded, staring intently at Zhang Xuancang, and said through gritted teeth, "I will personally kill this man to avenge my brother's spirit in heaven!"

Just as Zhang Xuancang blocked the octagonal dragon-patterned bright silver hammer, the three steel forks seized the opportunity to stab at him.

But he was prepared. He changed his hand seals again, and the earth-yellow spiritual light surged and condensed into a stone wall in front of him.

The three steel forks pierced the stone wall, but their speed was greatly reduced as a result.

Zhang Xuancang retreated rapidly, dodging the steel fork. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the beast tide gradually engulfing Ping Le City, and his expression grew increasingly sorrowful.

When the city fell, the cultivators in the city who broke out separately under the leadership of the Core Formation Elder were also surrounded by the demon beast army.

They fought back fiercely, but the encirclements continued to shrink, like a canoe in a stormy sea, ready to capsize at any moment.

Ao Lin frowned, withdrew his octagonal dragon-patterned silver hammer, and said loudly, "The great formation of Ping Le City has been broken. Why do you still resist stubbornly?"

"If you are willing to surrender, I, Ao, can guarantee that you will join the Dragon Demon Sect and serve as an elder."

The Ping Le City formation was unexpectedly fragile. Without the protection of the formation, Zhang Xuancang was bound to be defeated in a two-on-one battle.

However, he was, after all, a Nascent Soul cultivator who had been in the Nascent Soul stage for over three hundred years. He had already reached the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, possessed a very strong true essence, and had extremely rich combat experience. Even if he was at a disadvantage, he would not be defeated for the time being.

Ao Lin didn't want to waste any more effort and wanted to subdue this person and infiltrate the Dragon God Cult so that he could have another ally.

Although the Dragon God Cult worships the Dragon God and follows the lead of the Flood Dragon Clan, Ao Lin is merely a low-ranking demon general.

He couldn't even command low-level cultivators of the Dragon God Sect at will, let alone Nascent Soul elders.

This time, he asked Xing Qianyue to help him, and he had to take out a precious item, which was quite painful for him.

If he could install a Nascent Soul cultivator who would completely obey him, he could get a share of the pie from the Dragon God Sect, which would be enough to tempt any level eight demon general.

Upon hearing this, Lang Mou's expression changed, but before he could speak, Zhang Xuancang sneered and shouted, "Daydreaming! I, Zhang, was born a human cultivator and will die a human soul. How could I possibly join a demonic sect, worship demons, and become a slave!"

"If Pingluo City falls, death is the only outcome. I, Zhang, may die, but I will never grovel like this traitor beside you, who is shameless, forgets his ancestors, recognizes the enemy as his master, and harms his own people!"

Xing Qianyue's face darkened, and he said coldly, "You dare to spout nonsense even when you're about to die."

"The demon race is noble, and the human race is lowly. The demon race is above and the human race is below. This is the ultimate truth of Heaven, and it has always been so since ancient times."

"If it weren't for the great royal families showing mercy and lifting the restrictions on the human soul, you would still be farming in the fields, with no hope of embarking on the path of cultivation, let alone forming a nascent soul."

"Humanity has suffered calamities because of ungrateful people like you who do not repay kindness but instead harbor treacherous intentions."

"These cultivators and mortals died because you established Ping Le City and resisted the demon army. This is the Dragon God's punishment for them!"

"If they had been law-abiding, humble, worshipped the Dragon God, and sincerely served the Demon Lord, they would never have suffered this calamity."

Zhang Xuancang laughed loudly, his laughter full of sarcasm: "If what you say is true, that the demon race is noble and the human race is lowly, then why are these three demon generals beside you undergoing the tribulation of transformation to become human?"

"You are also human, yet you despise yourself and have no sense of shame whatsoever?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Lin, She Mo, and Lang Mou all turned pale.

The demon race enslaved the human race for tens of thousands of years, but the fact that demon generals would transform into human form after undergoing tribulation remains inexplicable.

However, when they were asked to revert to their original forms, they could not give up cultivating and enjoying themselves in human form. Even their concubines were transformed into female cultivators of the human race, while their kin who had not yet taken human form were discarded like trash.

Xing Qianyue's expression grew increasingly gloomy: "Although I am a human, I sincerely believe in the Dragon God and dedicate myself to the dragon clan. Naturally, I am different from you lowly humans."

Zhang Xuancang sneered, "Do you really think that just because you're wearing this robe and embroidered with a dragon, you're no longer human?"

"Stop deceiving yourself. You are nothing but a dog of the Flood Dragon Clan. Otherwise, why would you swallow the Blood Silk Gu and have your life and death in someone else's hands?"

Xing Qianyue's face turned ashen, while Zhang Xuancang sneered incessantly: "Moreover, the reason why the demon race lifted the soul restrictions in the human race is simply because these creatures with fur and horns are born lacking in spirituality, muddle-headed and ignorant, and incapable of cultivating any arts."

"The soul restriction binds the human race's spirituality, making them like walking corpses, and making it difficult to improve their cultivation level."

"Only then did the demon race lift the restrictions on their souls and intend to cultivate human cultivators, refining pills and weapons for them, and drawing talismans and setting up arrays."

"It's just that the demon race is too arrogant and oppresses and enslaves human cultivators at will, which is why the human race has risen up in resistance."

"It is true that the demon race is powerful, but if it is said that the demon race is tyrannical and the human race is slaves and servants, then we must first ask whether the human cultivators agree with this."

"At least Zhang himself absolutely denies it, the cultivators of Ping Le City don't deny it, and neither do the mortals of Ping Le City!"

Xing Qianyue said, word by word, "Then today I, Xing, will slaughter everyone in Ping Le City, until you lowly bastards dare not disobey!"

Zhang Xuancang laughed loudly and said with great emotion: "Let alone killing all the people of Ping Le City, even if all human cities are breached, as long as the demon race continues to oppress, the human race will never stop resisting."

"The demon race is inherently lacking in spirituality. Unless they stop relying on humans for crafting weapons, refining pills, drawing talismans, and setting up formations, new human cities will be built until the day the demon race is destroyed."

Ao Lin laughed heartily, raised the octagonal dragon-patterned bright silver hammer in his hand, and pointed it at Zhang Xuancang: "A mere slave, only capable of building a city in this remote and barren place, dares to harbor such delusions."

"The human race has dozens of cities, but there are very few great cultivators, and not a single Nascent Soul cultivator. They can be wiped out with a flick of the wrist."

"The only reason you are still alive is because there are many stubborn people like you among the human race. It's so annoying that I've decided to let you all gather together so that I can wipe you out."

"Since you are so stubborn, I will send you on your way. But for the human race to turn the tide is wishful thinking."

"In tens of thousands of years, humanity will also be nothing more than slaves and servants!"

Having said that, he showed no further intention of holding back, and with a swift movement, he rushed towards Zhang Xuancang.

"What arrogance! You actually want to make the human race slaves for eternity. I, Chen, would like to see if you really have such ability."

Ao Lin suddenly stopped. Not far in front of him, a figure slowly appeared, blocking his way.

Zhang Xuancang, Xing Qianyue, She Mo, and Lang Mou were all taken aback and looked over at the same time.

The man was dressed in white, thin and sallow-faced, looking like a consumptive ghost. He appeared frail and weak, with an aura that was restrained, just like an ordinary person.

Ao Lin frowned and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you play tricks here!" (End of Chapter)