Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Ao Lin had a fierce aura, but he did not immediately attack the uninvited guest in front of him.

This person appeared suddenly without a sound, seemingly using a teleportation technique.

However, there are very few great cultivators among the human race, and Ao Lin had never heard of any great human cultivator who looked like this.

Moreover, the demon army has already entered the city. If this person is truly a great cultivator, he certainly wouldn't sit idly by and watch the Ping Le City formation be breached.

His appearance now is most likely a charade.

However, Ao Lin may seem rough, but he is actually very thoughtful.

This consumptive ghost's aura is concealed, making it impossible to discern his cultivation level or reveal his true nature.

Although Ao Lin was fairly certain that the person had used some means to disguise it as teleportation, he was still more cautious. He only questioned the person but did not make a move rashly.

This campaign against Ping Le City involved three demon generals and one Nascent Soul cultivator, who had a significant advantage. However, caution is still advised.

Chen Yuan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He slaughtered entire clans and tribes, killing countless people. He destroyed the three royal families of the Myriad Demon Sea and killed countless transformed demon kings. It had been a long time since anyone had been so disrespected.

Before he could speak, he heard the refined cultivator's voice again: "I am deeply grateful to this fellow Daoist for lending a helping hand."

“But Ao Lin is an eighth-level wood dragon, while She Mo of the Blood Pupil is an eighth-level demon general of the Blood Pupil Spirit Serpent clan.”

"Both of these two are of royal lineage, possess powerful bloodlines, and have extraordinary abilities."

"That yellow-browed cultivator Lang Mou is an eighth-level demon general of the Iron Wolf clan. He has launched several attacks by demonic beasts, and his strength is no less than mine."

"And this Xing Qianyue is an elder of the Dragon Demon Clan, and his strength is not weak."

"The four of them working together are not a match for us."

"I risked my life to hold them off. I beg you, fellow Daoist, to consider that we are both human and lead the cultivators of Ping Le City to break through the encirclement. I will be eternally grateful!"

Chen Yuan turned his head and saw the refined cultivator bow to him with a sincere expression.

A thought struck him as he recalled the "demon general" and "demon commander" mentioned by the green-robed spirit and the white ape demon king.

It seems that, just like in ancient times in the human world, demon cultivators who have transformed into human form are referred to as demon generals.

Only true cultivators who have reached the Void Refinement stage can be given the title of "Demon King".

Chen Yuan smiled slightly, turned around, looked at the burly man in front of him, and said coldly, "There are at least dozens, if not hundreds, of demon generals like you who have died at my hands."

"Among them were several level nine dragons, none of whom were a match for me in a few rounds."

"A mere level eight wooden dragon dares to spout such arrogant words in front of me, Chen? He's courting death!"

Before Ao Lin could react, he flashed and instantly appeared in front of Ao Lin.

With a swift movement of his right hand, he thrust it into the man's chest like a knife, pulling out a blue demon core.

He released his true essence again, and completely shredded the three-inch green dragon demon soul that was wrapped around the demon core.

At that moment, the anger that had just surfaced on Ao Lin's face suddenly froze. A hint of disbelief lingered in his eyes, but his life force had completely vanished.

His body transformed into a wooden dragon several dozen feet long, which landed in Ping Le City, smashing through several buildings and killing several low-level demonic beasts that couldn't dodge in time.

The two octagonal silver hammers with dragon patterns smashed two deep pits, killing dozens of low-level demonic beasts.

Meanwhile, the ordinary people in the city either fled in panic or were killed by the monsters, and there were no casualties among them.

The sky was deathly silent. Zhang Xuancang, She Mo, Lang Mou, and Xing Qianyue were all stunned in place. These dignified Nascent Soul demon generals were now like puppets, staring blankly at Chen Yuan.

The roars, screams, and sounds of fighting seemed to come from afar, through a thick curtain, sounding extremely unreal.

Chen Yuan looked up at She Mo: "Blood Serpent... how does it compare to the Flood Dragon?"

Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot and reappeared in front of She Mo.

She Mo's expression changed drastically, and he retreated rapidly, throwing out two magical treasures.

These were two pale white daggers, about a foot long, reflecting a chilling light in the sunlight. They pierced Chen Yuan's chest, but couldn't even pierce his robe before flying away.

Chen Yuan remained completely still, treating the dagger as if it were nothing.

Two beams of blood-red light shot out from She Mo's bloodshot eyes.

Chen Yuan was momentarily dazed, as if he had been plunged into a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

But the feeling disappeared after only a moment.

She Mo let out a miserable cry, two lines of bloody tears flowed down her cheeks, then stopped abruptly, and she slowly lowered her head.

A deep wound appeared in his vital area. Chen Yuan held a blood-red demon core in his hand, with a three-inch-long black snake demon soul wrapped around it. Like She Mo, he had a pair of blood-red pupils.

With a thought, Chen Yuan released his true essence, completely shredding the black serpent demon soul.

With a face full of resentment, She Mo fell downwards, transforming into a black giant snake several meters long, landing in Ping Le City, less than a hundred feet away from Ao Lin's corpse.

Chen Yuan withdrew his right hand, and the blood-red demon core in his hand disappeared.

He turned to look at Xing Qianyue and said coldly, "Since you are a human cultivator, why do you act as an accomplice to the demon race and join forces with them to deal with fellow cultivators?"

Xing Qianyue trembled, his face was ashen, and he remained silent.

He suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the three-pronged steel fork, then turned and ran away.

A hint of mockery flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes before he vanished.

The next moment, he appeared in front of Xing Qianyue, and as before, his attack was like a knife, stabbing towards Xing Qianyue's vital dantian.

Suddenly, a snow-white seashell appeared in front of Xing Qianyue. It was extremely thick, about ten feet in size, and covered with a layer of blue watery light, which blocked him completely.

But when Chen Yuan's slightly thin right hand grasped the seashell, it was as if he had grasped a piece of tofu. He easily pierced through it with a little force.

The shimmering light emanating from the snow-white seashell dimmed instantly, and Chen Yuan casually tossed it aside.

Xing Qianyue had already retreated several dozen feet, but Chen Yuan appeared behind him in a flash.

With a swift movement, he pierced the vital point of the man's dantian and pulled out his nascent soul.

Xing Qianyue's body suddenly stiffened and he fell downwards.

His nascent soul looked at Chen Yuan with terror on its face and cried out in a shrill voice, "Fellow Daoist, spare my life..."

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Aiding the wicked is a crime deserving of death!"

With that, he gently pinched Xing Qianyue's nascent soul, shattering it into countless streams of light that vanished without a trace, leaving no chance for the soul to be reborn.

Chen Yuan turned to look into the distance. Lang Mou had already taken flight and escaped to a distance of a thousand feet, with Zhang Xuancang in hot pursuit. Chen Yuan sneered, his figure flashing as he instantly teleported in front of Lang Mou, blocking his path.

Lang Mou stopped abruptly, his face extremely pale, and said in a trembling voice, "This...this fellow Daoist, I have no past grudges with you, nor any recent enmity..."

Chen Yuan ignored him and simply raised his hand to grab, still without using any supernatural powers.

Lang Mou watched as Ao Lin, She Mo, and Xing Qianyue died at Chen Yuan's hands. He dared not stop them and simply turned to flee for his life.

However, his speed was no match for Chen Yuan's. Chen Yuan used his teleportation technique again to catch up, took out a black demon core from his body, and ended his life.

Lang Mou's corpse transformed into a giant black wolf several meters in size, which landed in a field outside Ping Le City, creating a deep crater and raising dust.

The demonic beast army continued to wreak havoc in Ping Le City. Many low-level demonic beasts, stimulated by the flesh and blood of mortals and cultivators, went berserk and became completely immersed in slaughter.

However, monsters of level five and above still retain their consciousness.

Seeing that the three demon generals and Xing Qianyue were all dead, they were filled with fear and no longer cared about killing the cultivators of Ping Le City. They all fled for their lives.

Many cultivators who had scattered and tried to break through when the city fell, but were surrounded by the beast tide, were now stunned, staring at Chen Yuan in the air, as if in a dream.

They couldn't believe that the three demon generals and one Nascent Soul cultivator who had brought annihilation to Ping Le City had all died at the hands of this seemingly frail and sickly man in less than a quarter of an hour.

Seeing this, Zhang Xuancang only had time to bow to Chen Yuan before shouting to the cultivators of Ping Le City below, "The demon generals have all been killed. What are you all standing there for? Quickly hunt down the demon beasts and avenge the dead!"

As if waking from a dream, everyone recalled their friends and teachers who had died tragically in the jaws of the monsters, and the despair of being surrounded and nearly killed by the monsters themselves. They gritted their teeth, summoned their magical artifacts, and gave chase.

Chen Yuan looked down at the army of demonic beasts that was still slaughtering mortals, his eyes narrowed, a hint of coldness flashing in them, and he raised his hand to form a hand seal.

The remaining true essence surged from the dantian, flowing through the severely damaged meridians, accompanied by waves of excruciating pain as if a thousand ants were gnawing at the bone.

Nearly half of his true essence silently seeped into his body, eventually condensing into an extremely illusory Zhu Yan dharma image behind Chen Yuan. Its face was blurry, and it was only about ten feet in size.

Chen Yuan's black hair turned snow-white, and the Vermilion Flame rose from his hands, only a shallow layer, swaying in the wind like a candle in the wind, which could be extinguished at any moment.

His injuries were too severe, and his vital essence was almost depleted. Using his supernatural powers was quite painful, so he relied solely on his physical strength to kill Ao Lin and the other three.

But he couldn't bear to watch the people of Ping Le City die tragically in the mouths of monsters.

With a thought, Chen Yuan dispersed the Zhu Yan True Fire into countless strands, which, following the mysterious connection, surged into the bodies of the various demonic beasts.

In a courtyard, a level-two iron wolf, its body covered in blood, was devouring the corpse of a Qi Refining cultivator when it suddenly stopped, its eyes freezing.

In a street, a level three black-bladed tiger pounced on a Foundation Establishment cultivator and knocked him to the ground. It raised its huge tiger paw to strike him, but suddenly froze in mid-air.

In the sky, a level 5 two-headed falcon, which was fleeing for its life in the distance, suddenly stopped flapping its wings and simply glided forward with the wind.

On the city wall, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator dressed in azure robes had just escaped the pursuit of the white-haired old man and fled into the distance, but his escape light suddenly stopped, and a look of horror froze on his face.

Inside and outside Ping Le City, the demon beast army and the blue-robed cultivators seemed to have been suddenly frozen in place. Whether they were fighting cultivators, devouring mortals, or fleeing for their lives, they all stopped, as if they were statues, frozen in place.

The next moment, all the demonic beasts and blue-robed cultivators lost their life force and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Under Chen Yuan's furious attack, their souls were instantly burned to nothingness by the Zhu Yan True Fire. They didn't even have time to experience the excruciating pain of their souls being burned before they all died in an instant.

Although the Zhu Yan Dharma Form was illusory, it was more than enough to deal with these low-level demonic beasts and a mere hundred or so cultivators.

Ping Le City became much quieter at first, but then cries of agony and sobbing erupted, filled with pain and a hint of relief at having narrowly escaped death.

Chen Yuan lowered his hands, his white hair turned back to black, and the Zhu Yan Dharma image behind him disappeared.

His true essence was almost completely depleted, with less than half remaining.

However, relying solely on his physical strength, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators and demon generals still could not defeat him.

Zhang Xuancang's mouth was slightly open as he slowly scanned the devastated Ping Le City, then looked up at Chen Yuan, his eyes filled with shock.

He took a deep breath, flew to Chen Yuan's side, and bowed deeply: "I am Zhang Xuancang, the city lord of Ping Le City. I thank Fellow Daoist Chen for slaughtering all the demons and saving the lives of everyone in Ping Le City."

"May I ask your esteemed name, fellow Daoist? I will immediately order a monument to be erected, inscribing your deeds upon it, so that they may be passed down to future generations."

"And carve the image into a fine jade, worship it constantly, and never forget it."

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you flatter me. As fellow human beings, how can I sit idly by and watch Ping Le City be slaughtered by the demon race?"

"The matter of erecting a monument and statue will be discussed later."

Zhang Xuancang looked troubled: "I cannot fail to repay your life-saving grace, but I'm afraid what I possess is not worthy of your approval..."

Chen Yuan said, "I made this move for no other reason than that the great battle has just ended. Fellow Daoist Zhang must have many trivial matters to attend to. I will meet with you again in three days."

Zhang Xuancang breathed a sigh of relief: "I will arrange a cave dwelling for you, fellow Daoist. I will also have all the items left behind by the three demon generals and Xing Qianyue collected and delivered to you."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "Then I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."

Zhang Xuancang smiled and gestured, "Fellow Daoist Chen, please."

The two descended into the light of their escape, and amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the cultivators of Ping Le City, they arrived at several mountain peaks in the north of the city.

Chen Yuan glanced around and saw Liu Kaiyang standing in front of the cave, looking in this direction with a slightly dazed expression.

A thought struck him, and his lips moved silently a few times.

Liu Kaiyang's expression changed slightly, and he hesitated for a moment. Then he rode his escape light and flew over to them, stopping in front of the two of them.

He clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "This junior greets the city lord and senior."

Zhang Xuancang was taken aback, and Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "I was injured by a demon general and fell into a coma. Fortunately, I was rescued by this young friend Liu Kaiyang and brought back to Ping Le City."

"When Chen woke up, the beast tide was entering the city, and he had no time to say anything."

"Now that I finally have some free time, I have specially invited my young friend Liu here to thank him in person."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Xuancang's eyes: "Fellow Daoist was actually saved by Deacon Liu. Why didn't you report this matter?"

Liu Kaiyang hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Reporting to the City Lord, after bringing the senior back to the city, I immediately informed Elder Shi, who was on duty in the Elder Hall that night..."

He didn't hide anything and gave a general account of what he had done after discovering Chen Yuan.

However, he omitted the fact that he had tried to kill Chen Yuan, only saying that after entering the nameless tomb, he felt reluctant and brought Chen Yuan back to the cave.

He concluded by saying, "I dare not disobey Elder Shi's orders."

"But as long as my senior is still alive, I cannot bear to bury him in an unnamed tomb."

"I dared not make a sound, so I could only take the senior back to his cave, spend all the spirit stones I had, and buy a Three-in-One Pill to heal the senior's injuries."

"Fortunately, the senior possessed great supernatural powers; even while unconscious, he was able to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and heal his injuries on his own..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuancang suddenly recalled the inexplicable halving of spiritual energy concentration in Ping Le City over the past month, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. (End of Chapter)