Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Wanyaozhou, on the shore of the East Sea.

A colossal, deep blue city stands majestically atop a dark black reef, overlooking the raging tides surging below, unmoved by the storm.

This colossal city was not made of earth and stone, but of massive, dark blue iron blocks, each about ten feet in size, shimmering with a faint spiritual light. Although extremely weak, it was undoubtedly a spiritual material.

This is the first city in this world built specifically for the human race. It is a sacred place for worshipping the Dragon God, and even the royal cities built by a few slightly weaker royal families cannot compare to it.

The most eye-catching thing in the city is the 300-zhang-tall dragon statue, which is coiled around a stone pillar. Legend has it that it was carved by a demon general who brought a mountain with him.

An array was set up in the city so that the sky would always be clear and cloudless, allowing the believers who came to worship to always be able to admire this magnificent statue.

The dragon statue was surrounded by a large crowd of mortals and cultivators, who knelt down devoutly, kowtowing heavily, their eyes filled with fanaticism, completely ignoring the blood and gore on their foreheads.

A no-flying formation was set up in the city, allowing only elders of the Divine Cult to escape.

Only that deep blue robe could distinguish a cultivator from a mortal.

To the north of the towering dragon statue lies the largest temple in this realm, occupying half the city.

The magnificent palace spread out like a carpet, gathering thousands of the most devout Christian monks.

There is also a palace built for the dragon clan, the messengers of the dragon god who travel in the world, which is even more luxurious than the temple.

The temple was shrouded in a light blue array, but the four gates were wide open, and the wide bluestone path was ten feet wide, with cultivators constantly coming and going on both sides.

Even at the main altar of the Divine Sect, Qi Refining cultivators make up more than 70% of the population.

In the middle of the road, carriages sped by, pulled by strong, swift horses, their footsteps light and silent.

Within the Divine Sect, there is a clear distinction between superiors and inferiors, and strict rules. Nascent Soul Elders can fly around freely and do not need to associate with lower-level cultivators.

However, the Core Formation Grand Masters and Foundation Establishment Stewards cannot walk like Qi Refining cultivators; they must ride in carriages like ordinary people to show their rank and status.

Ling Shuoye sat in a carriage, passing through the temple gate. Looking out the window at the pale blue array that enveloped the entire temple, and the towering dragon statue in the distance, his thoughts drifted to Ping Le City, 300,000 miles away, and he sighed inwardly.

The Dragon God Sect controls all cultivators affiliated with the Flood Dragon Clan and never lacks cultivation resources.

Beneath this Dragon God City lies a large spiritual vein.

The city's formations are always activated, so there's no need to worry about a lack of spiritual energy.

However, Ping Le City only has one medium-sized spiritual vein, which also needs to supply the cultivation of several thousand cultivators, making spiritual energy extremely precious.

Even the most important city-protecting formation can only be activated when the beast tide arrives.

The beast tide should have reached the gates of Ping Le City by now. I wonder if Master, Senior Brother, and the cultivators in the city can survive this calamity...

A hint of worry flashed in Ling Shuoye's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

A month ago, as usual, he used the magic weapon his master had given him to send back the news that Lang Mou (note) was about to launch a beast tide, so that his master could prepare in advance to deal with the beast tide.

However, this beast tide seems to be somewhat different from the past. In addition to the demonic beasts under Lang Mou's command and the fixed fifty Foundation Establishment deacons, fifty additional Foundation Establishment deacons have been added, and there are at least two more Core Formation cultivators.

The reason why the demon race established a religion was to control and restrain the human race and make them serve it.

Suppressing human rebellion is naturally the responsibility of the Divine Cult, and every time there is a beast tide, there are cultivators from the Demon Cult involved.

Those religious practitioners who genuinely believe in the Dragon God naturally flock to this.

Although they are also human, they hate their human form even more than the demon race. They take pleasure in bullying mortals and hate those cultivators who dare to resist the demon race to the core.

How can the inherently lowly human race resist the great demon race?

But they seem to have forgotten that those dragons, whom they regarded as messengers of the Dragon God, all transformed into human form after passing through the tribulation of transformation.

Living in a magnificent palace and entering an exquisite garden, even the dragon royal family members who remained on Fulong Island would no longer stay in a rough cave.

Whenever Ling Shuoye saw those cultivators who were completely bewitched by the cult, he would outwardly agree with them, but inwardly he was filled with mockery.

Aside from extremely devout monks, suppressing human rebellions was one of the few ways for many religious monks to earn merit and receive rewards.

The cult has gathered tens of thousands of cultivators, but not all of them truly believe in the Dragon God.

They were simply in awe of the demon race's immense power, believing that the demon race would forever remain superior, while humans could only serve as their servants.

Like those devout monks, they would never rebel against the demon race, but they would not despise their origins.

They worship the Dragon God only to obtain cultivation resources, improve their cultivation level, and extend their lifespan.

Ling Shuoye despised these opportunists, but he had the most dealings with such cultivators, and most of the information related to the beast tide came from them.

They only outwardly worship the Dragon God; in reality, they only want to improve their cultivation and are eager to obtain more cultivation resources.

However, after thousands of years of development, the Divine Cult has become exceptionally powerful, and the number of humans it enslaves is extremely large among the eight royal clans. Only the Kunyu clan can compare with it.

With so many cultivators joining the Divine Cult, far exceeding the spiritual veins and mines controlled by the cult, it was natural that the descendants and disciples of the Nascent Soul Elders would be the first to receive their share.

Those cultivators of inferior talent and mortal origin, no matter how loyal they are to the dragon clan, can never be more devout than them.

Over time, even in cities inhabited only by ordinary people, there was a shortage of food compared to the number of monks.

After all, mortals are also a kind of cultivation resource. They can be used as a furnace for absorbing spiritual energy, and can also be refined into Yin spirits and corpses. Their flesh and blood can also be used to refine spiritual weapons and magic treasures.

Although the cult had long established rules against mistreating mortals, no cultivator, from top to bottom, took it seriously.

Perhaps the demon generals and high-ranking demon generals of the Jiaolong clan genuinely wanted to treat mortals well, since mortals had worshipped the gods for generations and had long since truly believed in the demon gods.

The more ordinary people there are, the more devout cultivators will emerge from them, and the stronger the dragon clan will become.

However, for other demon generals and elders of the Divine Cult, especially cultivators with lower cultivation levels, they did not have such foresight.

The power structure of the eight royal families has remained unchanged for over three thousand years.

The Jiaolong clan is powerful; among the eight royal clans, only the Kunyu clan can compare with it, possessing profound foundations and a solid base.

Whether the cult is stronger or weaker, there is no need to worry about its destruction.

In the eyes of the Divine Cult cultivators, these mortals are undoubtedly just cultivation resources that can be consumed. As long as they do not openly violate the rules of the Divine Cult, they can be slaughtered at will.

Cultivation resources within the cult are so scarce that they cannot be easily obtained.

Those with exceptional talent need not worry, especially those with extraordinary spiritual abilities who can master all the arts of cultivation and hold extremely high positions within the cult, never lacking cultivation resources.

Ordinary cultivators can only earn rewards and the opportunity to guard spiritual veins, spiritual mines, and mortal cities by fighting against cultivators from other religions or suppressing human rebellions.

However, compared to cultivators from other religious sects, human cultivators are much more tenacious, and they hate those who believe in these religions even more than the demon race.

Every time a human rebellion is suppressed, many people die or are injured.

Ping Le City is not a large city; two Core Formation Grand Priests and fifty Foundation Establishment Deacons are sufficient.

This time, however, the Dragon God Sect sent an extra fifty Foundation Establishment deacons and at least two Core Formation Grand Priests, which made Ling Shuoye feel a little uneasy.

Upon learning of this, he dared not delay and immediately reported it to his master.

However, that magical artifact had limited power; it was already extremely difficult to transmit a message over a distance of more than 300,000 miles, and no reply could be received.

He didn't know whether Ping Le City could successfully stop this unusual beast tide.

"Brother Ling, you seem so downcast today. Is something on your mind?"

A voice tinged with doubt reached Ling Shuoye's ears. He felt a chill and realized that he was worried about Ping Le City and that his behavior was somewhat unusual.

He immediately gathered his thoughts, turned around, and sighed: "Half a month ago, several black-scaled eels suddenly appeared in the Qingbo Sea area under my jurisdiction, slaughtered an island, and devoured all the mortals on the island as food." "Among them was a level five black-scaled eel, which was the offspring of the Eel Sand Demon before it took human form, which put me in a difficult position and I did not know how to deal with it."

The carriage was quite spacious inside, covered with thick velvet carpets, with soft couches on three sides and a table in the middle, on which sat a pot of spiritual tea, three teacups, and several plates of spiritual fruit.

The demon race enjoys devouring blood, and influenced by this, although the cultivators of the Divine Cult can abstain from grains, they also enjoy spiritual fruits and delicacies like ordinary people.

Besides Ling Shuoye, there were two other cultivators in the carriage, and the person who had just asked the question was sitting opposite him.

This man was not handsome, but appeared to be over forty years old. He had a fair complexion and no beard, and wore a smooth blue robe that looked as if it were made of the finest brocade, making him extremely luxurious.

He smiled and said, "They're just some lowly mortals. They're dead, so be it. Why should Brother Ling offend the Eel Sand Demon General for their sake?"

"I have heard of this person's name. Although he is only a low-level demon general, the Ink Scale Eel has some connection with the Dragon Royal Family."

"This Eel Sand Demon General has a close relationship with a low-ranking demon general from the Crimson Dragon lineage. He acts arrogantly and no one dares to provoke him. Brother Ling, please don't bring trouble upon yourself."

The cultivator sitting to Ling Shuoye's left also spoke up to advise, "Brother Ling, why bother with such a trivial matter? The Ink Scale Eel Clan has been dependent on the Flood Dragon Royal Clan for tens of thousands of years; they are not people we can afford to offend."

This person was thin and bony, with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, and was quite ugly.

Not to mention these two, Ling Shuoye himself was also of average appearance, with nothing remarkable about him.

Her appearance is quite youthful, likely due to the use of anti-aging elixirs; she looks only in her early twenties.

The dragons are lewd, and almost all the handsome low-level cultivators in the Divine Cult, regardless of gender, are taken as concubines or male lovers by the dragon clan's demon generals, with very few being overlooked.

Only Nascent Soul elders who have ingested the Blood Vein Gu are free from the worry of being forcibly taken into their caves by demon generals.

Ling Shuoye was able to join the Divine Cult not only by chance, but also because his appearance was not outstanding and he was not noticed by the demon general.

Among the dragon clan, it is not only female demon generals who enjoy taking male concubines.

Although Ling Shuoye already knew the nature of the Divine Cult cultivators, he still couldn't help but feel a surge of anger when he saw the two of them so disregarding human lives.

But he didn't show it on his face, only gave a bitter smile: "Those few black-scaled eels weren't entirely reckless. They only slaughtered a small island and the lives of a few thousand mortals. I, Ling, naturally don't care about that."

"Unfortunately, there is also a relative of a Foundation Establishment Deacon on that island."

This person possesses an earth-elemental root and extraordinary talent. He successfully established his foundation after fourteen years of cultivation and had just been accepted as a disciple by Elder Lei. However, his family was devoured by these black-scaled eels, and he is determined to seek justice.

"I, Ling, cannot afford to offend the Eel Sand Demon General, nor dare I offend Elder Lei. Caught in the middle, I am in a dilemma and worried. I hope you two fellow Daoists will forgive my predicament."

The pale-faced cultivator looked surprised: "This is indeed a bit difficult. However, the relatives of that Foundation Establishment Deacon are all mortals. Can we really expect the offspring of the Eel Sand Demon General to apologize?"

The gaunt cultivator frowned: "Brother Ling is very shrewd and resourceful. Although this matter is tricky, it should not be too difficult for you."

"It is rather unromantic for the three of us to gather here today and bring up such mundane matters of the sect."

Ling Shuoye shook his head and chuckled, picked up the teacup on the table, and toasted each of them: "How could I spoil the enjoyment of you two fellow Daoists because of my own affairs? I will punish myself with a cup of tea instead of wine."

He drank the spiritual tea in his cup in one gulp, and the gaunt cultivator and the pale-faced cultivator also raised their teacups in return.

The three put down their teacups, and Ling Shuoye took the initiative to tell some interesting anecdotes. His words were very witty, and the two listened with great interest.

In order to gather information, he had an extremely wide social circle.

Others only thought that his cultivation had stagnated at the mid-stage of Core Formation for decades, that his path to enlightenment was hopeless, that he was only focused on scheming and enjoying pleasure, and they had no suspicions about him.

He met with these two Core Formation cultivators today to maintain their relationship and facilitate future information gathering.

Although their affairs were unrelated to Ping Le City, Ling Shuoye inquired about all the news about the Divine Cult's suppression of human resistance. In addition to helping Ping Le City successfully resist more than a dozen beast tides, he also helped other human cities survive several calamities.

As the three chatted and laughed, the carriage steadily moved forward.

In Dragon God City, Ling Shuoye dared not freely spread his divine sense, but through the window he could see stone pillars standing on both sides of the street, with iron hooks on them, and corpses hanging from hemp ropes. The corpses died in different ways, but all were extremely tragic.

An old man had his hands and feet bent in a strange posture, like a puppet that had been randomly broken.

There was also a young woman, her body covered in blood and gore, seemingly killed by being smashed to death with a hammer. Blood pooled at her feet, forming a dark red puddle, a horrifying sight.

There was also a skeleton with several remnants of flesh and blood, suggesting that the person had been skinned alive.

Ling Shuoye lowered his head slightly, avoiding the corpses.

They all violated the rules of the religion and died after suffering cruel torture.

These stone pillars have existed since the founding of the religion, more than three thousand years ago. They remain as smooth as ever, and countless corpses hang on them, intimidating all humans who come to Dragon God City.

And these are far from all. There were also many humans who violated the rules of the religion and were devoured by monsters as food, leaving no trace of their remains.

The carriage turned through several streets and stopped in front of a large building in the south of the city.

The three stepped down from the carriage. The driver was a middle-aged man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and with a strong build.

Only a strong man like this could control this low-grade demon horse.

The building was quite peculiar, constructed of massive stones, with high walls on all four sides reaching several meters in height. Two thick stone doors were open, and monks dressed in blue robes filed in one after another.

As the three entered the gate, the surrounding cultivators recognized them as Core Formation cultivators from the intricate dragon patterns on their bodies and quickly made way for them.

Stepping inside the building, it is shaped like a giant bowl, with a sunken open space in the middle. On all four sides are layers of spaced stone platforms, on which tables and chairs are placed. At the top are enclosed private rooms, where hundreds of cultivators are already seated.

Immediately, a Qi Refining cultivator dressed in a dharma robe stepped forward, bowed respectfully to the three, and addressed them as "Master of Sacrifice".

Ling Shuoye took out a jade token and handed it over without saying a word.

After examining the jade token, the Qi Refining cultivator became even more respectful and led them to a private room on the top floor.

The private room was elegantly furnished, with three soft couches and tables arranged side by side, and wisps of smoke rising from a bronze incense burner, filling the air with a delicate fragrance.

Although the windows were tightly closed, they were protected by a protective array, allowing a clear view of the outside world.

Three beautiful maids were already waiting there, looking at them timidly, but they were all mortals.

The three sat down on the soft couch, and the pale-faced monk pulled a maid into his arms and began to take liberties with her.

The attendant was submissive, her cheeks flushed, and she bit her lower lip, not daring to utter a sound, as she yielded to the gaunt monk.

The gaunt monk seemed uninterested in women and waved for the maid to leave.

Ling Shuoye would never humiliate a mere mortal woman, and he waved away the maid who came to greet him.

The gaunt cultivator looked out the window, his eyes revealing a hint of eagerness: "Brother Ling, you've gone to so much trouble. Today's battle seems to be a fierce fight between a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and a level four Xuan Sha Tiger. It must be extremely exciting."

The pale-faced cultivator seemed uninterested: "It's just a battle between a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Level 4 demonic beast. Fellow Daoist Luo has been in Core Formation for over two hundred years and has killed more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators and Level 5 or higher demonic beasts. Why are you so enthusiastic?"

As he spoke, his hands continued to move, his palms wandering over the maid's body, already reaching inside her thin clothes.

The maid's face was flushed, and despite her best efforts to suppress it, she couldn't help but slightly open her mouth and let out a soft panting sound, which was very noticeable in the quiet private room.

The gaunt cultivator chuckled: "Fellow Daoist Wang, you may not know this, but the battle between a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Level 4 demon beast, although lacking in exquisite supernatural abilities, certainly doesn't involve powerful magic treasures."

"But when a human and a demon fight to the death, they will stop at nothing to kill their opponent, just to survive."

“We can sit comfortably and look down on that last shred of will to live, which is ten times better than the pleasure of dual cultivation.”

The pale-faced cultivator curled his lip and said nothing more.

Ling Shuoye's left hand, hidden in his sleeve, quietly clenched. (End of Chapter)