Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Dugu Sha hesitated, "Is what you say true?"

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Does fellow Daoist have any other choice?"

Dugu Sha's expression shifted rapidly, then he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, then I'll take a gamble and fight for this sliver of hope!"

"I will put away the magic weapon shortly, but the Blood Silk Gu will awaken immediately. You only have three breaths to spare."

“In three breaths, the Blood Silk Gu will devour my soul, and all your efforts will be in vain.”

"After my death, the religion will surely be alerted."

"If you want to make a move against the other elders, it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist, you only need to relax your mind, and I will definitely protect your life."

Dugu Sha hesitated for a moment, then suddenly closed his eyes, raised his hand to form a hand seal, and removed the glass barrier protecting him.

His expression immediately turned pained. Chen Yuan calmly raised his left hand, and the somewhat illusory Zhu Yan True Fire rose up, shimmering with an eerie light under the sunlight.

The next moment, following that mysterious connection, the Zhu Yan True Fire quietly surged into Dugu Sha's soul space and attached itself to his soul.

Dugu Sha let out a low wail as his soul was burned by the Zhu Yan True Fire, but he did not suffer too much as a result.

The target of the Zhu Yan True Fire was not Dugu Sha's soul, but the layer of blood that enveloped his soul.

Above the soul's head lay a strange insect resembling a butterfly.

Beneath it, an illusory cocoon split in two, shattering into specks of pale red light that vanished without a trace.

This strange insect, resembling a butterfly, exists in a state between reality and illusion, gently flapping its two wings.

Two thick beams of blood-red light extended from its wings, dispersing into countless fine, hair-like blood threads that enveloped Dugu Sha's soul and gradually tightened inwards.

The soul, which should have been ethereal and formless, seemed to have taken shape under the blood-like threads.

It's like a person who's been bound hand and foot, but the ropes used to bind them are extremely sharp blades.

As the blood vessels gradually tightened, fine, hair-like wounds appeared on the surface of the soul.

Just like the middle-aged cultivator who was sacrificed in the deathmatch arena, he is suffering the cruel torture of being slowly sliced ​​to death.

Perhaps the sacrificial stone platform in the deathmatch arena was designed in imitation of the Blood Silk Gu.

Suffering from this cruel torture, Dugu Sha's soul was filled with pain.

The sudden appearance of the Vermilion Flame, which clung to the net made of blood-red threads, blazed fiercely.

The contraction of the blood-red web immediately stopped. The thousands of blood threads that had rendered the soul helpless quickly dried up and shrank under the burning of the Zhu Yan True Fire, turning into clumps of pale red dust that dissipated in the soul space.

The strange insect that resembled a butterfly was also silently burned to ashes by the Zhu Yan True Fire, without even having time to let out a scream.

After the Blood Silk Gu was wiped away, the Zhu Yan True Fire did not disappear. Instead, it was separated from Dugu Sha's soul and condensed into an exquisite white fire lotus.

In Dugu Sha's terrified gaze, the fire lotus slowly landed on its forehead, transforming into a fire lotus mark that flickered a few times before disappearing.

Chen Yuan lowered his left hand, and the Zhu Yan True Fire in his palm slowly subsided.

After he transformed into a deity, his control over the blood of the true spirit was further enhanced. He only needed to expel the Gu worms from the body of a Nascent Soul cultivator, without even needing to conjure white hair, as the power of the Vermilion Flame was sufficient.

The pain of being slowly tortured with blood and having his soul burned away disappeared, and Dugu Sha's pained expression finally calmed down.

He instinctively raised a hand to cover his forehead, panting heavily: "May I ask, fellow Daoist, about that fire lotus..."

Chen Yuan said calmly, "As an elder of the Dragon God Sect, you have served the sect for hundreds of years. To prevent you from revealing this matter after returning to Dragon God City, I had no choice but to resort to this measure."

Dugu Sha slowly lowered his hand, his face very grim: "I wonder what the purpose of this fire lotus is?"

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist, just regard it as a Blood Silk Gu. As long as you do not have any ulterior motives, this Fire Lotus will not cause any harm."

"But if you harbor ill intentions, fellow Daoist... would you like to experience the pain of your soul being burned just now again?"

Dugu Sha's expression changed. When the white flames attached themselves to his soul, the pain was ten or even a hundred times worse than that of the Blood Silk Gu. Even the soul-extraction and refining technique was probably far inferior.

That was truly worse than death. In just a short moment, a violent desire arose from the bottom of his heart, wanting to destroy everything he saw.

It seems that only by doing this can one slightly forget the pain emanating from one's soul.

Even if he were to be slowly tortured by the Blood Silk Net, Dugu Sha would not want to experience the pain of his soul being burned again.

He did not doubt Chen Yuan's words. This strange white flame could even extinguish the Blood Silk Gu in one burn. It should not be difficult for it to control life and death like the Blood Silk Gu.

However, this meant that he had just escaped one danger only to fall into another, and his life was still in the hands of others.

Moreover, the Dragon God Sect has tried to win over these Nascent Soul elders. Although they have planted Blood Silk Gu, it is ultimately not a soul restriction.

As long as one does not harbor rebellious intentions and works diligently, there is no danger to one's life, and one will be rewarded with many treasures and receive generous treatment.

The Starfire Immortal before him was extremely mysterious, with an unknown origin and temperament. He could unleash that white flame at any moment and burn his soul to ashes.

Dugu Sha wanted to cry but had no tears, and sighed deeply in his heart, but dared not show it in the slightest.

His face was full of gratitude as he bowed deeply to Chen Yuan: "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving me from this sea of ​​suffering. I have long been filled with righteous indignation at the Dragon God... the Dragon Demon Sect's oppression of human cultivators."

"Unfortunately, a blood-veined gu has been implanted in my body, so I dare not resist."

"Fortunately, I met you today, fellow Daoist, and was able to escape my cage. I will surely abandon darkness and embrace the light, and obey your command without hesitation in resisting the demon race!"

Chen Yuan was not moved by his seemingly sincere words, but looked at him with a half-smile: "Fellow Daoist, you should try the effects of this fire lotus first, and it will not be too late to abandon the darkness and turn to the light."

Dugu Sha was taken aback, then shook his head repeatedly: "Fellow Daoist, what are you saying? I have always been devoted to the human race. Now that I have been saved by you and freed from this Blood Silk Gu, how could I be willing to be a slave or servant again..."

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, you should give it a try, lest you take chances and die under the fire lotus."

"I will not reveal my identity, but if it attracts the attention of the demonic sect and jeopardizes my important plans, that would be bad."

Dugu Sha's heart stirred, and he finally stopped professing his loyalty. He muttered to himself, "After returning to Dragon God City, I will report this matter to the sect leader..."

The moment he conceived this thought, the Fire Lotus Mark suddenly reappeared on his forehead. With a slight flash, a wisp of white flame emerged from it, enveloping Dugu Sha's soul and blazing fiercely.

"what!"

Dugu Sha screamed and clutched his head with both hands, quickly erasing the thought.

After a long while, he finally lowered his hands, his face ashen, his eyes bloodshot, and he was breathing heavily, still shaken.

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Fellow Daoist only vaguely had this idea, so Fire Lotus only punished you slightly."

"If you, fellow Daoist, were to utter your thoughts, with just one word, the fire lotus would immediately bloom and in an instant burn your soul to nothingness."

"Moreover, this fire lotus is entirely formed from the spiritual fire in my hand, not from a demonic beast like the Blood Silk Gu. It is a divine power, and even the Demon Commander cannot erase it."

"Of course, if you don't believe me, you are welcome to try it."

A hint of fear flashed in Dugu Sha's eyes, and he gave an awkward smile: "Fellow Daoist is joking. I would never gamble with my life."

“From now on, I will follow your lead and obey your orders.” Chen Yuan smiled slightly: “Those who understand the times are wise. Since you are so wise, I will not treat you like a slave, like the Dragon God Sect.”

"As long as you do your best, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

"I accidentally damaged your natal magic weapon just now. Please accept this magic weapon for self-defense."

Having said that, he flipped his hand, took out an object, raised his hand and pushed it, and it slowly flew over.

Dugu Sha took it and saw that it was a dark red wooden staff with a snake's head carved at the top, flicking its tongue, looking ferocious and menacing. It was a mid-level magic weapon, much stronger than his natal magic weapon.

The divine imprint within it has been erased, and now it can be taken over for our own use.

Overjoyed, he immediately left a divine imprint on the snake staff, stored it in his dantian to nurture it, and then bowed to Chen Yuan with clasped hands: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xinghuo, for the treasure!"

Chen Yuan said calmly, "I obtained this treasure from a Blood-Piercing Serpent demon general. Fellow Daoist, please do not easily reveal it in front of others, lest the Blood-Piercing Serpent clan come knocking on your door."

Dugu Sha was startled and quickly agreed, his eyes now filled with even more awe as he looked at Chen Yuan.

This Master Xinghuo can use teleportation, and the white flames he wields can easily erase the Blood Silk Gu. He also possesses the soul of a royal demon general. His supernatural powers are extraordinary, truly the most powerful he has ever seen in his life.

But he had never heard of such a great cultivator among the human race, and he had no idea where he had come from...

Dugu Sha's turbulent thoughts were interrupted by Chen Yuan: "This place is not suitable for us to stay any longer. Let's return to Dragon God City now. I would like to trouble you to ask those three alchemy grandmasters for information about those three spiritual herbs."

Dugu Sha looked troubled: "I was ordered by the sect leader to go to Frostbite City. I had just left the city when I turned back. It's hard to explain."

"Fellow Daoist, may I first complete the sect leader's instructions before inquiring about this matter?"

Chen Yuan frowned: "I wonder what mission you have received, and how long this journey will take?"

Dugu Sha explained, "Two months ago, the Frost Bear Clan suddenly showed unusual activity. Several demon generals and bear gods... the Nascent Soul Elder of the Bear Demon Sect entered the North Sea. Soon after, the Frost Bear Clan was on high alert on all sides."

"I happen to be on good terms with an elder of the Bear God Sect, and the sect leader has ordered me to go and investigate."

"However, the leader vaguely revealed that he was also acting on the orders of the Dragon King, and another Dragon Demon General went to investigate the truth."

"I was ordered to go there this time, but only to report back to the Jiaolong clan."

"If the Frost Bear clan truly has something unusual about them, it is definitely not something that can be discovered by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator."

"With just a perfunctory response, we can return in two months at the latest."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist, please go and return quickly."

Dugu Sha's face lit up with joy: "Thank you for your understanding, fellow Daoist. May I ask how I can contact you after I return?"

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, you only need to gather your divine sense and touch the fire lotus mark on your forehead, and I will know and pay you a visit."

Dugu Sha felt a chill run down his spine. Remembering what he had just said about temporarily staying in the temple, he had no more doubts.

He immediately took his leave: "I will take my leave now, and will definitely return within two months."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist, you'd better not miss the deadline."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dugu Sha suddenly felt a sharp pain in his soul. He hurriedly looked inward and saw that a white fire lotus mark on his forehead flickered a few times before slowly disappearing.

A chill ran through Dugu Sha's heart. He dared not waste any more time. He bowed hastily, then turned and rode his escape light northward.

This time, however, his escape light was far less dazzling than before, extremely dim, and as he moved through the clouds, he was no longer easily detected by others.

Chen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, watching Dugu Sha's escape light disappear into the horizon before turning around and flying towards Dragon God City.

……

A month and a half later, in the main hall of Ling Shuoye's residence.

"Young friend Ling, do you have any further questions?"

Chen Yuan sat upright in the main seat, his expression gentle, and began to speak.

The spiritual energy in the temple was far purer than that in Ping Le City. He quietly absorbed the spiritual energy with the help of Kunpeng's true blood, and his injuries recovered somewhat.

His sallow complexion improved significantly, his skin was no longer so dry, and many of the small wounds in his twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians had healed.

However, this is already the limit of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. To continue to recover from the injuries, one must take healing pills.

Ling Shuoye stood opposite Chen Yuan, his face full of joy, and bowed deeply: "Thank you for your explanation, senior. I am now enlightened and the clouds have cleared from my mind. I have no more doubts."

“I have heard Dugu Sha preach before, but it is far less clear than what you have said.”

"I have a feeling that I can go into seclusion now to try to break through to the late stage of Core Formation. I am quite confident that I can break through the bottleneck."

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Young friend, your long-standing doubts have been resolved in one day, but your mind is not stable. At this time, you must not be impatient for quick results."

"We still need to solidify our foundation, carefully refine our techniques, concentrate our minds and calm our spirits, and then go into seclusion to break through the bottleneck. This is the right path."

Ling Shuoye quickly suppressed his smile and became solemn: "This junior will follow your teachings, senior."

Chen Yuan then looked at Liu Kaiyang, who was standing to the side: "Kaiyang, did you have any success?"

Liu Kaiyang blinked, a mixture of confusion and joy in his eyes. He nodded, then shook his head, muttering, "I seem to have some understanding, but upon closer inspection, I'm completely clueless..."

Chen Yuan said, "You are only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and your understanding is already quite remarkable."

"Just keep it in mind, and it will be useful when you cultivate in the future."

Liu Kaiyang clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "This junior understands."

Chen Yuan was about to speak again when he suddenly paused, a smile appearing on his lips: "That's all for today. You two should go back and cultivate."

Ling Shuoye and Liu Kaiyang bowed and withdrew.

Chen Yuan stood up, and a pair of jet-black wings slowly unfurled from his back.

This temple was equipped with an anti-flight formation, which was set up by a Nascent Soul demon cultivator, namely the Demon Commander.

He can only use the teleportation technique by activating the true blood of the Kunpeng.

Enduring the stinging pain in his meridians, Chen Yuan flapped his wings and disappeared from the spot.

Meanwhile, in a grand hall more than ten miles away, Dugu Sha sat cross-legged beneath the jade dragon statue, his eyes slightly closed, looking inward at himself, gathering his divine sense, and touching the forehead of his divine soul.

The Fire Lotus Mark flickered slightly. Dugu Sha felt uneasy and spread his divine sense, waiting quietly with half-belief and half-doubt.

Suddenly, a voice rang in his ears: "Fellow Daoist Dugu is indeed true to his word. He returned from Frost City before the two-month deadline was up."

Dugu Sha opened his eyes and looked at Xinghuo Zhenren slowly walking into the main hall, his heart trembling.

This person entered the temple as if it were an empty place.

A hint of awe flashed in Dugu Sha's eyes as he stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "I was entrusted by you, fellow Daoist, and dared not linger in Frostbite City. After visiting that friend, I stayed for a few more days before immediately returning." (End of Chapter)