Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The red-haired man's face darkened, but he didn't say anything more. He glanced at Chen Yuan and turned to leave.

After watching his figure disappear behind a mountain peak, Ao Ye turned to look at Chen Yuan, his expression slightly solemn, and said in a low voice, "This Ao Jin has a deep grudge against me and acts recklessly. After Brother Kun leaves the island, please do not linger in the vicinity."

Chen Yuan nodded: "I understand."

The three arrived at the great formation of Fulong Island. Ao Ye opened a passage, and Chen Yuan and Dugu Sha bid farewell to Ao Ye and fled far away.

Chen Yuan quietly spread his divine sense, avoiding Fulong Island and covering a thousand miles around him, but he did not find any trace of Ao Jin.

Dugu Sha was quite nervous, glancing left and right from time to time, his eyes revealing a hint of fear.

Chen Yuan asked, "Fellow Daoist Dugu seems quite afraid of Ao Jin?"

Dugu Sha said solemnly, "This Ao Jin is a mid-level demon general of the Crimson Dragon lineage. He is powerful, violent, and cruel. Demon generals who fight against him are either killed or injured."

“There was once a Nascent Soul stage elder of the Dragon Demon Sect who was killed and devoured by him after a mere verbal argument.”

“Ao Jin and Ao Ye have a grudge, and it seems that he knows that the Jade Marrow Fungus has fallen into your hands, so he probably won’t let it go.”

"Fellow Daoist, you possess great supernatural powers, so there's no need to worry about him causing you trouble. But I'm afraid I won't have an easy time..."

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Dugu need not worry. Ao Jin was reprimanded by Ao Ye but did not retaliate, which means he obviously dares not provoke Ao Ye."

"Moreover, you just facilitated a transaction, allowing Ao Ye to obtain two top-grade spiritual materials."

“Ao Ye also knows that you and I have a friendship, so how could I sit idly by and watch you be troubled by Ao Jin?”

Dugu Sha's expression softened slightly: "I hope so. Perhaps because the Crimson Dragon lineage belongs to the fire element, they are all people with violent tempers, especially Ao Jin, whom everyone avoids like the plague."

"Only the Azure Dragon lineage can make him bow down."

Chen Yuan's heart stirred, and he asked, "According to Ao Ye, he was able to pick the Jade Marrow Fungus from the Spirit Herb Garden on the orders of that Third Elder."

“Ao Jin’s words seemed to indicate that he was quite wary of this Third Elder, which suggests that this person has a considerable reputation among the Flood Dragon Clan.”

Dugu Sha's expression turned solemn: "I only learned today that the person behind Ao Ye is actually the Third Elder of the Flood Dragon Clan."

"No wonder he dared to trade jade marrow mushrooms in private without worrying about being punished by his clan."

"This Third Elder is quite famous in the entire Jiaolong clan. He is the offspring of a Qingjiao demon general and a human female cultivator who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

"However, although he is a half-human, half-demon, his Azure Dragon bloodline is extremely pure."

"He was born with a human body and was extremely intelligent. In addition to cultivating his body, he also practiced human techniques, cultivating both body and magic, and his progress was extremely rapid."

"In just over a thousand years, the Third Elder cultivated to the level of a high-ranking demon general, and his strength surpassed that of the Azure Dragon lineage."

"When Demon General Ao Cang went into seclusion, he was actually in charge of the Azure Dragon lineage."

"The spirit herb garden of the Jiaolong clan was also under the management of the Third Elder, but I never expected him to steal from it..."

A hint of doubt flashed in Dugu Sha's eyes: "Ever since Ao Cang Demon General took over the position of clan leader, the Azure Dragon lineage has seized power in the clan."

“Other elders might steal and sell clan treasures on their own, but for the Third Elder to do this, isn’t he digging his own grave?”

Chen Yuan said calmly, "No matter how many treasures the Flood Dragon Clan possesses, they do not belong to them. It is not impossible for them to line their own pockets. May I ask the name of the Third Elder?"

Dugu Sha replied, "Ao Qingsong."

……

Seven days later, Chen Yuan and Dugu Sha returned to Dragon God City.

Dugu Sha entered the city on his own, while Chen Yuan used his teleportation technique to return to Ling Shuoye's residence.

The control over Dragon God City is actually stricter than that of Fulong Island. The Jiaolong clan has many affiliated demon clans, and demon generals from other royal families often visit Fulong Island to visit friends.

However, few demon generals come to Dragon God City, and cultivators from other divine sects will not come here without a reason.

Ninety-nine percent of the cultivators in the city have joined the Dragon God Sect, and there are no markets or marketplaces. At most, they trade some cultivation resources privately. If Chen Yuan were to appear in the city, he would be too conspicuous.

Ling Shuoye was not in the manor. Liu Kaiyang was meditating and cultivating in a secluded courtyard. His aura fluctuated, indicating that he was not far from the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

After arriving in Dragon God City, Liu Kaiyang spent his time listening to Chen Yuan's teachings and occasionally asking Ling Shuoye for advice on cultivation difficulties. He also spent his time refining pills in the side courtyard, and his cultivation level increased extremely quickly.

Chen Yuan did not wake him from his meditation, but instead activated the Kunpeng True Blood and continued to use the teleportation technique to arrive at Dugu Sha's main hall.

He didn't teleport directly into the main hall in the past because he didn't want to reveal his black wings to Dugu Sha.

Although Chen Yuan left a fire lotus mark in Dugu Sha's soul, this did not make him completely trust Dugu Sha, so he never revealed Ling Shuoye's background to Dugu Sha.

However, in order to make a deal with Ao Ye, Chen Yuan had to disguise himself as a Kunyu demon general, making Dugu Sha mistakenly believe that he had Kunyu bloodline, so he simply stopped hiding it.

Only Dugu Sha was in the hall. Chen Yuan got straight to the point: "Please find a quiet place, fellow Daoist, as I need to refine the Jade Marrow Mushroom into a pill."

Dugu Sha led Chen Yuan to a quiet courtyard behind the main hall. They entered the main room, where the spiritual energy was abundant, comparable to that in the main hall.

Dugu Sha said, "This is where I secluded myself for cultivation, and the spiritual energy here is quite abundant."

"If you don't mind, you can refine pills here. I will protect you and no one will disturb you."

Chen Yuan bowed in thanks, and Dugu Sha left the small courtyard. Under Chen Yuan's divine sense, he walked into a side courtyard, entered a room, and began meditating and cultivating.

Chen Yuan left behind a wisp of his divine sense, keeping a close watch on his surroundings, before pushing open the door and entering the cultivation room.

The interior was simply furnished, with nothing but a futon inside.

On the ground in front of the futon, there was a spirit-gathering array.

Chen Yuan sat down cross-legged and pointed his finger. The spirit-gathering array flickered slightly, and the spiritual energy in the cultivation room gradually became denser, comparable to a medium-sized spiritual vein.

Chen Yuan nodded secretly. There were many Nascent Soul cultivators in the Dragon God Sect. Dugu Sha was only at the early stage of Nascent Soul cultivation, but the concentration of spiritual energy in his cultivation room was comparable to that of a mid-stage spiritual vein, which was already quite good.

With a flick of his sleeve, the alchemy furnace and several wooden boxes with sealing talismans appeared out of thin air on the floor.

With another flick of the fingers, the sealing talisman was removed on its own, the box lid opened, revealing the Jade Marrow Fungus and several other spiritual herbs.

Jade Marrow Pill is a late-stage Nascent Soul elixir, made primarily with three thousand-year-old Jade Marrow Ganoderma lucidum and supplemented with three thousand-year-old spiritual herbs.

Jade Marrow Ganoderma is rare, but the other three thousand-year-old spiritual herbs are relatively common.

Chen Yuan had already collected over a hundred thousand-year-old spiritual herbs from places like the Dongxu Mountain Secret Realm and the Yuling Sect Secret Realm.

He raised his hand and made a hand seal, and the alchemy furnace slowly flew up and hovered above the spirit gathering array.

Chen Yuan endured the slight stinging pain in his meridians, and his true essence surged out, transforming into true fire that enveloped the alchemy furnace, causing the air in the cultivation room to quickly become scorching hot.

The alchemy furnace quickly turned a faint red. Chen Yuan pointed with his fingers, and the Jade Marrow Ganoderma slowly flew up from the wooden box and into the furnace. Under the scorching heat of the true fire, the Jade Marrow Ganoderma melted at a visible speed, turning into a ball of jade-white spiritual liquid, mixed with specks of black.

Strands of impurities transformed into grayish-black vapor, flying out from the holes around the alchemy furnace, and vanished into nothingness under the scorching heat of the true fire.

Chen Yuan closed his eyes slightly, his divine sense covering every corner of the alchemy furnace. He carefully controlled the true fire and patiently purified the spiritual liquid transformed from the jade marrow fungus.

With his current cultivation level and alchemy skills, refining ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul pills is already a piece of cake for him.

However, the healing formula is quite special, requiring the complete condensation of the essence of the Jade Marrow Ganoderma to maximize its medicinal power.

There is only one pill when it is made, just like refining a weapon. If you make a mistake, all your efforts will be wasted.

Chen Yuan knew he could not find another four-thousand-year-old Jade Marrow Ganoderma, so he was extremely cautious, as if he were refining a Nascent Soul elixir.

The cultivation room was completely silent. The true fire burned quietly, with only a slight crackling sound as the ash formed from impurities disappeared.

……

North of the Myriad Demon Continent, the grey-blue sea stretches to the horizon, with dark shadows floating between the undulating waves.

A leaden-gray haze shrouds the sea year-round, filtering the sunlight into a pale glimmer, and one can vaguely see a huge black shadow slowly moving beneath the surface.

Amidst the mist, a majestic island looms in and out of sight, as if cleaved in two by a giant axe, with a deep abyss running north to south through its center.

The grey-blue seawater, frothy with white foam, surged through the abyss.

The cliffs on both sides are over a hundred feet high, with dark black rock layers exposed, gleaming with an iron-like luster.

The island is lush and verdant, with ancient trees whose roots are intertwined and cling to the cliffs, and vines hanging down like waterfalls.

West Island, however, is a deep crimson red, with layers of weathered sandstone resembling waves of blood, barren of any vegetation.

A desolate, drawn-out lament lingered above the giant island, like the whisper of an ancient god.

In the middle of the island, on a desolate plain, stands a grand hall built of massive stones, shrouded in a deep black mist.

The main hall was also filled with a deep black mist, which gathered into wisps of black fog that seemed to possess intelligence and wandered around erratically.

Deep within the black mist, a cage built of bones could be vaguely seen, its surface gleaming with a chilling light under the illumination of eight dim candles around it.

The cage was not large, only about ten feet in diameter, but the bones were exceptionally thick, clearly taken from a giant beast.

A figure sat cross-legged on the ground in the middle of the cage, wearing a set of ancient battle armor, all black and covered with scars. On both shoulders were ferocious beast heads, and a long crack extended from the beast head on the left shoulder all the way to the right chest.

His black hair was draped down, obscuring his face. His head drooped limply, his life force was weak, like a candle flickering in the wind, exuding a sense of deathly stillness.

Suddenly, the two heavy palace doors quietly opened, and a person walked in.

The crisp sound of footsteps broke the silence, echoing in the hall. Wisps of black mist dispersed in all directions, making way for a path.

The man slowly approached the cage of bones. In the dim candlelight, it could be seen that he looked quite young, only about twenty or thirty years old.

He was dressed in purple, tall and handsome, with a smile on his lips and a relaxed and carefree expression, as if he were a visitor meeting a friend.

He sized up the disheveled cultivator in the cage, his gaze settling on the black armor, which radiated a hint of heat. He smiled and asked, "What has your decision been, sir?"

"As long as you are willing to hand over this magical treasure and join the Kun God Sect, you can immediately take over as the sect leader."

"It is not impossible that he will ascend to the upper realm in the future and continue his path of cultivation."

The cultivator in the cage trembled, as if he had just awakened from a deep sleep.

He slowly raised his head, and through his disheveled black hair, one could see a pair of dark, pure black eyes, no different from the black mist in the hall.

He suddenly laughed, a hoarse laugh as sharp and piercing as the cry of an owl, causing the purple-robed cultivator to frown.

"A cult that worships demons and evil spirits wants me to join?"

"Throughout my journey, I have fought countless battles, lost countless lives, and used any means necessary, but I will never bow down and become a slave!"

The purple-robed cultivator's face darkened: "You've finally reached the Nascent Soul stage, are you willing to die here and let all your cultivation go to waste?"

The disheveled cultivator sneered, "Kill me or torture me, go ahead and do it."

"If any one of you dies, the Xuan Yin Armor will shatter, leaving you with nothing."

The purple-robed cultivator's eyes flashed with a sharp light. With a heavy flick of his sleeve, wisps of black mist that had been circulating in the hall rushed into the cage from all directions, like pythons and snakes, lunging at the disheveled cultivator.

A loud whooshing sound arose as the black mist crashed into the black armor, which shimmered faintly, but the light was extremely dim.

The black mist shattered with a crash, but a wisp of it still managed to seep into the body of the disheveled cultivator.

As hundreds of black mists shattered, hundreds of tiny wisps of mist seeped into the body of the disheveled cultivator.

The monk with disheveled hair could no longer maintain his cross-legged posture. He collapsed to the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably. His ten fingers dug deeply into the hard ground, and he let out heart-wrenching howls that sent chills down everyone's spines.

The purple-robed cultivator's gaze burned even brighter as he looked at the black armor.

As expected of a spiritual treasure armor, even with such dim spiritual energy, it can still block the all-pervasive soul-refining mist.

A quarter of an hour later, after the disheveled cultivator had been corroded into his body by thousands of strands of black mist, the endless stream of black mist finally stopped.

He trembled as he struggled to his feet, his disheveled black hair spreading out to reveal a hideous face covered in purplish-black scars, making him unrecognizable.

He sneered, his voice chilling: "You think you can make me, Ren, submit to mere soul-extraction and spirit-refining pain?"

The purple-robed cultivator frowned deeply; the ease and composure he had displayed upon entering the hall were nowhere to be seen.

"You have cultivated diligently for many years, do you not wish to ascend to the Upper Realm?"

"My patience is limited. If you remain stubborn, I will show no mercy, even if it means my magical treasure shatters!"

The disheveled cultivator laughed loudly, his laughter full of sarcasm: "I cultivate immortality, seeking only carefree longevity. My thoughts are always on how to ascend to the Spirit Realm. For this, I did not hesitate to violate the sect rules and completely refine the Xuan Yin Armor."

"If you can help me ascend to the Spirit Realm, I will immediately offer you all the treasures I have, not to mention the Xuan Yin Armor."

"But if you want to plant a soul restriction within me, I don't know which demon realm I'll ascend to, and I'll still be subject to the control of your demon race. I'd rather die than do that!"

The purple-robed cultivator's expression darkened, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes as he stared intently at the disheveled cultivator.

The long-haired monk looked back at him, his dark eyes filled with mockery, showing no fear whatsoever.

The purple-robed cultivator's killing intent grew stronger, but after glancing at the black armor, he couldn't bear to part with the magical treasure. He snorted coldly and left.

The black mist gathered behind him, and the disheveled cultivator laughed loudly again, the mournful laughter echoing through the hall for a long time. (End of Chapter)