Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 560 The Mysterious Heaven Transformation: Bloodstained Heaven and Earth, The Nine Li Cauldron Suppresses the Wilderness (Seeking Rewards and Subscriptions!)

The spiritual energy and solemn planning that lingered within the Taiqing Dao Hall were shut out as the two jade doors behind them slowly closed.

If Lu Cheng hadn't discovered Duan Tianyan himself, he would never have revealed a single detail of this plan to him.

The Taoist transformed into a beam of light and flew from Zhengyang Peak back to the front of the Jiuxuan Ningzhen Cave on Taiyue Peak.

Lu Cheng stood alone on the jade steps of the cave on Mount Taiyue, subconsciously looking at the swirling, swirling demonic clouds outside the protective array.

Above the dome, the "Purple Qi Sky-Patrolling Five Thunder Immortal Array" was like a huge purple net, silently operating under the heavy dark sky. As the spiritual light flowed, it occasionally stirred up tiny arcs of purple lightning, tearing through the demonic atmosphere, but it could not cleanse the heavy deathly aura within the mountain gate.

"Heaven and earth are the furnace, creation is the craftsman, yin and yang are the charcoal, and all things are the copper. All living beings dwell within this realm, enduring unimaginable suffering and endless torment..."

The thought arose in my mind once again: perhaps in the eyes of my two senior uncles, Xuanqing and Xuanzhen, this great calamity was a trial for everyone on Mount Taiqing.

It is both a calamity and a fortune. How can cultivators who cannot bear it be worthy of following and enjoying the eternal destiny of the Taiqing Sect?

Moreover, from Lu Cheng's perspective, he cannot blame his two senior uncles, because although it is cruel, in the future, they will really have to fight to the death with demonic cultivators on the front line of flying sword demon refining, risking tens of thousands of years of cultivation.

Under such a global trend, any weakness is tantamount to aiding the enemy!

"It's just a pity about Junior Brother Duan..."

The cold wind howled, whipping the hem of his Taoist robe, but it couldn't dispel the deep worry that clung to his brow.

Lu Cheng's mind raced, repeatedly deducing the matter within his consciousness. The scheme devised by Daoist Xuanqing and Sect Leader Xuanzhenzi was simple, clear, grand, and brutal.

They sacrificed one person or even an entire clan as bait to lure the three great demon ancestors of the Six Desires Demon Sect into a trap, thereby seeking to ensure the Taiqing Sect's continued prosperity for ten thousand years after this battle.

But what is the key to it?

Firstly, there was the sacrifice. Duan Tianyan, a true disciple who originally had the potential to reach the Void Returning stage and had a bright future, was now about to embark on a demonic path of no return.

Not only must one switch to demonic cultivation, but one must also abandon one's Dao heart and make hundreds or thousands of years of effort to gain the trust of demonic cultivators. In this process, the entire Duan family must also be internally corrupted by demons, and subsequent generations must sacrifice themselves for this plan, because cultivators with too low a cultivation level simply cannot hide their thoughts in front of demonic cultivators.

In other words, the Duan family, after Duan Tianyan, will really have to embark on the demonic path under the leadership of the family patriarch. The more loyal the disciples are to the sect, the less they will be tolerated by the family. The unbearable and tragic situation is unimaginable. Only cultivators who are loyal to the sect and have an iron will can shoulder this task.

Secondly, there is greed. Jiyuan, Tianming, and Xinyan are all powerful figures in the ancient demon realm. Having fought their way to the top amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the conspiracies and treachery they have experienced are probably more numerous than the top-grade immortal jade within the Taiqing Sect.

With his deep cunning and keen intuition, how could he possibly be fooled by ordinary tricks?
There is only one thing that can blind the senses of such a demonic giant—greed!
The "immortality" divine power that Lu Cheng possessed, which originated from the "Mysterious Heaven Divine Art," was a possibility for the Nightmare Ancestor to break through to a higher bottleneck; the spiritual energy, resources, and soul essence accumulated within the Taiqing Sect for tens of thousands of years were a feast for the Demon Ancestors such as Jiyuan and Tianming to nourish the demonic path and assist in their breakthrough to a higher realm!

If one is greedy enough, the immense profits are strong enough to make the three demon ancestors suppress the slightest doubt in their hearts and arouse the almost instinctive plundering desire in their nature.

Only in this way can we make him willing to pay any price to personally step into this killing spree prepared specifically for him!
"The Six Desires Heavenly Demon Sect has already shown its greed and fangs, but the Qiankun Holy Demon Sect is still like an undercurrent... These two lines need to be considered simultaneously. Hmph, let the senior uncles and grandmasters figure out the details. I am not in that position, so I will not concern myself with such matters."

With this thought in mind, Lu Cheng's body flashed with a clear light, and he stepped into the cave. His figure disappeared into the misty spiritual fog of Mount Tai.

The others are one thing, but the Nightmare Ancestor is someone Lu Cheng is determined to kill.

This demon had glimpsed some changes in his own Xuan Tian Divine Art over the past thousand years, and still couldn't forget him. If he didn't take advantage of this calamity to completely eliminate him, Lu Cheng felt distracted even while meditating.

However, how easy is it to kill a Mahayana cultivator with a Void Returning Body?
Several days later, deep within Mount Tai.

"Shifting stars and changing constellations, the work of nature!"

Lu Cheng Daoist held a hand seal in front of him, and a deep shout resounded, not words, but a resonance of immense divine thought and magical power.

As time passed, deep within the secret realm of Mount Tai, a massive, ancient, and imposing black warship, resembling a mountain range lying prone, was suddenly activated.

Rumble——!
It was as if the sky had collapsed and the earth trembled!
The space above Mount Tai was forcibly torn apart by an overwhelming force, and an indescribably massive floating continent, carrying terrifying power, squeezed in from the void.

This is one of the foundations that the Taiqing Sect has for suppressing destiny in the Immortal Realm: an eighth-order giant spirit flying ship!
This ship is no ordinary magical artifact. Its hull is made by collecting the core metals of countless stars and mixing them with ancient divine objects. It is engraved with thousands of arrays and has its own small world inside, with continuous mountain ranges, rushing rivers, pavilions, towers, and spirit-gathering arrays for cultivators to rest and cultivate.

It is not merely a weapon of war, but also a mobile immortal island for cultivation, a floating war fortress and giant ship.

Such a giant ship cannot be summoned casually now. Otherwise, even with the vastness of Taiqing Mountain, if all the flying ships were summoned from the secret realm, they would probably collide with each other.

In the past few days, Lu Cheng has also informed the sect that he has been granted the permission to float in the air.

"Master, the teleportation array is ready!"

Inside the giant flying ship, welcoming Lu Cheng were his two Nascent Soul disciples, Shi Sheng and Yun Huang'er. They had also successfully ascended to the Upper Realm. Although the process was bumpy and involved some trials, they had ultimately achieved longevity and their cultivation had not been in vain.

"Okay, then let's teleport."

Soon after, the main body of the Giant Spirit ship was filled with celestial light, and its bow, like the head of a ferocious beast, pointed into the depths of the void.

Several hours later, a massive pillar of spiritual energy shot into the sky, tearing through the void. The next moment, the entire giant spirit ship vanished without a trace.

At this moment, with the entire Taiqing Sect under lockdown, there are no more than twenty people who still have the authority to teleport away.

Because the resources consumed in just one such teleportation could support many Nascent Soul cultivators, frequent use would inevitably cause unrest among the entire sect.

Occasionally, it can also be interpreted as performing some necessary tasks.

Fortunately, Lu Chengxuanjun, the Sword-wielding Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall of Taiyue Peak, has always been known in the sect as a shrewd and capable cultivator, a prodigy of the sect.

When he left the mountain, most sect cultivators would assume that he was carrying out an important sect mission. Moreover, because of the departure of the elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, many people in the sect could breathe a sigh of relief and no longer be so tense.

In a wild and untamed world, there is a forbidden mountain range that is sealed by tens of thousands of layers of magic arrays!
The mountains are like a forest, and the mysterious runes outlined by the array move like dragons and snakes in this space, exuding a powerful magic force that is enough to suppress cultivators who have returned to the Void Realm.

However, in the center of the forbidden area was a distorted, desolate, and lifeless valley. The earth was cracked, not a blade of grass grew, and even the space itself had a sense of decay and desolation.

A dense, malevolent aura, powerful enough to kill even a Nascent Soul cultivator upon contact, permeated the area, forming a viscous, grayish-purple poisonous mist that continuously corroded the surrounding space-reinforcing array.

Ripples constantly spread across the light barrier, revealing the terrifying nature of the object sealed within.

However, Lu Cheng knew in his heart that this was still due to sufficient supplies; it had not gone mad, but was merely experiencing a situation caused by the overflow of its own highly toxic laws.

If the ferocious creature within the formation were to be unleashed, billions of miles of land would soon be turned into a death zone.

Lu Cheng's figure appeared silently above this restricted space, his feet treading on the void, his hands behind his back, his Taoist robe fluttering in the fierce wind.

The Taoist's gaze was sharp, with faint golden-red flames flickering within it, piercing through layers of distorted light and shadow and surging poisonous miasma, heading straight into the depths of the valley.

There, the outline of a massive beast, as large as a small mountain, was faintly visible—a ninth-tier wild beast, the Netherworld Ghost Scorpion!

Its size was so great that it resembled several mountains stacked on top of each other, and its ferocious carapace was as black as ink, flowing with a ghostly light that seemed to solidify the darkness.

Eight giant, pillar-like legs were deeply embedded in the ground, corroded by venom into a glassy state. The scorpion claws at their ends gleamed with a cold light, capable of easily crushing high-level magical artifacts.

What is most terrifying is its massive, winding scorpion tail, which resembles a small mountain. At the tip of the tail, a dark light of indescribable depth flickers. Wherever it passes, it silently leaves behind slender yet lingering "void wounds" in the space—those are extremely concentrated Netherworld Corrosive Poisons. Even any Mahayana cultivator would be severely injured if struck by one of these wounds, if not killed!

On the center of the massive scorpion's back, the texture of its carapace twists and turns, forming a blurry, distorted, and primal outline of a huge face.

With a half-smile, and eyes that are not eyes, but two points of constantly burning and leaping scarlet blood flames, containing madness, hunger, and chaos, this "human face" seems to be a distorted projection of the vast malevolent thoughts and a little bit of ignorant spirituality of the Netherworld Ghost Scorpion, the most direct manifestation of the ferocious beast's emotions!
“Roar… Screech…” Neither a beast’s roar nor human speech, an extremely strange and sharp screech, mixed with mental shock, rang out from the depths of the valley, crashing into the surrounding sealing formation and stirring up large ripples and sparks.

The Netherworld Scorpion sensed Lu Cheng's arrival. The blood flames on its distorted "human face" suddenly surged, locking onto Lu Cheng's direction. A massive baleful aura crashed down like a tangible tsunami!

"I have always been reluctant to rely too much on the power of the Nine Li Cauldron, but if we can subdue this demon before this battle, it will be a blessing for both the sect and me."

boom.

An immense burst of magical power caused the void to tremble violently.

The giant flying ship that emerged from the Xuanhuang Pagoda lit up with billions of runes and let out a deafening roar.

The entire ship seemed to come alive, instantly twisting, deforming, and reforming. In an instant, a towering, golden giant, thousands of feet tall, stood between heaven and earth.

The giant's face was blurred, except for the dark golden flames burning in the area where his eyes were.

His entire body was covered in incredibly thick heavy armor with flowing runes, and his muscle texture was made of tough dragon bone and divine metal.

Stars are its bones, metal is its flesh, and Taoist principles are its soul.

This is the giant spirit flying ship piloted by Lu Cheng. Lu Cheng Daoist himself has the magic power of the peak of the Returning to the Void realm, with a profound foundation and powerful magic power that is almost no less than that of ordinary Mahayana realm cultivators. His combat ability is almost unparalleled in the world. He pilots an eighth-order giant spirit flying ship, making him one of the top cultivators in the world at the peak of the Integration realm. If he were to be further empowered by the Purple Qi Sky-Patrolling Five Thunder Immortal Array, he could theoretically fight a Mahayana cultivator alone. However, this is only in theory; in reality, it is almost impossible to do so.

The difference between the two realms, merely a difference in their understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, was enough to cause Lu Cheng to quickly lose control of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and even the magical power he unleashed.

Insects and wild beasts are born with chaotic intelligence and are incomparably ferocious. This Netherworld Scorpion before us, precisely because its life form is too primitive and ancient, although its intelligence is low, the primal power contained in its flesh and blood has reached an inconceivable level under the nourishment of long years and special environment!

Its defenses are tough, its life force is strong, and it is almost immortal; moreover, due to the "Netherworld" attribute it contains, its poison is so strange and domineering that even a demon ancestor like the Nightmare Ancestor has to be wary of it.

However, in comparison, this Netherworld Scorpion is ultimately far inferior to a demonic giant like the Nightmare Ancestor.

"You beast, you have been supported by the sect for thousands of years, yet you are still not satisfied, and your ferocity only grows stronger! Today I will subdue you and make you my spirit beast, which will also be considered as accumulating merit for you!" Lu Cheng's voice was icy cold, like a cold current sweeping down from the heavens, containing an unquestionable pressure and decisiveness.

The formation here was set up by the Taiqing Sect, but it is not enough to suppress this wild beast. It is only because it has been fed blood for thousands of years that this low-intelligence insect beast has regarded this place as its nest and is unwilling to leave easily, but that is all.

Lu Cheng's thoughts stirred slightly, and the inner world of the Giant Spirit responded instantly!

Boundless spiritual light surged from the various array nodes of the Zhou Tian Giant Spirit God General, converging into thick chains of magical power, like the thunderous whips of ancient immortals, fiercely striking the Netherworld Ghost Scorpion in the center of the valley!

This wild beast was kept in the desolate mountains by the Taiqing Sect during its external wars. Now that the Taiqing Sect's power has been completely withdrawn, this wild beast will break out of the formation sooner or later. After learning about this information from the sect, Lu Cheng had this idea in his mind.

This is also the advantage of having a sect behind you. Normally, the opportunities that a sect can encounter far exceed the total number of opportunities that an individual can obtain.

"Crack! Boom!"

The divine chain lashed against the Netherworld Scorpion's thick carapace, unleashing a deafening roar and blinding sparks of energy!
Deep scratches appeared on the indestructible, jet-black carapace, splattering out viscous, magma-like black poisonous blood, instantly corroding the air with a hissing sound.

However, this terrifying attack, which was enough to severely injure or even kill a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was nothing more than a superficial pain to the massive Netherworld Scorpion, which was as large as a star. It didn't even manage to shake its enormous body!
“Ouch——!!!”

Under the intense pain, the "human face" on its carapace completely twisted and deformed, and two points of blood-red flames blazed fiercely! The Netherworld Scorpion let out a soul-piercing shriek, and the dark light at the end of its tail suddenly surged!

scoff!

A thin, almost invisible black ray ignored spatial distance, instantly pierced through layers of sealing arrays, and shot straight at Lu Cheng's face!

With its incredible speed and overwhelming power, the ray left a permanent charred black crack in the void wherever it passed, exuding an aura of annihilation—the Netherworld Corrosive Ray!
However, the moment Lu Cheng made his move, he had already begun to activate his escape technique.

At the peak of the Fusion Realm, attacking a ninth-tier desolate beast, even if one attacks the beast a hundred times, the beast might not be seriously injured. However, if the beast's attack lands on the attacker even once, the entire Giant Spirit Flying Ship would be instantly pierced through, suffering irreparable damage. This is unacceptable for the Taiqing Sect at its current state.

Furthermore, his opponent's mental processing speed was far superior to his own, so Lu Cheng had to anticipate every move in the fight and could not afford to make a mistake.

"Five Elements Bewitching Immortal Steps!"

Lu Cheng propelled the Giant Spirit General forward with a single step, his figure vanishing instantly into the void, leaving behind only a terrifying aftershock of energy that suddenly exploded and then dissipated. In the next instant, he appeared high in the sky at the edge of the valley, his escape technique as swift as teleportation.

However, the poisonous light, like a leech, strangely twisted and refracted in mid-air and shot out again!

Lu Cheng dodged it seven or eight times in a row before the divine sense on that Netherworld Corrosive Ray of Light was finally exhausted. It struck a mountain and instantly eroded it completely, as if it had vanished into thin air.

"I can damage it, even if it takes ten thousand hits. At the same time, I must protect myself, at least to prevent the giant flying ship from suffering excessive damage."

"Roar--!"

Enraged by the intruder, the Netherworld Scorpion let out a deafening roar. In an instant, the arrays on all sides collapsed. Its massive body moved like lightning, lunging forward with unimaginable speed.

"So fast!? There's no way to dodge it."

Upon seeing this, Lu Cheng sighed inwardly and began to vigorously circulate the power of the Xuan Tian Divine Art within his body.

Faced with this fierce battle that could severely injure a Mahayana cultivator, he not only did not use all his strength to control the Giant Spirit General to dodge or withstand it, but at the critical moment, his figure suddenly stepped out of the core formation!
He actually used his physical body to directly block the Netherworld Scorpion and the Giant Spirit General!
boom!
The bluish-purple poisonous light pierced through Lu Cheng's protective magic without any hindrance and precisely stabbed into his chest!

Indescribable pain instantly overwhelmed his primordial spirit. The corrosive poison was extremely domineering, not only eroding his physical body but also annihilating his life force, directly attacking the very foundation of his soul!
Lu Cheng's body disintegrated and melted at a speed visible to the naked eye, then turned into a handful of bluish-purple ashes and scattered!
First death!
However, just as Lu Cheng's body was completely annihilated, the Giant Spirit General's long-awaited attack suddenly erupted!

The giant hammer, imbued with the sharp energy of Geng metal and the heavy power of Wu earth, slammed down with the sound of wind and thunder onto the exposed abdomen of the Ghost Scorpion's body as it launched its attack!

Boom!
Amidst the dull, drum-like crashing sound, the scorpion's armor, as hard as divine metal and as tough as black iron, was dented, and fine cracks spread out!

The scorpion, in pain, let out an even sharper roar, and its massive body retreated slightly.

With its intelligence, it was somewhat confused about what had just happened. In its perception, the most threatening creature should have been killed by it!
Almost simultaneously, within the core of the Xuanjin Giant, space distorted, and countless starlight-like particles rapidly condensed!
Lu Cheng's face was slightly pale, but it quickly regained its color, and his eyes became even sharper than before. A brand new, undamaged Dao body was instantly reshaped by the convergence of billions of stardust.

The Mysterious Heaven Divine Skill has thirty-six transformations. Each layer of life force can block a fatal blow and complete a substitute death and rebirth!

Cultivation has thirty-six transformations, which means there are thirty-six lives.

"I can be resurrected by practicing the Taoist Transformation and Ascension Technique. The Giant Spirit Flying Ship does not have the resources to repair itself thirty-six times, and even if it could be repaired, it would take a lot of time."

Without the slightest pause, Lu Cheng's soul instantly reconnected to the core of the spaceship. The array beneath the Xuanjin giant's feet flickered with spiritual light, and the enormous alloy hand once again transformed into a magic spear wrapped in lightning, stabbing without hesitation at the crack that had just appeared on the Ghost Scorpion's carapace!

Boom! Sizzle—!
"Roar!"

Click...

The Netherworld Scorpion has lived for countless millennia before advancing to the ninth-order life form, possibly even millions or tens of millions of years. It can be considered a living fossil even in the cultivation world.

After suffering a series of setbacks, it quickly recovered.

Instead of pondering questions they couldn't understand, they focused solely on slaughtering Lu Cheng.

In the initial few exchanges, the Netherworld Scorpion displayed its ferocious and exquisite killing techniques, combined with its mental processing and speed far surpassing Lu Cheng's.

They could all forcibly create a deadly trap that Lu Cheng could not avoid, but in this process, a Lu Cheng Taoist would inevitably emerge from the void and resolutely use his own body to withstand the destructive attack, like a moth drawn to a flame, instantly turning into ashes and scattering away.

The Netherworld Scorpion was certain that this was not some kind of magic or illusion; the person it had killed was a real, genuine cultivator.

Meanwhile, the Giant Spirit God would always seize the fleeting openings or stiffness that appeared due to the attack, and unleash a massive magical attack—whether it be a heavy hammer, a divine spear, or a heavy punch—on the Ghost Scorpion's hard carapace, thick joints, or its most threatening, high-hanging tail!

Each attack landed precisely over the previous trace!

The second layer of life force dissipated... The carapace on the left foreleg joint of the Ghost Scorpion cracked even more!

The fifth layer of life force dissipated... The hard shell in the middle of the scorpion's tail was torn apart, revealing the magic power and flesh inside, which surged with bluish-purple poisonous mist!
The eighth layer of life force dissipated... Lu Cheng deliberately sacrificed himself to create an opportunity, while simultaneously controlling the other arm of the Giant Spirit General to strike the Ghost Scorpion's weak jaw with overwhelming physical force from the side, causing its massive body to crash and overturn!
The price is an increasingly profound experience of death.

The erosion of the Netherworld Poison penetrated deeper and deeper into his primordial spirit with each rebirth. With each rebirth, Lu Cheng could feel the excruciating pain and weakness emanating from the depths of his soul, as if he were being repeatedly pierced by billions of poisonous needles.

That was the Corrosive Poison trying to pollute the foundation of his Daoist practice and erode his immortal origin!

"The gap is two major realms. Even with the help of an eighth-tier flying ship, it's really too much of a stretch. But we can use Samadhi True Fire to temporarily delay and suppress it, and then slowly find time to remove it later. At worst, when our profound skills advance further, we can integrate the true spirit blood of this ghost scorpion. Its own poison will surely have no way to suppress it."

Lu Cheng's Taoist Transformation and Ascension Technique can be described as a divinely bestowed extraordinary skill. This is partly due to the profound and mysterious nature of the technique, and partly because it incorporates too much blood of primordial true spirits, thus making it unaffected by the suppression of realms or the restraint of insufficient understanding of laws.

No matter who kills him, it almost always takes thirty-six attempts.

As for his current state of being poisoned, it is a Taoist transformation and ascension technique. It is indeed slightly restrained by this kind of poison-based Dao, but it is not because Lu Cheng himself has practiced it in the wrong direction.

On the other hand, the Netherworld Scorpion, as a wild beast, lacks spirituality. Although its mental processing and attack speed far exceed Lu Cheng's reaction limit, its tactics are limited to just a few fixed patterns.

After several rounds of fighting, Lu Cheng could deduce its next twenty or thirty moves just by seeing it raise its tail.

The struggle between the two sides naturally became increasingly difficult to resolve, consuming time.

"What I need to be careful about now is not to damage it too badly. If it doesn't recover properly within a few hundred years, it will be useless."

If the goal was to kill it, Lu Cheng would have torn off the Netherworld Scorpion's tail immediately. But since the goal was to subdue it, he couldn't do that.

As the struggle progressed, the landscape of mountains and rivers in all directions changed, and Lu Cheng's twelfth life force collapsed with a roar!
Having fought against an ant and a poisonous mosquito to this point, the ghostly scorpion seemed to be completely enraged. Its scorpion tail pierced through the enemy with a speed beyond the reach of divine sense, and three beams of blue-purple light erupted simultaneously. Lu Cheng resisted with all his might, but his body was ultimately pierced through three times, like a paper figure burned by a deadly flame, and was completely annihilated in the desolate blue-purple light.

Inside the core magic array of the Giant Spirit God, Lu Cheng's thirteenth rebirth appeared somewhat unsteady.

A trace of pale golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, veins bulged on his forehead, and he forcefully suppressed the turbulent poisonous energy churning within his soul, yet his eyes burned with an even more intense will.

"Not enough! It's not quite there yet!"

attack!

The Giant Spirit General roared, and taking advantage of the moment when the Ghost Scorpion's aura weakened slightly after its outburst, it plunged its arms into the earth, unleashing an unparalleled surge of earth elemental power!
The entire valley was like a boiling swamp, with countless sharp spikes formed from refined gold mixed with the earth's spiritual energy, like suddenly blooming death lotuses, bursting out from under the Ghost Scorpion's massive body!
"Puff puff!"

The ear-piercing sound of metal tearing through carapace rang out one after another!
Although the scorpion's tough underbelly armor was not completely pierced, the area, already riddled with cracks, could no longer withstand the continuous and targeted blows. Like shattered porcelain, it peeled off piece by piece, and its foul-smelling, dark green blood, containing potent poison, gushed out like a small waterfall!

The intense pain caused the ancient beast to convulse wildly!
After several more days and nights of fierce fighting, the fifteenth layer of life force dissipated!
Lu Cheng gritted his teeth and endured the tearing sensation of the poisonous stinger piercing his chest, actively guiding some of the poison to attack himself.

The giant spirit god conjured a huge energy shackle, briefly binding one of the scorpion's legs, while the magic-breaking divine cone he condensed struck heavily at the base of the previously shattered tail hook!
"Crack!"

With a sickeningly sharp crack, a huge, deep gash, exposing the bone, was smashed open at the point where the scorpion's deadly hook was attached!

A dark purple venomous liquid surged forth, filling the valley with a deadly toxic odor.

attack!

The giant spirit god almost paid the price of temporarily destroying the structure of one of his arms (the surface deck was corroded and pitted, and the spiritual light was dim) to smash the eighth-order lightning pearl containing a huge divine lightning power into the huge wound in the scorpion's abdomen!
"Boom—!" A muffled explosion erupted inside the Ghost Scorpion's body, with lightning crackling and ravaging its internal organs!
The scorpion let out its most mournful and painful howl since the start of the battle. For the first time, its massive, mountain-like body went completely limp, and its tail convulsed and pounded the ground in agony, shaking the entire surrounding area.

Although this eighth-order thunder bead is not as powerful as the ninth-order one-time magic treasure, the Taiqing One Qi Annihilation Immortal Thunder, bestowed by the sect, it is still terrifying enough. It is a treasured possession acquired by Lu Cheng over thousands of years of trading between the two worlds. It is said that in order to refine this thunder bead, a Nascent Soul cultivator who was in the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man deliberately invited a thunder tribulation to commit suicide, leaving behind the thunder mechanism as an inheritance to protect his family.

At this moment, the Netherworld Scorpion was no longer as ferocious as it had been initially.

Its carapace was shattered, and many joints were deformed and broken. In particular, its terrifying scorpion tail was almost broken at the base, with only a few pieces of flesh and tendons connecting it. The deadly tail hook drooped limply, flowing with mixed blood venom.

Dark green and bluish-purple blood stained almost the entire valley floor, forming highly toxic streams.

It struggled to get up, but the raging divine lightning within its body and its severe injuries caused every effort to affect its entire body, resulting in more violent convulsions and hissing. Its breath was extremely weak, and for the first time, its fierce eyes revealed an undisguised weakness and...fear!
"This is the moment!"

Inside the core array of the spaceship, Lu Cheng Daoist, who had just completed his sixteenth rebirth, was as pale as paper, and his aura was somewhat unstable, with the operation of the Xuan Tian Divine Art being slightly sluggish.

But at this moment, his eyes were frighteningly bright. He was naturally combative and loved fighting. Whenever he faced a life-or-death struggle, he would devote himself wholeheartedly, determined to kill and win, and the enemy would surely die!

At least so far, Daoist Lu Cheng has never been defeated.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Cheng suppressed the stinging pain in his soul, his hands forming countless profound and ancient hand seals like butterflies flitting among flowers.

A beam of light, exuding a vast and primordial aura, slowly flew out from between his brows, spinning rapidly and swelling in the wind!
The cauldron is thick and heavy, and it is engraved with totems of birds, beasts, insects, fish, sun, moon and stars, and the sacrifices of the ancestors. A vast and mighty power that suppresses heaven and earth and melts all things spreads out like a tide!

The cauldron seemed to contain a vortex from the beginning of chaos, unfathomable, slowly swallowing even the surrounding light.

"Om-!"

The Nine Li Cauldron hovered above the limp Ghost Scorpion, its mouth aimed at its massive head. Lu Cheng spat a mouthful of blood essence onto the cauldron, stimulating its spiritual power, and uttered a low shout, his Daoist voice like a decree from heaven and earth:
"In the distant past, a calamity arose, commanding the netherworld! Now that you have been wounded, you should understand the will of Heaven!"

"The Nine Li are here, with heaven and earth as their furnace and all laws as their fuel, to subdue your evil spirit!"

"I hereby submit this petition, pleading on behalf of Heaven for divine punishment and a pardon! I submit!"

hum!
Long!
Suddenly, the Nine Li Cauldron erupted with billions of beams of Xuanhuang divine light!
The totems on the cauldron seemed to come alive, with the shouts of the ancient people, the roars of ancient beasts, the trajectories of the stars, and all sorts of strange phenomena appearing!
An irresistible force of suction locked onto the Netherworld Scorpion!
The scorpion instinctively sensed impending doom and let out a desperate shriek. Its broken body twisted and struggled wildly, and the remaining corrosive power instinctively sprayed outwards, attempting to corrode the space that imprisoned it.

However, the primordial will contained within that Xuanhuang divine light seemed to be its nemesis; the moment the poisonous mist came into contact with the divine light, it emitted a hissing sound and was quickly purified and eliminated.

The absorption power of the Nine Li Cauldron is not simply spatial displacement, but more like the suppression and sealing of some kind of Great Dao Law!
Countless beams of dark yellow light, shimmering with contract runes and the phantom of sealing chains, descended, like countless chains of divine order, wrapping around the massive body of the ghost scorpion. With each strand that wrapped around it, the ghost scorpion's struggling strength weakened.

In particular, the scorpion's enormous, mountain-like body seemed to be suppressed by the invisible power of countless mountains, leaving it with less and less room to resist.

"Roar!!!"

It was unwilling! It was furious! It let out a final, soul-shaking, and indomitable roar!

Even with its root severed, the scorpion's broken tail continued to thrash wildly, attempting a final, desperate strike. The last glimmer of purple light on its tail hook burst forth in a final, swan song, as a tiny yet extremely concentrated beam of poisonous light shot toward the Nine Li Cauldron!
However, this desperate counterattack prevented the cauldron's light from even trembling slightly!
"Hmph! Even now, you still dare to be so presumptuous!" Lu Cheng's face was ashen as he channeled his spiritual power into the Nine Li Cauldron without reservation.

"Suppress the wilderness! Seal it!"

The vortex at the mouth of the Nine Li Cauldron suddenly accelerated, and the Xuanhuang divine light solidified into a huge sealing rune, which fiercely struck the dying poisonous insect!

"laugh--"

The poisonous light, like a red-hot iron dropped into ice water, emitted a sharp, mournful cry before quickly dimming and dissipating. But the sealing rune, its momentum undiminished, remained firmly imprinted on the Ghost Scorpion's brow!
"Aww...woof..."

The final, unwilling hiss of the Ghost Scorpion abruptly ceased, its fierce light completely dimmed, and its massive body rapidly shrank under the envelopment of the Xuanhuang Divine Light, transforming into a turbid, dark blue-green stream of light, which was then drawn into the chaotic mouth of the Nine Li Cauldron by its powerful suction force.

"Boom!"

The lid of the cauldron closed by itself with a deep, thunderous roar. The Nine Li Cauldron trembled violently a few times, its surface flashing with an unpredictable light, as if a terrifying beast was rampaging wildly inside.

However, soon, countless tiny yet resilient phantom chains of laws appeared on the cauldron's surface, with profound incantations flowing endlessly, suppressing, refining, and calming the violent power.

Finally, the light of the Nine Li Cauldron stabilized, its size shrank to about a foot in height, ancient and heavy, hovering in front of Lu Cheng, emitting a deep hum:
"You brat, after a little nap I had, you've finally reached the point of becoming an immortal. Hmm? You actually chose the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique. Not bad!"
This is an extremely impressive foundation-building technique; reaching a high level in it promises great potential. Work hard! The scenery above the nine heavens is magnificent and breathtaking, far exceeding your imagination.

The next moment, the Nine Li Cauldron transformed into a golden light and once again entered Lu Cheng's chest. No matter how Lu Cheng called out with his divine sense, there was no response.

(End of this chapter)