I am in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have a demonic beast clone!

Time flies, flowing silently like a mountain spring.

A month has passed since Zhou Jin condensed his evil core and was appointed deputy island master in front of everyone.

Inside the Lingmu Peak cave, on the west side, lies a quiet chamber exclusively for Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin sat cross-legged on the futon in the center of the quiet room, as solid as a rock. The violent, chilling waves of blood-red aura that had previously emanated from him were no longer present.

The intense, almost tangible, ferocious aura had now subsided by seventy or eighty percent, transforming into a faint, dark red halo that clung to his body, as if draping him in an invisible armor of blood and ferocity.

Although its aura still carried an inescapable chill and ferocity, it could now be controlled at will, no longer as uncontrollable as it was when it was first formed, recklessly impacting the outside world.

The feeling of unstable power and weak foundation brought about by the condensation of the evil pill has been initially solidified after a full month of continuous seclusion to stabilize it and repeatedly temper it by practicing the secret method of the "Evil Pill Technique".

Within the dantian, the strange, dark red, and chaotically patterned blood-fiend pill began to rotate at a slower, more stable speed. With each rotation, it absorbed and released pure and ferocious blood-fiend essence, and its connection with the body and meridians became closer and smoother.

The more significant change occurred in his control over the new power.

In just one month, Zhou Jin not only stabilized his cultivation level, but also began to refine and master an important treasure that Zhou Ding had entrusted to him!

This is a slender flying sword, entirely emerald green, resembling a pool of autumn water. It is three feet and three inches long, with a narrow and thin blade that is almost transparent, gleaming with a faint, cool light that soothes the mind. The spine of the sword naturally has pale golden patterns like leaf veins, with wisps of wood spirit energy swirling around it.

This sword is named "Green Radiance" and was obtained from the Core Formation cultivator of the Spirit Control Sect.

Although this sword is not among the top-tier magical flying swords in the cultivation world, it is made of excellent materials and crafted with superb techniques. What is especially rare is the sense of vitality and sharpness brought by its wood attribute. Although it is not of the same origin as the bloodthirsty energy generated by the "Blood Refining Divine Light" technique, it is not incompatible with it.

After initial refinement, Zhou Jin was able to control the sword with ease, and its swift and unpredictable sword techniques, combined with the corrosive power of the blood energy, made it quite formidable.

With this sword, Zhou Jin began to study several powerful secret techniques recorded in the incomplete "Mysterious Yin Scripture". He had already begun to grasp the basics of one of them, a technique called "Blood Spirit Drill".

This technique compresses and condenses pure blood-fiend magic power to an extreme degree, forming an indestructible dark red diamond-like point that is specifically designed to break through all kinds of protective auras and magical shields. It is insidious, ruthless, and impossible to defend against.

With this sword and this technique by his side, Zhou Jin's current combat ability is by no means the worst among early-stage Core Formation cultivators; at least he possesses the means to protect himself and threaten those of the same level.

The stone door to the quiet room slid open silently, and Zhou Ding appeared in the doorway.

His gaze was calm as he slowly swept over Zhou Jin, who was sitting quietly. He sensed the stabilizing and solidifying power fluctuations within Zhou Jin's body, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He nodded slightly.

Immediately, he flipped his right hand, and something appeared in his palm.

This object was entirely black, shaped like a small square seal, only the size of an egg. When held in Zhou Ding's palm, it gave people a strange sense of oppression, as heavy as a mountain.

The seal is neither gold nor jade; its texture is simple and unadorned, its surface is smooth, and its fine, mysterious natural patterns are faintly visible.

The seal knob is carved into a blurry yet ferocious beast, roaring towards the sky.

The most eye-catching part is the bottom of the seal, where a character "镇" (zhen, meaning town) is engraved in an ancient script with strong and vigorous strokes!

This character seems to contain some kind of rule of heaven and earth. When you look at it, you feel heavy in your mind, as if an invisible mountain is pressing down on you.

"This item is called the 'Mountain-Suppressing Seal,' and it is a genuine antique."

Zhou Ding's voice rang out in the quiet room, steady and clear: "Unlike natal magic treasures, which require long-term nurturing and refinement and are closely connected to one's mind, ancient treasures are mostly crafted by ancient cultivators. They possess immense power, but their activation method is relatively simple. One only needs to infuse them with sufficient and abundant magical power to initially unleash their power. This treasure is perfect for your current stage of cultivation, when your realm is just beginning to stabilize and you do not yet have the energy to nurture your natal magic treasure for a long time. It can be of great use whether for attacking enemies or for self-defense."

This "Mountain-Suppressing Seal" is one of the treasures obtained from the storage bag of the ancient cultivator of the Heavenly Talisman Sect in the central area of ​​the Crimson Forbidden Land!

Zhou Ding handed the small black seal to Zhou Jin.

With this seal by his side, Zhou Jin's ability to fight enemies and protect himself would be significantly enhanced.

In Zhou Jin's scarlet eyes, the two points of blood-red light flickered slightly. He stretched out his hand, which was covered by a black robe, and took the small black square seal.

As soon as he touched the seal, a heavy, icy-cold sensation came from his palm. At the same time, a vast, profound, and seemingly all-encompassing aura resonated faintly with the Blood Fiend Core within his body.

With a slight touch of divine sense, one can "see" the ancient restrictions and the vast, ocean-like power sedimentation within the seal's interior, so complex they are dazzling.

"Let's go."

Zhou Ding turned around and walked out of the quiet room. "It's time to keep my appointment with Master Mulong. The matter of the deputy island master also needs a clear explanation."

……

A moment later, two figures quietly flew out of the cave on Lingmu Peak.

Zhou Jin unleashed a high-quality shuttle-shaped flying artifact, dark red in color, with a smooth body. It flew silently, leaving only a faint bloody trail behind it, and was quite fast.

Zhou Ding stood side by side with him on the flying shuttle, their robes fluttering in the wind generated by the high speed.

The two left Lingmu Peak and flew towards the deeper, more spiritually rich core area of ​​the Qingyun Mountains.

The Qingyun Mountains, as the source of the spiritual veins of Kuixing Island, stretch for thousands of miles. The mountains rise and fall, with layer upon layer of peaks, and are shrouded in spiritual mist all year round, with rosy clouds appearing and disappearing.

Among them, three peaks are the most majestic and imposing, like three giant pillars supporting the sky, piercing through the sea of ​​clouds and overlooking the entire island. They are the symbols of power and spirituality of Kui Xing Island—Tianzhu Peak, Tianxiao Peak, and Tianmen Peak.

Zhou Jin controlled the shuttle with a clear goal in mind, heading straight for Tianzhu Peak, the most majestic and towering of the three peaks, and also the one with the most abundant spiritual energy.

That place is the cave dwelling of the island's master, Master Mulong.

The closer one gets to the core area, the more astonishing the concentration of spiritual energy in the air becomes. The mountains and caves below become increasingly rare, but each one is heavily fortified and faintly glowing, clearly indicating that important figures on the island reside there.

Occasionally, patrolling teams of cultivators would fly by in their uniformly styled flying boats. Upon seeing Zhou Jin's distinctive dark red flying shuttle and sensing the undisguised spiritual pressure emanating from the shuttle, they would immediately stop, respectfully bow, and make way.

Before long, the massive Tianzhu Peak, resembling a jade pillar reaching the sky, became clearly visible.

The upper part of the mountain peak is submerged in a thick sea of ​​clouds, while the lower part is covered with ancient trees, waterfalls, pavilions and towers, and strange rocks, creating a fairyland-like scene.

As the shuttle approached a huge platform surrounded by white, cotton-like clouds on the mountainside of Tianzhu Peak, it slowly slowed down and came to a stop.

With a flick of his finger, Zhou Jin sent a pale red transmission talisman into the swirling clouds ahead, which transformed into a streak of light.

The wait wasn't long. Suddenly, the clouds surged and parted to the sides, and a hazy blue light shot out from the clouds, landing lightly on the platform. The light faded, revealing a young cultivator wearing a blue Daoist robe, with handsome features, sword-like eyebrows, and bright eyes, whose cultivation was at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

The young cultivator's gaze fell on Zhou Jin. Sensing the chilling aura and Core Formation spiritual pressure, he dared not be negligent in the slightest and immediately bowed deeply, his attitude extremely respectful: "Junior Chen Yong, on the orders of my master, True Man Mulong, has come here to respectfully welcome Senior Zhou Jin. I am deeply sorry for not being able to greet you properly. I hope you will forgive me."

His gaze then fell on Zhou Ding, who was standing next to Zhou Jin. A hint of doubt and inquiry flashed in his eyes, but he was polite and did not ask directly.

Zhou Jin's hoarse voice rang out, concise and to the point: "This is my cousin, Zhou Ding."

Zhou Ding stepped forward at the opportune moment, a gentle and refined smile appearing on his face. He bowed to Chen Yong and said in a warm tone, "I am Zhou Ding, greetings to Fellow Daoist Chen. It is my first time visiting, I apologize for disturbing you."

Seeing Zhou Ding's composed demeanor and refined aura, Chen Yong realized that Zhou Ding's cultivation was clearly superior to his own, at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage or even the Pseudo-Core Formation stage. Upon learning that Zhou Ding was the cousin of the newly appointed Deputy Island Master, Chen Yong dared not be presumptuous. He quickly stepped aside to return the greeting, his attitude becoming even more polite: "So it's Brother Zhou Ding! My apologies for my rudeness! Brother, you're too kind. It's an honor for me to welcome you both. Please follow me, seniors."

Under Chen Yong's guidance, Zhou Jin and Zhou Ding stepped into the seemingly ethereal cloud.

The clouds felt cool to the touch.