A Guide to Surviving the Mysterious Dungeon and the Twelve Talismans

"It won't work on humans. That's easy. Just turn them into animals," Zhou An said with a faint smile.

He possesses a monkey talisman, which allows him to transform not only himself but also others.

Once things change, Momotaro rice balls will become useful.

As he spoke, Zhou An put away his "obedient to orders" hat.

If you can use Momotaro rice balls, you don't need this hat.

"Hey, you know what, it definitely works." The evil entity's eyes lit up.

At this moment, the three members of the Blood Demon Cult were filled with extreme fear.

They didn't know what Zhou An and the other two meant, but it seemed like they were about to be in trouble.

They wanted to speak, beg for mercy, or threaten, but their jaws had been dislocated, making it impossible for them to speak.

The three were immediately transformed into a monkey, a tiger, and a lion by Zhou An and his companions.

Zhou An tossed the Momotaro rice ball to the leader and then began asking for relevant information.

In about ten minutes, Zhou An learned everything.

All three of them were members of the Blood Demon Cult.

The leader was named Liu Ning, whose strength was at the early stage of the third-order Meridian Opening Realm. He was a deacon of the Blood Demon Sect.

The other two were Zhou Lian and Qian Fei, who were Liu Ning's subordinates and served as Blood Servants within the Blood Demon Sect.

Above them are the Altar Master, the Helmsman, the Four Chief Masters, the Seven Elders, the Three Grand Envoys, and the most powerful Blood Demon Lord.

Their purpose in coming here was to sacrifice all living things in Yunfeng City, so that this place would be shrouded in eternal night.

The plan is also clear: use the Soul-Devouring Array bestowed by the Altar Master to refine the living creatures within the city.

It will take another three days of preparation before the Soul Devouring Array can be activated.

The altar master will also rely on the Soul Devouring Array to break through to the fifth-order Core Formation Realm.

At the same time, their Blood Demon Cult does not cultivate qi and blood, but cultivates ghost power.

Furthermore, once one cultivates ghost power, one can no longer cultivate qi and blood power, and even ghost power cannot be eliminated.

The main reason they are not attacked by evil spirits is that they seal an evil spirit inside their bodies.

In this way, the other evil spirits will regard it as one of their own and will not attack it.

Of course, evil spirits would fight each other, but for some reason, the evil spirits here almost never fight each other.

“We’ve asked enough questions, so let’s get to the point where we can meet up. Otherwise, we’ll be held accountable if we’re late,” the benevolent entity said.

"Yes, but we still need to seal the evil spirit inside our bodies first, otherwise they'll notice something's off about its aura." Zhou An nodded slightly.

The three of them immediately followed the method Liu Ning had instructed them to use, sealing the three evil spirits in the vicinity into their bodies.

Sealing is easy; the difficulty lies in withstanding the corruption of evil spirits.

Zhou An and his two companions naturally had no scruples.

As for the disciples of the Blood Demon Cult, they only seal away evil spirits when they walk in the dark of night.

Zhou An used the Soul Devouring Technique to devour Liu Ning and the other two, then transformed into their likenesses and headed towards the rendezvous point.

About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a small river village about ten kilometers outside the city.

This village is one of the Blood Demon Cult's strongholds in Yunfeng City.

In the center of the village stands a watchtower-like structure, with flames emanating from its top, casting a glow that envelops the entire village.

Zhou An and his two companions easily entered the village and then made their way to the ancestral hall.

"Why are you taking so long?" a tall, thin man asked in a cold voice.

"None of your business," Zhou An said bluntly, glancing at the man.

"Hmph, you actually dared to keep the altar master waiting, I think you really want to die." Wang Dachuan sneered.

"The sect leader hasn't even spoken yet, what are you babbling about? Are you trying to make yourself look like a good dog?" Zhou An's tone was full of undisguised contempt.

“You…” Wang Dachuan was furious.

"Alright, alright, what's all the noise about? Come in, all of you." An old voice came from inside the ancestral hall.

Zhou An glanced smugly at Wang Dachuan, then stepped inside.

Zhou An was aware of all these relationships, and Liu Ning had told him everything.

Below the altar master are the four Blood Servants, namely Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow.

Liu Ning was a Blood Servant, the highest-ranking among the four Blood Servants, but that was only in terms of rank; their actual level was the same.

The ancestral hall was quite spacious, with the front section filled with ancestral tablets.

Zhou An's gaze fell on an elderly man with white hair who was kneeling in front of him.

Zhou An recognized him; this person was Li Fei, the leader of the Fucheng branch.

Because of the martial arts tournament, Li Fei also came here from his stronghold in the prefectural city.

Li Fei glanced at Zhou An and the other three, then slowly said, "After today, there are still two days left."

"Two days later, the array plate will be able to absorb enough power to cover the entire Yunfeng City."

"The martial arts tournament is in three days, which will be the perfect opportunity for us to wipe everyone out in one fell swoop."

"I can break through to the Core Formation Realm with the power of this blood sacrifice. If I succeed, I will be promoted to the position of Leader."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An and the other three all showed expressions of excitement.

Zhou An quickly said, "Master, once you are promoted to leader, please don't forget us."

The other three echoed this sentiment.

"You have followed me for many years and are my trusted confidants. Naturally, I will not forget you."

"When the time comes, I will bestow upon you a True Essence Pill to help you break through to the True Essence Realm." Li Fei stroked his beard, a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Master!" Upon hearing this, the group's faces lit up with joy, and they quickly bowed respectfully.

The True Essence Pill is a fourth-tier breakthrough pill that can help them break through to the True Essence Realm, making it extremely precious.

“The four of you are all quite talented. Once you break through, you can be promoted to the position of altar master.”

"But remember, if you fail, well... hehe." Li Fei chuckled.

The four immediately lowered their heads and dared not speak again.

"Alright, you can all leave now. Liu Ning, stay." Li Fei waved to the four of them.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dachuan glanced at Liu Ning with envy.

He then bowed respectfully and left the ancestral hall with the other two people.

Only Li Fei and Zhou An remained in the entire ancestral hall.

"Cousin-in-law," Zhou An immediately approached, his face full of flattery.

"Hmm, don't you have anything you want to say to me?" Li Fei responded, then spoke calmly.

"Ahem, I just happened to be passing through a village and stopped by for a visit," Zhou An said apologetically, coughing twice.

"All he does is look for women all day long; he'll die on a woman's belly sooner or later."

"These next two days are crucial, don't let me down again."

“Otherwise, even if you were my nephew, I would still kill you with my own hands,” Li Fei said coldly.

"Oh, Uncle, don't worry, I definitely won't cause any trouble these next two days," Zhou An assured him, patting his chest.

"Yes, calm down and cultivate. Once I break through, come with me to the main altar." Li Fei nodded slightly.

"Huh? Uncle, aren't I the one who's going to take over as the altar master?" Zhou An asked, his face full of surprise.

"What are you thinking? If I break through, millions of lives will be lost in Yunfeng City, and the Blood Demon Sect in Yunzhou will inevitably be attacked."

"If you take over now, you're just asking for trouble. You should let Wang Dachuan take over instead," Li Fei said irritably.

"Oh, I see. My uncle is indeed very shrewd!" Zhou An gave a thumbs up.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go cultivate. Seeing you annoys me." Li Fei waved his hand.

Zhou An immediately smiled and bowed to take his leave.

Once outside the ancestral hall, Zhou An's smiling eyes instantly turned cold.

That old man is truly ruthless; he's willing to sacrifice a million lives.

The Blood Demon Cult—unfortunately, even Liu Ning didn't know where the Blood Demon Cult came from.

However, Zhou An believed that it was definitely related to something strange.

Zhou An then easily led his two clones to his residence.

The house wasn't luxurious; it was just an ordinary family's house with a large courtyard.

Even the main structure of the house is still made of adobe.

Back inside, the three of them huddled together.

"So, what was discussed at the meeting?" the benevolent entity asked curiously.

"They didn't say anything much, just some trivial matters."

“We’ll stay here for the next few days, finish our tasks each day, and then we’ll destroy the blood sacrifice when it’s time. After dawn, we can also take the opportunity to participate in the martial arts tournament,” Zhou An said in a deep voice.

I've successfully registered for the martial arts tournament, so it doesn't matter where I go.

"Yes." They both nodded in agreement.

"By the way, I'd like to go out and cultivate tonight, is that alright?" the evil entity said.

“Okay, Lao Shan, you should go too.” Zhou An nodded.

“Okay,” Shan Nian Ti replied.

Soon, the benevolent and malevolent entities quietly left the courtyard and the village.

Zhou An, on the other hand, lay on the bed and fell fast asleep.