Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Under the scorching heat of the karmic fire, the black wooden cone began to slowly crumble, with all the fragile parts being removed, while the interior became increasingly condensed and solidified.

The moment Ning Xiu landed, the wooden cone-shaped magic weapon that was originally two zhang long in Yin Liu Niangniang's hands had been condensed by karmic fire to about seven chi, piercing through Ning Xiu's chest and pinning him to the ground.

"cough!"

The wooden cone seemed to be poisonous, and Ning Xiu immediately coughed up a large amount of green blood mist, which was all absorbed by the wooden cone stuck in his chest.

Lady Yin Liu was utterly bewildered that her magical artifact had been condensed into such a small form by the karmic fire. She could still hold and use the original wooden awl, but now that it had become a needle, it greatly hampered her performance.

However, Yin Liu Niangniang had already achieved her goal of having the wooden awl pierce Ning Xiu's body.

This magical artifact of hers was taken from the first mutated tree root she cultivated when she was cultivating the Yin Willow Body. It possesses the purest Yin poison. Even the slightest scratch can poison and kill the target, absorbing the target's soul and integrating it into the wooden cone. It is extremely vicious.

Even if Ning Xiu could control the karmic fire to some extent, if he were pierced by her wooden cone, even a god would be in danger.

Under the watchful gaze of Yin Liu Niangniang, Ning Xiu reached out and grabbed the wooden awl, pulling it directly out of his body.

"What?" Upon seeing this, Lady Yinliu was immediately astonished.

However, he was shocked that Ning Xiu still had the ability to pull out his own magic weapon after it had injured him.

"That was close." Ning Xiu stood up, holding the wooden awl, and thought to himself with relief.

The combined effects of the Heavenly King Vajra Skill, the Qi and Blood Furnace, and the Great Black Heaven of the Two Arms are no joke; this Yin Liu Niangniang has underestimated Ning Xiu.

Without the wooden awl, Lady Yinliu's abilities were reduced once again. At this time, the black spot on her face grew larger and larger, gradually spreading to half of her face. If this continued, it would not be long before her entire body was corroded by the karmic fire.

Yin Liu Niangniang was extremely anxious. She had originally planned to kill Ning Xiu and see if the karmic fire on her face would disappear, but now that she couldn't kill Ning Xiu, everything would be in vain.

"This is quite good." Ning Xiu nodded to himself, holding Yin Liu Niangniang's wooden awl in his hand.

Since obtaining the Heavenly Might Divine Spear, Ning Xiu has begun preparing to forge a top-grade divine spear.

The Heavenly Might Divine Spear is incredibly powerful, but this is contingent on having a high-quality spear. Using an ordinary iron or steel spear will make it completely ineffective in combat.

Moreover, the terrifying aspect of the Heavenly Might Divine Spear is that it can control multiple spears simultaneously, up to a maximum of ten. The more spears you have, the greater the power of the Heavenly Might Divine Spear.

Ning Xiu originally planned to use the precious materials he had obtained from Eunuch Yin's tomb to find a craftsman to make it.

Now that we have Lady Yinliu's magical artifact, we have another option for choosing the spear handle.

"what!"

After half of her face was eroded by karmic fire, one of the heads of the Yin Liu Niangniang's dharma image suddenly exploded, scattering a large number of karmic sparks that landed on her body.

Then her entire body was engulfed in karmic fire, which was eroding her body.

The pain of being burned by karmic fire was indescribable. Yin Liu Niangniang couldn't care less about dealing with Ning Xiu for a moment. She frantically pounded her body, but it was no use.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, within a few breaths, a quarter of her body was covered in black spots of karmic fire, making her look extremely eerie.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ning Xiu ran over and picked up the Thunderclap and Purple Lightning Hammers. He leaped up from the ground, and thunder roared in the sky. As lightning flashed, it illuminated the entire sky.

One strike, and thunder follows.

Two hammer blows were unleashed, and purple lightning flashed across the sky.

Ning Xiu swung his twin hammers at Yin Liu Niangniang. She stretched out a hand as if to block, but the moment the lightning struck her body, her entire arm exploded off, leaving her completely unable to resist.

In the end, Mangqiu Liu, Hu Taigu, Chang Fenghai and their group witnessed Ning Xiu smash the two hammers onto the last remaining head of Yin Liu Niangniang's Dharma Image.

Dengfeng Fivefold Strength!

The five hammer strikes transformed into a shockwave that exploded outwards, instantly shattering Yin Liu Niangniang's head. Her entire body, unable to be controlled, slowly collapsed to the ground like a mountain, creating a deafening roar.

[Defeat monsters to gain +6000 General Proficiency]

As Lady Yinliu fell to the ground, countless birds perched on the treetops in the surrounding mountains took flight and scattered in all directions.

The massive tremors made the wild animals think that some natural disaster had occurred, and they all set off to flee, preparing to leave the area.

Hearing the notification from the proficiency panel, Ning Xiu smiled with satisfaction.

Now that I have the strength to slay such a powerful evil spirit, instead of needing the help of Demon Buddha Ningxiu, this is a very important improvement.

The moment Ning Xiu landed, Mangqiu Liu and his group rushed to greet him.

"Lord Ning, are you alright?"

"Lord Ning, your injury is serious. Let's go to Dimu Temple to heal it quickly."

Faced with their questions, Ning Xiu shook his head and said, "It's nothing, this little injury won't affect me much."

A dragon carrying a person crawled over. Ning Xiu and his group looked over and found that it was actually the mountain elder who had not died before. At this moment, the guy was in a very sorry state, being bitten by the dragon and unable to make any struggle.

"Chang Fenghai, take this sorcerer to the authorities and force him to reveal all the shady dealings he's done with that willow demon while hiding in the mountains all these years. Then announce it to the whole prefecture," Ning Xiu said.

Chang Fenghai immediately replied, "Yes, Lord Ning."

“Then I would like to trouble you two to go to that stone temple and see if there are any survivors. If so, please send them back to their lodgings outside the mountains,” Ning Xiu said to Mangqiu Liu and Hu Taigu.

Both demons agreed.

After they left, Ning Xiu's Great Dark Heaven state vanished instantly, and he collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

The consumption of the Black Heaven Floating Pagoda Supreme Body is far greater than that of the Heavenly King state. Even though Ning Xiu already has the strength of the third rank of martial arts, he was unable to sustain it for too long.

However, judging from the combat performance of the Daikokuten form, it is much stronger than the Tenno form.

After handing the mountain spirit over to Chang Fenghai, Jiaolong walked up to Ning Xiu, bent down, and stared at Ning Xiu with concern.

"Here you go." Ning Xiu tossed the two hammers in his hand, and the dragon quickly swallowed them whole and put them back into its belly.

Judging from this, this dragon must have had some connection with Master Zi Lei back then.

This explains why Ning Xiu acted so intimately towards him after acquiring the Thunder Hammer; he must have regarded Ning Xiu as a descendant of the Purple Thunder Immortal.

"The Heavenly Might Divine Spear can be controlled ten at the same time. If I have very high requirements for each one, then the demand for materials is enormous. I wonder if it's possible to melt down the Purple Lightning and Thunder Hammers and forge a new supreme-grade divine spear for me." Ning Xiu couldn't help but ponder as he watched the dragon swallow the two hammers into its belly.

[108] There is a hidden story beneath the stone temple

At the moment when Lady Yin Liu died, in another area deep in the mountains.

The vegetation here is lush and verdant, with a vibrancy that is unseen on plants elsewhere, making it seem like a verdant wonderland.

In the forest, giant trees seem to be walking forward like people, and with each step they take, a lot of green grass grows from their roots, adding more greenery to the forest.

This place is Dimu Temple, one of the three major sects of spirits in the mountains of Donghai Prefecture.

Like the Mangzong Cave, Dimu Temple also has an ancient ancestor that has lived for a very long time. It is said to be a tree, which is very mysterious. Apart from some tree elders in Dimu Temple, very few people have seen the appearance of this tree ancestor.

"The willow tree's aura is gone; has it finally died?"

Beside the azure spring, a large poplar tree stretched its roots into the water.

“That thing cultivates with a living soul and walks the path of evil. I’ve disliked her for a long time. If it weren’t for the fact that the temple she occupied had a powerful background, our Dimu Temple would not have kept her until now. Her death is good news.” Another old tree replied.

The largest maple tree next to it swayed its branches and sighed, "But we are bound by the rules below the temple and cannot interfere without permission. Over the years, that willow demon has harmed many innocent people, and I really feel bad about it."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Besides the patriarch and that old snake, who else in the mountains can ignore that guy's intentions? Even the big bird on Pantian Peak is a bit inferior in status. The only thing to blame is that even the Demon Subduing Division has tacitly approved the existence of that temple, so we have even less to say."

……

Inside the stone temple, Mangqiu Liu and Hu Taigu searched around and found piles of white bones, all of whom were innocent people killed by the Yin Liu Niangniang.

Fortunately, they arrived in time, and eight children are still alive in the stone temple, their lives saved.

"Lord Ning, I have summoned my clansmen and had them send the children back to their respective homes. Everything has been arranged properly."

At the entrance of the stone temple, Aunt Hu reported to Ning Xiu.

Ning Xiu looked up at the sky with a complicated expression and sighed softly, "For such a horrifying thing to happen in Donghai Prefecture, if it were to reach the Demon Subduing Division, it would be a slap in the face to every Demon Subduing Officer. Although I was able to save these children, I cannot save those who were harmed in the past. I am truly ashamed."

Mangqiu Liu cupped his hands and said, "I hope Lord Ning can view this matter fairly. There are quite a few good demons in our mountains, and they are usually willing to help the people of Donghai Prefecture. I hope Lord Ning can say a few words to Si Mei and not condemn all demons because of this matter."

"Rest assured, both of you. I, Ning Xiu, have always been fair and rational. However, given what has happened, I still hope that you can express your opinions."

“This…” Mangqiu Liu and Aunt Hu exchanged a glance, then he said with a forced smile, “Lord Ning, please give your orders.”

Ning Xiu's eyes revealed a hint of triumph: "It is said that when a demon immortal forms a bond with a mortal, the mortal can invite the god to possess him and unleash considerable power. So it is possible that two immortals form a bond with a mortal at the same time and then possess his body together."

Mangqiu Liu nodded and said, "Lord Ning, this is feasible. However, I think you are very powerful and do not need us to possess you. If you want our Python Sect Ancestor to form a bond with you and help you, that is unlikely. Our Ancestor has been in seclusion for many years and will not wake up easily."

"No, no, no, it wasn't me, it was him." Ning Xiu pointed to Chang Fenghai standing next to him.

Chang Fenghai was stunned for a moment: "Me?"

“My team is currently short-handed and urgently needs capable and ambitious individuals to join us in slaying demons and protecting the people of the Great Shang. I find Mr. Chang to be calm, composed, and reliable, making him a suitable candidate for the Demon Subduing Division. As for you two, you are prominent figures from the Hu Clan and the Python Sect Cave. If you could possess Mr. Chang's body, his strength would surely be considerable, making you more than capable of being members of my team.” Ning Xiu stated his intentions directly.

“This…” Aunt Hu glanced at Chang Fenghai and fell into thought.

As a senior member of the Hu family, she doesn't usually form connections with others easily. The last time she formed a connection was over a hundred years ago.

Since that shaman died, Aunt Hu has never made any more connections; helping the people is something that her descendants must do.

Mangqiu Liu's situation was similar. He held a high position in the Python Sect Cave, so he didn't need to do things like forming connections to help the people.

The fact that two powerful demon immortals are now forming a bond with a mortal is an incredible opportunity for any shaman.

"Very well, I'm willing."

"I am willing to cooperate."

“Okay.” Ning Xiu looked at Chang Fenghai and said, “Mr. Chang, would you be willing to join my team and the Demon Subduing Division?”

“Lord Ning, there is no one in this world who does not dream of joining the Demon Subduing Division, but if my village is without me, there will be no shaman…” Chang Fenghai hesitated.

Aunt Hu said directly, "You don't need to worry about that. I will send someone to your village to find a suitable person to serve as the new shaman."

"Thank you, Great Aunt, Lord Ning. I am willing to join the Demon Subduing Division!"

With this addition, Ning Xiu's Bronze Leopard Squad will have one more member, and with the connection between Hu Taigu and the two demons of Mangqiu Liu, Chang Fenghai's strength will likely be the strongest in Ning Xiu's squad at present.

The task of escorting the surviving child was to be undertaken by the fox of the Hu family, while Ning Xiu planned to find the Demon Buddha himself first, and Chang Fenghai took the Mountain Grandfather away from the mountains to send him to the prefecture for interrogation.

When Ning Xiu finds the Demon Buddha, he will go to the prefecture to meet Chang Fenghai.

Demons like Mangqiu Liu and Hu Taigu generally don't leave the mountain easily unless something major happens. So, after saying goodbye, they went their separate ways.

After Ning Xiu and his group left, a gurgling sound suddenly rang out from the previously silent stone temple, as if some creature was hiding underneath making unknown whispers.

……

Guided by the evil thought on his arm, Ning Xiu rode the dragon southward. The journey was long and arduous, with few human traces, and was entirely an uncivilized area of ​​the East Sea Prefecture.