"Vanished."
Xu Hei was momentarily stunned. He had thought that old ghost was gearing up for a fight, but he fled so quickly.
What kind of magical treasure was that scroll in Xu Qingfeng's hand? Its deterrent power was immense.
After Xu Qingfeng arrived, more familiar faces gradually appeared.
Demon Monk Ku Xuan, Silver-haired Witch, Demon Man Zhang Tie.
Little Overlord Xiang Fei didn't come, but there was a young Taoist, with a tortoise shell and compass hanging from his waist, looking extremely familiar.
Xu Hei stared for a long time and suddenly realized that this person was Zhao Wenzhuo!
This disciple of the Snake Catchers Sect had joined the Chu Tian Alliance?
Xiao Chou also came over but didn't stand with them. Instead, he disguised himself as a rogue cultivator, mingling with the crowd.
"Everyone, our Chu Tian Alliance promises that whatever you gain within the relics, we will not take a single thing by force! But when facing the Qin Kingdom's lackeys, we hope you can lend a hand."
Xu Qingfeng looked around, cupping his hands.
The rogue cultivators exchanged glances and cupped their hands in succession: "Of course!"
"Elder Xu, you're too polite!"
"I've been annoyed with them for a long time! Let's take them down!"
Each rogue cultivator expressed their support.
At least on the surface, they had to support the Chu Tian Alliance, as it had helped them.
Everyone knew Xu Qingfeng, the former enforcement elder of the Astrology Bureau, known for his integrity and uprightness, a breath of fresh air in the bureau.
No one could match his standards, but no one looked down on him either.
The only criticism was his tendency to label people, often with just a single word.
"Let's go!"
Xu Qingfeng led the way, followed by the other four members of the Chu Tian Alliance.
The rogue cultivators, no longer hesitant, filed in.
Xu Hei chose a middle position, neither too far back nor too far forward.
It was a narrow tunnel leading deep underground. Upon entering, a chill struck his chest, and his divine sense was compressed to a very small range.
Xu Hei's divine sense could only extend about a hundred meters, indicating how limited others would be.
However, Xu Hei felt not discomfort but rather at ease in this environment.
Snakes love the dark, and this was exactly to his liking.
After traversing about a thousand feet, the space suddenly opened up, and they arrived at an underground circular plaza.
This place was flat and spacious, with traces of battle, but these traces were slowly repairing themselves.
"It can even self-repair."
Xu Hei stared at a sword mark on the ground, lost in thought.
Here, one had to be cautious, as corpse puppets could appear at any time, the stronger the cultivation, the stronger the corpse puppets attracted.
This is why one's cultivation shouldn't be too low or too high.
Vengeful spirits would also occasionally emerge, so gathering in one place was not advisable.
In front of the circular plaza, there were three paths, all explored by others. Although the entrances were different, they all led to the same location.
The first path was rich in magical treasures.
The second path was abundant with pills.
The third path had spiritual liquid pools, but the yin energy was so heavy that it was hard to absorb.
Each path contained various dangers, such as the Illusionary Forest in the second path.
Zhao Wenzhuo took out his compass, calculated with his fingers, and said, "They've split into three groups, with at least two Core Formation Stage cultivators on each path. The ghost cultivator and Yin Mingzi went to the third path."
Zhang Tie thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the middle, the second path. It's said someone saw a Longevity Pill there, and I want to try my luck."
Everyone nodded in agreement and entered the second path.
The rogue cultivators dispersed, heading to different paths. The second path attracted the most people, as pills were more enticing.
Xu Hei pondered briefly and decided to explore each path, not wanting to miss any details.
He immediately entered the first path.
In an instant, his vision changed dramatically, and white light illuminated the path ahead. Xu Hei could see glowing metallic substances embedded in the stone walls on either side.
There were also many fragments of magical treasures scattered around.
"Are these remnants of ancient magical treasures?"
Xu Hei picked up a fragment.
He continued forward, the path seemingly endless, with some cave dwellings on either side, all looted, and remnants of battles.
Xu Hei decided not to proceed further and planned to return to the second path.
Suddenly, the sound of fierce fighting came from ahead, and two figures approached rapidly: a metal puppet was chasing a female human cultivator.
The puppet and the woman were surprisingly evenly matched, both at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
But the woman clearly didn't want to waste her energy on the puppet, fleeing all the way. Upon seeing Xu Hei, she immediately ran towards him.
"Fellow Daoist, please lend me a hand. I've discovered a place with a valuable treasure. If we deal with this puppet, we can share the treasure!"
Without waiting for Xu Hei's agreement, she moved closer to him.
Xu Hei examined the charging puppet. It was unlike any he had seen before, entirely made of metal, with a serrated blade for an arm, continuously rotating and emitting a mechanical roar, seemingly capable of easily shredding flesh.
"Amazing!"
Xu Hei's eyes lit up, admiring the puppet's weapon like a piece of art.
As for the woman, he completely ignored her.
"Help me, Daoist!"
The female cultivator leaped behind Xu Hei, using him as a shield, while the puppet charged straight at him, swinging its serrated blade to slice him.
Xu Hei flicked his fingers, and eighteen threads shot out, striking the metal puppet's joints.
"Spirit Body Thread!"
Xu Hei pulled with both hands.
This move was the bane of puppets; once the threads penetrated the body, they would immediately render it immobile.
Sure enough, the metal puppet froze instantly, its joints firmly controlled by the Spirit Body Thread, its weapon suspended in mid-air.
Xu Hei could feel his Spirit Body Thread penetrating the puppet's interior, connecting with its structure, showing signs of initial control.
"It seems this ancient relic must be related to the Heavenly Puppet Sect!"
Xu Hei was secretly convinced.
The woman behind him reacted quickly. Seeing the puppet controlled, she immediately rushed out, throwing two golden flying swords at the puppet.
"Get lost!"
Xu Hei shouted lowly, and a surge of True Qi burst forth, sending the two golden flying swords flying and causing the female cultivator to turn pale and be thrown back, landing to the side.
"You..."
The woman was stunned.
Xu Hei glanced at her, and that look made her shiver. She gritted her teeth and said, "I am Zhou Wenjun, the direct daughter of the Zhou Family from the Myriad Treasure Pavilion. If you follow my orders, I will give you plenty of benefits!"
The Zhou Family, one of the powerholders of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion, was the wealthiest family in the Qin Kingdom, even richer than the Bai Family to some extent.
Zhou Wenjun was the pride of the Zhou Family, her talent second only to her sister, who had achieved perfect Foundation Establishment, ranking high within the family.
But what she hadn't expected was that a single shout from this tall man before her could make her blood boil, almost causing her to spit blood.
However, she was absolutely confident that once she revealed her identity, the other party would obey her.
Simply because she was from the Zhou Family.
"Oh? Zhou Wenjun?"
Xu Hei's voice carried a hint of surprise.
"That's right! It's me."
Zhou Wenjun wasn't surprised that this person had heard of her. More than eighty percent of the rogue cultivators who came here knew her.
Xu Hei walked up to her and said, "So, you're the direct daughter of the Zhou Family. Fine, I can listen to you."
Zhou Wenjun was instantly delighted.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, Xu Hei struck, slapping Zhou Wenjun on the head. A surging force penetrated her entire body, and a world-destroying power exploded from the top of her head.
"Crack!"
Her protective magical treasure automatically activated, shattering the light shield and sending Xu Hei's arm flying, but still bursting out a massive blood light, with the faint sound of a skull cracking.
...162....
Zhou Wenjun's face still bore traces of terror and bewilderment, seemingly unable to believe that Xu Hei dared to strike suddenly.
In the next second, a spatial ripple flashed, and Zhou Wenjun disappeared entirely, but her head was split open, leaving her fate uncertain.
Xu Hei looked at the blood and bone fragments left on the ground, his brows furrowed.
He had acted with the fastest speed possible, yet she still managed to escape.
This Zhou Wenjun, he had never even heard of her, yet she seemed so self-assured, clearly the type who had been pampered and never experienced the treachery of the human heart.
Xu Hei had simply copied the Thirteenth Ancestor of the Snake Catchers Sect's tactics, learning and applying them on the spot.
Despite his poor acting skills and lack of sincerity, the other party still fell for it, showing how foolish she was.
"My attack just now had some issues."
"These pampered daughters of heaven have many means of self-preservation. Next time, I need to adopt different methods, like poisoning, so even if she escapes, she still dies."
Xu Hei pondered, summarizing the lessons from earlier.
He continued forward, arriving at the place where Han Te had once discovered the mechanism box, only to find it had been thoroughly looted, leaving nothing behind.
"The first path ends here. Once I've refined the puppet, I'll move on to the next path."
Xu Hei sat cross-legged in the secret chamber, fully focused on refining the metal puppet.
...
At the entrance of the three-pronged path, in the circular plaza.
Zhou Wenjun's figure appeared, her head shattered, body covered in blood, limbs unable to move.
A jade stone on her chest automatically shattered, releasing a gentle medicinal power into her body, slowly healing her head wound.
This was the first time she had suffered such severe trauma.
Even her thoughts were scattered, and it took a long while before she remembered what had happened.
"I'll remember you, no matter who you are, today I must kill you!"
Zhou Wenjun gritted her teeth in hatred.
She only acted alone to not fall behind her sister. If she had sought her family's power, how could she have ended up so miserable? How could she have been severely injured by a nobody?
"Liu Ruyan, come pick me up immediately!" Zhou Wenjun took out a communication token.
...
Two days passed.
The complexity of the metal puppet far exceeded Xu Hei's expectations. It took him two days to barely refine it.
"What a complex structure, it's almost as intricate as my Butcher!" Xu Hei thought to himself.
Controlling a finished product was already so difficult; he couldn't imagine how much time it would take to create one from scratch.
Additionally, he made an unexpected discovery—
In the puppet's abdomen, at the dantian position, there was an empty space, seemingly meant for storing something as an energy source.
Based on Xu Hei's knowledge, this led him to a bold hypothesis.
"That empty space might be for storing a Golden Core. This is a Core Formation Stage puppet, but over time, the Golden Core dissipated, reducing its strength to the late Foundation Establishment Stage," Xu Hei speculated.
He happened to have a Golden Core in his storage bag, belonging to Tie Xiong.
If he placed the Golden Core inside, would the puppet's strength suddenly surge?
Xu Hei considered trying it but worried that once installed, he might lose control, causing the puppet to go berserk, so he dismissed the idea.
He then dismantled the puppet's weapon, spending an hour installing it on his left arm.
"Activate!"
With a thought, the saw blade began to spin, emitting the roaring sound of machinery, and he couldn't help but think of the word "chainsaw," which seemed very fitting.
"The exploration of the first path ends here, onto the second."
Xu Hei left the secret chamber, retracing his steps back to the circular plaza, heading straight for the second path.
Passing through a faint membrane, the space suddenly transformed into a lush green area.
Ahead was a forest, the ground covered with green vegetation, some of which were medicinal herbs that had grown for countless years, but the area was heavily shrouded in yin energy, deterring ordinary people from picking them.
This place was also the most frequented by people, with pills scattered everywhere, but the danger lay in the Bewildering Forest, which could randomly cause one to fall unconscious, requiring companions to pass through safely.
Xu Hei observed briefly and then left.
The third path was filled with spiritual pools and ponds, a watery area.
As soon as Xu Hei entered, he saw the withered old man sitting in a pool, breathing in yin energy. His eyes suddenly opened, staring directly at Xu Hei—it was the Thirteenth Ancestor of the Snake Catchers Sect.
Xu Hei quickly retreated back to the plaza.
He landed far away, waited for a moment, and seeing that the Thirteenth Ancestor did not pursue, he breathed a sigh of relief.
That person was likely just cultivating and wouldn't bother with others.
"Strange, why do I feel like there aren't only three paths here?"
Xu Hei's eyes flickered as he carefully observed the positions of the three paths, two on the left and one in the middle, but none on the right, only a stone wall.
He immediately moved to the stone wall on the right to explore.
Moments later, he found a small hole, like a keyhole, located at the center of the stone wall.
"A keyhole?"
Xu Hei's pupils contracted as he recalled the key, which seemed to match this keyhole.
Could there be such a coincidence?
His key could open the mechanism box here, so could it also open this keyhole?
Xu Hei's heartbeat gradually quickened. If it could indeed be opened, would a fourth path appear?
The benefits of the previous three paths had all been reaped, but if a fourth path appeared, what would it be like?
Xu Hei glanced back; there were quite a few people in the plaza, mostly sitting cross-legged healing, paying no attention to Xu Hei's actions, as many had explored like him and discovered the small hole.
Their cultivation levels were all at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with over eighty percent of those entering the ruins being Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Hehe, has this fellow Taoist also discovered something? It seems there might be another path on this stone wall?"
A white-bearded elder looked over, stroked his beard, and said with a smile.
Xu Hei pondered for a moment and calmly replied, "What insights does this old gentleman have?"
The elder's aura was around the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet he gave off an unfathomable feeling, making Xu Hei wary; this person might be concealing his true cultivation.
The elder pointed to the first path and said with a smile, "Look at the first path, filled with magical treasures, mechanism puppets, and various metal hidden weapons, representing the metal element of the Five Elements."
"The second path, covered in greenery and ancient pills, represents the wood element of the Five Elements."
"And the third path, with many spiritual pools and ponds, represents the water element of the Five Elements."
"Therefore, there must be paths for the fire and earth elements of the Five Elements, belonging to the other two undiscovered paths."
Hearing the elder's explanation, Xu Hei's pupils contracted, feeling a sense of enlightenment.
The other scattered cultivators in the plaza also looked over, their faces showing a strange light.
"Hehe, this isn't a secret; perhaps someone has already figured it out. I was just mentioning it casually, nothing worth noting," the old Taoist said with a smile.
Xu Hei's figure flashed as he continued to explore the stone wall, and indeed, he found a second keyhole in the distance.
According to the position, this was the earth element of the Five Elements.
"This elder is not simple, speaking such words openly, what is his intention?"
Xu Hei remained highly vigilant internally...
....163....
Xu Hei pondered for a moment, cupped his fists, and asked, "May I know your esteemed name, senior?"
"Don't call me senior, I'm just an old Taoist wandering the world. You can call me... Tianji Shangren," the old Taoist said with a smile.
Xu Hei had never heard of this name before.
However, many people in the square showed a change in expression.
"Tianji Shangren, the Tianji Shangren from Penglai Island?"
"I remember now. It's said that this person is skilled in divination, and even the Qin Kingdom treats him with respect."
Two cultivators whispered to each other.
In the Southern Region, the Snake Catchers Sect leads, followed by the Four Great Sects.
In the Eastern regions, Penglai Island stands alone in power, its mountain gate located on an overseas immortal island, far away and its strength unfathomable. Even the Qin Kingdom has never dared to offend Penglai Island.
Penglai Island is countless miles away from here, yet someone has managed to come over.
However, judging by Tianji Shangren's tone, he seemed to be wandering and just happened to pass by, which is why he came to take a look.
"So it's Tianji Shangren, I've long admired your name."
Xu Hei flattered on the surface, but was actually wary inside, trusting this person only three parts.
"Haha, fellow Daoist, you've never heard of me, so how could you have long admired me?"
Tianji Shangren chuckled, pointing at the keyhole and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you have a way to open this earth-shaped path?"
Xu Hei's heart tightened, and he countered, "Why do you think I have that ability?"
"I ask everyone who goes up to inspect, so there's no need for you to worry," Tianji Shangren said with a smile, his gaze flickering imperceptibly.
Xu Hei remained silent.
With such a cunning old fox, it's better to say less to avoid slipping up and revealing something to the other party.
Xu Hei didn't know if the key could open it, but he wanted to try. However, if it did open, it would inevitably cause trouble in front of so many people.
Xu Hei scanned everyone present with his Divine Sense.
There were thirteen cultivators in total, eleven at the Foundation Establishment Stage, one False Core cultivator, and Tianji Shangren.
He calculated whether he could immediately take action and eliminate all these people.
"No, the chance is too small, a few would definitely escape."
"Not to mention Tianji Shangren, especially that False Core cultivator, I seem to have seen him before."
Xu Hei glanced at the False Core cultivator.
The man had a fierce look, very familiar. Xu Hei immediately remembered that this was the only False Core cultivator who escaped from Rock Serpent City, Liu Buqun.
Xu Hei had experienced Liu Buqun's escape skills firsthand.
Now, Liu Buqun had become a rogue cultivator, likely due to having killed too many fellow disciples, leading to his expulsion from the Snake Catchers Sect.
"Do you have something to say?" Liu Buqun suddenly spoke, his senses extremely sharp, clearly noticing Xu Hei observing him.
Xu Hei remained silent, just calmly looking at him.
Liu Buqun was taken aback, squinted his eyes, and quietly summoned a Magical Treasure.
"You observed everyone just now and finally stopped your Divine Sense on me. What does that mean?"
Liu Buqun didn't say this out loud but transmitted it through Divine Sense.
Xu Hei still said nothing.
Liu Buqun's gaze flickered, and he sneered, "You want to join forces with me to eliminate everyone else here because you have a way to open that fourth passage. Am I right?"
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One must admit, Liu Buqun indeed had an outstanding imagination in some aspects.
Although he was guessing, he was about eighty to ninety percent correct about Xu Hei's thoughts, and his logic was quite reasonable.
The only mistake was that Xu Hei didn't want to cooperate with him but wanted to eliminate everyone.
However, Liu Buqun's words did provide a new perspective. Xu Hei thought for a moment and transmitted, "What do you think?"
"Heh, your idea is not bad, but you also need to win over Tianji Shangren. The others don't matter," Liu Buqun sneered.
Xu Hei glanced at Tianji Shangren and found that he was also observing him with a smile.
Suddenly, a shadow rushed out from the second passage.
This person was dressed in black, masked, wielding a long sword, and moved like a ghost with incredible speed.
Behind him followed a beautiful and proud young woman, her eyes filled with hatred as she glared at Xu Hei. It was Zhou Wenjun.
As soon as Zhou Wenjun appeared, she pointed at Xu Hei and angrily shouted, "It's him!"
"Whoosh!"
The black-clad assassin charged at Xu Hei without a word, moving as fast as lightning, his sword like a bolt of electricity, his cultivation reaching the Core Formation Stage!
"Do it."
Xu Hei hurriedly transmitted to Liu Buqun, took out the key, and stabbed it into the keyhole.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous roar, the stone wall in front suddenly cracked open, revealing a deep passage.
This was the fifth door, the Earth Path!
The passage quickly opened, revealing an endless road inside.
At this moment, the entire crowd was in an uproar! Even the black-clad assassin was stunned, clearly not expecting Xu Hei to open a brand new passage.
What an astonishing event this was; besides the three paths, there was a fourth one!
This was a path that had never been explored before.
Zhou Wenjun and the black-clad assassin exchanged a glance. The former took out a communication talisman, while the latter paused for a moment before charging at Xu Hei again.
But Xu Hei had already pulled out the key, leaped into the deep passage, and disappeared.
"Ah!!"
Screams echoed as Liu Buqun had already taken action, killing two people instantly with one strike each.
Although a False Core cultivator was not as powerful as a Core Formation Stage cultivator, they could already use true essence, which was a qualitative change!
"Hey? Why kill? The more people, the merrier!"
Tianji Shangren chuckled, waved his sleeve, interrupting Liu Buqun, then leaped into the tunnel.
Liu Buqun's eyes flickered, and he followed into the passage.
The remaining rogue cultivators looked at each other, but thinking of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they no longer hesitated and all gritted their teeth, rushing into the tunnel one after another.
In an instant, the square was empty, with everyone without exception pouring into the newly opened fourth path.
And those who came later would also unhesitatingly enter that fourth path.
...
The scenery before Xu Hei rapidly changed, and he arrived in a new world.
This place was a vast desert, with an extremely dense earth-based Spiritual Qi, but the sky was black, filled with a chilling aura, like a desert of death.
He glanced at the key in his hand, which had shortened after opening the door, indicating a limit to its usage.
"Not eradicating the roots leads to this. Next time, I can't act lightly; if I do, it must be a fatal strike!"
Xu Hei harbored a deep resentment in his heart, remembering this lesson well.
Fortunately, his pursuer was only at the early Core Formation Stage, not too strong, so Xu Hei should be able to handle it.
However, in the ancient relic, one could face life-and-death crises at any moment, and Xu Hei didn't want to be in a disadvantageous position. If he had to counterattack, he couldn't let the opponent escape and had to ensure his absolute safety.
"Earth Escape Technique."
Xu Hei dove underground, speeding forward with all his might.
...164....
After Xu Hei left, it wasn't long before two figures appeared behind him.
Without a word, the black-clad cultivator chased after Xu Hei, with Zhou Wenjun following closely.
The black-clad assassin moved at full speed, his body like a phantom, closing the distance with Xu Hei rapidly, leaving Zhou Wenjun behind.
With Xu Hei's own speed, at full exertion of the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon technique, he could barely shake them off, but the puppet couldn't. No matter how many legs the butcher had, it couldn't outrun a Core Formation Stage cultivator.
The color of the desert ahead was gradually deepening, giving Xu Hei an uneasy feeling.
"This place is undeveloped and unknown dangers may lurk. If I flee blindly, who knows what I might run into," Xu Hei thought warily.
After pondering for a moment, he decided it was better to face the known threat than the unknown.
At this moment, the black-clad assassin was drawing closer, forming a straight line, and Xu Hei could almost feel the cold gleam on his back.
Xu Hei carefully sensed Zhou Wenjun's position, his expression turning cold.
"You like chasing, huh? I'll let you chase to your heart's content!"
"Body Swap!"
With a thought, Xu Hei swapped places with the metal puppet he had buried earlier.
Xu Hei vanished from his spot, reappearing a thousand feet behind, carrying the butcher with him—this was the maximum range of the Body Swap technique!
"Swish!"
The flying sword struck, but only hit a metal puppet. The black-clad assassin paused, then his face changed dramatically.
"Body Swap? Not good!"
A storm of emotions surged in the black-clad assassin's heart as she hurriedly turned around, chasing after Xu Hei a thousand feet away.
With the speed of a Core Formation Stage cultivator, a thousand feet was a fleeting distance.
But that brief moment was enough!
At this moment, Zhou Wenjun was following behind the assassin with a cold smile, eager to see how that person would die!
Suddenly, a strong wave of spiritual power erupted from the ground.
A metal puppet disappeared, replaced by an iron-clad giant.
It was the puppet butcher!
"Let's see how many times you can escape!"
Xu Hei appeared and, without a word, fully unleashed the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon technique. Dozens of legs sprouted from his abdomen, striding towards Zhou Wenjun like a stampede, the ground roaring beneath him.
Zhou Wenjun's mind went blank, stunned by the scene before her.
Dozens of legs? What kind of monster is this?
"Run!" She quickly reacted, pulling out a feather fan and waving it behind her, conjuring a fierce wind that carried her swiftly backward.
"Gravity Technique!"
Xu Hei's low shout echoed, and Zhou Wenjun's body felt as if it was gripped by an invisible claw, halting her mid-air.
Despite the raging wind, Xu Hei stood immovable as a mountain, holding her firmly in place from a distance.
"How is this possible? I'm in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he's also in Foundation Establishment. How can he control me with just the Gravity Technique?"
Zhou Wenjun couldn't believe what was happening.
The gap was too vast; the quality of True Qi was on a different level. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, relying on resources to advance, were no match for Xu Hei!
She summoned a jade talisman again, crushing it directly. A phantom figure emerged from the talisman, drawing a sword to strike at Xu Hei.
"Jiao Python, attack!"
Xu Hei waved the Soul-absorbing Flag, and the spirit of the Jiao Python, leading thirteen snake spirits, lunged at the phantom figure comparable to the Core Formation Stage, engaging in a fierce battle.
Both being third-tier spiritual entities, the phantom seemed stronger, suppressing all the snake spirits. But Xu Hei had the advantage in numbers, making it difficult for the opponent to break free.
"Fellow cultivator, let's talk this over. I am Zhou Qingxuan, the steward of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion. Do not harm this woman! I can offer you any benefit you desire!"
The phantom figure, besieged by snake spirits, shouted anxiously as Xu Hei approached Zhou Wenjun.
As the steward of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion, he had access to countless resources, giving him the authority to make such an offer.
Xu Hei ignored him, quickening his pace, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Stop!"
The black-clad assassin had also caught up, letting out a sharp cry, a voice that seemed familiar from before.
But Xu Hei acted decisively, activating the chainsaw with a deafening roar, thrusting it down to shatter the defensive magical artifact, piercing through Zhou Wenjun's abdomen and destroying her dantian.
The weapon was coated with various toxic pills, all concocted by Xu Bai. Even if she were teleported away, the poison would take effect.
"Ugh!!"
Zhou Wenjun spat blood, yet was held firmly by the Gravity Technique, unable to fall backward.
In fact, the teleportation earlier was triggered by a Small Teleportation Talisman, set by the Zhou Family's elder, activating automatically in a life-threatening crisis, with instant effect.
But such a method could only be set up once.
Nevertheless, her life-saving measures were plentiful, including the third-tier spiritual entity that could contend with Core Formation Stage opponents, and her protective magical artifact was also a third-tier treasure.
Yet under Xu Hei's terrifying chainsaw, it was pierced with a single thrust, even Xu Hei was surprised by its power.
Unfortunately, Zhou Wenjun wasn't completely dead. A jade stone on her chest emitted a gentle spiritual qi, frantically healing her wounds, deepening Xu Hei's grim expression.
"You dare court death!!!"
A furious roar erupted from the phantom figure, eyes wide with disbelief that Xu Hei wasn't dead.
The other scattered cultivators also looked on, eyes wide with shock.
Xu Hei, having been struck by two Core Formation Stage attacks, was thrown forward, crashing into the sand, sending up a thousand-foot cloud of dust, mingled with a strong scent of blood.
Xu Hei's armor was gone, and half his body was missing.
This was a life-for-life exchange, to take Zhou Wenjun's life!
She had plotted against him first, then showed no remorse, sending people to kill him again. Xu Hei had long resolved to pay any price to completely eliminate her.
After unleashing a powerful attack, the phantom figure grew even more indistinct, its eyes wide with disbelief that Xu Hei wasn't dead.
The other scattered cultivators also stared in shock, eyes fixed on the scene, filled with awe.
....165...
The fierce wind blew, yet Xu Hei remained standing on the sandy ground. Half of his body was covered in shredded flesh, and as he straightened up, his appearance was fully exposed to everyone's view.
All eyes were vacant with shock.
These cultivators, daring to venture deep into the ruins, were people of courage who had seen all kinds of corpse puppets, their minds far surpassing ordinary people's resilience.
Yet even so, upon witnessing Xu Hei's appearance, they couldn't help but gasp in horror.
"What kind of monster is this?"
"A demon cultivator! This is definitely a demon cultivator!"
"Hiss!"
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
At this moment, Xu Hei's enormous bald head was exposed, covered with various human faces, each with different expressions. Over twenty eyeballs adorned his head, and his body was full of bizarre lumps of flesh. From the exploded half of his body, countless writhing limbs were squeezed together.
With a thought, Xu Hei's exploded body regenerated, and his arm grew back.
He looked at Zhou Wenjun in front of him, who was already semi-conscious, yet a continuous stream of vitality flowed into her, healing her wounds.
"Can't kill you, huh?"
Xu Hei grabbed Zhou Wenjun, and a grotesque mouth split open on his head, swallowing her whole.
"Crunch, crunch!"
The chilling sound of chewing echoed.
Zhou Wenjun was devoured in one bite, swallowed into the butcher's body.
Such a terrifying act left the black-clad assassins completely frozen, as if struck by lightning.
In the next moment.
A new face appeared on the butcher's skullcap, Zhou Wenjun's face, filled with fear, her eyes bulging as if she had endured immense torment before her death.
"What the hell is this?"
"This is terrifying! Could it be an ancient fiend?"
"I can't take it anymore!"
Terrified cries erupted from the crowd, even among these carefully selected cultivators, none were weak-minded.
This scene was too horrifying, something none had ever witnessed, even leaving a psychological scar!
Liu Buqun swallowed hard; dealing with such a creature, was like negotiating with a tiger, a sure path to death!
Even Tianji Shangren was stunned, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"Impossible, I calculated that there would be a child of destiny here, but how could it be so sinister? There must be someone else," Tianji Shangren muttered to himself.
The phantom of Zhou Qingxuan could no longer suppress his murderous intent, igniting into a sword of light, shooting towards Xu Hei.
"Demon, today I will kill you!"
Zhou Qingxuan's phantom unleashed unprecedented energy, burning his entire avatar for this strike, the strongest blow, reaching the Core Formation Stage.
"Save... save me..."
Suddenly, from the top of the butcher's head, Zhou Wenjun's face emitted a faint cry for help.
Zhou Qingxuan felt a "boom" in his mind, his scalp tingling, and his forward momentum stalled.
He quickly realized it was a trick!
But it was too late!
Xu Hei acted decisively, the Jiao Python lunged forward, self-destructing half its body, along with five snake spirits, further weakening Zhou Qingxuan.
Then, with a wave of the Soul-absorbing Flag, Zhou Qingxuan was sucked in, along with all the snake spirits.
The snake spirits pounced, devouring the phantom Zhou Qingxuan completely.
This all happened in a flash, from Zhou Qingxuan's attack to his being swallowed, in the blink of an eye.
Life and death in an instant, hesitation leads to defeat!
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Zhou Wenjun had long been dead, the cry for help was Xu Hei's deliberate manipulation, meant to disrupt the opponent's mind.
Zhou Qingxuan fell for it, hesitating for just a moment.
But that moment was enough for Xu Hei to seize the opportunity, sacrificing half a Jiao Python and five snake spirits to capture him in the Soul-absorbing Flag, successfully eliminating this major threat.
Xu Hei had to do this.
If he fell behind or suffered even a slight setback, the others watching like hawks would immediately pounce, reducing this grotesque monster to dust.
He needed to use thunderous means to perfectly kill Zhou Qingxuan to serve as a deterrent!
Now, Xu Hei turned his gaze to the remaining dozen or so people.
The twenty eyeballs on his head rotated in unison, each locking onto a person, sending a chill through their hearts.
"Everyone, such an evil being must be eradicated! Let's join forces and kill this demon!" the black-clad assassin shouted hoarsely.
However, upon hearing this, the people on either side stepped back, distancing themselves from her.
This was intimidation!
Not just visual intimidation, but also intimidation through means. Xu Hei's appearance was merely auxiliary; the real impact came from his devouring Zhou Wenjun and killing Zhou Qingxuan!
Xu Hei looked at the black-clad assassin and said coldly, "Liu Ruyan, you're quite lucky to still be alive."
The black-clad assassin's body stiffened instantly.
"Liu Ruyan?"
"That name sounds familiar."
Liu Buqun's mind raced, and he immediately remembered.
In Chuyang City, the master of the Heavenly Dragon Casino was Liu Ruyan.
Last year, due to poor management, Liu Ruyan provoked someone she shouldn't have, detonating a Thunder Tribulation Pearl, blowing up the casino and destroying several shops in the commercial district, causing heavy losses and numerous casualties.
The Myriad Treasure Pavilion couldn't catch the culprit, so they pinned all the blame on Liu Ruyan.
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Liu Ruyan had to atone by becoming an assassin, protecting the Zhou Family disciples.
It was the most degrading position.
She was no longer the high-ranking manager but a lowly assassin, forced to risk her life at the Zhou Family's command.
"You've got the wrong person."
Liu Ruyan stared at Xu Hei, her voice still hoarse.
In truth, from the moment she witnessed the Body Swap and the spirit of the Jiao Python, she recognized him as the one who detonated the Thunder Tribulation Pearl, causing her downfall.
That day, she was blasted to pieces, her Golden Core shattered, and was humiliated by two low-level cultivators, nearly expelled from the Myriad Treasure Pavilion afterward.
It was the pain of her life!
She had long vowed to grind the bones of the one who wronged her into dust, no matter the cost.
Yet, when she finally faced the culprit, she felt no anger as she had imagined, but rather, fear.
So much so that she dared not act.
Fear stemmed from the unknown!
Was this grotesque monster truly his true form?
If so, it was terrifying!
If not, it was even more terrifying!
"Why don't you act? I destroyed your Heavenly Dragon Casino, reduced you to an assassin, why don't you kill me? Are you afraid?"
Xu Hei continued to taunt, attacking her mind with words.
As Xu Hei advanced, his bloated body sprouted numerous arms, growing from his shoulders, abdomen, and chest.
On his head, seven or eight more heads emerged, eyes covering his entire body, transforming into an indescribable ancient fiend in an instant!
Liu Ruyan's face turned pale, her legs weak, cold sweat dripping down her back, despite being at the Core Formation Stage, she was terrified.
She struggled to stop trembling, but her body wouldn't obey, her mind replaying the scene of Zhou Wenjun being swallowed, her face crying for help, causing her head to buzz.
"Are you afraid?"
All of Xu Hei's eyes turned in unison, locking onto Liu Ruyan, all mouths speaking in unison.
With those words.
Liu Ruyan's spirit completely collapsed.
....166....
"Are you afraid?" "Are you afraid?" "..."
Countless voices overlapped, echoing incessantly in Liu Ruyan's mind, like an inner demon swirling around, pushing her fear to its limit.
In front of her, she vaguely saw a scene—
On the butcher's head, all the faces changed, turning into her own face, with bulging eyes staring straight at her.
Those eyes, like those of a dead fish, conveyed an indescribable terror.
"Come, become a part of me."
Countless mouths opened and closed, emitting a demonic sound that echoed in her mind.
Finally.
"Ah!!!"
Liu Ruyan clutched her head with both hands, letting out a piercing, high-pitched scream.
She could no longer hold on, her mind completely collapsed, and she turned to flee.
Using all her strength, she frantically fled backward, as if she had seen a ghost, stumbling and falling to the ground, then crawling away in a panic.
"No! No!! I don't want to become like that!"
With a series of heart-wrenching screams, Liu Ruyan disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.
The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.
A Core Formation Stage cultivator fled without a fight, directly scared away.
Tianji Shangren watched the disappearing figure, his expression heavy, and whispered, "She has bred an inner demon!"
Earlier, when Xu Hei held the Thunder Tribulation Pearl and stormed into the gambling house, she dared not make a move!
Now, she still dared not make a move!
Xu Hei was destined to become her inner demon!
In fact, after Liu Ruyan's limbs were broken and she suffered a series of setbacks, her Dao heart was already damaged, with cracks forming. Seeing Xu Hei today and not daring to take revenge directly caused her Dao heart to collapse.
From today onward, whenever she sees Xu Hei, she will think of her miserable experience in the gambling house and the terror she felt facing those countless heads.
She wasn't the only one frightened.
The onlookers passing by were all scared, with many having already retreated, not daring to explore this land of earth movement any further.
Seven people remained, all retreating to a far distance, nervously watching Xu Hei, their faces pale, their throats tight.
One had to admit, this group was quite courageous, and their cultivation was not weak, at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
They were unwilling to give up this hard-won opportunity, but with Xu Hei standing in front, blocking the only path, they dared not be the first to go forward.
Finally, one of the sinister cultivators couldn't hold back any longer and cupped his fists, saying, "This... fellow of the demonic path, I am Wu Chou of the Blood Robe Sect. May I ask which sect you belong to, senior? Could you grant us a favor?"
The Blood Robe Sect, an evil sect from the Western regions.
Originally not strong, but due to the war between two countries, with countless deaths and injuries, they had an abundance of blood corpses to feed on, leading to the growth and expansion of the Blood Robe Sect, almost gaining the prestige of a major sect.
Of course, being an evil sect, they still remained hidden, not daring to be too conspicuous.
"A favor? I'm not blocking you; you can go ahead." Xu Hei said calmly.
Wu Chou's face stiffened, yet he still dared not step forward.
The intimidation of this demon was too strong; no one dared to approach within a thousand meters, only daring to watch from afar.
Wu Chou, who had committed countless evil deeds and stained his hands with blood, usually made other cultivators tremble at the sight of him, but in front of this demon, he had no fierceness at all.
"What, do you need me to step aside and invite you to pass?" Xu Hei said coldly.
At this moment, all eyes were on Wu Chou, curious about what he would do.
Wu Chou was so anxious that cold sweat broke out.
He began to regret being the one to step forward.
"Senior asked you to go up, so why don't you hurry up and go?"
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Suddenly, a hand shot out, grabbing his throat. The oppressive true essence pressure descended, sealing Wu Chou's entire body, rendering him immobile.
It was Liu Buqun who acted.
With a frosty expression, Liu Buqun grabbed Wu Chou, gave him a fierce slap, shattering his dantian, and then threw him forward with force.
Wu Chou soared through the air, a pair of blood-red wings sprouting from his back, but Xu Hei, with a gravitational technique, instantly immobilized him.
"Swish!"
An arm suddenly extended ten meters, grabbing Wu Chou and pulling him back.
"No, no!! Spare me, senior... ah..."
Wu Chou was stuffed into the butcher's belly, becoming a part of the butcher.
Everyone was shocked.
Liu Buqun no longer held back, summoning a copper bell and striking it heavily, the sound waves sweeping in all directions, causing the heads of everyone present to buzz, blood to flow from their seven orifices, and their bodies to freeze.
"Die!"
Two flying swords were thrown out, slicing through two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, then turning towards the remaining two late Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Poof!!"
Liu Buqun caught up with one, his evil sword slashing, sending the person's head flying. The remaining person fled for their life, but within a dozen breaths, Liu Buqun caught up and swiftly killed them.
Thus, of the seven remaining people, Liu Buqun killed four, Xu Hei devoured one, leaving only Liu Buqun and Tianji Shangren.
And Xu Hei.
Xu Hei hadn't expected Liu Buqun to act so ruthlessly and decisively, killing without mercy, something even Xu Hei felt inferior to.
The previous battle had consumed too much of his true qi; he only wanted to scare this group away, but Liu Buqun killed them all.
From their encounter in Rock Serpent City, it was clear that this person was sharp-minded and decisive, able to escape in such a situation, definitely not an ordinary person.
"Fellow Daoist, the matter is settled. How about the three of us join forces to explore this desert land?" Liu Buqun said, his face unchanged, but his heart was actually filled with anxiety.
Tianji Shangren had lost interest initially, but since they had come all this way, they might as well explore, so he agreed.
"Alright." Xu Hei nodded.
Liu Buqun was pleased, but remained cautious; such a demon was unpredictable, and who knew which words were true and which were false.
But outwardly, he maintained a friendly demeanor.
"Haha, I am Liu Buqun. May I know your name, fellow Daoist?" Liu Buqun asked with a smile.
"Butcher," Xu Hei replied indifferently.
Butcher... Liu Buqun secretly thought the name was quite fitting.
"I am Tianji Shangren. I will cooperate with you two for now."
Tianji Shangren nodded.
After speaking, he took out a brush and casually drew on the ground. In an instant, the void behind them twisted, forming a hazy area.
"This formation can trap those who come after us, but it will only last for a day. I hope within this day, the three of us can gain something," Tianji Shangren said calmly.
Xu Hei noticed that Tianji Shangren, who had been very interested in him before, now seemed to have lost all interest, not even wanting to look at him.
This was a good thing.
Xu Hei was very wary of this person, so it was best if he didn't pay attention to him.
"Let's go."
Xu Hei moved forward, retracting his limbs and head, returning to a slightly more normal form.
Liu Buqun hesitated for a moment, then moved a little closer, entering Xu Hei's thousand-meter range, his whole body tense.
Seeing that Xu Hei didn't make a move, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he still kept his magical treasure in hand, not putting it away.
Tianji Shangren walked unhurriedly at the back.
Xu Hei had no intention of dealing with others; he just wanted to find a quiet place to rest, recover his strength, and also examine Zhou Wenjun's storage bag.
There was still a layer of restrictive seal on her storage bag, which piqued his curiosity.
But for now, he couldn't show any weakness or stop, lest someone notice his significant consumption.
Xu Hei's true self took a Rejuvenation Pill, refining it with the Demon God Cauldron, recovering as he walked.
Unknowingly, the color of the desert deepened, and Xu Hei found himself in the black desert area again.
Ahead lay an endless expanse, with open views on both sides, no longer a narrow place.
Tianji Shangren leaped forward, standing beside Xu Hei, gazing at the black desert, a gleam in his eyes.
....167....
"Tianji Shangren, what insights do you have?"
Liu Buqun leaned in closer. Compared to Xu Hei, he preferred to be near this person.
"The Yin Sha Qi is so intense here; many must have died in this place," Tianji Shangren muttered to himself.
After observing for a moment, Tianji Shangren took out two sheets of paper and folded them into a paper man and a paper crane.
"Go!"
He pointed forward.
The paper man and the paper crane, one burrowed underground, the other flew into the sky, both moving forward.
After advancing about a thousand meters, a sudden sandstorm erupted in the sky, instantly tearing the paper crane to shreds, and the sandstorm vanished with it.
"It seems we can't fly above; we'll have to use earth escape..."
Tianji Shangren had just spoken.
Suddenly, a quicksand vortex appeared underground, unleashing a terrifying suction that pulled the paper man deep below, shattering it as well.
Tianji Shangren fell into deep thought.
Xu Hei's pupils contracted. He had vaguely sensed danger ahead and knew he shouldn't proceed further, and now it was confirmed.
The suction that erupted just now—if he encountered it, he definitely wouldn't escape.
"The Five Elements Path, none of them are safe. Since others have passed through the other three paths, there must be a way through this one too. Better let others try first," Xu Hei thought to himself.
He didn't make a move, letting others explore first was the safest option, avoiding situations like the Illusionary Forest, where relying on teammates was crucial, and he had suffered greatly before.
Then, Tianji Shangren took out several more paper men, advancing them from different directions and in various postures, but without exception, they were all attacked.
Either by sandstorms, quicksand burial, emerging stone pillars, or flying stone blades.
All sorts of dangers emerged one after another.
Xu Hei vaguely sensed something unusual.
These attacks were clearly the most basic earth-type spells!
The other two also noticed this but remained silent, merely observing quietly, their eyes flickering with speculation.
"There are no spells without a source. If there are spells, there must be a caster, either a person or a formation."
Tianji Shangren, well-versed in formations, immediately saw through the mystery.
With a serious expression, he took out a brush, waved it in the air, and scattered ink droplets, forming a massive formation base that encompassed the area ahead.
"This formation is called the Spirit Ban Formation. Within its area, no spells can take effect, whether by humans or formations!"
Tianji Shangren, full of confidence, set up the formation and stepped forward.
Liu Buqun hesitated slightly, intending to follow, but seeing Xu Hei unmoved, he decided to stay put as well.
Moments later.
As Tianji Shangren walked further away, Xu Hei remained indifferent. Liu Buqun grew anxious and transmitted a message: "Fellow Daoist, Tianji Shangren has gone far. If we don't follow, any treasures ahead might be lost to us."
Xu Hei still didn't move, sitting cross-legged and observing quietly.
There was no other reason; he needed to restore his True Qi. Without ensuring his peak condition, Xu Hei wouldn't take a single step forward.
Otherwise, if there was any danger, how would Xu Hei cope?
Even if there were opportunities ahead, they would have to be left for Tianji Shangren. There was no other way; being cautious first was a matter of principle.
"Rest assured, fellow Daoists, with the Spirit Ban Formation in place, the crisis is resolved. No need to worry."
Tianji Shangren's voice came from afar.
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Liu Buqun glanced at Xu Hei again, frowning. He had seen the Spirit Ban Formation before and knew it effectively prohibited spells, just as he remembered.
He tried casting some minor spells, and indeed, they couldn't manifest, which reassured him. Without further hesitation, he moved forward.
Three meters, six meters, nine meters... thirty meters...
Suddenly!
The sand on the ground rose into the air with lightning speed, engulfing Tianji Shangren. Liu Buqun's hair stood on end, and he burned a talisman in his hand, returning to the starting point as if by teleportation.
But he lost an arm.
As for Tianji Shangren, he vanished without a trace, not even a bone fragment left.
Liu Buqun was drenched in sweat from the pain. The sand came and went quickly, disappearing the moment it touched his arm, leaving Tianji Shangren with no remains.
This terrified him; the danger here was more frightening than the other three paths!
At least the other three paths had been explored, and their dangers were clear. This one was completely unknown.
Xu Hei remained motionless, but a gleam flashed in his eyes as he vaguely discerned some clues.
"Strange, why did spells appear despite the Spirit Ban Formation? And why didn't they appear when Tianji Shangren first entered, but did immediately when I entered? Why is that?"
Liu Buqun found it hard to believe and looked at Xu Hei, hoping to see his perspective.
"Tianji Shangren, what do you think?"
Xu Hei didn't answer but turned his gaze to an empty spot nearby.
There, a shadow gradually solidified into a figure in a robe—it was Tianji Shangren.
Earlier, he had left a paper man in place, and at the moment of death, he used it as a substitute, altering causality to escape the calamity.
However, his face was slightly pale, indicating that the cost of this causality technique was not small.
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"This place is tricky. My Spirit Ban Formation is genuine, and I had no intention of deceiving you two, but it indeed couldn't stop those bizarre spells," Tianji Shangren said solemnly.
As he spoke, he took out a blood-red pill and tossed it to Liu Buqun.
"The Blood Spirit Pill."
Liu Buqun's eyes flashed. This pill could regenerate flesh and bones, allowing a severed limb to regrow quickly, making it a holy healing pill.
But he didn't take it, instead storing it away and consuming a lesser Bone Regeneration Pill.
This pill could also regrow limbs, albeit more slowly.
The main reason was his deep suspicion, unable to fully trust others' pills.
"I've expended a lot of energy, so I'll meditate for a while. Let's discuss this in an hour," Tianji Shangren said, sitting down to perform breathing exercises.
Liu Buqun quickly sat down to heal as well.
Xu Hei stared at the black sand, lost in thought.
He could tell that the Spirit Ban Formation indeed prohibited spells, preventing even Spiritual Qi from flowing, and Tianji Shangren hadn't lied.
So how did these deadly earth-type spells appear?
Or perhaps, they weren't spells at all?
Sandstorm Technique, Earth Spike, Flying Stone Technique, Quicksand Technique... all familiar to Xu Hei, yet not spells. What were they then?
After a long time, Xu Hei's eyes suddenly lit up. He stood up and walked to the edge of the sand.
He grabbed a handful of black sand, observing it closely as it slipped through his fingers.
The two others watched Xu Hei, puzzled.
Xu Hei remained silent for a long time, as if realizing something, his eyes flickering as he walked into the black desert.
Tianji Shangren squinted his eyes and asked, "Butcher Daoist, have you discovered something?"
Xu Hei didn't respond, stepping onto the black sand and walking forward.
He quickened his pace, continuing onward, and the earth-type spells never appeared.
Tianji Shangren's eyes flickered.
Liu Buqun stared intently, curious about how the Butcher would handle a place even Tianji Shangren couldn't cross...
.....168....
Not long after, Xu Hei reached a distance of a thousand feet away.
This was where Tianji Shangren was ambushed. At that time, the air was filled with dust and sand, and in an instant, nothing was left of him.
Yet Xu Hei didn't pause, continuing to move forward.
"It's coming," Tianji Shangren's eyes narrowed, thinking to himself.
Suddenly, a stalagmite shot up from the ground, aiming straight for Xu Hei's crotch. It was a spell Xu Hei was familiar with, the Earth Spike.
"Spirit Body Thread!"
With a thought, countless invisible threads shot out, striking the stalagmite.
In an instant, the stalagmite stopped moving.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
The wind howled, and sand filled the sky. The Sandstorm Technique appeared once more, but Xu Hei again used the Spirit Body Thread, and the sandstorm ceased immediately.
Such a bizarre scene left the two people behind him dumbfounded.
"What... what's going on?"
Tianji Shangren immediately stood up, instinctively wanting to investigate, but hesitated.
He couldn't understand the principle behind it, and going forward would be courting death.
At this moment, Xu Hei's Spirit Body Thread spread out thousands of strands, precisely passing through each grain of sand.
He suddenly realized that these grains of sand were not formed by any spell. It was nonsense to call it a spell; it was nothing of the sort.
These were clearly puppets, puppets the size of grains of sand!
This explained why "spells" appeared under the Spirit Ban Formation.
Xu Hei didn't know what kind of existence could create puppets as small as grains of sand, with such a complex internal structure in such a tiny body.
But this was definitely beyond his understanding!
"According to legend, there are Spirit-Eating Ants smaller than grains of sand. Although tiny, they can devour spirits and gold, possessing immense power. The puppets here are just like Spirit-Eating Ants!"
Xu Hei marveled in his heart, becoming even more curious about the owner of these ruins.
Xu Hei released the Spirit Body Thread, forming a continuous loop around him, creating a sphere that enveloped him tightly, providing absolute defense that no puppet could penetrate.
As long as the Spirit Body Thread touched them, the sand would fall powerlessly.
Xu Hei's Spirit Body Thread had clearly formed a defensive light screen, blocking all attacks.
"Boom!!"
The next moment, the desert trembled, and a fierce wind arose. Black sand and dust surged into the sky in the distance, forming terrifying clouds that pressed down like a black cloud over a city, sweeping towards Xu Hei.
The vast black cloud was unimaginably large in number.
"This..." Xu Hei's face changed dramatically.
His Spirit Body Thread could indeed restrain the puppets, but with such numbers, how could he possibly restrain them?
Even if he exhausted his True Qi, he couldn't hold them back!
Xu Hei knew that not all the black sand here were puppets; for instance, he had only found two or three among the sand he had picked up earlier.
But there was simply too much sand here.
Even if only one in ten thousand were puppets, the number was still terrifying.
"Boom!!"
The heavens and earth roared as the sandstorm approached, blotting out the sky like a giant hand reaching for Xu Hei.
These puppets all had a sense of self-preservation and a hint of intelligence. Even after the Spirit Ban Formation was set up, they deliberately refrained from attacking, waiting for someone to delve deeper before devouring them in one fell swoop.
Tianji Shangren had suffered greatly because of this.
At this moment, they clearly realized that Xu Hei posed a great threat to them, so they all gathered and charged forward.
Xu Hei turned and fled, while Tianji Shangren and Liu Buqun, their faces pale with fear, also ran without hesitation.
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What talk of opportunities or magical treasures? Their lives were the most important thing right now.
Xu Hei had underestimated the difficulty of this journey. He had thought that since others had made it through the other three paths, this Earth path should be passable too.
However, this path was sealed for a reason.
"Boom!!"
The black cloud moved incredibly fast, quickly spreading behind Xu Hei and colliding with the Spirit Body Thread. Countless grains of sand fell, but more came to replace them.
Xu Hei could clearly feel his True Qi draining away like water, and in just a few breaths, it would be completely exhausted.
"Should I use the Black Dragon Pagoda or the Small Teleportation Talisman?"
After a moment of thought, Xu Hei made a quick decision, taking out the Small Teleportation Talisman and gripping it in front of him.
"Whoosh!"
A spatial ripple flashed, and Xu Hei vanished from the spot.
The black cloud lost track of Xu Hei and turned towards the two men in the distance. They too didn't hesitate, each taking out their life-saving items, whether for teleportation or shifting causality, and fled.
Deep underground in the Earth path.
"Whoosh!"
Xu Hei's figure slowly emerged.
Since the Small Teleportation Talisman only worked on the original body, Xu Hei had put away the butcher puppet, and now it was his true self.
"Huh, where is this?"
Xu Hei looked around in confusion, finding himself beneath the desert, his body squeezed by sand and stone, creating a narrow space.
His Divine Sense spread out, still only covering a hundred meters, and all he saw was sand!
Xu Hei's body trembled; he had actually teleported beneath the desert.
What kind of operation was this?
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"Strange, I clearly aimed for the direction behind me, so why did I end up here?"
Xu Hei was puzzled and uncertain.
The Small Teleportation Talisman was supposed to teleport him to a place he had been before, usually used for escaping.
But this talisman had transported him to a strange place.
He took out the remaining seven Small Teleportation Talismans, which he had personally crafted. They were black in color, different from ordinary ones.
Xu Hei had thought they only looked different.
However, the effect was different too, seemingly random teleportation?
Xu Hei tried to move but was frustrated to find he couldn't budge. The sand here was extremely heavy, indicating he was deep underground.
The oppressive force made his dragon scales creak, and his body was on the verge of being crushed.
"No, I need to teleport again."
Xu Hei took out another Small Teleportation Talisman, thought for a moment, and activated it in the opposite direction of before.
"Whoosh!"
Xu Hei disappeared from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was still beneath the desert, but the pressure had lessened somewhat, indicating he was in a more layered area.
Yet moving was still incredibly difficult for Xu Hei.
"Again!"
Xu Hei used another Small Teleportation Talisman to teleport once more.
This time, the space finally opened up, and he found himself in mid-air.
Xu Hei looked up and saw he was above the desert. The sand was still black, and the sky was bleak, but the black cloud from before was gone.
Xu Hei quickly descended to the ground, looking around to find himself in a place he hadn't been before, and the environment was different from what he had seen earlier.
He casually picked up a handful of sand and checked it one by one, surprisingly finding no puppets, just ordinary sand.
"Could it be that I've passed through that extremely dangerous area and reached the depths of this Earth path?" Xu Hei's expression changed.
This was shocking to him. The Small Teleportation Talisman was supposed to be for escaping, only teleporting to places he had been before.
But Xu Hei's Small Teleportation Talisman seemed to teleport randomly.
Of course, this kind of random teleportation was extremely risky. If he ended up in a place where death was certain, wouldn't that be the end?
For instance, earlier, Xu Hei had teleported underground. If he only had one Small Teleportation Talisman and no extras, he would have been trapped to death.
....169....
After facing such a massive crisis, fortunately, Xu Hei emerged unscathed and arrived safely in the depths.
Recalling the black storm from earlier, Xu Hei felt a shiver run down his spine.
That thing, even if Qin Xuanji were to handle it, would probably struggle.
"So much sand, probably millions of puppets. Who could control so many puppets at once, or is there some other technique?"
Xu Hei racked his brain but couldn't comprehend it.
This bizarre puppet technique refreshed his understanding, making the inheritance from the Heavenly Puppet Sect seem like child's play in comparison.
He suddenly thought of the token in the Void Stone and the fragmented words from ancient times.
"Descendant of Gongshu... Divine Puppet Sect..."
Xu Hei pondered.
For some reason, the Heavenly Puppet Sect was forbidden to enter, but the owner of this tomb was clearly related to the Heavenly Puppet Sect, perhaps even an ancient powerhouse from the sect.
The Divine Puppet Sect should be the superior of the Heavenly Puppet Sect.
Xu Hei looked around, surrounded by a vast black desert, unsure of where to go. He decided to stay put and perform breathing exercises to recover his energy, while also attempting to unlock Zhou Wenjun's storage bag.
He dared not act recklessly before being fully prepared, lest he encounter more danger.
...
At the entrance of the Earth Path.
Two disheveled figures rushed out, covered in blood and gasping for breath, their True Qi nearly depleted. They were Liu Buqun and Tianji Shangren.
These two had unique skills, managing to escape from such a vast expanse of sand, proving their considerable abilities.
"This place is too dangerous. I should give up on this opportunity."
Liu Buqun's face was pale, still shaken. He craved opportunities, but he needed to survive to seize them.
Tianji Shangren also sighed deeply, finding it difficult to proceed with his abilities.
"That demon must be dead. I just misjudged."
Tianji Shangren sighed inwardly, deciding not to dwell on it.
They both sat cross-legged on the square, recovering their strength.
At this moment, many people noticed the newly opened Earth Path.
The first batch of cultivators who entered had partially fled, each with a pale face and a look of terror, as if deeply traumatized.
Upon inquiry, it was revealed that inside was a demonic cultivator who pieced together bodies from living people, covered in hundreds of eyeballs, described as terrifying as possible.
A crazed woman in black also ran out, screaming madly about "demons" and "stay away," causing everyone to turn pale.
Even Core Formation Stage cultivators were driven insane with fear. What kind of monster could it be?
"What kind of demon could scare people like this? I don't believe it!"
A Core Formation Stage cultivator, skeptical, formed a small team to explore inside.
But it wasn't long before they fled back in panic. Out of more than ten people, only two returned alive, weak and severely injured.
"It was terrifying. What kind of sand was that?"
"It devours people without leaving a trace."
The two were terrified. They hadn't encountered the demon but faced even more terrifying sand.
Later, more fearless cultivators formed groups to enter, but without exception, they all suffered heavy casualties, none making it through.
This left everyone in despair.
In other places, as long as one grasped the pattern and had a strong leader, one could still muddle through. Here, it was sheer suicide, without even a glimpse of treasure.
In just half a day, this place was marked as forbidden by the rogue cultivators, with no one daring to enter again.
...
Deep within the ancient relic.
This place was the forefront of relic exploration, where major families and forces of the Qin Kingdom had arrived, establishing strongholds, including the Zhou Family.
The Zhou Family members wore uniform purple robes, adorned with jewels and magical treasures, always protected by a glow of treasure, making them immune to sneak attacks—the advantage of wealth.
Leading the Zhou Family was a scholarly middle-aged man, none other than the illusory figure, Zhou Qingxuan.
However, the Zhou Qingxuan here was his true self, with cultivation reaching the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.
Among the Zhou Family crowd was a young girl, resembling Zhou Wenjun but slightly younger, with cold eyes and an innate arrogance in her every move, not feigned but inherent.
The pride of the Zhou Family, Zhou Wendie.
Compared to her sister, this girl's reputation was much more prominent. She began Qi Refining at five, achieved perfect Foundation Establishment at ten, reached Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage at seventeen, possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root unseen in five hundred years, and was born with Scarlet Flame Demon Eyes, hailed as the most talented person in Zhou Family history.
"Zhou Wenjun is confirmed dead. This is news from the rear."
Zhou Qingxuan handed over a jade slip.
Zhou Wendie took the jade slip and pressed it to her forehead, her expression still cold, though a tear streaked down her cheek.
"Is the demon who killed her confirmed dead?"
Her voice was calm, suppressing her emotions with effort.
"According to Tianji Shangren, facing that sand, it's impossible to survive," Zhou Qingxuan sighed.
He was equally furious! To destroy his avatar and devour Zhou Wenjun in front of him, and the opponent was just a Foundation Establishment Stage demon, was an utter humiliation!
The demon should feel fortunate to die under the relic's dangers rather than being captured by them.
At this moment, Zhou Wendie stood up, facing the rear, retracing her steps.
"What are you doing..." Zhou Qingxuan's face darkened.
"Going to the Earth Path."
Zhou Wendie said expressionlessly, "Wenjun's storage bag is still there. I have something important in it that I need to retrieve."
Zhou Qingxuan hesitated for a moment, sighed inwardly, and could only lead the others to follow.
...
Deep within the Earth Path.
Xu Hei suddenly opened his eyes. At this moment, Zhou Wenjun's storage bag had been forcibly unlocked by him. He had scraped it with dragon scales for a full hour before breaking it open.
With a sweep of his Divine Sense, the treasures inside were laid bare.
Spirit Stones, Talismans, Magical Treasures... everything was there.
Even though Xu Hei was mentally prepared, he still gasped, stunned by her astonishing wealth.
"Eight thousand Spirit Stones, richer than a Core Formation Stage cultivator!"
Xu Hei marveled inwardly. The Iron Mountain Sect's entire collection barely exceeded ten thousand. As expected of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion's Zhou Family heiress, if nothing else, she had plenty of Spirit Stones.
Additionally, there were twenty high-grade Spirit Stones.
Combined with the five from Wu Chou's storage bag, Xu Hei was only eight high-grade Spirit Stones short of acquiring a new dragon clan technique. Just gathering a few cultivators would suffice.
Xu Hei also discovered many life-saving items that Zhou Wenjun hadn't had the chance to use.
"Ground Shrinking Talisman, Swift Talisman..."
These two Talismans were for escaping, not as effective as the Small Teleportation Talisman, but each had its advantages.
The Ground Shrinking Talisman could instantly shrink the ground to an inch, covering a thousand feet in one step. Liu Buqun used this Talisman to escape the sand's pursuit.
The Swift Talisman could increase speed fivefold.
With so many life-saving items, yet being chased by a metal puppet and seeking help, Xu Hei found it utterly laughable.
Xu Hei carefully stored these two Talismans. His Small Teleportation Talisman was highly unstable, so these could serve as substitutes.
"Huh? Is this a mechanism box?"
Xu Hei picked up two wooden boxes, covered in intricate patterns with powerful seals, impossible to force open. They were the mechanism boxes Xu Hei had seen before.
But the boxes had a keyhole, meant to be opened with a key.
....170....
This must have been discovered by Zhou Wenjun within the ruins.
Unlike the ones Han Te sold before, this is a wooden box, likely originating from the land of wood.
Xu Hei glanced at the key, now two-tenths shorter, estimating it could still open eight more times.
These mechanism boxes should be plentiful within the ruins, so he needed to use them cautiously.
"Let's try opening one first."
Xu Hei inserted the key into the lock, and with a "click," the first wooden box opened.
As soon as it opened, the box vanished automatically, and a strong medicinal fragrance wafted out. Xu Hei quickly sealed it to prevent the loss of its potency.
Upon closer inspection, it was a pill the size of a dragon's eye, lush green and fragrant.
Xu Hei had never seen such a pill and didn't know its name, but just a whiff made him feel his cultivation loosening.
"Who knows how many millennia have passed, yet it retains such potent efficacy. Unbelievable!"
Xu Hei thought to himself, deeply admiring the creator of this mechanism box.
The medicinal herbs preserved in the Void Stones turned to dust over the ages, yet the box could preserve them for so long, still fragrant when opened.
Unfortunately, the box was single-use; once opened, it disappeared, or else Xu Hei could have studied it further.
Suddenly, the green pill before him began to wither at a visible rate.
Even with Xu Hei's seal, it continued to lose potency rapidly, as if it would vanish as soon as it saw the light of day.
Xu Hei's expression changed. Seeing the pill disappearing, he dared not hesitate and immediately opened his mouth to swallow it.
"Gulp!"
The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth.
Swallowing an ancient pill was a risky move. Xu Hei didn't know its effects, but under these circumstances, he couldn't afford to waste it.
"Boom!!"
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In an instant, Xu Hei's body trembled violently as the pill's Spiritual Qi formed whirlwinds, rushing through his meridians.
This Qi was vast and boundless, yet extremely pure, easily absorbed.
It was Spiritual Qi from ancient times.
In both quality and quantity, it far surpassed the modern era!
The whirlwind grew stronger, turning into a gale, then a hurricane, raging within his body, causing his meridians intense pain, his flesh to swell, as if his body might burst.
Blood seeped from his skin, dyeing his body red, even his bones resonated with a trembling sound.
"Damn! This is definitely a third-grade pill, meant for those above the Core Formation Stage, and I actually swallowed it!"
Xu Hei's heart was heavy, and he exerted all his strength to activate the Demon God Cauldron, compressing the violent Spiritual Qi.
"Suppress it for me!!"
Xu Hei roared inwardly.
The endless storm of Spiritual Qi was drawn into the Demon God Cauldron, yet the pain and swelling remained intense, his body echoing with booming sounds, like thunder, threatening to destroy his physical body.
This pill was too powerful, definitely above third-grade.
And this was after losing some potency and being preserved for so many years. If it were at full strength, Xu Hei had no doubt that even a tiny bit would cause him to explode instantly.
This was a battle!
A battle between Xu Hei and the pill.
More and more Spiritual Qi emerged from the pill, and Xu Hei's body expanded at a terrifying speed.
He was only two and a half meters tall, yet within ten breaths, he swelled to ten meters, twenty meters...
He had become a balloon with a diameter of twenty meters.
This was Xu Hei's reinforced body; anyone else would have perished long ago. He was on the verge of exploding, even the Demon God Cauldron was struggling to suppress it.
"What the hell kind of pill is this, why is it so fierce?" Xu Hei's heart trembled.
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Calling it a third-grade pill was an understatement.
Xu Hei didn't know its grade, but if this continued, he surely couldn't withstand it, his body would explode, and the Spiritual Qi would be lost.
"What should I do? What should I do?"
Xu Hei was extremely anxious, then suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
Xu Hei opened his mouth and spat out the Black Dragon Pagoda, entering it directly, channeling the vast ocean-like Spiritual Qi into the Black Dragon Pagoda.
Previously, he had absorbed a lot from the Black Dragon Pagoda, now he returned it all.
"Whoosh!"
As if finding an outlet, Xu Hei's body began to shrink slowly, his meridians retracting, and the Black Dragon Pagoda actively absorbed the Spiritual Qi, cooperating perfectly.
Seeing the effect, Xu Hei continued to transfer the Spiritual Qi while striving to refine it.
This was ancient Spiritual Qi; he couldn't waste it and had to absorb as much as possible.
Xu Hei's cultivation rapidly soared, reaching a perfect state in mere moments.
He decisively attempted to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.
This was originally a long process, but the earlier Qi upheaval had widened Xu Hei's meridians, and even the spiritual foundation within the Demon God Cauldron had expanded significantly.
It all happened almost effortlessly.
The next day.
With a crisp "crack," his spiritual foundation split into two, marking Xu Hei's official entry into the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.
At this moment, his body had completely returned to normal, and the vast flow of Spiritual Qi had mostly been sent into the Black Dragon Pagoda, with a small portion absorbed by himself.
Now, Xu Hei's second spiritual foundation was initially formed, not only reaching the mid-stage but also accumulating a certain amount.
After a long while, he examined his body internally and, finding no major issues, let out a long breath.
Randomly consuming pills was too risky, leaving Xu Hei with lingering fear, but fortunately, the outcome was good.
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In one night, he surpassed the ten years of arduous cultivation that others would spend in seclusion, directly advancing to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation, a speed rarely seen in the world.
However, he wouldn't dare to consume another pill like that again.
Now, with a second wooden box at hand, Xu Hei dared not open it recklessly. If another pill emerged, swallowing it would be dangerous, and not swallowing it would be a waste.
The Black Dragon Pagoda, having absorbed a large amount of Spiritual Qi, seemed to have gained a hint of spiritual charm, showing signs of breaking through the void. Xu Hei quickly stored it away.
Next, he checked Zhou Wenjun's magical treasures, which were mostly ordinary items with little use.
However, one eyeball caught his attention.
Inside the eyeball, a flame burned, very eerie, and it could rotate, as if alive, resembling a magical treasure, yet not quite.
When he probed it with his Divine Sense, he couldn't see through it, nor did it reveal any information about a magical treasure.
"What is this thing?" Xu Hei didn't quite understand.
He instinctively wanted to cut it open with dragon scales but feared damaging this mysterious object, so he decided to leave it for future study.
With that, Zhou Wenjun's storage bag was cleared.
Xu Hei packed his belongings, observed his surroundings, and saw endless desert in every direction. After a brief contemplation, he decided to head towards the area with dense Yin Qi, which should be the deepest part.
Meanwhile, he released many puppets to guard the surroundings, with the butcher leading the way.
He had also quietly refined some sand puppets, only about a hundred, not very powerful, and wrapped them around his body to prevent accidents.
The vast, endless desert seemed to have no end.
Xu Hei continued forward, the Yin Qi growing heavier, and he had a feeling he was getting close.
Half a day passed.
At the edge of his vision, a small black dot appeared. Xu Hei didn't dare to speed up, continuing at a steady pace as the black dot gradually enlarged.
Moments later.
Xu Hei gazed at the massive structure before him, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
The building was pyramid-shaped, a design Xu Hei had never seen before, about a hundred meters wide, entirely black, and he could only think of one word: pyramid.
The source of the dense Yin Qi seemed to be this pyramid.
"A desert pyramid, could it be another puppet?"
Xu Hei instinctively became alert, now suffering from puppet paranoia, seeing everything as a puppet.
He hoped the pyramid wouldn't suddenly transform into a humanoid and charge at him; that would be absurd.