This was a pitch-black island, with a gloomy sky and the roar of the sea echoing from afar. Not far from the ocean, Divine Sense was not suppressed and could easily spread out for miles.
Beside Xu Hei, the teleportation array remained active, and another group of evil faction cultivators emerged from it.
These people were all members of the Sea God Sect who had attacked the Twin Islands and were now returning.
Xu Hei assessed his physical condition, found he could move freely, and immediately applied an Invisibility Talisman, using the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon technique to distance himself from the group.
He didn't act rashly; this might be a stronghold of the Sea God Sect, and one wrong move could lead to death.
The evil faction cultivators rose into the air, landing in the eastern area of the teleportation array, sitting cross-legged.
Only then did Xu Hei notice that those who had been captured seemed unable to move, their bodies bound by some restraint, while the evil faction cultivators moved freely.
"Why can I move?"
Xu Hei's eyes flickered as he thought of a reasonable explanation: he was the only uninjured Core Formation cultivator; the others were either too weak or severely injured by karmic fire.
Of course, Xu Hei also considered another possibility.
At this moment, a violent spatial fluctuation appeared above the teleportation array, and a pitch-black figure emerged, shrouded in a terrifying mist, with only a pair of hollow eyes visible.
All the evil faction cultivators lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.
"Nightmare Demon Lord..."
Xu Hei held his breath, not daring to move.
The Nightmare Demon Lord appeared without saying a word, raised a hand to his chest, and extracted a piece of compressed flesh, burning with flames and emitting black mist.
Xu Hei's eyes narrowed; these flames were the same demonic flames from the door summoned by Hei Huang.
The Nightmare Demon Lord tossed the flesh into the air, and with a point, it quickly disintegrated, turning to ash along with the demonic flames.
He exhaled deeply, his aura rapidly declining, and the terrifying atmosphere dissipated significantly.
Only then could his appearance be seen clearly: a middle-aged cultivator in black robes, with hair like a waterfall, a pale complexion, a slender build, and bloodless skin, his features indistinct.
Xu Hei couldn't shake the feeling that he had a scholarly air.
But this appearance was fleeting, as the Nightmare Demon Lord was once again enveloped in a mist of terror, with various ominous visions—ferocious beasts, ghostly apparitions, demonic tentacles—making one afraid to look directly.
"One of the Sea God Sect's protectors is Xu Fu. This one seems to have some background too!"
Xu Hei speculated silently.
The Nightmare Demon Lord opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing in a large amount of Spiritual Qi from the ground, meditating for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before opening his eyes to look at the captured crowd.
His gaze swept over those burned by karmic fire, cursing, "Finally caught some, and Xu Fu burned most of them to death. Damn it!"
This complaint was not hidden, and everyone could hear it clearly.
"Even if they weren't burned to death, they'd be scared to death by you. What's the difference?"
A mocking voice came from the air, and Xu Fu appeared at some point.
However, Xu Fu was left with only a head, attached to an arm, his torso burned away by demonic flames, his aura barely perceptible.
Beneath his mangled body, a glowing little figure was holding up his head, his Elemental Infant.
An Elemental Infant cultivator, even if their physical body is destroyed, can still rebuild it as long as the Elemental Infant remains, fundamentally different from a Core Formation cultivator's Golden Core.
Reaching the Elemental Infant stage means initially breaking free from the shackles of the physical body; reaching the Divine Transformation Stage allows the primordial spirit to leave the body and live independently.
The Diamond Suppression Technique, when fully cultivated, focuses not just on the physical body but on mental will.
Of course, the physical body is the vessel for the spirit and equally important, and a honed body combined with spirit can transcend the mundane and shatter the void.
Xu Hei eyed the glowing little figure, a hint of fervor in his eyes despite his caution.
This was an Elemental Infant; if he could devour and refine it, how much would his cultivation improve? It was richer in energy than whale blubber, the essence of an Elemental Infant cultivator's lifetime.
At this moment, the Elemental Infant seemed to sense Xu Hei's gaze and looked over, Xu Fu's eyes turning cold, a sneer forming at his lips.
"Whoosh!"
A flame mark appeared on his brow, spewing a wisp of karmic fire towards Xu Hei. The Invisibility Talisman was child's play in front of an Elemental Infant mid-stage.
"Enough!"
The Nightmare Demon Lord snorted coldly, waving his hand to extinguish the karmic fire.
"Oh?" Xu Fu raised an eyebrow, sneering, "What use is there in keeping a Sea God Sect traitor if not eliminated?"
Sea God Sect traitor? Xu Hei frowned slightly.
The Nightmare Demon Lord didn't explain, only coldly said, "Get lost! If you don't, I'll absorb your Elemental Infant!"
In that instant, Xu Fu felt a wave of fear and didn't dare hesitate, quickly leaving, his Elemental Infant carrying his head off into the distance.
The Nightmare Demon Lord's gaze shifted to Xu Hei, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Boom!!"
Suddenly, Xu Hei felt as if struck by a heavy blow, his Invisibility Talisman shattered, revealing his true form, and the heavy armor wrapping his body also broke apart, the mask exploding to reveal the butcher's true face.
Some of the evil faction cultivators couldn't help but glance over, quickly averting their eyes, their faces turning pale.
This was a giant, broad-shouldered man, like a small giant, covered in faces, with a grotesque head on his neck, eyes scattered everywhere, facial features twisted together, mouths and noses all over.
His neck had four octopus tentacles, and his body had whale-like skeletal organs forming a keratin layer on the skin.
His limbs were thick, with many branching arms growing in unexpected places, like a fusion monster!
Just from his appearance, he was undoubtedly a peerless fiend!
This was not an illusion caused by the Nightmare Demon Lord's terrifying atmosphere but a real person.
Many evil faction cultivators curiously glanced but regretted it, quickly looking away.
"Ye Kong, the young master of the Whale Hunting Gang, one of the infiltrators among the Twin Islands' followers."
The Nightmare Demon Lord stared at the butcher, speaking slowly, "You said before that you ate your junior sister. So that's what you meant."
He looked at a certain part of the butcher's face, where the face of a female evil faction cultivator, killed by Xu Hei, was located.
Xu Hei remained silent, knowing that saying too much could lead to mistakes, and silence was the best option.
"Explain to me why you attacked your own people during the Twin Islands operation?" the Nightmare Demon Lord asked coldly.
He had observed the butcher, and there was only one living entity inside, Ye Kong; the rest were corpses, ruling out the possibility of impersonation.
Even if his judgment might be wrong, the teleportation array wouldn't be; it was set up by the Sea God himself, and any outsider would be restrained, only Sea God Sect members could move freely.
This person was indeed Ye Kong, yet for some reason, he had turned into this form.
Xu Hei remained silent, looking in the direction Xu Fu had left, a hint of greed in his eyes.
"Daring to covet Xu Fu's Elemental Infant, could he be insane..." the Nightmare Demon Lord thought to himself.
/////301///
No wonder Xu Fu was so furious earlier and immediately took action—it turns out his Elemental Infant was being targeted, which is his lifeline. If it were him, he wouldn't be able to resist striking either.
Xu Hei remained silent, his body writhing, and the sound of countless mouths chewing could be heard, enough to make any normal person shudder with just one glance.
The Nightmare Demon Lord glanced at the butcher again, frowning secretly.
He didn't know what had happened to Ye Kong, but the other party's mental state seemed problematic. Of course, it might also be an act.
"Hmph."
The Nightmare Demon Lord pressed down with his hand, and the butcher was immediately crushed to the ground by a gravitational force, his bones creaking and cracking.
This was the spiritual pressure of an Elemental Infant stage cultivator, and Xu Hei couldn't withstand even the pure spiritual pressure.
The Nightmare Demon Lord raised his hand again and slashed, sending the butcher's two arms flying, but then two new arms grew back immediately.
"Hmm? Interesting."
The Nightmare Demon Lord squinted his eyes and continued to attack with precision, striking just at the edge of severe injury. However, the butcher's healing ability was so strong that after several rounds, he remained unscathed.
Throughout this process, Xu Hei didn't move a muscle, showing no reaction.
The Nightmare Demon Lord pondered briefly, then ignored the butcher and said to the evil cultivators in the distance, "Take everyone away."
"Yes!"
The evil cultivators immediately took action, chaining the captured people and taking them away one by one, flying into the distance.
The Nightmare Demon Lord also left, quickly disappearing from sight.
In an instant, Xu Hei was the only one left on this pitch-black island.
Xu Hei hurriedly got up, picked up the severed limbs from the ground, reattached them, and sat cross-legged to heal quickly.
Although the place was deserted, Xu Hei could feel a sense of being watched, indicating that the Nightmare Demon Lord was still monitoring him.
Unbeknownst to him, a brand had appeared inside the butcher's body, located at Ye Kong's brow.
Although the brand was extremely subtle, Xu Hei still noticed it—it was left by the Nightmare Demon Lord.
"Is he trying to test me?" Xu Hei thought to himself.
Clearly, the Nightmare Demon Lord had developed a strong interest in the butcher, which was obvious.
But Xu Hei didn't want to be used as research material. If things went wrong, he could be locked up and dissected, which would be disastrous.
Xu Hei needed to avoid this situation at all costs, but he didn't know the Nightmare Demon Lord's temperament.
His only advantage at the moment was that his true form had turned into a sword, and no one knew, not even the Nightmare Demon Lord, who only detected Ye Kong as a living being.
He naturally assumed Ye Kong was Xu Hei's true form.
Ji Ying was also locked within the sword, and due to the special nature of the Corpse Beetle, it too went unnoticed.
Xu Hei did nothing, sitting quietly to absorb the spiritual qi from the underground spiritual vein. The spiritual qi here could be directly extracted, making it a good place for secluded cultivation.
"If it really doesn't work, I'll have to abandon the butcher and escape on my own. That's the last resort," Xu Hei thought to himself.
Although the butcher was just a puppet, it had followed him for quite some time and had been continuously strengthened to have combat power from mid-stage to late-stage Core Formation. He didn't want to give it up easily.
Moreover, Xu Hei had a feeling that even if he had another batch of corpses and a Transformation Pill, he might not be able to create a second butcher.
How the butcher was born, he had already forgotten.
As Xu Hei secluded himself, days passed by.
A week had passed since Xu Hei was captured.
When the news of the Twin Islands spread from the East Sea, it caused a huge uproar, like a tidal wave.
The Twin Islands, one of the three major islands in the East Sea, was attacked by the Sea God Sect, deploying two protectors and almost being wiped out.
Hearing this news, no matter which faction, everyone was shocked.
Although the Twin Islands narrowly escaped disaster, it gave the world a deep understanding of the Sea God Sect's power.
The Nightmare Demon Lord alone could suppress two mid-stage Elemental Infants, almost killing them both with his own strength. The gap in power at the same realm was astonishing.
Yehuo Demon Lord Xu Fu fought alone against a thousand, even while hiding his cultivation, and easily destroyed a fourth-tier formation spirit.
If not for the appearance of a mysterious old dog that repelled the two demon lords, the Twin Islands might have ceased to exist, and not a single resident would have survived.
Jiang Chong and Jiang Ying were unconscious for a full week before waking up.
Although their cultivation hadn't regressed, they were severely weakened, with their primordial spirits injured. This wasn't a simple wound that could heal easily; it was a serious injury affecting their foundation.
Recalling the events of that day left the two of them with lingering fear.
"Even with the two of us working together and the protective formation, we could fight a late-stage Elemental Infant, but against that demon lord, we had no chance to retaliate," Jiang Chong said gravely.
"Lack of intelligence, caught off guard. Next time we meet, we won't be so helpless," Jiang Ying replied.
On this day, a guest arrived at the Twin Islands.
The visitor was a middle-aged man in a red robe, exuding a strong vitality as he walked, with a large knife at his waist engraved with a blood-gold dragon pattern. The blood energy was overwhelming, and the surrounding space had a faint red hue.
Although this man's cultivation hadn't reached the Nascent Soul stage, he had shed the Golden Core and was on the verge of the Elemental Infant stage, known as the false infant realm.
This red-robed middle-aged man was none other than Xu Qingzhi, the head of the Snake Catchers Sect.
He came to the East Sea with only one purpose: to hunt down Xu Hei!
The Blood Source Tracking Technique had failed due to the distance, but at the moment of his breakthrough, he sensed Xu Hei in the far east, in the East Sea.
That's why he pursued him all the way here.
The reason he hadn't successfully formed a Nascent Soul wasn't due to a lack of ability but because he deliberately suppressed it.
"The blood of others' dragon slaying is not my path. I want to slay the dragon myself, bathe in the blood of a Flood Dragon, and achieve a perfect Nascent Soul, reaching the Great Perfection of intent!"
Xu Qingzhi's eyes were fierce.
His previous defeat by Xu Hei was like a knot in his heart, constantly disturbing him. How could he break through with the mindset of a loser?
"What brings you to the Twin Islands, fellow Daoist?" Jiang Chong appeared before Xu Qingzhi and asked.
"I am Xu Qingzhi, head of the Snake Catchers Sect. I came to the East Sea to track down a person, or rather, a snake!"
Xu Qingzhi took out a picture and handed it over.
Jiang Chong glanced at it. The picture depicted several things.
There was the ugly butcher with dozens of faces on his head and a horned serpent covered in Black Gold Scales.
Below the two pictures were illustrations of magical treasures Xu Hei had used.
The Black Dragon Pagoda, Heavenly Demon Mirror, ivory flying sword, Blood God Armor, and more—none were missing.
Even Hei Huang, who killed the Fifteenth Ancestor in the final battle, and Xu Bai, who appeared during the pill refining session, were depicted. Any clues related to Xu Hei were not overlooked.
"Does the City Lord recognize these?" Xu Qingzhi asked with cupped fists.
Jiang Chong looked through it all, his expression turning strange, and said, "I've heard of the Snake Catchers Sect. Is this your first time in the East Sea?"
Xu Qingzhi nodded, "First time here."
The Twin Islands, being one of the three major islands in the East Sea, was his first stop to expedite his search, avoiding smaller places.
"Is this your enemy?" Jiang Chong's tone turned cold.
Xu Qingzhi's eyes showed confusion, but he nodded, "Naturally, a mortal enemy. Does the Island Lord have any information?"
Jiang Chong's face instantly hardened, a cold gleam in his eyes, and his right hand rested on his storage bag.
"You have one breath's time to get off the Twin Islands!"
////302////
Xu Qingzhi's expression changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Why is this happening?"
Before he could react, Jiang Chong suddenly wielded a thunder spear, and without a word, thrust it forward. The spear tip transformed into a roaring thunder dragon, its momentum terrifying, and the sky echoed with its rumble.
...
Xu Hei was unaware of the events occurring outside.
He had been in seclusion on the island for about ten days. During this time, he wasn't completely immobile and would occasionally go to the seaside.
However, the feeling of being watched lingered on him, especially when he moved, the sensation was extremely intense.
"The Nightmare Demon Lord must be nearby, or perhaps he has the ability to teleport here at any moment," Xu Hei thought to himself.
Escaping just like that wasn't realistic, but Xu Hei could slowly probe.
The first time, he dived ten miles into the sea and captured some fish.
The second time, he went thirty miles into the sea, even unleashing his flying sword to kill some sea beasts.
The third time, he ventured fifty miles away.
In this manner, even when Xu Hei left the island's hundred-mile range, the other party still made no move. Xu Hei's flying sword could even take a trip out and return.
"What would be the consequences if I just escaped like this?" Xu Hei pondered silently.
After thinking for a long time, Xu Hei decided against it and returned, either devouring the captured sea beasts or absorbing them into his body, thus providing an explanation for his actions.
In any case, the spiritual qi here was abundant, allowing Xu Hei to remain in seclusion and stabilize his realm while gaining some benefits.
Gradually, his second dragon vein showed signs of activity. Although it had transformed into a sword, it did not hinder his cultivation.
A month later.
Xu Hei's second dragon vein had been opened about a third of the way.
At this pace, it would likely take at least half a year.
Xu Hei was not in a hurry. Many cultivators remained in the Core Formation Stage for decades or even centuries. Even prodigies like Qin Xuanji were stuck at Great Perfection.
Xu Hei had long prepared himself mentally.
That day, a black dot appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching.
Xu Hei focused his gaze and saw a black-robed cultivator, unkempt with a square face and large ears, whose cultivation was at the late Core Formation stage. In the Sea God Sect, he was considered high-level combat power.
"Fellow Daoist Ye Kong, the Protector has issued an order, please come with me."
The black-robed cultivator cupped his hands slightly, maintaining a certain distance from Xu Hei, and spoke calmly.
Xu Hei nodded and followed.
Under the guidance of the black-robed cultivator, they left the dark island, traveling eastward for hundreds of miles, passing through a foggy area, and arriving at a larger island.
This island was about the same size as the main island of the Twin Islands, with a towering mountain in the center.
"This place is..." Xu Hei's pupils contracted as he looked at the island's environment.
The island seemed familiar; it was the one shown in Hei Huang's projection, where cultivators were imprisoned.
Hei Huang had also informed him of the island's location, so once Xu Hei left, he could fly northwest for ten days to half a month and return to one of the three major islands of the East Sea, Star Island.
By then, he would have successfully escaped.
Xu Hei took a deep breath, his expression calm, and landed on the island.
There was a clear formation here, isolating it from the outside world. Upon entering the island, even the feeling of being watched diminished significantly.
Ahead was a large mountain, and Xu Hei followed the cultivator into a cave.
Inside the cave was a vast space, where Xu Hei saw numerous cages, formations everywhere, each holding the silhouette of a cultivator.
"This place is where Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators are imprisoned. Only second-level stewards are allowed inside. I'll first show you around to familiarize yourself with the environment," the black-robed cultivator said indifferently.
This person seemed indifferent to the butcher's appearance, treating him like any normal cultivator, likely someone who worked with the Nightmare Demon Lord.
"Familiarize myself with the environment?" Xu Hei frowned.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Ye Kong just reached Core Formation, so it's normal not to know. Everyone in the Sea God Sect who reaches the Core Formation Stage is assigned a corresponding position."
The black-robed cultivator smiled, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Meng Hao, a third-level steward of this prison."
Listening to the black-robed cultivator's explanation, Xu Hei had various speculations in his mind, but he didn't ask much. Speaking less was a golden rule.
Xu Hei hadn't interacted much with humans and knew little about many things, so staying silent was the best approach.
Meanwhile, his divine sense swept through the cages in the prison, looking for familiar faces.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xu Hei spotted Bai Qiushui, who was imprisoned in an unremarkable corner cage.
At this moment, the young master of the Bai Family was meditating with his eyes closed, looking calm and composed, though noticeably thinner than before.
Xu Hei didn't observe for long, just a quick glance, and followed Meng Hao into a room.
The room was large, with prayer mats on the floor and a censer in the middle, emitting wisps of black smoke. Three people sat nearby, two men and one woman, two at mid-stage Core Formation, and one at late Core Formation.
"Is this the newcomer?"
"Ye Kong, hehe, quite a unique appearance. One might think he's the Protector's avatar."
"What if he is?"
The three discussed among themselves, with two merely glancing at Xu Hei before continuing their cultivation, while a young man stood up to greet him.
Meng Hao said, "Let me introduce you. These three are second-level stewards of this prison, each responsible for a different area."
"I am Xu Sheng, and these two are Yun Yan and Xiao Ran," the young man who stood up to greet him said with a smile.
Yun Yan and Xiao Ran merely nodded in acknowledgment.
It seemed these three were immune to the butcher's appearance, likely subordinates of the Nightmare Demon Lord.
Xu Hei stood stiffly in place, expressionless, making no movements. He ignored human etiquette whenever possible.
Meng Hao said, "To be brief, Ye Kong is appointed by the Protector as a steward, starting from the first level. This is your steward token, which contains detailed work arrangements."
With a wave of his hand, a black token flew out from the censer in the center and landed in front of Xu Hei.
It bore the Sea God Sect's emblem, with the character "one" on the back, indicating a first-level steward.
Instantly, a stream of information entered Xu Hei's mind, detailing his work arrangements.
"So, I'm to be a slave overseer..." Xu Hei thought to himself.
The job was simple: lead the imprisoned cultivators to mine in the sea, collect deep-sea spirit medicines, and periodically extract their blood, squeezing them to the limit.
As for what Hei Huang mentioned about offering sacrifices to the sea god, the token did not mention it yet.
The steward's rewards were also straightforward. The censer before him was one of the rewards; cultivating beside it for a day was equivalent to a month of seclusion outside. Additionally, accumulating enough contributions would earn extra benefits.
"Haha, congratulations to Fellow Daoist Ye Kong for joining us. From now on, we're colleagues. Everyone, here's my collection of Fishman Drunk, let's toast to him!"
Xu Sheng enthusiastically took out a wine jug and filled five cups. The aroma was that of the famous East Sea wine, Fishman Drunk.
Seeing the Fishman Drunk, the two who were meditating reluctantly stood up, took the cups, and put on professional smiles.
All five present picked up their cups, including Xu Hei.
"Let's toast to Fellow Daoist Ye! Cheers!"
Led by Xu Sheng, they raised their cups, and everyone drank in one go.
Xu Hei looked at the wine in his cup, remaining silent.
"Hmm?" Xu Sheng's gaze sharpened, "What do you mean, Fellow Daoist Ye? We've all finished our drinks."
The other two curiously looked over.
Third-level steward Meng Hao also looked at Xu Hei with confusion, slightly frowning.
Xu Hei remained silent for a long time, then suddenly raised his head, staring at Xu Sheng, with all the mouths on his head curling into a smile.
"Boom!!"
In the next second, countless large hands shot out like lightning, suddenly attacking, instantly gripping all of Xu Sheng's joints, with one hand clasping his neck.
"Stop!"
Meng Hao's face changed dramatically, hurriedly attacking Xu Hei, while the other two unanimously retreated to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"Hmph, poisoning me as soon as I arrive, truly heartless!"
Xu Hei's expression remained unchanged, his smile growing more sinister, his hand exerting force. A series of cracking sounds followed, and Xu Sheng let out a piercing scream, but it was abruptly silenced as an octopus tentacle plunged into his mouth, reducing his cries to muffled whimpers.
Xu Hei's sinister words caused Meng Hao to pause, but his actions didn't stop. He unleashed a series of sealing spells, activating the restrictions in the area, with various spell fluctuations rushing toward Xu Hei.
////304////
Xu Hei's body suddenly expanded, and the keratin layer on his skin grew wildly, forming a thick, circular shell that blocked all spells and restrictions from the outside.
This was precisely the whale vertebra that Xu Hei had fused with.
The vertebra came from the corpse of a giant whale in the trench, which ordinary demonic beasts couldn't refine. Xu Hei had spent a long time integrating it into his body. Meng Hao clearly hadn't used his full strength, and Xu Hei easily blocked him.
"You want to poison me? Then you die first!"
Xu Hei's eyes were cold as four octopus tentacles shot out, instantly piercing through Xu Sheng's body, aiming to extract his Golden Core.
"I didn't..."
Xu Sheng seemed to want to explain something, but Xu Hei didn't give him a chance. The holes on his face were blocked, leaving him unable to speak, and the Golden Core was already pulled out by a tentacle.
In fact, Xu Hei didn't know if he had been poisoned.
However, he sensed a faint hostility.
Fishman Drunk was so expensive that after detoxifying Bonan three times, the Dolphin Clan finally brought it out to entertain him. It was sold at a high price of a hundred top-grade spirit stones at the auction.
This person, just a steward of an evil faction, with a meager monthly salary, would he really be willing to offer it to him?
Drinking a year's salary in one gulp was no exaggeration.
Offering unsolicited kindness is either treacherous or thieving! Tianji Shangren and Xu Fu both proved this point, and Xu Hei, being naturally wary, had no good feelings toward the cultivators here.
Moreover, he never drank alcohol and didn't know how to refuse.
Xu Hei seriously suspected that if he refused, the other party would spout some nonsense like "not giving face" or "the newcomer doesn't know what's good for him," so he might as well strike directly and skip the intermediate steps.
"Bang!"
A Golden Core was pulled out, about to be taken by Xu Hei.
Xu Sheng's face turned pale, his life rapidly fading.
"Buzz!"
Suddenly, from Xu Sheng's brow, an illusory hand reached out, grabbing at the Golden Core that Xu Hei had just extracted. The tentacle was engulfed in raging flames, sizzling and smoking, accompanied by various illusory ghostly figures rushing forward.
"Yehuo?!"
Everyone was shocked; this was the move of the Yehuo Demon Lord, Xu Fu's technique!
This place was the territory of the Nightmare Demon Lord, so why was Xu Fu's hand reaching here?
Meng Hao had intended to continue his attack, but upon seeing the Yehuo, he stopped, his eyes flickering as he retreated far away.
"The person I want to kill, you can't stop!"
Xu Hei shouted coldly, and the flying sword behind him instantly unsheathed, transforming into a golden stream of light, cutting through the illusory ghostly figures. The ghostly figures let out a shrill scream and vanished one by one.
From Xu Sheng's brow emerged an illusory face, kind-eyed and round-faced, it was Xu Fu.
"Ye Kong, show mercy when possible, you..."
Before Xu Fu could finish, Xu Hei swung his sword, slicing off Xu Sheng's head, along with Xu Fu's illusory face, splitting it in two.
The Golden Core naturally fell into Xu Hei's hand and was quickly refined into the butcher's body.
This was merely a divine sense left behind by Xu Fu, hidden within Xu Sheng. After releasing the Yehuo, it vanished into thin air.
Such a situation was completely unexpected for Xu Hei, but he was quick-witted and immediately guessed something, his eyes growing colder.
"Kill!"
Xu Hei's tentacles shot up, grabbing Xu Sheng's corpse, absorbing it into his body, and merging it as one.
Before long, Xu Sheng's various body parts, hands, feet, face, etc., emerged from Xu Hei's corpulent body, in a gruesome death state.
This scene made the three people nearby gasp, their eyes nearly popping out.
They couldn't have imagined that Xu Hei's method of killing was like this. Even though they had been subordinates of the Nightmare Demon Lord for years and were used to all sorts of horrific methods, the butcher before them still overturned their understanding!
Meng Hao was the only one who remained calm. He reacted quickly, immediately taking out a soul banner, waving it in the air, and countless light spots floated in from all directions, converging to form Xu Sheng's image.
This was Xu Sheng's soul body.
But his eyes were lifeless, clearly having lost consciousness.
"Explain what happened!" Meng Hao said coldly.
Killing and questioning the soul was a method unique to Meng Hao, who was originally an elder of the Overseas Yin Demon Sect and had only joined the Sea God Sect last year.
The emergence of Xu Fu's divine sense within Xu Sheng was extremely abnormal.
Xu Sheng's soul body said dully, "The Yehuo Demon Lord bribed me to find an opportunity to eliminate the newcomer Ye Kong."
"To be safe, I planned to first build a good relationship with him, gain his trust, and then make a move while mining at sea, where I had set up a Soul Fixing Array."
Xu Sheng's response matched Xu Hei's suspicions.
This person was indeed acting under Xu Fu's orders.
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But he underestimated Xu Hei's vigilance; any abnormal behavior would arouse Xu Hei's suspicion. More fatally, once Xu Hei decided to kill, he acted without hesitation, skipping all steps and leaving the opponent no chance to react.
Although there was a possibility of killing the wrong person, Xu Hei had never failed.
"What about that cup of wine?"
Meng Hao was taken aback, looking at the cup of wine on the ground that no one had drunk.
"I didn't poison the wine; he slandered me."
Xu Sheng said numbly, his consciousness about to dissipate.
Meng Hao's mouth twitched slightly as he glanced at the calm Xu Hei, saying no more, and absorbed Xu Sheng's soul body into the soul banner.
Xu Hei had just arrived on his first day, and such an incident had already occurred, making Meng Hao's expression extremely unpleasant.
"How did you figure it out?" Meng Hao asked.
"He harbored murderous intent toward me, and my intuition is quite sharp," Xu Hei explained.
This explanation was quite far-fetched, leaving Meng Hao momentarily speechless, but the facts were before him, and he couldn't pursue it further.
"In any place, rules must be followed! You acted without evidence and killed someone, which has already violated the Sea God Sect's rules." Meng Hao said coldly, holding the soul banner.
Xu Hei stared at Meng Hao for a moment, then suddenly a slight smile appeared at the corners of his dozen mouths.
Meng Hao's whole body tensed, retreating a few steps as if facing a formidable enemy, ready to deploy his magical treasure at any moment.
"I don't believe in evidence; I only trust my judgment. And you, if you show hostility toward me again, as long as you're not an Elemental Infant cultivator, I'll still make a move."
Leaving behind these words, Xu Hei put away his token and left the room.
The cup of wine on the ground was wrapped up by his tentacle and stored in his storage bag, to be sold for money in the future.
Yun Yan and Xiao Ran had maintained a spectator's stance from beginning to end.
In fact, they had long noticed something amiss; under normal circumstances, who would use Fishman Drunk to welcome a newcomer?
But neither of them asked a single question, nor did they show any surprise. When Xu Hei made his move, they quickly retreated, not getting involved.
They're just here to earn money, why risk their lives?
////304////
Meng Hao stared at Xu Hei's back, his eyes particularly grave. Despite being at the late Core Formation stage, he felt a faint pressure.
The techniques Xu Hei had just displayed were enough to make him treat him as an equal; this was an opponent of the same level.
Especially that sword, which could even cut through Yehuo, something even he couldn't accomplish.
"Having a method to counter Yehuo, no wonder Xu Fu is targeting him," Meng Hao's eyes flickered.
He was deep in thought, aware of the overt and covert struggles among the four guardians. The Nightmare Demon Lord had instructed him to pay special attention to this person, likely with ulterior motives.
......
Xu Hei left the prison and arrived at a cave dwelling on the outskirts of the mountain.
This was the location indicated on the token. From afar, the cave dwellings appeared like a beehive on the mountain's surface, where all the stewards resided.
Following the directions, Xu Hei entered a cave dwelling on the edge.
Compared to the eerie environment of the prison, this place was relatively peaceful, facing the sea with a pleasant climate, equipped with a Gathering Spirit Array to extract Spiritual Qi from the underground spiritual vein.
Xu Hei discovered that the underground spiritual vein here seemed to be the same as the one on the teleportation array island.
If so, the size of this spiritual vein was quite large.
Xu Hei estimated that the distance from the prison island to the teleportation island was about five hundred miles. Could this spiritual vein really stretch five hundred miles?
Xu Hei shook his head; no matter how massive the spiritual vein, it had nothing to do with him.
"I need to find a way to escape quickly. Just arriving here and already being targeted by Xu Fu, who sent people to assassinate me, the troubles will only keep coming."
Xu Hei knew that after killing Xu Sheng and destroying Xu Fu's divine sense, the other side wouldn't let it go easily.
Every second spent here made him restless, as if ants were crawling all over his body.
However, Xu Fu wanting to kill him wasn't that easy.
This prison island was under the jurisdiction of the Nightmare Demon Lord, and the cultivators here were all his subordinates. The four guardians each had their own territories.
Xu Fu couldn't just charge into someone else's territory to kill.
Moreover, according to Hei Huang, there were at least three Elemental Infant stage cultivators stationed on this island, besides the Nightmare Demon Lord.
Although Xu Hei hadn't sensed any Elemental Infant cultivators, it was normal for someone at the Core Formation stage not to detect them. With such defenses, as long as he wasn't betrayed by his own people, there wouldn't be any problems.
Xu Hei closed his eyes and quietly performed his breathing exercises.
Not long after, it was late at night.
Yun Yan and Xiao Ran returned, and Meng Hao also went back to his cave dwelling.
Besides them, some stewards he hadn't seen before also returned to their respective cave dwellings.
Xu Hei had two neighbors, one being Yun Yan, located directly above him.
The other was on the left, a scholarly-looking man, frail and weak, with pale skin. If it weren't for his Adam's apple, Xu Hei might have mistaken him for a woman.
Of course, appearances could be deceiving, like the butcher.
Xu Hei paid special attention to his neighbors, as assassins could strike at any time.
He reinforced the stone walls of his cave dwelling with heavy restrictions to prevent anyone from digging through.
"There are fifteen stewards in total, three at the late Core Formation stage, six at the mid-stage, five at the early stage, and one at the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage."
"This wretched place, I don't want to stay a moment longer."
Xu Hei noted down each person, but could only gauge their cultivation level, knowing nothing about their true capabilities.
To avoid drawing attention, Xu Hei planned to refine a new set of clothes.
......
In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and it was the day of their first outing.
Xu Hei followed the crowd out of the cave dwelling.
At this moment, he wore a bamboo hat and a raincoat, carrying a bamboo pole, resembling an old fisherman. His physique was compressed, slightly larger than an average person.
Many stewards glanced at him briefly, not lingering, and headed straight for the prison gate.
However, the scholarly man with a gentle demeanor looked at Xu Hei twice and cupped his fists, asking, "I haven't seen you before, may I know your name?"
Xu Hei ignored him and quickly followed the crowd to the prison gate.
The scholarly man shook his head helplessly and didn't pursue further.
At this moment, all the prisoners inside the prison came out, each wearing shackles, with restrictions on their bodies, draining their True Qi.
Core Formation cultivators had their true essence sealed, their Golden Cores shriveled, leaving them powerless, like walking corpses.
Including Xu Hei, there were sixteen stewards in total, all present.
Meng Hao stood at the front of the crowd and announced loudly, "This outing's task is to extract deep-sea heavy oil. Foundation Establishment stage cultivators must extract ten barrels, Core Formation stage cultivators one hundred barrels, within a month."
"Fail to meet the quota, and you'll have your blood drawn as a substitute."
Upon hearing this, all the cultivators trembled, fear evident in their eyes.
Clearly, they had heard of the dangers of oil extraction, where a single mistake could cost lives. The prospect of having blood drawn for missing a barrel made their faces pale.
"Extracting oil..."
Xu Hei's eyes flickered, remaining silent as he stood in the area assigned to him.
There were fifteen stewards present, each responsible for over a hundred people.
Xu Hei's group consisted of one hundred and five Foundation Establishment stage cultivators and three Core Formation stage cultivators. Many were newcomers, venturing out for the first time, their eyes filled with anxiety.
Some seasoned veterans were much calmer, eyeing Xu Hei, unsure of their intentions.
Next, Meng Hao distributed an oil ship to each steward.
The ship was enormous, a hundred zhang long, capable of holding over a thousand people, though most of the space was for storing oil. It was said that heavy oil couldn't be stored in a Storage Bag, as it would leak out, a peculiar phenomenon.
Xu Hei stood on the deck, waiting for everyone to board.
At Meng Hao's command, the sixteen oil ships roared to life, heading towards the deep sea.
The ship was equipped with a large formation, the sea breeze brushing against it, producing a rustling sound.
Xu Hei sat cross-legged.
Behind him, eyes constantly scrutinized him, filled with fear and anxiety, faint sobs echoing.
Fellow cultivators had different temperaments; some took a hundred years to reach Foundation Establishment, while others, Chosen, reached Core Formation at twenty. Their attitudes towards danger varied greatly.
Before long, a frail-looking woman approached, speaking softly, "Sir, I am a disciple of the Melodic Sect, physically weak. I hope you can assign me some lighter tasks during work. I can serve you at night."
This woman was clearly an experienced hand, her voice soft and charming, every gesture exuding allure. Her cultivation technique had similar attributes, stirring restlessness in one's heart.
Her name was Su Xue'er, and she had used this tactic on the previous steward to secure lighter work and survive.
However, this was of no use to Xu Hei.
Xu Hei glanced back at her, and Su Xue'er immediately put on a pitiful expression, sitting on the ground like a duck, her tattered robe revealing her fair skin.
"Are you sure?"
Xu Hei removed half of his bamboo hat, revealing a menacing face, with a large patch of tentacles writhing on it. Each mouth emitted a sinister laugh, and a dozen eyes locked onto her.
Su Xue'er froze for a second, then let out a piercing scream.
"Ah!!"
Su Xue'er screamed in terror, falling to the ground, her face pale, dizzy, nearly fainting from fright.
She screamed, scrambling away, hiding back in the crowd.
The crowd behind was in an uproar, but apart from Su Xue'er, no one else saw Xu Hei's appearance. In the blink of an eye, Xu Hei had put his bamboo hat back on.
Someone asked Su Xue'er why she screamed and what she saw.
But how could Su Xue'er dare speak ill of Xu Hei? She just shook her head repeatedly, her body trembling, saying nothing, cold sweat drenching her entire body.
////305////
After a long time, no one else dared to step forward and speak.
They didn't want to be scared half to death like Su Xue'er.
Xu Hei sighed helplessly. He had no ties to these people, but they were innocent, and everything they did was just to survive.
If he could, he would have let them all go and slipped away in the chaos.
However, the faint sensation inside him remained. The only possible way to get rid of it was to bring Ye Kong out and perform a golden cicada shell escape.
But during this process, the other side would definitely become alert.
The risk was too great, and he still didn't know what the Nightmare Demon Lord was planning.
...
It wasn't long before they reached their destination that night.
It was a massive blue hole in the middle of the ocean. The surrounding water was light blue, but the center was a large black circle, so deep that even Divine Sense couldn't reach the bottom.
It looked like a giant, devouring mouth. Just one glance made one's heart feel as if it were being swallowed.
According to the Sea God Sect's description, this place was called the Sea Eye, also a site for extracting heavy oil.
Meng Hao's oil ship was at the forefront. He took out his token, clasped his hands in respect towards the void, and said, "I am Meng Hao, here under the orders of the Protector to extract heavy oil. I hope the lord will grant passage!"
From beneath the Sea Eye, a voice like that from the depths of the Nine Hells responded, "Granted!"
Xu Hei didn't sense anyone's presence, but he knew at a glance that this was another Protector's domain.
Meng Hao respectfully clasped his hands and ordered the sixteen ships to stop above the Sea Eye, forming a circle.
"Into the sea!" Meng Hao shouted.
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"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
The cultivators on the ships, with water-repelling pearls in their mouths, leaped into the Sea Eye.
Once in the water, the pearls emitted a faint light, repelling the seawater. They continued to sink, the water pressure increasing, the light dimming, as if they were being swallowed.
No one knew how deep the Sea Eye was, like a cylindrical passage leading straight to the Nine Hells.
The group huddled together, no longer wary of each other, just wanting to drive away the fear. Many closed their eyes in terror.
On Xu Hei's side, everyone instinctively moved closer to him, including Su Xue'er. In such an environment, Xu Hei seemed to provide a sense of security.
This descent lasted a full hour before they reached the bottom.
Xu Hei felt as if he had dived ten thousand miles, deeper than the trench where the whale had fallen last time!
At the bottom of the Sea Eye was a massive metal structure, spanning ten thousand feet, inscribed with various formations, supporting a giant light shield that repelled the heavy water pressure.
Once inside the light shield, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators fainted on the spot, collapsing in a heap.
Just this journey alone had exhausted them, both mentally and physically. One could only imagine how arduous the heavy oil extraction would be.
Xu Hei landed on the ground. Although it was isolated from the seawater, the ground wasn't dry. There were water stains, and the surface was uneven, full of pits and man-made wells, hundreds and thousands of them, remnants of heavy oil extraction.
Xu Hei tried to extend his Divine Sense underground, but it could only penetrate about ten meters before being blocked.
To his surprise, once inside the formation, the faint sense of being watched disappeared!
"Heh, even the Nightmare Demon Lord can't reach here. It's a good place," Xu Hei chuckled to himself.
However, he guessed that once he left the formation and returned to the sea, he would be discovered again.
Sixteen stewards, each with their own team, stood like a group of ants at the dark bottom of the Sea Eye.
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"Oil extraction begins, lasting one month. After a month, the formation will close. Those who fail to meet the quota will be severely punished, including the stewards!" Meng Hao announced loudly.
No one dared to slack off, immediately dispersing to start the extraction.
Xu Hei wasn't in a hurry. He wasn't thinking about completing the task but about how to escape.
"Is this your first time here? Do you know anything about this heavy oil?"
A gentle voice came from beside him.
Xu Hei looked up to see the scholarly man who lived next door, smiling kindly at him.
"Who are you calling a friend?" Xu Hei replied.
The scholarly man froze instantly.
Xu Hei didn't want to engage with him and quickly led his team to a remote spot to sit down.
The scholarly man's mouth twitched, cursing inwardly as he left.
"You, come here!"
Xu Hei pointed to an elderly man with white hair, one of the three Core Formation Stage cultivators, who had remained calm and seemed knowledgeable.
"Me?" The old man's body trembled, and he quickly approached, not daring to delay.
"Tell me about this heavy oil, in as much detail as possible," Xu Hei said in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
The old man immediately began to explain.
"Steward, this is your first time here, so you might not know much about heavy oil. In fact, it's a rare treasure from the ocean, originating from the ancient times, even the prehistoric and primeval eras," the white-haired old man said.
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"Ancient, prehistoric?" Xu Hei was puzzled.
"The ancient era was tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years ago. The prehistoric era was millions of years ago, and the primeval era was over a billion years ago."
The white-haired old man patiently explained.
In those ancient times, many powerful creatures were born on the cultivation star, including world-devouring beasts, ferocious flood dragons, ancient giants, and even true dragons.
But these beasts went extinct in one cataclysm after another, their bodies buried deep in the earth's crust, undiscovered, eventually turning into heavy oil.
Because they were formed from ancient beasts, this heavy oil contained extremely rich Spiritual Qi, but it was also highly polluted.
Utilizing it was very difficult. Even if extracted, it was mostly used for refining treasures or crafting talismans, not for direct absorption.
It's said that the powerful Minor Annihilation Talisman is refined from heavy oil.
"To my knowledge, there are a few who practice demonic arts and can ignore the pollution in heavy oil, absorbing it directly to enhance their cultivation. The so-called sea god of the Sea God Sect is likely such a cultivator," the white-haired old man whispered.
Xu Hei raised an eyebrow and said, "You're speaking ill of the sea god in front of me. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
The white-haired old man quickly nodded and clasped his hands, saying, "Though I am not talented, I have some skill in recognizing people. Steward, you probably didn't join willingly, did you?"
"You've got some nerve!" Xu Hei said coldly.
"Please calm down, my lord!" The white-haired old man quickly knelt.
Xu Hei glanced at him, then softened his tone, "What's your name?"
"I am Tian Zang, an elder of the Kunlun Sect in the Western regions of the Qin Kingdom," the white-haired old man replied.
Xu Hei hadn't expected him to be from Kunlun. He pondered for a moment, then took out a gourd of pills and slipped it into the old man's sleeve.
"This..." The old man looked surprised.
"Distribute these Revitalizing Pills secretly, give each person one, so they have the strength to work and don't die in the oil wells," Xu Hei said.
Tian Zang was stunned.
He knew that as slaves, they were forbidden to consume pills. If given pills, not only would they be punished, but the steward would also be penalized.
"My lord, I appreciate your kindness, but the risk is too great. I dare not accept."
"I told you to take them, so take them. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility!" Xu Hei said coldly.
Tian Zang broke into a sweat, feeling troubled. He didn't know what the steward's intentions were, whether it was pure goodwill or something else, but he had no choice but to agree.
////306/////
Xu Hei did have a plan, but whether to implement it depended on how things developed next.
On the first day, Xu Hei didn't assign anyone to work.
He simply gave them time to rest and adjust their state.
And on this first day, Xu Hei saw that other teams suffered considerable casualties. Some teams even lost nearly twenty people on the first day.
Those who ventured deep into the oil wells never returned.
Taking advantage of this, Xu Hei gained a profound understanding of the dangers of heavy oil, which could be broadly categorized into two types.
First, gravity.
Wherever heavy oil gathered, there was an extremely strong gravitational pull that would suck people in, completely devouring them, making escape impossible.
Therefore, the extracted heavy oil was stored separately in small barrels instead of being gathered together.
Second, pollution.
This was a kind of ancient pollution that no one could explain. Those who came into contact with it too much would have their bodies turn black, and both their bloodline and physical body would gradually darken until they lost their lives.
Moreover, this pollution did not discriminate based on cultivation level, affecting both the Foundation Establishment Stage and Core Formation Stage equally.
Deacons would never personally extract heavy oil, always sending others instead, for this very reason.
"Pollution, gravity?"
Xu Hei pondered for a long time, his eyes flashing, as he walked to an oil well.
He stared at the bottomless oil well, leaped, and jumped directly into it, sinking into the abyss.
Such an action not only surprised his team but also caught the attention of the distant deacons, who looked over with strange glints in their eyes.
"This newcomer actually went down the well himself."
"Hmph, doesn't know what's good for him!"
"Maybe he's curious, thinking heavy oil is some kind of rare treasure."
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"Ignorance is fearless! Letting his team sit idle for a day, and then jumping down himself, haha, if he dies, it'll be amusing."
At this moment, five deacons gathered together, pointing and discussing Xu Hei.
Every time they went out, the five of them would gather, not for any other pleasure but gambling.
They bet on which side would have more deaths, which side would gain more, whether the number of deaths would be odd or even, male or female. One person would act as the banker, and the other four would place bets, having a great time.
Seeing Xu Hei jump into the oil well, their gambling instincts were immediately triggered.
The banker smiled and said, "Why don't we bet on how long this person will stay down there? I'll be the banker. If he stays for less than an hour, three to one odds; one hour to a day, even odds; more than a day, three to one."
A horse-faced man among them cursed, "Those odds are too low. What if he dies down there?"
The banker hesitated for a moment and said, "Ten to one!"
The horse-faced man immediately grinned, "Not bad, ten times the odds, now that's worth playing. I bet he dies, fifty thousand spirit stones."
"Fifty thousand!"
Everyone exclaimed, if he really died, they'd have to pay out five hundred thousand, enough to bankrupt someone at the late Core Formation stage.
Even though they were part of the evil faction and usually had plenty of ill-gotten gains, it was still a significant amount.
But the banker just smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I don't believe a deacon could die down there, that would be utterly ridiculous."
The other three also placed their bets, most of them believing Xu Hei would return within an hour, thinking that even with three to one odds, betting more would yield more profit.
The horse-faced young man just coldly smiled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
......
After Xu Hei jumped into the oil well, he continued to fall, the pressure around him increasing exponentially, and his Divine Sense could only extend a little.
However, the sense of being watched inside him disappeared, which was what excited him. He could take this opportunity to get rid of Ye Kong.
From now on, the sky would be the limit, and he would no longer be monitored.
After diving a thousand feet, Xu Hei finally reached the bottom of the oil well. Black substances seeped out from the rock layers here, giving a sticky feeling.
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"Is this heavy oil?"
At this moment, Xu Hei felt a faint suction coming from below. If he went any further down, he feared he would be swallowed and never return.
Xu Hei summoned the Blood Killing Sword and began chiseling into the stone wall beside him, creating a small pit from which heavy oil immediately seeped out.
Xu Hei quickly took out an iron bucket and filled it with oil.
During this process, a pungent smell continuously assaulted him, making it hard to breathe, and even the butcher's skin gradually turned black.
The ancient pollution penetrated deep into the bone marrow, and no one would stay down the well for too long, needing to return within an hour at most.
However, only the butcher showed such symptoms; Xu Hei's true body had no reaction.
After filling three buckets of oil, Xu Hei dug out a large pit.
With a thought, a huge mouth opened on the butcher's body, spitting out a person, who was Ye Kong.
Xu Hei grabbed Ye Kong and stuffed him into the pit, then filled it with rocks.
"Ye Kong, you can sleep here, and no one will disturb you."
Xu Hei did not kill him to avoid triggering the mark inside him, but leaving him in such a place, he would eventually die from heavy oil pollution.
By then, Xu Hei would have long escaped the Sea God Sect, and even if the Nightmare Demon Lord discovered it, it would be too late.
After dealing with Ye Kong, Xu Hei planned to return.
This place wasn't as terrifying as imagined; as long as he was careful, extracting a few barrels at a time wasn't difficult.
But just then, above Xu Hei, a large mass of black stuff suddenly fell rapidly, making a rushing sound like a waterfall.
Xu Hei's Divine Sense turned into a sharp sword to probe, and his face changed dramatically.
"Heavy oil?"
Xu Hei was shocked. How could heavy oil be poured down from above the oil well? And such a large amount.
There was only one explanation: someone did it on purpose!
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Once this oil touched the body, it would immediately penetrate inside, corroding all meridians and organs.
Just smelling it from a distance would cause the body to blacken, and direct contact would have unimaginable consequences!
Even without pollution, the terrifying gravitational pull would make it difficult to move, let alone fly, until one fell into the abyss.
Xu Hei made a decisive move, chiseling out a hole beside him, crawling inside, and setting up a light shield outside, letting the heavy oil slide past.
But the light shield Xu Hei left was corroded clean in minutes.
Immediately after, a huge oil barrel fell, exploding violently outside the hole with a "boom," sending heavy oil splattering everywhere!
Xu Hei kept moving, chiseling deeper and deeper, using his true body's sword to speed up, finally diving into the deepest part, avoiding the explosion behind him.
"This damned place, I don't want to stay a moment longer!" Xu Hei cursed inwardly.
He thought that even if someone plotted against him, it wouldn't be so urgent, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
During the chiseling, Xu Hei's true body inevitably touched some oil stains, causing a slight pollution even to his true body.
"Buzz!"
Suddenly, the Demon God Cauldron inside his true body emitted a buzzing sound.
The trace of heavy oil he touched was absorbed into the Demon God Cauldron, which began to refine it on its own, the cauldron spinning rapidly, emitting wisps of smoke.
"This..." Xu Hei was momentarily stunned.
......
Meanwhile, outside.
The five people who had been gambling were still sitting together, staring at the oil well Xu Hei had gone down, waiting quietly.
Time ticked by, and after an hour, Xu Hei still hadn't appeared.
"An hour has passed, you two lost," the banker said with a smile.
"Damn it! What an idiot."
The two immediately cursed.
The horse-faced man sitting on the side had a sinister cold smile on his lips.
No one knew that these oil wells, which seemed to number in the hundreds or thousands, were actually connected by a secret passage.
Just now, he had arranged for a trusted subordinate to go down the well, follow the passage, and pour several barrels of oil directly into the well where Xu Hei was.
Moreover, he had placed heavy seals at the wellhead.
Once touched by this heavy oil, even a tiny bit, there would be no burial place. He had done this extremely covertly, and it was impossible for anyone to find out.
//////307////
The man with the horse face was named Ma Fugui. He and Xu Sheng came from the same sect, and the two often called each other brothers, frequently gathering to indulge in drinking, gambling, and other vices.
His reason for dealing with Xu Hei wasn't because someone else arranged it, nor was it for some nonsense like avenging Xu Sheng.
It was because there were two items in Xu Sheng's cave dwelling that required Xu Sheng's token to access.
Not many people knew about Xu Hei killing Xu Sheng. Yun Yan and Xiao Ran wouldn't speak carelessly, and Ma Fugui only found out because he was curious about Xu Sheng's absence, asked Meng Hao, and greased some palms with a fair amount of spirit stones. But he also didn't reveal it to others to avoid suspicion about his motives.
Even when his gambling friends asked about Xu Sheng's whereabouts, he claimed ignorance.
"I hope Ye Kong doesn't fall into the trap. It'd be best if he dies outside, that way I can get his storage bag," Ma Fugui thought to himself, confident that his plan was flawless and that he had set up multiple contingencies, leaving his opponent with no chance of survival.
...
At this moment, Xu Hei was deep within a cave, sitting cross-legged. His sword stood by his side, its surface pollution slowly dissolving into countless strands of black mist, floating within the Demon God Cauldron.
The Demon God Cauldron could refine anything under heaven and earth, even removing heavy oil pollution, transforming it into pure power.
This left Xu Hei quite astonished.
Moreover, this time he hadn't activated it; the Demon God Cauldron was operating and refining on its own, which was intriguing.
"The pollution from the ancient beast... Could the Demon God Cauldron also be a product of that era?" Xu Hei speculated.
However, although the Demon God Cauldron could refine the pollution, the process was extremely slow, taking a full hour to complete.
Xu Hei felt his cultivation level had increased slightly.
The pollution, once refined, turned into wisps of black smoke, lingering within the Demon God Cauldron. This smoke was harmless to Xu Hei, seemingly under his control at will.
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"Condense!"
With a thought, Xu Hei caused the black mist to form a thin line, which emerged from the cauldron and attached itself to the sword's blade.
However, it only lasted a few breaths before the black line faded and disappeared.
"Is it because there's too little of it?" Xu Hei frowned.
The thin line formed from the pollution was quite powerful but could only be maintained for a few seconds.
"Perhaps I can try storing it in the Ten Thousand Poison Gourd," Xu Hei mused.
Without delay, Xu Hei took out a barrel of freshly collected heavy oil, intending to pour some out and use the Demon God Cauldron to refine it, testing the effect.
But just then, Xu Hei was startled, quickly putting away the heavy oil, his eyes cold as he stared outside the cave.
At that moment, a shadowy figure was rapidly descending from above at the cave's entrance. Xu Hei's divine sense quickly scanned and retracted to avoid detection.
"Someone actually came down here, are they here to collect the corpse?"
Xu Hei's eyes flickered as he guessed some of the reasons.
The mastermind was certain he wouldn't easily fall into the oil well and might dig a hole to hide. In this way, although Xu Hei would still be doomed, his body would remain intact.
Xu Hei simply lay on the ground, motionless, and swallowed a Breath Suppressing Pill, reducing his aura to the lowest point, as if he were dead.
Before long, a sneaky figure appeared at the cave entrance.
This person was a slave, thin as a skeleton, with shifty eyes and graying hair, his cultivation at the late Core Formation stage.
Among those captured, he was considered a top expert, but with a restriction seal in his body, he could exert less than a tenth of his strength.
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However, this person was also cunning. After gaining Ma Fugui's trust, he had secretly broken the restriction, swapping it with a self-imposed seal on his cultivation.
He could release the seal whenever he wished.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have become Ma Fugui's confidant.
The skinny man stood at the cave entrance, observing the towering butcher figure, who was entirely black, clearly heavily polluted.
His eyes flickered, and after a moment, he didn't rush in but instead took out an oil barrel, swung it around a couple of times, and then threw it towards the butcher.
He then shouted, "Explode!"
The oil barrel traced an arc, landing near the butcher, about to explode.
Suddenly, the butcher opened all his eyes, and a terrifying repulsive force acted on the oil barrel, pushing it back. It was Xu Hei's full-powered Gravity Technique!
"Whoosh!"
The oil barrel returned along its original path, flying back to the skinny man's front and exploded violently.
"Boom!!!"
Shattered iron pieces flew everywhere, shaking the surroundings, and the explosion created an open area at the cave entrance.
However, not a drop of oil appeared.
It was just an empty barrel, a trick to successfully rouse Xu Hei.
"He's pretending to be dead!"
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The skinny man's expression changed, and without a word, he turned to flee.
In such a narrow area, he couldn't throw heavy oil to blow someone up; one wrong move and he could trap himself, getting polluted by the heavy oil.
But he was also cautious, worried that the opponent wasn't completely dead, so he devised this plan for safety.
Even though he estimated there was over a ninety percent chance the opponent was dead, as long as there was a ten percent risk, he had to test it.
Unexpectedly, the opponent was indeed alive and capable of counterattack!
"Whoosh!"
The man returned to the cave entrance, grabbed a rope, and swiftly ascended with astonishing speed.
Xu Hei's face was grim as he floated up, gathering his strength. With a loud shout, he shot forward like an arrow, reaching an extreme speed.
"Ever-changing Fish and Dragon!"
At this moment, Xu Hei's speed reached an unprecedented level.
The Ever-changing Fish and Dragon technique had reached the sixth level!
A low-grade dragon clan secret technique, the sixth level was enough to affect space, traverse formations effortlessly. Wherever Xu Hei passed, even space began to distort.
This cunning person had used an empty oil barrel to trick Xu Hei, making him furious. Against such a cultivator, there was no need for flashy tactics; sheer power was the right way.
"Dare to trick me, damn it, I'll kill you!"
Xu Hei's heart surged with killing intent.
Hou Siping felt a chill down his spine, his hair standing on end, and during his escape, he unhesitatingly released the seal.
Then, he swallowed a pill given by Ma Fugui, the Explosive True Pill, fully refining it to restore his combat power as quickly as possible.
Releasing the seal only restored his cultivation, but his true essence was still empty; he needed time.
"This guy is only at the early Core Formation stage, yet his speed is so fast!"
"No, there's not enough time, I can't escape! My true essence hasn't recovered, and I can't face him head-on. I must think of a way!"
Hou Siping's eyes flickered as he quickly calculated, his mind racing with thoughts. In an instant, he stopped fleeing and formed several hand seals, quickly imprinting them on the surrounding stone walls.
////308////
Xu Hei's heart tightened immediately, and he halted his steps. In the next second, a fierce blade of wind swept past in front of him, slicing a gap into the stone wall.
"A killing formation?"
Xu Hei frowned slightly, and his true sword silently flew out, embedding itself into the stone wall. At the same time, a thick layer of whale bone armor formed on the butcher's body, charging forward and ignoring the interception of the killing formation, directly grabbing at the opponent.
"Stop immediately! Otherwise, I'll destroy this place. Even if I die, you won't survive either!"
Hou Siping's gaze was cold as he shouted, "I know the killing formation can't do anything to you, but destroying this place is no problem!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Hei immediately stopped, halting ten meters away from him.
Hou Siping remained expressionless, pointing to the wellhead above, "I've placed ten seals at the wellhead. If the oil well collapses, you won't be able to escape in a short time and will be buried. This place is full of heavy oil; you don't want to face such a perilous situation, do you?"
"Even if your skills are extraordinary, you have a fifty percent chance of surviving, but you must bear the other fifty percent risk!"
Hou Siping stared at Xu Hei, his eyes calm.
His cultivation was at the late Core Formation stage, but after long suppression, he couldn't exert even half his strength, and he didn't have a single magical treasure. Without a magical treasure, a cultivator is like a warrior without a weapon, facing Xu Hei at full strength would be a dead end.
Yet, in such a short time, he found a way to survive.
Of course, this was what he considered a way out.
In his view, Xu Hei wouldn't risk everything for a possible danger.
Xu Hei remained expressionless, inwardly sneering.
He had to admit, this person was indeed cunning. All the arrangements were reasonable. Being sent to assassinate him and gaining the trust of the steward was itself a testament to his abilities.
Such an opponent, if at their peak, would be far more troublesome than Hai Teng.
This was a strong survivor who had faced life and death, not one of those favored by the heavens.
"Speak, who sent you!" Xu Hei said coldly.
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Hou Siping looked troubled, "If I tell you, will you let me go?"
"If you don't speak, I'll risk everything to kill you. Whether I survive or not is none of your concern, but you definitely won't live!"
Xu Hei's tone was icy, his eyes filled with killing intent, ready to strike at any moment.
Hou Siping gritted his teeth, struggling for a while, "I can tell you, but you must let me go."
Xu Hei locked his gaze on him, nodded, "Alright!"
"Good!" Hou Siping took a deep breath, "It was the scholar living next to you, Lin Ziye, who sent me."
"Him..." Xu Hei squinted his eyes.
Immediately, he felt something was off. This villain was so cunning, could he be randomly naming someone to deceive him?
Although Xu Hei already had suspicions about that scholar, he wouldn't easily believe it based on a few words.
"What evidence do you have?" Xu Hei asked.
"Evidence?"
Hou Siping's face stiffened, "I have nothing on me, no evidence. But Lin Ziye doesn't associate with anyone, yet he approached you. Isn't that unusual?"
"And as far as I know, he arrived a week ago, just three days before you."
At this point, Hou Siping stopped speaking, leaving room for Xu Hei's imagination.
Hou Siping knew not to say too much, allowing room for imagination. Some things, when others say them, are useless; they must be imagined by oneself to be truly believed.
Xu Hei fell into contemplation.
"My friend, I've told you everything, you should keep your promise."
Hou Siping smiled slightly, retreating.
Xu Hei remained unmoved, as if truly pondering.
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When Hou Siping retreated to a certain position, his gaze suddenly turned cold, and he pointed at the void.
In an instant, the hidden killing formation on the stone wall activated, targeting Xu Hei. The formation layered upon itself, reaching over nine layers.
"I was waiting for my true essence to recover, what were you waiting for?" Hou Siping sneered inwardly.
He had said so much just to stall for time, waiting for the formation to complete and his true essence to recover to a critical point, delivering a fatal blow!
With his current cultivation, relying on spells was not feasible; he could only depend on formations. Simultaneously activating nine advanced third-tier killing formations consumed a tremendous amount of true essence.
Now, it was barely enough, but he was confident it would succeed in one strike!
"Swish, swish, swish..."
In an instant, blades and shadows filled the air, fierce winds howled, and sharp blades sliced through the stone wall, attacking Xu Hei endlessly. Even a mountain of flesh would be cut into pieces.
Xu Hei remained expressionless, a slight cold smile on his lips.
"I was waiting for the flying sword to pierce through, what were you waiting for?" Xu Hei said coldly.
"Wha..."
Hou Siping's pupils shrank, and at the same moment he activated the killing formation, a cold light suddenly shot from behind him.
It was a flying sword, breaking through the stone wall behind him, slashing towards him at a speed far surpassing the killing formation!
This flying sword was entirely pitch black, shaped like a curved serpent, covered in sharp scales, with a head and tail. It was more like a flood dragon than a sword!
"Ever-changing Fish and Dragon!"
Xu Hei's true form, with Ever-changing Fish and Dragon fully activated, crossed the killing formation's barrier, ignoring all formation restrictions, as if walking on flat ground.
The power of the sixth layer of Ever-changing Fish and Dragon was unleashed to the fullest.
This sword, he named it the Black Dragon Sword!
"Poof!"
Hou Siping didn't even have time to scream before his throat was pierced by the sword, his head flying off, and even the Golden Core within him was picked out by Xu Hei with a single strike.
It was too fast, faster than any killing formation, this was Xu Hei's full-force strike!
After Hou Siping's death, the killing formation's residual power fell on the butcher, cutting blood marks, but it only lasted a moment before quickly dissipating.
The nine killing formations completely calmed down.
Hou Siping died with his eyes open, unable to believe his foolproof setup failed here.
His pupils contracted, eyes bulging, mouth agape, eyes filled with despair, powerless to resist death's arrival.
"Speak, who sent you! Otherwise, I'll turn your body into a corpse puppet, and your soul will be trapped in the soul banner, never to reincarnate!" Xu Hei coldly shouted at Hou Siping's head.
"I didn't lie to you, it was Lin Ziye..."
Hou Siping closed his eyes.
Xu Hei nodded, absorbing the headless corpse into the butcher's body. The wounds on the butcher quickly healed after absorbing Hou Siping, restoring completely.
Though the contamination remained, the wounds were healed.
Xu Hei then used his true form to swallow the shriveled Golden Core. Although Hou Siping's true essence had been suppressed for a long time, it was still of good quality for a late Core Formation stage.
"There's no rush to leave. I'll refine the Golden Core here, and maybe some heavy oil, and hopefully break through to mid-stage Core Formation. Meanwhile, I'll see if anyone comes down to check," Xu Hei thought.
After consuming the Golden Cores of Xu Sheng and Hou Siping, Xu Hei felt his cultivation loosening. With ten days to half a month of closed-door cultivation, he might gain something.
Even if he couldn't break through to mid-stage Core Formation, stabilizing at the peak of the early stage shouldn't be a problem. After leaving, he could take a Qingyuan Pill, close-door cultivate for a month, and break through to the mid-stage in one go.
The early Core Formation stage was far from enough for Xu Hei now; it wasn't reliable against late-stage cultivators. The encounters with Hai Teng and Hou Siping made him realize this deeply.
"Hehehe..."
Suddenly, an eerie laughter echoed in the empty oil well.
Xu Hei shivered, his gaze shifting to lock onto Hou Siping's remaining head.
The laughter was coming from that head.
Xu Hei's gaze was fixed, his brows furrowed, he hadn't misheard.
"Hehehe..."
The laughter appeared again, Hou Siping opened his eyes, a sinister smile on his lips, his pale gaze fixed on Xu Hei, emitting an eerie laugh.
/////309/////
"What the hell is this?"
This kind of thing couldn't scare Xu Hei, but it certainly piqued his curiosity.
With a wave of his hand, he used the Gravity Technique to grab Hou Siping's head from a distance and brought it back into the cave.
Along the way, the eerie head kept laughing, its pupil-less eyes staring intently at Xu Hei, meeting the butcher's ugly face.
Xu Hei brought it back to the cave, intending to study it further.
Suddenly, a bloody hole appeared in the center of Hou Siping's forehead, and a ghostly infant figure with sharp fangs emerged, lunging at Xu Hei.
Xu Hei remained unfazed, raised his hand, and pointed. His Flying Sword sliced through the air but hit nothing.
The ghostly figure split into several parts, transforming into countless streams of light that burrowed into the butcher's body from all directions. Xu Hei immediately felt his body go numb, his skin swelling with countless boils, and his limbs moving chaotically. The numerous corpse puppets within him seemed to gain their own consciousness, trying to break free.
It felt like losing control!
"How does this person still have such a trick?"
Xu Hei's expression changed. He had killed Hou Siping, and his Golden Core was gone, so he couldn't possibly have any strength left to resist.
There was only one possibility: this ghostly figure was placed inside him by someone else.
Xu Hei made a quick decision, taking out Xu Bai's box of copper coins, transforming them into a Money Sword that merged with his Flying Sword, emitting a dazzling golden light, protecting him with auspicious energy, and exterminating all evil!
"Slash!" Xu Hei shouted, thrusting his Flying Sword into the butcher.
"Splurt!"
A crisp sound echoed, as if stabbing into a barrel of water. A sharp, piercing scream erupted from within the butcher, and the chaos within immediately ceased.
The sound was like a baby's cry, like nails scraping on a metal board, making Xu Hei's scalp tingle.
He thought of an evil faction spell, the Ghost Infant!
He had discovered it in some jade slip miscellanea he found in the storage bag of an elder from the Snake Catchers Sect during his idle time.
The process of refining a Ghost Infant was extremely vicious and utterly depraved, something Xu Hei couldn't even describe.
But one thing was certain: this Ghost Infant was placed in Hou Siping's sea of consciousness by someone else. It fed on the nutrients of the sea of consciousness until it grew strong enough to devour the entire primordial spirit, taking its place.
By then, Hou Siping would no longer be Hou Siping, but the grown Ghost Infant.
Xu Hei's eyes were cold and merciless. The Money Sword slashed again, and the Ghost Infant howled in agony, unable to withstand it, and emerged from the butcher's body, turning into a wisp of ghostly spirit, attempting to escape.
Xu Hei pursued, throwing all the copper coins, forming a large net of money that sealed off the Ghost Infant's escape route.
Then, he brought down his sword.
"Ah!!"
With a sharp, piercing scream, the Ghost Infant's body became illusory, vanishing into smoke, leaving only some Divine Sense fluctuations.
Xu Hei considered capturing it with the Soul-absorbing Flag but decided against it after some thought. He ignited a fire, burning it completely.
With that, the eerie feeling disappeared without a trace, thoroughly eradicated!
Xu Hei looked at the remnants of Hou Siping's head and sighed, casting a flame to set it ablaze.
"This person was so cunning and deceitful, yet unaware of his own situation, reduced to a vessel for a Ghost Infant. How pitiful," Xu Hei lamented.
Those captured as slaves not only risked their lives mining and drilling at sea but also had to have their blood drawn regularly.
In the end, those with profound cultivation were reduced to vessels for nurturing Ghost Infants.
Their lives were completely drained, every usable part exploited.
Their flesh devoured, bones gnawed, blood drunk, and even their Divine Sense wasn't spared. The Sea God Sect was utterly depraved.
Xu Hei suddenly felt a sense of desolation. Initially, he was furious with this person, but after witnessing the Ghost Infant's parasitism, he felt a twinge of sympathy.
Even if Xu Hei didn't kill him today, Hou Siping would have died eventually.
However, this person insisted until his death that it was the scholar Lin Ziye who sent him, which made Xu Hei even more suspicious.
"Whether you're lying or not, I won't spare the mastermind behind this!" Xu Hei vowed silently.
He decided not to worry about whether it was Lin Ziye or someone else and would investigate once he got out.
The method of cultivating Ghost Infants must have been done by a protector, but which one of the four protectors was it? So far, only the Nightmare Demon Lord and the Yehuo Demon Lord were known.
Additionally, Xu Bai's copper coins were indeed effective, seemingly having a strong restraining effect on evil spirits.
With a thought, the Money Sword within Xu Hei's body separated and transformed back into individual copper coins, returning to the box.
Good deeds yield good returns. Reflecting on the past, when he traveled a thousand miles to save Xu Bai, the rewards he reaped continued to this day.
"First, set up a formation, then refine this person's Golden Core."
Learning from past lessons, Xu Hei spent the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn setting up an illusion formation at the cave entrance and blocked it with rocks.
......
East Sea, Penglai Sea.
This was a secluded secret realm, existing since ancient times, continuing to this day, and giving birth to many exceptionally talented great demons.
The outside world was lacking in Spiritual Qi, gradually thinning, but the Penglai Sea remained as abundant in Spiritual Qi as in ancient times, a paradise everyone yearned for.
Today marked the annual day for recruiting demonic beasts, and the Penglai Sea was bustling once again.
"Have you heard? A genius demonic beast has appeared in the Penglai Sea, a white snake with incredible strength."
"Of course, I know. This white snake single-handedly wiped out a ship of Sea God Sect members and was discovered by Elder Green Turtle, who took it as a personal disciple."
"That's terrifying! Compared to her, Hai Meng, Bopu, Qingluan, and Er Gou are nothing!"
"This is undoubtedly the strongest immortal seedling of the year!"
"The strongest in years!"
In the Penglai Sea, a group of seagulls gathered on an island, chattering non-stop. Their discussion centered around the newly joined white snake in the Penglai Sea.
One seagull with a sly appearance chuckled, "I also heard that the elders of the sea snake lineage were in an uproar upon hearing the news, planning to snatch the white snake away!"
"Snatch? She's already been taken as a personal disciple by Elder Green Turtle. How can they snatch her?" a seagull asked.
The demonic beasts of the Penglai Sea were not from a single lineage but divided into multiple factions. Conflicts often erupted over the competition for quality disciples, becoming a common practice.
After all, as long as a disciple achieved victory in the year-end competition, their faction would receive a massive amount of resources, fostering healthy competition.
"I guess they might use some underhanded methods."
The sly seagull laughed, "As long as that white snake willingly leaves Elder Green Turtle's tutelage, it's just a matter of words since the recruitment isn't over yet."