A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 120 The demons dance wildly
Guimang Mountain

After several months of work, Gu Xu finally completed the sealing formation. Five-colored light flowed and flashed, and whenever the black energy of the abyss surged, the runes on the magic net would unleash five thunderbolts, and the golden characters of the guardian stele would float in the air, emitting a dazzling glow.

"With these three cycles of sealing formations, the evil spirits and yin energy of the soldiers on Mount Guimang will not spread to all directions within a hundred years. Next, we should venture deep into the abyss to explore."

Gu Xu stared at the bottomless abyss, his mind focused. A golden light flashed around him, and he flew down. He heard roars and angry cries in his ears, and a sharp aura kept crashing against the aura shield, determined to cut Gu Xu into pieces.

A golden light swiftly moved through the black mist. Any strange black mist creatures that tried to approach it were instantly obliterated upon impact with the golden light. The black mist, being sentient, knew that the newcomer was not to be trifled with, and with the exception of a very few, the rest could only watch helplessly as the golden light shot straight down.

Gu Xumo calculated the time; about an hour had passed. He should now be a hundred feet below the abyss. Just then, the black mist below churned and surged like waves, pressing down on the golden light. Each wave was more ferocious than the last, as if it wanted to devour the golden light.

Upon seeing this, Gu Xu channeled his true energy, and his body shone with a brilliant golden light, like a blazing sun, illuminating the surrounding area for several feet as if it were daytime.

The abyss, which had never seen the sun for years, was suddenly struck by a calamity. Some strange creatures that had no time to dodge were illuminated by the bright light, let out a few miserable howls, and turned into a wisp of black smoke, thus perishing.

The remaining powerful monsters dared not show themselves again, the black mist contracted and receded, and the road ahead was now a smooth path.

With no further obstruction, the golden light finally reached the ground half an hour later. There, the dark house was desolate, and the white bones gleamed. Apart from the piercing sound of the wind, there was no other noise.

"The Yin energy here has reached its peak. No wonder we hardly saw any soldier spirits along the way. It seems they were all devoured by this Yin energy. Perhaps the soldier spirits we encountered earlier were trying to escape this place."

Gu Xu lit a talisman and flicked it, illuminating the area several feet in front of him. From the dark ground, wisps of black energy rose continuously, coalescing into a ball whenever they merged, and then attaching to the mountain wall.

The black mist above the mountain wall shed its impurities and floated lightly into the air, merging with the black mist above to form a dark cloud that blots out the sun. As the dark cloud continues to expand, sooner or later the mountain wall will be broken through.

"We need to find the Earthly Core of this place quickly, otherwise the seal will remain intact, but the mountain wall won't be able to withstand it."

Gu Xu drew a spirit-detecting talisman. The talisman moved and headed north. Gu Xu immediately followed, turning left and right. After a while, Gu Xu finally stopped in front of a black pool.

The talisman was suspended above the pool of water when suddenly a stream of black water struck it. With a hissing sound, the runes flickered a few times and then scattered into specks of light.

"The Yin energy has penetrated deep into the earth's core; no wonder the vitality has been so severely diminished."

The Earth Element is the central hub for the flow of Earth Veins. If the flow of Earth Veins is temporarily obstructed, the Earth Element can spontaneously adjust itself and mobilize other Earth Veins to share the burden. However, if the Earth Element is eroded by Yin Sha Qi, the Earth Veins will definitely change from clear to turbid.

"Let's take control of this pool first," Gu Xu's eyes narrowed. The Yin energy in the pool had already materialized, which was quite troublesome. If they went too far, they might transfer the damage to Di Yuan. In that case, Di Yuan, who was already under great strain, would be in even worse shape, and it would not be so easy for him to recover.

Even when administering strong medicine, one must choose the right moment. Gu Xu took out a purple jade plate, on which were engraved the celestial meridians, stars, sun, and moon. In the center of the jade plate was a lifelike yin-yang fish.

With a surge of true energy, the Zhou Tian Star Compass was activated, and the jade disc, suspended in mid-air, transformed, instantly growing to a size of over ten feet, directly covering the pool. Then, Gu Xu continuously performed hand seals, injecting runes into it. The jade disc hummed, and crisscrossing star lines surrounded the pool, even sealing off the underground primordial point.

"The Earthly Element has been temporarily sealed off; all we need to do is dispel the Yin Fiend Spirit. Here we come."

Gu Xu stared at the changes in the pool. The movements of the jade plate angered the Yin Sha spirit. As the pool water surged, a young man dressed as a general, holding a broadsword, looked at the jade plate above with his sinister eyes, and then saw Gu Xu in front of him.

"You Taoist priest, you truly don't know the meaning of death, daring to come here to die!"

After a mocking laugh, the Yinling General swung his broadsword down, but Gu Xu remained indifferent. Just as the broadsword was about to strike, a purple light flashed, causing him to stagger backward. At the same time, this action seemed to have triggered a mechanism, and starlight scattered from above, with specks of starlight falling on the Yinling General.

Like embers meeting ice, plumes of white smoke rose and billowed. The Yin Spirit General howled a few times, his eyes turning bloodshot, and as his body was enveloped in Yin energy, his wounds began to heal rapidly.

But Gu Xu wouldn't give him a chance to recover. With a flick of his finger, a stream of pure Yang energy shot towards Yin Ling's brow like a sharp arrow. That was where his vital energy was located. Yin Ling wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. With a fierce determination, his left arm snapped off and turned into a wisp of black smoke, enveloping him.

Liu Yan pointed into the black smoke, and after a muffled groan, the black smoke dissipated completely. Yin Ling General looked at Gu Xu with apprehension.

Just now, the opponent only struck once, and my Yin energy was reduced by 30%. Moreover, it was only because an arm was broken that my vital energy was not damaged.

"This man is not someone I can defeat by force. It's best to retreat for now. As long as I remain in this underground realm, I doubt he can do anything to me."

As his thoughts raced, the Yinling General took a step back, but what followed was a sky full of dazzling starlight. Amidst the brilliance, a magnificent starlight enveloped everything around him, and before he could react, white flames ignited on the Yinling General's body.

Gu Xu's eyes flickered, and his body flashed as he approached the Yinling General. He immediately threw out a golden talisman and stuck it tightly to its chest. With a command, a loud explosion rang out, and a large hole was blasted in the Yinling General's chest.

The Yinling General roared angrily at Gu Xu beside him, trying his best to use Yin energy to heal, but a golden light prevented the wound from closing. Coupled with the attack of starlight power, the Yinling General was already at his wit's end.

Knowing that the opportunity was too good to miss, Gu Xu immediately summoned the Soul Purification and Mind Cleansing Mirror. A beam of clear light shone on the Yin Spirit General, who couldn't stop wailing as his Yin energy was constantly being pulled away. After a few breaths, the Yin energy on his body had become very thin.

"If I'm not feeling well, then you'll be buried with me!" The Yinling General's eyes flashed with rage as he roared, preparing to forcefully self-destruct in order to escape his current predicament. As long as his spirit remained intact, he would still have a chance to return.

Gu Xu had finally seized this opportunity, so he wasn't about to let it ruin things. He changed the hand seals again, and the Yin energy that the Yin spirit was about to unleash quickly deflated like a torn sack.

The spirit was stunned. It looked at the golden light on its chest, which had turned into golden threads that completely enveloped its body, and even the spirit between its eyebrows could not escape.

Just then, the Soul Purification and Mind Cleansing Mirror shone brightly, and a suction force drew the Yin spirits into the mirror. Once the Yin spirits were collected, Gu Xu reached out and pulled the mirror back.

"Next, we should repair the Earth Element node." Gu Xu unleashed his true essence, and the jade plate shone with a brilliant purple light, transforming into points of light that plunged into the pool and surged toward the Earth Element node.

A flash appeared on Gu Xu's body, and his primordial spirit sank into the pool. Following the direction of the light, he soon saw a perfectly round stone sphere covered with black energy. Wisps of black energy on it were baring their fangs and claws. When the light touched it, the two canceled each other out.

But in Gu Xu's view, this black energy is supported by the earth element, and the power of the jade plate will eventually be exhausted. Now, he can only fight quickly and take a strong medicine. With his primordial spirit shadow, he reached out and grabbed, and balls of white light rushed towards the stone ball.

At this time, Gu Xuxin practiced a new technique called "Dead Wood Comes Back to Life," which could repair anything that was being saved as long as it still had a glimmer of life left.

With the "Rejuvenation of Dead Trees" technique combined with the power of starlight, the black energy on the stone sphere was continuously compressed. The Earth Element Node was also affected and exerted its remaining strength from within to temporarily seal the Earth Vein Energy, making the black energy like water without roots. With the combined attack from within and without, the black energy was completely dispelled in no time.

As the black mist dissipated, Gu Xu was able to see the current state of the Earth Node. The once smooth and round stone sphere was now pitted and uneven, with several cracks of varying depths. It had just almost exhausted its last bit of spiritual energy, making the situation even worse.

Upon seeing this, the shadow of Gu Xu's primordial spirit immediately connected with his true body. With the help of his true body, the shadow of his primordial spirit pointed, and an even more powerful force of life force was forcibly poured into the stone sphere.

Just as Gu Xu was repairing the Gui Mang Mountain Earthly Branch, an unprecedented disaster was occurring in a certain place in Tianhua Prefecture. This disaster was neither from heaven nor earth, but came from the demon race.

Within a village, flames blazed and the sounds of battle echoed as villagers fought against a pack of wild beasts. However, as the number of beasts increased, the villagers could no longer hold them off. Three more young men were bitten to death and dragged away by the beasts. The remaining villagers burst into tears, but to Hei Quan, this scene was nothing more than the wails of the weak and the cheers of the victors.

"Lord Black Spring, this is the ninth village. Once we conquer the remaining twelve villages, we'll be the fastest. The general will surely reward us handsomely," the dog-headed demon flattered the man in black robes.

"Hmm, the village has a good supply of meat. After the boys have eaten and drunk their fill, we'll head to the next village. We can't let the foxes and their gang get away with this meat."

The man in black robes turned and asked, "Is there any movement from the fox's side?"

"No, but in my humble opinion, those foxes are most adept at bewitching people, and their speed is probably no slower than ours."

"Hmph, besides bewitching magic, what other skills do those fox spirits have? Tell the men to eat and drink their fill and head to Six Stone Village immediately."

"Subordinates obey orders"

Hundreds of miles away, in a village, a group of beautifully dressed women emerged. The woman at the head of the group, a middle-aged beauty with a bewitching appearance, looked at the rosy-cheeked fox cubs and offspring, scolded them a few times, wagged her tail, and led the fox demon south.

In the village behind, only mummified corpses and broken bones remained.

In Nanling Prefecture, a town was shrouded in a bloody light. All the living beings inside had their faces contorted in agony. They could only watch helplessly as drops of blood seeped from their bodies, floated into the air, and were collected by a funnel-shaped magical artifact.

Beside the funnel sat a Taoist priest dressed in blood, his hands constantly forming hand seals. With each rotation of the funnel, several beings below bled to death, turning into skeletons.

"With this Blood God Battle, the speed of collecting the blood of living beings is indeed much faster. It's a pity that Ji Ming is dead. If we had the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument he refined and set up the Blood Luo Netherworld Array, let alone a mere city, even several cities would be no problem."

The blood-clad man was named Ge Zhen. Like Ji Ming, he was a trusted subordinate of the Demon Lord. This time, he had been ordered by the Demon Lord to collect the blood of living beings along with two others. Because his own power was weaker, he had come to the remote Nanling Prefecture. He reached out and cast a final hand seal. After a series of wails below, the entire city's inhabitants turned into withered bones. The Blood God Battle flashed with crimson light, shrank, and fell into Ge Zhen's hand.

"It's time to move on to the next place."

Just as Ge Zhen was about to leave, a dark light suddenly struck. Ge Zhen dodged it, his eyes flashing with a fierce light as he looked at the attacker.

"Who do we have here? It's Brother Zhu! What, so you demons aren't content to be left out and want to grab a share of the spoils during this chaotic world?"

Ge Zhen looked at the newcomer warily. This person was Zhu Gang, one of the four demon generals who came to Nanling Prefecture. His skills were no less than those of Tiger Lord, and he was quite formidable.

“Ge Zhen, from now on, you are not allowed to come to Nanling Prefecture again, otherwise, no matter how ruthless I am,” Zhu Gang said coldly.

Since the other party has already sacrificed a city in blood, there's no need for me to bother with him. But from now on, this is my territory, and it's no longer up to Ge Zhen to act recklessly here.

"Zhu Gang, this Nanling Prefecture isn't your territory alone. To say such things is incredibly disrespectful to us. Do you think your demon race has already become the ruler of the Nine Provinces?"

Ge Zhen scoffed, completely unconcerned.

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Zhu Gang's eyes, and a dark light appeared out of thin air in his hand as he quietly watched the other party.

"The Thousand-fold Absolute Refinement of the Black Fiend"

Ge Zhen stared at Zhu Gang with a grim expression. This treasure was the most terrifying thing for demonic cultivators. When the demon and monster factions fought, quite a few demonic cultivators died because of this treasure.

"Fine, if you're so capable, then take good care of this state, or I'll make you pay sooner or later."

After uttering a harsh remark, Ge Zhen's figure flashed and he quickly left. Seeing this, Zhu Gang retrieved his treasure, glanced at the silent, empty city, and with a flicker of dark light, he also left.

Warfare continued to rage in Xiyuan Prefecture, with rivers of blood flowing and corpses strewn across the fields; it seemed that the dead were merely a number.

"Senior brother, the aura of war here is enough for us to forge Dao weapons, so we don't need to go digging up graves everywhere."

Looking at the black and red aura floating in the sky, Zhou Chen waved his folding fan and spoke to He Fang beside him.

"Although the energy of war is newly formed and not yet mature enough to be used to forge superior Dao soldiers, its sheer quantity is enough to create hundreds or even thousands of Dao soldiers. With this achievement, we can advance even further."

After a pause, He Fang asked, "Has there been any movement from Qiu Zirang's side?"

"No, although Qiu Zirang was with three fellow disciples, judging from his personality, he should be on the battlefield collecting the aura of war."

He Fang nodded upon hearing this. The way to collect the aura of war disaster is also different. The newly generated aura of war disaster is the most difficult to tame. If one is not careful, one's soul may be killed. However, it is also the time when its power is the strongest.

Although Qiu Zirang's character is flawed, his martial arts skills are outstanding, even surpassing those of Wei Feng and himself. This is why he has the confidence to venture into the heart of the battlefield to collect them.

"We'll make our move when night falls. Let Junior Brother Zhou and Junior Brother Zheng get ready."

"Yes, senior brother."

Tianhua Prefecture, Yujian Manor
While Yin Zhong was discussing matters with Meng Fan, the butler's voice came from outside.

"Master, your wife has given birth! She has a young master!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong immediately stood up and apologized to Meng Fan, "Brother Meng, I..."

"Brother Yin, go quickly. We can talk about these things later. Let's go see your wife first."

Yin Zhong clasped his hands in a salute, pushed open the door, and the butler nodded to Meng Fan before following Yin Zhong toward the backyard.

Upon arriving in the backyard, Yin Zhong smelled a strong odor of blood and instructed the steward, "Go to the treasure pavilion and fetch the sandalwood box from the Jia-character shelf."

"Yes," the steward should reply, and then leave to carry out the order.

As soon as Yin Zhong entered the room, several maids hurriedly bowed. Yin Zhong waved his hand and quickly went to the lady's bedside.

Ji He's complexion was still relatively rosy. Although childbirth had greatly depleted her vital energy, the manor had already prepared precious nourishing foods to replenish her blood and energy, which prevented her from suffering any serious damage.

Seeing that his wife's health was good, Yin Zhong asked the midwife and learned what he needed to pay attention to in the future, which put his mind at ease.

“Master, look, this is our son,” Ji He said, feeling a warmth in her heart as she saw Yin Zhong’s worried expression.

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong looked at his son. His skin was fair with a rosy glow, his eyes were closed, and his energy channels were clear. He was a promising candidate for martial arts.

"Master, why don't you give the child a name?" Ji He said with a light laugh, looking at Yin Zhong's delighted expression.

"Yes, yes, it's time to give it a name, to sweep away the demonic aura and cleanse it of filth. How about we call it Yin Qing?"

Yin Zhong pondered for a moment, then uttered a name, which was also his expectation for him.

"Yin Qing, good, let's call him Yin Qing." Ji He liked the name very much. She played with the baby and the couple talked for a while. Ji He knew that Yin Zhong had important matters to attend to, so she advised him to prioritize his important matters.

Yin Zhong nodded solemnly upon hearing this. Just then, the steward came in and presented a sandalwood box.

After everyone had left, Yin Zhong, under the curious gaze of his wife, took out two pieces of red jade from the wooden box, each engraved with a rune.

"Each of you and the child should have one of these protective jade pendants. Never let them out of your sight; they could save your life in an emergency."

Upon hearing this, Ji He nodded. Yin Zhong put one jade pendant on her head, while the other was placed in the baby's swaddling clothes.

After the couple exchanged a few more words, Yin Zhong kissed the child's forehead, looked at him lovingly, and then turned and walked out of the room.

"You must take good care of Madam and Young Master. If anything goes wrong, I won't let you off the hook, understand?"

The maids hurriedly agreed, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"How is the Iron Guard's training going?"

This Iron Guard was trained several years ago, and its members are all orphans and members of the Imperial Sword Manor. Their loyalty is very reliable.

"Reporting to the Master, it has already yielded considerable results. Would the Master like to go and meet with them?"

"No need. Let's wait until they've achieved some success in their cultivation. Then we can select the four most outstanding individuals and assign them to Madam's side."

"Yes," the butler remembered.

Just as Yin Zhong and the steward were talking in the study, Yin Zhong suddenly felt a jolt and turned to look out of the town. The steward was puzzled when he heard a deafening roar that shook the house.

"Master, this is..."

Yin Zhong pushed open the door and saw a yellow haze rising from the horizon, obscuring the sun and turning the once clear blue sky into a dim and gloomy one.

(End of this chapter)