An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 360 The Carrion-Eating Cave
Looking at the four people kneeling before him, Chu Xiu frowned slightly and said, "You are all dead. How can I save you?"

"I think you should learn from the ghosts here and cultivate here. Ghosts have long lifespans, which may be better than human bodies."

Chen Lengqiang, a man who was usually calm and composed, now had a look of sorrow in his eyes and could not maintain his composure. His voice trembled as he said, "Our minds have not been scattered, only our bodies have changed. There is still hope. My parents are old, and I have a son and a daughter. My youngest son is not yet three years old. Please save me, senior! I will serve you like a slave to repay this kindness!"

Of the four, Chen Lengqiang was the oldest and already had a family, making him the most anxious at this moment.

The other three also looked panicked. All four of them from the Heavenly Machinery Guild were exceptionally talented and were core members of their respective families. Otherwise, how could each of them, at the King level, afford an anchor point for the Hundred Ghosts Furnace?

The more talented and young a person is, the more afraid they are of death. Shen Tianxie had completely lost his previous arrogant and unruly demeanor. His lips were pale and his body was trembling. He was obviously terrified and said in a low voice, "Senior, please name your price. We will do our best to satisfy you."

"How about 500,000 or 1 million karma points?"

People say that only when facing death can one truly feel its terror. Those vicious murderers are not afraid of death when they commit crimes, but when they are on the execution ground, not one of them can help but beg for mercy in fear.

Sometimes knowing you're dead is far more frightening than actually being in danger.

With their combined strength, how could they possibly gather a million karma points? They could only rely on the families behind them, but whether these families were willing to pay such a high price was another matter.

But at this point, in order to survive, they couldn't care less about anything else.

Chu Xiu did not answer immediately; to be honest, they might not necessarily die.

These four people are clearly different from the ghosts and monsters in this place.

For the awakened, the boundary between life and death is actually far more blurred than for ordinary people.

How can you tell if an awakened being is truly dead?

Physical injuries are not the sole indicator; for a powerful Awakened One, even if their internal organs are shattered, there is still a chance of survival.

Even if the entire body is gone, the soul can still linger on, and some, if they are fortunate enough, can even become ghosts.

Therefore, the usual method for determining death is the annihilation of the subject's consciousness.

Just like the ghosts born from those heroic spirits, because they are completely different main consciousnesses, even if they are born from the same physical body, they are just two completely different creatures.

These four people are still conscious, so theoretically there might actually be a possibility of saving them.

However, they were first killed by the murderers, and while in a state of death, they were corroded by the death energy of this place, revived by connecting their bodies, and then walked in this Hundred Ghosts Furnace for several months. The death energy had already seeped into their limbs and bones. Even if Chu Xiu injected all of his Golden Embryo Origin into them, it was still uncertain whether they could be saved.

He could not possibly pay such a high price to save a few strangers. Replenishing his energy here was extremely difficult, and Chu Xiu himself had to conserve his Golden Embryo Essence to resist the death energy.

Without a second thought, he said, "Your death energy has already penetrated deep into your meridians, how can I possibly save you?"

He waved his hand, ignoring the four of them, and turned to Jiang Miaoyin: "Let's go."

"Yes"

Jiang Miaoyin glanced at the four of them with some reluctance, but still obediently followed.

When the four members of the Heavenly Machinery Guild saw that Chu Xiu was about to leave, they panicked. They had learned from Jiang Miaoyin that Chu Xiu could dispel death energy, and they regarded him as their only lifeline. How could they give him up so easily?
The four men stepped forward and pleaded incessantly, especially Chen Lengqiang, whose cold and stern face was now filled with a desperate yearning for life: "Senior, please, I want to see my wife and children one more time."

Chu Xiu frowned, intending to leave immediately, but then suddenly remembered something and turned to the four of them, saying, "It's no use begging me. I've already told you that the death energy has penetrated too deeply into your bodies, and I can't help you."

"but."

"But what?" the four of them asked hastily.

Chu Xiu pointed to the Inheritance Immortal Stele: "If you can decipher the secrets of this stone, there is a possibility of being resurrected."

Having said that, he turned and left while the four were still in a daze.

Once they were some distance away, Jiang Miaoyin couldn't help but ask, "Senior, were you just lying to them?"

"Yes and no," Chu Xiu said calmly. "That stone does have some mysterious properties, but whether it can be of any help, I don't know."

He wasn't lying. Just looking at the stone sparked a flood of inspiration in his mind. It was definitely an extremely mysterious object, and he had a vague premonition that the stone contained a power related to life and death.

The fact that those ghosts were able to comprehend a technique for transforming death energy is proof of this.

Jiang Miaoyin, who was completely human, gained nothing, while the ghosts obtained a cultivation technique. As his soul transformed, he was filled with many chaotic thoughts. What about the living dead like the four members of the Heavenly Machine Guild?
What will we see on that stone tablet?
Chu Xiu was also very curious about this.

He shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and instead told Jiang Miaoyin what he had just seen and heard.

After he finished speaking, a look of worry immediately appeared on the woman's beautiful face.

"Senior, if the Holy Mountain is truly that difficult, then... then..."

She didn't say anything more, but Chu Xiu naturally understood what she meant. She was saying that even if Chu Xiu had the ability to reach the top, there was absolutely no way he could bring one more person with him, because she would definitely die no matter what.

Chu Xiu smiled faintly and said, "You don't need to worry. I will take you out with me. Besides, I'm not stupid enough to venture into an unknown place when I'm not in good condition."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Miaoyin breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What are your plans, Senior?"

Chu Xiu said, "I have a blueprint for a piece of equipment that can absorb miasma and poison gas. It should also be effective against this deathly aura. As long as we can refine it, the two of us can easily leave this place."

Chu Xiu did not lie to him. On his way back, Chu Xiu had already found the magic weapon he needed among the tens of thousands of magic weapons inherited by the Demon Lord Duobao!
This magical artifact is called the "Bag of Returning All Impurities to Origin"!
To be honest, Chu Xiu picked out a dozen or so magical treasures from among the tens of thousands of treasures, all of which were very suitable for the current situation and could effectively resist the death energy.

But the moment Chu Xiu saw the [Bag of Returning to Origin of All Impurities], he abandoned all his previous candidates without the slightest hesitation!
The reason is simple: this magical artifact is just too perfect for the current situation!

First of all, the difficulty of refining this magic weapon is almost the lowest among tens of thousands of magic weapons. Even if Chu Xiu has not yet formed his core, he can still refine it to a decent grade with the help of [Perfect Refining].

Secondly, the materials required to refine this treasure are highly substitutable. Just like making a chip requires various rare metals, and you can't change any of the materials. But if you're just making a stool, then it can be made of iron, wood, copper, or even clay!

This is how it is; all its materials can be gathered in this Hundred Ghosts Forge!
Finally, the main material for refining this treasure happens to be something that grows in a place rich in yin energy. Therefore, even if the other materials are not the "standard materials" recorded on the blueprints, the final power of the refined treasure will not be much different.

But that's not all the reason!
It is important to know that the more powerful a magical artifact is, the more complex its crafting process becomes. The inscriptions and restrictions it contains are also more intricate. Combining such complex elements naturally requires extremely high precision in the materials used.

Just like a precision instrument, replacing a material that accounts for less than one ten-thousandth of its weight could drastically change its performance, or even cause it to malfunction completely.

Therefore, generally speaking, the more powerful a magical artifact is, the less substitutable its materials are.

Why is this [Bag of Returning to Origin of All Impurities] so easily replaceable?

The fact that it could be included in the legacy of the Demon Lord of Many Treasures means it must be a magic weapon of extremely high grade and immense power. The reason is that this magic weapon is merely a container for [containing]. This treasure has only two functions: first, to absorb poisonous gas and miasma; and second, to fuse and refine the absorbed poisonous gas and miasma, condensing it into an even more powerful gas.

In other words, the power of this treasure depends entirely on whether the user can collect enough and strong enough poisonous miasma!
This should have been a flaw, but it filled Chu Xiu with ecstatic joy!

He dared not even imagine how terrifying the power of this magic weapon would become if it absorbed all of that waterfall of chaotic death energy!

I'm afraid even a demigod would be instantly eroded and killed by the death energy!

Of course, the capacity of the [Myriad Filth Returns to Origin Bag] is definitely limited, and the conversion and concentration of poisonous gas and miasma also takes time, depending on the grade of the refined product.

However, any magical artifact that can be recorded in the Demonic Sect's heritage, even if it is only the lowest grade nine, must be extraordinary in power. Not to mention, Chu Xiu also has a magical artifact origin specifically used to enhance magical artifacts.

Once this item is refined, regardless of its power, reaching the summit of the sacred mountain should be an easy task.

Without him even needing to say anything, Jiang Miaoyin, who was standing to the side, understood and nodded knowingly, saying, "This humble girl will go out of the city to explore and see if she can collect anything useful."

Chu Xiu nodded. With the exploration tools specially prepared by the Jiang family and the assistance of Shanaqi, Jiang Miaoyin was very suitable to go out and search for rare items in this place.

She possesses the Crimson Lotus Sun-Chasing Bow, whose full power is such that even heroic spirits and ghosts dare not directly confront its edge, so she has no worries about her safety.

Chu Xiu estimated that her efficiency in exploring outside would not be much worse than his own treasure hunting.

"With your physique, you should be able to withstand the death aura on your own for three or four months without any problem. If you feel unwell, return to Youcheng to find me."

"Rest assured, once the magic weapon is refined, I will definitely take you with me," Chu Xiu said finally.

With his assurance, Jiang Miaoyin felt much more at ease, agreed, and turned to take her leave.

Chu Xiu, of course, wouldn't be idle either.

Searching for treasure aimlessly in this enormous furnace of a hundred demons is simply too inefficient.

He had previously heard that the Immortal Palace would issue missions, and as long as one was strong enough, this was a way to quickly obtain Yin Stones.

With the Yin Stone, one can exchange it with other ghosts for the materials they need.

With the token, he entered the innermost celestial palace without any hindrance. After explaining his purpose, the ghost at the entrance led him to a wall covered with various requests.

Seeking a cultivator at least level 5 of the Reversal of Yin and Yang Technique to explore for treasure together. Profits will be split 30/70. A suitable location has been found. Interested parties please contact us immediately.

【We are offering a high price of five taels of Yin Stone to purchase three "Mysterious Yin Spirit Grasses". Price is negotiable.】

The contents on it are all sorts of things, including requests for seniors to answer their cultivation questions.

However, most of these commissions were trivial matters with low pay. Only the search for rare materials would yield higher rewards, but these were not tasks that Chu Xiu was capable of completing.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a commission at the very top of the wall.

[Regular Quest: Go to the "Carrion Cave" to clear out carrion eaters and undead spirits, and draw a map of the secret passage. Each carrion eater rewards three ounces of Yin Stones, each undead spirit rewards twenty pounds, and the map reward is determined based on your contribution.]

Killing a dead soul will earn you a reward of twenty catties of Yin Stones!

Chu Xiu's eyes widened in disbelief.

Although we don't know what that dead soul is, it's worth twenty catties of Yin Stone. Here, one catty is worth sixteen liang, so the value of twenty catties of Yin Stone goes without saying.

"I'll take this commission." Without hesitation, Chu Xiu pointed directly to the commission.

However, the celestial ghost in charge was taken aback and exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist, please reconsider! This commission is not so easy to accept!"

"Oh? Why is that?" Chu Xiu asked.

This ghost was the same one that had led Chu Xiu to the Holy Mountain. Knowing that Chu Xiu was powerful but this was his first time in Youcheng, it quickly explained, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but this Carrion-Eating Cave is one of the four most dangerous places in this world!"

"Fellow Daoist, please don't take it lightly. It's unknown how this extremely dangerous place came into being. The creatures within are completely unlike anything in this world, and the dangers within are incomparable to any other perilous place."

"Especially those dead spirits, they are vicious and violent, and they also have the ability to disintegrate their soul bodies."

"Don't even mention that you've only climbed halfway up the sacred mountain. Even those immortals who have already entered the Penglai Immortal Realm, tempered themselves with immortal energy, and completed their immortal bodies, wouldn't dare to take the risk rashly!"

"This is why this commission has been hanging in the Celestial Palace for many years, but no one has accepted it."

The ghost looked solemn, but Chu Xiu paid it no mind.

Otherwise, how could they ask for such a high price?
Furthermore, he had full confidence in his own strength. So what if he was an immortal? Even if one emperor, three venerables, and six sovereigns attacked him together, he might not necessarily be defeated.

Of course, Chu Xiu didn't know how strong these guys were. He was just estimating based on the level of a strong heroic spirit. If one of these people was a demigod or ghost, then he might not be a match for him.

Seeing Chu Xiu's resolute attitude, the ghost sighed and did not try to persuade him further, but simply took out two items.

"This is a map of that secret cave. It can be drawn using the power of your divine soul. Fellow Daoist, please complete it according to this map."

"This guiding lamp leads to that secret cave. The method of use is the same as returning to the Ghost City: light it, close your eyes, and take forty steps backward."

“Carrion eaters and dead souls need to leave behind the crystals within their bodies as proof.”

Chu Xiu accepted it and took his leave without lingering.

He then left Youcheng, and sure enough, after only a few steps, the vast city and towering sacred mountain behind him mysteriously disappeared.

Chu Xiu exclaimed in amazement, and following the instructions of the ghost in the celestial palace, lit the guiding lamp, closed his eyes, and took forty steps back.

The moment he took his fortieth step, an extremely cold feeling instantly enveloped him!

Chu Xiu suddenly opened his eyes, a look of intense shock appearing on his face!

Chu Xiu stood before a cave that exuded a chilling aura.

But what shocked him was not the sudden spatial transfer, since he had been mentally prepared for it beforehand.

What shocked him was that the chilling feeling he had just experienced was exactly the same as the malice from the abyss he had felt when he broke through!
(End of this chapter)