Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The Thunder Mountain Demon King was greatly shocked: "How is this possible? He possesses the bloodline of the Kun fish; I saw it with my own eyes..."

With a flick of his sleeve, the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint unleashed his oppressive aura upon the Thunder Mountain Demon King once more, shouting, "This Bei Ming killed my son Zhong Ding, and even destroyed Fellow Daoist Han Ying's divided soul. How could this be false?"

"You not only took this person under your command, but you also allowed him to open a cave, helped him improve his cultivation, and sent him into a secret spatial realm, ruining our grand plan. Your crime is unforgivable!"

The Thunder Mountain Demon King's face was very ugly. He tried his best to resist the pressure, and his body swayed precariously.

Bloodtooth Demon Saint's face darkened. He raised his hand and released a blood-red light to block the pressure of Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint. He said unhappily, "Fellow Daoist Heavenly Pillar, you have gone too far. Not to mention that this matter has not been verified, even if Bei Ming is indeed a shadow spy cultivator from the Spirit Realm, Lei Shan was deceived by this person. At most, he can only be guilty of oversight."

The Spirit Bamboo Demon Saint also advised, "Leishan is under the command of Fellow Daoist Blood Tooth. How to deal with him is up to Fellow Daoist Blood Tooth to decide."

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint barely managed to suppress his anger and bowed to the Blood Tooth Demon Saint, saying, "I was momentarily overcome with rage and misspoke. I hope you will forgive me, fellow Daoist."

Bloodtooth Demon Saint's expression softened: "How could I not know the pain of losing a son? But during this exploration of the True Dragon Cave, I also took out a lot of treasures and spiritual materials and sent dozens of demon generals into the cave, all of whom were killed by the human race, resulting in heavy losses."

"If Bei Ming is indeed a shadow spy cultivator, he should naturally not be let go, but we should not take our anger out on Lei Shan. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint calmed down completely and nodded slightly: "What you say is absolutely right, fellow Daoist."

He turned to look at the Thunder Mountain Demon King: "I should not hold you responsible for what Bei Ming did. Please forgive me, young friend."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King, looking dazed, quickly bowed and said, "Lord Tianzhu, you flatter me..."

Upon learning that Bei Ming was a shadow spy cultivator who had also destroyed the divided souls of two demon saints, he was deeply shocked and dared not blame the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint.

Bloodtooth Demon Saint solemnly said, "The blame for this matter does not lie entirely with you. We failed to investigate carefully that day, which allowed a Nascent Soul cultivator to enter the spatial secret realm."

"But you have taken a demon general of unknown origin under your command, and in just a hundred years, you have made him your confidant. You have misjudged people. When you return, you should be severely punished. Are you convinced?"

At this point, the Thunder Mountain Demon King dared not argue, knowing that the Blood Tooth Demon Saint was protecting him, and immediately agreed.

The Bloodtooth Demon Saint's expression softened a bit, and he asked again, "Is there anything you missed in what you just said? Did Bei Ming really not reveal the slightest flaw or his origin?"

The Thunder Mountain Demon King lowered his head and pondered for a while, as if he had remembered something, and said, "I don't have much contact with this person on a daily basis. He is also very good at disguising himself, putting on a loyal act, but he is also quite strong and always takes the lead in everything, so I did not suspect him."

"But he was once chased by the wood-eating puppets and escaped unscathed."

"Shortly afterward, Shi Mu offered a large reward for this person's life, which may be suspicious."

Flame Cloud Demon Saint frowned and said, "Bei Ming's strength is so formidable, he must have no shortage of treasures. He must have revealed them to Shi Mu, which made him covet them. Is there anything strange about this?"

Bloodtooth Demon Saint said, "Fellow Daoist's words make sense. However, Corruption Wood is also on the island. We can just summon him and ask him. It will only take a little time anyway."

Having said that, he dispersed his divine sense and ordered the demon general serving at the foot of the mountain to summon the Wood-Eating Demon King.

The Bloodtooth Demon Saint first asked him to identify Bei Ming's appearance. After receiving a positive answer, he then inquired about the assassination of his demon general and the bounty on Bei Ming.

The Wood-Eating Demon King's main body was unable to move and remained in its cave. It sent an avatar here, which only had the cultivation level of the early stage of the Void Refinement Realm.

He was already suspicious when he received the summons from the six demon saints, and when he saw that the Thunder Mountain Demon King was also there, he became even more confused and fearful.

Although he didn't know what the Northern Underworld Demon General had done, the six Demon Saints had specifically inquired about it, so he naturally dared not hide anything and told them everything.

"...I saw that Bei Ming's halberd was very much like a heaven-reaching spiritual treasure, and his armor was like the Heavenly Demon Armor. Although he was covered in wounds, it was still a treasure. So I issued an edict to offer a reward for his life..."

The Wood-Eating Demon King carefully recounted the story, and all six demon saints showed expressions of surprise.

The Bloodtooth Demon Saint said, "You're not mistaken, are they really the Heavenly Treasure and the Heavenly Demon Armor?"

The Wood-Eating Demon King hesitated for a moment before saying, "Even if that Fangtian Halberd isn't a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, it's undoubtedly a First-Rank Spiritual Treasure Divine Weapon."

"However, I have never seen the Heavenly Demon Armor, I have only heard of it, so I cannot be sure."

"But the demonic energy on his armor was extremely pure, seemingly real yet not real, seemingly illusory yet not illusory, and was very similar to the legendary Heavenly Demon Armor."

Bloodtooth Demon Saint looked down at the figure in the water mirror, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

As a demon saint, he didn't possess a single heaven-reaching spiritual treasure, let alone a legendary treasure like the Heavenly Demon Armor.

The Heavenly Demon Armor is an extremely rare defensive magic weapon, said to be armor worn by extraterrestrial demons.

These extraterrestrial demons only appear when one is undergoing the tribulation of ascension. They are formless and intangible, infiltrating the depths of the soul to create illusions and bewitch people.

Among them, the most powerful demons wore armor that was impervious to all things. This armor, at the very least, was a celestial treasure called the "Heavenly Demon Armor."

The Bloodtooth Demon Saint felt a pang of regret when he thought of how Bei Ming had served under Lei Shan for a hundred years and had even come to the island to enter the spatial secret realm through the teleportation array, yet he had failed to recognize Bei Ming's identity and let him leave, thus missing out on the treasure.

The Bloodtooth Demon Saint asked a few more questions, but the two could no longer say anything.

He had no choice but to say to the Thunder Mountain Demon King, "Later I will send Cangwu with you to the Northern Underworld Cave to capture the demon generals and slaves under the Northern Underworld's command. We must not let a single one escape and thoroughly interrogate the Northern Underworld about his origins and name."

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint said, "I will send the Demon King along!"

The Cold Shadow Demon Saint said calmly, "I will also send someone there."

Flame Cloud Demon Saint also chimed in, but Tiger Fin and Spirit Bamboo Demon Saints remained silent.

They were only invited by the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint to break the formation; they did not send the Demon General into the spatial secret realm, nor did any of their demon kings wait for them on the island.

Thunder Mountain Demon King immediately agreed, but Wood Erosion Demon King on the side became more and more puzzled. What exactly did Bei Ming do to make the four demon saints so angry that they were willing to implicate all the demon generals and slaves in Bei Ming's cave?
Then the four demon saints each summoned their demon kings and ordered them to set off immediately to accompany the Thunder Mountain Demon King to the Blood Tooth Domain.

The Wood-Eating Demon King also departed, and the mountaintop fell silent once more, with the six Demon Saints lost in thought.

Bloodtooth Demon Saint frowned and slowly said, "Bei Ming joined Lei Shan's forces a hundred years ago. At that time, we were invited by Fellow Daoist Tianzhu to search for this spatial secret realm. The timing is right."

"It seems that he was sent by the Tai Xuan Sect to infiltrate the Burning Demon Realm and prevent us from obtaining the True Dragon's Relic Treasure."

The Cold Shadow Demon Saint parted her lips slightly, her voice cold: "This person is so powerful, why bother with all the trouble? Just follow that Tai Xuan Sect cultivator into the secret realm, and you can take the True Dragon Cave into your possession."

"Moreover, if what Shi Mu said is true, the two magical treasures in Bei Ming's hands are not far from being Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures."

"Even those who have reached the peak of the Void Refinement stage may not have such a wealth of resources, yet they choose to become shadow spy cultivators, even going so far as to enter the spatial secret realm right under our noses. Isn't that far too risky?"

The Spirit Bamboo Demon Saint nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Han Ying is absolutely right. This Bei Ming possesses a great treasure, yet he is willing to risk his life to infiltrate the Burning Demon Realm."

"If he is carrying a heavy responsibility, yet he secretly attacked the Demon Commander, I wonder what his motives are."

"He possesses the bloodline of the Kun fish, yet he can wield flames and lightning. His Fire Ape Dharma Form is even more peculiar, resembling the true spirit of the Zhu Yan, but entirely engulfed in crimson flames..."

"All of these things are contradictory and don't make sense."

Tiger Fin Demon Saint snorted coldly: "Fellow Daoists, why bother? As long as we capture Bei Ming, everything will become clear."

Flame Cloud Demon Saint frowned and said, "The Tai Xuan Sect is just a newly established Mahayana sect. It has not built a city on Tyrant Turtle Island. Bei Ming will not enter Tyrant Turtle Island."

"It seems we have no choice but to ask the Dark Demon Guards to capture this person in the Spirit Realm."

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint snorted coldly: "Fortunately, when the Great Sage bestowed the dragon scales, he revealed the origins of the human cultivators; otherwise, we would not know who our opponent was."

"No matter how strong Bei Ming is, he is only a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if he has some opportunities in the spatial secret realm, he can only advance to the Void Refinement stage at most."

"Let's just consider it as the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, each of us take out a treasure and ask the Dark Demon Guards to help. The cost won't be too high."

Han Ying, the Demon Saint, said with a glint in her eyes: "I will follow Fellow Daoist Tianzhu's suggestion. I happen to have some connection with Fellow Daoist Long Luo, so I might as well entrust this matter to me."

Upon hearing this, all the demon saints had no objections and each took out a treasure that would greatly benefit the demon king, handing it over to the Cold Shadow Demon Saint.

The Demon Realm and the Spirit Realm were locked in a fierce war, so naturally they had to find ways to gather information about the Spirit Realm. They secretly dispatched demons into the Spirit Realm, calling them "Dark Demon Guards".

The spirit realm was incredibly powerful, conquering other realms and attracting many alien races to its side, including many demons.

Although demon cores can be used to refine cultivation pills, the Spirit Realm will still make an exception for some demons who are willing to surrender to the Spirit Realm and make great contributions.

This made it easier for the Burning Demon Realm to send out Dark Demon Guards. With the help of the Spirit Realm sects that traded secretly, they quietly sent a few people into the Spirit Realm, changed their appearance, and settled down there.

Besides these, there are many disillusioned mixed-race individuals in the Spirit Realm who, with hearts set on the demon race, voluntarily join the Dark Demon Guard to provide intelligence to the Burning Demon Realm. Each of the thirty-six sacred domains of the Burning Demon Realm has its own Dark Demon Guard stationed in the Spirit Realm.

The Dark Demon Guards of Zhenhai Sacred Domain were then placed under the command of the Dragon Fall Demon King.

The Cold Shadow Demon Saint put away the treasure, and with a flick of her slender hand, the ice crystals shattered inch by inch and vanished without a trace.

She stood up and gave a graceful bow to everyone: "There's no time to lose, I'll go find Fellow Daoist Longluo now. I'll take my leave first."

……

Xuanli Realm, Wanyan Mountain Range.

After three days of recuperation, Chen Yuan and the others fully recovered their true essence and returned to the Fire Realm.

After the fire dragon dissipated, only black stone pillars and a sea of ​​lava remained in the fire realm, a scene of utter desolation.

Over the past three days, more than a dozen formation masters have entered the Fire Realm several times to investigate. With the records left by the ancestors of the four major tribes, they have already figured out the formation.

These dark stone pillars contain restrictions, rendering dragon energy and supernatural powers useless against them; human cultivators are still needed to intervene.

Under the guidance of the array masters, the human cultivators took action one after another, but Chen Yuan, Han Xuan, Jiang Wangchen, Xue Huai Ren and more than a dozen other people with considerable strength chose to stand by and watch.

The four dragon people didn't take the second layer of the formation seriously, but Chen Yuan remembered it after Wu Xuan reminded him.

Han Xuan was also a cautious person, so he deliberately asked everyone to hold back their attack, preferring to break the formation more slowly in order to guard against the possible second layer of the formation.

This coincided with Chen Yuan's idea, so everyone dispersed, secretly circulating their true energy and remaining on guard.

These pitch-black stone pillars were made of some unknown spiritual material, and were incredibly hard. Even with several late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators working together, it would take them more than half an hour to break them.

These stone pillars look exactly the same as when they were built, and have not changed as the power of the great formation has weakened.

When the stone pillar was damaged, dragon energy surged from the sea of ​​lava to repair the damage.

Fortunately, the array masters had already discovered the restrictions within these stone pillars and set up arrays in advance.

As soon as the stone pillar was slightly damaged, several Dragon People of the Cloud Soaring Realm immediately injected Dragon Qi into it to slow down its recovery.

This formation and the restrictions contained within the stone pillars are similar in purpose; both are used to absorb dragon energy.

However, the dragon energy surging from the True Dragon Cave was unclaimed. Once inside the stone pillar, it quickly merged with the pillar and healed the wound.

However, the dragon energy infused by the dragon people contains their intentions and energy, making it a different kind of dragon energy.

Not only could it not repair the damage to the stone pillar, it also prevented the pure dragon energy in the True Dragon Cave from flowing into the stone pillar.

The four cultivators at the Dragon Transformation Realm were not idle either. Since the Dragon Qi Divine Power was useless against the Fire Realm Array, the second possible array was likely to be the same. Rather than conserving their strength, they should focus all their efforts on breaking the array.

Human cultivators and dragonmen worked together diligently, intermittently, for seven days, and finally destroyed ninety percent of the stone pillars, leaving less than ten.

Being in the Fire Realm, one must constantly endure the corrosive effects of the crimson fire poison, and must also use supernatural powers and magical treasures to break the formation and infuse dragon energy. The true essence and dragon energy are greatly consumed, so one has to leave the Fire Realm to recover true essence before breaking the formation again.

Fortunately, once the stone pillar is completely destroyed, it will not be restored, so there is no need to start all over again.

As the stone pillar was destroyed, a gate formed of flames gradually emerged from the depths of the fire realm, connecting heaven and earth with a majestic aura.

Behind the door was a blurry world, with mountains, water and blue sky vaguely visible. Only the thirty-six huge square cauldrons scattered in all directions were clearly visible, which were the thirty-six Dragon Breath Platforms.

The more stone pillars were destroyed, the more solid the gate of flames became, and the more imposing its power became, suppressing the sea of ​​lava until it was calm and still, and the scorching lava almost turned into a pool of stagnant water.

When the last stone pillar was destroyed, the gate of flames solidified completely, and a dragon's roar resounded throughout the entire fire realm, majestic and awe-inspiring, making people tremble.

Chen Yuan and a dozen other Nascent Soul cultivators, who had been conserving their energy, were also on high alert at this moment, circulating their true essence and ready to take action at any time to meet the restrictions of the second great formation.

But the Fire Realm remained quiet, without any unusual occurrences.

The fiery gate slowly opened, and the blurry world suddenly became clear.

The sky was clear and blue, white clouds drifted by, and in the distance, towering mountains, palaces and pavilions, waterfalls and springs were shrouded in mist, creating a scene of ethereal beauty.

However, that area was filled with Xuanhuang dragon energy, which was much denser than that of Xuanli Realm, and it immediately overflowed as the gate opened.

Along with the surge of dragon energy, a strange fluctuation swept over everyone.

The four dragon-men were overjoyed, and even the four dragon-transformation realm cultivators couldn't contain their excitement.

Such pure dragon energy was something they had never felt even when they transformed into dragons tens of thousands of years ago.

However, Han Xuan had already instructed them not to act on their own, so they had to suppress their eagerness and strictly ordered the tribal elders not to rush into anything.

The strange fluctuation appeared abruptly and disappeared just as suddenly, making them even more hesitant to make any rash moves.

Everyone waited for a full quarter of an hour, but nothing unusual happened.

Zhou Lang finally couldn't hold back any longer and bowed to Han Xuan with clasped hands: "Young friend Han, it seems that there is no second layer of formation in this True Dragon Cave. Why don't we go in as soon as possible?"

Han Xuan's expression was slightly solemn. After pondering for a moment, he slowly shook his head: "This strange fluctuation seems suspicious. We must be on guard and proceed with caution... I would appreciate it if you could investigate it carefully again."

He looked at the dozen or so array masters, who immediately agreed and used their respective skills to explore the world behind the fiery gate.

Wu Xuan's eyes shone with a deep blue as he gazed at the world beyond the fiery gate. After a long while, he looked down at the sea of ​​lava below, his brows slowly furrowing.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan asked via telepathy, "Fellow Daoist, have you discovered anything strange?"

Wu Xuan hesitated for a moment, then replied telepathically, "After this fiery gate opened, the dense restrictions I had previously discovered have become much thinner, with most of them disappearing."

Chen Yuan asked, "So, the second great formation doesn't exist?"

Wu Xuan said, "It's pretty close, but this formation is full of mysteries, and I dare not make a definitive statement."

After pondering for a long time, Chen Yuan secretly transmitted the matter to Han Xuan, and finally said apologetically, "My cultivation of the Mysterious Spirit Eye is not proficient, and I have made a mistake. Please forgive me, Senior Brother."

Han Xuan smiled and said, "Junior brother, you flatter us. This concerns the True Dragon Cave, so we can't be too careful."

At this moment, the other formation masters also spoke up, but none of them found anything.

Han Xuan finally stopped hesitating and bowed to Zhou Lang and Zhuang Buhui, saying, "Then I will trouble you two seniors to clear the way."

Zhou Lang and Zhuang Buhui were overjoyed. They bowed hastily and then led the tribal elders to fly towards the gate of flames.

Although the two turned against their own side, it was still not enough to atone for their sin of siding with the demon race.

Han Xuan made an agreement with the two men that after breaking through the Fire Realm Formation, the two men would lead the tribal elders to explore the True Dragon Cave.

Zhou Lang and Zhuang Buhui were naturally unwilling to take the risk, but they had no choice but to agree due to the circumstances.

Now that the gate of flames is open, the array master has not detected any risks, and the two men's mindset has changed, with no more hesitation.

The others followed behind Yingmo and Yingmang, approaching the gate of flames, and watched the two elders enter the gate of flames unharmed.

One of the elders of the Yingmang Clan exclaimed in delight, "The dragon energy within can actually be refined directly!"

Upon hearing this, Elders Ying Qianbu and Ying Shanbu were also eager to make their move, frequently glancing at Chu Weicai and Zhou Muyun.

Han Xuan stared at the two elders and, seeing that they were indeed not acting strangely, felt a little relieved, but still let the four demon generals enter first.

Since it concerns the True Dragon's Cave, no amount of caution is excessive.

The four demon generals carefully flew into the fiery gate, and were unharmed. Not even the surrounding dragon energy surged in, unlike the domineering dragon energy in the usual Dragon Breath Platform.

Han Xuan was completely relieved and no longer hesitated, instructing everyone to follow.

Chen Yuan's doubts vanished, and he followed closely beside Han Xuan, transforming into streaks of light with the remaining cultivators, all heading towards the fiery gate. (End of Chapter)