Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan rushed out of the cave and looked up. He saw an old man in black robes standing in mid-air above the valley. He had an aquiline nose, deep-set eyes, and a thin face. He was looking down at the people below and sneer.

This person exuded a sinister aura, and the pressure of his early Nascent Soul stage enveloped the entire valley, but it did not penetrate due to the protection of the array.

His left hand was tightly tucked into his sleeve, while his right hand held a black bell, which he shook continuously.

He commanded a purplish-blue zombie covered in white hair, forcefully swinging its withered arm to strike the transparent array that enveloped the valley, causing it to tremble and cracks to appear beneath its palm.

Beside the old man in black robes stood a burly man in golden armor, with a majestic appearance, like a god descended to earth.

He coldly surveyed the valley, and when he saw Chen Yuan, his eyes suddenly lit up, shooting out two cold beams of light.

Chen Yuan felt a chill run down his spine as he was struck by the golden-armored man's gaze.

Xuan Chenzi flashed and appeared outside the cave. Upon seeing the black-robed elder, he was filled with shock and anger: "Master Bai Jiang, I spared your life back then, but instead of repenting, you came to die. It seems you don't even want this right arm anymore!"

He stepped forward, not forgetting to secretly instruct Chen Yuan: "The newcomer is hostile. Step aside and be careful."

The old man in black robes shook a bell, and the purple-green zombies launched an even fiercer attack, causing the great formation to tremble more violently, but it was not immediately broken.

This is an array set up by Xuan Chenzi using the small spiritual veins in the valley, which has both defensive and spirit-locking effects.

As Chen Yuan integrated the Spirit Source Pearl into the spiritual vein, it was temporarily upgraded to a medium-sized spiritual vein, and the defensive power of the great formation also increased significantly. It was not possible to break through it for the time being with just this one zombie.

The old man in black robes clearly saw this as well, and released another purple-blue zombie to join the attack. The great formation was now riddled with cracks and on the verge of collapse.

He stared intently at Xuan Chenzi, his eyes filled with resentment and venom: "Xuan Chenzi, back then I was just one move behind, allowing you to win by sheer luck."

"All these years, I have been searching for your whereabouts, and today I will avenge the loss of my arm!"

After saying that, the old man in black robes slowly raised his left hand. It was withered and thin, with sharp nails and covered with white hair. It was an arm that had been taken from a zombie.

Xuan Chenzi's pupils contracted as he looked at the golden-armored giant, scrutinizing him from head to toe: "May I ask your esteemed name? Are you here to lend a hand to this Hundred Zombies Master?"

The golden-armored giant shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving Chen Yuan, and said, "I have no grudge against you, fellow Daoist. It just so happens that I am traveling with this fellow Daoist Bai Jiang. I am not here to cause you any trouble, but for the bastard child left behind by Li Duchuan."

“As long as you hand him over, I will leave immediately and will not get involved in the feud between you two.”

As he spoke, he pointed at Chen Yuan, a chilling murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Xuan Chenzi's expression changed slightly: "Are you from the Desolate Valley?"

“Indeed, Ao Ling of Huanglan Valley has come here on the orders of his clan to clean house. I hope you will not obstruct me, otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

The golden-armored giant exuded a powerful demonic aura, his energy as robust as that of Xuan Chenzi and Bai Jiang Shangren.

Xuan Chenzi's expression darkened: "Li Xuan is my disciple. If you wish to take his life, you will have to step over my dead body first!"

The golden-armored giant glared angrily at Chen Yuan: "Li Xuan... as expected of Li Duchuan's bastard! Today, I, Ao, will tear you to pieces to appease my little sister's spirit in heaven!"

Chen Yuan's heart stirred, and he asked, "Master, could Li Duchuan, whom this demon general mentioned, be my biological father?"

The golden-armored giant frowned and said, "What? You don't even know your own background?"

Xuan Chenzi remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "That's right, Li Duchuan is your biological father." Chen Yuan was overjoyed, but his face showed urgency as he pressed for an answer: "Why did he abandon his disciple?"

The origin of this body has finally become clear, but he has not forgotten his identity. An orphan who learns his parents' names will certainly be unable to remain calm.

Xuan Chenzi opened his mouth, then sighed, "Don't blame your father, he had no choice..."

"What unspeakable secret? You're nothing but a coward!" The golden-armored giant interrupted him, his deep voice filled with sarcasm.

He looked at Chen Yuan, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow, and said coldly, "Today I will let you die knowing why. Your father is Li Duchuan, a true disciple of Taisu Palace, and your mother is Ao Xuan, a direct descendant of the Golden Dragon Saint Clan of Huanglan Valley, who is also my little sister!"

“Three hundred years ago, that scoundrel Li Duchuan stole my little sister’s heart and gave birth to you, this bastard, yet he stood by and watched as human cultivators killed her.”

"Today I've come to clean house, to kill you, you bastard, to avenge my little sister, so that the bloodline of Huanglan Valley will not be lost outside."

Chen Yuan looked at Xuan Chenzi: "Master, is what he said true?"

Xuan Chenzi glanced at him, a hint of pity in his eyes, and sighed, "That's roughly how it is. However, your father didn't just stand by and watch your mother be killed by Tai Su Palace; he went to his death with her."

"Fellow Daoist Li was a genius in his time. He formed his Nascent Soul in 259 years and was invincible among his peers. He was a famous genius cultivator in the entire Yuzhou cultivation world and was highly valued by the Tai Su Palace."

"But he disregarded the prohibitions of the cultivation world and married your mother, giving birth to you. Other sects used this as an excuse to attack him, and Tai Su Palace had no choice but to imprison your mother."

"However, Tai Su Palace later secretly released her. Fellow Daoist Li pretended to betray the sect and fled far away with your mother, but they were caught up by Nascent Soul cultivators from various sects and both perished."

"But in that battle, Fellow Daoist Li and your mother joined forces to kill three Nascent Soul cultivators, shocking the cultivation world."

"Although I am not close to Fellow Daoist Li, before I formed my Nascent Soul, I was chased by a demon beast and was saved by Fellow Daoist Li. I have always kept that in mind."

"It's a pity that when Fellow Daoist Li and your mother had their accident, I was in seclusion cultivating and couldn't lend him a hand."

"I only learned of this after I came out of seclusion, but it was too late. I thought you had died in that great battle."

"On Jade Screen Mountain, after hearing your name and discovering that you have the bloodline of a Golden Dragon, I knew that you were the son of Fellow Daoist Li."

"Therefore, I have accepted you as my disciple, which can be considered as repaying Fellow Daoist Li for saving my life."

Chen Yuan remained silent, his face filled with sorrow, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Xuan Chenzi felt a pang of pain in his heart and turned to look at the golden-armored giant: "Since you are Ao Xuan's... demon general's elder brother, you should know the truth of what happened back then."

"Fellow Daoist Li and Demon General Ao Xuan were deeply in love and went to the Yellow Springs together, leaving behind only this one child."

"If you want revenge, you should seek out the cultivators who attacked the two fellow Daoists. Why come to Li Xuan? You should know that you are also his uncle!"

The golden-armored giant laughed loudly, but it was filled with endless resentment: "Humans and demons cannot coexist. Those cultivators will surely be wiped out by my Huanglan Valley in the future."

"But my little sister has always been cultivating in the Desolate Valley, innocent and carefree. If she hadn't been bewitched by Li Duchuan and given birth to this bastard child, causing her demonic energy to leak out and her identity to be exposed, how could she have met such a tragic end?"

"Li Duchuan is the real culprit. He's dead, so let this bastard pay with his life!" (End of Chapter)