Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Ink Sea, Blood Island.

This island has one of the most prosperous markets in Yuqing Sea, which gathers cultivators from all over the sea area of ​​Yuqing Sea. One can find the demon core and materials of almost any demon beast here.

This is also one of the islands in Yuqing Sea that suffers from beast tides most frequently. There are always at least Nascent Soul cultivators from the three major sects stationed here to prevent surprise attacks from the monster tribe.

To the west of the Blood Island, there is a bamboo forest, lush green with swaying bamboo shadows.

Deep in the bamboo forest, there is a winding path leading to a secluded place. A three-story bamboo building stands in the middle of it, surrounded by green and looking elegant and refined.

In the bamboo building, there are windows on all four sides without curtains. The breeze blows gently, bringing a faint fragrance that is refreshing to the heart.

A middle-aged scholar sat cross-legged with a guqin across his knees. He raised his hand and gently stroked the strings. The sound was clear and melodious, as clear as jade.

After an unknown amount of time, a young monk walked up the stairs. He walked hurriedly, his clothes fluttering in the wind, but he made no sound.

He looked a little anxious, but he didn't dare to disturb the middle-aged scholar playing the piano. He stood aside with his hands behind his back. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but closed it again.

The middle-aged scholar ignored him, just lowered his head slightly, and focused on the guqin on his lap, the sound of which became more and more ethereal.

About half a quarter of an hour later, after the song was over, the middle-aged scholar stopped playing the piano.

He looked up at the young monk, frowned, and showed displeasure: "You should know that when I am playing the piano, I don't like to be disturbed. You are so impatient, what is the important matter to report to me?"

The young monk bowed deeply and said hurriedly, "I am sorry for my behavior. Please forgive me, Master. However, this matter is of great importance. I dare not delay. After hearing the news, I will come to see you immediately."

"The matter that Master asked me to investigate has already had some clues."

"A spy from our sect who was planted in the Tianji Sect sent a message. He learned from a disciple of Master He Qing that the Tianji Sect's Grand Elder was suspected to have gone deep into the Ten Thousand Monsters Sea and was going to attack the monsters. It is very likely that a war would start!"

The middle-aged scholar's expression changed: "How sure is the hidden player that this is true?"

The young monk said, "He is at least 50% sure. After coming to Blood Island, Master He Qing has been practicing in seclusion in the cave, rarely going out."

"But he privately summoned disciples many times, and was in a very good mood, unable to hide his joy, and gave them many spiritual stones and treasures."

"One disciple was puzzled. He said that the Tianji Sect was about to accomplish something big and severely damage the demon race, which would be enough to suppress our sect. The title of the largest sect in Yuqing Sea would soon change hands."

"The spies in our sect were good friends with a disciple of He Qing Zhenren. He heard this from the disciple himself and then verified it with other cultivators. Only then did he report it to the disciple after finding it was confirmed."

"I dare not neglect it and will come to report to Master immediately. Please make the decision."

After saying this, he bowed deeply again.

The middle-aged scholar frowned, put the guqin on his knees aside, raised his hand to stroke his beard, and fell into deep thought.
He murmured, "How is this possible? The Tianji Sect is not even as good as our sect, how dare they attack the demon clan?"

"But Huan Zhen suddenly returned to the sect, and He Qing came to guard the Blood Island instead. There is something strange about this..."

The middle-aged scholar looked confused and uncertain, his thoughts were in a mess, but he could not come to a conclusion.

He is one of the three Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the Blood Island, the Grand Elder of Zhenhai Sect and a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator Xie Yunshu.

Thirteen years ago, he came to guard the Blood Island on the orders of Jade Sea Immortal.

More than four hundred years ago, Kunhai killed three Nascent Soul cultivators in succession, including a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator. He led a tide of beasts to break through the island protection formation and slaughtered all the human cultivators on the island. Only a few low-level cultivators were able to save their lives, which shocked the entire Yuqing Sea.

From then on, according to the agreement among the three sects, there must always be two mid-Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the Blood Island to support the island protection formation.

Over the past thirteen years, among the three Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the Blood Island, Tianji Sect's Huan Zhen and Xie Yunshu are both Nascent Soul middle-stage cultivators.

But just three months ago, Huan Zhen suddenly invited Xie Yunshu to meet with Huang Sha Zhenren of the Righteousness League, saying that he wanted to return to the sect to practice in seclusion, and asked the Righteousness League to send a cultivator in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul to take charge of the Blood Island.

This kind of thing was not uncommon in the past. The Blood Island gathered cultivators from all over the Yuqing Sea, and there was a mixed crowd of good and bad people. There were quite a few Jindan cultivators who came here to hunt monsters.

Disciples from the three major sects often come here for training, and disputes are constant, requiring Yuanying Zhenren to step in from time to time to deal with them.

If the Nascent Soul cultivator guarding this place reaches a critical point in his cultivation and has no time to be distracted, he must return to the sect to practice.

However, when such things happened in the past, it was usually the monks of the sect who took over.

Huan Zhen, however, asked the Righteous Alliance to send a cultivator in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul, which was very rare.

True Man Huangsha was in a very difficult situation. The Righteous Alliance was already quite loose and there was no great cultivator in charge. The three cultivators in the middle Nascent Soul stage came from different branches and jointly held power in the sect, refusing to give in to each other.

It is extremely difficult to get them to leave Hanxing Island and come to Xue Island.

True Man Huangsha could only refuse, but Huan Zhen had made up his mind and left Blood Island on his own, in exchange for True Man He Qing who was in the early Nascent Soul stage.

Not only that, after Huan Zhen left, the Tianji Sect quietly withdrew its power and turned a blind eye to the events on the Blood Island.

Due to the constant disputes between the Zhenhai Sect and the Tianji Sect, the disciples of the two sects had always clashed in the past. Neither side would give in, and the fight would often end up in front of the Nascent Soul cultivators.

But in recent months, when faced with provocations from the Zhenhai Sect monks, the Tianji Sect disciples have all swallowed their anger and would rather suffer losses than choose to settle the matter peacefully.

This surprised Xie Yunshu very much. Master He Qing lived in seclusion and rarely took care of external affairs. It was unreasonable for him to always give in in front of Xie Yunshu, so he ordered his disciples to investigate secretly.

But today, a disciple reported that the Tianji Sect was going to take action against the demon clan, which made Xie Yunshu unbelievable.

If the Tianji Sect did not join forces with the Zhenhai Sect, it would have started a war between the two clans on its own, and would have been trapped both internally and externally, which would have been tantamount to seeking its own death.

But this was what He Qing said himself, and it didn't seem fake. Huan Zhen suddenly returned to the sect to retreat, and his whereabouts were full of mystery...

Xie Yunshu pondered for a while, and suddenly said, "Immediately send people to go deep into the Ten Thousand Monsters Sea, follow the hidden clues that were laid in the past, and find out if the monsters have made any unusual movements in recent days, and whether the Tianji Sect has fought with the three royal families."

The young monk immediately agreed: "Disciple will personally dive into the Ten Thousand Demons Sea, and report back to Master as soon as I get accurate information!"

Xie Yunshu nodded slightly, and took out a blue talisman: "This water escape talisman was obtained by chance by the master. After being activated, it can last for a quarter of an hour. The escape speed is not inferior to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. At the critical moment, it can help you save your life and escape."

After saying that, he handed the talisman forward.

The young man showed a look of joy, bowed slightly, took the talisman with both hands, and said respectfully: "Thank you for the gift, Master. I will definitely fulfill your mission!"

He bowed deeply, turned around and walked down the bamboo building.

The wind suddenly grew stronger, blowing the bamboo leaves, making a rustling sound.

The shadows of the bamboos swayed, and Xie Chaohong's face was solemn. He placed the guqin across his knees and suddenly raised his hand to flick it. The sound of metal and stone rang out, piercing through the clouds and splitting the rocks, and echoing for miles.

Seven days later, when Xie Yunshu was playing the piano, the young monk walked quickly up to the bamboo building. His feet were unsteady, his face was slightly pale, and he looked anxious.

He didn't care that Xie Yunshu was playing the zither, and bowed hastily, saying in a hurry: "Master, I have received news that Jinling Island has been destroyed, the Golden Feathered Eagle Clan has been annihilated, and the Ten Thousand Demon Sea is in chaos!"

Zheng!
Xie Yunshu's expression changed, and with a flick of his fingertips, all seven strings of the zither broke.

……

Zhenhai Island, Qinggang Peak. A beam of light cut through the sky and landed outside the Jade Sea Master's cave on the top of the peak, revealing Xie Yunshu's figure.

The spotted tiger who was dozing off in front of the cave entrance heard the sound of breaking air, swept its tail, and opened its eyes lazily.

Seeing that it was Xie Yunshu himself, it quickly climbed up, lowered its huge head to the ground, and greeted respectfully: "This humble servant greets Elder Xie..."

Xie Yunshu said sternly: "Hurry and report to the head brother, I have something important to ask you!"

The tiger shuddered all over and shrank its neck like a well-behaved big cat: "Thank you, Elder, for waiting a moment. I'll be right back!"

It quickly turned around and walked into the Jade Sea Immortal's cave, but after a moment, it came out again and fell to the ground: "Master, please let Elder Xie in."

Xie Yunshu lifted his collar and walked into the cave with big strides, passed through the long and narrow passage, and came to the stone hall.

Master Yu Hai sat upright on the main seat, frowned and said, "Xie Junior Brother, why are you in such a hurry? I wonder what's the important matter?"

Xie Yunshu clasped his fists and bowed, saying solemnly: "Master, I have received news that Jinling Island has been completely destroyed and the Golden Feathered Eagle clan has been annihilated. It is suspected that it was done by Tianji Sect!"

Master Yu Hai's expression changed: "Are you serious?"

Xie Yunshu nodded heavily: "Absolutely true!"

He recounted the strange behavior of Huan Zhen and He Qing, and finally said, "I sent a disciple to the Ten Thousand Monsters Sea and met Sha Tongtian, the demon king of the Crazy Shark Clan who is on good terms with our sect. He saw it with his own eyes, so it cannot be fake!"

Yu Hai Zhenren said solemnly: "The words of the demon clan should not be trusted lightly. All the spies buried in the Tianji Sect of our sect should be mobilized to find out about this matter!"

Xie Yunshu nodded and said, "I'll arrange it right away."

He turned and left, and Master Yu Hai suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the stone hall with a changing expression.

Three days later, Tianji Sect suddenly released news that all of Tianji Sect's Nascent Soul cultivators had gone out into the Ten Thousand Demons Sea to annihilate the Golden-Winged Eagle clan, and none of the twelve Golden-Winged Eagle demon kings survived.

From then on, only two of the three royal families remained.

As soon as this incident happened, all parties took action. The Nascent Soul cultivator went to Tianji Island in person to inquire about the news, and secretly sent people into the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Demons to verify the matter.

But to the surprise of each sect, the Demon King, with whom they had been secretly trading, suddenly severed contact, and the life lamps of all the cultivators who had infiltrated the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Demons were extinguished.

The demon clan's actions gave people a feeling that they were powerful on the outside but weak on the inside, and the various sects could not help but believe that the Golden-winged Eagle clan was doomed.

Shortly thereafter, Tianjizi invited Nascent Soul cultivators from various sects to attend a meeting, and took out a dozen corpses of the Golden-Winged Eagle Demon King and placed them in front of everyone.

Looking at the bloody and miserable corpse of the demon king before them, with its golden wings plucked and its beak and iron claws removed, all the Nascent Soul cultivators from various sects turned pale.

The demonic energy in the hall rose to the sky. There were seven eighth-level demon kings, three ninth-level demon kings, and even a tenth-level demon king. Even though they were dead, their pressure was so great that it made people tremble in their hearts.

No one doubted the news spread by Tianji Sect anymore, and no one could use the corpses of a dozen Golden-Feathered Eagle Demon Kings to fake it.

The Golden-winged Eagle clan, which had dominated the Ten Thousand Demons Sea for tens of thousands of years, just disappeared into thin air.

The prestige of Tianji Sect also reached its peak at this moment.

Xie Yunshu, who came on behalf of the Zhenhai Sect, glanced over the dozen or so huge corpses with a face as gloomy as water.

Suddenly, he turned his eyes to Tianjizi who was sitting in the main seat, and said, "May I ask Daoist Tianji, as far as I know, there are twelve demon kings in the Golden Feathered Eagle clan."

"There are only eleven corpses here. Could it be that there are still remnants of the Golden-Winged Eagle Clan left?"

The other Nascent Soul cultivators also looked over, with inquiring looks in their eyes.

The Tianji Sect claimed to have wiped out the Golden-Winged Eagle clan, but according to the conventions of the immortal cultivation world, regardless of the low-level cultivators, as long as there are still Nascent Soul cultivators left, a sect cannot be said to be destroyed.

If it were the demon clan, as long as there was a transformed demon king alive, the clan would not have been extinct.

No one knows how many demon kings there are in each of the three royal families.

But the Zhenhai Sect is well-informed, and since Xie Yunshu said it, it should be true.

Tianjizi said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Xie must have remembered it wrongly. From the beginning to the end, the Golden-Winged Eagle Clan only had twelve demon kings. Their bodies are all here. The Golden-Winged Eagle Clan has undoubtedly been destroyed, and there are no more demon kings left in the world."

Xie Yunshu's eyes flashed, and he smiled and said, "Xie is talking nonsense, I hope you can forgive me, Taoist Tianji."

Everyone had different expressions, but no one dared to question it.

……

A remote sea area in the southeast of Yuqing Sea.

This place is close to the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Monsters, with high winds and waves, frequent hurricanes, sea beasts, a harsh environment, and few people.

But on a deserted island with a radius of several miles, a curtain of formation rose up, covering a stone mountain several dozen feet high.

At the top of the stone mountain, in a newly opened simple cave, Chen Yuan and Jin Luo sat opposite each other.

Jin Luo bowed and said softly, "Thank you for finding this place for me to stay. I will be deeply grateful for your kindness in giving me a new life."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "You are too kind, Fellow Daoist. This is my duty. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to betray your clan and would still be enjoying yourself on Luoxia Island."

Jin Luo sighed, her eyes moving, her expression delicate and pitiful: "In the past, I acted absurdly and neglected my cultivation."

"After the destruction of the Golden-Winged Eagle Clan, although I lost my support, I was also free from the cage."

"In the future, I will serve you and practice diligently. I hope you will show me mercy."

Chen Yuan nodded: "It's easy to talk about. I will give you all the pills I promised you."

Jin Luo was delighted. In order to save her life, she could even betray her own tribe. How could she be loyal to Chen Yuan?
She only wanted to improve her cultivation, break through the ninth level bottleneck, and escape from Chen Yuan's control. She said carefully, "Fellow Daoist once said that as long as I work hard, after a hundred years, you will return that wisp of soul to me, lift the restrictions, and give me freedom... I wonder if it still counts now?"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he smiled and said, "Of course, Chen never breaks his promise to others."

Jin Luo showed a happy expression: "I risked my life to wipe out the Golden Feathered Eagle clan for you, could you please remove the restriction for me?"

She paused for a moment, and quickly explained: "I no longer have a place to stay in the demon tribe. Even if there is no restriction, I will never have second thoughts about you."

"Moreover, without the restraints, I can let go of my inner demons and have a better chance of breaking through the ninth level bottleneck. Then I will be able to serve you better."

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment and slowly said, "What Daoyou said makes sense, but even though the Golden-Winged Eagle clan has been destroyed, the remnants have not yet been completely eliminated."

"As long as you tell me the secret cave where the Golden-Winged Eagle clan hides in the Sea of ​​Thousand Monsters, I will remove the restrictions for you and give you freedom."

"You don't have to work for Chen anymore, the world is so big, you can go anywhere you want." (End of this chapter)