Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Beneath the giant mountain, countless beasts gallop, while on the mountain itself, all is peaceful.

Scattered among the mountains and forests are palaces and pavilions, but they have been abandoned for a long time and are covered with green vines and moss.

Some buildings have collapsed, and the spiritual materials used in them have become dull, clearly indicating that they have been vacant for a long time and could not withstand the wind and rain.

There are also several fairly flat hillsides overgrown with weeds, but you can still vaguely see a few medicinal herbs, though they are only a few hundred years old and have medicinal properties.

Several tattered array flags were planted around the area, their tattered surfaces hanging limply, yet still retaining a few residual waves of restrictive energy.

Chen Yuan arrived outside the cave and descended into the light of his escape, but there wasn't even a stone door to shelter him from the wind.

However, this was still the Demon General's cave, and a formation had been set up, but it was extremely simple and could only block divine sense from probing. The Demon General could easily break through it.

Chen Yuan casually dispersed the formation and stepped into the cave.

The walls were rough and uneven, and the floor was also uneven. It had only been roughly repaired. There were no lamps or candles, nor any luminous pearls. The further you went in, the darker it became.

After passing through a long passage, he finally arrived at a stone hall with a flat floor, neat walls, and a large stone chair.

Scattered on the ground were piles of white bones with dried flesh and blood, and a few dried dark red bloodstains, emitting a foul stench.

There used to be a passage in a stone wall, but it is now blocked by rubble.

Several stone doors were tightly closed. The stone doors were heavy and old, and were carved with exquisite patterns.

Chen Yuan frowned. This stone hall was completely out of place with the simple passageway outside, clearly indicating that it had been built long ago.

The cave was later opened by the Fierce Mane Demon General, and that passage was the original entrance to this cave. For some reason, the Fierce Mane Demon General blocked it.

The dignified demon general lives in such a filthy place, with piles of white bones and not even a door outside his cave.

Does he perhaps believe that the more savage one is, the more one can cultivate a fierce and courageous spirit?
Chen Yuan sneered inwardly. The fierce-maned demon general forced his demon generals to fight each other and eat flesh and blood raw, which made him look very brave.

However, when he made his move, not a single demon general fought to the death. Unable to escape, they surrendered without resistance, showing no sign of fierce courage or bloodlust.

Chen Yuan suppressed his thoughts and pushed open a stone door. It looked ordinary, but it was actually several feet thick.

The stone used is also quite special, seemingly a high-grade spiritual material. It is extremely heavy, so heavy that even demon generals cannot push it away, and it can also block divine sense from probing, which is quite mysterious.

Behind the door was a spacious cultivation room, with a spirit-gathering array carved on the floor. The rich spiritual energy wafted out, even surpassing that of a small spiritual vein in the upper realm.

The fierce-maned demon general, who harbors extreme resentment towards the human race, still uses the human race's spirit-gathering array during his cultivation.

The cultivation room was empty. Chen Yuan pushed open a few more stone doors, and behind them was another spacious stone room, but apart from a few rotten wooden frames, there was nothing else.

He frowned, pushed open the last heavy stone door in the corner, revealing a narrow passage.

The stone walls on both sides of the passage were inlaid with exquisite candlesticks, but they were covered with rust and the candles had long since gone out.

The luminous pearl embedded above had long since exhausted its spiritual energy, and was now dim and gloomy.

Chen Yuan stepped inside, and after walking for more than twenty feet, his path was blocked by an equally heavy stone door.

He reached out and pushed it open. Firelight shone through the doorway, illuminating the dim passage, and shouts and curses could be heard.

"That demon general is here again!"

"You beast, go ahead and eat me if you dare!"

"Lord Demon General, spare my life! I am willing to serve you, please don't eat me!"

"Shut up! We are human cultivators, how can we bow down to monsters..."

Chen Yuan's heart stirred, and he stepped inside, where a bright and clear view suddenly appeared before him.

This is an extremely spacious stone hall, covering several acres in size. The walls are inlaid with candlesticks, and several candles are lit, their light dim and weak, as if they could go out at any moment.

Hundreds of human cultivators were bound to wooden frames with thin black ropes, staring intently at the entrance, their expressions panicked and desperate. These cultivators were ragged, their hair disheveled, obscuring their faces, and their eyes were dim, but they were not as dull and stiff as slaves, and it was clear that no soul-binding restriction had been placed within their bodies.

Some people were using their last bit of strength to curse loudly, while others were begging for mercy, but their voices were weak and feeble.

Several girls were tied to the outermost wooden frame, their long hair hanging down. Their tattered clothes did not make them look ugly; on the contrary, they revealed their fair skin, making them appear even more delicate.

The sorrowful look on her face added to her pitiful appearance, making people feel sorry for her.

The cultivators were somewhat surprised to see Chen Yuan wearing the white tiger mask, and their clamor subsided.

A cultivator sneered, "Who are you? Where is the Fierce Mane Demon General? If you want to eat us, let him come and get us himself!"

Chen Yuan looked at the man, who appeared to be about forty years old. His face was pale, but his expression was extremely resolute, looking at Chen Yuan with a look of grim determination.

A clear voice rang out: "If you want to eat, eat me first! You barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood only dare to bully us low-level cultivators."

"One day, our human army will surely return to this world, sweeping away all evil spirits and turning you all to dust!"

Chen Yuan turned his head to look, and then froze.

Upon seeing this, the person who had spoken burst into laughter: "Why hesitate? Just do it!"

This man was tall, with disheveled hair and a messy beard, but his refined features could not be concealed. He looked to be around twenty years old.

He was haphazardly wrapped in a tiger skin, revealing his strong body. His eyes were dull and lifeless, yet they still radiated determination and tenacity, exuding an aura of righteousness.

Chen Yuan suddenly took a step, covering dozens of feet, and arrived in front of the man, saying each word clearly: "Who are you? State your name!"

The proud cultivator was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Chen Yuan to ask such a question, but then he answered loudly, "I, Zhang Yanwei, am a man of principle, and I will not change my name or surname. You may kill me or eat me, it is all up to you!"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Your surname is Zhang? Have you ever heard of the name Zhang Wushan?"

Zhang Yanwei flew into a rage: "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! Don't even think about getting the whereabouts of human cultivators from me!"

"Even if I had never met this Fellow Daoist Zhang, I would never reveal a single word about it!"

Chen Yuan frowned: "You don't know Zhang Wushan?"

Zhang Yanwei roared, "How many times do I have to say it? You monsters, don't even think about getting any information out of me. Just start attacking!"

Chen Yuan calmed down again, his brows furrowed, and he spread his divine sense to probe into the body of the proud cultivator in front of him.

Zhang Yanwei was extremely anxious, but unable to resist, he could only curse loudly.

Seeing this, some of the other cultivators remained silent, while others joined in with curses, wishing only for a quick death.

Some people begged for mercy, claiming that they knew Zhang Wushan and would immediately reveal his whereabouts if Chen Yuan spared their lives.

Chen Yuan ignored him and scanned Zhang Yanwei's body with his divine sense.

The thin, black ropes on his body were very strange, emanating a peculiar demonic power that imprisoned his true essence and divine consciousness, and even caused him to self-destruct his soul.

The cultivator, Angyang, possessed a mid-stage Core Formation cultivation level, a solid foundation, and pure, abundant, and intensely hot true essence. However, all of this essence was locked within his dantian by this strange demonic power, leaving him powerless to escape.

Chen Yuan was somewhat disappointed, as this person cultivated fire-based techniques, not the Confucian techniques he had expected.

He raised his head, stared at Zhang Yanwei's face, and suddenly flicked his finger.

A gentle breeze swept by, and Zhang Yanwei's messy hair was tied back, his unkempt beard falling straight down, revealing a resolute and unyielding face.

Chen Yuan recognized the face very well; it looked exactly like his late friend Zhang Wushan.

But the face was somewhat unfamiliar to him, and it looked much younger than Zhang Wushan's.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his thoughts, and turned to look at the human cultivators who were begging for mercy. He said calmly, "Are you truly willing to be slaves and have your souls sealed?" (End of Chapter)