Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 363 The Abyss Fire Cave, the Nine Yang Treasure Chain (5.2K words presented, please support with monthly votes~)

Do you want to go back in?

After listening to Wu Qingbo's brief introduction, Cheng Xinzhan interrupted and asked a question.

"Yes, some of the lower-level cultivators can't stand the steam in the fire cave. Let's bring them out for some fresh air before they go back in."

“Then find a deserted place, and I will send my spirit out of my body to find you and take your physical body inside to take a look.”

"it is good."

Soon, Wu Qingbo reported a place.

Therefore, Cheng Xinzhan secretly channeled his primordial spirit and magic weapon, using the Shuangling primordial spirit to carry the Xuanji Wulou Talisman out of his body, and used the earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic technique) to enter the ground. He traveled underground, avoiding the foundation stones of the array, and when he emerged from the ground again, he directly used the method of borrowing a corpse to return to life and flashed into Qingbo's body.

Although Qingbo's corpse had an owner, it naturally wouldn't be wary of Cheng Xinzhan, so he easily entered Qingbo's inner world and entered the Purple Palace.

Corpses, having died once, have lost their vitality, withered and decayed, with all their orifices blocked. Generally speaking, their rebirth after death is at a lower level than their previous state, and this is especially true the longer they have been dead.

For example, Zhong Yuan was a fourth-level cultivator in life, and his time as a corpse was not long, but after his spirit was reawakened, his cultivation level dropped to the second level. For example, Ji Zhen was a fifth-level cultivator in life, but now he has dropped to the third level.

Fortunately, both corpses still had their inner cores intact when they died, and their bodies were not injured. So, during the corpse transformation process, their inner cores became dusty and their acupoints were blocked, leading to their fall into a lower realm.

If the inner core is lost, or the physical body is shattered, then after the corpse transformation, one will fall to the second or even the first realm. And for a corpse cultivator to re-form a corpse core, it is much more difficult than forming a core in life.

The coroners at Faqiu Hall determine which section of the corpse house a collected corpse should be placed in based on this general pattern and some minor details.

Furthermore, although Zhongyuan and Jizhen's magical power is still at the third realm, due to the blockage of their acupoints, their Zixiao True Palace has regressed to the Niwan Palace, and they cannot even separate their primordial spirits from their bodies. Many spiritual objects and magical treasures that they hid in their acupoints during their lifetimes cannot be retrieved, and the acupoint-based life-storage supernatural powers they comprehended during their lifetimes cannot be used.

All of this will happen after the first tribulation lightning after the body is transformed into a corpse. At that time, the lightning will temper the body, cleanse the elixir of immortality, and revitalize the body, causing the blocked acupoints to reopen, and the cultivation level will greatly increase.

But Qingbo was somewhat different. From the moment he died, he was refined by the old mountain demon using secret methods, infused with various spiritual substances and elixirs. His acupoints were nourished by these spiritual substances, so they were never blocked. His body, immersed in the blood pool and tempered by powerful elixirs, never lost its vitality. This resulted in Qingbo waking up not only having retained all his magical power from his previous life, but also having improved in strength.

However, the first tribulation lightning for a corpse cultivator is still crucial, and Qingbo is no exception. During this tribulation lightning, the multiple hands and eyes that had been grafted onto his body from others were tempered by the lightning and completely merged with his body. Furthermore, he also used this tribulation lightning to cleanse his core and temper his primordial spirit, and formed the Ghost Path Drought Demon Dharma Form.

Therefore, when Cheng Xinzhan's primordial spirit entered Qingbo's body, he was amazed by the dazzling magnificence of his inner world.

This was a world of crimson lava. Even in the Purple Palace high above the dome, Cheng Xinzhan's primordial spirit could feel waves of heat rising and hitting him.

What was most shocking and dazzling was that Cheng Xinzhan saw six crimson pillars of light supporting the sky and twelve enormous, blazing suns in this infernal world.

He could guess that it was the inner manifestation of Qingbo's six-armed, twelve-eyed Dharma body.

"amazing."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

Within the Purple Palace, Qingbo's primordial spirit stood beside Cheng Xinzhan's primordial spirit, manifesting as a six-armed, twelve-eyed drought demon.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, my benefactor."

Uncle Qing said with a smile.

"Has Akashi suspected anything of you during this time?"

"No, I am a ferocious corpse of drought demons, reborn from a pool of blood and broken limbs. My malevolent aura is more effective than anything else. If it weren't for my benefactor's guidance, with my current aura, I would be hated by everyone if I walked on land."

Uncle Qing said with a smile,
"Moreover, on Fire Dragon Island now, the Crimson Corpse dares not raise the Red-Haired Ancestor to intelligence. Although the Great Elder Jin Hanpeng has the Seven-Washed Corpse, he is not a member of the Corpse Clan. Then there is me, and I happen to be a Ding Corpse. It is impossible for him not to rely on me."

"That's good. In the newly established Imperial Envoy Guard, are there any people who can be brought to the right path?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked again.

Uncle Qing nodded.

"Yes, most of the fire demons and fire corpses here came after hearing about the reputation of the Crimson Corpse. There are quite a few ruthless old demons, but they are still relatively clean. Some of them come here only to seek the Dharma."

"As for the latter, an orange is an orange when grown south of the Huai River, but a trifoliate orange when grown north of the Huai River. If the right path is taught and the right teachings are applied, one can naturally become a disciple of the right path."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded upon hearing this.
"Alright, then keep a close eye on these people, and it would be best if they could be transferred to your command. Once things are settled here, bring them all under the tutelage of the Ximing Sect."

"Yes."

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While they were talking, Wu Qingbo's men had recovered, so Qingbo led them down into the fire cave again.

The entrance is a deep well with a mesh-like barrier around the opening, which is filled with dark yellow poisonous smoke mixed with crimson sparks.

Wu Qingbo took out a crimson flame-shaped token and pressed it onto the barrier. His men quickly entered the net, but while they could go in, the poisonous smoke could not escape.

Wu Qingbo was the last to enter, jumping into the well in the center of the barrier. However, because the toxic smoke was too thick, Cheng Xinzhan couldn't even see how big the well was.

He was now in Qingbo Zique, and Qingbo was completely unprepared, so Cheng Xinzhan directly used the "Telepathic Secret Technique" from the Meiji Mountain Corpse-Raising Method. What Qingbo saw was what he saw, and what Qingbo felt was what he felt.

After using this secret technique, Cheng Xinzhan could immediately sense the power of the poisonous smoke. Its toxicity was similar to the Peach Mud Miasma before the destruction of Rotten Peach Mountain. Even an ordinary second-level cultivator couldn't stay inside for long. And this was only at the wellhead; the toxicity in the real fire cave below was likely even stronger.

No wonder, now the subordinates led by Qingbo are all at the third realm. Although there are few of them, there is nothing that can be done about it.

During the descent, Wu Qingbo explained to Cheng Xinzhan,

"The name given to this underwater fire cave by the Crimson Corpse is still a top secret on Fire Dragon Island. Only a small number of people in the Imperial Envoy's Office know about it. There are currently only two entrances and exits: one is on Yellow Sulfur Island, and the other is this fire well that has been opened on Fire Dragon Island. It has restrictions personally set up by the Crimson Corpse, and the tokens for entering and exiting are only in the hands of a few people."

"The Crimson Corpse wants us to dig nine fire wells on Fire Dragon Island, two large wells and seven small wells, to connect the island's earth vein spiritual eyes with the fire veins under the Abyss, and then extract the earth fire evil energy to rise into the air and condense into fire clouds to strengthen the island's protective formation."

"The well that has been opened up now is only the first of the seven small wells. Moreover, the Crimson Corpse has placed a restriction on it, both to prevent people from entering and leaving at will, and to lock in the earth fire evil energy so that it will not be known to others. The restriction will probably be removed and the formation will be completed once all nine fire wells are opened up."

"This is just the first step. Next, with Li Yuan as the center, we will gradually connect to the surrounding islands and radiate to the Li Huo Sea. At that time, the fiery clouds and red dragons in the sky, the starry islands in the sea, and the Li Yuan fire caves on the ground will all be connected into one place, forming a Yin Fire Corpse Kingdom. This is the Red Corpse's plan."

Cheng Xinzhan frowned as she listened and said,

"The idea is good, and the first step is manageable. As for the subsequent arrangements, even Emperor Shizong would find it difficult to manage. How could the Li Huo Hai family possibly manage it? Moreover, not to belittle him, but Chi Shi is ultimately from the demonic path. Even if he wanted to do this, he wouldn't have the high level of array mastery to make his idea a reality."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qingbo smiled and said,

"So I don't really believe it, but many others do."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, saying it was just wishful thinking and empty promises.

After jumping into the well for a while, he saw a crimson light begin to flash from the dark bottom, and dense fire elemental energy gathered and surged upwards. The pungent poisonous smoke also made him feel increasingly hot, his mouth dry, and his internal organs burning.

As they descended, the fire elemental energy grew increasingly dense, and they felt hotter and hotter, getting closer and closer to the fire cave. Finally, with a sudden burst of light, everything opened up, and the cramped well cave abruptly transformed into a vast, open world.

This is a world of lava, a vast underground cavity. Below the cavity lies a sea of ​​fire, within which stand many black crystals like reefs. Whenever waves surge and crash against the crystals, they ignite bursts of flames and plumes of poisonous smoke.

The surface of the inferno was still quite a distance from the dome of the cave, making the cave appear exceptionally spacious. The raging flames and poisonous smoke condensed into a reddish-yellow haze, floating above the dome, shimmering and sparkling like the morning glow.

Hidden beneath the haze of smoke and mist, faintly visible on the domed stone walls above the fiery glow were specks of light. These were the gold and minerals from the ground, refined by being scorched to remove impurities, and then shimmering in the firelight. "Uncle Qing, this place is very suitable as your training ground."

Cheng Xinzhan said that from his primordial spirit's perspective, Qingbo's inner world and the outer cave fire sea were almost merged into one, making it difficult to distinguish the boundary. If Qingbo's Dharma Aspect Dao Domain merged with this place, he would be invincible within the four realms. If he merged with this place, entering the fifth realm would not be impossible.

Uncle Qing smiled upon hearing this.
“My lord, I think that’s the first thought of every fire corpse and fire demon that comes in.”

So Cheng Xinzhan smiled and said,
"Red Corpse's move is indeed quite good. No amount of promises can compare to letting them come in and see for themselves. As long as the people in the Imperial Envoy's office are kept at ease, the foundation of Fire Dragon Island will be secure."

"Yes."

Uncle Qing nodded; he was also quite surprised when he first came in.

"Continue to explore the boundaries, record the islands, and draw geomantic maps."

Qingbo issued orders to his subordinates.

The numerous fire corpses and fire demons obeyed the order and scattered in all directions.

"It has now been roughly determined that this fire cave is shaped like a radish, long and narrow, with one end larger than the other, and runs from southwest to northeast. The larger end is in the southwest, which is below Yellow Sulfur Island, and the smaller end is in the northeast, which is below Fire Dragon Island where we are now."

"Because Fire Dragon Island is a mountainous island, while Yellow Sulfur Island is a plain island, the difference between them is significant. The Fire Cave Dome is also higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast, so when the Red Corpse first occupied the island and established its religion, they didn't even discover that there was a Fire Cave underground."

"After mining on Yellow Sulfur Island unearthed a cave, Red Corpse went down to investigate and discovered that the edge of the fire cave just covered Fire Dragon Island. If it hadn't covered Fire Dragon Island, I reckon Red Corpse would have definitely moved his entire sect."

"Now, Shi Mengyang and I are each leading a guard to explore underground and draw up a geomantic map. I'm heading from Fire Dragon Island towards Yellow Sulfur Island, while he's going in the opposite direction. After both groups have traversed Liyuan from their respective directions, we'll check and correct any errors. My cultivation is higher, I have more people with me, and I also have to oversee the well-digging work."

"Xian Guixiong is an earth corpse. Although he is earth with a tendency towards fire, he is not as good as me and Shi Mengyang if he stays on the island for too long. So he maintains the daily work of the Imperial Envoy's Office on the island and leads people to dig wells from top to bottom. Sometimes he will come down to take a look. The Red Corpse himself often comes down as well."

Qingbo gave Cheng Xinzhan a general overview of the situation, and then said,

"These fire corpses and fire demons can only explore the surface; only I can go beneath the sea of ​​fire. The Crimson Corpse wants me to clarify the underground fire veins as quickly as possible and connect them to the earth veins of Fire Dragon Island."

"Let's go down and take a look. I'm also very curious about what this fiery land is like."

"My Lord, this will surely surprise you."

With that, Qingbo leaped down and plunged headfirst into the sea of ​​fire.

Entering the sea of ​​fire was like falling into purgatory. Cheng Xinzhan was in sync with Wu Qingbo at this moment, and he could sense that even Wu Qingbo's body was feeling a burning sensation as if he were being pricked by needles. The molten lava flowed like water, glowing red and bright enough to be blinding.

At the same time, Cheng Xinzhan quickly sensed something was wrong, and he said,

"There's malevolent energy in this fire! You just said that the Red Corpse opened the well to extract the malevolent energy of the earth fire to strengthen the island's protective formation. The malevolent energy you're referring to isn't the poisonous miasma of the earth fire, but true malevolent energy?"

"Our benefactor is discerning and insightful."

Wu Qingbo praised and said,

"When I first entered the sea of ​​fire, I was led in by the Crimson Corpse. I didn't notice anything. It was the Crimson Corpse who told me that there was evil energy in the fire. According to the Crimson Corpse, he didn't notice it when he first entered either. He only realized it after patrolling the sea of ​​fire for a while."

Cheng Xinzhan, however, felt it was nothing. He possessed nearly thirty Earthly Fiends, and it would be unreasonable if he couldn't detect the fiendish energy immediately.

Is it the "Yellow Smoke Melting Evil"?

He asked, based on the flowing molten lava, the toxic smoke that made one's heart burn, and the sulfur mine above the cave, he could only think of "flowing yellow smoke and molten evil".

This evil spirit is quite strange. Although it is a true fire evil spirit, it does not have the appearance of flames. It either condenses into molten water, melting gold and stone, or it transforms into highly toxic hot smoke, eroding mountains and soil.

This evil spirit belongs to the fire element, yet it can overcome metal and earth, making it the opposite of the "Lone Smoke Obscuring the Sun" evil spirit, which uses earth to overcome fire. Although both evil spirits contain the character for "smoke," one refers to the smoke of fireworks, while the other refers to the smoke of dust.

"My lord's guess is correct, it is indeed this evil spirit, but..."

"But what?"

"The 'Yellow Smoke Melting Evil' in this underground fire pit should have died of old age. The Crimson Corpse searched for a long time under the sea of ​​fire but couldn't find the true evil spirit, so they could only deduce that this evil spirit was dead. However, the molten lava from the underground fire, which had been tainted by this evil spirit for many years, was imbued with its aura and therefore carried a strong evil energy."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded upon hearing this. That made sense, but it was also a bit of a pity, as this evil spirit was born underground and was not commonly seen.

As for this earth fire imbued with malevolent energy, compared to true earthly malevolent energy, it's like the difference between peach miasma and peach malevolent energy, or cloud energy and cloud aura. The former is merely a byproduct, used up and gone, while the latter is the source; as long as it's activated with magical power, even a tiny bit of true malevolent energy can generate a massive amount of malevolent energy. As for its use in core formation, domain formation, alchemy, weapon forging, and array setup, the two are worlds apart.

Reaching such a conclusion must be even more regrettable for Crimson Corpse. If it had been discovered earlier, it might have obtained a true evil acupoint, which would have been an immense opportunity and the most solid foundation for a great sect.

Wu Qingbo continued to dive, and after going several miles deep, he took out a bright yellow bronze bowl and placed it over his head. The bowl emitted a golden light that shone on him and blocked the sea of ​​fire.

"Because I had to stay in the sea of ​​fire for a long time, I took this opportunity to ask the Crimson Corpse for a protective artifact. This copper bowl was given to me by him."

Uncle Qing said.

"This looks like a Buddhist magic weapon."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

Uncle Qing nodded.
"Red Corpse said that it was taken from a high monk on Mount Putuo, and that the high monk's skull was even refined into a bone bowl by him."

"Absolutely outrageous."

Cheng Xinzhan's expression was not good. He hated using people to forge weapons the most. He would let this devil be smug for a while longer. Before long, he would make him pay the price for such evil methods.

"By the way, Uncle Qing, you just said that the Crimson Corpse wants to connect the fire veins below with the earth veins of Fire Dragon Island, send out the earth fire evil energy, and strengthen the island's protective formation. How exactly will this be done? Digging the well only connects the earth veins of Fire Dragon Island to the Li Yuan dome, but the fire veins of Li Yuan are located in this sea of ​​fire."

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Upon hearing this, Wu Qingbo produced an item, held it in his hand, and said,
“My Lord, please look.”

Cheng Xinzhan stared intently and saw a chain gleaming with crimson light, densely covered with runes. The tiny runes intertwined and overlapped like branches and leaves, and flickered and swam like fireflies, transforming into leaping flames that clung to the chain, emitting an extremely mysterious aura.

"This is?"

Upon seeing the chains, Cheng Xinzhan felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before. Before Qingbo could explain, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he said,

"These are Gu Chen's chains!"

He remembered that on the day Gu Chen escaped from Juqu Mountain, he was wielding this chain, which he could make long or short as he pleased, forcing many righteous masters to stay away from him.

Wu Qingbo was already used to his benefactor's discerning eye and extensive knowledge. He nodded and said,
"That's right, it was Chi Shi who spent a fortune to get it from Gu Chen. But I heard Chi Shi say that this item didn't originally belong to Gu Chen. It was used by the Long-Browed Immortal of Emei to lock Gu Chen after he was thrown into the underground fire cave. One end of this treasure is tied to Gu Chen's body, and the other end is tied to the fire vein, so it can draw the power of the fire vein to suppress the demon."

"But later, Gu Chen was released by the Blood God Child and escaped his predicament, and this treasure fell into Gu Chen's hands. According to the Crimson Corpse, this treasure is called the 'Nine Yang Fire Cloud Chain'."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan suddenly understood. No wonder he had said the magical restrictions on these chains were extremely mysterious; they didn't seem like something a demonic corpse could create. At the same time, he also guessed the Crimson Corpse's intentions.

"This treasure can be used to connect with the fire veins and draw power from them. That's why the Crimson Corpse obtained it in exchange for the formation, using it as the foundation to link the Li Yuan fire veins with the Fire Dragon Island earth veins."

"Exactly."

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