A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 589 Corpse Evil
Of all the people, Duan Rong was the most lucid. Because the moment he left the Divine Demon Illusion, the excruciating pain in his crippled right hand vanished instantly.

Pain can make people more aware.

Duan Rong couldn't help but exhale a breath of stale air; this divine and demonic illusion was far more terrifying than he had imagined. However, thankfully, he had passed this hurdle.

Guo Tian and the others gradually regained consciousness. They all looked at each other and smiled, feeling a sense of relief at having survived a disaster.

Du Wan bent down and picked up the silver cup at her feet, shook off the sand, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "The silver cup fell to the ground and water splashed out; the mountains and rivers were just a dream!"

Lu Chu laughed and said, "What kind of crooked poem is this? It has no rhyme or meter at all!"

Du Wan chimed in with a laugh, "What does it matter if a line is rhymed or not?" Both Lu Chu and Du Wan came from prominent families, and their families had hired renowned teachers to instruct them in calligraphy, painting, and literature from a young age.

Everyone was filled with joy and was quite tolerant of Du Wan's momentary erratic behavior and affected elegance, after all, they had all come out of the magical realm alive without any casualties.

Such a record is already quite good.

The first encounter with the Divine Demon Illusion is usually the most difficult, generally a hellish experience. Lin Youjian and Liu Su had clearly told them this during the ten-day intensive training before entering the Divine Demon Ruins.

Therefore, it is truly a remarkable achievement that no one was lost in the first battle of the Divine Demon Illusion.

Lin Youjian once said that there was even a possibility that in the first Divine Demon Illusion, the entire army would be wiped out and never be able to escape the Divine Demon Illusion.

The reason why the first Divine Demon Illusion is so difficult is that when the Divine Demon Illusion is opened for the first time, the will of the gods and demons will choose the obsession of the person with the deepest obsession among the eight people.

Deep obsessions often stem from hellish disasters.

Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Guo Tian turned to Duan Rong and suddenly asked, "Duan Rong, have you obtained the Divine Demon Mark?"

In the realm of gods and demons, once one gains the approval and recognition of the will of gods and demons, one will acquire a divine or demonic mark. After the divine or demonic mark is forged with the divine soul, one can use it to unleash certain secret and mysterious supernatural powers.

However, obtaining the mark of gods and demons is extremely difficult.

It's not just about ability, but also about temperament and even behavior. Because so few people have obtained the mark of gods and demons, there isn't enough sample to support the theory. Therefore, Lin Youjian and Liu Su were both vague about this point during the training camp.

While it's uncertain what kind of people the will of gods and demons will ultimately acknowledge, it's not entirely without clues or clues.

For example, the first illusion of gods and demons will choose the person with the deepest obsession, while the second illusion of gods and demons will choose the person with the most outstanding ability and temperament in the first illusion, and select one of their obsessions as the task for the second illusion.

This implies that further investigation is needed.

However, ability and temperament alone are not enough to gain the approval of the will of gods and demons.

Because there are often those who perform exceptionally well in every divine and demonic illusion, completing their tasks perfectly, yet ultimately fail to gain the approval of the divine and demonic will. And these are actually the majority of people.

Therefore, what kind of people the will of gods and demons will ultimately recognize is a complete mystery! However, one thing is roughly certain: ability and character are prerequisites.

Upon entering the ruins of gods and demons, one will typically encounter one to three illusions of gods and demons.

Three times is the limit; most teams encounter it twice. After two times, unless the will of the gods and demons wants to further verify whether a person meets the criteria, a third attempt will be made, essentially giving that person a third chance.

Some teams do encounter the Divine Demon Illusion once. One scenario is that the entire team is wiped out on the first encounter, while another is that they suffer significant losses. In the latter case, almost no one in the team stands out. In other words, after just one encounter, the will of the gods and demons abandons their recognition, and the Divine Demon Illusion will not be opened again.

And in this team, during the first Divine Demon Illusion, Duan Rong naturally stood out the most. This was true in both ability and character. Killing three people demonstrated his ability. Crippled his own right hand, revealing his character.

Therefore, if the Divine Demon Illusionary Realm is opened again next time, it will definitely be to enter Duan Rong's obsession to verify whether he is qualified to obtain the Divine Demon Imprint.

Of course, there is another possibility: that Duan Rong gained the approval of the will of gods and demons and obtained the mark of gods and demons in this first illusion, then they would not need to enter the second or even third illusion of gods and demons.

However, this situation is very rare.

As expected, Duan Rong shook his head and said, "No. How could a divine demon mark be obtained so easily?"

This answer didn't surprise anyone. Duan Rong had no reason to lie about this. If he denied obtaining the Divine Demon Mark, he would soon be exposed, because once someone obtains the Divine Demon Mark, the second Divine Demon Illusion will cease.

Although Duan Rong did not obtain the mark of gods and demons, their gazes towards him were still filled with gratitude and awe.

Everyone has experienced that kind of predicament firsthand, a situation that can be described as being beset by internal and external troubles.

He was a frail seven or eight-year-old child in a chaotic mountain stronghold, and his obsessive mission was to kill three seasoned martial arts masters at the Inner Breath Realm.

It was hell within hell. One could only say that Jiang Hanyan's deep-seated, blood-and-blood-hatred obsession was itself a hellish state.

On his first day in the stronghold, Duan Rong entered the small kitchen, thus gaining the freedom to move around within the stronghold. He then used his poison skills and scheming to kill three of the leaders in succession!

Those skilled in attack move from the highest heavens!
Duan Rong noticed the gazes directed at him, but instead sat down on a nearby rock and said, "Let's rest here for a bit, then continue on our way."

Everyone found a place to sit down, got fresh water, and took out dried meat from their backpacks to eat.

Although their journey was fraught with twists and turns and numerous difficulties, the outcome was positive.

Upon entering the ruins of gods and demons, they encountered two evil spirits in quick succession. During the training camp, Lin Youjian and Liu Su had not told them that this would happen. There should only be two evil spirits in the entire ruins of gods and demons at most, but they encountered two in a row as soon as they entered. It was truly unbelievable.

Fortunately, thanks to Duan Rong's Soul Piercing Technique's ability to suppress evil spirits, they managed to break through.

Then came the realm of gods and demons, which was like hell mode as soon as you entered. It was no exaggeration to say that there was little chance of survival, but fortunately they all made it through.

Most importantly, after experiencing so many unimaginable hardships, they haven't lost a single person. This is excellent news and has given everyone a great boost.

While eating dried meat, Du Wan said, "Perhaps, all eight of us Vajra Warriors can emerge from this divine and demonic ruins unscathed?"

Lu Chu said, "If that's the case, then we'll be making history."

Throughout history, many teams have perished when entering the ruins of gods and demons. In the recorded history of the Taiyi Sect, no team has ever emerged from the ruins unscathed without a single casualty.

Everyone knew what Lu Chu meant. Although none of them had perished yet, the road ahead was long; they hadn't even reached the central altar. History isn't so easily made!
Seeing that everyone had rested enough, Guo Tian stood up and said, "We should set off now. At our current pace, it will take about five more days to reach the central altar."

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up, straightened their belongings, and walked forward together. Duan Rong had only taken a few steps when Jiang Hanyan suddenly approached and said softly, "Duan Rong, thank you for helping me eliminate my obsession. Moreover, you allowed me to see Meng Zongqiu's true face in the illusion. In the future, if you ever need my help, I will never refuse."

Duan Rong turned to look at Jiang Hanyan. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, revealing a resolute gaze in her eyes. A thought struck Duan Rong: after the illusion of gods and demons had extinguished the deep-seated obsessions within her, Jiang Hanyan's personality seemed to have changed.

After Jiang Hanyan finished speaking, she turned and left, walking to Su Xinjue's side at the back of the group. Su Xinjue's eyes flickered; she was very curious about what Jiang Hanyan had said to Duan Rong.

The rest of the journey went smoothly, and everyone collected a lot of divine medicines, including Duan Rong who collected some rare medicinal herbs that had been aged for a long time.

With the thought that they would reach the central altar in two days, everyone felt a sense of excitement.

The greatest allure for them entering the ruins of gods and demons lies in the whispered blessings of the gods and demons at the central altar. Through these blessings, their souls will receive profound nourishment and undergo a qualitative transformation.

According to the records of the Taiyi Sect, without exception, all cultivators who received the blessing and nourishment of the whispers of gods and demons advanced to the Cave of Enlightenment Realm.

This is the fundamental reason why they are willing to risk entering the ruins of gods and demons. As for picking divine herbs, that is merely a side benefit.

As for the divine and demonic mark that gained the approval of the will of gods and demons, that was even more ethereal and elusive. When they first entered the ruins of gods and demons, they may have still had some illusions left, but after the two evil spirits and the first divine and demonic illusion, they had completely dispelled that thought.

If one can safely reach the central altar, receive the blessings and nourishment of the whispers of gods and demons, and then safely leave the ruins, it will already be an immense stroke of luck.

As for the divine and demonic mark, only the most outstanding figures in this world can obtain it. It is said that the patriarchs of the eight sects all possess supernatural powers!

The ruins of gods and demons were quiet in the night. On the low, dark sky, the fuzzy green moon emitted an eerie, dim green light. Duan Rong and his group, carrying torches, walked in formation.

Although they were attacked by two evil spirits as soon as they entered the ruins, in theory, there shouldn't be any more evil spirits on the way forward, because there are at most only two evil spirits in the entire God and Demon Ruins. This is determined by the size of the God and Demon Ruins remaining in the Nine Provinces World, which is different from the other methods.

Even so, once night falls, they remain extra cautious, as visibility is significantly reduced in the darkness. Uncertain dangers can strike at any moment from the lurking shadows.

The group marched in formation, with Guo Tian leading the way with a torch, Yang Sui bringing up the rear with a torch, and Jiang Hanyan and Su Xinjue on either side of the formation. Duan Rong and the other three had just been relieved and were resting in the middle of the formation as they walked.

Guo Tian suddenly said, "There is a water source not far ahead, which is the last water source before reaching the central altar. Let's replenish our water there and then walk straight to the central altar."

Before switching teams, Guo Tian had carefully examined the map and confirmed their location.

The group had not replenished their water for the past two or three days and were indeed quite thirsty. Hearing that there was a water source nearby, they quickened their pace.

Sure enough, after walking for less than half an incense stick's time, they saw a patch of land not far away, shimmering with a dark, shimmering light in the pitch-black night.

Judging from the extent of the shimmering light, that pool of water seems to be quite large!

Everyone's faces lit up with joy, and they headed towards the water source.

Soon, they arrived at the pool, which was the largest pool they had seen since entering the ruins, more than twice the size of the other pools.

Everyone sat on the rocks by the pool to rest. The taciturn Xu Hui took the torch from Yang Sui and prepared to go to the pool to test for poison!

Everyone looked at Xu Hui. They all knew that Xu Hui was meticulous and wouldn't get up until he had taken samples from five different sites to test for drugs. But this time, Xu Hui had only squatted down for a short while when he stood up and walked back with a gloomy face.

Lu Chu was sitting there, having already taken out the dried meat, waiting to fetch water, when he saw Xu Hui walking back with a torch. He asked, "What? Are you only going to pick up a drug testing point this time?"

Xu Hui said, "One is enough."

Lu Chu smiled slightly, thinking that Xu Hui had finally figured it out. It's all just a pond, why choose so many points? That's just being stubborn.

"Then we can get water now?" Lu Chu said, standing up.

Xu Hui said, "The water is poisonous!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chu's faint smile froze on his face, and the others were also stunned. This was the first time they had encountered a poisonous water source since entering the ruins of gods and demons.

Xu Hui held the silver needle in his hand up to the torch and said, "With just a light probe, the silver needle was corroded like this. It's no ordinary poison."

As everyone looked, they saw that under the firelight, the tip of the silver needle had turned black and was covered with black skin, as if it were rusted. Then a night breeze blew by, and the blackened tip of the silver needle actually disappeared on its own...

Everyone's expression changed drastically, which showed how dangerous the poisonous creature in the pool was.

Lu Chu stood there, turning his head to look at the shimmering pool of water, and said, "There must be some kind of poisonous plant growing in this pool. I bet there are quite a few!"

Everyone secretly agreed with what Lu Chu said.

At this moment, Guo Tian stood up, holding a torch, and said in a deep voice, "Since this water is poisonous, let's continue on our way. According to the map, there is also a water source near the central altar. Let's go there to fetch water."

Upon hearing this, everyone had no choice but to get up and continue marching forward in the darkness.

Not long after the group left, the torchlight still shone brightly in the darkness not far away.

Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged from the shimmering water in the center of the pool.

The dark shape was initially a round, football-sized object, but it grew larger and larger until it became a dark, human-shaped figure.

Illuminated by the firelight in the distance and the green glow of the moon overhead, its entire body was rotting, especially its face, where the features were decayed and the nose was reduced to two small holes. If it weren't for its human form, with its limbs and head intact, it would be impossible to tell whether it was even a human figure.

After it surfaced, it just floated there, completely dry.

Its face no longer had eyeballs, and its eye sockets were rotten, but it suddenly turned its head, its face facing the direction where Duan Rong and the others had left.

This object is one of the more common evil spirits found in the ruins of gods and demons, and it is called the Corpse Demon.

The Corpse Demon is a creature that rots but does not decay; its entire body is as hard as iron, impervious to swords and spears! Its limbs are stiff, making movement difficult, but it is adept at flying and can exhale poisonous gas.

Corpse Demons prefer shade and often reside deep within water sources.

The water source where it resides is called the Yellow Springs Evil Water. Because the Corpse Evil is poisonous, this water also contains a high level of poison.

(End of this chapter)