Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Chapter 144 The Dead's Account (4K)

The corpses around the altar had begun to turn black.

Although the miasma of the Myriad Poisons Forest was kept out by the authority of the blessed land, the gray-green evil energy remaining in the bodies of the dead was still slowly spreading, staining the gray-white robes with patches of dirt.

Xu Hao didn't leave in a hurry.

He crouched down next to the body of the man in black, feeling around inside.

"Are all rebels this poor these days?" Xu Hao tossed the emptied money pouch in his hand and casually tossed it aside.

However, inside the black lining of his embroidered blood lotus robe, he felt a hidden pocket.

There are three things in my pocket.

A bronze medal.

The front is engraved with a bat with its eyes closed, and the back is engraved with the character "引" (yin).

The workmanship is rough, and the edges are severely worn, clearly indicating that it is an old item.

A roll of sheepskin.

When unfolded, it reveals a hand-drawn map with worn ink, using non-standard surveying symbols common in Daheng.

The map marks several locations in the heart of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, one of which, circled in red, is the Stone Forest Altar.

Next to the red circle are four small characters: "器此此" (The vessel is here).

The handwriting is neat and exudes a condescending air; it is definitely not the work of those charlatans from the Wusheng Sect.

The third thing was a letter.

There was no envelope; the parchment was folded into three sections and sealed with wax.

The wax seal had a mark on it: a vertical pupil eye.

The Bureau of Astronomical Observation.

Xu Hao flicked his thumb and peeled off the wax seal.

The letter was short, only three lines long.

"The instrument has been located. Retrieve it quickly. After the deed is done, proceed north through the Mu family's secret passage in Yongzhou. Support has been arranged along the way. Do not delay."

The inscription was unsigned, only marked with a vertical pupil.

Xu Hao turned the letter over and looked at the back; it was blank.

Feel the texture of the sheepskin again; it's top-quality white goat skin, something you simply can't get in Ningzhou or Zezhou.

He tucked the three items into his coat pocket and stood up.

The Wusheng Sect traveled all the way to the heart of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest to find the Devouring Abyss Fragments; it wasn't just a lucky break.

Someone told them where the fragments were, someone drew a map, and someone planned an escape route.

And this "someone" was stamped with the seal of the Observatory.

The rebellious sect that proclaims the death of Heaven and the emperor's henchmen are in cahoots.

Xu Hao sorted out the line.

When Eunuch Wei led his team to Zezhou to remove the dragon nail, they used a black cauldron and dragon saliva.

At the same time, the Wusheng Sect infiltrated the heart of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, searching for the Devouring Abyss Fragments.

The two groups had different goals, but both were after the ancient relics.

coincidence?

"There's more than one line in the Observatory," Xu Hao muttered to himself. "This water is even muddier than the swamps of the Ten Thousand Poison Forest."

Eunuch Wei was Emperor Heng's dog, ordered to remove the nail.

However, the traitor who delivered messages to the Wusheng Sect, drew maps, and arranged the retreat route to Yongzhou was clearly not of the same mind as Emperor Heng.

Someone within the Bureau of Astronomy is using the Wusheng Sect to collect ancient artifacts.

What is it used for?

Xu Hao didn't investigate further.

He searched through the bodies of more than thirty grey-robed cult members, and found a packet of black powder of unknown origin, three bat-shaped bronze plaques, and a thin handwritten scripture.

The Precious Scroll of No Birth.

I flipped through a few pages at random, and the first half was all brainwashing nonsense about the incarnation of the Eternal Mother and the guidance from the Vacuum Homeland.

The second half takes a turn, describing a set of evil arts that use the blood and essence of living people to refine a copper bell, and then use the sound of the bell to control the remnant soul of the dead.

The bronze bell in the black-clad man's hand is of this kind.

No wonder those gray-robed cult members moved in perfect unison, like marionettes.

Xu Hao carefully put the scriptures away.

He looked down on evil magic, but intelligence was useful.

He sat cross-legged on the edge of the altar and closed his eyes.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the complete scroll of the blessed land of the Myriad Poisons Forest unfolded.

After being bound to the blessed land, his perception of this thousand-mile-long poisonous forest became increasingly refined as the refining process progressed.

A 12% refinement rate was enough for him to see the general landscape within a 400-mile radius.

Seven major underground rivers originate from the western mountains, meander underground, and flow into the southeastern marshland.

Twelve large swamps are scattered throughout the central and southern sections, with thousands of years of humus layers and the remains of strange beasts accumulated beneath them.

There are three high-level exotic beasts at the Tongqiao Realm level.

One of them, in the Poison Dragon Pool in the southeast corner, is an old venomous python with a calm and composed aura.

One of them, in the withered forest due west, is a giant toad the size of a house.

The third head is at the southernmost point, near the Boundless Sea, and is only shown as a blurry point of light on the scroll.

This is the current ceiling of combat power discovered in the Myriad Poisons Forest.

Xu Hao didn't plan to touch them right now.

These three animals live here and serve as free watchdogs. With them keeping watch, outside fry don't dare to venture in easily.

But the rest—

The golden lettering in the corner of the scroll clearly indicates that clearing the nests of high-level fallen warriors and strange beasts within the area can upgrade the blessed land's level.

The rule is quite straightforward.

"Higher level" is not the top level, which is easy to handle.

Xu Hao flicked the hilt of the Devouring Abyss Blade at his waist with his finger.

"Killing monsters gives you experience. What do you think?"

The blade of the Devourer emitted a short hum, as if in response.

His attention shifted to the northwest corner of the painting.

Near the border between Wan Du Sen Hai and Yongzhou, there was a group of people.

living people.

A group of living people are moving towards the interior along a hidden path on the northwestern edge of the forest.

The light spots indicated approximately twenty people.

They moved at a slow pace, but very regularly—walking for a while, then stopping, and when they stopped, they would scatter something on the ground.

Insect repellent powder.

Xu Hao twitched the corner of his mouth.

The Mu family.

The starting point of this hidden path faces the location of the Mu Family Hill outpost.

Xu Hao opened his eyes.

The Mu family members have entered the woods.

And they weren't ordinary patrol teams.

About twenty people, carrying high-grade insect repellent powder, took a hidden path that couldn't be found on a normal map—a path that had been trodden out over a long period of time, not something that had been temporarily created.

The Mu family has a secret stronghold in the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest.

"The three major families of Yongzhou monopolize the medicinal herb business, and the source is in this forest." Xu Hao brushed the lime dust off his clothes. "They occupy the outposts on the border of Zezhou, ostensibly to guard against alien beasts, but in reality, they are protecting their own money bags."

He hung the Abyss back on his waist.

The 35% repair rate has made the knife considerably heavier, but his current physique can easily withstand it.

He did not stop the Mu family members.

There's no profit to be gained from killing a team of about twenty people at the Bone Forging and Tendon Changing realms.

He has just seized control of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest and is in dire need of intelligence.

Where does the Mu family's secret passage lead?

Where is the base?

It's much faster to have the Mu family lead the way than to search blindly.

On the scroll of the blessed land, these twenty or so points of light slowly moved southward.

Xu Hao sat on the edge of the altar, his eyes closed as he tracked the object.

The Mu family's party traveled for about ten miles before stopping in front of a valley covered with giant mushrooms.

After a brief pause, the group resumed their movements, indicating they had entered the valley.

The details on the scroll begin to blur here.

There must be some kind of array interference around the valley, which weakened the perception accuracy of the blessed land.

But that's enough.

Xu Hao opened his eyes and touched the letter in his arms.

They traveled north through the secret passage of the Mu family in Yongzhou.

The Wusheng Sect, the Tianjian Division, and the Mu Family—the three factions—converged completely in the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the scroll depicting the blessed land flickered faintly.

The location of the valley, concealed by the formation, was firmly etched into Xu Hao's mind.

Should we take it now?

Xu Hao took the Devouring Abyss from his waist.

Without activating the earth's ley lines, the sheer physical weight pressing down on his wrist bone gave him a profound sense of clarity.

The Mu family dared to set up an outpost in the heart of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, meaning there were definitely more than just a few herb-gathering rabble hiding there.

If he really tries to force his way in, he can definitely take it, but he will inevitably alert the enemy.

The mole within the Surveillance Bureau and the subsequent actions of the Wusheng Sect will be directly cut off.

"Let's keep them for now." Xu Hao sheathed his knife. "It'll be more delicious to take them all at once when they're fat. Going over there to destroy their house now will only cause trouble and won't bring us any real benefit."

He looked up at the outside of the stone forest.

Amidst the thick miasma, a few low, guttural roars could be faintly heard.

This vast, poisonous forest is now his territory.

The blessed land needs to be upgraded, and the secondary nails sealing the Dragon King need to be strengthened. What will be the key?

"Get to work." Xu Hao walked towards the nearest red dot on the scroll.

The heart of the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest is a death trap for any outsider, but for Xu Hao now, it is his exclusive hunting ground.

On the scroll of blessed land in the sea of ​​consciousness, hundreds of red dots were densely marked.

Each point of light is the lair of a high-level fallen warrior or a strange beast.

"Start with the closest one."

Xu Hao's gaze was fixed on a canyon fifteen miles to the southwest.

The scroll depicts a group of mutated poisonous apes from the Inner Strong Realm inhabiting this place.

Half an hour later, the canyon was filled with flying blood and flesh.

Xu Hao did not use any fancy martial arts techniques, nor did he deliberately release any external qi.

He rampaged through the horde of poisonous apes solely with his dark golden physique, achieved after entering the Dirty Forging Realm.

The Maw's sharp edge wove an impenetrable dark gold net in mid-air.

The Poison Ape's prized tough fur and venom are nothing but rags before the Maw.

With a single slash, the three poisonous apes, all at the early stage of the Inner Strength Realm, were cut in half at the waist. The cut was instantly carbonized by the power of the earth veins, and not even a drop of poisonous blood was spilled.

[Nest cleared. Blessed Land refining progress +3%.]

Xu Hao flicked the ashes off the blade and turned to walk toward his next target.

Over the next three days, the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest underwent its most brutal purge in history.

Xu Hao does not need to rest.

The five internal organs of the Dark Gold form a perfect self-circulation: the heart pumps blood like an iron cauldron, the lungs breathe in and out like bellows, the liver instantly breaks down the trace toxins inhaled into pure energy, the spleen cleanses the waste gas generated in battle, and the kidneys continuously draw power from the earth's veins to replenish consumption.

He was like a tireless killing machine, crushing through the black mud swamp, flattening the bone forest, and uprooting high-level nests that had been entrenched for decades.

The armored crocodiles of the inner realm, the giant bats with human faces, and hordes of fallen warriors—all the strongholds judged as "high-level nests" on the scroll were mercilessly wiped out by the dark golden blade light.

Xu Hao's fighting style is becoming increasingly concise.

The weight of the Maw gradually became second nature to him through muscle memory, and each swing of the blade carried an oppressive force like a tsunami.

The third day at dusk.

Xu Hao stood before a grove of withered trees covered in pale white spiderwebs.

This is the strongest nest he has encountered in the past three days.

In the center of the forest, lay a spider queen with a human face, its body the size of a small house.

Its back carapace bore a distorted human face, and its eight barbed limbs were deeply embedded in the soil. Its qi and blood fluctuations had reached the critical point of the half-step Tongqiao realm.

All around, there were countless venomous spiders, each the size of a calf.

Upon seeing Xu Hao enter the territory, the Spider Queen let out a piercing shriek, and hundreds of venomous spiders surged forward like a tidal wave.

Xu Hao's eyes remained expressionless as he gripped the hilt of the Devourer's Blade with his right hand and slowly drew it out.

"Buzz"

Dark gold patterns instantly lit up on the blade, and the power of the earth veins flowed into the blade through Xu Hao's wrist.

"The Abyss".

Xu Hao let out a low shout, and the weapon characteristics of Devourer were instantly activated.

Centered on him, the space within a radius of ten feet suddenly sank.

The air seemed to turn into a viscous swamp at that moment, and an invisible, immense pressure descended upon us.

The dozens of venomous spiders that rushed into the ten-zhang range were pressed to the ground by the terrifying pressure before they even had a chance to scream.

Their blood and qi circulation was instantly sealed off, and their fragile shells made a "crackling" sound under the heavy pressure before bursting open one after another, turning into pools of green venom.

Sensing a deadly threat, the Spider Queen strained her eight limbs, attempting to launch herself backward to escape.

But it was only eight zhang away from Xu Hao.

Within the realm of "Abyss," movement techniques are strictly prohibited!

The Spider Queen's body had just been lifted half a foot into the air when it was pressed back down to the ground by a heavy weight.

The human face on its back was twisted into a shape of extreme pain, and the enormous blood and qi of the half-step Qi Refining Realm surged wildly within its body, yet it could not break through the suppression of the Devouring Abyss.

Xu Hao took a step forward, instantly traversing a distance of eight zhang, and appeared above the Spider Queen's head.

Since the target of the suppression was a half-step Qi Refining Realm cultivator, the weight of the Devouring Abyss Blade increased exponentially at this moment, becoming so heavy that even Xu Hao's dark gold arm bone emitted a slight friction sound.

"die."

Xu Hao gripped the knife with both hands, and using its terrifying weight, he slashed down from above.

The blade sliced ​​through the Spider Queen in two without any resistance, as easily as cutting through tofu.

The dark golden power of the earth veins exploded inside the Spider Queen's skull, completely extinguishing her remaining life force.

With the death of the spider queen, the remaining spiderlings scattered and fled like headless flies.

Xu Hao leaned on his knife and exhaled a breath of hot, stale air.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness.

After three days of frenzied killing, the progress bar was finally maxed out at this moment.

[Earth Vein Refining Progress: 100%]

[The Ten Thousand Poisons Forest (a growth-type blessed land) has been upgraded to LV2.]

As the gold lettering appeared, Xu Hao felt a gentle, intimate rhythm emanating from the ground beneath his feet.

His connection with this vast, poisonous forest has entered a completely new level.

The fog on the painting was largely dispelled.

The scroll, which could only be roughly perceived in terms of terrain, now clearly reflects in his sea of ​​consciousness the direction of underground mineral veins, the speed of the underground river, and even the strength of the blood and qi in each of the strange beasts.

But none of these are the most important things.

In the center of the scroll, the dark golden nail phantom representing the deputy nail of Zezhou flickered twice, and a new line of golden text slowly emerged.

[LV2 Blessed Land Privilege Unlocked: Zezhou Secondary Nail Seal Reinforcement Solution.]

[Current secondary nail inscription damage: 33%]

[Repair Condition 1: Requires one "Core Blood Crystal" from a being at the Opening Aperture Realm as the energy source.]

【Repair Condition Two: Requires 100 jin of "Mysterious Yin Cold Iron" to recast the array base.】

【Repair Condition Three: Activate the earth's ley line energy and use martial arts will as a brush to re-engrave the dark gold inscription.】

Xu Hao narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the three conditions.

The third condition is easy to meet. He has the Devouring Abyss and the physique of the Forging Realm, which allows him to fully activate the earth's ley line energy.

The first two are the most difficult.

"Mysterious Yin Cold Iron—" Xu Hao searched his mind for the distribution of resources in Daheng.

Shengzhou is rich in black iron, but in the hot and humid poisonous forests of Zezhou, it is extremely difficult to cultivate black yin cold iron with extremely cold properties.

Unless, someone deliberately brought it in from outside.

As for the "core blood crystal" of beings in the Opening Aperture Realm —

Xu Hao opened his eyes, and the scroll in his mind instantly locked onto the three huge points of light in the heart of the Ten Thousand Poison Forest.