I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Chapter 355 The Three Elders of Kunwu's Hidden Move! Those who refuse to submit will die!

On Zhou Yuan's side.

They were unaware of the changes that had occurred outside the main hall.

Using the special properties of the Yang Ring, he traveled through the Northern Lights for a period of time.

The three elders of Kunwu who sealed Kunwu Mountain back then were extremely cunning. In this Arctic Yuanguang region, they also set up an extremely sophisticated illusion array.

It attempts to confuse intruders' sense of direction.

However, Zhou Yuan's mastery of formations was extremely high, and he also had a powerful divine sense to support him.

Those illusion arrays were completely ineffective in interfering with him.

Before long, he successfully escaped the area where the Arctic light and illusion array intertwined, and his vision suddenly opened up.

He arrived at the rear half of the Kunwu Palace.

This area, though not very large, is arranged like a council chamber.

Facing him, two rows of more than a dozen wooden chairs of various styles were neatly arranged on both sides.

At the very end of these wooden chairs stands a chair carved entirely from pale golden spirit wood, with a simple yet grand design, placed in the very center, clearly the main seat.

Next to that pale gold chair was a green table about ten feet tall.

Although the chair was also carved from precious gold silk, it wasn't particularly rare.

What truly caught Zhou Yuan's eye was that desk!

The table was entirely emerald green, as if it were carved from the finest imperial green jade, exuding vitality and rich spiritual energy. It was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary object!

What moved Zhou Yuan even more was that the table was now shrouded in a layer of green light, and through that light, one could vaguely see several items on the jade table!

Those items emitted various colored halos, and even through the light barrier, one could feel the astonishing spiritual pressure contained within them!

Clearly, that is the most important treasure in this Kunwu Palace!

Behind one row of seats, an ancient painting hangs on the wall.

The painting depicts three indistinct figures—a monk, a Taoist priest, and a Confucian scholar—in a quiet bamboo grove, seemingly conversing with a bright full moon.

The painter's brushstrokes are exquisite, and the artistic conception is profound, as if taking people into the scene of that ancient era.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept back and forth between the treasures on the table and the ancient painting, a smile appearing on his lips.

"The three elders of Kunwu, you were indeed very cautious back then, leaving behind many contingency plans. However, I don't need the trouble you left behind."

Zhou Yuan's gaze fell on the ancient painting hanging behind the chair, which depicted a monk, a Taoist priest, and a Confucian scholar enjoying the moon and chatting in a bamboo forest. He murmured to himself.

As a time traveler, he naturally knew many of the secrets within the Kunwu Palace.

This seemingly ordinary ancient painting actually contains a wisp of divine thought left behind by the Three Elders of Kunwu.

The existence of this wisp of divine thought was not intended to deal with human cultivators who intruded in to search for treasure.

It was specifically to prevent the four guardian spirit beasts—the lion-bird beast, the black rock turtle, the silver-winged yaksha, and the wooden beast—from entering this place.

As soon as the aura of the four spirits approaches, the divine sense within the painting will immediately activate the restrictions on the table, controlling the treasures to unleash an incomparably fierce attack and kill the four spirits.

Zhou Yuan intended to subdue those four spirit beasts, so naturally he couldn't bear to let them be destroyed by the remaining divine thoughts in the painting.

Therefore, his first step was to seal away the ancient painting containing the Kunwu Elders' hidden secrets to avoid triggering unnecessary trouble when he collected the treasure later.

He walked up to the ancient painting, examined it carefully for a moment, and confirmed the location of the sealing node of the divine consciousness in the painting.

Then, he extended his finger, his fingertip gathering pure magical power, and quickly outlined several mysterious sealing runes on the edge of the scroll and the back of the painting.

These runes flashed by and disappeared into the painting, forming a powerful seal that completely isolated the slumbering divine thought within the painting.

In this way, unless someone deliberately breaks the seal, the divine consciousness within the painting will no longer be disturbed by external influences.

After dealing with the ancient painting, Zhou Yuan turned his attention to the lush green desk and the layer of green light barrier on it.

This restriction was personally set up by the three elders of Kunwu. Although its power has been weakened by countless years of erosion, it is still not to be underestimated.

However, after observing carefully for a moment, Zhou Yuan discovered that although the restriction was ingenious, its structure was not particularly complex. With his current mastery of formations and understanding of restrictions, he was confident that he could break it within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Without further hesitation, he sat down cross-legged and began to concentrate, carefully trying to break through the green light barrier.

His fingers flew across the screen, unleashing a stream of magical runes that landed precisely on each node of the light barrier, gradually eroding and disintegrating the power of the restriction.

However, just as Zhou Yuan was concentrating on breaking the restriction, about half an incense stick's time had passed when his powerful divine sense, comparable to the Nascent Soul stage, suddenly detected an extremely subtle abnormal fluctuation!

An aura, extremely subtle yet vibrant with the freshness unique to plants, had somehow infiltrated the rear half of the Kunwu Palace!

At this moment, that aura is hidden deep underground nearby, like a patient hunter waiting for the best time to strike!

"Mu Kui————"

Zhou Yuan instantly guessed the identity of the newcomer.

Of the four spirits, the most mysterious and the most adept at concealment and stealth is the Wood Demon.

It was originally a spirit of an ancient tree that had been around for thousands of years. It was born to blend into the earth and the vegetation, and its aura was extremely difficult to detect.

If Zhou Yuan's spiritual sense hadn't far surpassed Tongji's, it would have been difficult to discover its traces.

However, although Zhou Yuan discovered Mu Kui, he neither made a fuss nor stopped what he was doing.

He continued to break through the light barrier without making a sound, as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual at all.

He already had a plan in mind. Since the Wood Demon had delivered himself to his door, it saved him the trouble of searching for it.

A moment later, as Zhou Yuan unleashed his final spell to break the barrier, the layer of green light curtain emitted a soft sound like a bubble bursting, and finally dissipated completely!

As soon as the light screen disappeared, the items on the table were clearly displayed before Zhou Yuan's eyes.

The first thing that catches the eye is four wooden plaques stacked together, all blood red, seemingly carved from some unknown blood-red wood, exuding a faint bloody smell.

These four wooden tablets are the life-soul tablets of the four guardian spirit beasts!

By possessing these four wooden plaques, one can control the life and death of those four powerful beings!

Beside the Soul Tablet, there was a small, exquisite sword, only a few inches long, entirely purple, with faint electric currents flowing across its blade, exuding an incomparably sharp aura.

Another demon-subduing staff, only the size of a palm, was entirely golden and inlaid with seven-colored gemstones at its tip, exuding a mellow and vast Buddhist aura.

A book, glowing red and seemingly crafted from some kind of fiery crystal, exuded a scorching and mysterious aura.

And, a fist-sized, emerald-green seal with a lifelike five-clawed dragon carved on its surface, as if it were about to take flight at any moment!

Each of these items exudes astonishing spiritual pressure, clearly making them invaluable treasures!

Just as Zhou Yuan's gaze was drawn to these treasures, a sudden change occurred!

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Several sharp whooshing sounds rang out!

Suddenly, several cracks appeared in the ground beneath his feet, and several long green snakes, as thick as an arm, emerald green in color, and seemingly woven from the toughest vines, shot out like lightning, whistling through the air, and coiled towards Zhou Yuan's legs and waist!

These vines were incredibly fast and came on strong, clearly intending to subdue Zhou Yuan in one fell swoop!

However, Zhou Yuan seemed to have anticipated this. He didn't even look at the attacking vines; he just had a thought!

A burly figure appeared out of thin air in front of him as if by teleportation! It was the late-stage Nascent Soul puppet that he had named "Divine Lord"!

"Buzz!"

As soon as the Divine Lord Puppet appeared, it immediately activated the Five Elements Jade Core within its body!

A protective shield, shimmering with five colors of light—blue, red, yellow, white, and black—instantly opened up in front of it, enveloping both it and Zhou Yuan within it!

"Bang bang bang!"

The several emerald green vines lashed fiercely at the Five Elements Light Barrier, producing dull thuds! The light barrier shook violently a few times, rippling outwards, but ultimately it steadily blocked the sneak attack!

The vines, upon contact with the Five Elements Light Barrier, seemed to be repelled by an invisible force and retracted one by one!

"Hmph!" A deep, cold snort rang out. Not far from the desk, a tall, greenish figure emerged silently from the ground like a ghost.

At first glance, the figure appears to have all its limbs and head, resembling a human being. However, upon closer inspection, both its face and body are covered with rough, cracked layers of keratin, like old tree bark. It looks more like a strange tree capable of walking upright than a real person.

It exudes an incredibly rich vitality and demonic aura; it is none other than the most mysterious of the Four Spirits, the Wood Demon!

As soon as Mu Kui appeared, it stopped hiding. Its huge body charged toward the table where the treasures were placed with an agility that was completely disproportionate to its size!

Its goal is clear: to reclaim those four Life Soul Tablets!

However, the divine puppet's reaction was no slower than its own!

The moment Mu Kui activated, the Divine Lord Puppet also moved!

Its sturdy body, forged from the Heavenly Fire Divine Chain, moved out like a small mountain, firmly blocking the path of Mu Kui's charge!

"boom!"

The two collided violently, producing a dull, loud thud!

The violent shockwave swept outwards, sending several wooden chairs flying!

The wooden claws gripped the chest of the Divine Lord puppet, leaving only a few shallow white marks.

The powerful punch from the Divine Lord Puppet landed on Mu Kui as if it had struck an ancient tree, only knocking him back a few steps without causing any real damage!

Both were beings with formidable physical strength and astonishing defensive capabilities, and in this clash, neither could gain the upper hand! Mu Kui was tightly entangled by the Divine Lord's puppet and could not get even a fraction closer to the table!

Just as Mu Kui was locked in a fierce battle with the Divine Lord puppet, Zhou Yuan's calm voice rang out: "Mu Kui, your life tablet is now in my hands. If you want to die, I don't mind crushing it right now and sending you on your way."

Zhou Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, exploding in Mu Kui's ears!

Mu Kui's frantic attack suddenly froze!

It turned its head, its eyes, as withered as dead wood, fixed on the four blood-red wooden plaques in Zhou Yuan's hand.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with anger, resentment, and a hint of barely concealed fear!

It never expected that this human cultivator would know the secret of the natal tablet!

Moreover, while it was entangled in its fight with that damned puppet, it firmly grasped all four Soul Tablets in its hand. "You—what do you want?"

Mu Kui abruptly stopped its attack, its voice hoarse and low, carrying a hint of humiliation and compromise. It knew that circumstances were beyond its control.

The human cultivator before them not only possessed profound cultivation, but also had a puppet whose strength was no less than theirs protecting them.

More importantly, the opponent's Life Soul Card has been taken control of by the opponent!

If it continues to resist, the other party only needs to exert a little force, and its old life, which has been cultivated for countless millennia, will be over.

"It's very simple."

Zhou Yuan tossed the four Soul Tablets lightly in his hand and smiled, "I need you, and your three companions, to be my sect's guardian spirit beasts. Submit to me and serve me."

"Submission? Becoming someone's slave?"

A hint of mockery and stubbornness appeared on Mu Kui's ugly face. "I have cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, and I am used to being carefree! How could I possibly become a slave to a mere human cultivator like you?! If that's the case, I would rather die right now!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zhou Yuan's smile remained unchanged, but his tone became somewhat playful, "I never said I'd make you a slave for eternity."

"How about this? You will serve me for a thousand years. After a thousand years, I will grant you your freedom and return your destiny card. What do you say?"

'

"A thousand years is but a fleeting moment for someone like you."

Upon hearing this, Mu Kui fell silent.

Its brain, as dull as dead wood, began to rapidly weigh the pros and cons.

It had expected the other party to make some outrageous demands, but to its surprise, it was only a mere thousand years.

For an ancient monster like it that has lived for hundreds of thousands of years, a thousand years is indeed nothing.

Trading a thousand years of freedom for a life and a long future of carefree existence—this deal doesn't seem like a bad one. "Alright! I agree!"

Mu Kui finally nodded.

Although her voice still sounded somewhat reluctant, it no longer carried the resistance she had shown before.

"Very good! A wise person knows when to yield! You won't regret following me."

Zhou Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

He put away Mu Kui's life spirit tablet, and then told the Divine Lord puppet to step aside.