A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 275 The Curse of Negligence

Juku Island, though only one of the ten continents of the East Sea, is surprisingly vast.

On their way to Thousand Poison Island, Guan Luoyang and Jin Congyun, to avoid getting bored, Jin Congyun struck up a conversation and revealed a secret.

In this world's cultivation system, above Earth Immortal is the Celestial Immortal realm. Those who cultivate to the Celestial Immortal level can, if they wish, ascend to the Thirty-Three Heavens and make friends and travel among the Heavenly Palace and countless ancient immortal abodes.

You can also venture into the Yellow Springs and descend into the Nine Netherworlds, where there are countless underworld races, with incredibly beautiful and bizarre scenery, and a landscape that surpasses human intellect and is extremely spectacular. There is also the underworld's cycle of reincarnation established by the immortals, and the rewards and punishments of hell, which are magnificent beyond words as they operate.

Long ago, in the ten continents of the East Sea, there were several celestial beings residing in the world.

Those celestial beings came from different backgrounds; some were demons, some were humans, some were half-human and half-gods, and some were purely gods created by nature. They each had their own biases, but as long as they were unwilling to fight to the death, it would be impossible to determine a true superiority or inferiority between the human and demon races in the ten continents.

Until a hundred years ago, these celestial beings traveled to the heavens and made a pact to do something great, but they seemed to have encountered some calamity. After the news was sent back, the human and demon races in the ten continents of the East Sea could no longer restrain themselves and a great war broke out.

Jukuzhou is the result of that great battle, which has led to the current situation where the human race is growing stronger on the surface, while the demon race is struggling to survive in the shadows.

"Among the celestial beings born into the demon race, there was a fox celestial being who was most willing to take care of demons, but who had a particular aversion to tiger demons."

"That fierce tiger demon king was a self-taught individual who did not receive the true teachings of a celestial immortal. During the war between the two races, he was somewhat overlooked, which allowed him to find a place like Thousand Poison Island, causing trouble to this day."

Jin Congyun's tone was full of regret. As he spoke, the two of them, who were in the clouds, could already see the outline of Thousand Poison Island in the distance.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."

Jin Congyun slowed down and said to Guan Luoyang, "When the matter of supervision was first agreed upon, it was not only a matter between Yutan, Juling, and Yuan Gong, but also involved thirty-two powerful human sects in the alliance. It was agreed that each sect would send people to take turns guarding the area."

"Within a hundred miles around Thousand Poison Island, there are numerous generals from our three sides and formations from the thirty-two sects. Approaching rashly will definitely provoke a counterattack. Let me cast a spell first to let them know."

Before he finished speaking, he took a token from his waist, cast a spell on it, and threw it away.

The token in the sky ahead transformed into a huge light blue pattern, like a jade dragon coiled up, majestically overlooking the earth.

Guan Luoyang flicked his sleeve, parted the clouds and looked down, and saw that Thousand Poison Island was located in the center of a huge lake.

The area surrounding the lake is hilly and covered with almost black jungle, with towering trees, but the edges of the leaves, which are shaped like duck feet, are always covered with many sharp thorns.

Occasionally, in places devoid of trees, stark white rocks are exposed, jagged and barren, with no vegetation growing. Various kinds of smoke constantly drift from the cracked crevices of the rocks, seemingly unchanged for thousands of years.

At a glance, Guan Luoyang knew that there must be a lot of hot and toxic miasma in these hilly areas, but there were indeed some places with a fresher atmosphere, hiding spiritual light that moved according to a certain trajectory. This should be the so-called Thirty-Two Sect Monitoring Array.

After Jin Congyun issued his token, a while later, a young man wearing fish-scale armor and no helmet flew out of the cool and open cave on a golden cloud and flew into the air.

"So you are the Inspector General. This humble servant, Yu Xicao, pays his respects to Inspector General Jin."

Jin Congyun nodded and gestured to Guan Luoyang: "This is the city lord's distinguished guest. He needs to approach Thousand Poison Island to carefully examine the situation of the demon king. Please ask the guards of each sect to take my token and make a record. Tell them to be careful with their formations and avoid any conflicts."

After saying that, he waved his hand in the air, and the jade dragon pattern turned back into a token, which he then handed to Yu Xicao.

Yu Xicao waved his hand and said with a smile, "Since we have the token of Yutan City, the guards of each sect will naturally know what to do and will not act rashly. I will directly lead the patrol and the immortals."

The man didn't take the token; he turned around and blew out a cloud of mist.

Where the milky white mist passed, the various spiritual lights hidden among the strange trees and hills dimmed slightly, making way for a path to the lake of Thousand Poison Island.

He seemed eager to claim credit, and turned to look at me expectantly.

Unexpectedly, Guan Luoyang's expression darkened slightly, and Jin Congyun's face changed drastically as he shouted, "Aren't we only responsible for guarding this area right here in our city?"

"Those arrays ahead should be guarded by the Pot Heaven Pavilion, the Seven Treasures Workshop, and the Crimson Crow Dao Sect. How were you able to activate their arrays?!"

Yu Xicao was somewhat at a loss and said, "The people on duty don't come often. For the past few years, they've been relying on the people in our city who are responsible for guarding their formations."

Jin Congyun's ears rang, and his anger surged. He shouted, "This is a major matter that was decided a hundred years ago by the leaders of the city, the prefecture, the mountain, and their thirty-two sects. How could they neglect their duties like this?!"

Yu Xicao looked terrified and argued, "Inspector, this has nothing to do with us. In recent years, a sect called the True Fire Sect has risen in the area adjacent to the Red Crow Sect. The two sects have had many disputes and often agree to fight each other. Each time, the elders and sect leader have to go to the scene to oversee the fight."

"The area around Thousand Poison Island is filled with miasma and the malevolent aura of that demon, which is not conducive to their recovery. That's why the Red Crow Sect's magic array has been entrusted to my care."

Jin Congyun suppressed his anger: "What about the other two factions?"

Yu Xicao said with trepidation, "The other two factions already had the key to the magic array before I even took my turn. I inherited it from Senior Brother Xie, and I don't know the specific reason why."

Jin Congyun opened his mouth, then said angrily, "So that means this happened at least five years ago? Why didn't you report it?"

Yu Xicao nodded and dared not reply.

Guan Luoyang sighed: "I'm afraid it's not just these three factions that are absent, is it?"

Yu Xicao nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right. On that Demon Island, there are golden divine talismans hanging high. The formations of various sects are actually just for show. Besides, even though they are not here, the formations are still in operation."

Jin Congyun laughed in exasperation: "The thirty-two sects and our three formations could have been linked together, forming the thirty-six Heavenly Generals with the divine talisman on the island, echoing each other. If the Golden Light Divine Talisman were to have any abnormalities, whether it was an internal movement or an external attack, these thirty-five formations would definitely be able to detect it."

"If we had enough manpower, even if things were bad, we could hold out until Lord Yuan and Lord Qin came to our aid. Right now, each of you is in charge of several formations. If you can't manage them all, then you'll really be useless."

Guan Luoyang, impatient with the noise, flew directly over the hills, like a streak of blue lightning stretching into a long line, traversing across the sky above the lake and landing on Thousand Poison Island.

The moment he set foot on the island, he immediately noticed something amiss and looked up.

A huge golden rune appeared in the sky, woven with pure golden light, magnificent and grand, sparse yet not leaky, several miles wide and more than ten miles long, covering the entire island.

Jin Congyun followed and nervously observed the talisman. When he saw that the runes and characters were straight like ten-thousand-year-old vines and slanted like the water of the ninth heaven, with silkworm heads and swallow tails, not a single one missing, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"At least the divine talisman is still there. This golden divine talisman was left by the previous generation of Yuan Gong on Yuan Gong Mountain. He was a human celestial being who cared deeply for the human race."

He said, "This divine talisman can not only monitor demon kings at the Earth Immortal level, but also, through the connection of that demon king's destiny, oversee the entire continent's demon race."

"If any demon is about to break through to the Earth Immortal realm, Yuan Gong will immediately respond with a magical artifact, revealing his location, or he will personally take action, or invite his fellow cultivators to surround and kill that demon."

Jin Congyun laughed and said, "In the past hundred years, in the first fifty years, there were still many monsters who suffered from the lingering effects of the great war. They devoured flesh and blood and tried to break through, but they were all killed. In the last fifty years, no monster dared to break through in Jukuzhou."

Guan Luoyang said, "Then why don't they leave Jukuzhou, break through to a higher level elsewhere, and then come back?"

Jin Congyun explained, "Aside from a few exceptions like the fairy fox, the jade rabbit, and the golden cicada, the monsters that do not cultivate virtue are all fierce and short-sighted. If they were truly willing to endure and leave Jukuzhou, they would often establish their own territory in a new place and would never return."

Guan Luoyang nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and a misty, ethereal aura emanated from his body, sweeping across the surroundings. He felt a fierce aura everywhere, but could not discern the exact location of the Earth Immortal Demon King.

Jin Congyun said, "That old demon's cave is hidden deep beneath the volcano. If you wish to see him, you can go there. However, the tiger demon is ferocious. If you are not confident in dealing with the poisonous fire veins, it is best not to push him too far."

Bang! ! !

A plume of thick smoke billowed from the crater, accompanied by a hoarse, powerful sound.

"Hehehe, you've trespassed onto my island and are sweeping around so recklessly. Haven't you pushed me far enough?"

The sound grew louder and louder. On the barren, rocky island with its harsh environment, a strong wind suddenly rose, carrying a thick, fishy smell.

"It's been many years. Has Ao Bohuan made great progress in his cultivation and gained the confidence to overcome fire with water? Then I truly congratulate him. But why didn't he come himself and instead sent you two little thieves to provoke him?"

Jin Congyun snorted coldly and said to Guan Luoyang, "Fellow Daoist, this vicious tiger is a chatterbox. When he talks to people, he can't even exchange three sentences before he starts to throw a tantrum and spout nonsense. It's best to ignore him."

"Hehehehe..."

The demon king laughed again, only laughing without speaking, but even his laughter had a strange, unsettling quality.

Just from that laugh, you can tell that he's quite skilled at throwing insults at people.

But Guan Luoyang stared at the crater and said in a slow, deliberate voice, "Two petty thieves?"

He chuckled. "Our city lord has already advanced to the Earth Immortal realm. Using his ancestral treasures, he might not be without the ability to suppress you. However, you've been quite well-behaved for the past hundred years, so we've only sent us to give you a warning first. Don't say we didn't warn you."

"Oh?" The voice from the volcano sneered, "You think three Earth Immortals can suppress this poisonous fire vein? You're such a shallow junior. Why don't you call Ao Bohuan over and see if he dares to speak like you?"

Upon hearing this answer, Guan Luoyang's smile vanished. He took a step back, stood on the lake, and looked up again. The golden divine talisman had completely disappeared from his sight.

If you take a step forward, the golden talisman will reappear. Clearly, only by standing completely on the island can you see the talisman manifest.

This should also be one of the inherent wonders of this golden talisman.

But after staring at it for a while, Guan Luoyang suddenly left.

He retreated three times, then advanced three times.

Jin Congyun couldn't understand what he was doing. He only saw that after stepping onto the island for the third time, he suddenly leaped up, flew thousands of feet, and jumped directly into the volcano.

"Fellow Daoist!!" Jin Congyun was greatly surprised and quickly followed.

Lava churns and black smoke flows within the volcano.

Strangely, while the crater was still scorching hot, the temperature gradually dropped as you went down, creating a gloomy and chilly feeling.

Jin Congyun knew that this was precisely the characteristic of poisonous fire. When some poisonous fires had not yet erupted, the poisonous gas was stronger than the fire, making people less aware of the heat the closer they got.

Such poisonous fire, buried underground, poses little threat as long as one doesn't go deep or get too close.

If one day, the toxic and fiery energies are stimulated and erupt, and the fire element ignites the poison element, then that would be a catastrophe where the heat is completely released and the toxicity is completely spread.

Jin Congyun gathered his full magical power and erected a protective layer around himself. After sinking more than thirty feet into the poisonous fire and magma, he could no longer withstand it. His mouth tasted bitter and his head was slightly dizzy. He quickly stopped and sent a telepathic message down to Guan Luoyang.

That being said, the demon king could only detonate the poisonous fire veins when he was risking his life. If Guan Luoyang only exchanged a few blows with him, it probably wouldn't be a big deal.

However, monsters who do not cultivate virtue cannot be judged by common sense. If Guan Luoyang fights with him for too long and really forces him to fight to the death, what should he do?

Jin Congyun was indecisive and extremely anxious.

Suddenly, a beam of azure light rose from below, carrying him out of the lava and out of the volcano.

Jin Congyun stepped onto the rocks and quickly turned his head to look. What he saw made his heart sink.

Guan Luoyang was actually holding a ferocious tiger carved from black jade in his hand.

The black jade tiger head was still laughing: "What audacity! I misjudged you. You actually dared to trespass into my cave and venture deep into the poisonous fire. You must be an Earth Immortal. You dare to disregard the consequences of the continuous natural disasters and gamble on your own judgment. What a cold-hearted immortal."

"Although you have a strong presence, you treat me as a subordinate of the Jade Pool City Lord and cannot see my strength. There is something fishy about this."

Guan Luoyang said in a deep voice, "Feng Jun does have some skills. When did you escape?"

The black jade tiger burst into laughter: "I already know your realm, how could I let you trick me into revealing anything? If you want to know whether it was my doing or Feng Jun's doing that we escaped from here, then guess for yourself."

Before the laughter had even subsided, the black jade tiger trembled slightly and suddenly turned into dust.

Jin Congyun stared at the clump of powder that had spilled from Guan Luoyang's hand, gritting his teeth as he asked, "He actually escaped! When exactly did this happen?"

Guan Luoyang said, "It was probably two or three days ago."

Jin Congyun raised his head: "The Golden Light Divine Talisman is still clearly there."

Guan Luoyang looked up and snapped his fingers.

A brilliant, bright blue lightning bolt burst forth from between his fingers, striking the golden talisman.

With a deafening roar, it was as if a thin mist had been dispersed, dispelling all illusions.

From the center of the talisman, a large mass of turbid light cloud emanated, the black cloud churning endlessly, within which swirled and scattered crimson light.

In Yutan City, Ao Bohuan floated above the city, peaceful clouds nestled against his clothes, and the bustling people of the city were all before his eyes.

However, his gaze was inevitably drawn to the ominous dark red cloud reflected in the mirror.

"Ugh!"

After a long, drawn-out sigh came a stern order.

All cultivators in the city, whether human or demon, went outside the city and relocated the people under Yu Tan's jurisdiction into the city.

Thousands of miles away, on Mount Yuangong.

Lush green grass and strange trees forming a forest, including the Resurrection Flower Tree, which resembles a maple tree and stands atop the mountain with its abundant branches that block out the sun.

Countless buds of the resurrection flower, like purple stars adorning the crimson sky.

Yuan Gong, sitting under the tree, was wearing a white robe, and beneath the brim of his white silk hat was a face with white hair and a youthful appearance.

He had long, thin, white eyebrows with upturned ends that extended beyond the contours of his face. His face was as clear as the moon, with full cheeks and a dot of cinnabar between his eyebrows.

"The mysteries of heaven and earth, the root of all energies, through countless eons of cultivation, I have attained divine powers."

The ethereal primordial spirit flew out from the tree trunk and landed in the physical body.

Yuan Gong opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with golden light in anger.

"The golden talisman has been tainted by demonic poison!"

A crane flew down from the vast green meadow, carrying an urgent letter from the Lord of Jade Pool City.

It's a pity it's too late.

"Ah, the fact that I was not on Thousand Poison Island has been exposed."

Blood flowed like a river in front of the solemn crimson palace.

The old monster laughed at the water spirit beside him, "Judging from his tone, he must be an old enemy of yours."

(End of this chapter)