After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

Zhou Ran stopped in his tracks.

Most of these wronged souls are mindless wandering ghosts, attracted by the yin energy of this place, trapped here and unable to be reborn.

"Zhou Ran, look over there!"

Lin Qingxue suddenly pointed to the center of the cave.

On a protruding black boulder, there grew a Ganoderma lucidum that was entirely blood-red, with leaves shaped like a seven-tiered pagoda.

Around that Ganoderma lucidum, wronged spirits dared not approach, and all the yin energy was absorbed by it, transforming into pure fire spiritual power.

"Seven-leaf Fire Spirit Mushroom!"

Ye Futian cried out in surprise.

"Good lad, this thing is one of the main ingredients for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, and it's at least eight hundred years old!"

Even if you swallow it whole, it will help solidify your foundation!

A glint of light flashed in Zhou Ran's eyes.

Since we've encountered such a rare and precious treasure, there's no reason for us to let it go.

However, beside the Ganoderma lucidum, there was a strange snake that was only about a meter long but covered with red scales.

Although it was not large in size, the aura it exuded was even more dangerous than that of the giant fire ape king from before.

"Red-banded snake, highly venomous."

Zhou Ran shielded Lin Qingxue and Miao Yingying behind him, and drew his Zanpakuto once again.

"You all stay put, I'll go get the medicine."

The red-banded snake flicked its tongue, spewing out a thick cloud of red venomous mist, instantly filling the air with a sweet, fishy stench.

This poisonous fog is extremely corrosive. When it falls onto the bones on the ground, the hard bones actually emit blue smoke and turn into pus.

"Be careful, this is the Red Lotus Fire Poison; contact with it will cause immediate decay."

Zhou Ran's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even pause in his steps.

He raised his hand, and demonic energy surged in his palm, transforming into an invisible barrier that blocked the incoming poisonous mist from being more than three feet away.

The red-banded snake was clearly intelligent; seeing that the poison mist was ineffective, it suddenly arched its body.

collapse!

Like a red arrow released from a bow, it moved with extreme speed, heading straight for Zhou Ran's throat.

Blue light shimmered on those sharp fangs.

"A beast is a beast."

Zhou Ran's eyes were indifferent.

The Zanpakuto was drawn, wreathed in a wisp of purplish-black demonic flame, and gently slashed through the void.

This stroke, seemingly slow, was actually as fast as lightning, precisely slicing the red-banded snake at its vital spot.

puff.

The red-banded snake's head separated from its body while it was still in mid-air.

No blood gushed from the broken wound; instead, it was instantly charred black by the scorching demonic flames.

The snake landed on the ground, still writhing.

Zhou Ran had already stepped over the snake's corpse and reached out to uproot the seven-leaf fire spirit mushroom.

The moment I touched it, a surge of scalding heat flowed into my meridians through my palm.

"The medicine is very effective."

……

The huge channel that Zhou Ran created by splitting the sea with his sword at Jiangcheng Port has now been closed.

However, the sudden burst of demonic energy and the violent tremors of the seabed had already alarmed all the forces involved.

At this moment, on a barren beach not far from the port, several figures appeared out of thin air.

On the left was a group of people dressed in bright yellow Taoist robes, wearing Hunyuan headscarves, and carrying peach wood swords.

Each of them had a solemn expression, and their bodies were surrounded by an aura of righteousness and peace.

The leader was an old man with a white beard, holding a whisk, and with bright, piercing eyes.

"Uncle-Master, the compass is malfunctioning."

A young Taoist priest looked worried as he stared at the wildly spinning pointer in his hand.

"The magnetic field here is completely disrupted, and..."

This humble Taoist priest detected an extremely strong aura of corpses and demonic energy.

The white-bearded old man frowned, looked at the surging sea, and said in a deep voice.

"This place was sealed for a thousand years, and someone forcibly broke the seal."

"That beam of azure light that pierced the heavens and earth just now was clearly the result of someone using a water-repelling technique."

"Water-avoidance technique?"

That's a high-level technique that's been lost for a long time!

"It seems that someone with expertise has taken the lead."

The white-bearded old man sighed.

"I'm afraid the visitors are up to no good."

We are the legitimate descendants of the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain. Now that we have come across this, we cannot sit idly by.

If that thing suppressed at the bottom of the sea were to escape, it would surely cause widespread devastation.

"But Uncle-Master, the sea route has been blocked..."

"It's alright."

The white-bearded old man took out a purple talisman from his robes, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes.

"Using the 'water-dividing talisman', although it won't last too long, it will be enough for us to go down and investigate."

This is the true orthodox Taoist tradition.

Longhu Mountain, with its thousand-year-old heritage, cultivates righteousness and practices thunder magic.

At this moment, at another entrance, a kilometer away from this port.

A group of people dressed in black and blue exotic clothing are going upstream along an underground river.

The leader was a woman with a seductive figure.

She looked to be around thirty years old, with an unnaturally pale complexion.

Her lips were painted with a purplish-black lip gloss, and her silver ornaments jingled as she moved.

But no living creature dared to approach her.

The silver ornaments were covered with tiny black insects, each the size of a grain of rice.

"Elder Lan, this place is filled with such heavy Yin energy that even the 'Ten Thousand Insect Cave' in our Southern Frontier is no better than this."

An elderly man with a hunched back followed behind the woman, greedily inhaling the stench in the air.

"The heavier the Yin energy, the more ominous the thing underneath."

The woman known as Elder Lan is named Lan Caihua, and she is the third elder of the Gu Clan in the Southern Frontier.

She extended a finger painted with nail polish and gently touched the damp rock wall.

A brightly colored spider crawled up the rock wall along her fingertip and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

"The news was indeed correct; a drought demon is indeed being suppressed here."

A glint of fanaticism flashed in Lan Caihua's eyes.

"If I can refine this drought demon and integrate it into my natal Gu, I will be able to break through to the early stage of Foundation Establishment!"

Behind her followed seven or eight men with gloomy auras.

If these people were placed in the outside world, each of them would be a terrestrial deity capable of dominating a region.

But in the Gu clan, they are merely guards.

"Who is that?"

Suddenly, the hunched old man's eyes narrowed as he looked towards the opposite bank of the dark river.

There, several figures dressed in bright yellow Taoist robes were walking on the water.

The elderly man at the head of the group had white hair and beard, held a peach wood sword, carried a Bagua mirror on his back, and exuded an aura of righteousness that seemed completely out of place in this gloomy underground place.

"So it turns out he's a Taoist priest from the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain."

Lan Caihua scoffed, her voice charming yet tinged with coldness.

"Zhang Xuansu, why aren't you chanting scriptures on the mountain? What are you doing here in the underworld causing trouble?"

On the opposite bank, Zhang Xuansu stopped.

His gaze swept over the Gu clan members like lightning, finally settling on Lan Caihua, his brows furrowed.

"This humble Taoist observed the celestial phenomena last night and saw a malevolent aura rising from the southeast, which I fear indicates the birth of an unparalleled demon that will wreak havoc on the human world."

"So it was the Gu Clan of Southern Xinjiang."

Zhang Xuansu snorted coldly.

"Lan Caihua, the thing below is extremely dangerous, and it is not something that your unorthodox methods can control."

If you don't want to die a horrible death, get back home right now!

"Old man, you've got quite the nerve."

Lan Caihua covered her mouth and chuckled softly, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes.

"This drought demon, my Gu clan is determined to have it."

If you wish to vanquish demons and monsters, why don't you go ahead and scout the way, and shield us from the evil aura?

Having said that, she ignored the people from the Celestial Master's Mansion, and with her subordinates, she blurred into several afterimages and rushed into the darkness ahead.

"Uncle-Master, these evil sects are too arrogant!"

Behind Zhang Xuansu, a young Taoist priest stood indignantly.

"Qingfeng, don't get angry."

Zhang Xuansu sighed and took out a stack of golden talismans from his pocket, distributing them to his disciples.

"Although the Gu Clan acts in a strange and unpredictable manner, they are also after the drought demon."

Besides the drought demon, there are probably even more terrifying variables lurking beneath.

The compass in his hand was spinning wildly when it suddenly exploded with a crack.

"A very bad omen..."

Looking at the shards on the ground, Zhang Xuansu felt a strong sense of unease.

But as one of the leaders of the righteous path, now that he has come, there is no reason for him to back down.

"Let's go to the Qian position and reinforce the seal!"