Chapter 153 The Realm of Trials (Part 4)
Hiding inside the Jade Bracelet's space is not a long-term solution. Activating the artifact requires a large amount of spiritual power, and even with the concealment array, it will eventually be exposed.
The entire hall was sealed off by Mingyin's magic array, along with the evil ghost arms on the surrounding walls. As Mingyin devoured more and more primordial spirits, his power grew stronger and stronger. The men and women dressed in red and white clothes were almost powerless to resist and were swallowed up by him, ending up vanishing into thin air.
Jiang Gu narrowly escaped his sharp, heavy sword several times, finally hiding under the wide table behind the main seat.
"Hey, Seventh Brother?" A familiar voice rang out in the darkness.
Jiang Gu looked closely and met Jiang Xiangyun's captivating eyes. The other man sat cross-legged under the table, surrounded by several protective magical artifacts. His red robes were torn and disheveled, but he nonchalantly patted off the bits of flesh on them. "I thought it was Yao Li."
Jiang Gu lifted his eyelids to glance at him, then knelt on the ground and began to form a formation.
"Be careful, too much spiritual energy will attract General Mingyin." Jiang Xiangyun warned, "General Mingyin is an ancient god, after all. Why is the reality he left behind so bloody? Seventh brother, not all of us in the Slaughter Path are keen on fighting and killing. For example, your eldest brother, I am gentle and never take lives easily."
"..." Jiang Gu didn't want to talk to him.
He continued rambling on, lifting the drooping tablecloth to peek out through the gap, “Most of these people are evil spirits in the real world. I suspect that this real world is the manifestation of the obsession of the Underworld General. Perhaps he wants to kill all the evil spirits in the world.”
"Then why did he use the pretext of a wedding night?" Jiang Gu asked calmly.
"Huh, didn't you know?" Jiang Xiangyun's eyes lit up with gossip, and he said with great interest, "Legend has it that when the Mingyin General descended to the mortal world in ancient times, he fell in love with a woman. However, humans and gods are different, and the two were destined to be apart. When Mingyin found her again, the woman had already been arranged into a ghost marriage and suffocated to death in a coffin."
A look of disgust flashed in Jiang Gu's eyes. "Absurd."
“What’s even more absurd is yet to come.” Jiang Xiangyun pointed to the pale arms on the wall and said, “That woman died with such resentment that she turned into a vengeful ghost, lost her mind and wreaked havoc on the world. Finally, the underworld, forced by the people’s pleas, devoured her soul and spirit, and she never returned to the world.”
Only a wisp of divine power remained, which condensed the obsession from the past and created a real world. It wanted to find the person from the past among the thousands of evil spirits, but it could not go against its duty as a god. When it saw evil spirits, it would be uncontrollably hungry and swallow them. This cycle repeated itself. In the real world, there were no evil spirits that could be killed and no obsession that could be eliminated.
"How do you know so much detail?" Jiang Gu turned to look at him.
Jiang Xiangyun said with a bitter face, "I've been trapped in this reality for more than half a month, and I can't find a way out no matter what I do. I've fought with this Netherworld Yin twice and almost got swallowed up by it. Can't you even let me ask around for more information?"
Jiang Gu then reluctantly believed him.
“There are quite a few cultivators who have come to the ruins of the ancient temple, but most of them are trapped inside. Only one Golden Immortal at the Great Perfection managed to break out, and he was from Pingze.” Jiang Xiangyun said, “I just don’t know if he found the Spirit Tempering Technique.”
Jiang Gu stared at the twisted and struggling arms and rubbed his fingertips.
There were no traces of black stitches on those arms, but the arms that had grabbed him earlier were covered with dense black stitches... He finally remembered where he had seen these black stitches before—the black-robed man he encountered when he first entered the first realm had these black stitches sewn on his body.
As expected, they did not kill him.
Jiang Gu lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Do you think the people who look up at the moon would leave the divine artifact in the ancient temple?"
Jiang Xiangyun's gaze sharpened, and after a moment of thought, he said, "There are many ancient temples in Wangyue. The temples within the trial area should all have divine artifacts that can be taken out. Otherwise, it would be too stingy."
Jiang Gu nodded. "The technique of tempering the spirit should be on Ming Yin."
"How did you know—" Jiang Xiangyun paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Seventh Brother, are you exchanging information with me?"
“Since that Golden Immortal at the Great Perfection dared to venture out, it means his strength is no less than that of the Netherworld General in this Realm. He won’t return empty-handed.” Jiang Gu looked at the Netherworld General who was still devouring the primordial spirit outside. “However, our cultivation is limited now, so we can’t fight him head-on. We can only outsmart him.”
"I'd like to hear the details." A glint of light flashed in Jiang Xiangyun's eyes.
Jiang Gu was quick-witted and full of cunning ideas, which he had known for a long time. Although following Jiang Gu's method would likely result in him being skinned alive, he didn't think it would be a big deal.
Just after an incense stick had burned, he heard his face turn faintly green.
"You want me to dress up as a woman and consummate our marriage with him?!" Jiang Xiangyun was both angry and amused, gritting his teeth as he said, "Seventh Brother, judging by our looks alone, you're more suited to do this."
Jiang Gu said coldly, "My cultivation is not high enough. He will see through my disguise in less than half an incense stick's time."
"..." This reason is reasonable. Jiang Xiangyun clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Mingyin, who was resting after eating. "But none of us have ever seen what that woman looks like. How can we make Mingyin recognize her?"
“The fox clan’s alluring fragrance can temporarily bewitch his mind.” Jiang Gu handed him a fan. “When the time comes, lead him to the back hall, set up a replacement magic array, and I will meet you outside.”
Jiang Xiangyun wondered if he had misheard. "Replace the magic array?"
The replacement array is the most basic small array, consuming very little spiritual energy. Anyone who has reached the Qi Refining stage can use it, and the fluctuations in spiritual energy are negligible. However, its effect is also limited, only allowing for the exchange of items within a certain range.
Jiang Gu didn't explain in detail, but said in a low voice, "I wasn't the only one who entered the ruins this time; many disciples from Shunlou also came in."
Jiang Xiangyun smiled knowingly. He hadn't forgotten the grudge he'd held against those bastards who had coveted him before. When he guessed Jiang Gu's dirty trick, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.
Mingyin was sitting on the ground, leaning on his sword and drinking against the door frame behind him. The surviving evil spirits in the hall had their mouths covered and were bound to the wall like lambs to the slaughter.
The folding fan unfolded, releasing wisps of fragrance that filled the air. In a hazy, intoxicating state, it seemed as if a woman in a wedding dress was gracefully approaching. Mingyin strained to open his eyes, his throat tightened, and he uttered a long-forgotten name, "Wen Tan..."
The woman reached out a hand to him, but did not touch him. Suddenly, she turned and walked towards the back hall. Mingyin hurriedly got up and stretched out his arm to follow her. "Wen Tan, you finally came to find me. Wen Tan, Wen Tan."
He called out the other person's name again and again, almost to the point of despair, and tightly gripped the other person's wrist, pulling them into his arms.
The beauty breathed sweetly in his arms, her soft arms wrapping around his neck. "Haven't you always wanted to consummate our marriage? Come on."
A subtle magical array of spiritual energy silently landed on Mingyin, but he was completely captivated by the woman before him. A flicker of reason crossed his eyes, but the intense fragrance overwhelmed him, making his head spin. He gritted his teeth and said, "No, you won't end up well following me. I can't..."
He said no, but the strength in his hands gradually increased. Jiang Xiangyun, dressed as a woman, gritted her teeth and turned to look in the direction where Jiang Gu was.
Jiang Gu understood and activated the life-sized wooden puppet that was Jiang Xiangyun. He then used the same trick to switch Jiang Xiangyun back through the spatial transformation of the jade bracelet.
Jiang Xiangyun, her face green, vigorously rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.
Jiang Gu asked in confusion, "You don't like men?"
“That doesn’t mean just any man will like you,” Jiang Xiangyun said with a blank expression.
Jiang Gu raised an eyebrow, "You even dared to lay a hand on Lu Liyu."
Jiang Xiangyun said with a toothache, "Don't mention that bastard to me. I'll tear him to pieces sooner or later."
Jiang Gu nodded in satisfaction, "Okay."
Jiang Xiangyun felt a chill run down his spine, but he was quickly drawn to the commotion outside.
Upon realizing he had been tricked, Mingyin flew into a rage and began indiscriminately attacking all the primordial spirits in the hall with his broadsword. Jiang Gu, relying on the black jade bracelet, helped Jiang Xiangyun dodge many attacks.
Finally, the cultivators who were mingling among the evil spirits couldn't hold back any longer and more than a dozen figures suddenly appeared, surrounding the crazed Mingyin.
The one in the lead was indeed Yan Huairan, the same Yan Huairan that Jiang Gu had seen before.
"The flesh and blood of the Netherworld have the effect of tempering the spirit, and the skull is a first-tier divine artifact. Kill him!" Yan Huairan said sternly.
Jiang Gu and Jiang Xiangyun, who were hiding inside the bracelet, exchanged a glance.
Shunlou's disciples indeed knew more information.
Luo Fan and Qi Yi beside Yan Huairan were both highly skilled, and the group of people obeyed him without question. After receiving the order, the dozen or so people began to form a formation with good discipline, constantly changing their positions. Wherever they stepped, they left behind a complex array. These arrays were complex and varied, yet strangely harmonious. Unbeknownst to them, they formed a magnificent array and began to frantically absorb the spiritual power from Ming Yin.
Jiang Gu and Jiang Xiangyun were secretly alarmed.
"They directly used spiritual energy, without even using their dantian," Jiang Xiangyun said gravely. "How did they manage that?"
Jiang Gu carefully observed Yan Huairan's every move and whispered, "They must have used some kind of magical artifact to modify their primordial spirit, or rather—"
"They themselves are a magic weapon."
Magical artifacts can not only absorb spiritual energy of the same attribute, but also infuse all spiritual energy for use when necessary. Unlike cultivators in Pingze who need to purify the spiritual energy they need based on their spiritual roots before refining and using it, they can skip the absorption and purification steps and directly use spiritual energy as needed, which is naturally very fast.
Under such a powerful magic array, Mingyin was instantly torn to pieces, and Yan Huairan and the others each took a piece of flesh that had been shaved off, but were forcibly shaken away by the berserk Mingyin.
"Again! Take the divine artifact!" Yan Huairan hurriedly retreated several steps, summoned a Xuanjing bow, nocked an arrow, and the bow instantly became like a full moon, heading straight for Mingyin's brow.
At the same time, Luo Fan formed a mudra with his hands, and a circle of blood-red Sanskrit suddenly appeared behind him, which suddenly expanded into a spiritual energy shield. In the vague Dharma image, half of the face was a demon and the other half was a Buddha. The evil words and Buddhist sounds instantly made all the evil spirits and arms in the hall scream. The face of Ming Yin, who had devoured too many evil spirits, also faintly revealed the appearance of a demon. He staggered and was hit in the brow by the Xuanjing Arrow.
Qi Yi, stepping on the light gauze beneath her feet, swiftly wove a net of heaven and earth with the other disciples, directly severing Xuan Ming's neck. However, Xuan Ming's body was still attacking frantically, and the net of heaven and earth fell down in an instant, cutting his body into countless small pieces.
Blood mist instantly filled the hall.
Yan Huairan put away the Xuanjing Arrow and casually wiped the bloodstains from his hands. "This level is really not interesting."
Qi Yi chuckled and clung to his arm. "After all, it's just a first-tier divine artifact, nothing difficult about it."
Luo Fan, standing beside him, had already lifted Ming Yin's head, and flames suddenly erupted from his palm, burning the head to bones. The grim skull glowed with a pale green. "Brother Yan, who do you plan to give this divine artifact to—"
Before he could finish speaking, a small array suddenly flashed for a moment, and the white bone skull he was carrying instantly turned into a wooden head.
Qi Yi frowned. "Ming Yin ran away?"
“Someone stole the artifact.” Yan Huairan’s expression suddenly turned cold. He reached out and grabbed the dissipating magic array, slowly narrowing his eyes. “It’s a low-level magic array from Pingze.”
"What!?" Luo Fan was immediately furious. "What kind of broken formation is this? I didn't notice it at all!"
“We didn’t notice it either. This magic array has almost no spiritual power, so it’s easy to overlook. Besides, our attention was all on Ming Yin.” Yan Huairan was much calmer than him. “He won’t run out so quickly. Chase him.”
Dozens of figures flew out of the main hall at the same time.
Qi Yi awkwardly released his arm. Although Yan Huairan showed no anger, those who knew him well knew that he was already angry.
Although it was only a first-tier divine artifact, it was a huge loss of face for a cultivator from Pingze to snatch it away in front of everyone.
She was almost certain that the other party would die a horrific death.
The cultivator from Pingze who had seized the divine artifact was now splitting the skull in two.
A strong wind howled past, making Jiang Xiangyun's temples throb. "Are you sure you want to share half with me?"
“This artifact can be used in parts.” Jiang Gu had already roughly examined the Netherworld Bone. “The divine power within can be stacked, and the more bones there are, the greater the effect.”
Jiang Xiangyun didn't stand on ceremony with him, took half of the skull and stuffed it into her storage bag, "Let's split up."
Jiang Gu nodded and decisively parted ways with him.
He used the black jade bracelet and the concealment array to evade three streaks of light that were chasing him, but one of them clung to him tightly. Jiang Gu cut his palm and fused his blood into the Netherworld Bone, forcibly binding it to his master. In the next instant, a chilling aura shot from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. The eerie ghostly energy completely covered the aura of his primordial spirit, and even his protective robes faintly revealed a bluish-white ghostly energy.
At the same time, Jiang Gu noticed the changes in his primordial spirit. It seemed to have been strengthened and reinforced invisibly. Not only did his perception of spiritual energy become stronger, but he also sensed another turbid and cold aura in the world.
With his primordial spirit aura concealed, Jiang Gu narrowly escaped the pursuers and slowly landed on the ground, stepping on the sword.
He had just stood still when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his lower abdomen. The cold, filthy energy began to surge wildly into his dantian, attempting to completely corrupt and erode the pure and clear spiritual energy within. Startled, he immediately formed a hand seal to seal his dantian and forcibly severed his connection with the Yin Bone. Then, he tried to force the filthy energy out of his primordial spirit.
Snowflakes fell heavily onto the protective robe, and a small wisp of spirit struggled to crawl out of the spiritual realm, stepping on his thigh, standing on tiptoe, and stretching out its arms to help him expel the filth.
Jiang Gu opened his eyes and patted its little head. "There's no need for that. You're still too young. Your primordial spirit won't be able to withstand it and will dissipate."
The little spirit was so anxious that tears streamed down its face. It spread its arms and pressed itself against his waist, grabbing his clothes and absorbing the filthy ghost energy even more diligently.
Jiang Gu lowered his eyes and added a layer of spiritual energy shield to him, so that he could only absorb a trace of it, lest it dissipate again. Then he focused on forcing that cold aura to have nowhere to escape, and finally spat out a mouthful of foul blood.
The little spirit looked up at him nervously. Jiang Gu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice, "It's alright."
In his desperation, he used the relatively unfamiliar artifact, the Netherworld Bone, which absorbed all the spiritual energy and turbidity of heaven and earth into his primordial spirit. Naturally, his orthodoxly cultivated primordial spirit could not withstand it.
The little black ball breathed a sigh of relief, but before it could fully relax, Jiang Gu suddenly frowned and clutched his shoulder. For a moment, it felt as if an extremely thin black line had pierced through his shoulder blade.
The Mingyin Bone, which had been left aside, was swept by the black mist, and the figure of Mingyin suddenly appeared in front of them. Before Jiang Gu could get up and retreat, he was pounced on and pinned down by the other party.
Mingyin was tall and imposing, his deep eyes staring straight at Jiang Gu. He raised his hand and sent it towards the small primordial spirit beside him. Jiang Gu was extremely fast and blocked the attack. With incredible speed, he stuffed the dark little primordial spirit back into the spiritual realm. However, he was caught off guard and his waist was suddenly squeezed hard by the other party.
His face instantly turned ashen. Mingyin was dead, so the other party clearly couldn't be Mingyin. Moreover, this disgusting method was exactly the same as the black-robed man from before. He just didn't know why this person was using Mingyin's appearance—
"Who exactly are you?" Jiang Gu was imprisoned by him, but the protective array had already been activated, and the killing array was slowly gathering behind the other's head. Before killing the other, he felt a sense of annoyance at being mocked.
Suddenly, the man in black lowered his head and bit his shoulder. Before the killing formation behind his head could fall, he sucked out all the ghostly energy and foulness remaining in Jiang Gu's primordial spirit. Then, he quickly raised his head, licked the corner of Jiang Gu's mouth, and swiped away the foul blood.
The killing formation suddenly exploded, and the opponent's figure vanished into the snow, leaving only half of Mingyin's pale green skull lying on the ground.
Jiang Gu slowly frowned and touched the corner of his mouth. An absurd guess suddenly came to mind, but he quickly denied it.
He left Wei Feng outside the boundary village. He checked Wei Feng's primordial spirit countless times and found nothing wrong with it. It was certainly not a split spirit. However, out of caution, he still risked connecting with his own split spirit outside the boundary village.
A half-dead wail instantly flooded his mind, and then he saw Wei Feng with dark circles under his eyes and lifeless gaze. "I haven't rested for a whole month! Master! Ancestor! Open your eyes and look at me, I'm going to be worked to death!"
Since being forcibly abducted by Jiang Gu, he has completely lost his freedom.
Jiang Gu heard his own indifferent voice, "There are still three hundred and five secret realms."
Wei Feng clutched his head in anguish and wailed, "Ancestor! What do you want from me?"
"Three years to form the Core Formation, five years to reach the Divine Transformation stage, and ten years to achieve the Great Perfection of the Mahayana stage," Jiang Gu said expressionlessly.
Wei Feng, who was only at the first level of Qi Refining, suddenly felt his knees buckle and knelt on the ground with a thud. In desperation, he said, "Then you might as well just kill me!"
Jiang Gu drew his sword with a gleeful expression. "I'll grant your wish."
Then, the chilling sword intent drew in wind and lightning, slashing down on the half-dead youth kneeling on the ground. Wei Feng screamed in agony, scrambling to dodge the sword while clutching a tree that had been uprooted, his face filled with terror.
He was surprised to find for the first time that he could crawl so fast on the ground.
Jiang Gu looked at Wei Feng, who was shedding tears, and suppressed the smile on his lips. He absorbed the memories that had been lost in his thoughts during this period. When he saw that he had exchanged a Misty Rain Token for Wei Feng, his eyebrows gradually lowered.
In his distracted memory, behind Wei Feng were Xuan Zhiyan, who seemed hesitant to speak, and Qu Fengyu, who was smiling and holding the Misty Rain Token. Wei Feng walked to his side with a dim gaze and called out softly, "Master."
Jiang Gu had severed his connection with the divided spirit, so the other party's behavior was no longer under his control. He did not expect to find Wei Feng so quickly, nor did he expect Qu Fengyu and Xuan Zhiyan to make a deal with him so directly... However, it was within his expectations that Wei Feng would refuse to cultivate and force him to go down to the secret realm.
"Come here," Jiang Gu said coldly.
Wei Feng refused no matter what. He impatiently raised his hand and used his spiritual power to lift the person up. He then placed his hand on the other person's lower back and his spiritual power entered the other person's sea of consciousness without saying a word, meticulously sweeping over the other person's dark primordial spirit inch by inch.
Wei Feng trembled all over as he was "touched," his handsome face turning as red as if it were about to bleed. "Master, what are you doing?"
His primordial spirit was intact, without any trace of distraction, and his primordial core had fused well with his spiritual root. He met Wei Feng's wet eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "It's nothing. Rest for a day before going down to the secret realm."
Wei Feng stared at him in disbelief, then his eyes lit up with surprise, "Really?"
"Hmm." Jiang Gu raised his hand and wiped away the tears on his cheek. "It's not too late to cultivate after a good night's sleep."
"Thank you, Master!" Wei Feng was so happy he almost jumped up. He rushed over and gave him a big hug, then hugged his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) and fell asleep, sprawled out like a turtle.
After Jiang Gu healed all his injuries, he added a calming array to his body before withdrawing his distracted divine sense.
The scene before my eyes transformed into a blanket of snow and a cascading waterfall.
Jiang Gu calmed himself down, picked up the Netherworld Bone, stepped onto his flying sword, and rode away on the wind.
Behind the ancient tree, a pair of eyes stared darkly at his back. His hand slowly covered the tree trunk. He needed to be patient for a while longer. Once he passed the first level, he could do whatever he wanted to Jiang Gu. He couldn't be too hasty.
As he thought this, the image of Jiang Gu looking at the slightly upturned corner of his mouth when he was distracted by amnesia flashed through his mind, and the veins on the back of his hand suddenly bulged.
The towering tree, several meters thick, broke apart layer by layer and vanished into thin air in an instant.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
