Chapter 317: Chapter 315 - Two Years Later (Congratulating the Alliance Leader Huo Yu Bing Feng!)_1
Floating Toa Mountain.
A pitch-dark Escape Light circled high in the sky before descending at the foot of the mountain, revealing the figure of a handsome man.
"This Yanmo Taoist Palace looks deserted and silent... but it seems to be hiding some great danger, as if even the local Cultivators are aware of something."
Fang Xi murmured to himself.
Having just circled around, although he hadn’t found any danger, his Divine Consciousness was unexpectedly unable to penetrate the palace walls of the Taoist Palace, and nearby vegetation was completely absent, with not even a trace of insects or beasts... These signs were already quite telling.
"It’s normal for there to be Prohibitions where a Nascent Soul Cultivator is present..."
"According to the locals, as long as you don’t enter the range of the Taoist Palace, it’s relatively safe around here... It seems the danger lies only within the Taoist Palace..."
Fang Xi’s eyes shone as he suddenly shook the black banner in his hand.
Dark halos flickered on the black banner, and the fearsome image of a One-horned Ghost King emerged on its surface.
He continuously chanted incantations, sending Magic Spells cascading into the Demon Banner.
"Ao ao!"
A mist emerged, and from within it leaped a One-horned Ghost King that looked towards the Floating Toa Mountain Taoist Palace and seemed somewhat fearful of proceeding.
"Haven’t you gone yet? Want to be refined by Demon Fire?"
Fang Xi sneered coldly, pinched a Magic Spell, and burned the One-horned Ghost King until it squealed again and again before finally riding a gust of black wind into the Yanmo Taoist Palace.
"Possession Skills!"
Seeing this, Fang Xi’s hand signs shifted, and a portion of his Divine Consciousness actually landed directly on the One-horned Ghost King, seemingly following it into the Yanmo Taoist Palace.
This was an application of Divine Consciousness from the ’Corpse Control Spell,’ which could only briefly attach to the controlled subject to acquire its senses; if exceeded a certain time limit, it would fail to function.
Fang Xi would not take risks with his own body, naturally choosing to possess the Ghost King to investigate the Taoist Palace’s peculiarities.
"This place... must have Prohibitions that limit Divine Consciousness."
The One-horned Ghost King, about ten feet tall, passed through the palace gate and into a field of broken walls and ruins.
Feeling the restrictions on his Divine Consciousness, unable to stray far from the body, Fang Xi couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
He walked past an overturned incense burner that was taller than a person, filled with various kinds of incense ash, which showed how prosperous the incense offerings must have been once.
The One-horned Ghost King walked barefoot, leaving huge footprints in the thick dust, looking up, it saw the plaque—’Yellow Spring Hall’!
It seemed somewhat fearful, but under Fang Xi’s compulsion, it still entered the hall.
As the main hall of the Taoist Palace, it was built quite magnificently and high, everywhere stood huge red lacquered pillars that required two people to embrace them, as if they soared into the clouds.
Fang Xi looked directly at the main altar.
What he saw in the center of the main worship was not any kind of Taoist Master statue but...
"Demon Lord?!"
Fang Xi involuntarily murmured to himself as he looked at the scene before him.
On the altar stood a demon statue, pitch-black all over, with three heads and six arms, a ferocious appearance, and a split in its brow showing a vertical crimson eye.
Behind this Demon Lord, there were six black hole murals, all of which had bizarre shapes as if they were about to suck in people’s souls.
"Indeed... are these the revered demon heads from the Demon Path?"
"This demon statue, I have never seen a similar description in any such texts..."
Fang Xi murmured to himself as the One-horned Ghost King suddenly let out a roar.
The decayed curtains surrounding them tore, and a piece of broken fabric fell from midair, caught by the Ghost King’s outstretched arms.
"It’s a Magic Spell... the ’Evoking Demon Spell’? A Qi Refining disciple’s cultivation method?"
Fang Xi glanced over it with disdain.
This ’Evoking Demon Spell’ was a technique on the same level as the ’Skin Peeling Skills,’ only capable of achieving early Taoist status. Naturally, he wouldn’t take it seriously.
But after a cursory glance, his Divine Consciousness fluctuated, bringing a sensation of surprise, "Hiss... This method of entering the path is rather too dangerous, isn’t it? It actually requires actively inviting external demons into one’s body... and then taming and refining the demon... to achieve the path!"
"Really... the cultivation methods of this world are all quite bizarre and brutal..."
He sighed but still memorized this Qi Refining technique.
Just then, Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness suddenly stirred, "Who’s there?"
The One-horned Ghost King let out a roar, revealing its true body—a three-zhang-tall Ghost Creature, which opened its mouth to spew a wave of green flames, sweeping across the surroundings.
Burn!
A strange scene unfolded.
The True Fire of the third-tier Ghost King, when it met the surrounding walls and the Demon Lord statue, was actually repelled by a flashing radiance.
It seemed that in this Great Hall, powerful protective Prohibitions were hidden as well.
As the green light surged, Fang Xi also saw the source of his unease.
In the darkness, there appeared to be an additional figure at some point!
No, that wasn’t a person, but...
...
"Ugh..."
Outside the Yanmo Taoist Palace, Fang Xi clutched his forehead, feeling as if his head would split apart.
He had permanently lost that part of his Divine Consciousness which he had possessed.
Crack!
A clear snapping sound rang out.
Fang Xi turned his head emotionlessly, only to see a crack had mysteriously appeared on his pitch-black Demon Banner.
"Even a third-tier One-horned Ghost King was instantly slain... nearly without the slightest chance to retaliate."
"The ’Great Terror’ within the Yanmo Taoist Palace is still within my expectations..."
He looked at the broken gate of the palace before him, his face changing between gloom and clarity for a while, before he finally turned into a pitch-black demon light and walked away.
Dozens of miles away.
A shadowy figure stealthily approached Floating Toa Mountain.
Seeing his plump figure, it was Pang Gong!
He looked toward Floating Toa Mountain with fear and nostalgia in his eyes... and even a hint of anticipation.
"Regarding the matter of the Taoist Palace, I have already laid it all out, without exaggerating or concealing any dangers... After all, that Master would definitely inquire about it extensively..."
"But if this person still doesn’t believe in the curse, and is determined to explore the Yanmo Taoist Palace... then that has nothing to do with me."
"Considering the dangers within the Taoist Palace, even a Master with a Nascent Soul might perish, losing both body and path, and then... the Golden Core..."
Pang Gong didn’t know what magic spell he used, but his figure suddenly vanished into the night, making him extremely difficult to detect.
"Oh? You think I’m going to die?"
And at that moment, a faint voice suddenly rang out beside him.
Pang Gong was startled and found that the handsome young man who had asked him for directions during the day was now standing on a piece of Green Rock, smiling at him with amusement.
He quickly bowed: "The senior jokes... This junior was only concerned about the senior’s safety and wanted to check... Now that I see the senior unharmed, I am truly relieved..."
"Hehe."
Fang Xi sneered coldly, the black light in his eyes flickering, and suddenly asked, "What exactly is that thing in the Taoist Palace? Is that the very source that all those evil creatures shun?"
"That is... Taoist Sin!"
Pang Gong felt a trance in his heart, and involuntarily blurted out.
After speaking, his face changed dramatically, and he covered his mouth.
"Taoist Sin?"
Fang Xi’s face changed, then contorted into a sneer: "It seems you really do know a lot..."
"This... My teacher, ’Master Xiaofeng’, once heard such things in the Taoist Palace..." Pang Gong quickly said.
"A Golden Core mentor..."
Fang Xi sneered, his figure suddenly flashed, and he gripped the man’s neck with his hand, the light in his eyes flickering: "Enough... I’ll see for myself!"
After a bout of soul searching, Fang Xi’s expression changed slightly: "So it is like this... This realm is indeed interesting... However, some preparations should still be made."
"It seems that I should still learn one or two of this realm’s cultivation methods... I wonder how much time that will take me... Wait, why am I being stupid? If I directly seek out those filled with sin from the Demon Path, I could immediately reach rapid success, no?"
...
Two years later.
In the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm.
On the edge of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.
Several streaks of light were controlling Spiritual Instruments, engaged in a fierce battle with a monster beast.
"Sir Gong has remarkable Divine Skills, this Flying Sword Skill is truly a genuine transmission from the Star Pointing Sect!"
A young Cultivator with Foundation Establishment looked at another female cultivator with adoration, constantly praising her.
That female cultivator, wearing a lotus green palace dress and still carrying traces of youthfulness on her beautiful face, was controlling a jade hairpin-like flying sword. It emitted streaks of green light, attacking the monster beast in front of her.
This Monster Beast looked like a monkey but had four arms and yellow-brown fur. It was skilled in Earth Escape Skills with the strength of a second-stage beast.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have managed to hold out this long under the siege of several Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Although the female cultivator with the surname Gong had a youthful face and was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, her skills in controlling the sword were quite masterful, seemingly the main force among the group.
"Ga!"
Just then, the four-armed monkey let out a roar, its Monster Qi surged, its muscles swelled, and its eyes turned blood red. It seemed to have advanced to the upper tiers of the second stage.
"No good... This monkey has awakened ’Blood Madness Skills’, a natural Monster Skill!"
Seeing this, a male Cultivator exclaimed in shock and horror.
But it was too late. After executing the Blood Madness Skills, the four-armed monkey’s body flashed with blood light, swept away the Cultivators’ Spiritual Instruments, and with a fierce leap, reached the male Cultivator in front of him.
"Gah!"
The monkey’s two arms, like iron pillars, smashed down fiercely.
The young Cultivator pointed, and a Black Iron Shield that hovered around him rose to meet the assault. The collision sounded like a gong being struck.
His face turned pale, and he was thrown far back, clearly severely injured.
As this Foundation Establishment Cultivator retreated, the siege immediately showed flaws.
The four-armed monkey, instead of retreating, advanced fiercely, its ferocity on full display as it charged toward the female cultivator named Gong.
"Bi Yun!"
The female cultivator named Gong pointed at her flying sword, and it immediately turned into a streak of green light, attempting to strike the monster beast’s back.
But the monkey, as if it had grown eyes on the back of its head, grabbed the jade-like flying sword in its hands with two arms.
The remaining two arms tightly clenched, Monster Qi overflowing, hammered down like a mallet onto the female cultivator’s defensive Spiritual Instrument—a Cloud Banner.
Seeing the female cultivator named Gong’s complexion grow increasingly pale, the remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators exchanged glances and immediately turned into Escape Lights, shooting back rapidly...
"You..."
Seeing this, the female cultivator named Gong was infuriated.
Crack!
After taking several heavy strikes, her defensive Spiritual Instrument, the Cloud Banner, faded in light and fell to one side.
The hideous face of the monster monkey was now mere inches away.
Just as the female cultivator named Gong closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, a loud and clear phoenix cry suddenly echoed from the sky!