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墨書 Inktalez
Yun Jiuzi went out to capture live prey. Li Hong and Yue Changzi were also busy; they collaborated once again to mass-produce Corpse Collection Bottles. This item had proven to be the nemesis of Demon Sect Monsters, so the more, the better.
In the Artifact Hall warehouse, boxes of Supreme Fire Jade Essence were taken out and handed over to Yue Changzi's eldest disciple, Ling Yizi, and second disciple, Ling Xianzi, to be refined in the Heaven and Earth Fire Spirit Eye for three days and nights, burning away a slight amount of impurities and transforming it into crystal-clear Fire Jade Essence liquid.
Yue Changzi sat on the ground, using spiritual power to manipulate the glowing Fire Jade Essence liquid into a bottle shape. Before it cooled down, he inscribed a Sensing Array at the mouth of the bottle and layered Minor Fire Arrays inside the bottle body.
Soon, the first Corpse Collection Bottle was completed.
Li Hong took it and muttered, "It's no different from the last one; it's still a consumable. No way, Master, you have to improve the formation. You need to find a way to refine Yin Dan without letting the Corpse Collection Bottle burst from excessive Yin Power."
Yue Changzi frowned, "Little Monkey, do you think I don't want to? I just can't think of any improvements." Then he suddenly turned around and glared at Li Hong: "Your senior brothers are working hard; Little Monkey, you just talk without doing anything. I command you to make a Corpse Collection Bottle! If you say my work is not good, then yours must be able to continuously absorb ten Yin Dans to pass."
Li Hong was eager to try. "Let's give it a shot!"
The Sensing Array and Minor Fire Array were not unfamiliar to Li Hong; the key was to be quick with his hands and eyes, skillful with his mind, and precise with his Divine Consciousness. He had to inscribe these two formations before the Fire Jade Essence liquid cooled and formed; being clumsy would not yield a good artifact.
Previously, Li Hong had tried inscribing formation patterns but only played around without truly refining an artifact. Hearing Yue Changzi's words now sparked his desire to personally refine a Corpse Collection Bottle.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he focused his mind. Ling Yizi smiled and said, "Junior Brother seems quite capable. Here it comes, catch!"
A ball of fiery red Fire Jade Essence liquid slowly flew toward him, hovering in front of Li Hong. He immediately took hold of it; a golden light enveloped the Fire Jade Essence liquid, causing it to spin slowly. At the same time, he projected an Awareness into the bottle's mouth as it spun, creating an inwardly concave bottle body.
Yue Changzi stopped refining and watched Li Hong's actions with a smile, reminding him: "That's enough; first inscribe the Sensing Array."
The Sensing Array pattern was not complicated but required inscribing four formations simultaneously in an instant to cover all four directions. With Li Hong's powerful Divine Consciousness, this was not difficult for him. With a thought, four golden lights shot out from his index and middle fingers on both hands simultaneously as he swiftly inscribed four Sensing Arrays.
Even Ling Yizi was watching closely; he exclaimed: "Not bad! Keep going; quickly inscribe Minor Fire Arrays inside the bottle body—more is better! The more you inscribe, the more thoroughly Yin Dan will be refined; this is where it counts!"
Li Hong did not dare slack off; his fingers moved rapidly as golden lights flew into the small bottle opening one after another while he inscribed layer upon layer of Minor Fire Arrays on the spinning bottle body.
"One, two, three, four, five..." Ling Yizi's eyes widened in excitement while Yue Changzi stroked his beard and chuckled.
Li Hong carved ten Minor Fire Arrays, leaving Ling Yizi in awe. He thought that even his master, Yue Changzi, could only carve ten Minor Fire Arrays on the Corpse Collection Bottle.
The Corpse Collection Bottle had not completely cooled down when Li Hong suddenly slapped his forehead and muttered, "How could I forget this!" A beam of golden light flew into the bottle, and he began to carve a certain formation outside the tenth layer of the Minor Fire Array, which was close to the outermost layer of the jade bottle.
Yue Changzi's expression became serious as he observed closely. Although he did not recognize this formation, he knew that Li Hong must have a profound purpose behind it.
As the Nameless Formation was completed, the Corpse Collection Bottle finally cooled down completely. A faint Azure Light flashed, signaling the successful completion.
Yue Changzi snatched the still-smoking Corpse Collection Bottle and, after a moment of observation, understood its mystery. He exclaimed, "What formation did you carve on the outer layer?! Tsk tsk, I can see this won't be a consumable anymore! This thing has the quality of a High-Quality Magical Artifact. I am pleased to announce that Little Monkey has graduated!" His eyes twinkled as he added, "But you still need to be available at all times. Now tell me what formation you carved on the outer layer. I see this formation is good; it seems capable of dispersing a large amount of Yin Power."
"Master has a good eye," Li Hong said with delight, immediately flattering Yue Changzi. "This is called Scattering Spirit Array, a formation diagram I obtained from the Ancient Celestial Field. I just remembered it suddenly. After refining Yin Dan, a large amount of Yin Power remains inside. If we carve a small-scale Scattering Spirit Array on the outer layer, it will naturally disperse the excess Yin Power, preventing the Corpse Collection Bottle from exploding."
"Haha! So it's the Scattering Spirit Array! I was foolish not to think of that! Well, even if I had thought of it, I don't have the diagram. Now it's time for you to tell me the detailed diagram of this Scattering Spirit Array; don’t hide anything!" Yue Changzi laughed heartily.
Li Hong began to draw on the ground. Before he finished, Yue Changzi already understood: "So it's just like reversing the Spirit Gathering Array. Ah, I'm really an old fool!"
The master and disciple worked together harmoniously. This time they refined two hundred High-Quality Magical Artifacts in the form of Corpse Collection Bottles—one for each member of the Patrol Team, while the rest were distributed to various elders and Elder Brother. Li Hong specifically kept five for himself as spares.
Yue Changzi knew what he was thinking and wanted to ask him about Chu Xi but ultimately refrained from doing so. He was present when Li Hong rejected marriage in the main hall that day and understood that Li Hong was not as cold-blooded as he appeared then.
Perhaps it was just a little quarrel between a couple… Yue Changzi chuckled at this thought.
********
Yun Jiuzi returned to the mountain with a captive.
In the secret chamber of the Artifact Hall deep underground, there were now sets of interrogation tools. The Demon had been captured and was locked onto a large Dark Iron Rack with Heavenly Gold Essence Iron Chains piercing through both sides of its scapula. Its limbs were pinned down simultaneously, and its Yin Dan was sealed by Yun Jiuzi. The Demon was also subjected to seventeen or eighteen different kinds of potent drugs provided by Elder Yao, keeping its Divine Consciousness in a daze and preventing any release of Yin Power.
With countless layers of security measures in place, escape for the Demon was nearly impossible unless their Yandao Demon Lord personally came to rescue it, which offered just a glimmer of hope for escape.
But that was certainly impossible. The Demon understood that there was no chance for survival and attempted suicide when slightly more aware. Thus, everyone had no choice but to remove its jawbone so that it couldn't chew its tongue like a mortal would—though it might not necessarily lead to death.
Once ready, Yun Jiuzi, Li Hong, Spirit Stone, and Yue Changzi, along with the personally arrived Ling Xuzi, opened the Restrictions and stepped inside.
Having been imprisoned for ten days, the Demon had deep-set eyes and appeared almost dazed.
Yun Jiuzi approached and reattached its jawbone, pulling out a small Porcelain Bottle for it to smell. The Demon suddenly shook its head awake and immediately shouted, "You dare to capture me! The remnants of the Nine Li Sect are waiting to be completely annihilated by our Demon Ancestor!"
Li Hong chuckled leisurely, "Are you referring to Yandao Demon Lord? He doesn't even know if he's alive or dead!"
The Demon showed a horrified expression, "Are you talking about Master Zong? You dare to mention the Ancestor's name! You better clean yourself up and wait for death!"
"Bah!" Li Hong was furious and rushed forward to grab the Demon's collar. However, he quickly released it and instead pulled on two Heavenly Gold Essence Iron Chains attached to its Scapula, laughing joyfully, "Let me give you a taste of the feeling of being unable to live or die!"
The Golden Essence Iron Chains scraped against bone and flesh with a creaking sound that made one’s teeth ache.
The Demon screamed in agony, writhing in pain. However, its limbs were nailed to the Mysterious Iron frame with foot-long Dark Iron Nails, which aggravated its wounds and caused it to sob uncontrollably. Finally, it couldn't help but plead for mercy: "Stop! Stop! I'll talk!"
"That's the best news," Li Hong said with a sinister smile.
Seeing that "evil" grin, the Demon gasped in fear and became terrified of Li Hong.
Ling Xuzi and the others were nearly laughing out loud; this was exactly what they wanted! They felt their status was too high to resort to torture, so it was best for Li Hong to take action.
Ling Xuzi slowly walked in front of the Demon and said seriously, "I am Ling Xuzi, the leader of the Nine Li Sect. You should know my identity and the weight of my words. If you tell me everything you know truthfully, I promise not to kill you." He paused for a moment before suddenly emphasizing his words: "If you lie, I will ensure you cannot live or die!"
Li Hong stepped forward at the right moment, placing his foot on one of the Demon's feet that was nailed down by the Dark Iron Nails, adopting an intimidating stance.
The Demon reluctantly leaned down to look and immediately nodded like a chick pecking at grain: "I will speak truthfully! If I utter a single lie, may I die a horrible death!" It then forced a flattering smile at Ling Xuzi: "Master Leader, I have always known you are a good person. I believe your words absolutely. I will definitely speak honestly."
"Very well, go ahead and ask," Ling Xuzi turned towards Spirit Stone.
"Who is the Demon Ancestor you just mentioned?"
"That's our Ruyi Palace's Demon Ancestor, known as the Snow Demon Ancestor, but he prefers to be called Ruyi Lang." The Demon looked very strange, his eyes darting around.
"Ruyi Lang? Li Hong felt a wave of nausea; could it be a Rabbit Spirit?
The Spirit Stone chuckled and patted the Demon's face, saying, "It seems your appearance must not be favored by your Ancestor."
"That's right, I look a bit rugged, so I've never been of much use," the Demon sighed.
Li Hong felt another wave of intense nausea. So this so-called Ruyi Palace is actually a rabbit den? A group of Rabbit Spirit Demons? He suddenly thought of that 'Rabbit Spirit' Demon leader from that day in the clouds. Looking at the captive before him, who had been locked up for ten days, with a scruffy beard and an appearance that could only be described as decent, he was worlds away from delicate or beautiful.
"How is the Snow Demon's cultivation? How does it compare to our Sect Leader?" the Spirit Stone asked.
The Demon seriously sized up Ling Xuzi and then turned to Yun Jiuzi, raising his chin: "Higher than your Sect Leader's; about the same as his."
A storm surged in the hearts of the five, but their faces remained calm.
Yun Jiuzi sneered, "Don't lie; is it because I captured you that you're flattering your side?"
"I wouldn't dare; it's true. I once saw the Demon Ancestor from afar, and even at that distance, I could feel the cold killing intent radiating from him. His cultivation is indeed about the same as yours," the Demon quickly replied.
Everyone fell into contemplation.
This Demon had reached the Congealing Yin Pill stage, with cultivation roughly equivalent to the mid-stage Golden Core. The fact that he couldn't withstand the cold killing intent from the Snow Demon from afar indicated that the Snow Demon's cultivation was indeed quite high.
"Where did you capture him?" Ling Xuzi turned to ask Yun Jiuzi.
"To the east, in Taihang."
Ling Xuzi then asked the Demon, "Is your Ruyi Palace in Taihang?"
"Yes, but we call it Xiantai."
"That's right, it seems clear now, Ruyi Palace is just to our east," Ling Xuzi continued to Ask the Way: "How many people are there in Ruyi Palace?"
"Well... I really don't know... I'm just a minor errand runner, a small leader with only five subordinates. However, I have attended a meeting in the inner hall before, and there were people everywhere, hard to count in the darkness, at least three to five thousand, I suppose." The Demon initially said he didn't know, but seeing the "ferocity" flash in Li Hong's eyes, he quickly added a few more words.
"Three to five thousand are all at your level of cultivation?"
"Yes, they are only higher than me, none lower; otherwise, they wouldn't qualify to enter the inner hall." Speaking of having been in the inner hall, the Demon seemed quite proud.
Darkness... Li Hong keenly caught this word and asked fiercely: "Where is the inner hall? Why was the meeting held in darkness?"
As he spoke, he made a move as if to draw his Heavenly Gold Essence Iron Chain.
The Demon immediately shouted: "The inner hall is deep underground in a cave where no light is allowed. I was brought there to kneel and wasn't allowed to look up. It was very dark; I could only sense the presence of three to five thousand people around me. I never actually counted!"
"How do you get there?" Yun Jiuzi asked.
"I don't know! I was only taken there once! I was blindfolded from very far away and truly can't remember how we got there. We walked for a long time through twists and turns; all I know is that it's very deep underground, with many traps and guards. At that time, there were also several terrifying powerful presences around. Even if you forced me to lead you, I'd still be unable to get you in!"
Li Hong felt a chill in his heart; a cave deep underground filled with traps and three to five thousand Demon cultivators at mid-stage Golden Core level or above, plus one or who knows how many Heavenly Fusion Stage Old Demon overseeing it. This was just one Dark Hall! The power of the Demon Sect is too frightening!
Yun Jiuzi leisurely asked: "Is the Snow Demon a disciple of the Yandao Demon Lord?"
"Yes, everyone knows this. Our Demon Ancestor is the second disciple of the Ancestor! It is said that the Ancestor has four major disciples!" The Demon quickly replied loudly.
The four major disciples of the Four Major Dark Halls, this was no news for the Nine Li Sect, but it was the first time hearing about it for Ruyi Palace and its master, the Snow Demon.
When asked further, however, the Demon had no idea. It seemed he was merely a small outer figure in Ruyi Palace. Aside from some matters related to his own sect, he knew nothing about how many other Dark Halls there were, who they were under, or how many Demon there were. Moreover, when it came to the origins of the Demonic Cultivation Technique, he shook his head in ignorance.
He only knew that he had been taken by the Demon Sect when he was young and then thrown into a dark cave to practice. There were always howling ghostly sounds around him; he didn't know how long he trained before being brought out to start working on the outside.
According to him, only by gaining appreciation from higher-ups would one obtain lower-level Demonic Arts. Thus, his current cultivation level had stagnated. He had only obtained three levels of Demonic Arts, and according to him, his direct superior was refining the fourth level of the Demonic Arts.
Regarding the principle of the Demonic Arts and why the Soul Summoning and Spirit Refining Banner is highly toxic, he stammered and couldn't explain at all, only saying that everyone there practiced this way.
It seemed he was just a fool. Yun Jiuzi and the others exchanged glances, shaking their heads in disbelief.
"I'll ask you one last question: where did the Walking Corpse come from?" Spirit Stone asked.
"I only know a little about it; it seems to be sent by another Dark Hall. As for which Dark Hall, it seems related to the other three disciples of the Ancestor. Honestly, that's all I know. I've told you everything, so please let me go..." The Demon pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
Ling Xuzi and the others walked outside the secret chamber, the Demon’s cries still echoing in their ears.
Li Hong suddenly said, "Let him go!"
Yun Jiuzi stopped and turned to him, "You mean..."
"Knowing both yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle. We can use him as an insider. After all, he has revealed so many secrets to us. If Ruyi Palace finds out, they will definitely be the first to kill him; he knows this very well. Let's have him gather information for us and agree on how often we meet. Hmph, I don't believe we can't get any inside information on the Demon Sect," Li Hong sneered.
Ling Xuzi and Spirit Stone exchanged glances, both feeling it made sense.
Yun Jiuzi patted Li Hong on the shoulder, "Then the Demon will fear you; from now on, you will be his contact."
"No way!" Spirit Stone was the first to object.
Li Hong laughed, saying leisurely, "That suits me just fine."
And so it was decided. Li Hong took that Demon, known by the title Xiu Ming, out of the mountain and released him.
With threats and temptations aplenty, Li Hong waved a green pill in front of him and said, "This is the antidote for the poison in your body. Meet me once a year at Taihang Heavenly Well Pass, and I will bring the antidote. At that time, I also want to know what I need to know. You must understand that this matter is known to heaven and earth, you and me. If you're not afraid of being soul-refined by your Ruyi Lang personally, feel free to tell him."
Xiu Ming's eyes bulged in fear as he nodded vigorously, "I absolutely won't dare! I will definitely gather what your sect wants to know; I will handle it well. Please trust me."
"Very good," Yun Jiuzi approached with something in hand: "Your Soul Summoning and Spirit Refining Banner. Take it; remember to do your job well, and there will be unexpected benefits for you in the future."
Xiu Ming drove the Soul Summoning and Spirit Refining Banner away.
Li Hong noticed that his movement was quite different from the group of Demons carrying Walking Corpses. Those Demons were accustomed to suddenly appearing, while he was controlling the Soul Summoning and Spirit Refining Banner. It seemed that the attack on the Nine Li Sect with Walking Corpses indeed came from another Demon Sect Dark Hall.
Yun Jiuzi pondered after hearing this: "It is indeed possible. However, it could also be due to his insufficient cultivation. It appears that even among the Demons of Ruyi Palace, there are distinctions between the inner hall and the outer circle. This person is not very useful; at most, he is just cannon fodder. Let's see how things unfold in a year; there's no need to contact him for now. I think I should make another trip to capture a real inner hall Demon."
********
Before Yun Jiuzi could leave the mountain, the Demons attacked once more, this time bringing an even larger number of Walking Corpses, with each team consisting of over ten thousand. They were very targeted, splitting up to rush towards the four mountain exits of the Li Fire Formation.
All four mountain exits had been exposed!
The Patrol Team was fully mobilized, splitting into three directions to intercept them, while Yun Jiuzi charged alone toward the South Mountain Exit, which had become a toxic wasteland.
The great battle was about to begin again.
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