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Li Hong was aware that something unusual was beneath him. As he extended his Divine Consciousness, it felt as if he were sinking into a quagmire; everything around him was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything clearly. He decided to retreat to the mountaintop, sitting cross-legged, and once again reached out with his Divine Consciousness. This time, instead of directly probing the hillside, he made a wide circle to explore the surroundings.
It was as if his eyes were attached to the surface; Li Hong "saw" that beneath the strange, murky darkness of the hillside lay a Deep Valley. Deep within, there was a faint glimmer of light swaying like a small lantern.
There shouldn't be anyone in such a remote Deep Valley; could it be a Demon Cultivator?
Li Hong was overjoyed and continued to probe downward with his Divine Consciousness.
This Gorge was extremely deep, with cliffs facing each other, plunging over a thousand feet before reaching the bottom. The valley opened up significantly at the base, much wider than the narrow gorge above. In the center stood a small elegant structure, surrounded by blooming trees that concealed a green bamboo pavilion. The windows were wide open, and two middle-aged gentlemen were seated across from each other, engaged in conversation. On the small table in front of them lay a chessboard, with black and white pieces scattered about; both men were deeply engrossed in their game.
The appearance of these two men was quite Strange. One wore a long white robe adorned with peculiar striped patterns and a white leather hat that seemed to have something protruding from underneath, raising it high. His round face was clean-shaven, and his eyes rolled about nimbly, clearly displaying a mischievous glint.
The other man was even Stranger; dressed in blue with a white crown, his face resembled that of a horse—very elongated. Coupled with the tall white crown on his head, his face appeared to be over two feet long. The skin had a slight greenish hue, and he sported a short beard of deep green color. His appearance was indescribably Strange.
Both men exuded an aura of Strange power; the one in the striped white robe had it concentrated at his chest, while the one in blue with the white crown had it gathered at his head.
This must be what is referred to as demonic power or demonic essence in legends. Just as Li Hong was about to investigate their attributes, both men seemed to sense something and simultaneously looked up. Li Hong saw four eyes shining with an unusual light blinking at him; thick black mist immediately surged toward him. His Divine Consciousness instinctively retreated. As he probed again toward the valley floor, he found himself once more in that quagmire-like state.
It had to be a Demon Cultivator! With such high cultivation, this might just be the person he was looking for! But the most urgent matter now was to rescue Ling Yi Zi; he must have fallen into the trap set by those two demons and was trapped.
How could he save him? Li Hong pondered quietly.
The hillside... locust flowers... Ling Yi Zi like a stone sculpture... replaying the hurried scene he had just witnessed in his mind left Li Hong with an unsettling feeling that he had missed something important.
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him; he jumped up and summoned Lingyi. The suddenly expanding Five-Color Radiance shot down toward the spot where he had just been sitting.
Dust and debris flew everywhere as Summit vanished, turning into flat ground. Li Hong disregarded everything and commanded Lingyi to continue digging downwards. The sound of flying sand and collapsing mountains echoed throughout the area, resembling an earthquake. The rumbling noise shattered the silence.
In the blink of an eye, Li Hong had dug down dozens of yards, revealing a massive pit where Summit once stood. At this depth, he became cautious, continuing to dig deeper while avoiding breaking the rocks that would expose the outer soil layer. This depth was now level with the slope of the mountain.
Indeed, he found what he was looking for. Li Hong sneered and continued to direct Lingyi to blast downwards.
However, something strange happened; a thick liquid surged up in the dusty pit. This liquid was as viscous as plasma and quickly filled the pit, with a strange sound emanating from the cracks in the rocks.
Li Hong coldly said, "Will you release them? If not, I will cut off all your roots!" He raised his sword menacingly, ready to act if his demands were not met.
"Please wait, young friend!" A pleading voice reached his ears.
Lingyi suddenly brightened, illuminating the thick liquid in the pit—it was blood! Upon closer inspection, many roots of the Old Huai Tree were spread throughout the mountain body, with several severed roots gushing out large amounts of blood. The severed roots seemed alive, writhing and pulsating.
"Release them first! Otherwise, your disciples may not survive!" Li Hong shouted sternly.
The thick fog on the slope immediately receded, revealing a large area of blooming Old Huai Trees. In the middle stood a person in a daze—it was Ling Yi Zi. At that moment, it seemed like Ling Yi Zi had just awakened from a dream; he looked up and saw Iridescence at the mountain's peak before hurriedly flying over.
"Come out," Li Hong nodded towards Ling Yi Zi and continued shouting down the slope.
A tall figure in green clothing and a white crown slowly walked into the light, his face pale green with apparent anger. Following closely behind him was another person—the round-faced man in white who had been conversing with him.
Ling Yi Zi's eyes fixed on the round-faced man in white. After a moment, he suddenly clasped his hands in salute: "Nine Departures Sect, Nine Beam Peak, Elder Brother Ling Yi greets Du Yizi, Ancestor!"
Li Hong was taken aback. Could this round-faced figure in white be the destination of their journey, the reclusive senior Demon Cultivator?
Du Yizi seemed quite approachable, his round eyes blinking as he quickly shifted his gaze from Ling Yi Zi to Li Hong. Noticing Li Hong staring blankly at him, he blinked and curiously pointed at Li Hong, asking, "Who is he? Is he also your Elder Brother from the Nine Li Sect?"
Ling Yi Zi nudged Li Hong, prompting him to clasp his fists and say, "Elder Brother Chu Hong of the Nine Vermilion Peaks pays respects to Ancestor!"
There was no choice but to address him as Ancestor. This round-faced figure in white was a true descendant of the Ancient Spirit Beasts, a Dugou, who had cultivated for ten thousand years. His seniority was astonishingly high; the Guardian Mountain Beast of the Nine Li Sect, Senior Phoenix, could barely stand on equal footing with him, but in terms of cultivation, it was far behind. He had already reached the level of a high-tier celestial beast and had fully transformed, while the phoenix of the Nine Li Sect had yet to shed its original form.
It was said that this white-robed round-faced figure's original form was quite strange—a dog-headed horse-tailed white tiger. No wonder his white robe was covered in tiger-like patterns; this robe must be his innate treasure, made from his own fur. The two prominent objects atop his white fur hat were undoubtedly two dog ears.
Li Hong thought about his original form being that of a dog’s head and then looked at Du Yizi's round face with its pair of bright eyes and two erect dog ears. No matter how one looked at it, he still resembled a dog. He couldn't help but chuckle internally while trying hard to suppress it on his face.
Du Yizi remained noncommittal towards Ling Yi Zi but was very curious about Li Hong, tilting his head and observing him closely. He remarked, "You are quite clever."
Li Hong was about to respond modestly when the Azure Robed White Crown Figure suddenly stepped forward two paces and coldly snorted, "How dare you harm my disciples! This is intolerable! Leave at once; you are not welcome here! I have spared you from leaving your belongings behind only because of Brother Du Yizi. Now get lost!"
Li Hong rolled his eyes. Who do you think you are? Du Yizi is a high-tier celestial beast who has achieved enlightenment for millennia; you are merely a Sophora Ghost who has just taken on human form. Your cultivation level pales in comparison to Du Yizi's, yet you have the audacity to shout at me!
"This is not your place to speak! Go cool off somewhere else!" Li Hong retorted rudely.
Suddenly, all the locust trees around began to tremble violently as a chilling wind swept through, bringing an oppressive aura. The Old Huai Ghost's face turned as green as a banana leaf, furious to the point of nearly losing consciousness.
"Well then, you sharp-tongued little brat! Just wait until I wipe you out today!"
Suddenly, the body transformed into a green Whirlwind, from which countless objects flew out, rushing towards Li Hong. These objects were quite Strange, resembling small green butterflies, with an Extreme Yin nature. Before the swarm of butterflies reached him, Li Hong already felt the chilling ghostly power approaching.
The Sophora Ghost was very Strange, existing between a ghost and a spirit. Due to the Yin nature of the Sophora tree, especially those growing on the shady slopes of Deep Mountain Forest, it often became inhabited by mountain spirits and ghosts. They absorbed the moonlight for cultivation through its Extreme Yin properties. Over time, this Sophora tree merged with the spirits and ghosts that possessed it, slowly becoming a being of half spirit and half ghost. However, its cultivation leaned more towards the Ghost Path, hence it was called the "Sophora Ghost."
Here, many Sophora trees were Sophora Ghosts, but the one in front of him, the Old Huai Ghost, was the most powerful because it had shed its original form to cultivate into a human-like body. Li Hong estimated that if ghostly power were rated on a scale of ten, with Ji Lingzi from Nine Li Sect at Golden Lantern Gorge being a level three ghost king, then this Old Huai Ghost would be at level five.
But what did level five matter? His Six Spirit Salty Ritual was inherently a nemesis to Yin entities. Moreover, he carried the Fire Separation Pearl with Samadhi True Fire; the Old Huai Ghost was practically courting death!
Ling Yi Zi stood by watching coldly and casually said, "Hold on before you act." Despite his words, he remained unmoving and showed no signs of tension. He understood now that they had inadvertently fallen into a trap set by a group of Sophora Ghosts resembling a Ghost Wall. The Old Huai Ghost before him was merely relying on Du Yizi for support; its own cultivation could not compare to Li Hong's.
Li Hong remained steadfast as countless Yin Wind Huai needles approached him. Only then did he leisurely stomp his foot.
Boom! Flames erupted from his entire body, and in an instant, Li Hong became a Fire Man. This fire was Samadhi True Fire.
The Yin Wind Huai needles were transformed from the horns of the Sophora Ghost and possessed Extreme Yin attributes. Samadhi True Fire happened to be the nemesis of Yin entities. As soon as the Huai needles touched Li Hong, they sizzled and melted away. The Old Huai Ghost finally realized Li Hong's strength and trembled in fear, quickly retreating.
He dared not stay; the needles contained his life force ghostly power. If they burned away, it would equate to depleting his cultivation. Since he couldn't harm Li Hong in any way, did he intend to wait for Li Hong to burn him completely? He feigned bravado and said, "Good lad! Do you dare to draw a line with me and have an official duel?" Implicitly suggesting that his earlier actions were merely a test.
In front of his numerous disciples, the Old Huai Ghost cared about face and attempted to conceal the fact that he was no match for Li Hong.
Li Hong disdainfully replied, "What is there to duel about? I can't be bothered to fight you. You are simply not my opponent!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the large group of Sophora trees on the hillside began to sway violently in indignation once again.
"Alright, alright," Du Yizi said with interest as he finally spoke. He turned to Old Huai Ghost and gently said, "Huai Shan, Junior Brother, don't be angry. Sitting idly in the mountains, is there a guest? The moonlight is just right tonight; why don't we enjoy some wine and conversation instead of fighting?"
His words were simple and gentle. Li Hong thought to himself that Du Yizi was quite an elegant person and willing to chat; it seemed that this mission might have hope after all.
Du Yizi waved to Ling Yi Zi and Li Hong with a smile, saying, "Come on, let's all go to my Mountain Flower Cottage to admire the moon."
Huai Shanzi's face turned a mix of green and blue; he wanted to storm off but understood that his current strength relied on Du Yizi's protection. How could he dare to ignore Du Yizi's words? Seeing that Li Hong and Ling Yi Zi had followed along, he could only slowly lag behind, turning back to say, "Don't be afraid, my little ones! I will make sure that the rude brat apologizes to me!"
The Sophora Ghosts nodded their heads, looking like a group of tail-wagging puppies.
Only then did Huai Shanzi's expression improve as he adjusted his attire and followed along.
Li Hong clearly heard a surge of mocking words welling up inside him, but just then he caught sight of Du Yizi smiling lightly at him. Though his face bore a dog-like expression, it was evident that he meant to gently dissuade him.
Du Yizi had some depth; it seemed he was quite perceptive. Li Hong couldn't help but feel a bit fond of him.
Atop the Azure Bamboo Pavilion, the four sat under the moonlight. Above them hung a deep blue sky, and the bright moon had risen in the east, casting its slanted light into the valley below. The silver glow illuminated the surrounding Mountain Flowers, filling the air with the fragrance of wood leaves mixed with the subtle scent of locust flowers. This scene made one forget all worldly thoughts.
"My Mountain Flower Cottage isn't bad, right?" Du Yizi smiled as he waved his hand. The chessboard floated out from the window and slowly descended between the four of them. With another wave of his hand, a set of wine utensils along with a jug of fine wine flew up and landed neatly beside the chessboard.
Li Hong watched with great interest and secretly extended his Divine Consciousness to probe Du Yizi's body.
He was at the Initial Golden Core level while Du Yizi had already reached what could be considered the Late Stage of Nascent Soul. Logically speaking, Li Hong shouldn't have been able to detect Du Yizi's cultivation level at all. However, since Li Hong practiced the Six Spirit Salty Ritual, his Divine Consciousness was superior to that of an ordinary Primordial Infant Old Monster. Being so close allowed him to discern every detail about Du Yizi's physical structure without any concealment.
Du Yizi indeed had a human form, with a body structure almost indistinguishable from that of a human. However, what was tied at his chest was not a Nascent Soul, but rather a small Dugou, a pure energy entity. The little Dugou was sitting cross-legged, gently floating in the vast sea of white demonic energy at his chest, looking quite adorable and amusing.
Du Yizi seemed to sense what Li Hong was doing; he felt somewhat uncomfortable and tightened the collar of his striped white robe. Li Hong immediately noticed that his Divine Consciousness was blocked and quickly sat up straight. However, he felt puzzled—could it be that demons could also ascend? After ascending, even if they became pure energy entities, would they still retain their original forms? If so, then the many years spent cultivating to attain a human form would have been in vain!
It seemed Du Yizi could read his thoughts; his round eyes blinked a few times before he suddenly said something that Li Hong never expected: "Let's play a game of chess. If you win, you will surely get what you wish for."
Li Hong's head buzzed, and the beautiful scenery before him instantly vanished.
Play chess! Growing up in a mountain village, he had never encountered such an elegant pastime. He had heard of it but had no idea how to play. This was truly challenging! He looked helplessly at Ling Yi Zi for help. However, Ling Yi Zi remained completely still, observing with an expressionless face and ignoring Li Hong's pleading gaze. Li Hong felt embarrassed and scratched his nose.
Du Yizi blinked his round eyes and said, "You really don't know how to play chess? That's even better! It will lead to unexpected strategies. The rules of Go are quite simple; I'll teach you right away. You play as white first, and I will play as black afterward. You just need to surround my pieces to capture them; whoever occupies more territory wins."
He enthusiastically pointed at the board and added, "I'll give you ten pieces; you can place your stones first."
Li Hong picked up a white stone, gazing at the large board with its intersecting lines. He closed his eyes and randomly placed it in the center, then carelessly dropped stones in various directions until he filled ten spaces.
Du Yizi smiled: "Now it's my turn."
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