Demon Taming: Start by synthesizing a Lantern Ghost with Divine and Demonic Talents

Chapter 180, Chapter 179: Chaos in Ancient Times, Maha (First Update)
[You are undergoing your sixth tribulation, at the first level of the Abyss. After ten tribulations, you will automatically descend into the Abyss!]

[You have used the Anchor of Time and Space. This trial will take place in the Chaotic Ancient World.]

[This Trial Mode: Survival!]

[Background: The Maha Mountains, where demons have reappeared!]

[Mission Duration: Seven Days]

When he regained consciousness, Li Chunfeng was already outside a temple.

On the temple's magnificent plaque, three large characters written in etched script are clearly visible.

—Luangu Temple!

"came back!"

Li Chunfeng instantly checked his own condition and discovered that this time it was another time a substitute had transmigrated.

The body it occupied belonged to a teenager. His pale robe was relatively clean, but he was very thin and looked malnourished.

This Chaotic Ancient Temple was extremely magnificent, many times larger and more imposing than any other Chaotic Ancient Temple or Spider Mother Holy Sect he had ever seen.

The entire Maha Mountain Range is towering and stretches endlessly.

Luangu Temple almost occupies the highest main peak of the Maha Mountains.

It is nighttime, and the temple is brightly lit. The golden roof is bathed in Buddha's light, illuminating half of the mountain, which shows how luxurious the Luangu Temple is.

At the temple gate, there was a large monkey dressed in a bright yellow monk's robe, holding a water-and-fire stick, maintaining order and preventing outside practitioners from entering the temple. Occasionally, it would scold people to speak softly and not disturb the Buddha.

After Li Chunfeng searched through the original owner's memories, he also gained a general understanding of the location of this tribulation.

—Also in Maha City.

However, the timeline seems to have moved forward by many years compared to the last time, and the geographical environment has changed drastically.

The ancient temple in Maha City is known as a sacred Buddhist site.

Although the Ancient Buddha of Chaos has been ascended for over a hundred years, he remains renowned and has also brought blessings to the Chaos Temple, the place where he started his business.

Li Chunfeng pondered, "We've arrived early this time; I wonder if we'll be able to find the 'Chaotic Ancient Demon Embryo Scripture'?"

The ancient temple of today is completely different from the one I once saw.

Neither the towering mountains nor the magnificent temples resembled the small temples in the city he had seen on his last visit.

I have absolutely no recollection of Maha City.

Not to mention that it is backed by the massive Maha Mountain Range, most of the ordinary people in the city are Buddhists, and the cultivators live with ordinary people. The number of believers is nearly several million, and the number of cultivators is also in the hundreds of thousands. It is a true Buddhist ancestral temple.

Mahayana dwelling is not easy.

The original owner of this body was an ordinary boy from a mountain village. His grandfather, who had gone out to seek immortality many years ago, found him when he returned to his hometown to visit relatives. Because he had the aptitude for cultivation, his grandfather took him to live in the Maha Immortal City. His grandfather taught him the methods of cultivating immortality, and the two of them struggled to cultivate immortality as mortals at the very bottom of this immortal city.

Before the New Year, the original owner had just reached the first level of Qi Refining when his grandfather couldn't wait to go out hunting to earn cultivation resources, but he never returned.

Only the original body remained, struggling to survive.

Fortunately, the original owner had already reached the first level of Qi Refining, so he didn't fall to the level of a beggar, but he was definitely at the very bottom of the cultivation world.

But now a strange thing is happening in the city.

Every night, man-eating monsters appear, specifically targeting cultivators, and a large number of cultivators have already gone missing. Despite a long investigation by the Chaotic Ancient Temple, the crisis remains unresolved.

Many impoverished monks shamelessly came to the outside of Luan Gu Temple seeking refuge.

But they were unwilling to pay, so they couldn't even get through the gate of the Buddhist temple.

They could only stand at the gate like Li Chunfeng, praying for protection.

Li Chunfeng glanced at the giant ape demon; it was just a gatekeeper demon, yet it possessed the strength of a third-tier being.

The reputation of Luangu Temple was well-deserved, and he decisively chose to leave.

This extremely prosperous temple was so different from the dilapidated place he had imagined.

So what kind of calamity led to the ruin of Luangu Temple in later generations, and even the destruction of the Maha Mountain Range?

Could this be the calamity?
Whatever the reason, in his view, the situation at Luangu Temple was far more dangerous than that in the city.

Arriving at Luangu Temple, one will not only fail to receive protection, but may even be the first to be robbed.

After Li Chunfeng returned home from the mountain, the city was very quiet. Buddhist scriptures were posted in front of every household, and Buddha statues were enshrined in their homes. People hoped that Buddha would protect them.

Even though the city was filled with fear and panic, some places remained brightly lit and places were still enjoying themselves.

The mission mode for this trial is survival.

This was naturally not difficult for Li Chunfeng.

However, if you want to achieve a godlike rating, you can't just try to survive by playing it safe.

Just as I was wondering where to start my quest, a loud crash rang out. In the alley not far away, the walls shattered, and several figures flew out from within the broken walls, then collapsed to the ground, their fates unknown.

A hunched figure emerged from a hole in the wall, drooling, with disheveled hair, but a faint hint of greed on his face, his blood-stained tongue slurping.

"Why run away? Wouldn't it be better if I ate you?"

The figure of the giant seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the hunt, walking step by step towards the group, but none of them noticed that Li Chunfeng was standing right in front of them.

"Help, help."

One of the middle-aged cultivators struggled to raise his arm and stretch it towards the direction of Luan Gu Temple, seemingly pleading for help from someone unknown.

Li Chunfeng did not move. He remembered this middle-aged cultivator from the original owner's memories because he had been bullied by this person.

The 'mind's eye' fell upon the towering figure.

[Gnawing Demon: A third-tier demon. A man-eating demon transformed after a cultivator consumes a Soul-Devouring Pill. The Gnawing Demon appears no different from a normal human. After devouring other cultivators, its cultivation level rapidly and significantly increases in a short period. The price is that the more cultivators it devours, the more its own soul will eventually be consumed, turning it into a walking corpse-like demon.]

'Soul-Devouring Pill!'

Li Chunfeng instantly grasped the key information.

What kind of pill is this? It can rapidly increase one's cultivation level simply by absorbing other cultivators.

This effect is far superior to Mosquito Taoist's Devouring Talent.

For practitioners, the pursuit of spiritual cultivation surpasses everything else.

Without knowing the side effects, who could resist such temptation?

"Crunch, crunch~"

The sound of chewing flesh and blood could be heard; the demon had already devoured the two of them.

Li Chunfeng looked at the blood-stained Devouring Demon with surprise, and sighed inwardly that it was really delicious. After devouring the two cultivators, its aura increased significantly at a visible speed, climbing straight towards the fourth rank.

Just as it was about to eat the third person.

"You beast, how dare you eat people!" A burly monk arrived late.

He leaped down from the height, brandishing his ring knife, and sternly rebuked the Devouring Demon.

At this moment, a message appeared in Li Chunfeng's mind.

[Main quest triggered: Join the Chaotic Ancient Temple or the demon faction. Subsequent quests will be activated after joining a faction.]

Li Chunfeng did not act rashly.

To be honest, he doesn't want to join either side. Is it possible without a third party?

If not, he could become a force to be reckoned with on his own.

"I hate being interrupted while I'm eating..."

This demon has quite a temper, and doesn't look like a walking corpse at all.

When the others saw their savior arrive, they immediately shouted for help.

The head monk flicked his dagger, ignoring the horrific state of the people on the ground, and turned to the demons with a serious expression. "The temple has sent this humble monk down the mountain to capture a few demons, and they must be alive."

"Let's see if you catch me, or if I devour you!"

Four deep red tentacles suddenly sprouted from the back of the Devouring Demon, resembling four long tails, their surfaces glowing red—powerful demonic energy.

"boom."

Both sides fight together.

The result was unexpected. After the demon's body was enveloped in crimson energy, it became almost invulnerable, and its combat power was greatly enhanced. The imposing monk was defeated in just a few moves.

They came in all their glory, and now they're in such a sorry state.

"...I am a warrior monk from the Dharma Hall of the temple. Do you dare to kill me?"

The Devouring Demon couldn't resist any longer. "Your flesh tastes good, I'll take it!"

But this time Li Chunfeng did not stand idly by. A bolt of black lightning struck, causing the demon to tremble all over.

It tried to struggle, but it felt as if a thousand chains had fallen on its body, preventing it from breaking free.

Li's 'Red Moon - Black Thunder' never falls alone.

He then unleashed a sword strike, a black and red sword aura descending from the sky, cleaving the moon in two, and dismembering the demon in a single blow.

Unfortunately, when the black lightning struck, it inadvertently dragged the head monk and several barking monks into the quagmire.

After the fight was over, they realized that all of them were dead.

[You have refused to join either side. Main quest changed: Find the mastermind behind the Soul-Devouring Pill! Quest deadline: 20 days. Quest reward: Godlike rating!]

Li Chunfeng let out a soft "hmm".

This mission is special; as long as the mastermind is found, one can achieve godlike status, and there are no requirements such as killing a certain number of demons.

Does that mean the mastermind behind it is too powerful?
Moreover, this mission has been extended to twenty days. It is likely that this tribulation will be the longest he has ever stayed in the Abyss Tribulation World.

Since there was no need for killing, Li Chunfeng stopped.

He is not a bloodthirsty person, and besides, killing would rapidly increase the true meaning of killing.

At this point, excessive killing is not a good choice.

He reached out and searched the corpses for a while before taking the ring knife and a storage bag.

There were several source stones and a considerable amount of valuables inside.

With a thought, a small lantern flew out of thin air, opened its mouth, and spat out a sea of ​​fire, completely burning away all traces of the battle.

In the dark city of Maha, in many shadowy corners, the same scene of gnawing is unfolding.

Under the sweeping gaze of the Nine Netherworld Demon Eyes of the Burning Lamp, one could clearly see wisps of soul energy rising from every corner.

These cannot be wasted.

Then the lantern flickered, splitting into lantern ghosts that spread to the streets, alleys, and all parts of the city.

Li Chunfeng himself transformed into a great monk.

Such a change, however, is not noticeable to even close friends or family members.

Unfortunately, he knew nothing about the monk's life, and he dared not sneak into Luangu Temple... Heaven knows how many masters were in the temple.

After listlessly reverting to his original form, Li Chunfeng walked towards the brightest part of the city.

A moment later, at the Flying Tower.

Inside the building, singing and dancing filled the air, with graceful dancers performing on stage.

The dancers here are all cultivators.

The guests below the stage were all monks, each one unrestrained and dissolute. As night deepened, the scenes in some corners became increasingly unbearable to watch.

Listening to music in a brothel was a phrase that had never appeared in Li Chunfeng's life before, and this experience was quite novel.

Listening to the decadent music, it was as if the pressure of the impending calamity had vanished.

If it weren't for the fact that the Burning Lamp's main body was still constantly devouring and refining the soul energy, he would have thought that the calamity had dissipated.

In reality, the entire city of Maha was engulfed in bloodshed.

The number of Devouring Demons is far greater than expected.

If Luan Gu Temple does not take large-scale action, how can anyone survive a few more nights?

Li Chunfeng remained patient.

He needs intelligence.

Given that it's not permissible to trespass into temples, brothels are the best place to gather information.

Six days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The Devouring Demons were growing at an astonishing rate. As the situation worsened, the Chaotic Ancient Temple finally began a large-scale operation, with countless monks descending the mountain every day to exorcise the demons.

However, the Devouring Demons are also extremely powerful. Without sending out high-end combat forces, the Chaotic Ancient Temple can only maintain a stalemate with the Demons, resulting in a delicate balance between the two sides.

Meanwhile, Li Chunfeng's main 'survival' quest is about to be completed.

Unfortunately, there's still no progress on the other main quest.

In the past few days, his lantern ghost has traveled to almost every corner of the city and has tried several times to trace the source of the Devouring Demon and the Soul Devouring Pill, but still has not found any clues.

Li Chunfeng couldn't help but think that the appearance of such a large number of Devouring Demons, yet his all-encompassing investigation had yielded no clues, meant there must be an extremely powerful network of connections behind it. And in this area, there was only one person who possessed such power.

Could it have been caused by the temple?

Yesterday's post was even later! (Adding to the previous post!)


(End of this chapter)