Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The gray-brown plain stretches to the horizon, with low grass clinging tightly to the ground, undulating like waves when the wind sweeps across it.

Frost City stands on the wasteland, its walls built of unpolished, gray-white boulders, with melting ice crystals flowing between the rocks, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Frost City is located in a very special place, situated on a plateau hundreds of feet high. The thick earth veins support a large spiritual vein, which means that the city does not have to be built deep in the mountains.

In the center of Frostwind City, a towering stone sculpture, hundreds of feet high, receives the worship of mortals and cultivators.

It was a lifelike giant bear, its white fur seemingly formed from frost, exuding a chilling aura, and its forehead covered with ice crystals that shimmered with iridescent light.

Surrounding the giant bear was a vast plaza, filled with devout kneeling worshippers, just like the plaza in the center of Dragon God City.

In fact, the religions established by the other seven royal families were all modeled after the Dragon God Religion.

Aside from minor differences, the construction of cities and the structure of religious cults are largely the same.

For example, the Frostbear clan is known for its violent nature, and tall stone pillars stand around the plaza, covered with gruesome corpses.

The corpses died in extremely gruesome ways, their blood dripping and pooling into a river of blood in the pre-dug ditches. The surface of the blood solidified slightly under the cold wind, exuding a chilling aura of death.

They were either dishonest individuals who violated the religious rules, or human cultivators captured by the Bear God Cult.

The Frostbear clan has always believed that only the most severe punishments can deter the lowly human race.

Under such strict rule, the number of cultivators who belonged to the Frost Bear Clan was less than that of the other seven major sects, and the number of Nascent Soul cultivators was as much as 30% less.

Even the headquarters of the Bear God Cult only occupied 40% of the city's area, far less magnificent than the headquarters of other cults.

Frost City was built in a very rough style, but the Nascent Soul cultivators obviously did not like this style. Their residences, whether luxurious or simple, were all built with great exquisite craftsmanship.

In one of the spacious courtyards, two monks sat in a small pavilion by the water, with fine wine and delicacies laid out before them, admiring the artificial hills, flowing water, green lotus leaves, and red flowers.

One of the fifty-year-old cultivators, whose face showed some wrinkles, raised his hand to indicate: "This snake soup is made from the softest part of the belly of a level seven blood-eyed spirit snake."

"A snake weighing tens of thousands of pounds only weighs four pounds and seven ounces in total."

"Supplemented with the fourth-level golden pheasant I specially raised and several kinds of century-old spiritual herbs, and then simmered for seven days and seven nights with the gentle earth fire of alchemy, the taste is superb. Fellow Daoist, you may wish to try some."

Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged cultivator with a slightly sinister face, none other than Dugu Sha, an elder of the Dragon God Sect.

He picked up a pair of jade chopsticks from the small shelf, took a piece of trembling snake meat about an inch long, put it in his mouth, and nodded in praise: "The taste is indeed extraordinary. Only here with Fellow Daoist Sun can one taste such deliciousness."

The fifty-year-old cultivator laughed heartily: "Food should be prepared with the utmost care and attention to detail. You people of the Dragon God Sect only know how to seek pleasure and pleasure, but you are unaware of the profound mysteries within."

Dugu Sha put down his jade chopsticks and laughed, "Fellow Daoist Sun, please don't slander me. I haven't taken in many concubines."

Once humans embark on the path of cultivation, they can abstain from grains and no longer consume human food.

Demons, from a young age, must devour flesh and blood to temper their demonic bodies. No matter how high their cultivation level, they must still feast and drink like whales.

The Frostbear clan has an especially strong appetite, and the cultivators of the Bear God Cult naturally emulate the messengers who walk on the earth in place of the Bear God, indulging in the finest and most exquisite dishes.

Since dragons are lewd, the cultivators of the Dragon God Sect are also lecherous.

Although Dugu Sha was not fond of women, he was not unconventional and took in several female cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage as concubines, though he did not visit them often.

The fifty-year-old cultivator shook his head: "You and I are rootless and have no one to rely on. Forming the Nascent Soul stage is already difficult enough. Why not take this opportunity to enjoy ourselves? Or does Fellow Daoist Dugu intend to break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage?"

Dugu Sha smiled, but did not answer.

Cultivators who attach themselves to the demon race have blood-thread gu planted in their bodies, and their Dao hearts are not strong enough. Very few of them achieve anything in cultivation.

The fifty-year-old cultivator was named Sun Duo. He was an elder of the Bear God Sect. Like Dugu Sha, his cultivation had stagnated at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm for at least a hundred years, and he only knew how to seek pleasure every day.

This is also the behavior of most religious elders. With the royal family as their support, the religion is deeply rooted and has no fear of being destroyed.

They were also infected with Blood Silk Gu, and were forced to serve the royal families. The higher their cultivation level, the more tiring it was. It would be better to enjoy themselves and not have lived in vain.

However, Dugu Sha was more than a hundred years younger than Sun Duo and still had some ambition, wanting to make further progress on his path.

Now that the blood-veined Gu in his body has been removed, and that fellow Daoist Xinghuo doesn't seem like a harsh person, being generous, has rekindled his hope.

The fifty-year-old cultivator suddenly sighed, picked up the wine cup on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and said in a low voice, "To be honest, fellow Daoist, I sometimes envy those human cultivators. Although they live a precarious life and face perilous circumstances, they are free and unburdened..."

"Fellow Daoist Sun has had too much to drink!"

Before he could finish speaking, Dugu Sha interrupted him.

The fifty-year-old cultivator was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "I misspoke, fellow Daoist, please forgive me!"

He poured another full glass of spirit wine and offered it to Dugu Sha.

Dugu Sha picked up his wine cup, took a few sips, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

Because the Frost Bear clan had coveted the North Sea for many years, and the North Sea was occupied by the Kun Fish clan, the two clans had been at odds for a long time and had many conflicts, with the Frost Bear clan always at a disadvantage.

Of the eight royal clans, only the Jiaolong clan can rival the Kunyu clan.

The Frost Bear clan then formed an alliance with the Flood Dragon clan to jointly resist the Kun Fish clan.

The cultivators of the Bear God Sect and the Dragon God Sect often cooperated. Dugu Sha met Sun Duo more than three hundred years ago when the two sects joined forces. Afterwards, the two would sometimes travel together, secretly exchange information, and trade treasures and spiritual materials, and their friendship grew deeper and deeper.

In Dugu Sha's eyes, Sun Duo had always held those human cultivators who resisted the demon race in utter contempt, believing them to be ignorant of the times, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and truly courting death.

But today he acted out of character, and his words even showed a hint of envy for human cultivators, which greatly surprised Dugu Sha.

However, his visit was not to reminisce with Sun Duo.

After exchanging a few more casual words, Dugu Sha changed the subject, asking seemingly casually, "Has that human cultivator who attracted the Frost Bear's massive pursuit been captured yet?"

Sun Duo was taken aback, slowly put down his wine cup, and looked at Dugu Sha with a half-smile: "Fellow Daoist, you must have come here today for this matter, right?"

Dugu Sha gave a bitter smile: "I was also forced into this situation. I came here on the orders of the sect leader to investigate this matter, but I returned empty-handed and have no way to explain myself."

"I have no choice but to bother you again, fellow Daoist. I hope you will not hesitate to offer your guidance."

As he spoke, he raised his wine cup, offered it to Sun Duo, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Upon hearing this, Sun Duo sighed again: "Fellow Daoist is right. We cultivators of the Divine Sect are all powerless to help ourselves..."

His voice lowered: "Three years ago, I could only keep my mouth shut, but now that human cultivator has vanished without a trace, I need to rely on your help to find him. So there's no need to hide it anymore."

"Three years ago, a human cultivator suddenly appeared near the Snowmane Lion Clan and killed two of their demon generals."

"The royal family immediately dispatched two mid-level demon generals and three elders of the Divine Cult to investigate this matter..."

Dugu Sha's eyes flashed: "Did that human cultivator escape?"

The royal family Sun Duo mentioned refers to the Frostfire Bear clan.

Sun Duo shook his head and said, word by word, "These two demon generals and three elders were all killed by that human cultivator; none of them survived!"

Dugu Sha's eyes narrowed, and Sun Duo continued, "After this incident, the royal family was furious and dispatched all the demon generals in the clan, and ordered the elders of the Bear God Sect to go and investigate the whereabouts of that human cultivator."

“Sun was also ordered to set up defenses on the shore of the North Sea, but unfortunately he ran into that human cultivator.”

At this point, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes, and he murmured, "This person has a cold expression, seemingly colder than the ice plains. With every move he makes, demonic energy surges. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator is no match for him."

"If it weren't for the high-ranking demon generals chasing after us, we would all have died at his hands."

Even so, Elder Qian still died at that man's hands.

"Sun watched helplessly as his flesh and bones turned into a cloud of black mist, and even his soul was swallowed whole by that person. He really didn't know who the demon was..."

Dugu Sha's expression changed slightly: "This person is actually so powerful?"

Sun Duo said in a low voice, "Not only that, even when the three high-ranking demon generals of the royal family attacked together, they failed to stop him, and he escaped into the North Sea."

"The Frost Bear clan, out of consideration for the Kun Fish clan, did not continue their pursuit."

"A total of four elders of the Divine Cult were killed by this person, and it is said that six demon generals also died at his hands, including one high-ranking demon general."

"This matter enraged the royal patriarch, who was in seclusion during his cultivation, and he personally came out to investigate, but he found no trace of the person, and the matter was dropped..."

Dugu Sha let out a soft breath, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "When did such a ferocious person appear among the human race? He can even kill a high-level demon general. Even Cui Yuheng probably doesn't have such ability."

Sun Duo shook his head, a hint of dejection in his expression: "How would I know? This person was not well-known in the past, but he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and killed people without hesitation."

"In my opinion, it's probably not some demon that just happened to have a human form."

"It's a pity that Elder Qian was a kind and cautious man who often showed mercy when suppressing human cultivators, yet he lost his life one day."

"We elders of the Divine Cult may appear glamorous, but in reality, we are constantly engaged in bloodshed, and very few of us die peacefully..."

Dugu Sha sighed inwardly. It seemed that Sun Duo had been terrified after witnessing the ferocity of that human cultivator, which was why his thoughts had changed so drastically.

However, he was only somewhat disheartened and did not turn his heart towards the human race, which was not enough to awaken the Blood Silk Gu.

Dugu Sha comforted them, saying, "Humanity is in decline, and such a vicious person is one in ten thousand. As long as we act carefully, we should not have to confront him."

Sun Duo gave a wry smile: "I hope so. After this incident, I've come to terms with it. Life is short, so we should enjoy it while we can..."

Dugu Sha offered a few more words of comfort and then asked about the details of the pursuit of the human cultivator. Sun Duo answered all his questions without reservation.

The two talked until the evening of the next day, exchanging cultivation insights, discussing the movements of various royal families and religious sects, and exchanging information before parting ways when they were thoroughly satisfied.

Dugu Sha rose to take his leave, and Sun Duo personally escorted him out of the temple and to the place in Frost City where guests were specially accommodated.

At midnight, Dugu Sha quietly left the city and arrived at the top of a thousand-foot snow mountain a thousand miles away from Frost City, where he descended with a beam of light.

On the edge of the cliff, Chen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering, looking down at the vast ice plain below with an indifferent expression.

He turned around and said calmly, "Did Fellow Daoist Dugu gain anything from this trip?"

Dugu Sha clasped his hands in a bow: "I have already learned from Sun Duo that the one who caused the chaos in the Frost Bear Clan a few years ago was a demonic cultivator."

"This man killed several demon generals and elders of the Bear God Sect, displaying formidable ferocity. However, after fleeing into the North Sea, his whereabouts have remained unknown." (End of Chapter)