Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

In the southwest of the Myriad Demon Continent, in a vast, towering forest, a torrential downpour stirred up layers of mist, turning the world into a white expanse.

Dark, heavy clouds hung low in the sky, seemingly about to touch the treetops, as thick as ink.

Lightning flashed between the clouds, displaying shades of blue, purple, yellow, and green, briefly illuminating the dense forest that had been transformed into a swamp before plunging back into darkness.

The accompanying thunder was incredibly deep and muffled, like the low roar of an ancient beast from a distant land, majestic and heavy, with a sense of awe and fear.

Every now and then, lightning would strike down from the sky, hitting a towering tree and turning it to ashes in an instant.

But among its remains were a few half-charred branches, gleaming with an iron-like luster, which looked much harder than the other trees.

Some broken branches happened to be stuck in the ground and bathed in the downpour, and in just a quarter of an hour, they sprouted tender green buds.

Amidst destruction, a new life is unexpectedly being born.

No wonder the trees grow so tall in a place where thunderstorms are so frequent.

Boom!

Another bolt of cyan-purple lightning struck down, aiming at a ten-zhang-tall ancient tree, but just before it touched the branches, it encountered an invisible barrier and quietly dissipated.

Where the lightning disappeared, the air rippled gently like water, and one could vaguely see that there was a hidden world inside.

It turned out to be an illusion array; from the outside, it looked like just a few towering trees, the most common type found in dense forests.

But within the formation was an open space of several acres, with a four-story wooden building standing in the center.

The wooden building's exterior is mottled, gleaming with a hard, iron-like luster.

Clearly, the builders did not put much thought into it; they simply cut down trees in the dense forest and roughly assembled them together.

The wooden building constructed in this way is so sturdy, which is naturally due to the power of supernatural magic.

The torrential rain and thunder were blocked by the formation, and only the faint sound of rain could be heard. It was very quiet all around.

But inside the wooden building, it was quite lively.

Four people sat around a wooden table, while two others stood to the side, hands at their sides, looking respectful.

If any human Nascent Soul cultivators were here, they would be greatly alarmed. The two people standing to the side were none other than two renowned great cultivators among the human race—Cui Yuheng and Yuan Ting Zhenren.

The reason why such a great cultivator would be so respectful, even treating someone with the deference of a junior, is self-evident.

Chen Yuan, Qin Wuyai, Lu Wangquan, and Cangsong Daoren had been separated since they encountered the Void Cicada in the spatial passage, but today they finally sat together again.

Spiritual tea and fruits were laid out on the table. The teacups in front of the four people were already filled with spiritual tea, and steam rose gently, carrying a delicate fragrance.

Qin Wuyai picked up his teacup and said with a smile, "We have gone through many hardships and finally gathered together today. We should celebrate. I will offer tea in place of wine to my three fellow Daoists."

Having said that, he raised his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Yuan picked up his teacup, returned the toast, and smiled, "It's a pity that Fellow Daoist Ren isn't here; it's still a bit of a shame."

As he spoke, he drank the spiritual tea in his cup in one gulp.

Lu Wangquan remained expressionless, simply picking up his teacup, taking a small sip, and then putting it down.

Daoist Cangsong snorted coldly, not even glancing at the teacup in front of him, but staring at Qin Wuyai with a chilling look in his eyes.

The sound of rain outside the wooden building seemed to grow louder, and the atmosphere became increasingly somber, exuding a sense of oppression.

Cui Yuheng and Yuan Ting Zhenren exchanged a glance, noticing a hint of doubt and unease in each other's eyes.

These four Nascent Soul cultivators seem to be at odds.

Does this mean that the human race must first fight amongst themselves before dealing with the demon race?
Chen Yuan suddenly turned to look at the two of them and said gently, "Could you two young friends please step aside for a moment?"

The two breathed a sigh of relief, immediately agreed, and turned to leave.

Chen Yuan raised his sleeve and flicked it, setting up a barrier of divine sense to prevent others from spying on him.

Although he had planted the Fire Lotus Mark within Yuan Ting Zhenren, and Cui Yuheng was a reliable person, it was still not advisable for the two of them to know about the conversation between Nascent Soul cultivators.

Only four people remained in the wooden building. Daoist Cangsong finally stopped hiding and said coldly, "Fellow Daoist Qin, you are very cunning. You used the Spirit Realm as bait to lure us to this world, and yet you still lost to the demon race. Is this the grand plan for ascension that you have been planning for hundreds of years?"

"The demon race in this world is so powerful, with a lineage spanning tens of thousands of years, that it is no weaker than the ten major sects."

"Ao Cang is a mid-level demon general, and his dragon bloodline is exceptionally strong. How can we possibly be his match?"

Qin Wuyai smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Cangsong, please calm down. I had no choice but to do this. Otherwise, how could we escape the prison of the human realm?"

But Cangsong Daoist, who had a close relationship with Qin Wuyai in the past, was now furious: "Even if we escape the cage of the human realm, what good will it do?"

"Even if we are lucky enough to kill those five demon generals, we will not be able to ascend to the Spirit Realm. In the end, it will all be for nothing!"

Chen Yuan watched as Cangsong Daoist flew into a rage, but in his heart, he felt a greater sense of approval for Qin Wuyai's actions.

After receiving the report from Master Jiuyuan, he and Qin Wuyai left Xingzhu City and headed to the South Sea to find Daoist Cangsong.

Although human cultivators are not very strong, their resistance against the demon race has never stopped.

People like Ling Shuoye, who infiltrate the cult to gather information, are not uncommon.

The person who discovered the trail of the Cangsong Daoist was a Core Formation Master Priest who had infiltrated the Turtle God Sect.

The entire South China Sea is occupied by the Sky-Supporting Divine Turtle clan. Such demonic beasts also exist in the Myriad Demon Sea of ​​the Human Realm. Their bloodline is comparable to that of the Golden Feathered Eagle clan, but their numbers are extremely small. They can only rely on the three royal clans and are not a force to be reckoned with.

The Sky-Supporting Divine Turtle clan in this realm is not numerous, but their lifespan is exceptionally long. Although their bloodline is rather mediocre among the eight royal clans, and no demon general has ever emerged from them, the number of high-ranking demon generals is unparalleled among the eight royal clans.

They never set foot in the Myriad Demon Continent, but only occupy the relatively barren South Sea, which is why they have been passed down to this day.

There are not many types of demon races that are attached to the Sky-Supporting Divine Turtle clan, and the number of human cultivators they enslave is also less than that of other demon beast royal families.

As a result, the cultivation resources in the South China Sea, which were originally relatively scarce, have become abundant.

Other royal families naturally looked down on these low-level cultivation resources, but human cultivators regarded them as treasures and often ventured into the South China Sea to search for spiritual herbs and materials in the depths of the ocean.

Some of these cultivators even joined the Turtle God Cult, using its cultivation resources to improve their cultivation levels.

One of the Core Formation Grand Priests, like Ling Shuoye, was also a disciple of a Nascent Soul cultivator from the human race, but held a high position within the Turtle God Sect.

After receiving his master's instructions, he added Qin Wuyai and the other three to the wanted list and used the Turtle God Cult cultivators to find their whereabouts.

Less than two years later, he received a report from a Foundation Establishment steward that he had seen Daoist Cangsong in a market town on an island deep in the South China Sea.

Logically speaking, human cultivators enslaved by the demon race should join the divine sect, and the cultivation resources they need can only be bestowed by the divine sect and cannot be traded privately.

However, the South China Sea is sparsely populated, and even the number of demonic beasts is not large, far less than that of the East China Sea and the North China Sea, but cultivation resources are not lacking.

The Turtle God Cult practitioners then set up markets for private transactions, allowing each party to obtain what they needed, thus eliminating the need for cumbersome rules.

Since the Turtle God Sect had no shortage of cultivation resources, they turned a blind eye to the existence of markets on almost every island in the South China Sea.

Upon receiving the news, the Core Formation Grand Priest dared not delay and immediately reported it to his master.

The Nascent Soul cultivator was entrusted by Fairy Zhu and dared not delay, so he relayed the matter to her.

Fairy Zhu then sent a message to Venerable Jiuyuan, who, along with Cui Yuheng, reported it to Chen Yuan.

To avoid attracting too much attention, Master Jiuyuan and Cui Yuheng did not enter the South China Sea with Chen Yuan and Qin Wuyai.

Accompanied by Fairy Zhu, the two met the Nascent Soul cultivator, obtained the token, and then infiltrated the South China Sea.

After meeting the Core Formation Grand Priest, they showed him the token, inquired about the details, and then headed to the island where the Pine Tree Daoist had once appeared.

The two searched the area around the island carefully, but found no trace of the Taoist Cangsong.

The two spent six months thoroughly investigating the entire area within a radius of 20,000 li.

Finally, on a deserted island 16,000 miles away, they discovered the cave dwelling of the Cangsong Daoist.

When the three met, Daoist Cangsong was not pleased, but rather extremely surprised.

After a conversation, Chen Yuan learned that Daoist Cangsong had also been seriously injured and his strength greatly diminished after being affected by the Void Cicada.

But he was lucky; when the Void Cicada appeared, it was right next to Old Demon Ren.

Ren Laomo's Xuan Yin Armor blocked most of the fluctuations. Although Cangsong Daoist was seriously injured, he did not lose his mind.

Instead, it used the vibrations generated by the flapping wings of the Void Cicada to pass through the spatial barrier, arrive in this realm, and land in the depths of the South China Sea.

However, like Lu Wangquan, Cangsong Daoist thought that he was the only one who had been stranded in this world, and that Chen Yuan and the others had either entered the Spirit Realm or fallen into other realms.

After discovering the situation in this world, he dared not make a fuss, nor did he rashly leave the South China Sea to search for spiritual herbs. Instead, he came to this deserted island to quietly recuperate.

When Chen Yuan and Qin Wuyai found Cangsong Daoren, his injuries had almost completely healed, and he only needed to rest for a while longer to fully recover.

After learning the truth about the spatial passage, Daoist Cangsong treated Qin Wuyai with cold indifference.

However, he did not react. Instead, he left the South China Sea with Chen Yuan and Qin Wuyai and came to this misty forest, where he met Lu Wangquan, who was recuperating in the cave of True Man Yunting.

After the four gathered, Daoist Cangsong could no longer suppress his anger and erupted on the spot.

Although Chen Yuan had also confronted Qin Wuyai about this matter, he only used it as an excuse to demand demon cores and spiritual herbs, and in reality, he did not harbor much resentment towards Qin Wuyai.

As long as one can escape the prison of the human realm and have the opportunity to ascend to the upper realm, it is far better than staying in the human realm and waiting to die.

For this, he was willing to risk his life, even if it meant ascending to the demon realm.

However, as Qin Wuyai said, the Taoist Cangsong did not possess such a resilient character and indomitable spirit.

If Qin Wuyai had told the truth, he would never have abandoned his sect and his status as a Nascent Soul Ancestor to enter the spatial passage for that slim chance of ascension.

Faced with Cangsong Daoren's questioning, Qin Wuyai remained calm and said indifferently, "Since things have come to this, there is no point in saying more. If you are unwilling to join forces with us to deal with those five demon generals, you may return to the human realm on your own."

"Or we can return to that deserted island, where I, Qin, will never disturb your peaceful cultivation again."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist Cangsong finally fell silent.

It took five Nascent Soul cultivators working together to barely cross the spatial passage. How could he possibly withstand that almost endless spatial storm on his own?

Moreover, he didn't even know where the entrance to the spatial passage was located in this realm, let alone how to enter it.

As for that deserted island with only a small spiritual vein, Daoist Cangsong, who was used to the giant spiritual veins of the Shaoxuan Sect, did not want to stay there for even a moment longer.

He abandoned everything and went through many hardships to finally arrive in this world. There was no turning back, and he could not accept spending his remaining days on that deserted island.

Even ascending to some demon realm is hundreds or thousands of times better than sitting and waiting to die in this realm where demons reign supreme.

Daoist Cangsong forcibly suppressed his anger, staring intently at Qin Wuyai, and said, word by word, "Does Fellow Daoist Qin truly know the method to return from the Demon Realm to the Spirit Realm?" (End of Chapter)