Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan frowned: "What's so strange about it?"

Cui Yuheng glanced at the Nascent Soul cultivator beside him, who looked slightly dejected, and a hint of lingering fear flashed in his eyes: "That blood-red crystal seems to be a kind of spiritual material. When we get close, we feel a tingling sensation all over our bodies, and we even have the thought of not wanting to leave."

"This junior wishes to remove a piece; please take a look, senior."

"But that piece of blood-red crystal was a single, solid piece, extremely hard, and could not be destroyed."

"I have tried many methods, but all have been in vain."

"At that moment, Fellow Daoist Mei suddenly coughed up blood and was seriously injured."

"Upon examining my own body, I was shocked to find signs of decay in my bones, muscles, and flesh. I quickly withdrew."

"Elder Yin entered She Zhelin's cave with us. His physical body was also decaying, but it was much lighter than ours."

After he finished speaking, the white-robed youth stepped forward, his brows furrowed, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "After entering She Zhelin's cave, I felt a strange sense of joy, as if the blood-red crystal was of great benefit to me."

"And the deeper you go, the stronger this feeling becomes."

"Upon reaching the vicinity of that crimson crystal, I felt a tingling, comfortable sensation within my body. My physical body seemed to be slowly strengthening, and I was so immersed in it that I could not extricate myself."

"If Fellow Daoist Mei hadn't coughed up blood, I'm afraid I would still be immersed in that feeling until my body completely decayed and I died on the spot."

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he stood up: "Lead the way."

Qin Wuyai and the other two also got up and followed. This blood-red crystal was so strange, yet it was left in the cave by She Zhelin. It must be an extraordinary object.

The group walked out of the main hall, mounted their escape lights, and soon arrived at a deep valley not far away.

Looking down into the dark, sunless valley below, Qin Wuyai frowned and asked, "How did you know, young friend Cui, that She Zhelin's cave is located in this deep valley?"

Chen Yuan was also somewhat puzzled. Although the Blood-Eyed Serpent Clan's original form was a serpent, after transforming, they were no different from human cultivators.

Otherwise, so many exquisite and luxurious palaces and pavilions would not have been built in the Chiling Mountains.

As the patriarch of the Blood-Eyed Serpent Clan, She Zhelin would never live in this dark and secluded valley.

Cui Yuheng sighed: "I learned from several surviving slaves that most of the slaves here have had a soul restriction implanted in their bodies, and they will not escape death after their masters die."

"However, there were still a few slaves who, either due to their masters' negligence or because they were favored by the demon general, had relatively loose restrictions on their souls. Although they were seriously injured, they still managed to survive."

"We were able to successfully loot all the treasures of the Blood-Eyed Serpent Clan thanks to these few slaves who guided us."

"Previously, several slaves also survived in the Silvermoon Mountains."

"But with Elder Yin's guidance, we don't need to use them. We will have a complete grasp of the details of the Howling Moon Silver Wolf clan."

Cui Yuheng paused deliberately, glancing at the white-robed youth beside him, but his expression remained indifferent, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm in his words.

Cui Yuheng was somewhat disappointed. He had resisted the demon race for hundreds of years for the sake of humanity, and he couldn't stand the white-robed youth who would kneel down and surrender in order to save his life.

He didn't believe that the white-clad youth was trying to preserve the bloodline of the Howling Moon Silver Wolf clan.

The white-clad youth's current behavior, lacking any backbone, only fueled Cui Yuheng's growing contempt for him.

Chen Yuan said in a deep voice: "Interrogate thoroughly, and execute those who are stubborn and oppressive to the human race."

"Do not be stingy with medicine to heal the wounds, and temporarily detain them until after the battle."

Cui Yuheng hesitated, "This junior understands, but these slaves never left the Crimson Ridge Mountains in their entire lives, and they never even came into contact with human cultivators. They only served the demon generals and have not committed many misdeeds..."

Chen Yuan said, "Then leave them all behind."

Cui Yuheng immediately agreed and led the way. The group arrived at the bottom of the valley and came to a deep cave.

Cui Yuheng pointed to the blood-red crystal embedded in the cave wall and whispered, "Senior, please look, this is that kind of blood-red crystal, but it is far less pure than the blood-red crystal in the cave."

"I was unable to remove the blood-red crystal from the depths of the cave, so I wish to remove these crystals. Please take a look, senior."

"But strangely, these blood-red crystals turn to ashes as soon as they are separated from the stone wall. I have tried several times but have failed."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, glanced at the blood-red crystal, and stepped into the cave first.

Qin Wuyai and the other two followed closely behind, but the four of them stopped as soon as they entered the cave.

Chen Yuan felt an invisible force seep into his limbs and bones, and a faint tingling sensation spread throughout his body, which was quite comfortable.

His physical body, under the influence of this invisible force, was gradually strengthened at an extremely slow pace.

It is at least twice as effective as using spiritual energy to nourish the physical body.

But at the same time, this invisible force was also constantly corroding Chen Yuan's body, like termites gnawing on trees, quietly devouring his life force.

It was only because Chen Yuan's physical body was too strong that he was immune to this kind of corrosion.

As a body cultivator, Chen Yuan had extremely precise control over his physical body, which enabled him to clearly sense this invisible force.

However, Qin Wuyai and the other two did not have the same level of control over their physical bodies as Chen Yuan. They only felt something was wrong with their bodies, but did not know why, so they couldn't help but show surprise and doubt.

As for the white-robed youth and Cui Yuheng, they could only feel a faint tingling sensation and were completely unaware of the changes occurring in their physical bodies.

Chen Yuan explained this invisible force, and everyone suddenly understood, becoming even more curious about this blood-red crystal.

Chen Yuan took down a piece of blood-red crystal, and as Cui Yuheng had said, it turned into fine blood-red powder.

The invisible force emanating from it suddenly intensified several times, like the light that escaped after a spark exploded, sweeping across Chen Yuan before disappearing in an instant.

But this invisible force caused Chen Yuan's physical body to strengthen at an instant.

Chen Yuan was taken aback. Qin Wuyai noticed his unusual expression and asked, "Fellow Daoist Chen, have you made any discoveries?"

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "We need to examine it further."

He didn't linger and continued deeper into the cave, with the others following closely behind.

The crimson crystals on both sides of the stone wall became denser, the light they emitted became brighter, and the invisible power they emitted became stronger.

After everyone walked out of the passage and into the vast underground cave, the tingling sensation became extremely intense.

Chen Yuan looked at the blood-red crystal that resembled a giant python, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "Is this the blood-red crystal that you mentioned, young friend?"

Cui Yuheng replied, "That's right."

Chen Yuan's figure flickered, instantly flying dozens of feet away, and arrived near the blood-red crystal.

That invisible power had reached its peak. Chen Yuan felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his whole body tingling and extremely comfortable. His physical body was also slowly strengthening, as if he were being infused with starlight. But beneath this tingling sensation, an invisible power was constantly corroding his body, devouring his life force.

If the power of the stars in the heavens is a sacred object for body refinement, then this invisible power is like poison hidden in fine wine, tempering the body while simultaneously threatening one's life.

The invisible force was extremely domineering; even a high-ranking demon general like the white-robed youth could not resist its corrosive effect on the physical body.

Human Nascent Soul cultivators who do not cultivate their physical bodies will die from the corrosive effects of invisible forces.

But Chen Yuan could easily withstand this corrosive power.

His physical body is comparable to that of a mid-level demon general, and is much stronger than that of She Zhelin.

If She Zhelin could use this place as his cave dwelling, then cultivating here would be no challenge for him at all.

Chen Yuan turned around and said, "This blood-red crystal can emit an invisible power that tempers the physical body while also eroding life force. It is extremely dangerous, and only a demon general can barely resist it."

"And for some reason, this blood-red crystal cannot leave this cave."

"She Zhelin used this place as his cave dwelling, so he must be using this invisible power to temper his physical body."

Everyone looked enlightened. Qin Wuyai glanced at the blood-red crystal and smiled, "Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on obtaining this treasure land. Your physical body will be greatly enhanced."

Chen Yuan remained noncommittal: "Whether I can cultivate safely here depends on whether I can successfully kill those three demon generals."

"This invisible force is extremely domineering. Before this battle ends, someone must guard the outside of the valley. No one is allowed to enter the deep valley without reason, or their life will be in danger."

He turned to look at Cui Yuheng, who immediately agreed.

Apart from the blood-red crystal, there were no other treasures in the underground cave, so the group turned and left.

Chen Yuan followed, and when they arrived at the cave entrance, Qin Wuyai turned around and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, please wait. There are blood-red crystals here, and the spiritual energy is extremely rich. Fellow Daoist, you may wish to meditate here and restore your true essence."

Chen Yuan readily agreed, watched the group fly out of the deep valley, and then turned back to the underground cave.

The cave was spacious and quiet, with no other sounds except for Chen Yuan's footsteps.

He arrived at the center of the underground cave, staring at the blood-red crystal of unknown origin in front of him. Suddenly, he raised his right hand, which was covered with a layer of dark light, and reached out to grab it.

The incredibly hard crimson crystal became extremely fragile in the face of the black blade, which resembled a spatial rift, and shattered instantly, with a piece being snatched off by Chen Yuan.

The edges of the broken blood-red crystal were extremely sharp, and the moment it fell off, it turned into fine blood-red crystal sand, which fell between Chen Yuan's fingers.

A powerful, invisible force erupted and seeped into Chen Yuan's body.

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up. At that moment, it was as if he had swallowed a body-tempering elixir and refined it instantly, greatly enhancing his physical body.

At the same time, the corrosive force on his physical body suddenly intensified, surpassing the strengthening of his physical body.

Chen Yuan activated the Zhu Yan True Blood, turning his black hair snow-white and greatly strengthening his physical body, which was now able to withstand the corrosive power of the invisible force.

He grabbed another piece of blood-red crystal, and an invisible power erupted from it, as if he had taken a body-tempering elixir, which strengthened his physical body once again.

A smile appeared on Chen Yuan's lips as he grabbed several blood-red crystals, allowing the invisible force to temper his body.

After grabbing several pieces of blood-red crystal in succession, Chen Yuan suddenly stopped.

He looked at the giant blood crystal python, which was over ten feet long, and suddenly a pair of jet-black wings slowly unfolded from its back. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his silver eyes were majestic and ruthless, with wisps of electric arcs swirling around them.

He pointed his fingers like a knife and lightly chopped, the sharp black blade slicing across the blood crystal python, easily cutting off a piece of blood-red crystal about ten feet in size.

The invisible power permeating the underground cave instantly intensified several times over, as if Chen Yuan had swallowed several body-tempering pills in succession, and his physical body immediately improved significantly.

Consequently, the corrosive effect of the invisible force on the physical body also increased several times over.

However, Chen Yuan was simultaneously activating three types of true spirit blood, and his physical body was comparable to that of a high-level demon general, barely able to withstand such an intense invisible force.

Fifteen minutes later, the eruption of the invisible force finally subsided.

Chen Yuan chopped off another blood-red crystal about ten feet in size, feeling the tingling sensation spreading through his limbs and bones, and immersing himself in the pleasure of his rapidly strengthening body.

This invisible force, of unknown origin, strengthens the physical body while simultaneously devouring life force; it is extremely strange and, for ordinary cultivators, is the most potent poison.

However, for body cultivators and demon generals who can withstand its corrosive power, it is a body-tempering sacred object no less powerful than the power of the stars in the heavens.

Chen Yuan's physical body strengthened at an astonishing rate, and he only stopped three hours later when all the blood-colored crystals had turned into crystal sand.

Chen Yuan raised his hands, gently clenched them, and then slowly released them. Feeling the immense power surging within his body, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, which had returned to normal.

After refining that mysterious drop of blood, his physical body was already comparable to that of a mid-level demon general. It would take at least a pill made from three-thousand-year-old body-tempering spiritual herbs to further enhance it.

After annihilating the two great demon beast royal families, he obtained twenty-three three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, but only five of them were body-tempering spiritual herbs.

The demon race values ​​the physical body above all else, and there aren't even enough body-tempering herbs for the demon generals to share.

These five body-tempering spiritual herbs were deliberately left behind by Yin Qianjie and She Zhelin, but they ended up benefiting Chen Yuan.

Even if all five spiritual herbs were refined into pills, it would only slightly strengthen Chen Yuan's physical body, and breaking through to the next bottleneck would still be a long way off.

But in the past three hours, he shattered all the blood-red crystals and used the invisible power within them to greatly enhance his physical body, bringing him to within a step of becoming a high-level demon general, saving him at least several hundred years of cultivation time.

There were also some scattered blood-red crystals in the underground cave. Chen Yuan didn't waste them; he took them all and soaked them in an invisible power, which strengthened his physical body a little.

With just a dozen more rounds of Starlight Infusion, his physical body will break through the bottleneck and become comparable to a high-level demon general.

This was certainly thanks to the blood-red crystal, but if Chen Yuan had not refined the three kinds of true spirit blood, he would not have been able to withstand the burst of invisible power.

Being able to meditate and cultivate here like She Zhelin, using the invisible power naturally emanating from the blood-colored crystal to temper one's physical body, would be hundreds of times slower.

With a smile on his lips, he flipped his hand and took out a futon, then sat cross-legged on the blood-red crystal sand covering the ground, meditating and regulating his breathing to restore his true energy.

The spiritual energy here was already extremely rich. After Chen Yuan unleashed that sword strike, the source of the giant spiritual vein was severely damaged, and the spiritual energy contained within it was released, making the spiritual energy several times more concentrated.

It only took him two hours to fully recover his true energy. Without wasting any more time, he got up, walked out of the cave, flew out of the deep valley, and arrived at the Spirit Serpent Palace.

Qin Wuyai and the other two were already waiting in the hall. The spiritual energy in their cave dwelling was thinner than that in the underground cave, but they had been meditating and regulating their breathing, so they recovered their true energy faster than Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you three fellow Daoists waiting."

Qin Wuyai laughed and said, "It's alright. We wiped out the Blood-Eyed Spirit Serpent Clan in just one day. Those three demon generals should not have received the news yet and have not set off to help. This is enough time for us to set up an ambush."

Daoist Cangsong sneered, "Now that Yin Qianjie and She Zhelin are dead, only three demon generals remain. We are well-rested and ready to fight; victory is assured!" (End of Chapter)