NCCnovel Chapter 296 Spiritual Treasure Offered as a Gift, Sword Pointing at Black Mountain
Chapter 296 Spiritual Treasure Offered as a Gift, Sword Pointing at Black Mountain
Chapter 296 Spiritual Treasure Offered as a Gift, Sword Pointing at Black Mountain
The hall was dark, with only the patterns on the black magic box occasionally flashing a dark red light, reflecting Chen Yi's cold and stern face.
"Tell me first if you know how to restore your demonic flame powers, then we can talk about helping you clear away the demonic intent and restore your intelligence."
Chen Yi's gaze was like a knife, piercing straight to the core of the magic box, and his tone left no room for doubt.
The magic box trembled slightly, as if weighing its options or resisting.
The black mist on the surface of the box surged, transforming into several distorted human faces before finally settling into stillness.
The Ninth Princess's voice came from within, hoarse with a hint of reluctance. After hesitating for a long time, she replied, "There are only two ways to restore the Demon Flame Divine Power."
Firstly, one can cultivate back to normalcy through their own efforts. This is something most Void Refinement experts can do; as long as they are willing to spend a thousand or eight hundred years painstakingly gathering the Dao essence of heaven and earth, reassembling the demonic fire is not difficult.
She paused, her voice lowering, "Secondly, we must find the source of the Nine Yin Demon Flame to make amends. This is a shortcut, but also the most difficult path."
Refining the void————
These two words struck Chen Yi's heart like a massive boulder.
A deathly silence fell over the main hall.
Chen Yi lowered his eyes. Refining Void was an unparalleled power standing above the Nascent Soul Heavenly Monarch, a terrifying existence that was said to be able to traverse the void.
In this world today, the Nascent Soul stage is extremely rare, and the Void Refinement stage is unheard of.
It's simply a level that their world can't reach.
If Bu Er could truly cultivate to the level of Refining Emptiness, why waste time with these words? He could simply sweep through.
The first path is a dead end.
Chen Yi raised his head, his eyes regaining their clarity, leaving him with only one choice.
To replenish the source of the demonic flames.
"Where can I find the source of that demonic flame?"
Chen Yi pressed on, his voice steady, yet carrying a palpable pressure.
The black mist on the magic box contracted violently, and the Ninth Princess's voice became somewhat ethereal: "I can only sense that this realm is not here."
"But it definitely exists in the realm I was born into. There, demonic flames rage, and it exists in several places at its source—but—"
The voice suddenly turned painful and chaotic, and the magic box emitted a crackling sound, as if something inside was frantically scratching: "But because of the erosion of my mind by demonic energy over the years, I can no longer remember where my world is!"
The tone shifted, and the voice took on a probing tone: "First, help me clear out some of the demonic intent so that my mind can be cleared and I can regain some of my senses. Then I'll help you recall things properly."
how?"
The Ninth Princess wasn't stupid. Even though she was out of her mind, she knew how to seek benefits for herself. She was well aware of her current situation. If she didn't seize this lifeline, she would eventually become a demonic soldier who only knew how to kill.
Chen Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Empty glove white wolf?
"Let's talk about something more useful."
Chen Yi took a step forward, his body crackling with faint lightning—a direct deterrent to demons: "Even if you tell me which realm you were born in, it won't matter. We can't go there now, so it's as if you said nothing."
The Ninth Princess fell silent.
The black mist on the box stopped churning, as if it were pondering Chen Yi's words.
After a moment, she had to admit the reality: "That's true. You little guys are too weak, not even at the Nascent Soul stage, you really aren't qualified to cross realms."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strange fluctuation of divine sense suddenly spread out from the magic box.
This divine thought was extremely ancient and obscure, ignoring the restrictions of the main hall, and spread directly to all directions of heaven and earth.
It's not so much about exploring specific scenery, but rather about perceiving the "patterns" and "scars" of this world.
After a long pause, the Ninth Princess's voice rang out again, tinged with surprise: "Your realm—it seems to have been severely corrupted? There are holes everywhere."
"what?"
A surprised and doubtful sound.
The spreading divine thought suddenly converged and pointed to a certain direction in the void.
"There seems to be the aura of an ancient battlefield there. It's deathly still, yet it connects to several interdimensional passages, and the spatial barriers are weak."
The Ninth Princess's voice became excited: "That kind of place is most likely to contain the remnants of the Demon Flame Origin."
You can try it over there.
As she spoke, the Ninth Princess's divine sense transformed into an invisible guide, firmly locking onto that spatial direction.
Chen Yi closed his eyes and extended his perception along that guiding force.
In his mind's eye, the outline of a blurry map gradually became clear.
That location—is the Black Mountain Secret Realm!
Chen Yi suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.
"I see. Okay, let's give it a try."
Chen Yi nodded, already having made up his mind.
Now that we have a clear lead, even if it's a dangerous place, it's better than wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly.
As long as I can save Bu Er, I must go to the Black Mountain Secret Realm.
Then, he flicked his right index finger.
It's sizzling!
A golden lightning element the size of a grain of rice appeared out of thin air, its extremely yang and powerful aura instantly filling the entire space, even forcing the surrounding cold demonic energy back three feet.
Upon seeing this, the demon box leaped up like a starving dog seeing a bone, its lid suddenly bursting open and revealing a gaping, pitch-black demonic maw that swallowed the golden lightning essence whole.
"Gurgle."
Clear swallowing sounds echoed throughout the hall.
Immediately afterwards, a sickening rolling sound came from inside the magic box, as if countless millstones were grinding it down.
hiss hiss hiss—
A plume of extremely foul-smelling black smoke was expelled from the gaps in the box and dissipated into the air.
Those were the most filthy demonic impurities purified by the golden lightning.
On a spiritual level, a sigh of extreme satisfaction immediately came from the Ninth Princess. Her voice trembled, carrying a morbid pleasure: "Ah—yes—that's the feeling—"
"It hurts! It hurts so much! But—it feels so good!"
"The screams in my head have subsided—it feels so good to be awake!"
The magic box trembled violently, and the black light on its surface became even purer.
Suddenly, the box lid was lifted again, and the divine sense, filled with intense longing, stared intently at Chen Yi: "Chen boy, is there more? I want more!"
That kind of greed is like an addict seeing the best stuff.
Chen Yi remained calm, and with a flick of his sleeve, he severed the aura of Jin Lei.
"My cultivation is too weak right now, and I don't have much Golden Lightning True Meaning. That one was a reward for your serious answer to the question."
He said calmly, his tone revealing a cold indifference that suggested he controlled everything: "If you find it useful, I'll find a way to get you some more. If you don't—I don't even have enough for myself."
"Of course I'm useful!"
The Ninth Princess screamed, her voice shrill, as if afraid Chen Yi would really cut off the supply: "Aren't you going to the ancient battlefield? Take me with you! As long as we enter that space, I can sense all kinds of inheritances, treasures, and even the origin you're looking for!"
"and----"
She seemed to have made a great decision and threw out a heavy trump card: "At the critical moment, I can still unleash my hidden strength and unleash a strike with 30% of my peak power!"
That's a strike from a spiritual treasure! Enough to save your life if you're below the late Nascent Soul stage!
"Give me the true meaning of Golden Thunder! Give it to me now!"
Chen Yi's heart stirred slightly.
The power of the spiritual treasure is thirty percent —
This is indeed an extremely strong trump card.
The journey to the Black Mountain Secret Realm is fraught with unpredictable dangers. Having this item with you will greatly increase your safety.
But he remained expressionless, even frowning slightly, as if weighing the pros and cons.
"I don't have much of that stuff left right now; it's extremely difficult to refine. At most, I can only provide one drop per month."
Chen Yi held up one finger, his tone resolute: "If you want more, you can wait until my cultivation level improves."
"One drop? That's too little! At least three drops!" Princess Jiu bargained.
"Half a drop." Chen Yi said expressionlessly.
"You—! Fine, one drop it is! Deal!"
The Ninth Princess was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
The spirit, under the eaves, had no choice but to bow its head.
The final agreement was reached: the magic box would temporarily stay with Chen Yi, and would enter a semi-dormant state to reduce its energy consumption on ordinary days. When the demonic influence invaded too deeply, Chen Yi would help it expel a portion of it.
After she helped Chen Yi find the source of the demonic flame, Chen Yi promised to find a way to help her fully regain her senses.
Of course, following Chen Yi's lead, Chen Yi imposed extremely strict requirements: one must completely conceal one's aura on ordinary days, not reveal one's form, and not be perceived by any powerful figures outside.
Throughout the negotiation process, Chen Yi proceeded cautiously, firmly maintaining the upper hand.
This made Xuan Yin and Ning Bu'er, who were watching from the sidelines, smile.
This kid really knows how to deal with these naive and inexperienced spirits.
As for what impact Chen Yi's taking away the main treasure of the Demonic Path Palace will have on the Demonic Path.
They don't care.
As long as Ning Bu'er can be saved, Xuan Yin wouldn't even flinch if he had to tear down this Demon Palace.
After a while.
Chen Yi raised his hand and made the magic box spin in the air, the black light receded, and its shape shrank rapidly.
Click, click.
A series of fine metallic clicks sounded.
The originally square magic box transformed into a jet-black metal wristband, which automatically fastened itself onto Chen Yi's wrist.
The wristband was entirely black, neither gold nor wood, and had no luster on its surface, as if it could devour all light.
If an ordinary person were to scan it with their divine sense, they would not notice it at all and would simply think it was an ordinary mortal ornament.
However, Chen Yi could clearly feel a chilling sensation on his wrist.
-
The material of this wristband is very peculiar, and the runes and array patterns inside are extremely complex. Even with his expertise in array formations, he can only understand the surface of it.
What alarmed him even more was that it contained profound Daoist insights about the divine soul, which were extremely advanced and as deep as an abyss.
Its creator must have been at least a Nascent Soul level expert, or perhaps even the legendary Void Refinement master.
Spiritual treasures are generally treasures that only cultivators at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage or the Divine Transformation stage can control.
Chen Yi is basically unable to use it in battle now. With his current state of mana and consciousness, if he were to force it to be activated, he would probably be drained of his own energy before he could even harm the enemy.
At most, he can only rely on the power of the Ninth Princess to unleash one or two moves to save his life.
The greatest function of this item on Chen Yi at present is to complement his perception ability and the Ninth Princess's understanding of the world.
Furthermore, the complex and high-level runes on its body had an immeasurable effect on Chen Yi's comprehension of the Soul Dao.
This is equivalent to carrying a mobile, high-level library with you.
The three turned and walked out of the hall.
The palace doors swung open with a roar, letting in the light from outside.
The Blood Seal Ancestor and Tiger Harmony True Monarch, who had been guarding the entrance, immediately came forward to greet them.
-
Although the two tried their best to hide it, the anxiety in their eyes could not be concealed.
"Lord Xuanyin, have you asked the Ninth Princess?"
Blood Seal couldn't wait to step forward and ask, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the depths of the main hall behind the three of them, as if trying to confirm the state of the magic box.
Beside him, True Lord Huhe also showed a concerned look, his nose twitching slightly, as if he had smelled something unusual.
Blood Soul Seal and Beast Soul Seal are the most precious treasures passed down in their lineage, and they are related to the cultivation foundation of the people (beasts) around them.
If they lend it out and something goes wrong, they'll have nowhere to turn for help.
Once you're done using them, return them to them right away!
Xuan Yin continued walking, his expression as calm and composed as ever, and said indifferently, "I haven't finished asking yet. I need to take the Magic Box out to run some errands."
These words were like a thunderclap.
"What? Take the Magic Box away?"
The two were stunned, their eyes widening in disbelief, almost thinking they had misheard.
The Blood Seal Ancestor was frantic, disregarding his status, and stepped in front of Xuan Yin: "Without the suppression of the Demonic Path Main Hall's formation, what if the Ninth Princess is devoured by demonic intent? Once she loses control outside, the entire area within a thousand miles will turn into demonic wasteland!"
"Moreover, if she leaves the main hall for too long and overdraws her energy in advance, what if the spirit of the artifact is destroyed after decades?"
This is the foundation of my demonic path!
At this point, the Blood Seal Ancestor's face turned extremely ugly, and he finally spoke of what he cared about most: "More importantly, the Blood Soul Seal and the Beast Soul Seal are still inside! They are the keys to open the Demon Box, and also the seals that suppress it!"
"You took the magic box, but you have to give us back those two seals!"
"Um?"
Xin Xuanyin hummed a single syllable from his nasal cavity.
This extremely soft sound caused the surging demonic energy around them to freeze instantly, and even the wind stopped.
Her eyelids lowered slightly, her gaze falling on the Blood Seal Ancestor's somewhat anxious face. Her voice was unreadable: "As the First Palace Master of this generation, do I need to report to you before using the Demon Box?"
Blood Seal Ancestor stiffened, about to defend himself, when Xuan Yin's words turned cold.
"The Blood Soul Seal and the Beast Soul Seal are temporarily kept in your hands; that's to save face for you."
Now that the Ninth Princess has personally come out of seclusion to reclaim what belongs to her, do you dare to object?
She took a step forward, and the void beneath her feet seemed to crack.
"Or have you come to regard those two marks as your own private property after having them for so long?"
A fine layer of sweat appeared on the forehead of the Blood Seal Ancestor, and his lips trembled as he murmured, "But—"
Before he could finish speaking...
A blinding black light suddenly burst forth from the wrist bone of Chen Yi's right wrist, which was hanging by his side.
boom!
A raging storm of divine souls swept outwards from Chen Yi's center without warning.
The air was compressed, causing it to pop and crackle.
The two powerful cultivators, Blood Seal Ancestor and Tiger Harmony True Monarch, both at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, were actually shaken by this invisible impact, their protective spiritual light flickering violently, and they almost lost their footing.
A childish yet violent girl's voice exploded in everyone's minds: "Two useless Nascent Soul cultivators dare to spout nonsense in front of this princess?!"
The magic box on Chen Yi's wrist trembled violently, its dark red patterns bulging like veins, as if it were about to devour someone at any moment.
"Believe it or not, this princess will come out right now and devour you both, skin and bones!!"
The voice was sharp, carrying an impatient killing intent.
"You've utterly disgraced the demonic path! I'm going out on important business this time. Anyone who dares to utter another word will be replaced with two more obedient palace masters!"
This fluctuation of divine consciousness was terrifying.
After merging the soul power of the three imprints, the pressure of the Demon Box Spirit has exceeded the scope of the mid-Nascent Soul stage, carrying a fierce aura from ancient times.
Blood Seal Ancestor's face turned deathly pale, and he swallowed back the "but" that was on the tip of his tongue.
Behind him, the Bloodstained True Man, who had barely been saved, was trembling with fear, his eyes filled with despair.
Without the Blood Soul Seal, it's a pipe dream for his damaged body to recover to its peak. When he tries to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, the first tribulation lightning strike will probably turn him to ashes.
On the other side, Tiger Harmony True Lord's expression wasn't much better.
The once majestic black tiger demon king at his feet was now tucking its tail between its legs, letting out mournful howls, its massive body curled up into a ball.
Without the blessing of the Beast Soul Seal, this late-stage fourth-tier demon king's realm is about to decline, and it is unknown how many years it will take to return to its peak.
But circumstances are beyond our control.
In front of them is Xuan Yin, the unreasonable First Palace Master, and behind them is the Ninth Princess, a spirit that could go berserk at any moment.
If this continues, I'm afraid I won't even be able to maintain my current level of cultivation.
Blood Seal Ancestor gritted his teeth, but ultimately dared not utter another word.
He and Huhe exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness and resignation in each other's eyes.
"Walk!"
With a low shout, Blood Seal unfurled his blood-red banner, which transformed into a streak of blood light that shot into the sky.
Huhe didn't dare to linger either. He patted the black tiger's head, then summoned a demonic wind and followed closely behind.
After flying several hundred feet, the Blood Seal Ancestor seemed to feel it would be too humiliating to leave like this, so he mustered all his spiritual power and called out from afar, "Ninth Princess, don't forget to come back after you've finished your business!"
Tiger Harmony True Lord immediately chimed in, "Indeed, Palace Master Xuan Yin, don't forget to return the Soul Imprints to us in the future!"
The sound still echoed in the valley, but the two streaks of light had long since disappeared into the horizon.
As for why the Magic Box ended up in the hands of Chen Yi, an "outsider," the two patriarchs tacitly refrained from asking further questions.
It's a magical treasure, but also a demonic entity.
None of the Demonic Path Palace Masters didn't know that the Demon Box Spirit had long been corrupted by demonic intent, and whoever was bound to it would be doomed, as that mad demonic intent could easily backfire on its host.
In their view, this must be the work of Xuan Yin Zhenjun.
Chen Yi was nothing more than a tool for holding the treasure, a disposable item that could be discarded at any time.
The three transformed into streaks of light, leaving the Monster Mountain Range and heading straight for the Central Plains.
The wind was fierce at high altitude.
Chen Yi separated a wisp of his divine consciousness and probed into the Demon Box to communicate with the Ninth Princess.
"Ancient battlefield?" Chen Yi repeated in his mind.
"good."
The Ninth Princess's voice was languid, as if she was a little tired after throwing a tantrum.
"Tens of thousands of years ago, the Great Azure Realm faced a crisis of destruction as powerful enemies from the outside world invaded."
Several Nascent Soul elders found an abandoned space in the center of the realm and turned it into a meat grinder, fighting to the death.
"That battle was earth-shattering, and many people died on the Great Green Realm side, but it was a Pyrrhic victory that saved this world."
Chen Yi listened quietly, but his heart was in turmoil.
The battlefield of the Celestial Venerable of Transformation.
"Too many powerful beings died in that place. Their remains, magical treasures, and remnants of supernatural abilities have been fermenting over tens of thousands of years, transforming that space into both a forbidden zone and a treasure land."
The Ninth Princess paused, her tone becoming more seductive.
"After a deity dies, their spiritual energy nourishes the heavens and earth."
Tens of thousands of years have passed, and perhaps new spiritual beings have been born there, or even—the Dao patterns passed down by those old fellows before their deaths.
"If you want to help that girl find the source of the demonic flame, it's basically hopeless in a barren place like the Great Azure Realm. Only in places like that could a trace of the demonic flame's source possibly remain."
"Of course, no one has been inside for tens of thousands of years, so I, the princess, have no idea what it's like inside."
The Ninth Princess abruptly changed the subject, disclaiming any responsibility.
"However, that ancient battlefield connects multiple realms and spaces. Even if you can't find the origin, you can still find clues. This is your only path at the moment."
Chen Yi withdrew his divine sense and cast the light into the distance.
According to the Ninth Princess's description, the location and characteristics of that ancient battlefield perfectly match the small space that is about to open in the center of the Black Mountain Secret Realm.
Entry is limited to those in the early Nascent Soul stage.
Connects multiple secret realms.
The timing also matches up.
There are less than six months left until the opening.
With a flick of his finger, Chen Yi sent a communication talisman that transformed into a burst of fire and vanished into the horizon.
That was for Ji Wuchen.
Not long after, Ji Wuchen's reply arrived, his words brimming with excitement: "Excellent, Brother Chen! This time, let's join forces and fight our way back to avenge that arrow wound from last time!"