Chapter 608

Chapter 608

The corpse demon covered with bone-eating insect shells slowly stood up, and a "crunching" sound of bones rubbing against each other came from under the broken Taoist robe. Fu Shaoping's pupils suddenly shrank - the insect shells attached to the corpse were melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into black mucus that seeped into the bone seams, outlining strange blood-colored lines on the surface of the white skeleton.

"It's the Blood Evil Bone Refining Technique!" Flames shot up from Nangong Wan's fingertips, "This man must have been at least a Spiritual Transformation cultivator in his lifetime!"

Before he finished speaking, the green ghost fire in the empty eye sockets of the corpse demon suddenly jumped up. It raised its hand and grabbed, and the dark fog in the valley instantly condensed into dozens of gray-white chains, breaking through the air with a piercing chill. Fu Shaoping quickly pinched the sword formula, and the Hanxiao sword drew a blue light curtain in the air. The sword tip collided with the fog chain and burst out a sound of metal clashing.

"clang--!"

The moment the wind wave rose, Nangong Wan had already flashed to the left side of the corpse demon. The red gold true flames in his palms turned into two fire pythons, winding up along the corpse demon's ribs. But the blood-colored lines on the surface of the skeleton suddenly lit up, and the true flames were sucked into the bone gap like a drop in the ocean.

"Be careful! It can devour the fire spirit—" Fu Shaoping's warning was interrupted by a sudden earthquake. Countless bone spurs suddenly pierced the ground, one of which went straight through his calf. The blood was absorbed by the bone spurs before it even dripped, and the blood patterns on the corpse demon's body suddenly became three times brighter.

Nangong Wan's eyes were about to burst, and a dazzling golden light suddenly burst out from his hair. A red jade hairpin flew out automatically, and turned into a three-foot-long phantom of a red bird in the air. This was clearly the life-saving magic weapon that the mysterious old man secretly gave him when he rebuilt his body in the Sky Fire Pool - the Nanming Lihuo Hairpin.

“Screech!”

The clear sound of the phoenix echoed through the valley, and the mist dissipated wherever the shadow of the Vermillion Bird passed. The corpse demon seemed to feel threatened, and suddenly opened its jaws and let out a silent scream. The ground of the entire Nine Nether Valley began to wriggle, and countless white bone arms broke out of the ground!

Fu Shaoping endured the severe pain and crushed the jade pendant on his waist. Thirty-six ice spirit needles formed a mysterious array and floated in the air. He bit his tongue and sprayed blood mist, and the needle array was immediately stained with a strange purple light: "Nine Heavens Mysterious Spirit, Ice Prison Sealed Demon!"

The extreme cold and the Southern Ming Fire hit the corpse demon at the same time. Under the tearing of the power of ice and fire, the white skeleton finally cracked. Just as the two were about to deliver a fatal blow, the corpse demon's chest suddenly split open, revealing a black jade token wrapped in blood.

"Is that the Soul Devouring Sect's Soul-Calming Token?" Nangong Wan's face changed drastically. The two characters "Xuan Yin" on the token were glowing scarlet, and the Xuan Yin grass they had been looking for was waving its leaves frantically under the token, as if resisting something.

The corpse demon suddenly made a hoarse human voice: "Those who dare to move the holy grass will die." The broken syllables actually carried a familiar tone. Fu Shaoping had a flash of thought in his mind, and he cried out in surprise: "Senior Xuanji?!"

The skeleton's movements obviously stopped for a moment. Taking this opportunity, Fu Shaoping suddenly thrust the Cold Sky Sword into the ground, and the ice-blue spiritual power flowed upstream along the bone spurs: "Wan'er, get the grass!"

Nangong Wan's body was as fast as lightning, and the Nanming Lihuo Hairpin accurately cut the blood threads wrapped around the token. When the Xuanyin grass was pulled out by the roots, the whole skeleton suddenly trembled violently, and the ghost fire in the eye socket gradually turned clear.

"Heavenly Fire. Pool." The corpse demon's voice suddenly became clear. It looked down at its bony hands, as if it was lost in some memories. But this clarity only lasted for a moment, and the blood veins on the surface of the bones suddenly burst out, completely devouring the remaining consciousness.

"Retreat!" Fu Shaoping dragged Nangong Wan back quickly. Without the suppression of the Soul-Calming Order, the corpse demon went completely crazy, and the Yin Qi of the entire valley was gathering towards it. At this critical moment, the picked Xuanyin grass suddenly flew up automatically, and the blue light on the grass leaves became stronger.

A shocking scene occurred - the Xuanyin grass decomposed into countless light spots in the air, and these light spots rushed towards the corpse demon like moths to a flame. When the first light spot touched the skeleton, the hideous blood veins began to fade!

"So that's it." Nangong Wan suddenly realized, "Xuanyin grass is a sacred object that purifies resentful souls. We have all been deceived by the Soul Devouring Sect's plan!"

As the light spots continued to merge, the corpse demon's movements became slower and slower. When the last trace of blood dissipated, the skeleton knelt on the ground with a bang, and the last words uttered between its jaws: "Thank you, my friend" and then turned into crystal bone powder all over the ground. A breeze blew by, and dots of starlight rose from the bone powder, vaguely condensing into the shadow of an old man in Taoist robes, who smiled and bowed to the two of them before disappearing between heaven and earth.

Fu Shaoping knelt on one knee and gasped for breath, the penetrating wound on his calf still oozing blood. Nangong Wan hurriedly tore off his clothes to bandage him, but found that the wound was lingering with stubborn black air.

"It's corpse poison." Fu Shaoping tried to circulate his spiritual power, and his face suddenly became paler. "The circulation of spiritual power is blocked, I'm afraid..."

"Don't talk." Nangong Wan suddenly cut his wrist and let the blood drip onto the wound. Surprisingly, there were tiny golden spots in his blood, and the black energy melted away like snow when it encountered these spots.

Fu Shaoping looked at his Taoist partner in shock: "Your blood"

"A gift from the Skyfire Pool." Nangong Wan bandaged the wound and helped him stand up. "The dual cultivation technique that the senior mentioned may help you eliminate the remaining poison."

As the two of them supported each other and walked out of Jiuyou Valley, the setting sun stretched their shadows very long. Fu Shaoping looked at the glowing Xuanyin grass in his arms and suddenly chuckled: "It seems we have to find a new medicine."

Nangong Wan was about to answer when several dark shadows suddenly passed by in the distant sky. The black-robed monks were stepping on the soul-calling banners and rushing in a certain direction. The two looked at each other and remembered the three words that the corpse demon mentioned before his death:
"The Soul Devouring Sect's main altar is right below the Skyfire Pond?"

The setting sun sank into the distant mountains, and the last ray of afterglow was swallowed by the darkness. Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan hid in a forest of dead trees, looking at the direction where the black-robed monk disappeared in the distance, with solemn expressions.

"Why would someone from the Soul Devouring Sect appear near the Skyfire Pond?" Nangong Wan asked in a low voice, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the Nanming Fire Hairpin. The hairpin was slightly hot, as if warning of something.

Fu Shaoping closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, frowning: "Something is wrong... The spiritual power fluctuations of the Sky Fire Pond have been distorted by some force, as if it is being suppressed by something."

Nangong Wan's pupils shrank slightly: "Could it be that the Soul Devouring Sect is drawing power from the Sky Fire Pool?"

Fu Shaoping nodded: "It is very likely. The Sky Fire Pond is the most yang place in the world, and the Soul Devouring Sect practices evil techniques. If they use some secret technique to reverse the yin and yang and use the power of the sky fire to refine the evil things..."

Before he finished speaking, a low roar suddenly came from the distance, and the ground shook slightly. The two looked at each other, quickly restrained their breath, and sneaked towards the source of the sound.

After passing through a forest of dead trees, the view suddenly opened up - the originally blazing and boiling Skyfire Pond was now shrouded in a layer of dark mist, and the water was no longer red, but glowing with a strange dark purple. Nine bone flags stood by the pond, with blood-colored runes embroidered on the flags, which were constantly drawing spiritual energy from the pond, turning into black mist and merging into the bottom of the pond.

In the center of the pool, there was an altar made of bones, and on the altar sat an old man in a black robe, with his hands in a seal and muttering something. In front of him, there was a black bead floating, and countless resentful souls were entangled on the surface of the bead, emitting shrill wails.

"Soul Devouring Pearl!" Nangong Wan exclaimed, "They actually want to refine the spiritual power of the Skyfire Pond to feed this thing!"

Fu Shaoping's eyes darkened: "We must stop them, otherwise once the Soul Devouring Pearl is fully developed, the area within a thousand miles will become a ghost zone."

Nangong Wan gritted his teeth: "But our current state..."

Fu Shaoping held his shoulder and whispered, "We can't use force. We have to use wits." He looked around and suddenly noticed a black-robed monk patrolling alone by the pool with a blood-red token hanging around his waist.

"The Soul Devouring Sect's pass." Fu Shaoping narrowed his eyes, "If we can sneak in..."

Nangong Wan understood, and a ray of true flame condensed on his fingertips, silently flicking it towards the monk's feet. The flame instantly ignited the dry grass, and the black-robed monk turned around alertly. Before he could react, Fu Shaoping had flashed behind him like a ghost and knocked him out with a palm.

The two quickly changed into black robes, put on hoods, and blended into the patrol team. As the team slowly approached the altar, Fu Shaoping could clearly feel the cold breath coming from the bottom of the pool, as if something was awakening. "Speed ​​up!" The black-robed old man on the altar suddenly opened his eyes, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing, "Zi time is approaching, the ceremony must be completed!"

Upon hearing this, all the monks cut their wrists and dripped their blood into the pool. The water in the pool surged, the black mist became thicker, and the resentful soul on the Soul Devouring Orb struggled frantically, as if it was about to break free.

Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan looked at each other, slowed down their pace tacitly, and quietly approached the edge of the altar. At this moment, the old man in black robe suddenly raised his head, staring at them with turbid eyes——

"You...are not from the Soul Devouring Sect!"

Before he finished speaking, the old man's skinny fingers suddenly grabbed, and the black mist in the pool instantly turned into a giant hand, slapping the two of them fiercely!

"Retreat!" Fu Shaoping pushed Nangong Wan away, unsheathed the Hanxiao Sword, and the blade collided with the black mist, making a harsh corrosion sound. The sword's spiritual light quickly dimmed, and the black mist wrapped around him like a living thing, trying to corrode his arm.

Nangong Wan shouted angrily, and the Nanming Lihuo Hairpin turned into a phantom of a Vermillion Bird, rushing straight to the old man's face. The old man sneered, waved his sleeves, and the Soul Devouring Orb on the altar suddenly burst into a circle of black ripples, swallowing up all the flames!
“How dare a mere ant ruin my plans?” The old man grinned, forming seals with his hands. Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the bottom of the pool.

"boom!"

The surface of the Skyfire Pond exploded as a gigantic bone arm broke out of the water, its five fingers as sharp as knives, grabbing straight at the two of them!

Fu Shaoping's pupils suddenly shrank: "It's a corpse demon... No, something more terrifying than a corpse demon!"

Nangong Wan gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s fight!”

He bit his tongue hard and sprayed a mouthful of blood onto the Nanming Lihuo Hairpin, which instantly ignited with dazzling golden flames. At the same time, Fu Shaoping poured all of his remaining spiritual power into the Hanxiao Sword, and the sword's tip emitted an unprecedented cold light.

"Nine Heavens Mysterious Spirit: Ice and Fire Attack!"

The two forces of extreme cold and scorching heat intertwined in the air, transforming into a brilliant beam of light that fiercely slammed into the giant bone hand. The moment the two forces collided, the entire Skyfire Pool shook violently, and a gap was torn in the black fog, revealing the true appearance of the bottom of the pool.

There, sleeping was a complete skeleton demon as huge as a mountain!

What’s even more horrifying is that there is a still beating heart embedded in the corpse demon’s chest!

"Is that... Senior Xuanji's heart?!" Fu Shaoping was shocked.

The old man in black robe laughed wildly: "That's right! Back then, old Xuanji broke into the forbidden area of ​​my Soul Devouring Sect, and I extracted his soul and refined his bones. Only this heart contained the power of the Heavenly Fire, which could not be refined. Today, I will use the Heavenly Fire Pool as a furnace to refine him into the guardian corpse king of my Soul Devouring Sect!"

Nangong Wan was furious: "You are looking for death!"

He was about to rush forward, but Fu Shaoping grabbed him and whispered, "Wait... that heart is still beating!"

Sure enough, although the heart in the corpse demon's chest was entangled in black fog, it still beat tenaciously, and every beat made the surrounding resentful souls roar in pain.

Fu Shaoping's eyes flashed: "Senior Xuanji's will is not dead! Wan'er, use your blood!"

Nangong Wan understood his intention instantly, and without hesitation, he cut his wrist, spilling blood into the pool. His blood contained the purifying power of the Skyfire Pool, and once it came into contact with the black mist, it was like boiling oil meeting water, making a "hissing" burning sound.

The black-robed old man's face changed drastically: "Stop!"

But it was too late - the moment Nangong Wan's blood touched the heart, the originally silent heart suddenly burst into dazzling golden light!

"boom--!"

The Skyfire Pool was boiling, and the hot magma rushed up into the sky, burning the black fog. The corpse demon let out a shrill wail, and its skeletal body broke into pieces. The old man in black robe retreated in fear, but was entangled by a golden chain around his ankle - that was the last bit of power transformed from Xuan Ji's residual soul!
“No——!” The old man’s screams were drowned in the flames.

When everything returned to calm, the Skyfire Pond returned to its original red color, the water was crystal clear, and there was no trace of evil. At the bottom of the pond, the heart turned into golden light and dissipated between heaven and earth.

Fu Shaoping slumped to the ground and took a long breath: "It's over..."

Nangong Wan looked at the golden light remaining in his palm and said softly, "Senior Xuanji... is finally free."

However, just when the two of them relaxed their vigilance, a slight "click" sound suddenly came from the bottom of the pool.

The fragments of the Soul Devouring Orb were quietly sinking to the deepest part of the pool...

The night was deep, and the cold pond was glowing with a faint blue light. Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan sat opposite each other, with three stalks of Xuanyin grass floating quietly in front of them, and the black jade-like leaves were shining like stars.

Fu Shaoping gathered a wisp of true energy on his fingertips and carefully picked one of them. The spiritual herb was cold to the touch, and the leaves trembled slightly, as if they had spirituality. He looked at his Taoist partner opposite him, and Nangong Wan nodded gently. They both put the Xuanyin grass into their mouths at the same time.

The moment the spiritual herbs entered his throat, an extremely cold air rushed straight to Baihui. Fu Shaoping trembled all over, and felt a rumbling in his head. The originally chaotic Niwan Palace began to vibrate violently. He immediately practiced the skills to guide the medicinal power to flow through the meridians. Nangong Wan also had a solemn expression, and his hands formed seals, and a faint moonlight appeared around his body.

As the medicinal power dissolved in his body, Fu Shaoping felt his consciousness being forcibly pulled, and a ray of light gradually appeared in the Niwan Palace. The light became stronger and stronger, and finally, like the creation of heaven and earth, a clear and bright place was opened up in the chaos. He looked inside himself and saw that although the newly born Niwan Palace was only an inch in size, it was pure and transparent, and his consciousness flowed freely in it.

Nangong Wan's breakthrough was even more difficult. Fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, and there was a faint silver light flickering between her eyebrows. Suddenly, she shouted softly, and the aura around her body surged. A bright moon slowly rose in the Niwan Palace, and the clear light fell, dispelling all the chaos.

The two opened their eyes almost at the same time. Fu Shaoping's eyes were full of brilliance, while Nangong Wan's eyes seemed to be filled with moonlight. They smiled at each other, and both felt the obvious enhancement of the other's spiritual consciousness. Although the newly opened Niwan Palace was small, it laid a solid foundation for future cultivation.

The fog around the pond gradually dissipated, and the sky in the east was already turning pale. After the two of them finished regulating their breathing, they stood up with light steps. With their spiritual awareness, they could clearly discern any movement within dozens of feet around them. This time, taking the Xuanyin grass allowed them to open up the Niwan Palace in advance during the foundation-building period, which would be of great benefit to their future practice.

(End of this chapter)