Jiang Li could sense that it was an extremely heavy energy.
This energy had all five elements and the quality was very high.
The power of the five elements seemed to have formed a very stable balance, causing this energy to be abnormally safe and also have an indescribable inertia.
After entering his body, it quietly lay dormant.
Jiang Li could not activate it on his own accord, but he was still continuously emitting a gentle energy that slowly nourished his body.
From the information on the interface, this energy should be the Earth Vein Spirit Essence of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak. Its main function was to supplement the deficiencies and assist in reaching the Foundation Establishment realm.
By using the Earth Vein Spirit Essence of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak to build the foundation, it would be strange if the Dao Foundation constructed like this was not sturdy and powerful.
It seemed that the saying that the Demon Subduing Pagoda was constructed with the power of the earth vein was true.
Not only could they imprison these demons, they could also draw out spiritual power to strengthen their disciples every year. The ancestors of Shu Mountain had really made use of the Five Elements Peak to the limit.
However, what did this “Earth Vein Spirit Essence (Left Foot)” mean?
If one looked at this pagoda monument and compared these two words to the shape of this monument, it indeed looked a little like a leg.
Jiang Li did not know the exact reason for this for the time being, but perhaps he could find the answer in the lower levels of the Demon Subduing Pagoda.
The few of them took turns to sit on the mats. After receiving the Earth Vein Spirit Essence, Chang Wanzhou used the token to open the passage to the second level.
Inside, an even more terrifying aura immediately surged.
Four of the disciples immediately felt their legs go weak and their heads spin when they were assaulted by the aura. Obviously, they were already powerless to continue forward, and they had no choice but to return the way they came.
On the other hand, Jiang Li and the others resolutely descended to the lower level.
On the second level, the air seemed to have become sticky and heavy.
The pressure on the disciples instantly doubled. It was completely different from the first level that one could pass as long as one was brave.
This was because starting from here, there were already many demons who had formed Demon Cores.
At this level, demons were already on the same level as high-level Core Formation cultivators.
With the Demon Core, even if their bodies could not escape, they could already use their aura to influence others from afar.
It was fine if there were only one or two of them. At most, they could weaken a few levels of strength. It was not difficult to brace themselves and charge over.
However, with the number of demons, this pressure was almost materializing under the superposition.
This overlapping aura even surpassed the pressure of a Golden Core cultivator!
Even Jiang Li clearly felt the pressure under this situation. It was as if a huge rock was placed on his back, making him feel a little heavy.
This was under the protection of the Sharp Sword Aura Field.
Even he felt a little heavy.
The few sword cultivators beside him, including Chang Wanzhou and Shenshan Qiuhua, performed even worse.
Panting heavily, Chang Wanzhou was the only one among the six Shu Mountain disciples who could stand steadily.
The four disciples knelt on one knee. Veins popped out on their foreheads, and bean-sized beads of sweat appeared one after another. In just a moment, the ground was wet.
Even Shenshan Qiuhua was holding onto the wall beside her. Her face was pale and she was on the verge of collapse.
A sharp aura arose from Chang Wanzhou and Shenshan Qiuhua. They were forced to stimulate their Sword Heart and open their Sharp Sword Aura Fields to resist the pressure of the demons in the outside world.
However, Shenshan Qiuhua was younger than Jiang Li and had just awakened her Sword Heart. The Sharp Sword Aura Field that she triggered was obviously not as powerful as Chang Wanzhou’s.
A faint Sharp Sword Aura Field covered Shenshan Qiuhua, but against the omnipresent Demon Core pressure, it was still barely able to withstand it.
This was no longer a matter of willpower. If willpower could resolve everything, why would there be any need to cultivate and seek the Dao? Why would he need the talent of the Sword Heart?
Without a sufficient mental foundation, no matter how strong one’s will was, it would be a waste if their soul was crushed.
The six drops of dragon blood in Jiang Li’s body boiled slightly, sweeping away the surrounding pressure.
The other uses of this dragon blood were unknown for the time being, but the dragons were proud and the blood flowing in their veins was filled with the dignity of the dragon race.
Using it to remove negative mental states like pressure was too effective.
“Junior Sister Qiuhua, are you alright?”
Jiang Li took two steps to Shenshan Qiuhua’s side and helped her up.
He saw her close her eyes and frown as she worked hard to adjust her breathing. However, under this kind of pressure environment, it was abnormally difficult for her to reorganize herself.
Jiang Li thought for a moment before mobilizing the Asura Sword Heart to enhance the Sharp Sword Aura Field.
The Sharp Sword Aura Field that was released quickly enveloped Shenshan Qiuhua, helping her resist the pressure of the outside world.
With Jiang Li’s help, her brows gradually relaxed. Clearly, she was having an easier time now.
A moment later, a faint strange fluctuation emitted from her body.
Shenshan Qiuhua opened her eyes. A pink peach blossom appeared on her forehead. Under the enhancement of the peach blossom, her entire state gradually stabilized. She could already stand firmly under the chaotic Demon Core pressure by herself.
This should be the result of the special training that Elder Mu had brought her for the past few days. It did not look simple.
“Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang. I’m fine now.”
The peach blossom mark was shallow in color and shone slightly on the little girl’s forehead, causing Jiang Li to be slightly entranced.
He even reached out to touch it. It was warm and smooth to the touch. On the mark, it was slightly warmer than the skin beside it.
Eh, the skin on her face suddenly felt hot?
“Senior Brother Jiang~”
“Oh, oh, sorry. I’m glad you’re fine.”
Shenshan Qiuhua’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzzing, and her entire face was completely red. Only then did Jiang Li withdraw his sneaky right hand.
“Can everyone still go on? Under such circumstances, our mental state is greatly exhausted. We can’t stay here for long. Everyone, help each other. Let’s set off quickly.”
“Everyone, try your best not to speak later. The demons on this level are not ordinary people. Don’t attract their attention.”
“In addition, some of the demons here can already speak human language and are good at bewitching people. Everyone, try your best to communicate with hand gestures. Don’t believe in any voices. Just lower your heads and quickly pass through.”
These demon beasts that had formed Demon Cores were walking on the path of humanoid transformation. Speaking human language was their first step.
Some cunning ones would even disguise their voices and speak to deceive others.
Therefore, they could not trust any voices here, including their own.
For this, the Shu Mountain disciples had specially designed a simple set of hand gestures to communicate, in order to guard against the demons’ unscrupulous methods.
The remaining few people adjusted their breathing for a period of time and barely helped each other up before following Chang Wanzhou forward.
At this moment, there were seven footsteps, and a few of them sounded weak.
Jiang Li sized up the surroundings without leaving a trace and did not notice any abnormalities.
Soon, they entered the terrifying cell area.
Although their idea was to lower their heads and walk without attracting attention, it was obvious that things did not go as smoothly as they imagined.
A few disciples did not apply any smell removal powder on them. The human aura on their bodies was immediately captured by the demons with sensitive noses.
“Meat, the smell of meat! What fragrant meat!”
“Someone’s here! Someone’s here! Haha! Hurry up! Let go of me! Let go of me!”
“Human! Let me eat you! Human! Let me eat you! One hand! One hand is enough!”
“I haven’t eaten for a hundred years. I must eat a big meal today!”
“Eh, kid! Hehe! Give me the girl beside you. I’ll exchange my treasure for yours!”
As soon as they entered the cell area, the smell of the two disciples who had accidentally not applied the smell removing powder caused the monsters in the cells to go crazy.
The restrictions on the demons on this level were even more severe. Even in the cage, they were also afflicted with many control methods!
Bone piercing and steel needles sealing the meridians were all normal conditions.
However, this could not fully suppress their strength.
As they spoke, their words were extremely cruel. They did not hide their desire for flesh and blood at all.
At the same time, powerful auras no longer spread to the entire area. After discovering their traces, they deliberately targeted the group. The auras of more than a hundred demons surged towards them.
Instantly, the pressure doubled again. The few people who needed support to barely walk directly had two streaks of red flowing down their nostrils.
Even the peach blossom mark on Shenshan Qiuhua’s forehead flickered. She leaned against Jiang Li’s body in a daze and felt weak.
Due to a slight mistake, their group fell into an extremely passive situation.
In the prison beside them, a large mud turtle that was tied to the ground by chains slowly stretched its neck.
This mud turtle was much larger than a millstone. On the pitch-black shell, several huge sword scars could be seen.
This turtle demon was extremely ugly, but its expression revealed a humanized greed.
The ugly head continued to extend. It stretched out longer than its body and approached the fence.
Through the fence, a pair of completely black turtle eyes stared at Shenshan Qiuhua. It did not seem to be interested in blood or flesh at all and only wanted Shenshan Qiuhua.
“Kid, how about it? I, the Eighth King, am a turtle of my word. As long as you give me that girl, I’ll use my most precious turtle treasure to exchange for her.”
This turtle spirit that called itself the Eighth King actually opened its mouth and spat out a purple-red tongue. It reached out a gap and slowly stretched it towards Jiang Li and Shenshan Qiuhua.
The tip of the purple-red tongue seemed to have something wrapped around it. After it stretched out in front of Jiang Li, the tongue slowly opened up, and one could see gorgeous precious light blooming within.
On the tongue, a round pearl the size of a grape slowly revealed itself. As the tongue swayed, a strange force hidden within the treasure light intended to invade Jiang Li’s mind.
“This is my turtle treasure. It’s a good treasure that even the Immortal Empress wants. As long as you give this girl to me, it’ll be yours!”
The old turtle swayed its tongue and was still trying to control Jiang Li.
In its heart, it was actually sneering.
‘Be greedy, be greedy. As long as you are a little greedy for my turtle treasure, you will definitely not be able to escape this old turtle’s control.’
‘This girl is the real treasure. If I eat her, this old turtle will definitely be able to break through!’
However…
Swoosh!
Jiang Li formed a hand seal and a red light instantly shot out from his sleeve and coiled around the purplish-red tongue that was close by.
With the configuration of Jiang Li’s current mental world, an illusion technique of this level would not be able to affect him even if it tried for another hundred years.
However, this old turtle was still not anxious. With its special talent, it could already tell that these seven disciples were only at the Qi Refinement realm. So what if they were not affected by the illusion technique? At most, it would use force.
“Hehe, kid, you’re just a Qi Refinement realm disciple and you want to… Wait! What is this! Let go of me! Let go of me!”
The red light revealed its true form, which was a withered red vine.
After the red vine wrapped around its tongue, the old turtle Eighth King wanted to pull back, but it discovered that the vine in Jiang Li’s hand did not move at all. A copious force made its strength useless.
Then, a sharp pain came from its tongue. A large number of spikes suddenly grew out of the vine and stabbed into its tongue. It began to extract a large amount of blood.
This was the spiritual plant, Blood Withered Vine, that Jiang Li had spent a large amount of money to purchase. When used together with the Nine Nether Dao Scripture, its might was extremely terrifying. Once it wrapped around it, the efficiency of drawing blood was even greater than an industrial-grade water pump.
In less than two breaths, Eighth King could not take it anymore.
“Wait! Spare me! Spare me! I’ll die at this rate!”
The blood color on the tongue receded at a speed visible to the naked eye. The turtle that was at least 2,000 kilograms gradually shriveled until it could no longer draw a drop of blood. Jiang Li forcefully tore off the turtle treasure on the tongue before letting go of the vine.
As for the old turtle, its vitality was indeed sufficiently tenacious. Even so, it did not die. It shrunk its head and claws and did not move again. It would probably not recover for a long time.
Jiang Li put away the turtle treasure. However, after dealing with a turtle spirit, the group still could not advance under this situation.
After some thought, he suddenly spoke loudly.
“A group of prisoners dare to act rashly in front of us!”
“Looks like the treatment Shu Mountain gave you is too good? You ungrateful beasts! You’re even worse than pigs waiting to be slaughtered!”
“Be obedient and admit your mistakes. Otherwise, I’ll kill all of you and eat your meat!”
Jiang Li held the Blood Withered Vine and actually started to spout nonsense.
The numerous demons in the second level were first stunned, and then they were infuriated by Jiang Li’s words. They paid no further attention to the others, and in their anger, they poured all their pressure onto him.
Jiang Li endured almost all of the pressure, and the others immediately felt their bodies relax, recovering from their dispirited state.
“Senior Brother Jiang…”
Shenshan Qiuhua wanted to say something but was interrupted by Jiang Li.
He made a “quickly leave” gesture, letting them leave first. He would advance after they were gone.
The others hesitated before walking forward under Jiang Li’s firm hand gesture.