Chapter 252: Chapter 44: The City of All Demons, The Metropolis of Wan Xiang
The canopy above was so dense that no sunlight could penetrate it.
However, the temperature in the forest was not low at all; instead, it was as warm as spring, without a hint of chill.
Gu Lie led the way at the front, his arms swinging as the blood-red Flying Sword sliced left and right, neatly cleaving through the obstructing bushes and leaves.
Since the miasma was almost completely diluted on the ground, it became denser higher up, so they all had to give up flying on swords and proceed on foot.
Suddenly, a giant python dropped from a tree and in the blink of an eye swallowed him from head to toe, whole.
The next second, the blood-colored Flying Sword slashed the python open from the inside, and Gu Lie casually appeared from behind another tree, spotless, evidently untouched.
Wei Dongliu watched clearly from behind: The moment the python fell, Gu Lie had dodged at high speed using some kind of technique.
What the python had swallowed was nothing but an afterimage of Gu Lie, along with the blood-colored Flying Sword left in place, which then internally dissected and killed the python.
This Gu Lie, he seems to have practiced some kind of Body Refining Secret Technique…
Wei Dongliu observed Gu Lie, while Wen Yang and Jiang Liyan also watched Wei Dongliu from behind, in secret.
“Brother Jiang,” Wen Yang whispered a Daoist formula from within his sleeve, activating a spell to communicate secretly, and asked Jiang Liyan, “What exactly is the background of Brother Wei?”
“Did Brother Wen see something?” Jiang Liyan answered with a question instead of a reply.
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Wen Yang stayed silent for a moment:
“Can’t see through him.”
“He claims to be a Refining Mansion Cultivation level cultivator. But from what I see, there are too many odd aspects.”
“I would like to hear the details.” Jiang Liyan responded with a smile.
“Firstly, as a Loose Cultivator with no master, where did he get the Hundred Poisons Gold Silkworm Gu?” Wen Yang said slowly.
“Maybe he’s just lucky and stumbled upon some ruins.” Jiang Liyan said dismissively.
“Alright, let’s say he’s lucky and found an unincubated Hundred Poisons Gold Silkworm Gu in some ruins.” Wen Yang glanced at the trees in the distance, “What about hatching it?”
“To make the Hundred Poisons Gold Silkworm Gu recognize its master, you must first perform a sacrificial refinement with essence blood and then feed it Gold Ganoderma and Jade Leaf Flowers; otherwise, this fierce creature will emerge from its shell, and in its hunger, fail to recognize anyone, even its own master, and could turn and bite him. How did he know the Sacrificial Refinement Method, and have Gold Ganoderma and Jade Leaf Flowers on hand?”
“Maybe the ruins also contained Gold Ganoderma and Jade Leaf Flowers, and a Jade Slip that recorded the Sacrificial Refinement Method,” Jiang Liyan speculated.
“Fine, let’s assume the ruins had everything,” Wen Yang said with an icy tone, “The Hundred Poisons Gold Silkworm Gu must recognize its master from within the egg, and its eggs must be suppressed by an extremely Yin and toxic Array, or else they will hatch within a few hours.”
“If he’s truly a Loose Cultivator, how could he break the formation? Are you suggesting the Array conveniently failed? If it had, the Hundred Poisons Gold Silkworm Gu would have come out long ago, right?”
“Brother Wei claims to be a master of Arrays.” Jiang the Witch thought to herself that Judge Wen was damn right in his analysis—this man had too many suspicious points, and every single one didn’t seem like ordinary aspects of a Refining Mansion Cultivation level cultivator, yet she replied with a beaming smile, “Breaking these formations naturally comes with the territory…”
“Myriad Souls Devouring Heart Formation.” Wen Yang suddenly interjected.
“What?”
“Among the Arrays sealing the Hundred Poisons Gold Silkworm Gu, there’s one called the ‘Myriad Souls Devouring Heart Formation’,” Wen Yang said with a sinister tone, “Unless a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul Rank, entering this Array would mean their soul would disperse instantly, with absolutely no chance of resistance.”
“Brother Jiang, are you also suggesting that Brother Wei has some Innate Spiritual Treasure at his disposal that can fend off an attack from a Nascent Soul Rank Array, and just happens to be something that a Refining Mansion Cultivation level cultivator can wield?”
Jiang Liyan had no response; that was, of course, impossible.
Firstly, regardless of the scarcity of Innate Spiritual Treasures… such high-caliber Spiritual Treasures would definitely possess Spiritual Wisdom, so how could they willingly serve a Refining Mansion Cultivation level cultivator? Wouldn’t they prefer a deity?
Secondly, even if an Innate Spiritual Treasure did somehow become dim-witted and acknowledged Wei Dongliu as its master,
wouldn’t an ordinary cultivator who gained the recognition of such an Innate Spiritual Treasure immediately seek a powerful master and then rocket to the sky?
Why bother to establish a sect on the Mortal Life Path and find two random disciples just to put up appearances… This was far beyond what could be described as simply unorthodox.
Even Jiang the Witch, who prided herself on her cunning and strategies, could only be certain of one thing at this moment, he had other motives for founding the “Myriad Laws Mystic Profound Sect”!
As for what those motives were, she really couldn’t guess.
Seeing that Jiang Liyan had nothing to say, Wen Yang also came to a conclusion.
This Wei Dongliu was certainly not just any ordinary Refining Mansion Rank cultivator, and it was even questionable whether he was of the Refining Mansion Rank at all…
Up ahead, Gu Lie casually controlled the Flying Sword, skinning and deboning the ink panther, and then turned his head to ask:
“Want the materials?”
No one responded; none of them had the need for artifact refining.
Thus, Gu Lie gathered the items and beckoned everyone to continue onwards.
The location given by the Qilin was deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, over six hundred miles south of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a place where few people ever went, likely only visited by expedition teams heading to the Boundary Gate of the Eastern Emperor Realm.
All kinds of Demonic Beasts encountered along the way were ferocious and brutal; ordinary Refining Mansion Rank cultivators simply couldn’t cope with them.
Luckily, the five of them were no ordinary cultivators; even if Gu Lie acted alone, it was like slicing through melons and vegetables, cutting a clear path.
The group didn’t rest; after completing their Marrow Cleansing, they had endless energy, crossing mountains and rivers as if on flat ground. In about seven or eight days, they arrived at the location mentioned by the Qilin.
Ailao Mountain.
“Is this our destination?” Jiang Liyan looked at the towering peaks ahead with curiosity and asked.
“It should be,” Wei Dongliu explained to the group, “According to the esteemed Qilin, this mountain is called Ailao Mountain.”
“Ailao Mountain was once a core stronghold of the ancient Demon Race. The so-called ‘Ailao,’ in the ancient southwest Human Race dialect, means ‘center,’ and the Demon Race called it ‘City of Wan Xiang,’ ‘Capital of all Demons.’”
“Capital of all Demons?” Wen Yang pondered for a moment and said, “If that is the case, why is it so obscure today that we have never heard of it?”
“How many secrets have disappeared into the long river of history, from ancient times to Ancient Times, and from Ancient Times to modern days?” Wei Dongliu shook his head, “Moreover, the southwest Hundred Thousand Mountains have changed hands several times, Intercepting Cult, Beast Taming Sect… With each transition, countless records have been lost, so it’s normal for us not to have heard about it.”
“It is said that inside Ailao Mountain there is a special magnetic field. Ordinary cultivators who enter this place are extremely likely to lose their sense of direction, unable to discern north, south, east, or west—even magical treasures that aid in navigation might fail.”
As he said this, Wei Dongliu took out a small golden sword from his sleeve. It was bestowed upon him by the Qilin before they parted. It was only the length of a palm, shimmering brilliantly with a golden luster.
“This is the ‘Menghuan Sword,’ which can lead us through the maze and to the Mirror Lake Divine Palace at the mountain’s summit.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Lie immediately asked with impatience:
“The fortuitous encounter that could grant us seventy years’ worth of Refining Mansion Cultivation, is it within that Mirror Lake Divine Palace?”
“Yes,” Wei Dongliu nodded.
Jiang Liyan remained silent, seeing everyone’s eyes blazing with fervor, even the introverted Long Xiaoqi showed a longing gaze.
Only Wei Dongliu had a calm demeanor, without any hint of urgency, as if the prospective seventy years of arduous cultivation were of little consequence to him.
Little did they know that this flawless expression was his biggest giveaway!
Unbeknownst to him, Jiang the Witch, after much thought, had analyzed hundreds of words about the expression on his face, but Wei Dongliu was just confirming with the Kunlun Mirror in his mind:
“Ah Jing, are you certain?”
“Very likely,” the Kunlun Mirror sighed, “Upon hearing ‘Mirror Lake,’ I felt a resonance. Now that we have arrived at the foot of the mountain, I can more or less confirm…”
“Inside the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, there should be a fragment of my original body, and it seems to be suppressed by something, devoid of any Spiritual Wisdom.”