Chapter 1073: Spawn Demon
Chapter 1073: Spawn Demon
The journey ahead grew increasingly perilous.
Without the Scholar, the Eight Trigram Warding Disk, or the ability to predict fortune and misfortune, the soil, rocks, and every blade of grass and tree around them became strange and dangerous. No one knew what malevolent spirits or pollutants might be lurking within.
Situ Zhenren sighed inwardly.
He should have foreseen this. The Scholar was the key to their journey, and he should have been more cautious. But it was too late; they had been "eliminated" right from the start.
Even more perplexing was what had lured the Scholar to his downfall. Situ Zhenren was at a loss.
The ancient texts of Mystery Valley contained too little information about the Evil Deity. Their experience in dealing with the Evil Deity was woefully inadequate.
The path ahead was shrouded in fog, and the strange rules of the realm were entirely unfamiliar. A single misstep could lead to irreparable disaster.
Situ Zhenren sighed again.
"One step at a time..."
Without the Scholar, they could only rely on their own divine consciousness to predict fortune and misfortune. Not just Situ Zhenren, but all the cultivators present had to start observing and calculating the dangers around them. Only then could they ensure their safety.
But the consumption of divine consciousness would also increase.
They were all using their spiritual essences for this journey, and the consumption of divine consciousness meant a depletion of their strength. This might be part of the Evil Deity's sinister plan.
But at this moment, Situ Zhenren had no time to dwell on such matters.
Reaching the True Fetus of the Evil Deity would be a significant achievement. Before that, adhering to the plan and avoiding danger to preserve their strength had become an unrealistic luxury.
"Everyone, hold nothing back. Give it your all."
Situ Zhenren said, then took out a Six Yang Crimson Gold Lamp. Using the lamp's clear light, he provided an additional layer of protection for everyone, to prevent anyone from being lured and corrupted by unknown malevolent entities, as the Scholar had been.
The Six Yang Crimson Gold Lamp.
This was the best heavenly secret treasure Situ Zhenren had found after losing the Heaven and Earth Clear Light Lamp over a decade ago, following the incident in Li Prefecture.
The Heaven and Earth Clear Light Lamp was the supreme treasure of Mystery Valley. Using the power of heaven and earth, it emitted a clear light that could preserve heavenly secrets, determine cause and effect, and even extend life. It had countless wondrous uses.
But now, it was being used to lock the cause and effect of a certain person's life and death.
This was a heavenly secret that must not be revealed, or it would bring great calamity to Mystery Valley. This matter could not be mentioned or spoken of; it had to be kept buried deep within.
Situ Zhenren pretended to have forgotten about it and no longer thought about the Heaven and Earth Clear Light Lamp.
But without it, he needed to have a replacement, a suitable treasure to "fill the gap."
The Six Yang Crimson Gold Lamp was that replacement, using the yang energy of heaven and earth to protect and ward off evil.
Its effectiveness was far inferior to the Heaven and Earth Clear Light Lamp, but in the current situation, it was still quite useful.
The golden light of the lamp spread, enveloping everyone in the warmth of the six yang energies.
The others also held nothing back.
The Daoist bit his tongue, drawing blood to smear on a peach wood sword, activating its exorcism power.
The monk took out his prayer beads, which were inscribed with Sanskrit for protection.
The white-robed female transcendent, with her clear and beautiful face, summoned the Three Pure Ones Bell.
The old woman called forth the Six Ding and Six Jia to guard her.
The three brothers, who were from the same sect as the old woman, practiced the Daoist art of the Six Hidden Techniques. When they activated it, a divine consciousness armor appeared around them, rendering them impervious to blades and bullets.
In the Daoist arts, "three" was a mystical number, and anything that fit this number had special uses.
Especially for the three brothers, who were bound by blood, their unity in cultivation could double their efforts, and the power of their techniques could sometimes produce unpredictable and wondrous changes.
Therefore, high-ranking cultivators often preferred to take in blood-related brothers as disciples.
Some demonic cultivators who trained slaves also favored numbers like three, five, and seven, which were considered mystical.
The last person was a large man covered in talismans. He was a rare "divine consciousness body cultivator", using the power of talismans to protect his divine consciousness and physical body.
The other four Cave Void Ancestors, though they had not yet taken action, were also secretly using their divine consciousness to prepare for unexpected crises.
Thus, the group continued forward.
The deeper they went into the Wilderness Abyss, the closer they came to the birthplace of the Evil Deity, the denser the black mist became, and the more intense the evil thoughts grew.
The environment grew increasingly harsh, and the malevolent spirits that ambushed them grew stronger.
However, thanks to everyone's concerted efforts, most crises were overcome with minimal danger. The malevolent spirits that blocked their path were all slain.
It seemed to be going relatively smoothly, but Situ Zhenren's expression grew increasingly grave.
The Yu Hua transcendants gathered in Qian Xue Prefecture were all masters of divine consciousness, ranking among the top in the realm. They were capable of suppressing any region and slaying all manner of malevolent spirits, ghosts, and demons.
The other four Cave Void Ancestors, though their divine consciousness techniques were slightly weaker, possessed formidable divine consciousness.
This force, if fully unleashed and all divine consciousness techniques were employed, was extremely powerful. Most malevolent spirits were no match for them.
But Situ Zhenren knew this journey was far from simple. He had lived long and had extensive experience with divine consciousness. He knew the deep hidden dangers and understood that the more they killed, the weaker they would become.
A cultivator's divine consciousness was extremely vulnerable to depletion.
This was the nightmare realm of the Evil Deity. They were all out of their bodies, and every bit of divine consciousness used was a bit less, with no way to replenish or recover.
Once depleted, they would be left to die.
Moreover, the spiritual essence was vulnerable to "pollution."
For Yu Hua Fourth Rank and Cave Void Fifth Rank cultivators, their divine consciousness was already very powerful, but this "power" was only in terms of "quantity."
This "quantity" did not involve a "quality" change, nor did it involve "rules."
Some terrifying malevolent spirits and demons, unlike cultivators, had divine consciousness that was inherently imbued with certain "rules."
The so-called "pollution" by malevolent spirits was essentially the manifestation of these "rules" of divine consciousness.
In addition to "pollution", the divine consciousness of malevolent spirits also had "corrosion", "decay", "parasitism", "consumption", "control", and "assimilation"—all terrifying changes that contained the power of rules.
These are the precious divine path knowledge that generations of cultivators from Mystery Valley have personally gathered, summarized, and recorded after experiencing, observing, and tragically dying in the world of evil thoughts and powerful nightmares—whether through pollution, transformation, assimilation, or slaughter.
This is the most terrifying aspect of malevolent spirits.
Furthermore, the more challenging part is that whether a malevolent spirit harbors "polluting" power or other corrupting forces is almost impossible to discern from the surface, and there are rarely any discernible patterns.
A powerful Fourth Rank malevolent spirit might just be a collection of pure resentment. Although it is hard to kill, once it is slain, the resentment dissipates into the universe, leaving no lingering danger.
However, a Second Rank minor spirit might naturally possess "parasitic" power.
Unless it is thoroughly eradicated from the start with great effort, once it parasitizes a host, even a Feathered Transcendent could become a "blood sac", with the spirit siphoning divine consciousness day after day.
Of course, a Feathered Transcendent’s divine consciousness is so strong that it might not even notice being siphoned for a long time.
But if the spirit continuously "feeds" on the brain for years, the divine consciousness will inevitably be gradually depleted, harming the very essence.
Eventually, the spirit might grow to Third Rank, or even Fourth Rank, becoming a lethal "evil tumor." Even a Feathered Transcendent could die.
These are the insights and lessons summarized by generations of cultivators from Mystery Valley.
Battling malevolent spirits is not just a clash of divine consciousness "strength"; it is also a severe test of one's resolve, perseverance, stability, and vigilance.
They can kill ten thousand malevolent spirits.
But if even one malevolent spirit pollutes them, it is all over.
Because of these concerns, Situ Zhenren and his companions moved extremely cautiously, which also made their progress extremely slow.
They killed many malevolent spirits, but these killings did not reassure them; instead, they became even more worried.
For every malevolent spirit they killed, it meant their divine consciousness was depleted a bit.
Moreover, were these malevolent spirits truly "dead"?
On the surface, they seemed to have killed them.
But in reality, they were unsure if they had truly killed them.
They were also unsure if their spiritual essences had been inadvertently polluted by these spirits.
At first, they did not consider these things.
But as the surroundings grew darker, more malevolent spirits were killed, and their spiritual essences were more depleted, the mental pressure increased, and the self-doubt in their hearts grew stronger.
The Six Yang Crimson Gold Lamp, the Big Dipper Array, and various divine consciousness treasures could dispel external malevolent thoughts and evil auras, but they could not protect the inner mind.
Human nature has its weaknesses, and the human heart has many vulnerabilities.
Under such high pressure, these vulnerabilities are gradually magnified.
Situ Zhenren quickly realized this, noticing flaws in his own heart and the wavering expressions of his companions, so he immediately said sternly:
"Guard your resolve!"
This stern command awakened everyone, and they each activated their techniques to strengthen their resolve and dispel the shadows in their hearts.
Cultivators who walk the path of divine consciousness are invariably resolute and steadfast, or at least much more so than ordinary cultivators.
Thus, everyone continued forward.
The surroundings remained dark and perilous.
Blood streams, flesh swamps, bone forests, and evil nests were everywhere, and various malevolent spirits—whether ghost faces, spider insects, or bone demons—blocked their path at every step.
But everyone gritted their teeth, stepped forward one by one, and killed without hesitation, gradually advancing deeper into the nightmare.
After countless battles and near-numbness of their divine consciousness, they finally faced a towering black mountain.
The intense, fog-like aura of the Evil Deity emanated from within the mountain.
The Wilderness Abyss, the final Evil Deity Mountain.
"We have arrived!"
Situ Zhenren's heart trembled, almost feeling a sense of disbelief.
If not for his steadfast resolve and the determination to persist, he might have thought that they would never make it this far.
But before Situ Zhenren could catch his breath, a sinister aura rose before them, and a roar echoed through the air.
Before the Evil Deity Mountain, a massive malevolent spirit, as large as a small mountain, slowly revealed itself.
Everyone's expressions changed upon seeing it.
This great malevolent spirit was a Fourth Rank, and it was close to the peak of the Fourth Rank.
Its body, like a small mountain, was stitched together with the limbs of different humans and beasts, resembling a spirit of a thousand corpses, cruel and terrifying.
"Mountain Guardian Spirit..."
This might be the largest and last Mountain Guardian Spirit before the Evil Deity Mountain.
The Mountain Guardian Spirit emitted a powerful and decaying aura, and a foul, corrosive black liquid dripped from its mouth.
Situ Zhenren said sternly:
"Let's kill it..."
He immediately activated the Six Yang Crimson Gold Lamp, which emitted a scorching light that enveloped the Mountain Guardian Spirit.
The golden-red light burned the spirit, immediately producing white smoke.
The Mountain Guardian Spirit let out a piercing scream that pierced the soul.
The White-robed Female Transcendent immediately summoned the Three Pure Ones Bell to neutralize the scream and protect Wen Ren Wan, helping her retreat.
The old woman summoned the Six Ding and Six Jia to surround and attack the spirit.
The other divine consciousness cultivators also unleashed their techniques, charging forward to kill.
Even the four Cave Void Ancestors had to join the battle.
The Great Luo Sect Ancestor used divine consciousness to form Sword Qi.
The Little Spirit Sect Ancestor used divine consciousness to cast spells.
The other two Cave Void Ancestors, one from the Twelve Sects' Spirit Talisman Sect, used Evil Suppressing Talismans, while the other, from Kunzhou, used a Warding Wood Sword made from Thunderstruck Wood.
This was another heart-stopping and brutal battle.
The Mountain Guardian Spirit was at the peak of the Fourth Rank, and it was unknown how many malevolent spirits and demons had been "stitched" together, making it massive.
Within its malevolent thoughts, it seemed to possess "corrosive" power.
The "spawn" that was summoned also carried "corpse poison."
Fortunately, the Evil Suppressing Talisman could suppress its evil aura.
The Thunderstruck Wood Sword, infused with the power of lightning, naturally had a restraining effect on such evil creatures.
In addition, the other divine consciousness cultivators were quite skilled in their own right.
After a long and intense battle, they finally managed to completely eliminate the enormous peak Fourth Rank Mountain Guardian Spirit.
However, everyone paid a heavy price.
The old woman's Six Ding and Six Jia technique was depleted by half.
The Taoist's Peach Wood Sword had developed a crack.
The monk's prayer beads had lost their luster.
One of the three brothers who practiced the Xuanmen Duntian technique lost an arm.
The talisman-bearing man had a claw mark on his back from the corpse spirit.
Moreover, everyone's divine consciousness had been drained significantly, and even their divine path treasures had been tainted, to varying degrees, by the elusive corpse poison.
The situation was dire, and Situ Zhenren couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"We need to find the evil fetus and eliminate it as soon as possible. Then we can consider purifying our spiritual essences. Otherwise, if the Evil Deity truly revives, everything will be meaningless..."
Situ Zhenren's expression was heavy as he spoke, "Let's go."
Everyone protected Wenren Wan and followed the blood thread, which connected mother and child, deeper into the Black Mountain to find the evil fetus.
Situ Zhenren walked while scanning the surroundings with a deep and wary gaze.
This was the deepest part of the Wilderness Abyss, the last of the Black Mountains.
The forest was dark and gloomy, and the mountain's high slopes embraced it like an inverted offering plate, forming a natural Black Mountain altar.
The surroundings were eerily silent, filled with nothing but darkness.
There wasn't even a trace of an evil spirit's aura.
It seemed even the evil spirits dared not enter this Black Mountain abyss, the altar where the Evil Deity would be reborn.
In the darkness, only the blood thread, symbolizing the "heart connection between mother and child", guided their path.
The further they went, the thicker the blood thread became, like a real umbilical cord connecting the two ends.
Wenren Wan's heart rate quickened, as if the child she had longed for was just a short distance away in the darkness.
Not just Wenren Wan, everyone could hear a faint but terrifying heartbeat growing stronger and closer.
Finally, another red glow appeared in the darkness.
This red light was deep and flowed like blood, constantly surging. Within the red light, the silhouette of a child, entangled by the blood thread, could be seen.
Seeing the child, Wenren Wan was overwhelmed with pain, tears streaming down her face as she called out, "Yu'er..."
She was about to rush forward to embrace her child, but Situ Zhenren suddenly held her back.
"Wait!"
Situ Zhenren's expression was grave as he looked at Yu'er.
He surveyed the surroundings, pondered for a moment, and then took out the Six Yang Crimson Gold Lamp. He controlled the Six Yang light to be faint and gentle, then slowly scanned the area.
The Six Yang Crimson Gold light gradually illuminated everything around them.
Everyone's eyes narrowed as they took in their surroundings, their pupils dilating and faces turning pale.
The entire mountain was covered in eggs.
Black demonic eggs.
Some eggs were still hatching, while others had turned a translucent blood red, with demonic claws and teeth writhing inside.
"This is... the Evil Deity's Companion Demons... there are so many..."
Situ Zhenren felt a chill run down his spine.
Other demonic spirits might not necessarily have "pollution" power, but each of the Evil Deity's Companion Demons was undoubtedly a source of "pollution."
Their evil thoughts might even be more powerful than the pollution itself.
No one knew what kind of monstrous evil spirits would hatch from these countless demonic eggs with the Evil Deity's revival.
And what kind of corrupting laws these evil spirits would possess.
A single evil spirit tainted by the Evil Deity's primal power was already formidable.
But here, they were countless and densely packed.
If these evil spirits spread like an evil tumor, like a plague of the Evil Deity, across the land of Qianzhou...
Just the thought made Situ Zhenren's heart race and his scalp tingle.
Just as Situ Zhenren was feeling chilled, he suddenly heard the white-robed female immortal say, "Situ Senior, look there..."
Her voice was cold but filled with urgency and shock.
Following her gaze, Situ Zhenren frowned and saw that, in the endless darkness beside the true fetus "Yu'er", there were four even larger demonic eggs.
These demonic eggs were several dozen feet tall, with bulging muscles and a dark purple color, covered in demonic patterns, resembling opium flowers. They were connected by blood to the evil fetus Yu'er, guarding the altar and protecting their deity.
Inside the massive demonic eggs, some had already "matured", transforming into a transparent blood-red thin film. Through the film, one could see the terrifying demons hatching inside.
The words "Spawn Demon" instantly came to Situ Zhenren's mind.
These were a more powerful type of offspring demons, born alongside the Evil Deity's true fetus.
They were both the natural "guards" of the Evil Deity and, in a sense, the "siblings" or "offspring" of the Evil Deity.
What shocked Situ Zhenren even more was that, while the countless demonic eggs on the mountain were still intact and hatching, one of the four large Spawn Demon eggs had already broken open. The eggshell had been slashed, and blood had flowed all over the ground.
This meant that a Spawn Demon, born alongside the evil fetus, had already awakened early and might have been following them all along.
Situ Zhenren felt a chill run through his body and quickly said, "Be careful!"
At that moment, the talisman-bearing man in the group felt something wet, sticky, and soft on his neck, with an alluring scent and a mesmerizing touch.
He couldn't resist touching it and found his hand covered in blood.
On his neck was a lip mark.
A fresh, tender, and writhing lip mark, like a red worm.
(End of Chapter)
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