Chapter 177: Chapter 175: Curse Killing the Demon King
Zhou Yi descended, saw Yuan Qi and others waiting inside, and the Qi Refinement cultivator kneeling on the ground.
Yuan Qi bowed and said, "Reporting to Elder Tang, this is Liu Yu who was stationed on Fire Bamboo Island. He attempted to escape after the appearance of the Demon Head and was captured by True Person Zhai."
"Supreme, spare my life!" Experience tales with mvl
Liu Yu cried bitterly and pleaded, "The Demon Head... he used my family... "
Before he could finish speaking, his body involuntarily flew up, and his head landed in the palm of Zhou Yi\'s hand.
Soul Search!
In the Cultivation World, torture was never employed; Zhou Yi directly read his memories and raised an eyebrow upon learning the Demon Head\'s name.
"To think the most auspicious fortune has manifested here!"
He tossed Liu Yu aside. According to the sect rules, conspiring with the demonic path to harm one\'s own sect meant death by being thrown into the Earth Fire, soul scattered to the winds.
"I have already slain the Blood Moon Demon Monarch, avenging Brother Feng,"
Zhou Yi said, "It\'s just that the traitor Huo Yan has already fled; once he reports back to the Ghost King Sect, we will inevitably face trouble."
Yuan Qi was first delighted then alarmed, exclaiming, "What should we do?"
In front of the Ghost King Sect, the Earth Fire Palace was nothing more than insignificant ants; a Nascent Soul elder from their sect need only come to the Eastern Sea to reduce our sect to dust.
"The righteous path intends to completely annihilate the demonic path and is certainly keeping a close watch on all the Demon Lords. Even if the Ghost King Sect seeks revenge, they will probably only send a Golden Elixir True Monarch. I..."
Zhou Yi paused thoughtfully: "For now, the Sect Leader should make arrangements for the elite disciples to seek shelter outside to avoid unpredictable events!"
Every Golden Elixir True Monarch who has traversed heavenly tribulation is formidable; should they carry with them supreme treasures of slaughter or cultivate some grand Divine Skills, Zhou Yi could not guarantee his own safety from their edge.
Yuan Qi anticipated Elder Tang\'s temperament and responded, "Elder, rest assured. I will make the arrangements immediately and have True Person Zhai escort them to the underwater spiritual grounds to cultivate for a time."
Even a crafty rabbit has three burrows; the Earth Fire Palace knew of a few secret spiritual grounds, set with concealing formations, where enough Spirit Stones were stored in preparation for a calamity that could exterminate the sect, ensuring the survival of its elites.
Zhou Yi gave some further instructions on matters such as monitoring by True Persons and allowing entry but not exit.
Back to the Hall of Spiritual Fire.
Activating dozens of layers of formations and infusing the Xuanwu Divine Armor for protection, Zhou Yi took out the Profound Yin Treasure Bead to inspect the Spiritual Objects one by one.
Spiritual Objects from demonic cultivators typically harbor dark, bloodthirsty attributes and are categorized in storage bags to be possibly utilized in the future.
"There are no demonic Spiritual Objects in the world, only demonic cultivators!"
Zhou Yi\'s Divine Sense swept over them, his eyes lighting up at the sight of at least hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones—a fortune among True Monarchs.
Inside the bead, Magic Artifacts like the Black Blood Nail, Weeping Blood Blade, and Soul Flag were many. Other than the Profound Yin Treasure Bead, another item was a pitch-black Lotus Platform, its exact uses still unknown.
Magic Artifacts differ from Magic Artifacts; the latter have simple prohibitions that can be easily refined, while the former require the True Monarch\'s soul and Mana to nurture, as well as special artifact-controlling spells. Acquired artifacts may thus be difficult to wield in a short time.
Zhou Yi looked forward with anticipation at the jade slips within the bead.
"Dark arts and forbidden techniques often shorten life, which fits well with the pursuit of the Longevity Dao Fruit. As a True Monarch of the Ghost King Sect, I hope to gain something valuable!"
He casually took out a jade slip, which contained the essence of Ghost Cultivation. Zhou Yi found it fascinating, as it detailed numerous tips for nurturing the divine soul.
The paths of the righteous, demons, ghosts, and monsters are all part of the Dao of Cultivation. By extensively collecting and integrating the strengths of all, one might glimpse immortality!
"This principle is correct, but it seems there\'s an issue!"
After reviewing the Ghost Cultivation teachings, Zhou Yi retrieved another jade slip about the pitch-black Lotus Platform.
The Mysterious Yin Lotus Platform, an auxiliary cultivation Magic Artifact, can stabilize the divine soul, calm the mind, and gather Yin Sha and demonic qi for demon cultivators to absorb.
"Pity there\'s no accompanying artifact-controlling spell. However, once the Ghost King Sect falls or even perishes, the corresponding legacy will surely emerge. I need only to color this lotus gold and alter some prohibitions, and it could be transformed into a treasure of Buddhist high monks!"
Zhou Yi continued to examine the jade slips. Given the Blood Moon Demon Monarch\'s lengthy lifespan, his knowledge was extensive.
Cultivators divide between righteous and demonic, but the four arts of alchemy, artifact refinement, formation, and divine sense are universal—the insights into Alchemy and Artifact Refining absorbed Zhou Yi.
"If even a Golden Elixir True Monarch is so impressive, how profound must the foundation of a Nascent Soul elder be? And the legacies of the Ghost King Sect, and the entire Cultivation World…"
Zhou Yi silently invoked the Immeasurable Heavenly Honored One to suppress the greed in his heart and casually selected another jade slip.
His Divine Sense scrutinized its contents, and his face brightened—it was exactly the long-range, no-cost, lethal spell Zhou Yi lacked!
The Netherworld Curse!
"Sacrificing one\'s lifespan to worship the Netherworld\'s ghost deities, shortening the opponent\'s lifespan, indeed demon path techniques suit me!"
"Witchcraft, the Netherworld, ghost deities..."
"In ancient times, there wasn\'t just the Immortal Dao, but also the Divine Dao, witchcraft, and more; how they all fell into decline is still unknown."
Zhou Yi carefully examined the jade slips, which included more than just curse techniques but also detailed annotations by the Blood Moon Demon Monarch and strategies for rapidly overcoming the weakness brought on by declining lifespan.
At the end, it highlighted the Netherworld Curse\'s flaws—for instance, righteous cultivators typically possess countermeasures. If the curse fails, the ghost deity would retaliate with equal lifespan loss.
"I am not afraid of backlash to my lifespan. Occasionally sending it to my enemies will keep them alert. They might be prepared on regular days, but in a life-and-death battle, who can afford to be distracted by casting a counter-spell!"
"The spell requires the target\'s aura, which is a bit troublesome. However, it also reminds me always to maintain Mana as protection, allowing no trace of my aura to escape!"
Zhou Yi pondered over the Netherworld Curse for a while, then took out an altar refined by the Blood Moon Demon Monarch along with several strands of hair and placed them on it.
The strands came from a Jade Bottle labeled "Huo Yan"; several other similar containers suggested they were the Blood Moon Demon Monarch\'s contingency plan.
With hand seals cast, the spell wove and sacrificed strands of vital energy to the ghost deity.
Zhou Yi used up two hundred years of lifespan, and the Ghost Deity Statue\'s eight pupils flared with red light, as if it had just crawled out from the Netherworld.
Moments later,
The Ghost Deity Statue issued a harsh, sinister laugh, its eight palms coming together in front of its body, forming a strange hand seal.
"It worked!"
Zhou Yi\'s face revealed joy, the traitor Huo Yan had finally become a hidden danger for the Earth Fire Palace, and to silently curse him to death spared them much trouble.
"A mere Foundation Establishment True Person cannot test the profoundness of the curse technique, at least a Golden Core Stage trial is needed to choose which lucky one will exchange lifespans with this poor Daoist..."
After much thought, Zhou Yi made a decision and activated the Blood Covenant to summon the yellow ox.
"Ox, sneak back to Moyun City, find out which Demon King is the most rampant, and bring back a few strands of its hair."
"Your wish is my command."
The yellow ox bowed to accept the order and transformed into a beam of escaping light flying towards the southwest.
Moyun City was located at the junction of Cloud Continent, the Great Hundred Thousand Mountains, and the Eastern Sea, no more than thirty thousand miles from the Earth Fire Palace—a round trip taking no more than three to five days.
Ten days later,
The yellow ox returned to the Earth Fire Palace and reported back to Zhou Yi everything seen and heard during its journey.
"Immortal Master, the Dragon Emperor paid no attention to Moyun City. However, after our escape, the Flying Bear Demon King took the opportunity to justify the contention between right and demonic paths, volunteering to guard Thorn Ridge. Since then, he has been mercilessly slaughtering and tormenting; without the protection of the Green Pine Demon King, Moyun City might have already fallen!"
"Very good!"
Zhou Yi\'s expression was neither sad nor happy as he took the black hair of the Flying Bear Demon King and threw it into the altar.
He performed the Netherworld Curse Technique, spending two hundred years of his lifespan. Moments later, the Ghost Deity showed a fierce smile, indicating the successful casting of the spell.
"Senior Brother Feng has never heard of this curse, let alone the demon race knowing how to counteract it. However, demons have much longer lifespans than humans of the same stage; trading life for life is actually a profit!"
...
Mo Cloud Cave.
Demon King Hall.
It was noisy and lively, with the clamor and shouts of great and small demons incessantly filling the air.
The Flying Bear Demon King, six feet tall with his body cloaked in black fur, had a human-like torso, arms, and legs, but a bear face. He held a jar, guzzling down the wine with loud gulps.
"This Moyun City does have its uses after all; their brewing skills are unparalleled!"
"Humans and demons are natural enemies, with a deep-seated grudge as vast as the ocean; there\'s no need for fair trade. Whatever we desire, we simply seize by force!"
Since coming to guard Thorn Ridge, the first order of the Flying Bear Demon King was to abolish the rules of equality between humans and demons, ordering that humans were vassals and servants to demons, no different from Spiritual Medicine and mineral resources.
The wealth accumulated over hundreds of years by the human population of Moyun City evaporated overnight, all falling into the possession of the Flying Bear Demon King.
Any human who dared resist was met with the pretext of the Demon King\'s displeasure, who would then mercilessly slaughter the city\'s human population until all knelt and begged for mercy.
Over thirty years had passed, and Moyun City was no longer prosperous or bustling, its population reduced to half.
"In a few days, I\'ll go down to the city and snatch a few beauties..."
Just as the Flying Bear Demon King thought of descending the mountain to plunder, he suddenly felt an intense pain in his chest as if it was being twisted. The luster of the black, shiny fur on his body dimmed significantly but soon returned to normal.
"What\'s going on?"
After scanning with his Divine Sense, the Flying Bear Demon King immediately realized that a large portion of his lifespan had vanished into thin air.
The lifespan of a Golden Core Demon King varied greatly; the shorter ones, such as insect demons, were similar to human True Monarchs, while those like turtle demons could outlast Nascent Soul ancestors. Flying Bear, with his ancient, heterogeneous bloodline and wings on his back, had a Golden Core stage lifespan of nearly a thousand years.
Even with such an extended lifespan, the disappearance of two hundred years was a massive loss.
"It must certainly be a vile technique that depletes lifespan. Who exactly wants to harm me?"
Before his words were finished, he experienced the excruciating heart pain once again. His fur turned from glossy black to ashen gray, and another two hundred years of his lifespan diminished.
Roar!
The Flying Bear Demon King let out a long roar, not bothering to instruct the multitude of demons in the hall as he flapped his wings and flew towards Greenwave Pond. However, just as he flew out of Cloud Piercing Peak, his lifespan reduced once more, totalling a loss of six hundred years.
In an instant, his ashen-gray fur turned completely white, his eyes dimmed, and dead energy surrounded the demon core within his body.
"Who could it possibly be?"
As the life force of the Flying Bear Demon King dissipated, his escaping light abruptly stopped and his demon body fell from the sky.
It seemed as if by fate, he landed right in the central square of Mo Yun City, creating a massive crater with a thunderous crash.
The city\'s human population was shocked at first, but upon realizing that the Flying Bear Demon King was dead, they gathered around him. It was unclear who struck the first blow, but in mere moments, all that was left was a bloody skeleton.
...
Hall of Spiritual Fire.
Ghastly mist pervaded the air, with a chilly aura swirling around.
Zhou Yi stopped casting the curse technique and carefully observed the Demonic God Altar. Seeing no changes, he finally felt at ease and put it away.
"Ox, I must trouble you again. Spread the cause of the Flying Bear Demon King\'s death, claim that its wanton slaughter of humans brought divine retribution."
The yellow ox reminded him, "Immortal Master, I\'m afraid no Demon King will believe that reason."
"No matter. Should they not believe, they are welcome to try."
Zhou Yi had tested the Netherworld Curse and was very satisfied with its power.
"I need only curse to death three or five more Demon Kings. Whether they believe it or not, they won\'t dare to oppress humans so easily again!"