Chapter 37: The Experience of the Purifying Demon Saint!
With a beckoning wave of his hand, two storage rings drifted out from the corpses of the two men. His soul power extended forth. Peering at the abundant, plentiful collections inside, a smile finally surfaced at the corner of Jiang Yun's mouth.
A windfall! A windfall! As an alchemist, yet lacking a fully legitimate reason, the rather embarrassing truth was that he was very, very poor. He had no pill formulas and had to deduce everything entirely on his own. He even had to rely on Zi Yan to subsidize and supply him with medicinal ingredients. It was so bad that he hated to use a single set of ingredients without splitting it in two for refinement.
Yet now—all of these problems had been effortlessly, smoothly resolved. Putting Fan Lao aside for the moment, Yuan Yi, as the Sect Leader of the Eight Gates Sect, owned an auction house. All sorts of strange, odd, and rare items were in his possession.
In a single glance, Jiang Yun spotted over a dozen pill formulas—all formulas for pills tier 4 and above!
Only such precious, valuable pill formulas would be kept on his person, closely guarded and protected. One had to know—in the Black-Corner Region, things were only truly safe when carried on one's own body.
But this being the case—all of it had conveniently, cheaply fallen into Jiang Yun's hands!
"Little Yun! We've struck it rich!" Just at that moment, a gleeful, jubilant voice rang out. A purple silhouette came racing toward Jiang Yun at top speed, her face still carrying an expression of sheer excitement. He fixed his eyes and looked closely.
She was clutching a whole armful of storage rings.
Just moments ago, Jiang Yun had personally dealt with Fan Lao and Yuan Yi, while Zi Yan had handled the two's subordinates. With Zi Yan's peak rank 5 strength and no Dou Huangs present... it could simply be summed up in two words.
Indiscriminate slaughter!
And wasn't this—the armful of storage rings she could barely hold onto—wasn't this the proof?
"You're not hurt?"
Sweeping a glance over the storage rings in Zi Yan's arms, Jiang Yun raised his hand and cleaned the grime and filth from her hands, asking softly.
"No." Jiang Yun's palm blazed with the white Sacred Flame, brimming with the power of vitality. The comfortable, soothing sensation made Zi Yan narrow her eyes in bliss. Even her voice came out somewhat soft and melting.
She herself was also startled and taken aback. At this moment, she felt as if she had fallen ill. Her heart seemed as if it no longer belonged to her. As if jolted by an electric shock, she abruptly snatched her hand back from Jiang Yun's palm. Forcibly suppressing the strange, peculiar feeling in her heart, she declared with an air of great smugness and pride.
"How could those few stinky fish and rotten shrimp possibly stump me?"
Somewhat puzzled by Zi Yan's reaction, Jiang Yun didn't delve deeper into it. He stowed away the storage rings and looked at the now somewhat dimmed black token. At this moment, the Grand Demon-Refining Array that had just moments ago displayed such divine, awe-inspiring might all around them had already become utterly dull, dim, and lightless.
The endless, ceaseless scouring and erosion of countless ages had already worn and ground it down almost to nothing. Today, having been forcibly activated by Jiang Yun to execute that single, massive strike, every last scrap of its remaining power had been completely extinguished.
"Little Yun, that Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva was snatched away by that guy called Han Feng! Should we go after him?!" After finishing tallying up the medicinal ingredients within the storage rings, Zi Yan came bouncing and hopping over to Jiang Yun's side, merrily asking.
Jiang Yun turned his head back. His deep, profound gaze revealed an unreadable, inscrutable hue. A moment later, he answered, "No need. Let Han Feng keep it safe for us for a while."
Watching Jiang Yun speak in riddles, Zi Yan nodded with seeming, partial understanding. No matter what—listening to Little Yun was the right call. Just then, Jiang Yun spoke softly.
"Zi Yan, do you want to see the true appearance of this secret realm?"
"Hm?" Zi Yan swiveled her head in some confusion and asked aloud, "Could it be that this place is a fake secret realm?"
"To be precise, this is only the outer perimeter of the secret realm. The true secret realm... is hidden in even deeper depths!"
"I want to go! I want to go!" Hearing this, Zi Yan's eyes instantly blazed brilliantly bright. If even the outer perimeter had this many excellent treasures... then what about the inner perimeter?!
Zi Yan spoke up excitedly.
Jiang Yun nodded. He placed the token in his palm. With a single hand forming seals, an obscure, concealed, deeply hidden ripple instantly pulsed and spread outward in all directions.
"Rumble—"
The sound of violent quaking and trembling rang out. In the eyes of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan, the surrounding space was fracturing and shattering. Faintly, indistinctly, a milky-white ring of light was taking form in that shattered, ruptured space.
"After we enter, you must hold tightly onto my arm. Don't go running around recklessly, understand?" Even though he had absolute, perfect, complete confidence, before entering, Jiang Yun still worriedly reminded and admonished her.
"I understand!" Seeing the serious, solemn look in Jiang Yun's eyes, Zi Yan, for once, did not cause mischief. She replied with equal seriousness.
Nodding, Jiang Yun spoke aloud within his mind, "I'll be troubling you, Grandpa Qing Ming."
"Heh heh! This old man is also very curious to see what lies below." Qing Ming's figure slowly appeared, a faint, light smile on his face. An irrepressible curiosity filled his eyes.
A faint, pale cyan light surged forth from Jiang Yun's chest. Under Zi Yan's curious gaze, it tightly wrapped and enveloped the two of them.
"Go—"
As his words fell, Jiang Yun's form unfurled and darted into motion, transforming into a streak of light. Carrying Zi Yan, they shot into that ring of light with lightning, thunderous speed.
The very instant their bodies shot into that ring of light, the skin across their entire bodies abruptly tightened and tensed. After the light before their eyes blurred and whirled briefly, the surrounding space had already completely transformed.
"Where's Zi Yan?!" In the very first moment, Jiang Yun discovered Zi Yan had vanished. Some alarm stirred in his heart. Yet upon seeing the milky-white flames in the surrounding space, understanding dawned in his mind.
"I never imagined—even like this, I'd still fall into your trap!" Sensing the searing, scorching aura within the space, Jiang Yun sighed with some feeling.
"Yet I have no time to waste!" With a movement of his heart, a fissure suddenly appeared at the center of Jiang Yun's brow. A terrifying, dreadful eyeball slowly emerged.
"Break—"
A single, light shout rang out. A bizarre, eerie ray of black light swept and shot across the surrounding space. Instantly, the space shattered and fractured.
Jiang Yun slowly opened his tightly shut eyes. Immediately, he saw Zi Yan, whose hand he was holding. At this moment, her eyes were tightly shut, her expression tinged with some pain.
It seemed she was experiencing something far from pleasant!
"Wake up!" Jiang Yun placed both hands on Zi Yan's shoulders, pressing his forehead against hers. A low, commanding shout rang out. At the center of his brow, a vein of purplish-black slowly surfaced and emerged.
Within that shout was mingled a terrifying, dreadful fluctuation of soul power. The sound waves directly transmitted into Zi Yan's ears and finally slammed ruthlessly, viciously against her soul.
Causing her tightly shut eyes to abruptly, suddenly fly open at this very moment.
"Little Yun..." The moment she opened her eyes, she glanced at Jiang Yun beside her. Zi Yan's eyes immediately reddened.
"Alright, alright. All of that was false!" Knowing that Zi Yan's illusion environment had certainly contained nothing good, Jiang Yun rubbed the top of her head and softly soothed and consoled her.
Only under Jiang Yun's gentle, comforting reassurance did Zi Yan slowly regain her composure. She spoke furiously, "What a bastard! To actually make me see a scene like that! Little Yun, let's hurry! I want to tear open the grave of this secret realm's master!"
"Heh heh—" Watching the huffing, furious Zi Yan, Jiang Yun let out a low, soft chuckle. He took her hand and slowly led her forward.
Along the path the two advanced, one illusory, ethereal scene after another surfaced and appeared before their eyes.
There was a man, seated upright atop an enormous lotus flower that radiated an abnormal, bewitching, demonic aura. His expression was calm and composed, his gaze deep and profound as he stared fixedly at a certain spot.
Beneath him, it seemed to be a city. The inhabitants within that city all appeared to be undergoing all manner of torment and suffering—for the expressions on their faces were all deeply, intensely anguished.
Following that were still countless, innumerable scenes—all of them the life experiences of that man. From the weak and insignificant to the absolute, unrivaled summit of the continent. Together, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan bore witness to the entire lifetime of a paramount, supreme expert.
Jiang Yun had already discerned the man's identity. From the very moment he saw that demonic, bewitching flame lotus, the other's identity was no longer any secret whatsoever.
It was precisely that half-step Dou Di expert who had dominated and suppressed an entire era—the Purifying Demon Saint!
The scenes continued to flow and shift—until a special, unique scene appeared!
In the space between heaven and earth, a figure clad in black suddenly descended, radiating a sky-surging, heaven-churning evil aura. The figure stood suspended, treading upon the void. An aura akin to that of the very master and sovereign of heaven and earth slowly, steadily spread and extended outward from within this person's body.
Under the influence and effect of this aura, even heaven and earth themselves began to seem somewhat small, insignificant, and trivial.
"The Extraterrestrial Evil Race!" Toward this aura, Jiang Yun could not possibly be any more familiar. It was precisely the Extraterrestrial Evil Race. As for which specific clan, Jiang Yun could not yet easily determine. "It seems... this is the master of this secret realm!"
"It should be a member of the Soul-Devouring Clan!" Just then, Qing Ming's voice slowly drifted over.
"The Soul-Devouring Clan?" Jiang Yun was somewhat puzzled. The clans of the Extraterrestrial Evil Race numbered far more than merely thirty-two major clans. There were also countless, innumerable other clans. Just like the Foreign Demon Clan that had invaded the Tian Xuan Continent—they didn't even possess a single Heavenly Sovereign within their clan. They were merely an insignificant, unremarkable minor clan, countless and innumerable among the Evil Race.
"The Soul-Devouring Clan's strength cannot even rank within the top hundred within the Evil Race. Yet their clan's innate talent is somewhat terrifying. They can devour the souls of others and use them for their own cultivation. They are exceptionally, exceedingly bloodthirsty and murderous. Not only toward the people of the Great Thousand World—they are the same toward their own kind as well. Because of this, they are somewhat ostracized and unwelcome within the Evil Race."
Facing Jiang Yun's question, Qing Ming patiently explained and answered for him.
A look of clarity and understanding surfaced on Jiang Yun's face. He spoke with an icy, frigid tone, "They truly deserve death!"
Due to the Xie Ling Clan's own painfully awkward, difficult predicament, Jiang Yun held not the slightest shred of goodwill toward living beings that slaughtered and cannibalized their own kind.
"Such a disgustingly detestable aura!" Unlike Jiang Yun, Zi Yan seemed to possess an innate, inborn loathing and revulsion toward the evil aura of the Extraterrestrial Race. She lightly furrowed her brows, her eyes brimming with disgust and repulsion.
"Little Yun, this guy is so immensely powerful!" Rubbing her palms together with some discomfort and unease, Zi Yan tugged at Jiang Yun's sleeve and pointed at the black-clothed figure in the scenes.
"This should be the master of this secret realm. He is a Dou Saint!" Jiang Yun turned his head back and softly explained for Zi Yan.
"So he's a Dou Saint!" Zi Yan gazed at the black-clothed figure in the scenes with some astonishment. She never imagined that this was the legendary Dou Saint.
Zi Yan carefully, meticulously scrutinized that black silhouette. Although it was merely a projected image, that kind of aura... it made even her soul tremble and quiver uncontrollably.
"Ang—" Just as Zi Yan was feeling unbearably uncomfortable, before Jiang Yun could even make a move, a powerful, intense purple light abruptly erupted from within her body. A faint, indistinct dragon's roar echoed and resounded.
"Zi Yan!" Jiang Yun looked at Zi Yan with some shock and alarm. He never expected her bloodline to actually be stimulated into awakening at a time like this!
"Little Yun!" Jiang Yun's call jolted the dazed, entranced Zi Yan back to her senses. She looked at Jiang Yun with some confusion.
"Zi Yan, do you feel any discomfort anywhere?"
Looking at the somewhat anxious and worried Jiang Yun, Zi Yan replied, puzzled, "No!" She rubbed her swollen, aching head and continued, "It's just... I feel like there's something more in my mind."
Jiang Yun now suddenly understood. It should be that the Ancient Dragon legacy within Zi Yan's body had been accidentally, unexpectedly stimulated into awakening. He just didn't know how much of it had awakened.
"It's a good thing. Don't try to probe into it for now. Wait until you've stabilized before exploring it!"
"Mm!" Zi Yan nodded gently. Suddenly, she cried out in surprise, "Look quickly! That lotus man from before just appeared!"
Lotus man?
Jiang Yun looked at the nickname-bestowed Purifying Demon Saint with a rather odd, peculiar expression. He wondered—if this exalted one knew how he was being labeled and arranged by a junior of later generations, would he be infuriated enough to come back to life?
Within the scenes, the Purifying Demon Saint appeared and erupted into a colossal, heaven-shaking battle against the member of the Soul-Devouring Clan. The strength of both was at the peak of Dou Saint. Although the member of the Soul-Devouring Clan possessed an endless, inexhaustible array of methods and techniques, he still could not withstand the Purifying Demon Saint's Purifying Demon Lotus Flame.
In the end, he was slain and executed by the Purifying Demon Saint. Yet the characteristic, defining trait of the Evil Race—their difficulty to be completely annihilated and exterminated—was revealed without a doubt. Even dead, the Soul-Devouring Clansman still ceaselessly radiated and emitted evil energy, polluting and corrupting the Dou Qi Continent.
If left unchecked and unattended, countless years later, the Dou Qi Continent might very well be completely assimilated and devoured.
Bearing up and forcing down his heavily wounded, battered body, the Purifying Demon Saint sought out and brought back an emerald-green, thousand-zhang giant tree, wreathed and surrounded by pure, clear energy.
"The Bodhi Ancient Tree!" The very instant Jiang Yun saw it, a startled, shocked cry involuntarily escaped his mouth. A giant tree capable of possessing such a sacred, divine, holy appearance—Jiang Yun could only think of one—the Bodhi Ancient Tree, ranked third on the Heavenly Treasures and Earthly Rarities Ranking!
"So it was the Bodhi Tree!" At the very same moment, Qing Ming's enlightened, suddenly understanding voice drifted over.
"Hm? The Bodhi Tree!" Jiang Yun pondered in deep thought. One had to know—the Bodhi Tree and the Bodhi Ancient Tree were two completely different things. Although the two differed by only a single character, the gap between them was as vast and immeasurable as the distance between heaven and earth.
In this world, Bodhi Trees could occasionally be born and found. Yet the Bodhi Ancient Tree—from ancient past to the present day, there had only ever been that single, solitary one.
The Bodhi Ancient Tree, through endless, protracted ages of condensation and accumulation, would gradually form and coalesce a mass—the Bodhi Heart, capable of allowing one to achieve Sainthood where they stood. The Bodhi Tree, however, did not possess such immense, heaven-defying ability. This Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva was precisely the 'Bodhi Heart' condensed and formed by the Bodhi Tree.
"What? What? What's the Bodhi Tree? What's the Bodhi Ancient Tree?" Zi Yan, with her keen, sharp hearing, had caught Jiang Yun's self-mutterings. She urgently, eagerly asked aloud.
Once again, Jiang Yun patiently gave Zi Yan an elementary-level crash course on the differences between the two. It left Zi Yan drooling nonstop.
And at this moment, the images and scenes within the visuals flickered and shifted unceasingly. Having obtained the Bodhi Tree, the Purifying Demon Saint used it as the array's very core and focal point, setting up and arranging an enormous, grand array. Using the pure, clear energy of the Bodhi Tree, alongside the passage of time, he would wear down and extinguish the evil energy of the Soul-Devouring Clan.
After finishing and setting everything in place, it seemed he could no longer hold on or support himself. Hurriedly, hastily leaving behind a single token, a portion of Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva, and a single fragmentary map... he departed.
The scenes and images ended here. Jiang Yun estimated—what followed next should be the backlash and rebellion of the Purifying Demon Lotus Flame.
As a half-step Dou Di, in his prime and full, flourishing, peak condition—the treacherous, rebellious Purifying Demon Lotus Flame absolutely would not have dared to betray the Purifying Demon Saint.
The Purifying Demon Lotus Flame and the Nihility Devouring Flame, as the existences ranked third and second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking—their quality and strength were on par, equally matched, between equals.
The Nihility Devouring Flame, with the aid and assistance of the Hun Clan, required ten thousand years of time to reach 9-star Dou Saint. As for the Purifying Demon Lotus Flame—this unfortunate, unlucky wretch who had been refined and subdued by the Purifying Demon Saint the moment it emerged—it absolutely did not possess the power to rebel and backstab the Purifying Demon Saint at his peak and prime.
And now, the heavily wounded, critically injured Purifying Demon Saint presented it with the perfect, golden opportunity!
The Purifying Demon Saint had perhaps, in sensing this very point, left behind that one-quarter fragmentary map to serve as a hidden contingency and backup plan. At the same time, it was also in the hope that a suitable, fitting inheritor and successor would appear in later generations.
To help him thoroughly, completely, and finally resolve the problems of both the Purifying Demon Lotus Flame and the demonic energy of the Soul-Devouring Clan!
Having pieced together and clarified everything, Jiang Yun spoke to Zi Yan, "Let's go. Let's see if Senior Purifying Demon Saint left anything behind!"
"Let's go, let's go!" Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up. Raising her hand in excitement and enthusiasm, she declared. By now, she already understood the strength and power of the Purifying Demon Saint. A great, mighty figure like this—whatever he casually scraped and left behind would be more than enough to fill her and Jiang Yun to bursting.
(End of Chapter)